CA - Dr. William Ayres for child molestation, San Mateo, 2007 #1

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So sad to read that several complaints had been made throughout the years and yet he was allowed to keep practicing! Many red flags were ignored which had to have made it even worse for the ones brave enough to finally say something. This preditor IMO made a very good living while being handed victim after victim on a silver platter.

VB
 
Snipping from the article:

"Child Protective Services report that Ayres molested them in their youth."
"The case was settled confidentially in 2005."

"One was determined to be "unfounded" in 1987, and the alleged victim in the other didn't cooperate with police, according to those records and statements."

" but the cases could not be prosecuted because the statute of limitations had expired, police reports show."

"The lawsuit contended the alleged victim, referred to in court documents as James Doe, was not Ayres' first molestation victim. The lawsuit alleged "there were at least four others, and possibly more. The two sides reached a confidential settlement in July 2005"

:banghead:
 
That's so awful! A child psychiatrist should know better than anyone how his actions would affect his patients. This is beyond reprehensible!

Why would they keep sweeping it under the rug?
 
The worst part is that a man in his profession working with these kids who can be manipulated into silence UNTIL the statute has run out. I think he was able to perpetuate this because he knew how to work these troubled kids and get away with it. I long for the old days when a guy like this in society could run into "unfortunate circumstances" end up with a toe tag and be done with it. Yeah, I know, that's vigilanty speak, but hey - I feel we've become so civilized and intellectual that we've completed the circle right back to stupid.
 
I checked and I don't see a thread on this case. I stumbled upon it while doing research on pedophiles lurking in the the medical field. This discovery knocked me out of bed as one of my children saw this man for a single psych evaluation!! He saw him while he was in F/C in the county where this creep practiced. That's way too close for comfort. Our young man is now 24 and I plan to ask if he remembers anything. He would have been 5-6 years old at the time, around 1990-91. He was so vulnerable as that was the year his birth mom passed away and that he developed a chronic illness.

It looks like this guy flew under the radar for a very long time. And then his victims started growing up and talking. Imagine that. Some background info:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2007/04/23/MNGEQPDM0N1.DTL

"Authorities said there were plenty of impediments to building a case. Not the least was the difficulty of verifying accusations brought by once-vulnerable or troubled youths against a former president of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry praised by county officials in 2002 for his "tireless effort to improve the lives of children."

This statement just rips at my heart:

"You have a prominent psychiatrist saying, 'I didn't do it,' and a troubled youth who's seeing a psychiatrist," McKowan said. "You have to be able to prove a case beyond a reasonable doubt...."



There's also a very thorough blog about this guy and his multiple trials--at least 37 accusers to date!! Looks like he finally got his license yanked in 2007. The SOL ran out for a lot of victims. Why can't every state do what some states have done and open the window for two years on sex abuse cases? I think that's a great idea.

http://www.williamayreswatch.blogspot.com/



Make sure you check out Ayres' court schedule for 2010 on the right side bar. He's going to be a VERY busy man. We need to keep an eye on this.

If I have missed a previous thread, can someone please let me know.
 
I checked and I don't see a thread on this case. I stumbled upon it while doing research on pedophiles lurking in the the medical field. This discovery knocked me out of bed as one of my children saw this man for a single psych evaluation!! He saw him while he was in F/C in the county where this creep practiced. That's way too close for comfort. Our young man is now 24 and I plan to ask if he remembers anything. He would have been 5-6 years old at the time, around 1990-91. He was so vulnerable as that was the year his birth mom passed away and that he developed a chronic illness.

It looks like this guy flew under the radar for a very long time. And then his victims started growing up and talking. Imagine that. Some background info:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2007/04/23/MNGEQPDM0N1.DTL

"Authorities said there were plenty of impediments to building a case. Not the least was the difficulty of verifying accusations brought by once-vulnerable or troubled youths against a former president of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry praised by county officials in 2002 for his "tireless effort to improve the lives of children."

This statement just rips at my heart:

"You have a prominent psychiatrist saying, 'I didn't do it,' and a troubled youth who's seeing a psychiatrist," McKowan said. "You have to be able to prove a case beyond a reasonable doubt...."



There's also a very thorough blog about this guy and his multiple trials--at least 37 accusers to date!! Looks like he finally got his license yanked in 2007. The SOL ran out for a lot of victims. Why can't every state do what some states have done and open the window for two years on sex abuse cases? I think that's a great idea.

http://www.williamayreswatch.blogspot.com/



Make sure you check out Ayres' court schedule for 2010 on the right side bar. He's going to be a VERY busy man. We need to keep an eye on this.

If I have missed a previous thread, can someone please let me know.

I have been following these accusations for sometime outside of WS. Because this is one of the worst of the worst-establishing a pattern with truly the most vulnerable.

I am SICK for you regarding your dear son.
 
I'm sitting here trying to decide if I want to even bring this up with my guy. I know I have to but he's our son who disclosed first and still has a hard time with PTSD. He was abused in F/C too and moved several times due to abuse. I know, a real lovely start for a little boy. See why I'm so darned proud that he's clean and sober and working and telling me he loves me? He is a SURVIVOR extraordinaire!!

I'm shocked that I didn't know about this case as three of our children were adopted from that county and came through that DHS system. But then, we moved North. This case is identical to the one here in Southern Oregon with Art Silverman. I posted a thread on that case. He's the psychologist who pleaded guilty to abusing boys and fled the country to Israel, where he hid out for nine years. He was extradited a couple of months ago and will be re-sentenced in our county this week. Silverman was also sent hundreds of referrals by DHS and juvenile judges.

I just wonder where liability sits with these cases. These victims are often "wards of the court" or under the jurisdiction of the court due to offenses. They are vulnerable and at these creeps' mercy. It really hurts me to read that while a troubled child will not be listened to, an angry and bitter and disillusioned adult survivor will cause them to take a look.

I recognize that false reports can and do get made. However, once again, I'm going to have to say that IME, boys rarely want to say that someone masturbated them even if they truly did. Boys would rather suffer in silence and die a little more each day. I have no doubt that the man in prison and the poor man who died in the crash were both victims of risky behavior brought on by that inner torment.

And before anybody starts screaming about how, "I would have been in that room with my child", let me know how that goes for you when you try that for a psych evaluation. Psychiatrists see children ALONE. Often the children seen are not living in their homes of origin and their foster parent (who might not even know them very well yet) or a volunteer driver drops them off. This is the reality that Ayres banked on.

I am thoroughly and totally disgusted.
 
At least Ayres' license was suspended. That's better than they could pull off for Dr. Livingston in Tennessee or even Dr. Bradley in Delaware.

http://www.medbd.ca.gov/board/media/releases_2007_04-12_ayres.html

Just a reminder, in case anyone forgot:

"The mission of the Medical Board is to protect healthcare consumers through the proper licensing and regulation of physicians and surgeons and certain allied healthcare professions and through the vigorous, objective enforcement of the Medical Practice Act."



Thanks for the merge!! I knew WSers had to have been on this case.
 
Awwwwww, Iz. I'm so sorry.

Nobody is going to scream at you. I wouldn't let them.

Our very last time in Family Court they made DD go into one of their psychiatrists. She was 10 years old. He saw me and her together first. He explained he had to see her alone which I knew was the norm. He asked "Now would you trust me alone with your child?"

No f*eakin joke I straight out said "Nope". He started writting feverishly. He then explained his court appointment and such to me and went on to how I'm an intelligent person and reasonable obviously. Still I said "Sir, with all due respect I don't trust anyone. I know that's not the right answer and won't win me any help in here, but I'm just being honest".

Oh I hate all this cr*p*ola. Da*n these people. I am truly sorry for all your pain, Iz. I really am.
 
Like the case in NY that we are currently following, I think it is the pass the buck theory of case management. This is not a blanket statement across the boards-just with these cases for sure.

Ayres did what predators do-in his case however the mystique of being a physician AND a psychiatrist gave him the kind of secrecy that other predators can only dream about. He chose to practice with abused children whose family units were not strong.

He picked on children who were victims already. I wish....when I am feeling vengeful like this...that this could be tattooed on his forehead.

It took until 2007 IIRC to yank his license. If there are potential victims out there, they should know that if they were not believed before, they will be believed now and if they are suffering, they can obtain some kind of relief and hopefully a measure of justice as well.
 
I wanted to thank the people here for posting a thread on the Dr. William Ayres case. I blew the whistle on Ayres back in 2002, when I met one of his victims in New York City. I called the San Mateo Police Department, which got the ball rolling. I have stuck with this case for eight years.

There are close to 50 victims in California now. I know of at least three victims who have not gone to the police, and probably never will.

I wanted to let the people here know that the Boston Police Department is now looking for anyone who might have been molested by Ayres in Boston in the 1960s. Massachusetts has a "stop the clock " law which means they can prosecute someone who left the state after molesting a child. There's a good chance they can prosecute Ayres.

The Boston Globe is also currently working on an investigative story about Ayres' activities in Boston and they will publish their findings soon.

Meanwhile over at the William Ayres blog, Sgt Detective John Donovan of the Crimes Against Children Unit of the Boston Police Department has posted a "Looking for Boston Victims" message. Anyone who was molested by Ayres in Boston should contact the Crimes Against Children Unit, Sgt. Detective John Donovan, phone (617) 343-6183 or (617) 343-6186, e-mail DonovanJ.bpd@cityofboston.gov. The Suffolk County District Attorney can be reached at (617) 619-4300.
 
Welcome, Mercyneal. We are so glad to have you. I have a son who saw Dr. Ayres in 1991 as he was a foster child in San Mateo County at the time. I talked to my son recently to see if he had any memory of the visit. He didn't. I tend to believe him in this as he probably wouldn't have made a good victim. When we met him at age 7 (a year later), we had to drag him out from under the chair to look at him. He was not verbal and just made growling sounds. As good looking as he was, I doubt that Ayres would have attempted anything with him. He probably would have bitten Ayres. Thank God!!

My son is now 24 and flourishing. He still has special needs and a serious chronic disease but he is vibrant, completely independent in the community, and one of our family's greatest successes. He is very dear to me. All for a guy who attempted suicide at least 15 times and spent over two years physically restrained at the Oregon State Hospital.

Ayres preyed on the most vulnerable and I am ecstatic that the victims are finding their voice. I will watch this case with the greatest interest. I don't know if you saw my other thread about Samuel Arthur Silverman. Silverman just got extradited from Israel after fleeing when he was sentenced in Oregon. There are many similarities with Ayres except that Silverman specialized in young boys diagnosed with DD. I'm happy to report that my husband actually went to court two weeks ago and watched as he was re-sentenced. His goose is cooked. He pleaded guilty to two counts but there's no doubt that there were hundreds. I'm sure the same is true of Ayres.

I can't tell you how much I'd like to facilitate a "Looking for Silverman Victims" message. I think there should be a site set up for victims of those in the medical/educational professions. I think we'd learn much.

So, welcome. Please keep us posted.
 
Snipping from the article:

"Child Protective Services report that Ayres molested them in their youth."
"The case was settled confidentially in 2005.""One was determined to be "unfounded" in 1987, and the alleged victim in the other didn't cooperate with police, according to those records and statements."

" but the cases could not be prosecuted because the statute of limitations had expired, police reports show."

"The lawsuit contended the alleged victim, referred to in court documents as James Doe, was not Ayres' first molestation victim. The lawsuit alleged "there were at least four others, and possibly more. The two sides reached a confidential settlement in July 2005"

:banghead:

I hate the phrase bolded above. Esp. in this case. By settling confidentially, no report gets made, no public warnings and other children continue to be victimized.
 
Actually, when the case was settled in 2005, I contacted the press and convinced them to do a story. Because of the news stories about the settlement, new victims of Ayres came forward.

And I didn't know about the Samuel Arthur Silverman case. Thanks for the tip. You might also want to read about the very recent case of child psychiatrist Dr. Miguel Frontera in Baltimore who just had his license yanked in a case that's very similar to Ayres.

Good to hear your son is doing well Missizzy
 
Mercy, welcome to WS and you are one of my heros. For real. You have helped to change the world for these poor children who were victimized not just by Ayres, but by those who unwittingly refused to listen to them because of the nature of their illnesses or issues.
 
Will you all pardon me for a moment as I'd like to post something for Mercyneal. You will most likely find this appeal decision of great interest in light of what you've seen with Dr. Ayres.

http://www.publications.ojd.state.or.us/A99377.htm

For more information and links, search for a thread here on WS titled "Southern Oregon Pedophile extradited from Israel" posted 12/19/09. You'll note that a Dr. Beebe, who I've never been actually able to nail down, testified at this appeal. Dr. Beebe was well aware that Silverman was a pedophile but made no attempt to bar him from practicing. Unbelievable!!

To make matters even worse, Silverman's wife is a psychiatrist who has seen the exact same population of patients as Dr. Ayres for at least 16 years in this valley. As far as I know she has received no sanction or reprimand for helping hide her husband for nine years as he "tutored" students.

I would bet you all dollars to donuts that Ayres and Silverman and Dr. "SD" (Silverman's wife) knew one another or at least crossed paths.

Thank you kindly. Now back to Dr. Ayres.
 
I'm posting this as I don't see any thread relating to this doctor. Dr. Mel Levine was a very well respected pediatrician, author, and learning disabilities specialist. He was accused of sexual abuse, much like William Ayres, and signed a consent order to never again practice medicine as he had a number of civil suits brought against him. I guess that will stop him from touching children.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/21/us/21levine.html?_r=1

".....The author of “A Mind at a Time” and other books on learning disabilities, Dr. Levine was chief of ambulatory pediatrics at Children’s Hospital Boston, a teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School, before moving to the University of North Carolina in 1985. He is a Rhodes scholar and attended Harvard Medical School."


An earlier article in which Dr. Levine vehemently denies any abuse:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/06/us/06pediatrician.html

Notice the long history of "complaints".


I also found a blog article written about the accusations against these doctors which sheds a little light on the issue of genitalia examination for patients being seen for strictly behavior issues:

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-last-normal-child/200808/there-are-no-heroes
 
Wow, thanks for the info on the Silverman case. Outrageous.

Those of us who have been tracking the Ayres case have known about Mel Levine since 2005, when a boy first filed a lawsuit against him. Additionally, after Levine had his license revoked, the board of directors at the All Kinds of Minds foundation, which Levine founded, kicked him off because they were losing too many clients because of the sex abuse news.

So what did Levine do? He started something that sounds and looks just like All Kinds of Minds. His new thing is Bringing Up Minds.http://www.bringingupminds.com/About/Team/.

On his site, he still calls himself a doctor. He also has his own web page on which he lists his speaking engagements -which have really dropped off. The few places that have hired him didn't know he'd had his license revoked.

Case in point: the Cooperstown New York School District. In October, 2009 they paid Levine to give a talk. Some people from the Male Survivor website www.malesurvivor.org called to complain - and the Cooperstown School Board said they had no idea about Levine's troubles.

Dr. William Ayres, too, continued to give lectures on things like "Dealing with the Troubled Adolescent" at hospitals right up to the time of his first civil trial for sexual abuse.

Dr. Ayres also failed to inform the American Psychiatric Association that the Attorney General of California had suspended his license- which means an automatic expulsion from the APA. They finally wised up and booted Ayres out of the APA this past December.
 
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