Adriana,
Did you not receive the attachment word doc? The original email went to you and a private investigator by the name of Don Shawver. Don Shawver conducted an investigation on DMC Regent Linda Garcia. We feel it is in the Public's Right to know the details of this investigation and the person or entity who funded it. Did the Caller Times hire Mr Shawver and if so why not the same scrutiny of all the other candidates? A DMC Public Records Requests turned out nothing significant except the fact that DMC answered it (the FOIA request) readily before the time period. I understand that there is an agreement between the In House Counsel (DMC) and the Caller as there is a recording of the in house counsel responding to what he believed to be a Caller TImes Reporter. The Reporter was questioning the in house counsel regarding the following published FOIA request:
Corpus Christi Watchdog Authority: Fwd: [Bay of Pigs] Judge Westergren has been given the opportunity to produce the ...
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
The Serpent IN the Garden January 14, 1996 Houston: CCISD board President Henry Nuss AQUIESCED. CCISD eagerly supplied pedophile with young patients -
If this was leaked to the media did the Caller Times tell us about this pedophile?
Did the Caller publish any stories on this matter?
And the CCISD Board did they inform the community?
The Serpent IN the Garden January 14, 1996 Houston: CCISD board President Henry Nuss AQUIESCED. CCISD eagerly supplied pedophile with young patients - even after he had been publicly charged.
CORPUS CHRISTI - James Plaisted was a respected child psychologist, a deacon in one of the city's largest Baptist congregations and the father of four.
He also was a child molester so brazen he escorted little girls into church and fondled them under his coat while listening to the sermon.
Parents knew. So did church pastors, school officials and state regulators. But few did anything to stop him, and those who tried were remarkably unsuccessful.
It took 10 years to get Plaisted behind bars. Only he knows how many children he molested during that time.
Last month, Plaisted - already serving a two-year federal prison term for luring a Texas patient to Boston to continue molesting her -was brought back to Corpus Christi in chains.
He pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting four girls and was sentenced to 40 years in prison.
State regulators have yet to revoke his license to practice psychology.
""I think the Plaisted case is the model of what happens when the system fights with itself," said Susan Snyder, a Kingsville attorney and former prosecutor who tried to lock up Plaisted in 1992.
""Obviously, there have been safeguards in place to prevent this man all along, but either (state officials) were too lazy or too busy, or too scared of the politics of going and yanking this man's license," Snyder said. ""It's not the legal system failing. It's the people within the legal system that refuse to let the legal system work."
It's not as if no one tried.
Carmen Alvarado, the mother of the first child to accuse Plaisted more than 10 years ago, sought criminal charges against the therapist and filed an ethics complaint with the Texas Board of Examiners of Psychologists. She alleged that Plaisted had fondled her son's penis during a late-night counseling session.
Alvarado called the Parkdale Baptist Church, where Plaisted, 46, was a deacon.
""They said they were leaving it in God's hands," she recalled.
""I don't think they were thinking straight at the time."
She went to other parents. She got no help.
In the end, it was just her son's word against Plaisted, who told a Corpus Christi jury in 1986 that the 6-year-old child was a habitual liar and a pyromaniac who derived sexual excitement from setting fires. It didn't help that a new prosecutor was assigned to the case just before trial.
The jury acquitted Plaisted; his practice continued.
""It made me mad because when I went for help, all I asked was for them to testify," Alvarado recalled. ""We lost because my son was the only witness we had."
""It was a very tough call to make," said another victim's mother. ""And looking back, I really should have crucified him, but I didn't. I chose not to after talking to my attorney. He told me it would just really traumatize my daughter."
The Corpus Christi woman, who asked not to be identified, said she did confront Plaisted and his wife, who were neighbors in 1984, when her daughter was allegedly molested while spending the night with one of Plaisted's daughters.
""He did not deny it," she said. ""He said he could have done it
in his sleep."
Plaisted's wife laughingly added that she and her husband often made love at night, and he would not remember the next morning, the woman said.
The woman, who was also a member of the Parkdale Baptist Church, recalled telling church officials later about Plaisted's molestations.
""But it didn't seem to make any difference," she said. ""The church really backed him up, and a lot of people left the church after that."
Plaisted's attorney, Doug Tinker, refused to allow the Chronicle to interview his client. The criminal defense lawyer, who earlier this year represented Yolanda Saldivar, who was convicted of murdering Tejano star Selena, declined to discuss the Plaisted case.
The victims' families have since sued the church for negligence, but Parkdale's lawyer argues the congregation should not be held responsible for Plaisted's actions.
""It would be the church's wish to get this thing resolved without causing any additional hurt to anyone," said attorney Van Huseman. But he added, ""If a child gets molested in the middle of the service, how does that get to be the pastor's fault?"
Plaisted - a Nebraska native who served in the Army in Vietnam -came to Corpus Christi in 1982 with impeccable credentials, having earned his doctorate in clinical and child psychology from Auburn University in Alabama in 1981.
He quickly built a private practice, and over the years, developed a good reputation as an expert on brain dysfunction.
The Corpus Christi school district, along with local pediatricians, eagerly supplied him with young patients - even after he had been publicly charged. Members of the church also sought his help, and he had hospital privileges at the prestigious Driscoll Children's Hospital, a South Texas institution known both for quality care and charity.
Neighbors described Plaisted as pleasant, reserved, well-spoken. He was methodical, they said, and liked to work on projects around the house.
Plaisted recruited some of his victims from broken homes, showering the children with gifts, inviting them and their parents to Thanksgiving dinners. One 9-year-old girl who spent the night with Plaisted's daughter told prosecutors the psychologist molested her on the sofa in his living room while he and the children watched the movie "Home Alone"
on video.
He curried favor with his victims' parents by lending them money and refusing repayment, or by buying them air conditioners and other gifts. One mother even acted as a character witness for the therapist during the Alvarado trial, unaware that her own child was being molested.
""The bottom line is this guy had complaints filed against him at the psychology board - and they are serious - and the board doesn't notify the school about the complaints," said Jerry Boswell, director of the Citizens Commission on Human Rights, a group funded by the Church of Scientology (SEE CORRECTION) that documents cases such as Plaisted's. ""And the school is still referring children to this guy."
Corpus Christi school administrators said they used Plaisted infrequently for psychological testing of students, although school records and correspondence indicate he was a consultant from 1983 until he was indicted for child sexual assault in late 1992.
School administrators have identified records of five students referred to him for psychological testing between 1985 and 1992. There are no records prior to 1985.
School board President Henry Nuss, who has served on the board for seven years, said he first heard of the Plaisted case when he was contacted by the Houston Chronicle last week.
""We certainly should be more selective in who we're using," he said.
After Plaisted was charged in the Alvarado case in April 1986, Robert J. Garcia, the school district's special education director, wrote to the state psychology board to ask about the psychologist's record. The agency's executive director replied that Plaisted's license had been suspended, but because the psychologist was in the process of suing to get it back, he remained licensed to practice. The letter gave no details about the nature of the complaints.
""He was given a clean bill of health by the only agency that had anything to say about it," said Dr. Adrian Haston, a psychologist who coordinates the school district's psychological services, and who, years ago, shared an office with Plaisted.
Haston emphasized that none of the schoolchildren referred to Plaisted were molested. ""And we never had anything untoward, any problems of that sort," he said.
Asked why the district would risk using a psychologist once accused of being a child molester, Haston replied, ""This is something the district did, and you can ask the director of special education why."
Garcia said in a recent telephone interview that he could not remember whether he knew about the child molestation charges at the time he wrote to the psychology board.
""All I know is we asked for what his status was and they said he could still practice," he said. ""We knew he was under review, but we didn't know what for.
""Look, the state board of psychologists, they're the ones that allowed him to continue to practice," Garcia added angrily.
""If anyone should be asked as to why this guy was allowed to continue, it should be the state board of psychology."
Pressed for further details, Garcia abruptly ended the interview and hung up the phone.
Although Plaisted was acquitted in August 1986 in the Alvarado case, the psychology board continued its investigation and ruled in November of that year that Plaisted had violated professional standards.
The board officially suspended his license for two years, but said he would be allowed to resume his practice in three months.
Meanwhile, Plaisted challenged the suspension in state district court in Austin, arguing the psychology board had unfairly considered allegations that had not been introduced during his hearing, denying him the opportunity to defend himself against them. The judge agreed, and in January 1987 reversed Plaisted's suspension.
While the board was investigating Plaisted's case, they were contacted by Corpus Christi psychologist George Kramer.
Kramer, who had hired Plaisted in 1982 before Plaisted was licensed, told the board to subpoena records of the state Department of Human Resources. It did, and found other instances of alleged molestation by Plaisted.
In April 1989, the board reached an agreement with the psychologist that allowed him to keep his license if he agreed to be supervised for 11/2years. Plaisted was to treat children only in the presence of an associate or in a location where he could be observed by a television monitor. He also was to pay to have Corpus Christi psychologist Joseph Horvat supervise his casework.
Horvat met with Plaisted weekly, but after a year - convinced that Plaisted was doing nothing wrong - he recommended the supervision be terminated six months early. The board decided to continue the supervision.
""I have found no evidence in any way, shape or form of any behavior on his part which could be in any way construed as unprofessional or unethical," Horvat wrote to the board.
Included in one of his reports to the board was a review of Plaisted's treatment of an 8-year-old girl - a child Plaisted was later charged with molesting.
The board's general counsel, Barbara Holthaus, acknowledged past actions taken by the agency were inadequate.
""With hindsight, of course it wasn't appropriate, because look at what happened," Holthaus said. But she said the board has since added lay people to its ranks and has a new, tougher state law giving it better enforcement powers.
""Now, if we get a report that a psychologist is molesting a client, we can go before a judge and say we want to temporarily suspend the license," she said.
Holthaus said the board has filed a motion to revoke Plaisted's license, but Plaisted is fighting it.
""It's all kind of moot, because he's incarcerated," she said.
Soon after Plaisted completed his board-ordered supervision, Corpus Christi police received new information from state child welfare workers that Plaisted had been molesting girls at his office, in church and at home in his hot tub.
Former detective Eric Michalak, who now works in Colorado, remembered taking the Plaisted case to a Nueces County assistant district attorney for prosecution.
""He wanted to get a warrant for the doctor and arrest him, because we had very strong evidence against him," Michalak said. ""We had multiple victims and you had a guy in the position he was in, where he had access to all these victims.
You would want to take quick action rather than let it go on for so long."
The prosecutor was overruled by then-District Attorney Grant Jones, Michalak said. ""(Jones) just said, `We're not getting a warrant. We're taking our time.' He wanted the kids reinterviewed by one of the prosecutors.
""Any time you go after someone like that, there's a lot of politics that come into play," Michalak added. ""Instead of stepping in right then, and bringing it out in the open and taking it to a grand jury (for indictment), they delayed."
Jones contends that any delay in prosecution was an effort ""to tie the case down tight. We didn't want to lose him twice,"
said Jones, on whose watch Plaisted was acquitted in the Alvarado case.
Jones called it ""outrageous" the psychology board still hasn't revoked Plaisted's license.
""They should have done it in 1986," he said. ""What they want to do is wait around until you go to trial and you convict him, and then they come in behind your conviction and revoke his license. Well, what's he doing in the meantime? He could be out in the community molesting kids for two years."
Michalak said the case was finally taken to the grand jury several months later after he leaked the information about Plaisted's investigation to the local media.
""It was taking too long, and it wasn't being handled like another case," he said. ""And it was because he was so prominent in the community."
Plaisted was finally indicted in Corpus Christi in October 1992. He posted bond, closed his practice in Corpus Christi, and negotiated an agreement with the psychology board to place his license on inactive status until he could prove his innocence.
He then moved to Boston, where he enrolled in Boston University Law School and successfully completed his first year of studies by May 1994.
While in law school, Plaisted began calling a former patient - the girl whose treatment Horvat had reviewed in Corpus Christi. Plaisted convinced the girl's mother - who was also a patient of his - to bring the girl to Boston for additional therapy.
Plaisted's plans were foiled when a policeman setting up a speed trap in his neighborhood accidentally intercepted on his police radio a sexually explicit telephone call between the girl and Plaisted, who was using a cordless phone.
FBI agents were called in, six other calls were taped, and Plaisted was arrested on June 3, 1994, after he met the girl, then 13, and her mother at the train station and took them to a budget motel.
""The mother wasn't aware" of the molestations, said Adolfo Aguilo, an assistant Nueces County district attorney. ""The mother had a borderline personality disorder - she developed dependency on people -and unfortunately for her the person she developed a dependency on was Dr. Plaisted."
Sgt. Michael Harpster, a police detective from suburban Boston who helped arrest Plaisted, described him as ""very congenial, almost shy."
""He'd answer questions very courteously, but he didn't show any outward signs of knowing the seriousness of the situation," Harpster said.
Last January, Plaisted was sentenced by a federal judge in Boston to a two-year prison term after he pleaded guilty to transporting a minor across state lines to engage in illegal sexual activity.
The Corpus Christi conviction and sentence came almost a year later.
In the end, Plaisted admitted molesting four victims. But prosecutors say no one will ever know how many others failed to come forward.
""I imagine there could be several other victims. Through his practice and the church he probably had access over the years to thousands of children," said Aguilo, the Corpus Christi prosecutor who eventually secured Plaisted's guilty plea.
""To me, any kid that came in contact with this guy was a victim in some way or another," added Michalak.
When Plaisted was sentenced last month, it was a bitter emotional meeting for many of his young victims and their parents, who had been called as witnesses in case Plaisted decided against the plea bargain.
Parents said Plaisted stood up straight, held his head high and looked the judge in the eye. And when he saw the relatives of his former victims, he acted as if he were attending a reunion of old friends, they said. One parent said Plaisted looked as if he thought they were there as supporters or character witnesses.
""He turned around and gave the families a big smile," Alvarado said. ""I couldn't believe it."
Alvarado, who sued Plaisted in civil court, has received a settlement for an undisclosed amount. Her son, now a teen-ager, is still struggling with his past abuse, she said, and she continues to feel betrayed by those who would not join her in speaking out years ago.
""I told them if they had helped me in the beginning, none of this would have happened," she said.
Plaisted timeline
Key dates in the career of Dr. James R. Plaisted:
January 1983: Licensed to practice psychology in Texas.
October 1984: Investigated by Texas Department of Human Resources for allegedly molesting a neighbor's child.
April 1986: Charged in criminal case for allegedly fondling a boy during therapy.
August 1986: Acquitted by jury in Corpus Christi.
October 1992: Indicted for sexual abuse of three Corpus Christi girls.
December 1992: Closed Corpus Christi office; moved to Boston to begin law school.
June 1994: Arrested by FBI agents for luring a 13-year-old former Corpus Christi patient to Boston.
January 1995: Indicted by Corpus Christi grand jury on three counts of aggravated sexual assault for incidents years earlier involving the same girl.
January 1995: Sentenced to two years in federal prison in Boston case.
Dec. 7, 1995: Sentenced to 40 years in state prison by a Corpus Christi judge after pleading guilty to five counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child.
Did the Caller publish any stories on this matter?
And the CCISD Board did they inform the community?
The Serpent IN the Garden January 14, 1996 Houston: CCISD board President Henry Nuss AQUIESCED. CCISD eagerly supplied pedophile with young patients - even after he had been publicly charged.
CORPUS CHRISTI - James Plaisted was a respected child psychologist, a deacon in one of the city's largest Baptist congregations and the father of four.
He also was a child molester so brazen he escorted little girls into church and fondled them under his coat while listening to the sermon.
Parents knew. So did church pastors, school officials and state regulators. But few did anything to stop him, and those who tried were remarkably unsuccessful.
It took 10 years to get Plaisted behind bars. Only he knows how many children he molested during that time.
Last month, Plaisted - already serving a two-year federal prison term for luring a Texas patient to Boston to continue molesting her -was brought back to Corpus Christi in chains.
He pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting four girls and was sentenced to 40 years in prison.
State regulators have yet to revoke his license to practice psychology.
""I think the Plaisted case is the model of what happens when the system fights with itself," said Susan Snyder, a Kingsville attorney and former prosecutor who tried to lock up Plaisted in 1992.
""Obviously, there have been safeguards in place to prevent this man all along, but either (state officials) were too lazy or too busy, or too scared of the politics of going and yanking this man's license," Snyder said. ""It's not the legal system failing. It's the people within the legal system that refuse to let the legal system work."
It's not as if no one tried.
Carmen Alvarado, the mother of the first child to accuse Plaisted more than 10 years ago, sought criminal charges against the therapist and filed an ethics complaint with the Texas Board of Examiners of Psychologists. She alleged that Plaisted had fondled her son's penis during a late-night counseling session.
Alvarado called the Parkdale Baptist Church, where Plaisted, 46, was a deacon.
""They said they were leaving it in God's hands," she recalled.
""I don't think they were thinking straight at the time."
She went to other parents. She got no help.
In the end, it was just her son's word against Plaisted, who told a Corpus Christi jury in 1986 that the 6-year-old child was a habitual liar and a pyromaniac who derived sexual excitement from setting fires. It didn't help that a new prosecutor was assigned to the case just before trial.
The jury acquitted Plaisted; his practice continued.
""It made me mad because when I went for help, all I asked was for them to testify," Alvarado recalled. ""We lost because my son was the only witness we had."
""It was a very tough call to make," said another victim's mother. ""And looking back, I really should have crucified him, but I didn't. I chose not to after talking to my attorney. He told me it would just really traumatize my daughter."
The Corpus Christi woman, who asked not to be identified, said she did confront Plaisted and his wife, who were neighbors in 1984, when her daughter was allegedly molested while spending the night with one of Plaisted's daughters.
""He did not deny it," she said. ""He said he could have done it
in his sleep."
Plaisted's wife laughingly added that she and her husband often made love at night, and he would not remember the next morning, the woman said.
The woman, who was also a member of the Parkdale Baptist Church, recalled telling church officials later about Plaisted's molestations.
""But it didn't seem to make any difference," she said. ""The church really backed him up, and a lot of people left the church after that."
Plaisted's attorney, Doug Tinker, refused to allow the Chronicle to interview his client. The criminal defense lawyer, who earlier this year represented Yolanda Saldivar, who was convicted of murdering Tejano star Selena, declined to discuss the Plaisted case.
The victims' families have since sued the church for negligence, but Parkdale's lawyer argues the congregation should not be held responsible for Plaisted's actions.
""It would be the church's wish to get this thing resolved without causing any additional hurt to anyone," said attorney Van Huseman. But he added, ""If a child gets molested in the middle of the service, how does that get to be the pastor's fault?"
Plaisted - a Nebraska native who served in the Army in Vietnam -came to Corpus Christi in 1982 with impeccable credentials, having earned his doctorate in clinical and child psychology from Auburn University in Alabama in 1981.
He quickly built a private practice, and over the years, developed a good reputation as an expert on brain dysfunction.
The Corpus Christi school district, along with local pediatricians, eagerly supplied him with young patients - even after he had been publicly charged. Members of the church also sought his help, and he had hospital privileges at the prestigious Driscoll Children's Hospital, a South Texas institution known both for quality care and charity.
Neighbors described Plaisted as pleasant, reserved, well-spoken. He was methodical, they said, and liked to work on projects around the house.
Plaisted recruited some of his victims from broken homes, showering the children with gifts, inviting them and their parents to Thanksgiving dinners. One 9-year-old girl who spent the night with Plaisted's daughter told prosecutors the psychologist molested her on the sofa in his living room while he and the children watched the movie "Home Alone"
on video.
He curried favor with his victims' parents by lending them money and refusing repayment, or by buying them air conditioners and other gifts. One mother even acted as a character witness for the therapist during the Alvarado trial, unaware that her own child was being molested.
""The bottom line is this guy had complaints filed against him at the psychology board - and they are serious - and the board doesn't notify the school about the complaints," said Jerry Boswell, director of the Citizens Commission on Human Rights, a group funded by the Church of Scientology (SEE CORRECTION) that documents cases such as Plaisted's. ""And the school is still referring children to this guy."
Corpus Christi school administrators said they used Plaisted infrequently for psychological testing of students, although school records and correspondence indicate he was a consultant from 1983 until he was indicted for child sexual assault in late 1992.
School administrators have identified records of five students referred to him for psychological testing between 1985 and 1992. There are no records prior to 1985.
School board President Henry Nuss, who has served on the board for seven years, said he first heard of the Plaisted case when he was contacted by the Houston Chronicle last week.
""We certainly should be more selective in who we're using," he said.
After Plaisted was charged in the Alvarado case in April 1986, Robert J. Garcia, the school district's special education director, wrote to the state psychology board to ask about the psychologist's record. The agency's executive director replied that Plaisted's license had been suspended, but because the psychologist was in the process of suing to get it back, he remained licensed to practice. The letter gave no details about the nature of the complaints.
""He was given a clean bill of health by the only agency that had anything to say about it," said Dr. Adrian Haston, a psychologist who coordinates the school district's psychological services, and who, years ago, shared an office with Plaisted.
Haston emphasized that none of the schoolchildren referred to Plaisted were molested. ""And we never had anything untoward, any problems of that sort," he said.
Asked why the district would risk using a psychologist once accused of being a child molester, Haston replied, ""This is something the district did, and you can ask the director of special education why."
Garcia said in a recent telephone interview that he could not remember whether he knew about the child molestation charges at the time he wrote to the psychology board.
""All I know is we asked for what his status was and they said he could still practice," he said. ""We knew he was under review, but we didn't know what for.
""Look, the state board of psychologists, they're the ones that allowed him to continue to practice," Garcia added angrily.
""If anyone should be asked as to why this guy was allowed to continue, it should be the state board of psychology."
Pressed for further details, Garcia abruptly ended the interview and hung up the phone.
Although Plaisted was acquitted in August 1986 in the Alvarado case, the psychology board continued its investigation and ruled in November of that year that Plaisted had violated professional standards.
The board officially suspended his license for two years, but said he would be allowed to resume his practice in three months.
Meanwhile, Plaisted challenged the suspension in state district court in Austin, arguing the psychology board had unfairly considered allegations that had not been introduced during his hearing, denying him the opportunity to defend himself against them. The judge agreed, and in January 1987 reversed Plaisted's suspension.
While the board was investigating Plaisted's case, they were contacted by Corpus Christi psychologist George Kramer.
Kramer, who had hired Plaisted in 1982 before Plaisted was licensed, told the board to subpoena records of the state Department of Human Resources. It did, and found other instances of alleged molestation by Plaisted.
In April 1989, the board reached an agreement with the psychologist that allowed him to keep his license if he agreed to be supervised for 11/2years. Plaisted was to treat children only in the presence of an associate or in a location where he could be observed by a television monitor. He also was to pay to have Corpus Christi psychologist Joseph Horvat supervise his casework.
Horvat met with Plaisted weekly, but after a year - convinced that Plaisted was doing nothing wrong - he recommended the supervision be terminated six months early. The board decided to continue the supervision.
""I have found no evidence in any way, shape or form of any behavior on his part which could be in any way construed as unprofessional or unethical," Horvat wrote to the board.
Included in one of his reports to the board was a review of Plaisted's treatment of an 8-year-old girl - a child Plaisted was later charged with molesting.
The board's general counsel, Barbara Holthaus, acknowledged past actions taken by the agency were inadequate.
""With hindsight, of course it wasn't appropriate, because look at what happened," Holthaus said. But she said the board has since added lay people to its ranks and has a new, tougher state law giving it better enforcement powers.
""Now, if we get a report that a psychologist is molesting a client, we can go before a judge and say we want to temporarily suspend the license," she said.
Holthaus said the board has filed a motion to revoke Plaisted's license, but Plaisted is fighting it.
""It's all kind of moot, because he's incarcerated," she said.
Soon after Plaisted completed his board-ordered supervision, Corpus Christi police received new information from state child welfare workers that Plaisted had been molesting girls at his office, in church and at home in his hot tub.
Former detective Eric Michalak, who now works in Colorado, remembered taking the Plaisted case to a Nueces County assistant district attorney for prosecution.
""He wanted to get a warrant for the doctor and arrest him, because we had very strong evidence against him," Michalak said. ""We had multiple victims and you had a guy in the position he was in, where he had access to all these victims.
You would want to take quick action rather than let it go on for so long."
The prosecutor was overruled by then-District Attorney Grant Jones, Michalak said. ""(Jones) just said, `We're not getting a warrant. We're taking our time.' He wanted the kids reinterviewed by one of the prosecutors.
""Any time you go after someone like that, there's a lot of politics that come into play," Michalak added. ""Instead of stepping in right then, and bringing it out in the open and taking it to a grand jury (for indictment), they delayed."
Jones contends that any delay in prosecution was an effort ""to tie the case down tight. We didn't want to lose him twice,"
said Jones, on whose watch Plaisted was acquitted in the Alvarado case.
Jones called it ""outrageous" the psychology board still hasn't revoked Plaisted's license.
""They should have done it in 1986," he said. ""What they want to do is wait around until you go to trial and you convict him, and then they come in behind your conviction and revoke his license. Well, what's he doing in the meantime? He could be out in the community molesting kids for two years."
Michalak said the case was finally taken to the grand jury several months later after he leaked the information about Plaisted's investigation to the local media.
""It was taking too long, and it wasn't being handled like another case," he said. ""And it was because he was so prominent in the community."
Plaisted was finally indicted in Corpus Christi in October 1992. He posted bond, closed his practice in Corpus Christi, and negotiated an agreement with the psychology board to place his license on inactive status until he could prove his innocence.
He then moved to Boston, where he enrolled in Boston University Law School and successfully completed his first year of studies by May 1994.
While in law school, Plaisted began calling a former patient - the girl whose treatment Horvat had reviewed in Corpus Christi. Plaisted convinced the girl's mother - who was also a patient of his - to bring the girl to Boston for additional therapy.
Plaisted's plans were foiled when a policeman setting up a speed trap in his neighborhood accidentally intercepted on his police radio a sexually explicit telephone call between the girl and Plaisted, who was using a cordless phone.
FBI agents were called in, six other calls were taped, and Plaisted was arrested on June 3, 1994, after he met the girl, then 13, and her mother at the train station and took them to a budget motel.
""The mother wasn't aware" of the molestations, said Adolfo Aguilo, an assistant Nueces County district attorney. ""The mother had a borderline personality disorder - she developed dependency on people -and unfortunately for her the person she developed a dependency on was Dr. Plaisted."
Sgt. Michael Harpster, a police detective from suburban Boston who helped arrest Plaisted, described him as ""very congenial, almost shy."
""He'd answer questions very courteously, but he didn't show any outward signs of knowing the seriousness of the situation," Harpster said.
Last January, Plaisted was sentenced by a federal judge in Boston to a two-year prison term after he pleaded guilty to transporting a minor across state lines to engage in illegal sexual activity.
The Corpus Christi conviction and sentence came almost a year later.
In the end, Plaisted admitted molesting four victims. But prosecutors say no one will ever know how many others failed to come forward.
""I imagine there could be several other victims. Through his practice and the church he probably had access over the years to thousands of children," said Aguilo, the Corpus Christi prosecutor who eventually secured Plaisted's guilty plea.
""To me, any kid that came in contact with this guy was a victim in some way or another," added Michalak.
When Plaisted was sentenced last month, it was a bitter emotional meeting for many of his young victims and their parents, who had been called as witnesses in case Plaisted decided against the plea bargain.
Parents said Plaisted stood up straight, held his head high and looked the judge in the eye. And when he saw the relatives of his former victims, he acted as if he were attending a reunion of old friends, they said. One parent said Plaisted looked as if he thought they were there as supporters or character witnesses.
""He turned around and gave the families a big smile," Alvarado said. ""I couldn't believe it."
Alvarado, who sued Plaisted in civil court, has received a settlement for an undisclosed amount. Her son, now a teen-ager, is still struggling with his past abuse, she said, and she continues to feel betrayed by those who would not join her in speaking out years ago.
""I told them if they had helped me in the beginning, none of this would have happened," she said.
Plaisted timeline
Key dates in the career of Dr. James R. Plaisted:
January 1983: Licensed to practice psychology in Texas.
October 1984: Investigated by Texas Department of Human Resources for allegedly molesting a neighbor's child.
April 1986: Charged in criminal case for allegedly fondling a boy during therapy.
August 1986: Acquitted by jury in Corpus Christi.
October 1992: Indicted for sexual abuse of three Corpus Christi girls.
December 1992: Closed Corpus Christi office; moved to Boston to begin law school.
June 1994: Arrested by FBI agents for luring a 13-year-old former Corpus Christi patient to Boston.
January 1995: Indicted by Corpus Christi grand jury on three counts of aggravated sexual assault for incidents years earlier involving the same girl.
January 1995: Sentenced to two years in federal prison in Boston case.
Dec. 7, 1995: Sentenced to 40 years in state prison by a Corpus Christi judge after pleading guilty to five counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child.
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Telemundo South Texas: Is this Man fit to be caged?
Telemundo South Texas: Is this Man fit to be caged? 
GOD of Love, A Good Soul's
Spirit Censored or an Evil Deed
deserved of a Life Sentence.
Is this Man fit to be caged?
Look in their EYES. What do you feel?
GOD of Love, A Good Soul's
Spirit Censored or an Evil Deed
deserved of a Life Sentence.
Is this Man fit to be caged?
Friday, July 13, 2007
Telemundo South Texas: BOYCOTT TELEMUNDO Advertisers & Corporate Conglomerates who claim lip service to "COMMUNITY AFFAIRS".
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Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Monday, July 2, 2007
The Kenedy Pasture Company: A Civil Action in the Making?
The Kenedy Pasture Company: A Civil Action in the Making?
What do we want?
Go do some homework, we want responsive representation with transparent operation.
We want to not be railroaded for tardies or for absences when the District does not practice due diligence in interdicting but is very diligent in recording the events and adamantly prosecutes and collects half of the fine. When the people cant pay the kids are picked up from class and taken in handcuffs to the court of nonrecord. The Parent is contacted and ordered to appear immediately. When the Parent arrives he or she is told to pay or your kid goes to jail and sometimes the parent is threatened and / or locked up as well. I have never seen a kid who has been provided counsel but I have witnessed many a kid go to jail.
And this from non responsive legislators who have enabled the School Administration to blame the parent when they allow children in their custody to roam at large unaccounted for and the District in coordination with the Courts of non record get paid (profit) from it.
2007-07-02
A Civil Action in the Making?
Why must we flex our muscles?
Nueces County, CCISD, 105th Judicial District Attorney; how many kids were locked up without an attorney?
- There is no excuse for violating the basic human rights afforded under the United States Constitution.
- How many kids were locked up by a court of nonrecord?
- Not even with a parent's consent unless the parent has been given the opportunity to consult with counsel.
- How many children taken into custody were advised of their Miranda Rights?
- Oh yeah, Plaisted and every CCISD kid for whom, he provided service
What do we want?
Go do some homework, we want responsive representation with transparent operation.
We want to not be railroaded for tardies or for absences when the District does not practice due diligence in interdicting but is very diligent in recording the events and adamantly prosecutes and collects half of the fine. When the people cant pay the kids are picked up from class and taken in handcuffs to the court of nonrecord. The Parent is contacted and ordered to appear immediately. When the Parent arrives he or she is told to pay or your kid goes to jail and sometimes the parent is threatened and / or locked up as well. I have never seen a kid who has been provided counsel but I have witnessed many a kid go to jail.
And this from non responsive legislators who have enabled the School Administration to blame the parent when they allow children in their custody to roam at large unaccounted for and the District in coordination with the Courts of non record get paid (profit) from it.
2007-07-01
"Court Appointed Rolodex's". Nanotechnology and "Confessing Error" in a dog and pony show who operate like they are in a Kangaroo Court.
Nanotechnology at work right before our eyes finally an acknowledgment of what has been going on for quite a while now. The information in those "Court Appointed Rolodex's", there is gold in them hills. And this is going to start becoming available when? and for who? We have came to a narrowing of the road here in this alligning of energy fields. I can see it now we got Mikal who who is the adversary of my adversary John Cornyn. We also have the Honorable Judge Manuel Banales who needs to align with Mr Watts and vice versa. Does he want run for mayor unopposed? I would rather see him correct the errors and run for Governor or Ascend to the Texas Supreme Court. Now, John Cornyn has "Confessed Error" and I assure you it wasn't out of fairness but in the essence of knocking the checkers off of the Table because he was going to lose. And Carlos Valdez & John Hubert "Confess Error" on appeal from the 105th. Hubert & Valdez "confess error" so they can conceal Mary Cano. And that is as painless as it gets.
Anton
CCCT Political PulseMikal Watts seeks to round up list of Democrats for self, others
By Jaime PowellA Monday noontime fundraiser at Vietnam restaurant for U.S. Senate hopeful Mikal Watts was a who's who of the local bar association and judiciary, including five district judges. Watts, who is living in San Antonio, told the crowd that "nobody knows Mikal Watts better than Corpus Christi."
Watts, a Democrat, who is seeking the seat held by Republican Sen. John Cornyn, asked the gathering to dig through their Rolodexes and e-mail address lists because he hopes to compile a statewide database to reach Democratic voters that can be used by all Texas Democrats.
"That way, when Judge (J. Manuel) Bañales runs for mayor he can use it," Watts joked, to uproarious laughter from the crowd and a big grin from Bañales, who was sitting on the front row.
2007-06-30
If you need an attorney.....if he is any good he will tell you watt an "Ander's Appeal" is? If he tells you not to worry about it.........FIRE HIM !!!
Sunday, June 24, 2007
republic of texas: According to the Sentence Ramsey is to be Confined in Texas
republic of texas: According to the Sentence Ramsey is to be Confined in Texas
Former Raza Unida gubernatorial candidate Ramsey Muñiz has been transferred from a federal corrections institute in Three Rivers six months after arriving at the facility.
Former Raza Unida gubernatorial candidate Ramsey Muñiz has been transferred from a federal corrections institute in Three Rivers six months after arriving at the facility. Muñiz, who ran for governor of Texas in 1974 and 1975 under the Raza Unida Party, was transferred from Three Rivers on Tuesday.
Mike Truman, spokesman for the Federal Bureau of Prisons, said Muñiz is being housed in the Federal Transfer Facility in Oklahoma City until he can be transferred to another facility.
Truman said he could not release where Muñiz would be transferred or when, citing security concerns. He also said he did not know why Muñiz was transferred.
Muñiz, 64, is serving a life sentence for three felony drug convictions.
The Three Rivers Federal Correctional Institute, 77 miles northwest of Corpus Christi, has been the closest the former Miller High School football star and local defense attorney has been to home since his 1994 conviction.
Under the banner of Raza Unida, a political party shaped and led by Hispanic activists seeking a political voice, Muñiz earned support from 6 percent the state's registered voters.
Muñiz's wife, Irma Muñiz, said she was surprised to learn of the transfer especially because senators, congressmen and civic groups have written letters to the Federal Bureau of Prisons on her husband's behalf.
Irma Muñiz said her husband had hoped to be housed at the Three Rivers facility because of its proximity to his family in South Texas.
Since he was transferred there in December from an institute in Colorado, Irma Muñiz has made frequent trips to visit her husband.
She likened Muñiz's transfer out of Three Rivers to the treatment of Hispanic Civil Rights figure Felix Longoria.
Longoria, a U.S. Army private killed on-duty in the Philippines in 1945, was refused a proper funeral in his hometown of Three Rivers because the only funeral home in town didn't allow Hispanics to use its funeral chapel.
Civil Rights hero Dr. Hector P. Garcia interceded and U.S. Sen. Lyndon Johnson arranged for Longoria to be buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
Joe Ortiz, League of United Latin American Citizens district director and national and state civil rights director of the American GI Forum, helped organize letter-writing campaigns when Muñiz was in Colorado asking for his transfer to Texas.
Ortiz didn't know about the transfer out of Three Rivers but said both LULAC and the American GI Forum will work toward getting Muñiz returned to Texas.
"We are going to petition our legislators to see if they can do anything to bring him back," Ortiz said.
Contact Adriana Garza at 886-3618 or garzaa@caller.com
Posted by geomatica on June 21, 2007 at 9:47 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I am certain that Ramsey Muniz was falsely imprisoned, but no matter what you believe, he was and is a model prisoner, and it is a complete waste of taxpayer money to be moving him all over, when it makes the most sense for him to be here near his family. He didn't kill anybody, and his treatment has been nothing but inhumane. Something has to be done about the inequities in our prison system. His punishment certainly does not fit his supposed crime. When is his mistreatment and that of his family going to end?
Posted by colorderosa on June 22, 2007 at 9:13 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Only in America does a convicted murderer, chlld rapist, or other harden criminal walk free, while a supposed drug dealer gets life in prison.
colorderosa
Posted by sosiouxme13 on June 22, 2007 at 8:47 p.m. (Suggest removal)
In my opinion, someone convicted of dealing drugs, can be likened to a murderer...
Posted by dannoynted1 on June 23, 2007 at 5:25 a.m. (Suggest removal)
This is retaliation for the "scared status quo". They are afraid if he is in Texas he just might get out.
Only in Texas can this happen.
Eureka~ perhaps Jurisdiction resides in Oklahoma?
or is it Louisiana, where i hear Hayden Head is sending our Federally convicted non white americans as of late?.
Is that legal?
Why would you send a texan to another state unless you want to keep them from their family.
Posted by gmikedear1954 on June 23, 2007 at 3:44 p.m. (Suggest removal)
As a career Federal Agent living in Detroit, Michigan, I find it silly to deny this man the opportunity of being close to his family. As one person stated earlier that far worse criminals are given the option to be close to their family. Also, The whole war on drugs is nothing more than a farce to make contractors rich.
Posted by chuco11 on June 23, 2007 at 8:54 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Ram, you were the impetus for the movement that slowly is gaining speed. Maybe not in our lifetimes but down the road there will be Spanish spoken along with English in the schools, businesses and professional sports, to name a few, all across America not just Texas. "The Man" sees this and doesn't like it! But he can't stop the ineviteable. What was that old adage...."GOD grant me the serenity....... Irma, you are a model of a loving wife. All men should be this fortunate!
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