Monday, January 4, 2010

Maryland Psychiatrist Busted For Child Molestation Actually Admits: Physical Exams Were "Not, You Know, Necessary," "Very Out Of the Mainstream"


"I'm pretty much the accepted model"- Testimony of William H. Ayres, July 8, 2009.

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"I now realize that it is not, you know, necessary. I'm very out of the mainstream of psychiatry." Statements made by Towson,Maryland child and adolescent psychiatrist Dr. Miguel Frontera in 2006 to officers from the Crimes Against Children Unit of the Baltimore County Police Department in 2006 when questioned about the need to perform genital exams on two boys, age 10 and 12 who had come to him for behavioral issues associated with ADD.

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"In his interview with the Board, the Respondent stated that his examinations were either 'not necessary' or were 'uncalled for.'... The Respondent also admitted that he could have performed physical examinations on his minor male patients while they were clothed but did not do so 'out of habit.'"From Section 16 of the Maryland Board of Physicians' Order for Summary Suspension of Dr. Miguel Frontera's License to Practise Medicine, November 2009

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Is there a mini-epidemic of child psychiatrists who molest children ? Because recently we stumbled upon yet another such case- this one very similar to the Ayres one. This past November, the Maryland Board of Physicians suspended the medical license of Dr. Miguel Frontera, an adolescent and child psychiatrist from Towson Maryland for touching the genitals of five boys, -aged 10 to 12 -he was treating for behavioral issues between 2000 and 2009.

According to the report put out by the Maryland Board of Physicians, Frontera's case was reviewed by a psychiatrist who was board certified in adult psychiatry, child and adolescent psychiatry and forensic psychiary. The reviewer found that Frontera "engaged in unprofessional conduct in the practise of medicine, immoral conduct in the practice of medicine, sexual improprieties and sexual misconduct with patients."

After perusing the report ourselves, we can say that the Maryland Board of Physicians sure has different ideas about appropriate standards for psychiatrists who are treating minors than William H Ayres does. Because they punished Frontera for exactly the same things that Ayres blithely admitted were part of his routine for years.

Here are some of the Board's findings against Frontera:

1) Failing to Notify Parents About Physical Exams:
Both Ayres and Frontera performed genital exams on the boys without the parents' knowledge. Indeed, in some of the cases, Frontera forgot to mention he was even doing a physical exam. In one case, when a terrified boy who had already had his genitalia touched extensively by Frontera discovered that Frontera was going to "examine" him again on the second visit, asked that his mother be present in the room. Frontera refused. As for Ayres, there have been reports that he actually asked parents to leave the waiting room altogether.

2) Failure to Use a Chaperon During The Exam:
Remember when Ayres testified he didn't examine girls because they would need a chaperon and in the process bizarrely implying that boys don't need chaperons? Well in Maryland, for a doctor to examine a minor of either gender without a chaperon is a big no-no. Frontera, it seems never used one (and apparently, just like Ayres, he never did physical exams on girls)
What was Frontera's excuse for not having a chaperone with boys? Well, he told the Board that he "did not provide a chaperon during physical examinations or request this patients' parent(s) remain in the room when performing them because of embarrassment he experienced as a child when undergoing physical examinations in the presence of his mother"!!

3)Failure to Leave the Room When the Boys Undressed:
For both Ayres and Frontera, this was standard practise.

4)No Examining Table:
Ayres "examined" his victims on the table where they'd made clay models. Frontera used an ordinary couch.

5) No Medical Reason to Make A Boy Undress:
According to the Maryland report, Frontera "failed to weigh the intrusiveness of a physical examination against its probative or diagnostic value;" Frontera "had patients undress, which did not further support the diagnosis of treatment plan;" Frontera "required minor male patients to undress during parts of an examination that did not require the patients be unclothed."

As for Ayres, we all know he just gave physicals when he felt like it, for no reason whatsoever. Whether a boy came to him because he was being bullied at school or was suicidal, his diagnosis was the same: off with his pants!! And then Weinberg and he tried to come up with some cockamamie excuse for Ayres' pedophiliac urges.

But there's one big difference between the two disgraced psychiatrists: Frontera at least admitted that his examinations were "not necessary," "uncalled for," and "out of the mainstream."

Ayres,on the other hand had the gall to testify that he was "the accepted model." As for being the proven model, try telling that to Ayres' former colleagues at Judge Baker who say that if Ayres had ever been caught giving a genital exam to a boy during therapy, he would have been instantly fired.

Read the rest of the Maryland Board's Suspension Order against Frontera here:

https://www.mbp.state.md.us/bpqapp/Orders/D3755911.069.PDF

11 comments:

  1. The Miguel Frontera case has been the subject of intense discussion over at the Male Survivor website.
    http://www.malesurvivor.org/board/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=317084#Post317084

    Some are emailing
    Jason League, chief of the sex crimes unit at the Baltimore State's Attorney office and urging him to open a criminal case against Frontera.

    You can contact Jason Leaggue by sending him an email: jleague@baltimorecountymd.gov

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  2. I'm new to this site, but I'm interested to know if people really believe Dr. Ayres acted alone at Hillcrest? There were other perverts working there who did much worse things than this man. I know for a fact and can prove it and give names. Is anybody interested? I can't believe they haven't been discovered yet. They must be hiding under some very large rocks, hoping the statute of limitations runs out on them.

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  3. I'd guess that a lot of us are pretty convinced that there were others, and not just at Hillcrest, but possibly in private life/practice as well. It's pretty well known that pedophiles form contacts and have their own sub-communities.

    If you have information about others, you should definitely contact the police. If if your knowledge is out of the range of statute of limitations, the information could sill be used to corroborate other in-statute claims. Do like I did and contact them anonymously first, if you're worried about coming forward, and talk to them about what will happen if you give your name and a full statement. I've found that they're pretty understanding actually, but you do need to follow up, if there is going to be an action related to your report.

    Decker at the San Mateo Police department could be a good start.

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  4. By the way, the criminal charges (and I think most, if not all of the civil charges) come from people who were molested in his PRIVATE PRACTICE, not from the Hillcrest system.

    There WERE however, out of statute victims who testified in the criminal trial who had gone through the juvenile criminal justice system in San Mateo County, and were sent to ayres for evaluation.

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  5. Also, another victim gave a report to the San Mateo Police in 2005 that ayres had molested him when he was in juvenile hall in 1970.

    That victim died in a motorcycle crash two months after giving his police statement.

    You absolutely should report what you know to the police.

    Word is that another doctor in Santa Clara County is being investigated for molesting boys in juvenile hall there.

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  6. There was a night watchman at Hill Crest who worked there for over 20 years. From the 70's through the early 90's. I'd like to give his name but I am scared. I'd like to know if he fondled or molested others besides myself. He bragged that he did and I have no doubt he was telling the truth. He also belonged to that organization that was around years back which advocated adults have sex with children to teach them properly. He is still alive and well, living in Woodside.

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  7. Well, the odds are extraordinarily good that he did. If he was working there in the 90's then there are likely still in-statute victims. You really should contact the police with the information. It is likely that they will take the report, but let you know that there's not much they can do with criminal charges in your case (assuming you're out of statute.) If are currently others who have complained or who will come forward who are in statute, you will bolster their case.

    You could call the police from a cell phone or a disposable cell phone, and just talk to them, tell them your situation without giving your name or the perp's name, and just ask what would happen next. Then think about it for awhile and call them back with a full report if you want to.

    An alternative is a civil suit. Statute of limitations requirements for civil cases are different, but I'm not sure exactly how. For that You'd look for a lawyer who specializes in that kind of thing, and do the same them... contact them and ask what would happen next.

    A big part of the problem is the feeling of guilt that will build over time. Even if you call the police with an anonymous tip, you'll do some good for yourself, and hopefully others too.
    Personally, I can't really tell you which way is best. I think that everyone is different in what kinds of stress they can cope with, and both ways will be painful, but also freeing.

    By the way, that group is NAMBLA, and they are still around.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Thank you for your thoughtful response. I did send an anonymous letter to Melissa Mckowan. I don't know if anything ever came of it. It is too late for me. I was molested in the early 70's by this man. There was nothing my family could do as he was connected to a very prominent figure in the San Mateo County Sheriff's Dept. I'm sure it gave him a sense of invulnerability. I hope that with all the people reading your blog, others may come forward. I'd like to come right out and say his name, but I'm not sure you would be able to post that. Hopefully, any victims will feel empowered to report him as I did. Thanks.

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  9. It's good that you wrote to McKowan, but I think you should also probably contact the police, as they may have casework going on (or similar reports) that have not yet been turned over to the prosecutor. Additional reports might be the key that lends enough credibility that they decide to turn it over for prosecution.

    Your first post sounded concerned enough that it seems to me that this is something that you are still struggling with at least a bit. Taking steps that may help prevent this particular guy (or others like him) from continuing to abuse might be a step in the direction of healing a bit for you.

    It's true that whether or not the guy is locked up probably won't do anything to fix what's been done to YOU, but the knowledge that you've helped to prevent further damage might be helpful in the long run.

    I know that it's a bit of a tough sell, especially with the connections that seem to run so deep with this stuff... That's exactly why these guys are such insidious criminals.

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  10. Thank you. I can't go to the San Mateo County Sheriff's Department who would have juristiction. This man was put in his job by the former elected Sheriff and was married to his daughter. When I wrote to the DA, I did it for the others out there who may have been abused. I even put that in my letter.

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  11. Again, I'd go to the POLICE, not the Sheriff. Often they are at odds with each other politically, although I'm not sure that this is the case in San Mateo.

    Give them an anonymous phone call and talk to someone. Maybe give Decker a try. I don't know that he'd be able to do anything, but I don't think he'd "rat you out" either...

    ReplyDelete