Some Review and Cleanup

In reviewing and updating the "About william ayres" timeline/information page after recent posts,  I noticed that the parole and death timeline graphic was basically illegible to outside viewers and had a few typos. I've cleaned it up a bit, and posted a full sized graphic to look at.  I've also added a news article about DA Wagstaffe's alleged stance on Marcy's law, as well as posted the SOURCE documents (FOIA requests containing emails between Wagstaffe, Guidotti, McKowan, and others) that were used in developing the timeline.

You can follow the link above to see the current information on that page, but I've also copied the updated timeline section below:

Please also look at the two posts immediately below this one, as they contain new (February 2023) information -- about lawsuits against San Mateo County due to molestation in the juvenile justice system as well as a newly located obituary for ayres.

Footnote, July 29, 2017 (with updates March 2, 2023):

Here is a timeline showing when the DA knew about the Parole and ayres' death, as well as how long it took them to completely botch any kind of public announcements, AND discussions that they had about possibly getting in trouble if they didn't contact victims BEFORE the parole hearing. All bullet points on the timeline are based on press reports and FOIA copies of internal communications between various DA office staff and PD staff.

Note: as of March 2, 2023, to the best of my knowledge, there has NEVER been an OFFICIAL confirmation of death of ayres from San Mateo County. Articles in the papers had confirmation from the Solano County Coroner only.

Enjoy the shit-show that these incompetent morons seem to enjoy performing.
You'll need to download the image to see it full screen... it's a large image:

Download the timeline: Click Here!

Source Documents for much of this timeline:

A FOIA request for documents relating to ayres' medical parole hearing and death revealed a great deal of information about the mis-steps and blunders relating to the DA's interaction with victims. 

These documents include emails from prosecutor McKowan, DA Wagstaffe, Chief Deputy Karen Guidotti, Jim Fox, the department of corrections, Officer Decker, and others.

* It's clear that the DA is very "cozy" with the press, and that the press soft pedals these blunders. 

* It's clear that there was no urgency in the DA's office to deal with the victims in the ayres case. 

* It's clear that even though at the highest levels of the DA's office they knew that there were some performance issues that they had with McKowan, there was no real motivation from Wagstaffe or Guidotti to mentor, guide, or otherwise discipline for these embarrassing mistakes. This was an absolute shit-show.

Marsy's Law is a law that is supposed to make it easier for victims of crimes to get information about their case, including especially things like parole hearings, and release from incarceration. The law requires that victims request the updates. 

In 2013 WELL before these violations (many of us had officially requested updates prior to this)  DA Wagstaffe did an interview with KCBS (pdf) regarding Marsy's law, and he had this to say:

"We try to comply with it in every case that we can, whether or not there's a request," he explained. "It does not take a request for us to do it, let's try and make it happen in every case."

"Probably less than one percent of the cases where they're exercising their rights to be informed on things. It's for that reason we try to, as a matter of office policy, we try to follow its dictates even if they're(sic) isn't a request,"

Here are the FOIA requested documents (pdf) that we used for a large part of the timeline above. Gotta see it to believe it. 

Note that DA Wagstaffe was apparently admonished, but not prosecuted due to lack of "willful violation."  There's an article in the "California Superior Courts Report" blog about it.

william hamilton ayres was arrested on April 5, 2007 on charges relating to his molestation of many young boys while he was alleging to provide psychiatric care to private patients as well as referrals for evaluation from the juvenile court system in San Mateo County. After years of  playing demented for the courts, ayres plead "No Contest" and was found guilty of all charges against him on May 16, 2013. ayres was sentenced to 8 years in prison on August 26, 2013. ayres was no longer under the conservatorship of his daughter Barbara Jett (née Ayres) of Sacramento, CA. 

ayres has had significant interaction over the years with local politicians on boards like the "Children and Families First Commission,"  including the DA who was serving when prosecution began Jim Fox and Assemblyman Rich Gordon. In fact, Gordon nominated ayres for a lifetime achievement award for his "Tireless effort to improve the lives of children." ayres has also been vocally supported during his criminal trial by local head-shrinkers like Bart Blinder, Etta Bryant, Mel Blaustein, Harry Coren, Tom Ciesla, Robert Kimmich, Larry Lurie, Maria Lymberis, Richard Shadoan, Captane Thomson, and Harold Wallach. ayres was past president of both the Northern California Regional Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (NCROCAP)  AND American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP)

The convicted child molester died in prison on April 20, 2016.