I remember the dust up with Neal and David Garcia it was intresting how he was fired after looking into the deals with Thomas Duran and Neals insuranc

Garrett joins Neal in opposition

By Fanny S. Chirinos (Contact), Jaime Powell (Contact)
Saturday, July 28, 2007

Caller-Times file photo Local governments have been wrangling for 18 months for control of a board that would oversee funding for the redevelopment of Naval Station Ingleside's surplus property after the Navy leaves in 2010.

p-MineWarfare1-CT PHOTO BY G TULEY - Part of the Mine Warfare fleet berthed at Naval Station Ingleside (03/21/06 GT)

CORPUS CHRISTI — Mistrust in the effort to establish a board to redevelop Naval Station Ingleside spread further Friday as Corpus Christi Mayor Henry Garrett said he and the city would not participate.

Garrett said he took a cue from his predecessor, Nueces County Judge Loyd Neal, who said in a letter to participating local governments that he could not in good conscience support the effort. Neal was angry that some members of the Ingleside City Council, a San Patricio County commissioner and a member of Neal's own Commissioners Court worked out a plan with U.S. Rep. Solomon P. Ortiz, D-Corpus Christi, without Neal's knowledge.

The rest of the Nueces County Commissioners Court support the plan first introduced and approved by the Ingleside City Council, and those who participated in the planning with Ortiz said they had nothing to hide and didn't attempt to hide their actions.

Ortiz said Friday he was offended by assertions that the July 9 meeting was clandestine and undermined the authority of any individual or group. Ortiz said his doors are always open to his constituents and he is trying to help communities affected by base closures, adding that the military subcommittee he chairs allocated $1 million for this area's local redevelopment authority.

"These people, the county judge and others, have not moved from their rears," Ortiz said. "They've been spinning their wheels for years and they haven't accomplished anything. We've lost about 8,000 jobs and for them to be spinning their wheels knowing the base will close soon is disgusting."

While Neal's opposition to the local redevelopment authority held no sway on his Commissioners Court, members of the Corpus Christi City Council, Port Commission and San Patricio County Commissioners Court rallied to him.

As late as noon Friday, Garrett, with approval from the City Council, was prepared to step onto the proposed board. He also had asked Councilman John Marez to serve as the city's second representative, with majority council approval. Friday afternoon Garrett changed his mind.

"There are a lot of things being done and I don't think they are being done in good faith," Garrett said. "I think that they are playing a lot of games I don't want to be a part of. This is a very important issue that should be dealt with in a very professional manner. It should be very transparent and there is no room for secret meetings or negotiations without everybody being involved."

Marez said Friday afternoon that he agrees with the mayor.

Local governments have been wrangling for 18 months for control of the authority to redevelop Naval Station Ingleside's surplus property after the Navy leaves in 2010. The board they are seeking to establish is called a local redevelopment authority, a group of community leaders charged with carrying out the Base Realignment and Closure mandates The authority must be recognized by the Defense Department's Office of Economic Adjustment to receive funding.

Ingleside Mayor Elaine Kemp said the city's local redevelopment authority resolution stipulates that all entities agree on the plan, which includes a nine-member board -- two appointees each from Nueces and San Patricio counties, the city of Ingleside, the city of Corpus Christi and one from the Port of Corpus Christi.

The Nueces County Commissioners Court, which passed the plan Wednesday, removed that stipulation Wednesday at Commissioner Oscar Ortiz's behest, leaving Ingleside to consult with its attorney to see if the plan can move forward without universal support.

Neal and the city of Corpus Christi pulled away from the proposed redevelopment authority after published accounts of a July 9 meeting to develop and prepare a local redevelopment authority for 155 acres of base property, about 100 of which are submerged. Present were Commissioner Ortiz, his brother Rep. Ortiz, the congressman's former chief of staff Florencio "Lencho" Rendon, Ingleside City Councilwoman Stella Herrmann and San Patricio County Commissioner Jim Price. The base's other 912 acres will belong to the port, which had deeded it to the Navy to establish the base.

the meeting

Commissioner Ortiz defended the meeting, saying the Commissioners Court had an unofficial understanding that he would take the lead in matters involving the redevelopment authority.

Neal said Herrmann and acting Ingleside City Manager Paul Baen had approached him with the local redevelopment authority proposal after the July 9 meeting of which Neal was unaware.

"I said this is OK, I guess, but you are going to have trouble getting this by Oscar Ortiz," Neal said. "She said, 'well I can take care of Oscar.' I said, 'fine, good luck.' At no time did she say that she had met with Oscar and that they had met and done all this stuff. They came to see me, but they never said, 'we have this all worked out'. And that's not right."

Neal said he is unsure why Oscar Ortiz believes he has the authority to meet privately and negotiate on behalf of the county.

"He assumed it, I guess, based on what might have happened under a prior administration," said Neal, who took office in January. "We have had no discussions about anyone having authority to negotiate a separate deal without bringing it back to the court and saying, 'this is what I have done.' I don't assume that authority, even though I am the county judge."

On Friday, Nueces County Commissioners Betty Jean Longoria, Peggy Bañales and Chuck Cazalas confirmed that Oscar Ortiz has been the point man for the county on the redevelopment authority matter and that they continue to support the Ingleside proposal.

"As far as I'm concerned, Oscar is the lead on this," Longoria said. "I don't recall anyone at the table questioning how we ended up with the (local redevelopment authority) and who had partaken in the meeting. If anyone had any questions, that would have been the time to have asked and no one did. The judge is using that as an excuse, not I. My vote stands."

The San Patricio County Commissioners Court is scheduled to vote Monday on the proposal. On Friday, two members said they favor the plan, two are opposed and one is undecided.

County Judge Terry Simpson and Commissioner Fred Nardini said they won't vote to endorse the plan.

"My view of this is Loyd Neal has always been an honorable person and he has always had high integrity and that this just goes to show that he is still that type of person, and he is doing what the citizens of Nueces County voted him in to do -- the right thing, not behind closed doors," Simpson said.

shared frustration

San Patricio County commissioners Jim Price and Nina Trevino said they likely are to support the proposal because it needs to go forward. Commissioner Alma Moreno said she is undecided.

Port of Corpus Christi Chairman Ruben Bonilla and port commissioners Mike Carrell and Judy Hawley said the port commission will not vote on the matter and does not want a part.

"Basically, the port does not need (local redevelopment authority), period," Bonilla said. "The port's reversionary right is exclusive and is for the common good. If the port is allowed to do its work, the region will be economically transformed, with a burst of new jobs and a significant elevation of the tax base."

Carrell said Neal is having a similar experience to some of the port commissioners, when dealing with the commissioners court.

"I think it is clear that he is expressing the same frustration that we have in trying to deal with the county," Carrell said. "We would like them to be at the table and be a part of the planning, but the only way they want to be at the table is if they can control the property that legally belongs to the port. They are not interested in coming to the table unless they have total control and we at the port are not willing to give that up."

Port commissioners Yolanda Olivarez and Kenneth Berry support the proposal and hope it is on the August port commission agenda.

Port commissioner Robert Gonzalez declined to say where he stood on the proposal.

Port commissioner Bernard Paulson did not return calls.

Corpus Christi City Council members including Nelda Martinez, Mike McCutchon and Bill Kelly said Friday they have concerns about the handling of the redevelopment authority to date.

McCutchon's endorsement of city appointees hinged on a promise from Garrett that the city would not play any part in trying to usurp the port's reversionary rights on the Navy property.

"The bottom line is that the port bought that property and gave it to the Navy," he said. "The land needs to go back to the port. If it is attempting to control what happens to that area after that base closes I have a problem with that."

Martinez said Neal's withdrawal was a sticking point for her.

"Judge Neal has a high level of integrity," she said. "To see that his leadership will not be part of this initiative gives me a strong concern. His input is a critical piece to this process of redeveloping Naval Station Ingleside. When a man of Loyd Neal's integrity pulls out of a process as important as this, it raises a red flag."

Corpus Christi City Councilman Bill Kelly said developments including the alleged behind-the-scenes dealings and Neal's withdrawal made him nervous.

"If anybody was going to be the tacit representative of the city it would be the mayor or someone chosen by majority vote of the City Council." Kelly said. "I would not presume to speak or negotiate on behalf of the entire City Council as one member of the City Council without the approval of the majority of the council. The only person I think that could expect to have that right is the mayor."

Contact Jaime Powell at 886-3716 or powellj@caller.com. Contact Fanny S. Chirinos at 886-3759 or chirinosf@caller.com.

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Posted by muffin on July 28, 2007 at 7:59 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Hmmm... I'm out of district so it's none of my business but I think I would trust Neal and Garret a lot more than Solomon Ortiz, who has spent a lot of time in Washington and moves very smoothly within the "system" there which is and has been causing most of our problems here in this country. As one of the "leaders" in a congress with a 14% approval rating (the lowest ever in our history), I don't believe I'd trust him to work out some "deal in the dark" that was in my best interest...

Posted by baircub on July 28, 2007 at 8:22 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Myself, I think Oscar Ortiz owes a number of people an apology, and then make a pledge to be OPEN and forthcoming with every last meeting that's held, and include everyone on the committee. It's time to offer an olive branch at the very least. This whole area needs to get it's act together and work cooperatively. There's too much at stake. I think some fence mending is in order. If Oscar Ortiz is so concerned, and thinking the so called "opposition" is just sitting on their duffs not doing anything, the best thing he could have done would have made sure that everyone was involved, that everyone was kept in the communications loop. To then go and punitively leave some people out, just made things worse. Any good project manager worth their salt knows that. Solomon, you screwed up, son.

Posted by intheknow on July 28, 2007 at 9:08 a.m. (Suggest removal)

"Judge Neal has a high level of integrity," Nelda MArtinez said. ! Ha that is the funniest thing I read in the story. After 8 yrs when lloyd was making a killing on his insurance deals with the city when he was mayor! What a joke! Remember about 6-8 yrs ago when then city manager garcia started to dig in the city insurance contracts and the mayors ins company, poof the next day he was FIRED! sure neal has lots of intergity! And I have ocean front property in Az!

I just want something done! This has been going on way to long!

"Local governments have been wrangling for 18 months for control of the authority to redevelop Naval Station Ingleside's surplus property after the Navy leaves in 2010. "

Ask yourself what is worng with the Ingleside proposal?

"a nine-member board -- two appointees each from Nueces and San Patricio counties, the city of Ingleside, the city of Corpus Christi and one from the Port of Corpus Christi"

Move people, jobs and econ development are at stake!

Posted by gulfdem on July 28, 2007 at 9:21 a.m. (Suggest removal)

As far as I'm concerned the Port and the City can not do anything right! The port has lost every deal they try to make for the La Quinta terminal that we have been reading about for the last 100yrs! When is that gonna creat jobs? As far as the city and paper they now they want to hire a consultant? to thell them what? The roof of the building is blue and its old? With a new city council I thought we would do better

Posted by babsyemen on July 28, 2007 at 9:51 a.m. (Suggest removal)

From the outside, it looks like a bunch of tittybabies crying because they weren't given their proper due. Meanwhile, the Coastal Bend is the ONLY community that has not formed its committee and begun plans to redevelop.

Posted by truthincc on July 28, 2007 at 10:46 a.m. (Suggest removal)

intheknow - you don't have a clue based on your comments about Neal, David Garcia and insurance. Neal does have more integrity than the remainder of the commissioners combined.

It is not about the makeup of the committe but more about Ortiz acting like he is county judge and pulling another typical move to try and give another Ortiz connection (Redon) some dollars. They tried it with Randy Delay as well as others if you go and check out the contracts during the last county judge's four years in office.

This County and City will not even start to move forward till changes are made in a number of elected officials which include Washington, Austin and the County Courthouse. The question remains as if it will happen or not with the election of Neal being the only event which indicated any hope.

It's too bad that a petition to remove the four county commissioners is not allowed under our state law. I wonder if our delegation would support legislation to provide that mechanism? Don't hold your breath waiting on that one to happen.

Posted by dvillarreal1981 on July 28, 2007 at 11:36 a.m. (Suggest removal)

I support people trying to get something done with the property--to build economic prosperity in an area that will become an economic blight after the Navy leaves.

We've known the Navy is going to leave for some time now.

Why haven't those who are now complaining--NEAL especially but also GARRETT--done anything yet to resolve the problem?

It seems like there are some people working to get something done with a plan--and those who aren't involved are getting all upset that their names aren't included.

Stop following and LEAD. Get a plan done. ACTIONS speak louder than words. Stop with your EGO, LLOYD. Because you're not involved doesn't make the process automatically insufficient.

GARRETT needs to go. He's obviously a follower... in every issue. You could ask to build a waste plant in the middle of the city, and he would go along so long as a well-named developer was attached to the project. He lacks the brainpower to discern a proper deal that will develop the city without negatively impacting our future. He'll jump on any bandwagon.

I wish McCutchon or some one of equal strength would step up.

Posted by 23jump on July 28, 2007 at 11:42 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Looks like someone hit a nerve truthincc, I remember the dust up with Neal and David Garcia it was intresting how he was fired after looking into the deals with Thomas Duran and Neals insurance intrest.

Fact is that County and City goverment need to work together to move this city! Neal thought that he would run the show in all the coastal bend, but the city voters and term limits removed the old establishment city council members and not to mention that Tom Utter is GONE! (amen!) It looks as if Mike McCution and Hummel run the show at city hall, not mayor Garret.

Posted by truthincc on July 28, 2007 at 1:06 p.m. (Suggest removal)

23jump I agree with you that the City and County need to work together but disagree about Neal. Neal and the County would work with the city with the exception of four problems-the two on his left and the two on his right at the meetings.

No nerve was hit but just suggest you might reconsider if you think you know the facts about David Garcia's departure. I can promise you if you think it was what you said that you are far off base.

McCuthon and Hummell running the show? More accurate statement would be that no one is running the show. The performance to date has for the most part been that of each going in their own direction. Performance to date and keep in mind it's only been a few months so there is time for improvement---C minus.

Posted by stff on July 28, 2007 at 2:01 p.m. (Suggest removal)

The sooner the Ortiz politcal machine is put out of business, the better things will be in Nueces County and the Coastal Bend.

Posted by rflk on July 28, 2007 at 2:22 p.m. (Suggest removal)

The naval station is in San Patricio County! That county should have the majority say in the redevelopement. If I was the San Pat judge I would remind Corpus Christi and Nueces county of that fact. If they dont want to work with the San Pat county then fine; they missed their chance for input. Talk about incompetence of government this is a textbook case.. The clowns in Nueces and Corpus want to control everything but dont know what to do but complain and give away tax payer money.

Posted by browardjoe on July 28, 2007 at 2:40 p.m. (Suggest removal)

"Neals integrity?"...cmon. Why don't you bow down and kiss the old mans feet. Nelda makes me want to vomit with those comments. This guy's integrity is all talk and no substance. I guess people look the other way on his shoddy insurance deals over the years with the city, his shoddy deals with Paulson on the port commission, among many others. Its the same old crap with Neal. Hes a crotchity old man who has not been able to get anything done on the court because the commissioners are not kissing his feet furthing his high dollar agenda like the Brent, Henry, Rex, Mark council did. "whatever you want, Loyd," is all those guys did because they and their supporters all stood to profit over all the projects. Now the county is going nowhere because Neal cant get along with anyone of whom he is not finacially or politically aligned and the county is suffering because of it. Don't forget that he voted against a measure to have increased transparency in govt. 4 months ago. Its a joke, hes a joke, and the county will pay the price. Its very easy for Neal to always blame anything that goes wrong on the Shamsie admisitration...but he is the problem.

Posted by truthincc on July 28, 2007 at 3:53 p.m. (Suggest removal)

browardjoe people like you can make all the accusations in the world yet you can't back up a single one with any facts. You are not expressing anything other than the world as you see it which is fine but don't act like it is based on a single fact when it is not.

Bring back one fact that can be verfied about all these "insurance deals" and then that great term "among many others". I am sure it is very uncomfortable for the county now that he is forcing things to be out in the open and all those good old boy contracts are getting harder and harder to get. I have certainly disagreed with Neal on some issues but his integrity was not something that ever came into question.

Facts remember and not what you "heard" or some twist on something where you take something and put together a string of events that just must have taken place.

Posted by petcav on July 28, 2007 at 4:27 p.m. (Suggest removal)

After reading the previous comments, it is obvious that the final decision should be that of the San Pat county court. Once again, the Ortiz, "it's only in my own mind that I'm a dynasty" is caught playing the part of head cheese. Although, it is taking some time, eventually the voters will see the light and make some changes at the voting booth. We can vote the Ortiz's out. All it takes is a little bit of education.

Posted by fromdd on July 28, 2007 at 5:48 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Sounds like those folks over in Inglside aren't willing to sit around and wait for the CC council to do things on "Corpus Christi Time", a unit of measure only exceded by infinity!
Maybe Ingleside just doesn't want a taxpayer supported shopping center or to just hand over the waterfront to a billion dollar condo developer. I don't blame them. Who would want to take advise from someone who can't even run there own city? If Corpus had their way, they would spend Inglside's million dollar developement grant on years and years of consultant fees!

Posted by traveling_4_u on July 28, 2007 at 6:13 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Sounds to me like a violation of the open meetings act has occurred. May be some one should be notify of the back door dealings going on. Just a thought.

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.

Betty Jean Longoria & Tyner Little: All Talk & No Action. How many floods & how many promises? Where is the Infrastructure?

Are these people not taxpayers of Nueces County?

County works to alleviate Colonias drainage woes

July 7, 2007 06:38 PM

County works to alleviate Colonias drainage woes

CORPUS CHRISTI - Colonias residents have been dealing with standing water and a funky odor since the recent rain. They want the county to step up and fix the drainage problems, and Nueces County Commissioner Betty Jean Longoria said the county is working on a plan.

No further work has been done on it because the two grants the county applied for were denied

Residents living in the county's three Colonias said both their yards and nearby ditches are filled with water, polluted with overflow from septic tanks.

Residents living in Rose Acres, Tierra Grande and Petronila Estates said enough is enough. Those residents said the county needs to fix the drainage problems. The rain has come and gone, transforming yards at the Tierra Grande Colonia into ponds and ditches into dark pools of water filled with mosquitos, debris and even human feces.

That messy combination is overflowing into yards from flooded septic systems. County officials said this Colonia was hardest hit by the rains.

At Rose Acres Colonia, residents like Mario Rodriguez are dealing with similar problems. Rodriguez is now forced to deal with the standing water and the fowl smell it's left behind.

"Definitely they need to do more," Ramirez said. "I don't think they have done nothing, nothing at all. They need to do more about it. You can see that water is not running fast enough."

Ramirez said conditions are so bad in his neighborhood that he's worried about his kids' safety.

"Actually, my kids, they've got to stay inside all the time. I don't want them to come outside at all," he said.

Ramirez said parts of his yard have flooded at least three times since he moved into his home a year ago.

Angie Torres has lived in the Tierra Grande Colonia since 1978 and has tried to get help with the drainage out here, but said nothing was ever done.

"If we wait for someone to give us something, they are not going to give us anything," Torres said. "We need to work for everything."

Torres said her neighbors have added dirt to their properties to help alleviate the flooding, but many feel the county needs to step in and fix the drainage problems once and for all.

County officials said it will take several weeks for this water to dry up. Longoria said the county is working on a multi-million dollar plan that would help improve drainage in the Colonias.

Longoria toured each of the four Colonias in Nueces County, and she was surprised by what she saw.

"It does look better than what I've seen it before," Longoria said. "I've seen this road full, the sad thing about it is we just did all this road work."

But pot holes are just some of the problems the flood waters are creating out there, and Longoria said she's been working on a plan for the past four years that would improve drainage in these areas that are now filled with standing water.

"Along the county, ditches don't lead anywhere, so that's the reason you have standing water," Longoria said. "They aren't going anywhere; they aren't going anywhere because they don't have an outlet for the water."

Longoria said the county wide drainage plan has hit some snags along the way.

"If I drain this area, this ditch, and other ditches, all I'm going to do is flood someone down steam, and I was told that by more than one engineer," she said.

So commissioners have gone back to the drawing board to come up with a design that would help get this water flowing again, and they are also considering a county-wide drainage district that would collect taxes to help alleviate the flooding.

"I don't want that plan developed," Longoria said. "I want that plan done, and it's not a matter of being completed in a year, and I don't know enough about it yet, where I can tell the citizens it's going to be completed in five years, two years or what."

The county has $800,000 in state money to help fund the drainage plan, but the total cost of the project is expected run millions of dollars.

Online Reporter: Roxanne Carrillo

The Kenedy Pasture Company: A Civil Action in the Making?

The Kenedy Pasture Company: A Civil Action in the Making?

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 Pulse

Mikal Watts seeks to round up list of Democrats for self, others

By Jaime Powell

A 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 !!!