SAN MATEO, Calif., April 6 (UPI) -- A long practicing San Mateo, Calif., child psychiatrist has been arrested on 14 felony counts of child molestation dating as far back as the late 1960s.
Dr. William Ayres, 75, who once headed the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, was arrested at his home Thursday after a four-year investigation into claims he molested young male patients, the San Francisco Chronicle reported Friday.
"The real tragedy here is that parents entrusted their children to this doctor for help and they were victimized while in his care," San Mateo police Capt. Mike Callagy said after the arrest. "That's so tragic."
Callagy said Ayres is charged with 14 counts of lewd and lascivious acts with a child under 14-years-old. He said the charges involve multiple victims, but did not specify the exact number.
Ayres served on the San Mateo County Children and Families First Commission and was honored by the county board of supervisors in 2002 with a lifetime achievement award for "his tireless effort to improve the lives of children and adolescents."
