Wilson's child victim simultaneously indicted as adult perpetrator - WHAT?

I'm sorry not to be keeping up with this blog of late. Chris Wilson's prosecution has continued to drag on, while he presumably sits in isolation in jail for his own protection. The youngest victim has filed suit agaisnt him and the city for the molestation. Remember that Wilson admitted to the sexual relationship - including the threesome both boys described in the charging statement. His own defense seems to rest on convincing the rest of us that both boys were actually consenting adults at the time of the abuse, and in fact cunnningly seduced him into this triangle - somehow Wilson's the victim here. That's one big reason I wouldn't feel safe with him out on bond if I was the family of the youngest victim.

It's apparent that the 17-year old vicitm felt like he was a consenting adult himself, and didn't initially want to press charges - which would explain why they're after him now. The law in this state wants to have it both ways with that kid, who was 17 at the time of Wilson's arrest: he's now being charged by the AZ AG's office as an adult perpetrator of sex crimes on the 14 year old. Brilliant move, Tom Horne. That would seem to nullify both the case that depends on him being a child and the one that claims he's an adult. 

It says a lot about how the criminal justice system really sees children and victims - they use that young man's age as a weapon to punish both him and his perpetrator...and he's going to be chewed up by this system, even if the charges are dismissed or he's aquitted. Both kids have been irreparably harmed by Detective Wilson's actions and the PHX PD's neglect. The Attorney General shouldn't be making the harm done to thos evictims any worse.

This case has been followed by Donna Rossi in the mainstream media, so let me share thier story here:

---from CBS5 (hit their site for video)---

Stunning new indictments in former detective's child sex case

Posted: Nov 17, 2013 9:33 PM Updated: Nov 18, 2013 6:18 AM PHOENIX (CBS5) - 
Donna Rossi
 
There are startling new developments in a case that sent shock waves through the Phoenix Police Department and the community more than a year ago.

Investigators arrested Officer Christopher Jay Wilson in August 2012. A Maricopa County grand jury indicted Wilson on 10 counts of sexual conduct with a minor for allegedly having sex with a 17-year-old and a 14-year-old boy. On one occasion, the three reportedly engaged in group sex.

Wilson has been in jail since his arrest because one of his alleged victims was 14. According to state law, that makes the charge non-bondable.

On Monday, Wilson is expected back in court. His attorney, Robert Campos, will start his argument that his client has the right to have bail set because of a huge twist in the case in which one of his alleged victims has been indicted for child sex crimes.

CBS 5 News has learned the 17-year-old boy connected with the Wilson case has himself been indicted on 11 counts of sexual conduct with a minor and two counts of attempted sexual conduct with a minor.

The victim, according to court documents, is the same 14-year-old as is named in the case against Wilson.
According to the Maricopa County Attorney's Office, some of the charges stem from the reported three-way sexual encounter.

Campos said he had been trying to get authorities to consider charging the 17-year-old from the start.
"It's about time authorities have finally indicted this individual," Campos said.

The Arizona Attorney General's Office is prosecuting the older teen, who is now almost 19.

But that would create an interesting legal dilemma. The indictment makes the teen both an adult sexual assault suspect and a minor victim within the same court system, Campos said. It is that reason that CBS 5 News has continued to protect his identity and have not released his name.

Campos said he believes the indicted teen will have to invoke the Fifth Amendment if called to the stand to testify against his client, making prosecuting Wilson more difficult.

"It's going to be complex, whether or not he will be a useful witness in the prosecution of my client," Campos said.

Campos said he is outraged that the indicted teen is not in jail. He was living outside Arizona at the time the grand jury handed up the indictment and was summoned to appear in court to answer to the charges. The indicted teen was processed, fingerprinted and photographed, then released and allowed to return to his job outside the state.

According to state law, if a person is charged with sexual conduct with a minor and the victim is younger than 15, that makes in a non-bondable offense in most cases.

But Michael Arenz, who has represented the 17-year-old, doesn't think he ever should have been charged in the first place.

"At all times he was a child - legally a child. We believe he is more a victim than anything else given the other case that is ongoing," he said.

CBS 5 News has asked the attorney general's office why the teen is not in jail. Other questions that were asked included how the indicted teen can simultaneously be considered a minor victim and an adult suspect by the same court system. For two days, the attorney general's office refused to comment, stating the prosecuting attorney was on vacation.

The charged teen works for a law enforcement agency in another state. That agency said that he has been with them since May 2013 and is training to be a 911 operator.

A spokesman for the agency said they were unaware of the indictment until CBS 5 News inquired. After that, the indicted teen was immediately placed on unpaid administrative leave pending an internal investigation.

The 14-year-old victim has filed a multimillion-dollar notice of claim against the City of Phoenix and Wilson.

Chris Wilson's court schedule: UPDATED (Nov 2013)...

You can get updates on this from the Maricopa County Superior Court website.

--------------------Maricopa County Superior Court-------------

Case Information
Case Type:	Criminal	Location:	Downtown

Party Information
Party Name - Number	Relationship	Sex	Attorney	Judge	Case #
State Of Arizona - (1)	Plaintiff	N/A	Micflikier, Sara
Christopher Wilson - (2)	Defendant	M	Campos, Robert	Master Calendar	CR2012-142112-001

Disposition Information
Party Name	ARSCode	Description	Crime Date	Disposition Code	Disposition	Date
Christopher Wilson	13-1405 (F2)	SEXUAL CONDUCT WITH MINOR	6/1/2012	Dismissed Due To Grand Jury Indictment	Dismissed Due To Grand Jury Indictment	8/16/2012
Christopher Wilson	13-1405 (F6)	SEXUAL CONDUCT WITH MINOR	3/1/2012	Dismissed Due To Grand Jury Indictment	Dismissed Due To Grand Jury Indictment	8/16/2012
Christopher Wilson	13-1405 (F2)	SEXUAL CONDUCT WITH MINOR	6/1/2012	Dismissed Due To Grand Jury Indictment	Dismissed Due To Grand Jury Indictment	8/16/2012
Christopher Wilson	13-1405 (F2)	SEXUAL CONDUCT WITH MINOR	6/1/2012	Dismissed Due To Grand Jury Indictment	Dismissed Due To Grand Jury Indictment	8/16/2012
Christopher Wilson	13-1405 (F6)	SEXUAL CONDUCT WITH MINOR	6/1/2012	Dismissed Due To Grand Jury Indictment	Dismissed Due To Grand Jury Indictment	8/16/2012
Christopher Wilson	13-1405 (F2)	SEXUAL CONDUCT WITH MINOR	6/1/2012	Dismissed Due To Grand Jury Indictment	Dismissed Due To Grand Jury Indictment	8/16/2012
Christopher Wilson	13-1405 (F6)	SEXUAL CONDUCT WITH MINOR	3/1/2012	Dismissed Due To Grand Jury Indictment	Dismissed Due To Grand Jury Indictment	8/16/2012
Christopher Wilson	13-1405 (F6)	SEXUAL CONDUCT WITH MINOR	6/1/2012	Dismissed Due To Grand Jury Indictment	Dismissed Due To Grand Jury Indictment	8/16/2012
Christopher Wilson	13-1405 (F6)	SEXUAL CONDUCT WITH MINOR	3/1/2012	Dismissed Due To Grand Jury Indictment	Dismissed Due To Grand Jury Indictment	8/16/2012
Christopher Wilson	13-1405 (F6)	SEXUAL CONDUCT WITH MINOR	3/1/2012
Christopher Wilson	13-1405 (F6)	SEXUAL CONDUCT WITH MINOR	3/1/2012
Christopher Wilson	13-1405 (F6)	SEXUAL CONDUCT WITH MINOR	6/1/2012
Christopher Wilson	13-1405 (F6)	SEXUAL CONDUCT WITH MINOR	6/1/2012
Christopher Wilson	13-1405 (F6)	SEXUAL CONDUCT WITH MINOR	6/1/2012
Christopher Wilson	13-1405 (F6)	SEXUAL CONDUCT WITH MINOR	6/1/2012
Christopher Wilson	13-1405 (F2)	SEXUAL CONDUCT WITH MINOR	6/1/2012
Christopher Wilson	13-1405 (F2)	SEXUAL CONDUCT WITH MINOR	6/1/2012
Christopher Wilson	13-1405 (F2)	SEXUAL CONDUCT WITH MINOR	6/1/2012
Christopher Wilson	13-1405 (F2)	SEXUAL CONDUCT WITH MINOR	6/1/2012

Date Time Event 8/8/2012  11:00   Initial Appearance  8/15/2012  8:30   Status Conference  8/17/2012  8:30   Preliminary Hearing  8/23/2012  8:30   Original Arraignment Hearing  10/8/2012  8:15   Initial Pretrial Conference  11/9/2012  11:00   Settlement Conference  11/9/2012  11:00   Comprehensive PreTrial Conference  11/13/2012  8:30   Complex / Capital Case  11/27/2012  8:30   Complex / Capital Case  12/10/2012  8:30   Pre-Trial Conference  12/18/2012  8:00   Trial  1/3/2013  9:30   Complex / Capital Case  2/4/2013  8:30   Status Conference  2/25/2013  8:30   Status Conference  3/18/2013  8:30   Status Conference  4/11/2013  8:30   Status Conference  4/18/2013  8:00   Trial  6/17/2013  8:30   Complex / Capital Case  6/21/2013  9:00   Complex / Capital Case  8/5/2013  8:30   Complex / Capital Case  8/12/2013  9:30   Complex / Capital Case  9/10/2013  8:30   Pre-Trial Conference  9/17/2013  10:00   Trial  10/4/2013  13:30   Oral Argument  11/7/2013  8:30   Complex / Capital Case  11/18/2013  8:30   Complex / Capital Case  12/12/2013  8:30   Oral Argument  1/6/2014  8:30   Pre-Trial Conference  1/9/2014  10:00   Trial  2/18/2014  8:30   Pre-Trial Conference  2/25/2014  10:00   Trial

AZ Republic puts Chris Wilson's victims on trial...

The Arizona Republic yesterday portrayed former Detective Chris Wilson as victim of exaggerations and misunderstandings, not a real suspect in repeated episodes of child sexual abuse. They must not have read the same charging documents I saw, where he pleaded guilty to sexually abusing those boys in detail. Maybe they didn't know he was stalking young activists at Occupy, too, building trusting relationships with them while treating most of the rest of us like criminals.

Hey, Republic: There's a reason this man has been portrayed the way he's been portrayed....some people did their homework - some of your people, even. Nice of him to let you interview him - look, he even gave you a pretty photo to use, instead of that one where he's a scowling cop or an accused criminal in his undershirt. 

This is nothing but a staged PR stunt, set up by Campos, who is using the Republic to attack the victims in full view of potential jurors out here, of course, to save his client. Campos is alleging that the kids were the ones who led this poor, noble, naive, trusting, navy veteran dog-loving decorated police detective astray, seducing him into what was really nothing more than an exercise of "poor judgement". Children, I guess, are the ones who can't be trusted when they report sexual abuse, and the policeman is unquestionably still the good guy here - how pathetic.

This bastard had to be court-ordered to even give up a sample of blood to see if he could have passed HIV or any other disease to the kids. His attorney argued that the kids could have been the ones who gave him and STD. The Republic mention that when they argued that this suspect wasn't "big into the gay scene" (which is defined in stereotypical terms of going to gay bars and drinking). Nope - Wilson just picked up children at work to have sex with...).

Why would such a swell guy refuse his victims' request to be tested, anyway? The only thing he regrets, apparently, is losing everything he loves by getting caught, for which we are supposed to have sympathy - never mind the harm he has has caused by his actions - to his victims, first, as well as to the trust of the larger community and the credibility of the Phoenix Police.

Here's the letter I submitted for the AZ Republic's editors today complaining about this article below - we'll see if they have the honesty to print it: 


"Yesterday's article about former Phoenix Police Detective Chris Wilson was disturbing. It presented him as a poor, misunderstood character who is deserving of our sympathy now that he's facing ten counts of child sexual abuse and stuck in jail pending trial. The reporter described his daily suffering, noted how this decent Navy Veteran spent his 44th birthday in jail, and even asserted that that he isn't promiscuous as if it was some kind of relevant fact, making him less likely to be guilty of the crimes he confessed to. She framed the charges against him as "allegations", putting "child molestation" in quotes as if it may not have really happened. She gives voice to the defense's argument that it wasn't really child abuse if the victims are already "experienced" with older men (what??). She leads readers to suspect that poor Detective Wilson was seduced, manipulated into being their friend, and is now being prosecuted as a result of these devious, sexually-active "young adults". In so doing, your reporter just helped a sociopath who confessed to molesting two children put his victims on trial. Shame on her and your editorial staff for letting Wilson use the Republic this way."

-------------from the Arizona Republic----------------------

Former Phoenix officer accused of sex with 2 teen boys gives interview

Christopher J. Wilson

Courtesy of Robert Campos

By Cecilia Chan
The Republic | azcentral.com
Wed Jan 9, 2013 7:27 PM

Christopher J. Wilson spends his days pacing, reading and thinking about his life.

“I focus on what kind of life I have and what kind of future I have, which is pretty much non-existent,” Wilson says. “My life is over. Every day I think about it.”

Since his Aug. 7 arrest, the former Phoenix police officer spends his day in a 12-foot by 7-foot cell, facing 10 felony counts of sexual conduct with two underage boys. The Arizona Republic does not name victims of sexual crimes.

Wilson is housed alone for his protection in the administrative segregation unit of Lower Buckeye Jail in Phoenix. He is confined to his cell 23 hours a day, only allowed outside for an hour a day to a small recreation yard, where he says he looks at the freedom he used to have.

“What I want the public to know about me is I am not a monster as the media is portraying me,” said Wilson, who spent his 44th birthday in jail. “I didn’t use my position to groom these individuals. I am just a normal person, trying to live my life.”

Wilson is accused of having two sexual encounters with a 17-year-old and once with a 14-year-old boy. Wilson worked as a liaison to the Valley's lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community and met his accusers through his job, police has said.

Wilson, who is openly gay, was a 14-year veteran with the Phoenix Police Department receiving glowing annual reviews from his supervisors.

Wilson said he chose law enforcement because he loved serving the community. He also served four years in the U.S. Navy and a brief stint as a detention officer with the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office.

Wilson told The Republic on Wednesday that he “wasn’t big into the gay scene,” drinking alcohol or going to gay bars.

Instead, Wilson, who’s had steady boyfriends, preferred mountain hiking or catching a movie with friends.

According to court records, the mother of the 14-year-old boy learned of the encounter and contacted the authorities.

The family of the 14-year-old has since filed a $10 million notice of claim, the first step toward a lawsuit, against the Phoenix Police Department, Wilson and Assistant Chief of Police Tracy Montgomery.

It alleges that the department and Montgomery were negligent in the supervision of Wilson, which resulted in the “sexual molestation” of the 14-year-old, who is traumatized.

City spokeswoman Toni Maccarone said the claim is under review and could not comment further.

Wilson said he was not a boyfriend or dated the older boy, who was living on his own.

Wilson said he did buy three suits and shirts for the older boy for work because someone had done the same for him when he was a struggling police reservist in Colorado.

“I did this out of my own good will,” said Wilson, who added he didn’t expect anything in return. “We were just friends.”

His attorney Robert Campos would not let Wilson discuss any specifics about the allegations.

Though Wilson acknowledged to police he knew both boys were underage and took the blame, Campos said Wilson neither admits or denies the allegations.

He also said that Wilson’s statements to police during his interrogation may not be admissible but declined to go into detail.

During Wednesday’s interview, Campos hinted at the strategy he might pursue to defend Wilson in court.

Campos characterized the two boys as “young adults” who have some culpability, not victims. Campos painted the two boys as far more mature than their age and experienced in relationships with older men.

Campos said the encounter, although unlawful, was one of mutual consent. He said the media have portrayed Wilson as a pedophile going after young children or grooming them a long time for sex.

“Certainly that is not the case here,” Campos said.

Instead, “it appears from our perspective (the two boys) set this up” and “they had already in their minds the potential of having some kind of relationship with my client,” he said.

Campos said Wilson was not blaming the victims but “he is saying they aren’t blameless.”

“My client used poor judgment,” Campos said. “And he was quite cooperative with the authorities but cooperation does not equate with justice in our system and that is a huge problem.”

Wilson says he regrets what has happened.

“I would have done things different,” he said. “Losing everything that I love hurts.”

Chief Garcia still in the dark about Wilson's poor supervision.

The New Times' expands on Schweikert's memo from last week's news. In his own memo responding to all that on November 28, Chief Garcia sounds like he either really was clueless until Schweikert's memo hit Channel 5, or he's about to hang Mark Schweikert out to dry for writing it in the first place. Everyone seems to just be covering their asses now...

------------------------------------

Sex With Minors: Supervisor of Detective Accused of Sexually Assaulting Two Teenage Boys Claims Top City Officials Protected the Cop

By Monica Alonzo

Published Mon., Dec. 3 2012 at 6:00 AM                                             Councilman 

Tom Simplot

Assistant Police Chief Tracy Montgomery

Phoenix police Sergeant Mark Schweikert, supervisor of a now-former Phoenix police detective accused of having sex with two teenage boys, claims that two city officials meddled in his efforts to deal with the detective's work problems.

 In the 22-page memo, first obtained by CBS 5 reporter Donna Rossi, Schweikert alleges that Phoenix Councilman Tom Simplot and Assistant Police Chief Tracy Montgomery, both openly gay, interfered in his dealings with Wilson.

Schweikert reveals that he was "concerned" about Wilson's emotional state and knew that "Wilson [was] up to something" in the weeks leading up to his arrest.
Phoenix Police Department spokesman Trent Crump says department officials, including Montgomery, aren't commenting on the matter because it's under review.

However, Simplot's office provided New Times a copy of a memo written by Phoenix Police Chief Daniel Garcia on November 28 to City Manager David Cavazos to "address the question of Councilman Simplot's alleged involvement in influencing Sergeant Mark Schweikert's actions in the supervision of former Detective Chris Wilson."

Garica writes that he has "no information that would support the allegation, and I am not aware of any involvement by Councilman Simplot in attempting to influence Sergeant Mark Schweikert in supervising the police duties of former Detective Chris Wilson."
Police arrested Wilson, 43, on August 7 in connection with the alleged sexual assaults of a 14-year-old and a 17-year-old. Wilson served on the police department's Community Response Squad as outreach officer to the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.

 Schweikert says Wilson "would make his close relationship with Councilman Simplot known" and "would brag about being Councilman Simplot's workout partner."

Schweikert writes, "Mr. Wilson advised me on several occasions that he was invited to attend formal events with Councilman Simplot."

Simplot tells New Times that he has not read the memo but that he has never intervened in matters involving city employees.

The matter is under investigation by the city's Equal Opportunity Department, where Schweikert filed a formal complaint in late September over officials' allegedly creating a hostile work environment for him with their interference.
Schweikert apparently had complained to the EOD before September about Montgomery "interfering" with the management of his squad, but it went ignored, he says.

"As time passed, no one ever followed up on my complaint," Schweikert writes. "I felt my complaint was dismissed in a passive-aggressive manner."

Schweikert's claims are explosive because Wilson met the boys he is accused of sexually assaulting through his positions as a liaison officer. And there were complaints about Wilson from the community, according to Schweikert -- including that Wilson didn't communicate well with the community, was not connecting with gay churches or businesses, was arrogant, was unapproachable, and was "an asshole."

But Schweikert says he didn't feel -- given Wilson's political connections -- that he could act on those complaints or take any action against Wilson.

It's only speculation whether Wilson would have remained in his post and engaged in the alleged subsequent sexual assaults if Schweikert had addressed the problems with Wilson.

Wilson would "infer that his attendance at various LGBT functions was mandated by [Simplot] and would require the payment of overtime," Schweikert writes.

Simplot says Wilson clearly was "not the person any of us thought he was. He is a confessed pedophile. He manipulated the community. He manipulated the police department. He manipulated City Hall. I don't know what he said or didn't say, and I have to believe that Officer Wilson was manipulating his boss like he manipulated everybody else."

Simplot acknowledges that he and Wilson worked out at the same gym. He says Wilson's role as liaison officer required him to attend LGBT community events.
"That's his job description," Simplot explains, adding that Wilson apparently would take "a kernel of fact and blow it up into something much more than it ever was."

When issues arose involving Wilson, Schweikert claims, any actions he took were given special scrutiny by Montgomery. Schweikert also says his superiors would advise him "not to make an issue of it" and let them "do what they wanted to do."

In his memo, Schweikert recalls one instance in which Wilson was investigating a complaint of misconduct against another police officer. Schweikert was planning to forward the complaint to the police department's Professional Standards Bureau, which investigates such complaints, when, he claims, Montgomery told him to put things on hold.

Schweikert agreed, and told Wilson to cease his investigation based on Montgomery's order.

Schweikert says he was later called into Montgomery's office and accused "of disobeying her directives." He says she was "angry and proceeded to berate me."
Montgomery had given a different order to Wilson regarding the investigation of this police officer, Schweikert says, and she "advised me that I had no right to order Mr. Wilson to stop his investigation."

Schweikert says he tried to explain that he was only doing what she asked. He says "she slowed her speech to ... indicate I was slow to understand."

He writes that Montgomery said to him: "Mark, I'm going to be direct with you. You may not know this but each chief is assigned to an advisory group. Chris [Wilson] answers to me. You are working in a very political position. Your performance has been fine. We are not at that point of having you removed."
He says he took those comments as a veiled threat against his job.

He told one police commander about "how difficult it was ... to supervise Mr. Wilson" and that "Wilson would report directly" to Simplot or Montgomery.
Schweikert also says he has an e-mail that "clearly states [Montgomery] was communicating directly to Mr. Wilson instead of communicating concerns via the chain of command."

When Wilson was "hostile toward a fellow teammate," Schweikert says, he brought Wilson into his office and told him "his behavior ... was inappropriate" and documented the incident in Wilson's file.

"During this time period, Assistant Chief Montgomery was questioning my team's tactics on a regular basis, and she seemed extra critical of my work since I had coached Mr. Wilson" about his behavior toward a fellow cop, Schweikert writes.
Schweikert says during the Pride Festival, Wilson "went against .. team protocol" and used "false pretenses" to get a fully-marked police car, with its lights flashing, into the festival's parade.

"We did not have a need for the vehicle," Schweikert writes, adding that his lieutenant told him "not to make and issue of it and let Mr. Wilson" do what he wanted to do.

Schweikert continues: "Mr. Wilson...failed to consult me" and was "untouchable because of the protection granted...by Assistant Chief Montgomery."

Schweikert says that when he attempted to address some of Wilson's performance issues, Wilson arranged for the two of them to meet with Megan Schmitz, Simplot's chief of staff.

Schmitz is also the chair of the board of directors for 1 n 10 Youth Center, a non-profit organization dedicated to building self-esteem and acceptance among LGBT youth, including those questioning their sexual orientation or gender identity.

While the three were in the meeting room, Schweikert says Schmitz told him that Simplot also wanted to attend the meeting.

"Ms. Schmitz focused the conversation on how great Mr. Wilson has been to her and Councilman Simplot. The accolades for Mr. Wilson, in my opinion, were in response to counter the negative feedback Mr. Wilson had received" from members of the LGBT community.

During the conversation, Schweikert says, Simplot walked into the room "thanked me for allowing Mr. Wilson to work with him, and he noted what a great job Mr. Wilson was doing" before leaving the room.

"I felt that Councilman Simplot was using his position to influence me not to take supervisory action toward Mr. Wilson and discount any negative feedback [about Wilson] from various community members," Schweikert writes in his memo. "I felt that Councilman Simplot was trying to intimidate me.

Simplot says he pops into meetings all the time and that occasion was no different -- he says he just made a few remarks and left.

"Clearly, Wilson is a master at manipulation," Simplot says.

Schweikert's memo also details noticeable changes in Wilson's behavior in the weeks before his arrest.

"I had observed that he had been distant at work, and he did not seem happy," Schweikert writes. "I was concerned about Mr. Wilson, but I did not have enough to articulate a request for a Work Fitness Evaluation...I felt that he could lose his temper at any moment."

In his memo, Schweikert also notes at least one occasion where Wilson took one of his now-alleged victims to the dentist.

"I did not think what Mr. Wilson was doing [was] appropriate, but it was not a violation of policy," he writes. "I did not question what Mr. Wilson did with his personal time."

Schweikert memo on Simplot hits the stands...

Sorry to just be catching this up - am out of town with a family emergency. Note the link embedded in the article to the full PHX PD memo by Sgt. Mark Schweikert.

---------------------

Memo claims ex cop accused of sex with minors was protected

Posted: Nov 27, 2012 7:01 PM MST

Updated: Nov 28, 2012 10:33 AM MST  

By Donna Rossi /PHOENIX (CBS) - 

 Maricopa County prosecutors want a court-ordered HIV test for a former police officer accused of having sex with two teens boys.

Former Phoenix police detective Chris Wilson appeared in court today. Wilson was arrested in August for having sex with a 14-year-old and 17-year-old that he met through his position as the liaison officer to the LGBT community.

The judge will hear arguments on the HIV testing at a future hearing. The defense is asking the accusers to submit to tests as well.

In another development in the Wilson case, CBS 5 News has obtained a document that outlines concerns about Wilson's professional performance long before his arrest.  [Click here to read the full document (PDF)]

Shortly after Wilson was arrested there were rumblings that Wilson had been having problems as the LGBT liaison for a couple of years. It was rumored that his sergeant documented those problems but felt powerless to do anything.
CBS 5 News tried to get those documents but our public records request was denied. The city cited an ongoing investigation. But through a verified source, CBS 5 News obtained the documentation a few weeks ago.

In a 22-page memo written by Wilson's immediate supervisor, Sgt. Mark Schweikert tells the story of a rogue detective who should have been reigned in, perhaps even replaced as the LGBT liaison.

In the memo Schweikert writes that he told his commander it was difficult to supervise Wilson because of interference from openly gay City Councilman Tom Simplot and out Assistance Chief Tracy Montgomery.

Schweikert writes that Wilson made it known that Simplot was his work out buddy. At one point Schweikert writes that he felt Simplot was using his position to influence and intimidate him to not take supervisory action against Wilson, even though a host of citizen's in the LGBT community complained about Wilson. 

Throughout the document Schweikert details one example after another where Montgomery allegedly pulled rank and made decisions that protected Wilson even though she was not in his chain of command.

The document, if true, raises questions about whether, if managed properly, Wilson might have eventually been removed as the LGBT liaison and not have met the boys he's accused of victimizing.

It's important to point out that the memo is only the account as document by Schweikert.

The document is in the hands of city leaders and the accusations are being investigated by the city Equal Opportunity Department as part of a hostile work environment complaint filed by Schweikert.

The police department said they would not comment until that investigation is over.

Simplot's assistant said he would be happy to address the accusations but he is out of the country until late Tuesday night.

New LGBTQ liasons: What else has changed?

The Maricopa County Superior Court has removed the on-line records pertaining to Chris Wilson's prosecution, preventing the community from witnessing how justice is done, or showing up to show support for the victims. I can't even tell who the judge is. Here's the information about his case you need to know to inquire at the court clerk's office: 

Please call and complain about secrecy in the judicial process. No other admitted child molester gets this kind of protection from public scrutiny.

SUPERIOR COURT RECORDS:  (This includes questions about Marriage Licenses, Divorce Decrees, or Court Cases) To view information on the website click here, or to speak with a deputy clerk you may call the Clerk's Public Records Office and Customer Service Center at (602)-506-3360

The indictment was filed against Christopher Wilson (DOB 11/1968) in Maricopa Superior Court:  # CR2012142112

 

------------------------------

 

 

I began the "Queers Are Cool" campaign to alert the activist community that Chris Wilson wasn't an aberration, or just "one officer who decided to be stupid" - I guess that's what they call child sexual abuse at the PHX PD - just being "stupid." Wilson built trust with young activists just like he was supposed to as a Red Squad detective, and was commended for it - then he abused his trust and power just as so many other cops do theirs. 

The Phoenix Police should lay off the "stranger danger" emphasis in their public education BS about sexual assaults and look at the basics of how they deal institutionally with trust and power. Immediately after Wilson's arrest became public, instead of pointing out that the majority of child abuse happens at the hands of those well know to the child or family, the PHX PD released composite sketches of a Latino male snatching young girls from school bus stops - that all came AFTER the guy was caught. Why release images like that once the suspect is no longer a threat? Just to distract from the real danger - the cops themselves. 

The PPD took one giant step back from Chris Wilson's excess, but it seems to be a strategy for disrupting local activist communities: instead of bashing in our heads in Phoenix, the cops are busy trying to "friend" us - and get in bed with the most vulnerable to their tactics - our youth. Let's learn from that, and teach our children well...

------------------------

 

Phoenix police name new liaisons to the city's LGBT community

Phoenix police name new liaisons to the city's LGBT community

by Cecilia Chan - Nov. 17, 2012 09:50 PM
The Republic | azcentral.com

Two detectives recently took on roles as the Phoenix Police Department's liaisons to the city's lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.

Police Chief Daniel V. Garcia's announcement in October came three months after the arrest of the previous liaison, Detective Christopher J. Wilson, on suspicion of sexual misconduct with two teenage boys.

Wilson, who handed in his badge immediately after his August arrest, met one of the boys through his duties with the LGBT community, according to court documents. Wilson sits in jail and faces an initial pretrial conference Nov. 27.

Last week, the Arizona Peace Officer Standards and Training Board, which oversees peace-officer training, conduct and certification, accepted Wilson's voluntary relinquishment of his state certification without discussion.

On Oct. 31, Garcia introduced Detectives Julie Smith and Dottie Conroy at department headquarters to representatives from various community groups, including the Phoenix Police LGBT Citizen Advisory Board.

Detective Dottie Conroy

Conroy, a 17-year veteran, said that as an openly gay woman, it's an opportunity "to deal with the community that I love."

Detective Julie Smith

Smith, who is heterosexual, said since joining the department nine years ago, she had always wanted to work with the various communities in Phoenix. The Phoenix native said she looks forward to her new assignment because "it is so diverse and so wonderful."

In 2009, the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey estimated 6.4 percent of Phoenix's population identifies as gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender. That's about 63,222 people.

Garcia, who became chief in May, will assign two detectives to each of the department's eight community advisory boards for minority groups, which include Muslims, Sikhs, Hispanics and African-Americans.

The move will enable the department to do more outreach, said Gerald Richard, assistant to the police chief.

Richard said community advisory boards foster dialog and build relationships between the department and minority groups to handle issues before they erupt into turmoil.

Don Hamill, a community activist who has served as a board member of Phoenix Pride, told Garcia officers still need more education.

"There is a problem in your force, and it affects everybody in this room," Hamill said.

Hamill said he recently overheard uniformed officers use the words, " 'the gays,' because they've been told not to use the 'F' word."

"It's wrong," Hamill said. "I was shocked to hear it. I pay their salary (and) pension."

He told the chief that there should be zero tolerance for inappropriate language, and officers should use no other adjective than citizen in talking about groups of people.

"I agree with you 100 percent," Garcia said. "We are not at Shangri-La yet."

Patrick Kelley, who co-chairs the LGBT Citizen Advisory Board, also commended the selection of Conroy and Smith.

Kelley said advisory groups help bring understanding between the community and police. He said about a year ago, a Phoenix police officer stopped a man dressed in drag going to a fundraising event and asked, "Why are you dressed like a freak?"

Kelley said the issue was brought up at an advisory-board meeting.

He said officers at the precinct where the incident took place received cultural-sensitivity training.

"When we recognize a problem, we address it professionally and not by burning down half of the city because you have one officer who decided to be stupid."

Chris Wilson: Indicted and soon to be buried.

QUEERS ARE COOL.

IT'S THE COPS 

WHO CAN'T BE TRUSTED.

ABOLISH THE PHOENIX POLICE 

RED SQUAD.

(MY NEWEST T-SHIRT DESIGN...)

Made it to court for the reading of Chris Wilson's indictment by Judge Brian Rees. He has a public defender, and it looks like he's going to be in Joe Arpiao's "protective" custody (now that's an oxymoron) for the duration; under the Arizona Revised Statutes, the charges involving that 14-year old aren't bailable under any conditions. 

He's going to have a hell of a road from here on out, even if he somehow gets acquitted or the charges are miraculously dropped. Once you're charged with a sex offense against a child in Arizona, your life is pretty much over. Only a few folks I know have managed to fight back, and that's largely because they're actually innocent (like Courtney Bisbee, who's still fighting). The process of prosecution itself destroys human beings, good and bad alike.

Anyway, channel 3 news was there, and I chatted with the reporter from the AZ Republic afterwards - she was expecting Occupy Phoenix to be there. As were the cops, apparently - they had two armed deputies at each set of doors, and at least a couple of detectives circulated around the huge room. No one gave me any grief, though, and I was able to educate some folks in the crowd about the Red Squad before it all got started.

Wilson looked like hell in stripes and cuffs, for what it's worth - not that anyone looks good when being paraded into court from jail, but he was gray and gaunt and probably freezing cold. The courtroom is shiny and new, the seating is extra comfy, the technology is beyond me, and all the criminals are kept in a glass room now instead of in the jury box, but the prisoners all still look cold and beaten down, and they still wear pink underwear under their stripes, lest they forget one must be mocked and repeatedly humiliated until proven guilty in Maricopa County...

Wilson's next hearing will be October 8 at 8:15am in Maricopa County Superior Court. Call the criminal court info desk the day before to confirm time and place (602-506-8575). The case number to reference is CR2012-142112-001. 

As for myself, I don't think I'll be going to his future court dates. My focus now is not on Wilson's suffering - the system will probably punish him pretty harshly. It already is, and it's not something I take pleasure in watching. The problem for us left to deal with is really the continued presence of the Red Squad in our community, not the future of their exiled detective - except to the extent that he is now a prisoner whose rights and humanity I care about.

Stay tuned here for updates on Wilson and send your Red Squad stories as well as thoughts on police alternatives to redsquadresistance@gmail.com.

Wilson's Indictment to be read: Aug 23, 8:30am.

Chris Wilson apparently waived his preliminary hearing today. His next scheduled appearance is on Thursday, August 23, 8:30am, 3rd floor of the new Superior Courthouse (175 W. Madison St.). His indictment will be read at this hearing. Below is the number to call the day ahead to confirm that it's still on - I'd encourage anyone to do that who plans to come.

Beyond the indictment, I don't know that I'll be going to more hearings unless he takes this to trial, which I doubt he will. I plan to put my energy into protesting the Red Squad instead - the criminal justice system will be sure to punish Wilson handily, more so than his victims would probably even desire. I don't think it needs my encouragement to do its dirty work, anyway. But if you have a different take on this, please send in a guest post to redsquadresistance@gmail.com.

Peg

Friending the Phoenix Police...

The most helpful thing I have to offer my comrades here is the truth of my own experience with the Red Squad. Reserve your judgement, please, as this is going to come out in pieces, and I'm still figuring it all out as I go. 

Here's Part I:

I was actually really fucking with this guy, not flirting with him. 
At least I thought I was...

PUENTE March for Dignity and Justice

Steele Indian School Park, Phoenix

July 28, 2012

The first time I remember meeting Sgt. Mark Schweikert was in front of the Phoenix Police HQ on W. Washington Street the day after his colleague Sgt. Sean Drenth was murdered, back in October 2010. I had spent most of the preceding two weeks protesting the Phoenix Police over the brutal and unjustified killing of Danny Rodriguez by PPD officer Richard Chrisman, and was preparing for an upcoming Day Against Police Brutality action - I'd been hating the police a lot of late.

But the news about Sean Drenth saddened me, hitting kind of close to home. Whether or not one thinks he was crooked and about to turn state's evidence - and was thus murdered by his own brothers in blue - is a side issue. As news of his death spread through my Facebook community, I saw a handful of people outright celebrating another cop being taken off the beat. It didn't go over well with me, and I went on a rant of sorts.

I was pretty removed from radical politics at the time, trying harder to get others to join me in my fight with the DOC than to figure out what their things were and why they felt as they did. My reaction to the celebrations over that cop's death was intensely personal. My father, the man who taught me to be the radical I am today, was a military intelligence officer who wore the uniform of the state for most of my life. At one point he was the Director of Security at Fort Dix. He believed passionately in his mission to defend America and Democracy the world over, and spent a considerable amount of time overseas in combat with people I may have called my comrades in another time and place. 

I have had a great many problems with my Dad's devout patriotism, and still prefer not to wonder about the things he may have done in my name, as an American soldier in war. But I know my father to be a good man nonetheless, one who defies racism and promotes equality in his relationships and business dealings, despite his conservative politics. He expressly taught me to question authority, and to resist Power if the compromise demanded for reward or privilege was of my values - which it always seems to be. He lived to regret that, I think, because his was the first authority I challenged as I aged. But I owe much of who I am to that man, and I love him dearly. 

So, while I regard the police as enemies of the People, generally, I do not accept the premise that donning the uniform of the state turns one into a non-person and justifies an outright celebration of a cop's murder. I also live with the grief of survivors of homicide and suicide every day, and would not wish that on any officer's family, no matter what I may think of the victim themselves. I was furious with my Facebook friends who felt otherwise, and stormed out of the conversation and my home to work out my frustration in chalk. My drive to the Capitol, where I found most of my favorite targets, took me by the Police HQ, where I impulsively stopped and got out to leave a giant peace sign on their sidewalk - more for myself, I think, than for them.

I wasn't expecting media to be there, and was interrupted to explain my offering: the Peace was just for the day for them to bury their dead, I basically said - the war would be back on again  tomorrow.

That was when I met Mark Schweikert; formally, anyway. He and Chris Wilson were heading out of the PD and stopped to see what I was chalking. Schweikert was touched - he said that Drenth was not only a colleague but a friend of his. I could identify. My ex-lover sat down in front of a train a few years back, so I knew how devastating news of such a sudden and violent death could be to a close-knit community, which I assumed the PHX PD was - and at the time no one really knew how Drenth died. I guess we still don't. 

In any case, I had a moment of sympathy for the police that day. My right to express myself on their sidewalk even if it wasn't what they wanted to hear was affirmed, though they were visibly relieved to see what I was leaving, considering my messages of the preceding two weeks. We chatted for a minute about the legality of my chalking. Mark told me to have cops or security guards who give me trouble over what I do on the public sidewalk call their squad if I need to; Chris Wilson gave me his business card since Mark didn't have one. 

It didn't seem to be any big deal to me to accept the Red Squad's protection, so to speak. I felt they were doing the job they were supposed to - which was to defend my free speech rights. I handed the card a few times to bank guards and beat cops who would enthusiastically call the Red Squad to come arrest me, then wish me a good day and back off every time. Basically, until the rest of the town learned they would just have to put up with me, Schweikert and the PPD Red Squad had my back. For awhile, at least, I appreciated that.

That was the beginning of my long slow dance with the Red Squad and their Sargent, Mark Schweikert. I didn't do much critical analysis of their role as the protest police back then - I took it at face value that Mark and Al and their buddies really did just want to help make sure we all had a safe, pleasant protest experience. The long time peace activists seemed to trust that much as well - the Red Squad was a familiar, even reassuring part of the protest landscape in Phoenix. And most of the PHX Police were beginning to recognize me and wish me well in my sidewalk activity...which admittedly took the fun out of some of it, and certainly added to my sense of complacency. No one was beating our heads in at the actions I was going to, at least, so as protest police go, I must have thought, Phoenix was relatively okay.

Yes, I'm a middle class white woman, by the way, and that was my privilege speaking up there. It wore off real quick, once I got into the trenches here.

I am not the only one in the activist community who has been so seduced. Fortunately, the anarchists I hang with have never hesitated to question the role of Phoenix police in suppressing liberation movements. The cops never tried to engage them in friendly relationships, of course, which protected them from the kind of corruption people like me are vulnerable to. Smiling at me is as close as Phoenix cops get to being nice to anarchists, I think, and I don't really count since I can't articulate anarchist theory well enough to really say I can represent any kind of anarchy, even anarcho-feminism. I just know that many of the people I love and trust the most are sworn anarchists, I am in sympathy with their politics, I draw power and inspiration from their movement, and I appreciate the diversity of tactics they bring to the struggle.

Those folks I was so angry at on Facebook about Sean Drenth's death are really the ones who have taught me the most about critiquing the police - they were far more astute about state power than I was at the time, and helped me rein in my sentimentality about my old man before it got me into trouble. That's not to say I think we need to dehumanize our enemies in order to fight them effectively - not at all. It's just to say that we need to be sure to recognize the enemy when we see them, and call them what they are...and whether we like to admit it or not, they are human beings, not pigs.


Human or not, though, their objective is to keep not only our direct actions but our liberation movements from making any real impact on the status quo. Not only is that not something I would tolerate among my friends, it's a sure indicator that you're talking about an enemy soldier. They wear the trusted uniform of the state instead of white hoods but they are in the employ of an institution which exists to oppress, repress, and suppress the masses to the well-being of a privileged few: a white supremacy is what the whole "justice" system in this state supports. The standard MO of the police is also to exploit our communities' fears, prejudices, and vulnerabilities in order to maintain their own positions of privilege and power as our "protectors" - or rather, our keepers.

I am tired of being kept, frankly, and I can't think of any institution more contemptible to work for than those which make up the Prison Industrial Complex...and for their role, I must assert again that while police officers are indeed human beings, they are also the enemies of freedom. If you are a community activist committed to a liberation movement and you trust a cop, beware. 

Rule number 1: Do not "friend" the police. Any of them. Trusting you with their vulnerable or "human" side - or offering special privilege - is part of the seduction. Make it clear to them that you can only be trusted to turn their weaknesses against them because they are the enemy, and refuse to accept any of the privilege they may offer, no matter how small.

Peggy Plews

Disorder in the court! No sign of Wilson.

Made it down to the courthouse late this AM with one of my signs and some fliers; everyone else was already inside. I figured there was a good chance nothing would happen, so I took my position on Jefferson with my message about Queers being cool, and stirred folks up about not trusting cops. I went home while the troops inside were still toughing it out, though. Apparently about eight of us made it to court this AM, and waited for hours.

As of the latest report on the Spacebook "Preliminary Hearing" event page, Wilson's case wasn't called this morning, and the gang was thrown out of the courtroom for creating a disturbance before it recessed for lunch. What kind of disturbance there was, if any, I don't know. I find the whole reason we had to be there disturbing, frankly. 

The next scheduled court hearing for Chris Wilson is Friday, August 17 at 8:30 am in the new Superior Courthouse, 175 W. Madison St., PHX 3rd Floor, Courtroom 3A (today it was moved to 3B, so ask when you get there).