WHEN DR. PAT WIKLUND
MARRIED FELLOW PSYCHOLOGIST DEAN MITCHELL,
THEIR UNION WAS MORE THAN JUST A MELDING OF TWO GREAT MINDS.
WE BOTH LOVED CAMPING, WE BOTH LOVED HIKING...
LOVED BEING OUTDOORS.
THIS WAS THE MAN FOR ME. NO QUESTION.
IT WAS MAGIC, YOU KNOW? IT WAS WHAT GIRLS DREAM ABOUT.
BUT WHEN HER HUSBAND'S DARK SECRET
ESCAPED FROM BEHIND CLOSED DOORS...
WE WERE APPALLED, WE WERE ANGRY.
YOU KNOW, WE WANTED HIM TAKEN OFF THE STREET.
...THE HORRIFIC TRUTH TRAUMATIZED A COMMUNITY
AND SHATTERED PAT'S WORLD.
I FELT LIKE, "AM I CRAZY? IS HE CRAZY?
IS THE REST OF THE WORLD CRAZY?"
WHEN IT COMES TO LOVE AND MARRIAGE,
THINGS AREN'T ALWAYS AS THEY SEEM.
PAT WIKLUND HAS ALWAYS BEEN AN AMBITIOUS WOMAN
WHO DIDN'T LET MUCH STAND IN HER WAY.
SO IN THE FALL OF 1967,
WHEN SHE DECIDED TO PURSUE A MASTER'S DEGREE IN PSYCHOLOGY,
PAT LEFT CALIFORNIA
FOR A WELL-REGARDED UNIVERSITY IN CHICAGO.
I HAD BEEN TEACHING SCHOOL FOR A WHILE
AND REALIZED I WASN'T HAPPY WITH THAT.
I WAS READY FOR A MAJOR CHANGE AND A MAJOR COMMITMENT.
WHAT SHE WASN'T READY FOR
WAS MEETING THE MAN OF HER DREAMS.
MY FRESHMAN ROOMMATE FROM COLLEGE WAS THERE,
AND SHE SAYS, "I'VE GOT THE GREATEST GUY.
YOU'VE GOT TO MEET THIS GUY. HE'S PERFECT FOR YOU."
PAT'S FRIEND INTRODUCED HER TO DEAN MITCHELL,
A 25-YEAR-OLD IVY LEAGUE GRADUATE
GETTING HIS PhD IN CHILD PSYCHOLOGY.
HE WAS ONE OF THE TOP PEOPLE IN HIS GRADUATING CLASS,
AND HE WAS SMART.
I WAS TIRED OF THESE GUYS THAT I HAD DATED
THAT WERE JUST KIND OF LIKE,
"WELL, YOU WANT TO GO GET ANOTHER BEER?"
I WANTED SOMEBODY I COULD TALK WITH.
DEAN WAS AMBITIOUS, TOO,
WITH A LIFELONG DREAM OF DEVELOPING A TREATMENT CENTER
FOR TROUBLED TEENS.
I THOUGHT, "THERE'S A GUY THAT LIKES KIDS."
I CAME FROM A BIG FAMILY, I WANTED A BIG FAMILY,
SO THIS IS THE KIND OF MAN, I THOUGHT, FOR ME.
THE FEELING SEEMED MUTUAL,
AND BEFORE LONG, PAT AND DEAN WERE INSEPARABLE.
WE COULD CARRY ON A GREAT CONVERSATION,
AND WE BOTH LOVED CAMPING, WE BOTH LOVED HIKING.
HE LOVED TALL, SKINNY BLONDES,
AND, BOY, WAS I A TALL, SKINNY BLONDE.
SO IT WAS LIKE I FIT THE BILL FOR HIM, TOO.
BY THE SPRING OF 1968, DEAN PROPOSED,
AND ONLY 5 MONTHS LATER, THE YOUNG COUPLE TIED THE KNOT
IN A LARGE CHURCH CEREMONY JUST NORTH OF SAN FRANCISCO.
MY GOSH. SHE HAD A WHITE SATIN DRESS.
SHE WAS THE BEAUTIFUL BRIDE,
AND HE WAS HANDSOME AND KIND OF DIGNIFIED.
WE WERE JUST SO THRILLED.
I HAD THE FEELING IT WAS THE RIGHT MAN,
THE RIGHT PLACE, THE RIGHT TIME IN MY LIFE,
AND THAT FELT REALLY, REALLY GOOD.
TWO YEARS LATER, WITH THEIR DEGREES IN HAND,
THE COUPLE MOVED TO DEAN'S HOMETOWN OF PHOENIX, ARIZONA.
ALMOST IMMEDIATELY, DEAN LANDED A JOB
AS DIRECTOR OF A YOUTH TREATMENT CENTER
WHERE HE WORKED WITH RICHARD GEASLAND.
THE BIGGEST PART OF OUR BUSINESS
WAS A 10-BED TEENAGE-BOYS FACILITY,
AND MOST OF THE YOUNG MEN WERE IDENTIFIED
AS HAVING SERIOUS BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS.
DEAN JUST HAD THIS VERY INSIGHTFUL WAY
OF WATCHING YOUNG PEOPLE BEHAVE AND LISTENING TO THEM.
HE WAS EXCELLENT WITH THE KIDS.
IN OCTOBER OF 1972,
PAT AND DEAN WELCOMED A SON OF THEIR OWN,
AND LIFE FOR THE COUPLE CONTINUED TO FLOURISH.
BY THE SUMMER OF 1975,
THEY EACH OPENED THEIR OWN PRACTICE,
AND DEAN'S TREATMENT CENTER HAD BECOME A HUGE SUCCESS.
DEAN WAS VERY WELL-RESPECTED.
I FELT LIKE HE WAS, YOU KNOW,
ONE OF THE BEST THERAPISTS AND COUNSELORS THAT I'D EVER MET.
BUT AS THEIR CAREERS TOOK OFF,
PAT SOON REALIZED SHE NEEDED MORE HELP AT HOME.
DEAN SUGGESTED THEY HIRE KIDS FROM THE CENTER
TO DO ODD JOBS AROUND THE HOUSE.
HE SAID, "THEY CAN MOW THE LAWN, THEY CAN PULL THE WEEDS."
I SAID, "DO IT. DO IT."
AND SO WE HAD A LOT OF KIDS KIND OF CIRCLE THROUGH THE HOUSE
HELPING US WITH THINGS.
PAT WAS IMPRESSED WITH DEAN'S COMMITMENT TO THE KIDS.
SHE WAS THRILLED SHE HAD MARRIED SUCH A DEDICATED MAN.
BUT EIGHT YEARS LATER,
EVERYTHING SHE ADMIRED ABOUT DEAN WOULD COME CRASHING DOWN.
ON THE MORNING OF MARCH 25, 1983,
DEAN LEFT EARLY FOR WORK WHILE PAT SLEPT IN.
SUDDENLY, AROUND 7:30 A.M., THE PHONE RANG.
I PICKED UP THE PHONE
AND THERE WAS SOME MAN THAT WAS CRYING.
AND I THOUGHT, "IS THIS A CRANK CALL, OR...?"
PAT QUICKLY SNAPPED WIDE AWAKE
WHEN SHE REALIZED THE MAN SOBBING WAS HER OWN HUSBAND.
I SAID, "WHAT... WHERE ARE YOU? WHAT IS THE MATTER?"
AND HE SAYS, "WELL, I'M IN JAIL."
I SAID, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN JAIL?"
HE SAYS, "WELL, I'VE BEEN ARRESTED."
I SAID, "FOR WHAT?"
WHAT DEAN SAID NEXT WAS THE BEGINNING OF A NIGHTMARE
THAT WOULD SEND SHOCK WAVES THROUGH THE COMMUNITY
AND HAUNT PAT FOR YEARS TO COME.
IT WAS SO OUT OF THE SCOPE
OF WHAT I EVER WOULD HAVE BELIEVED HIM TO DO
THAT IT WAS LIKE, "HE'S CRAZY."
IN THE SPRING OF 1975,
EIGHT YEARS BEFORE THE PHONE CALL
THAT WOULD DESTROY THEIR GOOD LIFE TOGETHER,
PAT AND DEAN MITCHELL WERE BUSY PARENTS WITH THRIVING CAREERS.
DEAN WAS WORKING AT THIS ORGANIZATION
WHERE HE WAS ABLE TO HELP THE TEENS.
I WENT BACK TO SCHOOL SO THAT I COULD FINISH MY PhD.
THINGS WERE GOING JUST GREAT.
THEY WERE HAPPY IN THEIR MARRIAGE.
THEY WERE HAPPY IN WHERE THEY WERE LIVING.
PAT AND DEAN SEEMED SET.
BUT IN THE SPRING OF 1975,
ONE OF DEAN'S PATIENTS, A 14-YEAR-OLD BOY NAMED TRAVIS,
WAS FACING A CRISIS.
HE WAS ONE OF THE KIDS THAT WAS UP HELPING US IN THE YARD.
I STARTED TO UNDERSTAND JUST FROM TALKING WITH HIM
THAT HE WAS IN A FOSTER HOME,
AND IT WAS GOING TO BE IMPOSSIBLE FOR HIM TO STAY THERE
MUCH LONGER.
SO DEAN AND I TALKED ABOUT,
WELL, MAYBE WE COULD BE FOSTER PARENTS.
WE STARTED THAT PROCESS WITH THE IDEA
THAT WE COULD TAKE HIM INTO OUR HOME.
THAT SPRING, TRAVIS MOVED IN.
BUT WITHIN A FEW MONTHS,
HIS BEHAVIOR HAD STARTED TO CHANGE.
THERE WERE THINGS THAT STARTED NOT FEELING RIGHT.
TRAVIS WOULD GET ANGRY AND POUTY
AND GO IN AND SHUT THE DOOR TO HIS BEDROOM.
HE WOULD NOT BE AS CORDIAL AS HE HAD BEEN WITH OUR SON.
THEN ONE DAY,
THE SITUATION SUDDENLY TOOK A DANGEROUS TURN.
I CAME INTO HIS BEDROOM,
AND HE WAS SITTING IN THE MIDDLE OF THE BED
OBVIOUSLY HALLUCINATING.
HE HAD A CIGARETTE IN HIS HAND,
BUT HE ALSO HAD SET THE BED ON FIRE.
THERE WAS SMOKE ON THE BED,
AND HE'S IN THIS, YOU KNOW, GLASSY-EYED STARE.
IT WAS TERRIFYING.
PAT QUICKLY PUT OUT THE FIRE AND RAN TO THE PHONE.
SHE HAD NO CHOICE BUT TO PROTECT HER FAMILY.
HE WAS A DANGER TO HIMSELF AS WELL AS TO OTHER PEOPLE,
AND I WENT AND CALLED THE SOCIAL WORKER AND SAID,
"HE NEEDS TO BE IN THE HOSPITAL RIGHT NOW,"
AND HE WAS HOSPITALIZED LATER THAT AFTERNOON.
THAT NIGHT WHEN PAT TOLD DEAN WHAT HAD HAPPENED,
HE SEEMED UNCHARACTERISTICALLY UPSET.
HE WAS KIND OF ANGRY AT THE FACT
THAT I HAD PICKED UP THE PHONE AND MADE A UNILATERAL DECISION.
BUT I WAS ABSOLUTELY FIRM THAT THIS CHILD WAS FAR TOO SICK
FOR US TO HAVE HIM AS A FOSTER CHILD.
LIFE AT HOME SOON RETURNED TO NORMAL,
AND OVER THE NEXT FIVE YEARS, PAT EARNED HER PhD
AND FOUND HERSELF BUSIER AND MORE SUCCESSFUL THAN EVER.
MEANWHILE, IT SEEMED THAT DEAN'S AMBITION WAS WANING.
HE WAS STILL DOING THE WORK WITH KIDS THAT HE REALLY ENJOYED,
BUT IT'S LIKE THINGS WEREN'T WORKING RIGHT.
THERE SEEMED TO BE A BLACK CLOUD OVER HIS HEAD.
BY THE SUMMER OF 1981, THE SITUATION HAD NOT IMPROVED.
PAT WAS SURE DEAN WAS IN MORE THAN JUST A FUNK.
DEAN SEEMED TO BE A LOT MORE DISTANT.
HE STOPPED GROOMING HIMSELF.
HIS BEARD GOT ALL... HE LOOKED LIKE A WILD MAN.
HE'D GO TO WORK AND HIS PANTS WERE DIRTY,
AND IT WAS LIKE, "WHAT IS THE MATTER WITH THIS GUY?"
BUT WHEN PAT TRIED TO TALK TO DEAN,
SHE WAS QUICKLY SHUT DOWN.
SO IT WAS LIKE MINIMIZING OR JUST DISREGARDING
THAT THERE WAS ANY KIND OF AN ISSUE AT ALL.
I COULDN'T FIGURE OUT WHAT WAS GOING ON.
THEN ONE AFTERNOON IN THE FALL OF 1982,
WHILE PAT WAS WORKING AT HER OFFICE,
SHE RECEIVED A MOST UNSETTLING VISIT.
I HEARD THIS RUCKUS THAT WAS OUT IN THE WAITING ROOM.
SO I WENT OUT TO SEE WHAT WAS GOING ON,
AND HERE WAS THIS WOMAN, AND SHE'S YELLING AND SCREAMING,
"ARE YOU PAT?"
I HAD NO IDEA WHO SHE WAS.
I SAID, "COME BACK IN MY OFFICE
AND WE CAN TALK PRIVATELY THERE."
BUT THE WOMAN WOULDN'T STOP.
THEN SUDDENLY SHE LAUNCHED INTO
THE MOST BIZARRE STORY ABOUT DEAN.
SHE WAS JUST SCREAMING AND YELLING AND SO OUT OF CONTROL,
AND SHE SAYS, "YOUR HUSBAND RUINED MY HUSBAND,"
AND SHE WAS HORRIFIED AT WHAT MY HUSBAND HAD DONE.
DEAN WAS A MASTER AT HIDING WHAT HE WAS DOING.
IN THE FALL OF 1982,
WHEN A STRANGER SUDDENLY BURST INTO HER OFFICE,
PAT WIKLUND WAS STUNNED TO HEAR THE REASON
FOR THE WOMAN'S ANGRY RANT.
THE WOMAN ACCUSED HER HUSBAND, DEAN, OF BEING A CHILD MOLESTER.
AND SHE SAYS,
"WELL, YOUR HUSBAND MOLESTED MY HUSBAND,
"AND HE RUINED HIS LIFE,
AND HOW COULD HE HAVE DONE THAT?"
AND I SAID, "I HAVE... WHAT?
THIS DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE TO ME AT ALL."
EVEN MORE SHOCKING,
THE IDENTITY OF THE WOMAN'S HUSBAND...
TRAVIS, THE BOY PAT AND DEAN HAD FOSTERED SEVEN YEARS BEFORE.
IT JUST DIDN'T COMPUTE BECAUSE, FIRST OF ALL,
SHE'S SIGNIFICANTLY OLDER THAN I AM.
THERE'S A GOOD 20 YEARS BETWEEN HER AND TRAVIS,
AND I SAID, "MY EXPERIENCE OF HIM
WAS THAT HE WAS A VERY DISTURBED YOUNG MAN."
SHE SAID, "WELL, YOUR HUSBAND MADE HIM DISTURBED."
AND SO I SAID,
"WELL, I DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THIS SITUATION AT ALL."
AND THEN SHE GOT VERY ANGRY, PICKED UP HER STUFF,
AND WENT FLYING OUT OF THE OFFICE,
AND I'M LIKE, "WHAT JUST HAPPENED?"
LATER THAT NIGHT, STILL REELING FROM THE NEWS,
PAT BROUGHT UP THE INCIDENT TO DEAN.
AND HE SAYS, "I NEVER HEARD OF HER."
I SAYS, "WELL, SHE SAID, YOU KNOW,
THAT YOU HAD MOLESTED TRAVIS."
HE SAYS, "I NEVER... I HAVEN'T SEEN THAT KID IN YEARS.
I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT'S GOING ON."
PAT WAS NOT OVERLY CONCERNED.
I THOUGHT IT WAS KIND OF STRANGE,
BUT I JUST PUT IT OFF AS SOMEBODY
THAT JUST WAS NOT REALLY WELL-BALANCED.
DEAN WORKED SO HARD WITH SO MANY KIDS FOR SO LONG
THAT IT WAS LIKE,
"THIS ISN'T THE KIND OF PERSON THAT WOULD HURT KIDS.
THIS IS THE KIND OF PERSON THAT WOULD HELP THEM."
BUT ONLY A FEW MONTHS LATER, ON MARCH 25, 1983,
PAT WAS SUDDENLY AWAKENED AT 7:30 A.M.
WHEN A DEVASTATING PHONE CALL CAME IN.
IT WAS DEAN, AND HE WAS SOBBING ON THE LINE.
AND HE SAYS, "I'VE BEEN ARRESTED."
I SAID, "YOU? WHAT FOR?"
AND HE SAYS, "WELL, THEY SAID THAT I WAS MOLESTING CHILDREN."
AND MY IMMEDIATE RESPONSE WAS, "YOU?! DEAN MITCHELL?
YOU DON'T DO THAT."
DEAN DENIED THE ACCUSATIONS,
AND PAT ASSUMED THERE MUST BE SOME MISTAKE.
HE SAYS, "WELL, THERE'S SOME PEOPLE TRYING TO GET ME.
"THIS IS JUST SOMETHING THAT HAPPENS TO OTHER PEOPLE, TOO.
WE'RE EASY TARGETS."
EVEN THOUGH THEIR MARRIAGE HAD HIT HARD TIMES,
PAT WAS READY TO SUPPORT HER HUSBAND THROUGH THE ORDEAL.
AND HE SAYS, "CALL A FRIEND OF OURS."
HE WAS AN ATTORNEY.
AND SO I SAID, "OKAY, I'LL CALL HIM RIGHT NOW."
SO DEAN WAS RELEASED LATER THAT AFTERNOON.
HE JUST ABSOLUTELY DENIED DOING ANYTHING,
AND I BELIEVED HIM.
BUT NOT EVERYONE IN THE COMMUNITY
SHARED PAT'S CONVICTION.
DEAN WAS IMMEDIATELY FIRED FROM HIS JOB.
WHEN WE CALLED THE CENTER TO LET THEM KNOW WHAT WAS GOING ON,
WHERE WE KNEW HE WAS WORKING,
THEY WERE AS SHOCKED AS WE WERE.
EVENTUALLY PAT WOULD LEARN
THE TROUBLING DETAILS BEHIND DEAN'S ARREST.
IT TURNED OUT THAT HIS LONGTIME COLLEAGUE,
RICHARD GEASLAND, HAD HELPED TURN HIM IN.
WE HAD A YOUNG MAN IN OUR PROGRAM
WHO CAME TO MYSELF AND OUR CLINICAL DIRECTOR.
HE SAID HE HAD BEEN MEETING DEAN,
ENGAGING IN SEXUAL ACTIVITY WITH HIM.
WE WERE SHOCKED.
WE REALLY NEVER THOUGHT DEAN WOULD EVER DO ANYTHING TO KIDS.
THAT AFTERNOON, WE CALLED THE POLICE
AND CALLED CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES
AND STARTED THE PROCESS GOING.
ONCE I WAS PUT IN TOUCH WITH THE BOY,
HE TOLD ME ABOUT SEVERAL INCIDENTS
IN WHICH HE WAS SEXUALLY ABUSED BY DEAN MITCHELL.
IT WAS A VERY LONG, VERY PAINFUL INTERVIEW
FOR THIS BOY TO GO THROUGH.
I ABSOLUTELY BELIEVED HIM.
WHEN POLICE CONDUCTED INTERVIEWS
AT THE GROUP HOMES WHERE DEAN HAD WORKED,
A SECOND BOY CAME FORWARD.
ONE OF THE BOYS CORROBORATED THE STORY OF DEAN'S BEHAVIOR,
SEXUAL ACTIVITY WITH BOYS,
AND THAT DEAN HAD DONE SOME OF THAT WITH THIS BOY.
I FELT AT THE TIME THAT I NEEDED TO MAKE THE ARREST
TO PUT A STOP TO DEAN WORKING WITH BOYS.
BUT SERGEANT PORTER KNEW
SHE DIDN'T HAVE ENOUGH FOR A CONVICTION.
AS POLICE CONTINUED TO BUILD THEIR CASE,
THE NEWS OF DEAN'S ARREST QUICKLY SPREAD THROUGH TOWN.
BEFORE LONG, PAT'S CONSULTING WORK BEGAN TO DRY UP.
WHEN HE LOST HIS JOB, IT WAS LIKE
PEOPLE WEREN'T COMING TO ME TOO MUCH ANYMORE, EITHER.
IT WAS LIKE, "STAY AWAY FROM THEM."
SO OUR INCOME JUST PLUMMETED.
AT THAT TIME, I DIDN'T KNOW ANYTHING THAT WAS GOING ON.
I KNOW THERE WERE TIMES
WHERE PAT JUST SAT IN THE MIDDLE OF HER BED AND CRIED AND CRIED.
WITH DEAN OUT OF WORK,
THE COUPLE WAS SOON FORCED TO FILE FOR BANKRUPTCY.
OVER THE NEXT FEW MONTHS,
WHILE PAT DID HER BEST TO CARRY ON,
DEAN CONTINUED HIS DOWNWARD SPIRAL.
EVEN THOUGH PAT STILL BELIEVED IN HIS INNOCENCE,
BY SUMMERTIME, SHE HAD HAD ENOUGH.
I TOLD DEAN THAT I WANTED A DIVORCE,
AND HE WAS HURT AND ANGRY AND FURIOUS,
AND HE SAYS, "YOU'VE GOT TO CHANGE YOUR MIND."
AND I SAID, "I'M NOT GONNA CHANGE MY MIND."
AND IT WAS A TOUGH, TOUGH THING TO DO.
IN JUNE 1983, AFTER 15 YEARS OF MARRIAGE,
PAT MOVED OUT OF THEIR HOME,
LEGALLY SEPARATING FROM THE HUSBAND
SHE HAD ONCE LOVED SO DEARLY.
IT'S LIKE THERE'S DEATH THERE,
AND YOU DON'T WANT TO THINK ABOUT THAT DEATH OF YOUR DREAM.
ONE YEAR LATER, IN THE SPRING OF 1984,
PAT AND DEAN WERE STILL SEPARATED.
PAT WAS BEGINNING HER NEW LIFE
WHEN AN OLD FRIEND, KAREN, CALLED.
THE LAST TIME I TALKED TO HER WAS WHEN HE HAD BEEN ARRESTED,
AND SHE SAYS, "LET'S HAVE LUNCH."
THERE WAS SOME RELUCTANCE ON HER PART,
AND IT WAS LIKE, "THAT'S REALLY WEIRD."
SO I DROVE ACROSS TOWN,
AND I SAID, "WHAT IS THE MATTER?"
KAREN HAD SOMETHING TO SHARE,
A TERRIBLE SECRET SHE HAD BEEN KEEPING FROM PAT FOR YEARS.
DEAN DIDN'T ALLOW PEOPLE TO SEE THIS OTHER SIDE OF HIM,
THIS DARK SECRET THAT HE HAD.
THAT TWIT HAD BEEN LYING TO ME ALL THAT TIME.
IN THE SPRING OF 1984,
PAT LISTENED CAREFULLY
AS HER OLD FRIEND KAREN FINALLY REVEALED A DARK SECRET
THAT SHE'D BEEN KEEPING FOR YEARS.
SHE ASKED ME TWO DOZEN TIMES,
"ARE YOU SURE YOU'RE GETTING A DIVORCE?"
AND EVERY TIME, I SAID, "YES, I AM."
SHE SAYS, "WELL, IF THAT'S REALLY THE CASE,
THEN I NEED TO TELL YOU SOMETHING."
AND SHE WENT ON TO TELL ME THAT HER SON HAD TOLD HER
THAT DEAN HAD MOLESTED HIM.
KAREN CRIED AS SHE EXPLAINED
WHAT HAD HAPPENED TO HER SON ALMOST TWO YEARS BEFORE.
SHE SAID, "LISTENING TO HIM DESCRIBE HIS EXPERIENCE
"OF DEAN'S BACK RUB,
"IT WAS VERY OBVIOUS THAT IT WAS A MOLESTATION INCIDENT.
"AND THEN HE WENT ON TO SAY
THAT THAT HAD HAPPENED A COUPLE OF TIMES."
I THINK THIS WAS THE HARDEST THING FOR ME.
KAREN AND I HAD BEEN SUCH GOOD FRIENDS,
AND IT WAS LIKE, HOW COULD YOU DO THAT TO A CHILD LIKE THAT?
AND I WAS SO HURT AND SO ANGRY.
PAT COULD NO LONGER DENY THE TRUTH
ABOUT HER HUSBAND.
AND I SAID TO MY ATTORNEY, I SAID,
"I WANT FULL CUSTODY OF MY SON. I DON'T TRUST THIS MAN AT ALL."
AS SHE LOOKED BACK ON DEAN'S BEHAVIOR WITH NEW EYES,
PAT GREW SICK TO HER STOMACH.
IT CAME TO MIND THAT MAYBE THAT WOMAN
THAT CAME AND TALKED TO ME ABOUT TRAVIS,
MAYBE SHE WAS TELLING THE TRUTH,
AND I JUST HAD NO IDEA
THAT THAT'S WHAT SHE WAS REALLY SAYING.
THE MORE PAT THOUGHT ABOUT IT,
THE MORE SHE REALIZED THAT DEAN SPENT A LOT OF TIME
WITH TALL, BLOND-HAIRED BOYS,
BOYS WITH THE SAME QUALITIES THAT ONCE DREW DEAN TO PAT.
PEDOPHILES SEEM TO BE ATTRACTED TO A PARTICULAR TYPE OF CHILD.
PART OF MY REACTION TO THIS WHOLE THING
IS THAT THAT TWIT HAD BEEN LYING TO ME ALL THAT TIME.
IT SEEMED DEAN'S JOB AS A CHILD PSYCHOLOGIST
PROVIDED THE PERFECT COVER.
HE HAD A LOT OF POWER AT THE GROUP HOMES WITH THE BOYS.
IF THE BOYS WANTED CERTAIN PRIVILEGES,
THAT THAT ALL HAD TO GO THROUGH DEAN MITCHELL.
HE KNEW ALL THE THINGS THAT PEOPLE WOULD BE LOOKING FOR,
AND HE THOUGHT HE COULD KEEP IT SECRET.
IN THE WINTER OF 1985,
THE FAMILIES OF BOTH BOYS FILED SEPARATE CIVIL SUITS
AGAINST DEAN, THE GROUP HOMES, AND EVEN PAT.
BECAUSE WE WERE MARRIED, I WAS INCLUDED IN THAT PROCESS.
BY THIS TIME, IT WAS LIKE, I JUST WANT...
I WANT THE DIVORCE OVER.
I JUST WANT OUT OF THIS WHOLE THING.
ON MARCH 11, 1986,
PAT AND DEAN'S DIVORCE BECAME FINAL,
AND PAT RECEIVED FULL CUSTODY OF THEIR SON.
THAT SUMMER, DEAN SETTLED HIS CIVIL SUITS,
BUT WAS NEVER CONVICTED OF CHILD MOLESTATION.
THESE YOUNG MEN COULD BE DISCREDITED AS WITNESSES,
AND I THINK THAT'S A BIG PIECE
OF WHY THE PREDATORS ARE NOT CAUGHT.
SO IT'S INFURIATING.
I NEVER WAS ABLE TO COME UP WITH EVIDENCE
TO STRENGTHEN THE CASE AGAINST DEAN,
AND I WALKED AWAY KNOWING THAT THIS MAN WAS A PEDOPHILE
AND THERE WASN'T ANYTHING I COULD DO ABOUT IT.
THAT SAME YEAR, DEAN LOST HIS PSYCHOLOGY LICENSE.
HIS DAYS OF COUNSELING CHILDREN WERE OVER.
DEAN HAD NO PROFESSION, HE HAD NO FAMILY,
AND, ESSENTIALLY, NO WAY TO MAKE A LIVING.
VERY SHORTLY AFTER THE DIVORCE, HE WAS DRIVING A TAXICAB.
DEAN NEVER ADMITTED TO MOLESTING CHILDREN.
ONE OF THE MOST DIFFICULT THINGS FOR ME
IS THAT I NEVER FELT LIKE HE ACCEPTED RESPONSIBILITY.
HE HURT A NUMBER OF CHILDREN.
ONE OF THE QUESTIONS THAT I'M OFTEN ASKED
IS, WELL, DID HE HURT YOUR OWN CHILD?
I'VE ASKED MY CHILD AND I'VE ASKED DEAN,
AND THEY BOTH SAID NO.
AND AT THIS POINT, I'VE GOT TO TAKE THAT FOR FACE VALUE.
TODAY PAT HAS PUT THIS HORRIBLE EXPERIENCE BEHIND HER
AND HAS EVEN FOUND A NEW LOVE.
I GOT AN OFFER I COULDN'T RESIST FROM MY COLLEGE SWEETHEART.
HE SAID SOME VERSION OF, "COME PLAY ON MY BOAT
AND LIVE WITH ME,"
AND I SAID, "OKAY."
AND I HAVE REALLY STARTED TO HAVE SOME TIME FOR THINGS
THAT I DIDN'T HAVE TIME FOR BEFORE,
SO I'M A HAPPY WOMAN.
SHE MOVED HALFWAY ACROSS THE COUNTRY
AND STARTED A WHOLE NEW LIFE FOR HERSELF.
DESPITE THE MOVE,
IT TOOK YEARS FOR THE PSYCHOLOGIST TO HEAL HERSELF.
I WROTE MYSELF OUT A TREATMENT PLAN
BECAUSE I KNEW IF I FOLLOWED MY OWN TREATMENT PLAN,
I WOULD GET PAST
BEING THE WOMAN WHO WAS MARRIED TO A CHILD MOLESTER
AND START BEING A WOMAN WHO WAS VERY PROUD OF HERSELF,
AND THAT'S THE PIECE THAT I HAD LOST TRACK OF.
PAT WROTE A BOOK ABOUT HER ORDEAL
AND DISCOVERED THAT REACHING OUT TO OTHER WOMEN
HAS BEEN THE BEST MEDICINE OF ALL.
THEY JUST NEED SO MUCH HELP,
AND IT DOESN'T HAVE TO RUIN THEIR LIFE.
I THINK THE MOST IMPORTANT THING
IS THAT IT'S NOT WHAT HAPPENS TO YOU,
BUT WHAT YOU DO WITH WHAT HAPPENS THAT MAKES A DIFFERENCE.