By Robert Salonga
Contra Costa Times
MARTINEZ, Calif. — A Juvenile Hall counselor facing charges of possessing what authorities described as a vast amount of child pornography — so much that the FBI is helping examine it — is now accused of victimizing a young boy depicted in some of the images, and authorities said it is likely more alleged victims will be identified.
“We believe there are and will be additional victims,” said deputy district attorney Dana Filkowski.
Thomas Perez Jewell, 53, has been in custody since Nov. 18 after police served a search warrant at his Pleasant Hill home and seized several digital storage devices allegedly containing the illicit material. The District Attorney’s Office has amended its charges to include 46 counts of molestation of a child between 12 and 15 years old, and one count each of posing a child for the purposes of pornography and showing pornographic material to a child.
Two of the molestation counts were detailed as aggravated sexual assault, each of which carry a maximum sentence of 14 years to life in prison.
Jewell did not enter a plea during a court appearance this morning and said only “yes, your honor” in response to questions from Contra Costa County Superior Court Judge Clare Maier. His bail was set at approximately $5.8 million and he is scheduled to return to court Jan. 6.
Filkowski said a multiagency team of investigators led by Pleasant Hill police found more than 13,000 pornographic images involving children on Jewell’s devices and were able to identify one of the children as a local resident.
For nearly a decade Jewell has worked for Contra Costa Health Services’ mental health division, which contracts with Juvenile Hall in Martinez, where he was assigned. Martinez police began the investigation of Jewell before transferring it the case to Pleasant Hill because that’s where he lives.
According to current and former co-workers who contacted Bay Area News Group upon hearing the news about Jewell’s arrest, this is not the first time his behavior has elicited concern. In July 2009, accusations that he was using his work computer to browse a website soliciting prostitution were brought to his supervisors but no disciplinary action was taken.
The Contra Costa County Counsel’s Office, speaking for Health Services, declined to comment on the purported incident, citing it as a personnel matter.
Perhaps the most troubling allegations that arose in the wake of his arrest are the suspicions of abuse, given his position as a Juvenile Hall counselor and the owner of a private counseling and mentoring practice, YES Enterprises.
Jewell obtained a master’s degree in counseling psychology from JFK University in Pleasant Hill in 2000 but is not a licensed therapist. Titles such as “life coach” and “mental health clinician” are used on his business website.
The same website touts Jewell’s experience as a teacher at several schooling levels and as a consultant who conducts workshops, helping everyone from probation officers to educators better understand and reach out to troubled youth, particularly the kinds of teen boys he counseled in Juvenile Hall. In 2009, his work counseling those youths earned him recognition as a “Man of Merit,” an honor bestowed by state and local organizations that advocate against domestic violence.
Several former clients of Jewell, who counseled people of all ages for issues such as anger management, gave mixed reviews about how effective he was, but generally described him as being professional and earnest. None of them wanted to be named out of privacy concerns about their mental health treatment.
They did, however, express misgivings about his behavior with the at-risk and special-needs boys he worked with, many of whom were referred to him through his association with the Pittsburg-based Lucas Center, a collective of mental health specialists who focus on family-oriented counseling.
Several messages left for the center seeking comment about Jewell were not returned.
One woman said she found Jewell to be an effective counselor, so much so that she was confident about his ability to help her nephew.
“He was excellent. He gave good advice,” said the former client.
After hearing the news of Jewell’s arrest, the client said she found herself scrutinizing past interactions between Jewell and her nephew and communicating with parents of other teenage clients, eventually hearing stories about young clients’ visits to his Pleasant Hill home, which he had moved to within the past year after living in Rio Vista and Benicia.
“Those kids are needy and vulnerable,” she said. “I hope and pray they don’t find pictures of our relatives.”
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