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Sex offenders work among VA teenagers

An employee is arrested, but Bay Pines officials say they’ve never received a complaint about such staff members.

By PAUL DE LA GARZA
Published June 1, 2006

ST. PETERSBURG — Convicted sex offenders have been working for years at Bay Pines VA Medical Center, often among scores of middle and high school students involved in a volunteer program, the Department of Veterans Affairs said Thursday.

VA officials did not provide the number of sex offenders working at the hospital but said they have received no complaints about those workers from volunteers, their families or visitors.

“Management reviews and evaluates the nature and seriousness of any criminal background information and appropriately balances that risk with the sensitivity of the position,” the VA said in response to queries by the St. Petersburg Times.

The VA said it had not notified parents and students that Bay Pines employs sex offenders but said parents and students are advised to report inappropriate behavior from any employee, patient, volunteer or visitor.

“That language is being strengthened and will be distributed to parents and volunteers as soon as possible,” the VA said.

Questions about sex offenders were provoked by the case of Willie J. Williams, 45, a housekeeper who has worked at Bay Pines 15 years. Williams pleaded guilty in 2003 to molesting a teenage female relative.

An anonymous letter to the Times spelled out his conviction and noted that the hospital was about to launch a summer volunteer program for middle school and high school students as young as 13.

 Bay Pines sponsors a volunteer student program over the summer to help staff members with veterans. The Summer Youth Volunteer Program has 150 slots for students across Pinellas.

According to a hospital newsletter, the students work in various areas of Bay Pines. Orientation was May 22, and the program gets under way Monday.

The VA did not say how many years the student program has been in effect.

Volunteer coordinator Derenda Summerlin said she did not know about the Williams case and asked the newspaper for his name.

“We do want to ensure that our student volunteers are safe,” she said.

To make sure they’re safe, the VA said, supervisors have a responsibility to ensure that student volunteers are adequately supervised.

In addition, the VA said, hospital employees convicted of sexual abuse of children have undergone an intensive rehabilitation program and supervisors provide appropriate oversight.

In the case of Williams, a police report says the victim was 15. Her mother told the Times she was 16.

Williams served a year in prison and is undergoing counseling. A registered sex offender with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, he was arrested Wednesday for violating probation.

During the criminal investigation in 2002, Williams told investigators he was a sexual addict and that he kept pornographic videos and magazines. He said he threw everything away after he abused the girl.

“The suspect stated that he has never had a problem like this in the past and does not think that this would ever happen again,” the St. Petersburg police report stated. “The suspect stated that he knew that he had done wrong.”

In an interview Wednesday, the victim’s mother said Williams was not a threat to the student volunteers or to patients at Bay Pines. She said he paid his debt to society and should be left alone.

“He’s not trying to hide,” said the woman, who is not being identified to protect the identity of the victim. “He’s not trying to keep any secrets.”
She said Williams was arrested Wednesday for violating curfew.

Jail records in Pinellas show Williams was arrested for violation of probation, but the Times could not confirm that he violated curfew.

The Corrections Department said it could not verify the information until today.

FDLE spokesman Tom Berlinger said the agency maintains the Web site that tracks where sexual predators live, not where they work.
He said Florida has between 35,000 and 36,000 registered sex offenders.

“We don’t pretend for one second to micromanage hiring practices around the state,” Berlinger said. “One would hope employers do adequate background checks.”

Paul de la Garza can be reached at delagarza@sptimes.com or 813-226-3432.

[Last modified June 1, 2006, 23:28:49]