Who the (Bleep) Did I Marry (2010–…): Season 2, Episode 15 - Addicted to Love - full transcript
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.
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.