William Ayres Case Heads to Trial, Again

A former San Mateo psychiatrist accused of molesting his male patients during examinations in the 1990s will go to trial next week, a judge confirmed Thursday.

William Ayres, 81, the former president of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychology, spent nine months under observation at Napa State Hospital after criminal proceedings were suspended while he was thought to have dementia.

Ayres, whose first trial ended in a mistrial in 2009, returned to the county last summer after his time at Napa State Hospital, where doctors and staff were able to detect signs that Ayres had exaggerated symptoms of dementia in order to appear incompetent, according to the district attorney's office.

Charges were reinstated against Ayres in November 2012, and a judge increased his bail from $750,000 to $900,000, on grounds that Ayres was a flight risk and possibly suicidal.

On Thursday, a jury trial date was confirmed for Monday, May 13.

Ayres faces nine counts of performing lewd acts on seven boys during counseling sessions that took place between 1991 and 1996.

District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe has said Ayres is suspected of molesting as many as 30 other boys, but that the cases are now beyond the statute of limitations for prosecution.

A trial to determine Ayres' competency ended in a mistrial in June 2011, when jurors could not agree on whether the defendant -- who appeared to be suffering from dementia -- would be able to assist in his own defense.

Based on the contents of a sealed report from Napa State Hospital, prosecutors said Ayres used his extensive knowledge of psychiatry to fake symptoms of mental illness and mislead court-appointed doctors.

A criminal trial in 2009 also ended in with a hung jury, and the district attorney's office decided within months to retry the case.

Ayres is out of custody on a $900,000 bail bond.