Prosecutors add charges against therapist Thomas P. Jewell, arrested on child porn charges

February 17, 2011

In December 2010, Contra Costa (California) County prosecutors amended the charges against marriage and family therapist Thomas P. Jewell.

Jewell had initially been arrested on child pornography charges last November, after police found a large amount of such material in his home.

Jewell had been employed for several years by the mental health division at Contra Costa County Health Services, assigned to Juvenile Hall.

Investigators found 13,000 images of child pornography on computers seized from Jewell’s home in November.

The complaint against Jewell was amended when one of the victims was identified in the images.

Jewell was additionally charged with 46 counts of child molestation, one count of posing a child for the purpose of pornography, one county of showing pornographic material to a child and one count of possession of child pornography.

His bail was increased from $1 million to $5.8 million in light of the molestation charges.

Source: Robert Salonga, “Contra Costa Juvenile Hall counselor arrested in child pornography case,” Contra Costa Times, 18 November 2010 and ”Youth counselor charged with porn, molestation,” Associated Press, December 6, 2010.