Issue date: November 25, 1998
By RENEE MOILANEN
Menlo Park resident Robert Hunter Wilson, 50, was in court November 23, answering to 14 counts of child molestation on a boy who was 13 years old at the time of the alleged crimes.
At Almanac press time, Mr. Wilson, a registered sex offender and a former deputy district attorney, was expected to enter a plea in court, but had not yet done so.
Mr. Wilson is charged with molesting the boy over an 18-month period of time. Some of the incidents occurred in Menlo Park, said Menlo Park police Comdr. Dominick Peloso. The victim, now 15, is from the Menlo Park area, he said.
Menlo Park police arrested Mr. Wilson at his Palo Alto work place November 13. Police had received a tip about the possible molestation, and they followed it up with an investigation, Comdr. Peloso said.
Two years ago, Mr. Wilson was convicted of molesting a teenage male student at the York School in Monterey. In 1979, Mr. Wilson was also convicted in Sacramento on three counts of having sex with minors.
As a convicted sex offender, Mr. Wilson is required to register with the police wherever he lives. Comdr. Peloso said that Mr. Wilson was registered with the Menlo Park police.
At this point, Comdr. Peloso said, no other victims have come forward. "This is the kind of thing that, with the media coverage, if there are other victims, they may come forward now," he added.
San Mateo County Deputy District Attorney Peter Lynch said that if convicted, Mr. Wilson could face a maximum sentence of 34 years.
"I think we have a good solid case," Mr. Lynch said. "It's a very aggravated case given his background, and I'm hoping the judge will put Mr. Wilson away for a long time. I think he's a dangerous man."
At press time, Mr. Wilson was being held in San Mateo County Jail without bail.
© 1998 The Almanac. All Rights Reserved.