NEWPORT BEACH : Bail Is Reduced in Molestation Case

Bail was reduced Tuesday in the sexual molestation case against the consulting psychiatrist for Camp O’Neal, the Sierra Nevada youth facility central in the drowning of seven people last month at Convict Lake.

Municipal Judge Christopher Strople cut James Harrington White’s bail from $500,000 to $200,000 and barred White from practicing medicine pending the outcome of his prosecution.

White, who has a private practice in Newport Beach, is accused of molesting a 29-year-old patient who claims that White drugged him with prescription medicine and then performed oral copulation on him.

According to police, the patient said he did not discover that he had been molested until he visited the doctor’s home and found numerous photographs and videotapes of himself in various stages of undress being sexually abused.

Paul S. Meyer, White’s defense lawyer, argued during the bail hearing that his client was neither a danger to community nor a flight risk. Meyer said White, a longtime resident of the area, had a good reputation as a physician and strong ties to the community.

“Although the nature of the charges are serious,” Meyer said, “there is no violence or force or obvious threat to other individuals. Justice would require a significant lowering of bail. This case is quite different than what meets the eye.”

Deputy Dist. Atty. Dennis Bauer opposed the bail reduction on the grounds that the charges against White provide an incentive to flee the county. Bauer also was concerned about the safety of others.

A hearing is tentatively scheduled March 28 to determine whether Strople’s order barring White from practicing medicine should be lifted. Meyer said White was in the process of securing his release on bail Tuesday.