The Willow Glen Resident Around The Glen Doctor to evaluate the competency of Glen teacher charged with molestation Criminal proceedings have been suspended against San Jose music teacher Michael Wesley Briseno, who allegedly performed oral sex and other sexual acts with six boys between the ages of 5 and 14. "His attorney is having his [mental] competency evaluated by a doctor," said Assistant District Attorney Dana Overstreet. "Until that report is done, nothing will happen, and there is no new court date. There probably won't be for at least eight weeks." Briseno's lawyer didn't return a reporter's phone calls. Briseno, who taught at Willow Glen Elementary School from November 1997 to March 1998, has been charged with 24 molestation counts against the six youths. He allegedly met his victims while teaching music at San Jose schools, but molested the children during private music lessons at his home. Police began investigating Briseno in March 1998 after finding clues in a report about a possible child-molestation incident. On June 8, Briseno returned from a three-month trip to Mexico and turned himself in. Presently, he is being held on $1.5 million bail at the Santa Clara County Jail. --Cecily Barnes Longtime Glen cop says goodbye to his nights on beat After 28 years of service in the Willow Glen community, San Jose Police Officer Michael Lowry has finally decided to take the night off. Lowry, who spent the past 24 years working the midnight shift in the Glen, officially retired earlier this month. Lowry may have left the force, but he continues to inspire his former colleagues at the San Jose Police Department. "He is the patriarch of the midnight shift," officer Louis Quezada says with admiration. "He is extremely well-liked, and the funniest man you could hope to meet. I've seen him go into a high-tension situation and diffuse it in moments just with his personality." Lowry is known not only as funny but as an intelligent and well-read officer--and an incurable night owl. --Mary Spicuzza One-room school shows new face at Kelley Park Santa Ana School is having a coming-out party at the San Jose History Museum. The gala celebration to dedicate the restored one-room schoolhouse is being held at Kelley Park, 1650 Senter Road, on Saturday, Sept., 26, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. There will be entertainment including music, dancers and games, along with a dedication ceremony and food booths. Admission and parking are free. The schoolhouse restoration was a joint project of the San Jose State University College of Education Alumni Association and the History Museums of San Jose. These groups raised $250,000 in donations, grants and pledges of pro bono work to restore the schoolhouse to its original 1890s condition. The 127-year-old building was moved from Hollister to Kelley Park in 1996. For more information, call Diane Oroz of the SJSU College of Education at 924-3642, or Cecelia Clark of the San Jose History Museum at 918-1046. --Sharon Parks Registrar in need of poll workers The Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters is looking for workers for the upcoming general election on Nov. 3. The Registrar is recruiting residents to staff the more than 1,000 polling stations that will set up throughout Santa Clara County. About 4,400 poll workers will be needed. Registrar officials said workers are especially needed in the cities of Saratoga, Gilroy, Palo Alto, Milpitas and Mountain View and in various areas of San Jose. And bilingual workers who are fluent in Spanish, Vietnamese and Chinese are critically needed. Poll workers must be 18 years of age or older, county residents and U.S. citizens, and will be paid between $60 and $95. No experience is necessary, and training will be provided. For more information, call the Registrar of Voters at 299-2694. --Metro Newspapers Local winery hosts reception for eight emerging artists Wine and hors d'oeuvres will be served at an artwork reception hosted and sponsored by Joseph George for Career Closet of Santa Clara County at the winery's Meridian Avenue store on Thursday, Oct. 15, 530-7:30 p.m. The reception will feature the work of eight up-and-coming artists from the Mid-Peninsula YWCA's Women Entrepreneurs Program. The artwork on display will be available for purchase in a silent auction at Career Closet's Nov. 20 event, "The Art of Making a Living," at the Triton Museum of Art in Santa Clara. The Career Closet provides free job-interview clothing to economically disadvantaged women in Santa Clara County. The Oct. 15 reception is free, but space is limited. To make reservations, call the Career Closet at 448-3215. --Sharon Parks Conference explores effects of domestic violence on children The devastating effects of domestic violence on children is the focus of the sixth annual conference sponsored by the Santa Clara County Domestic Violence Council. "Ending Family Violence: The Impact on Children and Families" is set for Oct. 1-2 at the Fairmont Hotel, 170 S, Market St. The book Family Violence: Emerging Programs for Battered Mothers and Their Children, co-authored by Juvenile Court Judge Len Edwards, will be released at the conference. The Domestic Violence Council is a volunteer task force appointed by the Board of Supervisors. For more information, call 792-2898. --Sharon Parks [ Back to Contents Page | Willow Glen Resident Home Page | Archives ] This article appeared in the Willow Glen Resident, September 23, 1998. ©1998 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.