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TCU 360

TCU 360

All TCU. All the time.

TCU 360

Students discuss religious topics in a small group. (Photo courtesy of tcuwesley.org)
Wednesday nights at TCU’s Methodist campus ministry provide religious exploration and fellowship
By Boots Giblin, Staff Writer
Published Mar 27, 2024
Students at the Wesley said they found community on Wednesday nights.

Lawyer: Professor jailed because of miscommunication

Lawyer: Professor jailed because of miscommunication

Police Report Statements from TCU Court Documents A tenured professor who was jailed over the summer for making threats was not threatening anyone on campus but was trying to warn administrators about another faculty member, his lawyer said Tuesday.

Psychology professor Charles Frederick Bond Jr. was charged with a misdemeanor for sending threatening e-mails when he was arrested, said Mark Thielman, the district attorney prosecuting Bond. The district attorney’s office added a felony charge later because of the number of people he threatened, Thielman said. Bond has not been indicted by the grand jury for the felony charge, Thielman said.

“At no time was Dr. Bond threatening any student at TCU,” said Tim Clancy, one of Bond’s attorneys. “He was trying to make TCU aware of (another professor). He had information on (the professor) that he wanted the TCU community to know.”

Clancy did not comment on what that information was. The other professor, also in the psychology department, said he could not comment on Bond’s case.

When Bond, 54, was arrested, the court deemed him incompetent to stand trial, according to court documents. He was held without bail until he could regain competency, Thielman said.

“You are entitled to understand and respond to the charges against you,” Thielman said. “If someone — a lawyer or judge – has reason to think there is a legitimate question about competence right now, the procedural mechanism is to have the defendant examined.”

When police said Bond was sending threats to faculty, he was suffering from Bipolar I Disorder, which includes suffering from manic episodes with psychotic features and mixed personality disorder, according to court documents. ..

Dr. Kelly R. Goodness examined Bond and said he presented a low risk for future dangerous actions, according to court documents. The threats were brought on by an untreated illness, according to the documents.

Clancy said Bond is cooperating fully with the district attorney’s office and TCU. He has been receiving treatment for his illness and until now he has had an exemplary record as a professor, Clancy said.

He said Bond has been continuing his research at home and hopes to resume teaching sometime in the future.

“He’s dealing to the best of his ability,” Clancy said. “He is being patient and waiting for the legal system to take its course.”

The court placed a restraining order on Bond to keep him off campus, Chancellor Victor Boschini said. Bond has been put on administrative leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act, he said. The act requires that a professor receive up to 12 weeks of unpaid job-protected leave, according to the TCU Human Resources Web site.

“Since day one we believe that Dr. Bond never committed a terroristic threat and he had no intention of harming anyone in the TCU community,” Clancy said.

Tracy Syler-Jones, assistant vice chancellor for marketing and communication, said she could not comment on whether Bond could return to TCU if acquitted, saying the university does not comment on hypothetical situations. She said it is also against TCU policy to comment on personnel issues.

Bond was scheduled to teach two classes this semester. The undergraduate course was cancelled and Professor David Cross is teaching the graduate-level course.

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