What's new

Dan O' leary(spelling?)

Spacecootie

New Member
I took a couple of courses at COSMOD Sacramento exactly 40 years ago... and decided to get out of there after the Jonestown tragedy. Applauding a photo of LRH seemed a little too close to the People's Temple devotion to Jim Jones.

I ran across an old newspaper article about the bank robberies.

https://mountaindemocrat.newspaperarchive.com/placerville-mountain-democrat/1989-03-15/

Bank robber given 3 years
Two others get 20, 30 years in pen

By PAT LAKEY City editor

Eric Ralph Planteen, a 39-year-old Sacramento man convicted of participating in a series of local armed robberies of credit unions in 1987, was sentenced Monday to three years in state prison by Superior Court Judge Terrence Finney. Two codefendants involved in the plague of robberies, which included local Sierra Central Credit Unions and El Dorado Savings and Loan in Pollock Pines, were sentenced to federal prison after being prosecuted by federal authorities. Craig Pavelchlk was sentenced to 20 yean, while Michael Parsons received a 30-year sentence. Two other codefendants in the case, Ken Wagner and Daniel J. O'Leary, worked out plea bargain arrangements in which they testified against Parsons and Pavelchik. Exact terms of those arrangements were not available at press time.
Planteen, who reportedly suffers from post traumatic stress disorder related to his service in Vietnam in 1969-70, has told authorities he is "sorry" for his participation in the robberies. He said he became involved in the crimes during a time in his life when he was considering killing himself, according to a report by an El Dorado County probation officer. In fact. Planteen said he was sitting in his office at his job in Sacramento in January or February of 1987, with a pistol in his hand, when a "friend" came in and noticed Planteen was upset. The friend allegedly asked Planteen, "If you could change things, what would you Planteen said he replied, "I could rob a bank or put a bullet in my head." At that point, the pair began discussing committing bank robberies and eventually did just that Planteen said he participated in the gang for about six months, helping in the commission of five armed robberies. He said he decided to get out of the racket because during one robbery, at least one of the robbers carried a loaded pistol violating Planteen's "rules." he told authorities. Planteen apparently did not participate in the final robbery, which occurred at El Dorado Savings and Loan in Pollock Pines and resulted in the arrest of suspects Parsons, Pavelchik and Wagner. That incident occurred Sept. 11, 1987. and involved an FBI SWAT team that cornered and apprehended the suspects in Camino. The same day those arrests occurred, the FBI contacted Planteen and advised him that he should meet with agents and discuss possible involvement in the series of robberies. Planteen requested immunity from prosecution in exchange for his help in the case against other suspects, but the FBI reportedly did not agiee to such a deal. Planteen was arrested in October 1987 by Placer County authorities and charged with the armed robbery of a Sierra Central Credit Union there, a robbery that occurred several months earlier. Upon learning of his arrest, El Dorado County authorities placed a "hold" on him so that he could be prosecuted for local robberies after his Placer County case was adjudicated. Superior Court Judge Richard Gilbert, presiding over the Placer County case, sentenced Planteen to four years in state prison but then the judge suspended the sentence, saying that he had found that "special circumstances" exist in the case. Gilbert reportedly determined that Planteen should be handled with some leniency because of what the judge perceived to be "psychological difficulties" resulting from Planteen's purported post traumatic stress disorder. Judge Gilbert placed Planteen on five years probation with the understanding that Planteen will remain in custody until he can get treatment in an inpatient facility for his mental problems. As part of the Placer County sentence, Planteen was told that during his probationary period, he may possess no deadly weapons and may not consume alcohol. His criminal record includes no other matters prior to the robbery crime spree. Judge Finney indicated he would like to order that Planteen receive help for his post traumatic stress disorder, and the judge became annoyed when told that a treatment center in Menlo Park for PTSD victims will not accept anyone awaiting criminal prosecution or fulfillment of criminal sentences. Planteen could have faced an additional two yean on his prison term because he used a gun in the crime, but the judge stayed that provision as long as Planteen successfully completes the three-year term and a period of parole after his release.
 

TomKat

Patron Meritorious
I took a couple of courses at COSMOD Sacramento exactly 40 years ago... and decided to get out of there after the Jonestown tragedy. Applauding a photo of LRH seemed a little too close to the People's Temple devotion to Jim Jones.

I ran across an old newspaper article about the bank robberies.

https://mountaindemocrat.newspaperarchive.com/placerville-mountain-democrat/1989-03-15/

Thanks! First time I've seen all 5 names of the gang.
Eric Planteen was a leader, bright and creative with movie star looks and, like many Scientologists, always looking for ways to make the big bucks. In the late 70s after a stint as a taxi driver, he recruited Ernie Jaramillo to go door-to-door selling business consultation using some kind of Planteen tech. I'd be surprised if Eric wasn't the actual ringleader of the gang. I doubt he had PTSD, and probably just conned the officials and finagled the lightest sentence by being the first to rat out the others.
Parsons seemed more like a PTSD case, or at least ADHD. He had a very mellow, lovely wife. He was a field auditor and big collector of Scn tapes and materials during the splinter movement of the mid 80s. At one point he was looking to sell his whole collection for $5k, perhaps after he found this new career :)
Dan O'Leary was ex-army, ex-born again Christian, a hail-fellow-well-met type who had a black belt in karate and was a decent auditor. I'd bet he was just going along for the ride, talked into it by someone like Planteen or Parsons, who were more salesmen type personalities.
Ken Wagner and Craig Pavelchik sound familiar, but I can't place them.
 

Spacecootie

New Member
The people I remember were Lynn Irons (who I think was in the Guardian's Office or OSA, and is now an OTVIII and management consultant), Dennis McKenna (who runs a magazine targeted at tech in state government), Bob Graves (and his apparently ex-wife Sherese, who worked with McKenna on the magazine).

I remember the place on Arden as being mostly a test center, not an active mission. The K Street Mall was always crawling with recruiters, mostly attractive young women with the TRO stare who would flirt to get phone numbers.

https://www.newsreview.com/sacramento/scientology-inc/content?oid=8220
 

TomKat

Patron Meritorious
The people I remember were Lynn Irons (who I think was in the Guardian's Office or OSA, and is now an OTVIII and management consultant), Dennis McKenna (who runs a magazine targeted at tech in state government), Bob Graves (and his apparently ex-wife Sherese, who worked with McKenna on the magazine).

I remember the place on Arden as being mostly a test center, not an active mission. The K Street Mall was always crawling with recruiters, mostly attractive young women with the TRO stare who would flirt to get phone numbers.

https://www.newsreview.com/sacramento/scientology-inc/content?oid=8220
I don't remember any of those 3 people.
The Arden mission was a full mission, run by Alan Walter, located on Arden Way near Bell, and then moved to Arden & Fair Oaks in 1975. Don Pearson of e.Republic, and Dan O'Leary, came from there. Pearson used to run a restaurant near the Sac Org.
 

Little David

Gold Meritorious Patron
The people I remember were Lynn Irons (who I think was in the Guardian's Office or OSA, and is now an OTVIII and management consultant), Dennis McKenna (who runs a magazine targeted at tech in state government), Bob Graves (and his apparently ex-wife Sherese, who worked with McKenna on the magazine).

I remember the place on Arden as being mostly a test center, not an active mission. The K Street Mall was always crawling with recruiters, mostly attractive young women with the TRO stare who would flirt to get phone numbers.

https://www.newsreview.com/sacramento/scientology-inc/content?oid=8220
Thanks for posting that link to the article about a Scientologist owned and managed company that was given access to government computer systems and gave training classes to government employees. I'm glad Sacramento News & Review still has it online. I used to live next door to a government employee who worked on our state computer systems. He was surprised and concerned when I told him eRepublic was owned and managed by Scientologists. He told me he would advise his supervisors about it and that Scientology was convicted of stealing large amounts of government records.
 

Coyote13

Thought Criminal
Are you still looking for him?
I'm not so sure anymore, I was a bit naive about things back when I posted this and have learned much since. But most definitely he has some answers to questions I have about my upbringing and my mother, or at the very least a perspective/memory on these things that I'd like to hear.
 
Top