Whidbey Counselor on trial this week.

The trial of a 58-year-old former Oak Harbor and Freeland counselor accused of committing sex crimes against three former patients started Tuesday.

Glenn Jolley, a Clinton resident, is facing charges of second-degree rape, indecent liberties and attempted indecent liberties.

Island County Superior Court Judge Alan Hancock asked for an unusually large pool of 60 prospective jurors because of concerns about media exposure.

Earlier this fall, the state Department of Health withdrew four charges of professional misconduct against Jolley because he didn’t reapply for a social worker license. The agency took emergency action last spring and suspended Jolley’s license.

Jolley’s alleged violations include sexual misconduct, unprofessional conduct, failure to provide client disclosure information, and problems with record keeping and retention.

Dave Mascher, an administrative assistant with the Department of Health, said the department “lost jurisdiction” over the complaints against Jolley after he did not reapply for certification in July.

While Jolley can’t practice without a license, Mascher says there’s no guarantee that Jolley will have to face the charges if he applies in the future. In addition, Mascher said if Jolley applies for certification in another state, that state likely wouldn’t learn about the withdrawn charges.

The Department of Health previously took “correction action” against Jolley in 1995 after three patients complained that he made sexual advances toward them.

In the criminal case, Jolley is accused of raping a 15-year-old patient in 1994. The girl reported the alleged rape, but the former Island County prosecutor decided that there wasn’t enough evidence to prosecute.

Another former patient reported that Jolley fondled her during a counseling session last January. A third client claimed that Jolley tried to fondle her during a counseling session in 1999.

In hearings last week, Island County Superior Court Judge Alan Hancock ruled that Deputy Prosecutor Mike Henegen couldn’t present testimony from two other women who accused Jolley of making inappropriate sexual gestures.

Henegen argued that the testimony would show a pattern to Jolley’s behavior, but Hancock ruled that the other allegations have nothing to do with the alleged crimes and would prejudice the jury.

But in a victory for the prosecution, Hancock denied a defense motion to separate the charges into different cases so there would have to be a trial for each charge.

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