‘Mr. Wonder’ to face child abuse charges in Louisiana

A Bonita man has been cleared to return to Louisiana, where he faces child molestation charges stemming from an incident decades ago when he played a character called “Mr. Wonder” on a children’s television show.

Frank Selas, 76, waived his right to challenge a Louisiana governor’s warrant asking for him to be extradited. Selas, who was arrested in January, is expected to be picked up by Louisiana authorities within 20 days.

A San Diego Superior Court judge scheduled a hearing for May 24 to ensure that he has been picked up, Deputy District Attorney Richard Madruga said Wednesday. In the meantime, Selas is to remain in county jail without bail.

Police and prosecutors have said that Selas invited a group of children on a weekend camping retreat in June 1979 with “Mr. Wonder,” his TV personality. The retreat was held in Gardner, La. Selas is accused of sexually abusing several of those children, then fleeing the state before he could be arrested.

Authorities tracked him to San Diego County, where he had lived for decades. His lawyer, Marc Carlos, has said Selas’ family members describe him as a well-respeced and loving husband, father and grandfather.

He has four children and nine grandchildren, according to a website for a swim school he started. He also immersed himself in dozens of community groups and activities involving children.

Carlos said there is no forensic evidence in the case and that, since 1979, much has been learned about the suggestibility of children in the interview process.

“There’s a lot to be litigated here,” Carlos said. “It’s not an open-and-shut case.”

Authorities believe Selas was abroad before the early 1980s, including a visit to Japan and a trip to Venezuela, where he met his wife. He returned to the U.S. and lived in San Diego, Chicago, Connecticut, Vermont and Massachusetts. A U.S. Marshals’ official in San Diego said he believed Selas had been living in the region since 1985. Selas legally changed his name to Szelas in 1992.

dana.littlefield@sduniontribune.com