SAN ANTONIO – It is a prison sentence that has made families across Texas feel safer.
Vincent Wayne Michaelson, 53, was recently sentenced to 10 years in prison after he was convicted on the charges of sexual assault of a child-rape and indecency with a child/sexual contact.
KSAT’s focus isn’t on Michaelson, but on the strength, recovery and hope of the survivors.
Newly 21 years old, life is a clean slate for McKenna Head in more ways than one.
“I feel like I can breathe again, like it’s a fresh breath of air. Every day I wake up, I feel new,” Head said.
It was hard for her to breathe for 12 whole years.
She said her childhood was stolen by Michaelson, who started his prison sentence after taking a plea deal in a Fayette County courthouse.
The abuse started when Head was just 10 years old in La Grange, Texas.
Michaelson, who was her mother’s boyfriend, resided with them for several years. According to Head, no one knew what was happening.
“It was very scary, it was weird, and I was uncomfortable all the time,” Head said.
It was years before Head could make an outcry, admitting that because she was so young, it took her a long time to truly understand what was happening.
“He would get me blackout drunk,” she said. “I didn’t feel like anybody would believe me.”
Then at age 17, she moved in with her dad and stepmom, where she felt safe to ask for help.
She said she immediately asked to talk to a therapist.
“I couldn’t have done it without her. She’s the one who helped me start the case and everything,” Head said.
The case against Michaelson picked up speed when Head found more of his abuse victims.
One of those women said Michaelson had sexual contact with her in the early 2000s when he was a teacher for Sweeny Independent School District in the Houston area.
“I texted this one girl and she responded immediately and was like OMG yes, like I will help you in a court case if you want,” Head said.
That’s exactly what she did.
Head and two other survivors were part of the case, and on March 19, Head was able to address him during a victim impact statement.
“I called him out in front of everybody. I wanted them to know what he did to me. I said to be a survivor is to live in it and I can’t escape the fact that it’s my body and it’s always going to be around with me,” she said.
Head now feels that she and her body are free.
However, she fears there are others who don’t have that level of closure.
She said Michaelson has lived in several places over the years, and she worries he hurt other kids.
“He went to Victoria, he went to Brady, like all over Texas. He traveled for work during the week, so that made it worse,” Head said.
One of those places was San Antonio, which is the main reason Head wanted KSAT to tell her story.
She said she’s worried and convinced more victims are out there.
If that’s true, she wants them to know they are safe now.
“I just want them to know that it’s okay. It’s not their fault. It wasn’t my fault. I’m hoping they can find like a way to reach out to somebody, even if it’s me. I’ll gladly talk to anybody,” Head said.
Her sense of calm and confidence is the sign of a survivor who has taken her life back, and wants to help others reclaim theirs too.
“I’m not scared anymore,” she smiled.
Anyone who has been assaulted by Michaelson is encouraged to contact the local law enforcement agency in the area where the incident occurred.
Any sexual assault survivor can also access the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800-656-4673. There is a chat option on online.rainn.org.
Locally, there is also the San Antonio Rape Crisis Center, which has many resources.
For help with cases involving children, contact ChildSafe San Antonio.
