Teen Describes Sexual Abuse Ordeal
as Child in California
One Survivor's Story
A 15-year-old girl who endured sexual abuse as a child in her El Monte home at the hands of her mother and several men living with them, testified Wednesday she did not immediately know their conduct was wrong.
“I thought it was normal,” the girl said.
Wearing a long skirt, a denim jacket and wide-rimmed glasses, the girl showed little emotion as she told the jury hearing trial of her lawsuit against Los Angeles County that she still has flashbacks and some memories of her ordeal from 2010-12, but she believes she has learned to cope over time.
“I feel it was an obstacle course I overcame,” she said. “I won’t let it define me.”
The girl now lives in New Mexico with her 35-year-old father. She will enter her sophomore year in high school in the fall.
Her father is her legal guardian and filed the lawsuit on her behalf in Los Angeles Superior Court in June 2013, alleging social workers with the Department of Children and Family Services didn’t take steps to have the girl removed from the Arden Drive residence in 2010, despite having a reasonable suspicion that the then-Gidley Elementary School student was being molested.
Lawyers for the county maintain that social workers had no grounds to seek removal of the child from her mother until the girl confided in her father about the abuses in 2012.
One of the girl’s attorneys is Louanne Masry, the daughter of the late lawyer Ed Masry of Erin Brockovich fame. Masry questioned the plaintiff about the abuses by two of the convicted men, Louis Fluet and Tim Martenson. The teen said Fluet moved into the El Monte apartment where the abuses occurred not long after she, her mother and her two half-sisters moved there from Temple City because of abuses committed by the mother’s husband at the time.
Fluet at first had his own room, but he later began sleeping on a separate bed in the same room where she stayed, she said, adding that the bedroom was where Fluet inappropriately touched her about two times weekly.
Fluet also bought her ice cream and toys and occasionally walked her to school, she said.
Martinson slept in his own room and abused the girl there and in the garage, she said.
“He would just call me and I would come,” she said.
Asked by Masry about additional abuses by Fluet, the girl said she could not recall them. So, Masry played for jurors a 2012 video in which the girl, then 9 years old, sat at a table and fidgeted as she told an interviewer about the other incidents.
The girl’s mother, now 39, and four men were convicted of sexually abusing her. The mother is out of custody, but must register as a sex offender for life.
Tennessee couple accused of raping 2 child
family members for decade
BY LUKE JONES
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A Tipton County couple has been arrested on charges related to child rape, sexual battery and incest.
John Henley, 70, and Dava Henley, 69, are charged together with two counts of rape of a child, four counts of aggravated sexual battery and two counts of incest. The crimes occurred between 2012 and 2016, according to a grand jury indictment.
John Henley is charged separately with raping a child between 2006 and 2009.
In some cases, the indictment said the couple would force a young boy to engage in sexual activity with a young girl.
Both alleged victims are family members.
"Kids are just such a young age, not knowing any different, thinking that, ‘Hey, life’s supposed to be this way.’ Well, it’s not," said one of the victims' relatives, who WREG isn't identifying in order to protect the victims' identity. "You know, being taught certain things and, you know, what have you, you know, and thinking that it’s right when it’s not,"
The relative said he first learned of the abuse two years ago from the victims' mother. He said some of it took place at a home on Matthews Road, north of Millington. It's the same home where two women were found murdered in 2016.
Time for a bulldozer, I think!
The Tipton County Sheriff's Office confirms it took a report of sexual abuse on the couple in 2017, when they were living at their current home on Reed Circle near Drummonds. "We’ve had problems with them, because they don’t keep their animals inside the yard," said neighbor Jessica Roberts.
But Roberts said there were no warning signs that the couple was sexually abusing children. "You also think, like, was there something that I could have seen, was there something that I could have looked for to help alert authorities?” she said.
The victims' family member said he believes authorities knew about the abuse for far too long before stepping in. "This should have been put to a stop a long time ago. To keep the kids in that kind of atmosphere, something should have been done," he said.
The couple was indicted Monday and taken into custody Wednesday.
"That means the world to, you know, to see them charges come down like they’ve come down. I just hate that it’s taken so long for it to happen," the relative added.
The Tennessee Department of Children's Services confirms it is investigating, but wouldn't say when the investigation began. The indictment doesn't specify either.
$250,000 Bond for Montana man charged with
rape of 3 y/o
PETER CHRISTIAN
38 year-old Wes Lee Whitaker is in the Missoula County Jail on $250,000 bond charged with felony sexual intercourse without consent, as well as being held on an extra jurisdictional warrant.
Deputy Missoula County Attorney Bryan Lowney asked Judge Holloway for the high bail because of Whitaker’s extensive criminal history of sexual abuse of children.
“He is a convicted sex offender for two child molestation cases out of Georgia in 2001, and subsequently was convicted of assault with a weapon in Lewis and Clark County in 2013, criminal endangerment and failure to register as a sex offender in Carbon County in 2011,” he said. “Those are all felony offenses.”
Lowney detailed the current charges against Whitaker.
“It is alleged that Mr. Whitaker sexually abused a three year-old child, akin to the sexual abuse that he subjected a child to in Georgia,” he said. “He has not been compliant with his probation through the life of his criminal cases as he was revoked in Georgia after five years on probation because he absconded while on probation and had to be arrested in Nevada.”
Judge Landee Holloway set bail at $250,000 and remanded Whitaker back to the Missoula County Jail. His next court appearance will be August 2.
Why set any bail at all?
Yellowstone Boys and Girls Ranch must pay $300K in boy's sexual abuse case, jury says
PHOEBE TOLLEFSON ptollefson@billingsgazette.com
Defense attorney Mary Duncan prepares to cross examine a witness during a trial of alleged negligence by the Yellowstone Boys and Girls Ranch following claims of sexual abuse at Yellowstone County Courthouse on Thursday.
BETHANY BAKER, Billings Gazette
A jury awarded $300,000 in damages to the mother of a child who says he was sexually abused by other residents at the Yellowstone Boys and Girls Ranch, a residential treatment center near Billings.
The center said it is considering appealing the award.
The civil trial ended Wednesday after four days of testimony and roughly five hours of deliberation by the jury.
The mother of a now-14-year-old boy said the ranch failed to protect her son from sexual abuse during his seven-month stay four years ago. The Gazette is not naming the mother to avoid identifying a victim of sexual abuse.
Jurors awarded $200,000 on a claim of negligent supervision of youth and $100,000 for a negligent misrepresentation claim, after the plaintiff said an admissions employee misled her about what types of children were accepted into the program.
The mother testified that an admissions employee assured her the ranch did not admit sexually abusive youth. The mother said her brother as a youth had been sexually abused while in residential treatment and continued to struggle because of it. She relayed these concerns to staff before enrolling her son, she said.
Jurors declined to uphold the plaintiff's third claim of negligent hiring, training or retention of staff.
The victim in the case said one 10-year-old boy exposed himself and "humped" him. He said a different 10-year-old boy masturbated while standing in the victim's doorway.
At trial, witnesses for the ranch said the behavior constituted “acting out” in a sexual manner, but not sexual abuse.
The victim, also 10 at the time, said he told staff about the inappropriate behavior but they didn’t believe him and told him to go to bed.
The ranch documented several instances of sexually inappropriate behavior by one of the boys alleged to have abused the victim and gave consequences for each, defense attorney Mary Duncan said.
But staff said the boy did not notify them about the allegations until the weekend he was pulled from the program by his mother, according to defense attorney Mary Duncan. They then investigated, Duncan said.
The mother, represented by attorney Veronica Procter, cried after the verdict was read.
“It’s been an uphill battle this whole time and I felt like we were so little, going against something so big,” she said.
In a prepared statement, Yellowstone Boys and Girls Ranch CEO Mike Chavers said the ranch has been providing comprehensive, holistic care to mentally ill youth since 1957, in accordance with state and federal laws.
“We took the allegations made by (the plaintiff) seriously, completed a thorough investigation through which we determined that we did not violate the standard of care,” Chavers said, in part. “In other words, in spite of this verdict, we believe that we provided excellent treatment to and conscientious supervision of (the plaintiff’s) son and all the other youth in our residential facility in accordance with our mission, vision and values.”
Chavers declined to comment further.
Utah man charged with sexual abuse of
3 boys age 8-11
By: SIMONE FRANCIS
(News4Utah) A Duchesne County man faces several charges after deputies say he sexually abused three boys.
The victims, ranging in age from 8 to 11, told Duchesne County investigators that Jacob Gary Christensen sexually abused them when they spent the night at his house.
A report by the sheriff’s office indicates the incidents happened at different times during the last year. Christensen faces multiple charges of sexual abuse of a child and sodomy of a child.
Christensen worked part-time as a custodian and computer aide at Neola Elementary School during the 2017-18. The children Christensen is accused of abusing are not students at the school.
He is being held on an $80,000 cash only bond.
Detectives continue to investigate this case. Anyone with information about the case is asked to call the Duchesne County Sheriff's Office at 435-738-2015.
Texas man held on $200,000 bonds for continuous sexual abuse of a child under 14
ABLES SPRINGS, Texas — An Ables Springs-area man is being held on bonds totaling $200,000 after he was arrested and charge with two counts of continuous sexual abuse of a child under the age of 14.
29-year-old Christopher Ray Elmore was booked into the Kaufman County Jail on the two charges on June 29, 2018. An arrest warrant affidavit detailing the allegations against Elmore was released and obtained by inForney.com earlier today.
The alleged offenses occurred between March 2006 and December 2009 in the Ables Springs-area of Kaufman County, according to the affidavit. The victim, now 18, made an outcry to police on March 8, 2018.
In a June 18, 2018, interview and polygraph examination, Elmore allegedly told investigators the sexual contact occurred between him, the victim, and her sister, while they played "games" including hide-and-seek and Marco Polo in the pool.
The victims, at the time, ranged in approximate age from four to nine years old, according to information and ages detailed in the affidavit.
An arrest warrant was issued three days later and Elmore was booked into the Kaufman County Jail on June 29.
Eight victims get $1M settlement from Catholic order
Cardinal Law complicit in covering up child sex abuse
By Mike LaBella mlabella@eagletribune.com
LAWRENCE — Outside St. Mary of the Assumption Parish late Wednesday morning, Robert Hoatson, president of Road to Recovery Inc., announced that a Roman Catholic order has agreed to pay $1 million to eight people who say they were sexually abused by the Revs. John Gallagher and Robert Turnbull during the 1970s and 1980s at Catholic schools in Lawrence and Reading.
Robert Hoatson, Road to Recovery
Boston attorney Mitchell Garabedian, who has been at the forefront of representing victims of clergy sexual abuse, said the settlement with his clients and the Augustinian Province of Saint Thomas of Villanova in the Philadelphia area was reached last month during mediation.
He said the settlement avoided bringing a lawsuit against the Augustinians. Hoatson, whose nonprofit charity in New Jersey assists victims of sexual abuse and encourages them come forward with their stories, made the announcement; why? Why not the attorney?
"We Augustinians, taking seriously allegations of misconduct in these cases that occurred approximately 40 years ago, have dedicated resources to investigate them," Cher Rago, communications director for the Augustinian Province of Saint Thomas of Villanova, said in addressing the settlement. "Because we are committed to justice in upholding the dignity of every person, and in a desire to promote healing, we have concluded the claims made against our Province. At the same time, we continue to work diligently to ensure the safety and protection of all children and adults."
Garabedian said three of his clients, now adult women, were abused by a former parish priest who was also a coach at St. Mary's in Lawrence between 1973 and 1976. The victims were 9 to 12 years old at the time.
"He (Gallagher) was a swim coach and basketball coach for CYO, and would abuse young girls on the two teams in the rectory, and he would also take them on field trips, including a trip to Saratoga, New York."
Garabedian said five other people, now adult males, were abused by a priest who was also a teacher and athletic equipment manager while the victims, who were 13 and 14 at the time, attended Austin Preparatory School in Reading between 1977 and 1981.
"He would sexually abuse my clients (fondling and some digital penetration) at the Northmeadow Health & Racquet Club in Tewksbury, in the showers and in the swimming pool. And he would also sexually abuse them in a room next to his classroom at Austin Prep," Garabedian said. "It is difficult to believe that Father Turnbull's supervisors did not know he was sexually abusing as there were rumors about Turnbull among students. His supervisors turned their backs on innocent children."
The two priests have since died, Garabedian said.
Garabedian said claims were brought to the attention of the Augustinians about a year ago and that during mediation, an out-of-court settlement was reached that will provide a total of $1 million to be shared by his eight clients.
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| St Mary of Assumption, Lawrence, MA |
Cardinal Law ignored abuse by pedophile priests
During the brief presentation in front of St. Mary's in Lawrence, Hoatson read excerpts from a letter that Garbedian said was sent to the late Cardinal Bernard Law in 1992 by one of the female victims. He said Law never responded to the woman's letter.
"By not responding, my client was not given the opportunity to try to heal and gain a degree of closure," Garabedian said.
Hoatson said one of Gallagher's victims was sexually abused when she was attending fourth, fifth and sixth grade at the Catholic Inter-Parochial schools in Lawrence, noting those schools consisted of St. Mary, St. Lawrence and Holy Rosary.
"Typically, Father Gallagher would have me and my friends with him for some reason: to paint the gym, to count out the money from collections, because he was our coach. ... While the rest of the girls would be doing the work, he would call one of us to him," the woman stated in her letter to Law.
"As he sat facing the girls working, he would tell me to climb on his lap. This way I could not see the other girls. He would wrap my legs around him so that I was straddling him. He would push me very close to him ... and would insist that I hug him tightly and kiss him ... when he finished with me, he would release me and call up another girl and repeat his act on her."
Hoatson said the woman told Law that it was her desire to see Gallagher punished for the pain he caused her. "This pain is still with me and will be a part of my being forever," the woman said in her letter.
Garabedian said the woman's letter to Law proves that the former archbishop of Boston knew of sexual abuse by priests.
"The rumors about him among the children were that he would also sexually abuse them at the YMCA in Lawrence and at the St. Joseph Plains Community Center," Garabedian said. "And at times he would abuse these girls in front of each other."
Garabedian called Gallagher a "pure predator."
"Obviously, his supervisors were not properly supervising him," Garabedian said. "Someone should have questioned why he was taking young girls on field trips and what he was doing on these trips."
Garabedian said Law should have warned parishioners and the public about Gallagher. "But instead he participated in the coverup by hiding the fact that Father Gallagher was a sexual abuser," Garabedian said. "You have purportedly the most moral institution in the world, the Catholic church, acting the most immorally."
Garabedian said that for priests such as Gallagher and Turnbull to work within the geographic boundaries of the Archdiocese of Boston would have required permission. He said priests such as Gallagher were shuffled from one parish to another.
"The cardinal or archdiocese had an obligation to inquire as to why these individuals were transferred into the Archdiocese of Boston," Garabedian said. "Questions should have been asked, including why are they coming, was there a history of sexual, and were they screened at all? It's another indication of how the Catholic Archdiocese has failed miserably to protect children."
More victims speaking out
Garabedian said the victims of clergy sexual abuse are still coming forward in great numbers.
"The damage caused by priests, predators and their supervisors is ongoing and everlasting. My clients, in coming forward, have empowered themselves and other victims and have made the world a safer place for children," he said.
"And also coming forward, my clients have transformed themselves from victims into survivors. They now understand that as children, they were not responsible for the sexual abuse and the crimes committed by the sexual predators and their supervisors," he continued.
Garabedian said the victms of clergy sexual abuse continue to suffer a host of troubles in the lives, ranging from lack of self-esteem to unnecessary guilt, to shame and embarrassment, to a lack of trust and a loss of religious faith.
Hoatson noted that since his organization was formed in 2003, it has provided a range of support services to more than 5,000 victims of clergy sexual abuse and their families.
"I attend these public events as an advocate and to encourage other victims to come to me," said Hoatson, who said he was a victim of clergy sexual abuse when he was a child and went on to serve as a Catholic priest for 14 years. "We'll do anything to help a victim get on the road to recovery."
Two Texas Priests Named in
Child Sex Abuse Lawsuit
El Paso, Texas (KTSM) - Two Las Cruces priests have been named in a lawsuit alleging child sexual abuse.
The Diocese of Las Cruces, in a press release, acknowledged the lawsuit.
"The Diocese of Las Cruces learned on Monday, July 16, 2018, that it has been listed as a defendant—along with Holy Family Parish, the Servants of the Paraclete, and the Benedictine Monks, Inc of Wisconsin—in a recently filed civil lawsuit that alleges sexual abuse of a minor from 1994 to 2001 by Father Joseph Anderson and Father David Bentley. Father Bentley departed the Diocese in April, 2002, and Father Anderson died in May, 2002."
The press release said that the Diocese had not yet been served with the lawsuit and therefore, could not comment.
"The Diocese first became aware of the allegations against Fr. Anderson and Fr. Bentley when it was made aware of the claims in the lawsuit. The Diocese shall cooperate completely and transparently in
an effort to find the truth in this case," the press release said. "Should the facts bear out that anyone was a victim of sexual abuse at the hands of these priests, then the Diocese will do all it can to bring justice and healing to the victim. However, should the facts indicate that these priests were not involved in any crime, then the Diocese will be morally obligated to take actions which will restore their reputations."
South Dakota man, 42, gets 30 years for
sexual abuse of child
By Barry Amundson
SISSETON, S.D. -- A 42-year-old Sisseton man has been sentenced to 30 years in federal prison for aggravated sexual abuse of a 14-year-old girl, according to a U.S. attorney’s release on Wednesday, July 18.
Ira Alan Arias, who also lists an address in Fort Worth, Texas, was found guilty by a federal jury in Aberdeen earlier this year on three counts of sexual abuse of a child.
On or about May 3, 2015, Arias forcefully engaged in three sexual acts with the victim in a hotel room in nearby Codington County in northeast South Dakota, said court documents..
At the sentencing hearing, U.S. District Judge Roberto Lange said Arias “not only used but dehumanized” the victim. Lange also said that the sentencing “brings some sort of closure” and that our “system of justice does work.”
NY State man pleads not guilty to rape,
sexual abuse of teenage girl
Anthony Borrelli, Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin
An indictment was unsealed Wednesday against an Endwell man accused of rape and sexual abuse against a teenage girl, beginning in 2015.
Scott Fredenberg, 40, pleaded not guilty in Broome County Court to a five-count indictment charging felony counts of first-degree rape, first-degree sexual abuse and first-degree criminal sexual act. He remains jailed, while awaiting an Oct. 22 tentative trial date.
The crimes allegedly happened in the Village of Endicott.
According to the indictment, Fredenberg is accused of sexually abusing the girl when she was 13 during September 2015.
Fredenberg also engaged in oral sexual conduct with the girl during October and November in 2015, the indictment alleges.
The rape charge accuses him of having sex with the child by "forcible compulsion" sometime between Jan. 1 and Jan. 10 in 2016.
The relationship between Fredenberg and the 13-year-old child has not been disclosed by authorities, nor has it been disclosed publicly how the accusations were reported to law enforcement.
If convicted, the charges against Fredenberg carry maximum penalties of up to 25 years in state prison. He is being represented by the Broome County Public Defender's Office.
An arrest warrant was issued for Fredenberg, a resident of Watson Boulevard, after the grand jury handed up the sealed indictment July 10. He was taken into custody Monday by Binghamton police, according to records.
During Wednesday's arraignment, Broome County Court Judge Kevin Dooley noted Fredenberg was on probation for a prior conviction involving the same same victim.
Some of the criminal acts alleged in the indictment happened before Endicott police arrested Fredenberg on similar sex abuse charges in January 2016.
The state's Sex Offender Registry does not list Fredenberg as a registered sex offender, though Level 1 sex offenders are not named in the public database. Level 1 designation means the person poses a low risk to repeat his or her crimes.
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