" Excellant letter, Vicky Tucker! Bravo! "

" Pretty nice stab at the EAST SIDE CHURCH OF THE NAZARENE.
I along with my parents attend church there regularily,and never once to my knowledge has any sexual misconduct ever occured there.
This letter to the editor seems instigating in nature, rather than helpful.
A more truthful thing to say in my opinion would be to look at your duly elected officials for neglect in prosicuting the areas sex crimes against children instead of singling out 1 certain church to bash.
Get a life. "

" I pray for the families affected by this and know a lot in Nazarene who are having difficulty in this situation.
It is hard to believe, someone know, is professing Christianity and in secret a sexual pervert. When church we attended hired a new minister to the YOUTH, I had that feeling something might not be good with this man. I was right. AND the minister also engaged in the church basement with boys. HE LEFT TOWN SUDDEN as well. Am glad never let my sons go to the CAMPOUTS with minister and youth pastor. Anyone isn't safe in a lot of cases. Take care of own kids and not trust FATE. The ministers wife confided years ago, he isn't interested in sex with her so I felt a chill down the spine. This was after she had a child. Now we know the rest of the story. "

" I read three newspapers each day. None of them publish the workplaces of all child sex offenders, but two of the newspapers do publish such information when the individuals work at churches, schools and other facilities where the children are likely to be.

In those cases, the information is simply part of the story and relates to where the crimes occurred. Such information is not designed to alert the public that John Doe works at so-and-so restaurant.

Sexual offenders are not allowed to have jobs that put them in direct contact with children. In fact, some cities ban them from living near schools and daycares.

It would be nearly impossible for the newspaper to provide information with every threat that exists. And this newspaper in particular has enough trouble reporting basic facts.

For example, a convicted murderer was released from state prison a few weeks ago. He murdered a young man in Mattoon in the 1990s.

The guy is a Mattoon native who still has most of his family in Mattoon. The paper knows he was released, but it hasn't published that news. The murder for which he was charged was retaliatory. He helped to kill someone who testified against his brother in a prior burglary case. I'd like to know where he works, too.

But there are other ways to find this information. Law enforcement agencies provide information on sexual offenders. Some of this information is in-depth and is provided free of charge to daycare providers, school principals and others who have a particular need to know. But it is public information, and it is available to anyone who asks for it. "

" For example, if an employee or volunteer of your church (or any other organization, such as the SA's office) mysteriously resigns, you need to find out why...... Why ASA Mr. Longwell?
Why was ASA Longwell let go Mr. Ferguson? How many times have the two of you recommended probation for child molestors? "

" Having attended at least two other churches that employed clergy/youth leaders accused of sexually abusing minor children, I know that abuse can and does occur in church. I also know that churches can be safer for sexual predators than for children.

Good point, Vicky.

I refuse to go to a certain state park in the area over this issue. I've tried to post about this issue in the past but for some odd it wasn't allowed, no matter how I tried to tone it down.

By the way, I miss your posts. I hope you will consider returning to this site soon. Your thoughtful input is missed. "

" People posting here for the most part are going to love this letter and laud praise upon Ms. Tucker because of the bad light it shines on churches. Denigrating churches invigorates the anti Christian God haters and agnostics that dominate the responses to letters to the editor. Since this letter hangs churches with being the worst offenders and protectors of child molesters one does have to wonder Tuckers motives. It certainly cannot be in support of churches and although churches could be of any religion the implication is that Christian churches are the main offenders.

But Tucker offers no solution. Are you suggesting that all Christian churches should just shut down quit and sell the property or what? The Apostle Paul has given much advice to local churches that the immoral should be removed from among you. Although Paul lists several acts of immorality his focus is on sexual immorality. Specifics of these acts are mostly suppressed in newspaper reports and on the predator lists to protect homosexuals. Vicky Tucker airing your grievances against your church should not be done in a public forum. "

" Vicky Tucker airing your grievances against your church should not be done in a public forum. "

But your preaching and racist remarks about the president (such as referring to his mother as his "mammy") are OK, huh jon?

And who are you to say what should or shouldn't be said here? "

" LOL @ heineken man,thats the worst case of dry snitchin I believe I've ever witnessed on this site.
Even has a striking resemblence to the writer of the above letter to the editor.
btw,what's that got to do with church sex abuse?
If you are going to bring up murder why not tell the whole story about it?
The person you are refering too in your post has now respectfully served his time and only recieved that amount of time and charge because he refused to testify against his brother.
I'm in no way condoning the murder in question,but perhaps if you want people to worry,you might want to start when the other actual murderer gains his freedom shortly.
The person you are talking about was a victim of his brothers violence and was simply at the wrong place at the wrong time.That's what I think about that there.. "

" Good reply Jon, and spot on. "

" Harry what state park is your least favorite?????? :-) "

" Mr. Vanatta wrote, "Since this letter hangs churches with being the worst offenders and protectors of child molesters one does have to wonder Tuckers motives. It certainly cannot be in support of churches and although churches could be of any religion the implication is that Christian churches are the main offenders."

Mr. Vanatta, you are amazing. I write about what I know and what I have experienced. I have personally attended three churches that employed clergy or youth leaders accused and/or found guilty of abusing minor children. In addition, I am aware of at least one case in a church a relative attends (in West Virginia, not out here).

If I had had experiences of this nature in Girl Scouts, or school, that's what I would have written about.

According to a 2008 article in Christianity Today (Love & Norris), 23 new articles each day (on average) have appeared in the secular media covering sexual abuse allegations in Protestant churches. (We're all familiar with the abuse scandals in the Catholic Church, so I won't deal with that here.)

Public awareness of childhood sexual abuse has increased in recent years, along with standards of careat least in secular organizations. But churches have lagged behind in this area. A recent study of 700 churches indicates that an it cant happen here mindset may lead some churches to neglect (or even resist) implementing programs designed to prevent child sexual abuse (see Your Church Mar/Apr. 2009).

Your comments, Mr. Vanatta, beautifully illustrate what I wrote about churches wanting to protect their good name in the community. Instead of expressing outrage about childhood sexual abuse being prevalent in churches, and asking what to do about it, you decide to "shoot the messenger." Does that mean members of your church could count on you to hush it up if, God forbid, someone there was accused of abusing children?

That's the point I wanted to make--parents need to be alert, to make sure they find out what's going on if a church employee or volunteer resigns without explanation. Parents simply cannot count on someone in their churches letting them know the truth. Maybe someone will tell them, maybe not.

The fact that it was not mentioned in the July 28 article that the accused was a minister is unfortunate. Many other newspapers would have mentioned it. People who attend churches where someone works who's been accused of sexual misconduct need to know, so they can make sure their children have not been subjected to it. The newspaper can protect the public by providing information. If the accused were a teacher in a local school, for example, that info should be provided, whether or not the abuse occurred on school grounds.

As for possible solutions, I hope to discuss them in a follow-up letter. My letter, too long to be printed in its entirety, was already shortened. In the meantime, if you google "childhood sexual abuse in the church" you will find some suggestions.

And by the way, Mr. Vanatta, all the people I'm aware of who've been accused and convicted of child abuse--they've all been married family men with children. (Why are you so worried about the homosexuals?) Except for one, a female youth leader who skipped town with a young boy. "

" I do not see why the JG-TC would not publish about a murderer being released.
HeinekenMan what is the charge # on judici.com??? Then we can all look it up. "

" Probation for child molestors

Jail time for smoking a little pot

"Something wrong with this picture"☺ "

" This, from an actual news report, "Laurie Augustine, a former library aide at Glenbard East High School in DuPage County, pleaded guilty in July 2004 to having sex with three 17-year-old male students she met at school."

Mr. Vanatta, should Augustine's profession and place of employment not be mentioned, in order to keep from "denigrating" teachers and schools? Or should they be published, so that any parents with children in attendance there could talk to their children about it? "

" Thank you, HP. It's too bad you couldn't post the name of the park. Even so, just mentioning the problem should remind parents to always know where their children are--whatever park they go to. "

" LOL KAMFONG, you think someone's going to let you know when and where they're going to engage in sexual misconduct?

You are right, elected officials need to be held accountable.

Pastors, deacons, elders and other church officials likewise need to be held accountable, not only to one another but also to the folks in the pews. "

" Ah, Jon, so we're wanting to bash the homosexuals again. Don't forget the athiests! :) "

" The writer of the letter is not singling out churches for criticism. Churches, like any public or private body, have a responsibility to protect the people they serve. Part of that protection involves reasonable care in hiring and oversight of personnel. Another part involves informing interested persons when there is a problem. For example, When a hallway floor is waxed, you put a sign to inform people until it dries, so they don't get injured. "

" Harry what state park is your least favorite?????? :-) "

I can't say, but there's a log cabin involved. wink wink "

" jackinthebox wrote on Nov 2, 2009 9:58 AM:
" Probation for child molestors

Jail time for smoking a little pot

"Something wrong with this picture""""



great post JITB "

" 1. The case number is 1997CF8.

2. It was not the first time he was charged with a felony.

3. In his testimony, he admitted to a minimal role in the murder. You would need to check his testimony for details. I only recall that one of the key questions surrounding the case involved whether all three hit the victim in the head with a hammer.

4. Regardless of the testimony or anything he has said since the trials, only he and the other two know all of the truth. Anything said by anybody else is pure speculation.

5. It's obvious that they made a pact to protect each other. So, at the least, he is protecting a cold-blooded murderer.

6. He refused to testify. His brother should have been fried.

7. I will consider it a great triumph if this man contributes in a positive way to society.

8. Even if the Pope declares him a saint, I'm not going to invite him over for tea or let him date my daughter.

9. The average person doesn't put himself in a situation that results in any sort of role in a murder.

10. No matter how you view the individual or the crime, the newspaper has a responsibility to report the news. And the release of a convicted murderer is newsworthy.

Of course, I hate to detract from the point of the letter. In that vein, let me just say that I am appalled that someone has misinterpreted the letter. It is not an attack on religion. She is merely reporting facts. If you fear that your faith is being questioned, perhaps you should turn your anger to the real problem, which is that sexual predators are using god to carry out their sick acts. "

" I wonder if the paper would offer a column about their policy in regards to crime reports and court action? I'd like to know what the legal limits are about what can and can not be reported. I can understand some hesitation in reporting home addresses where others in the home may become the targets of hate spewers, as you mentioned many sex offenders are married men with children and I don't think the sins of the fathers should be visited upon the children. So what are the legal requirements and restrictions for this state or is it just local policy not to provide more information? "

" Vicky, When you name specific churches in your rants you should have all the CORRECT facts listed instead of just noting statements to try to make a horrible situation seem worse than it already is. Obviously this abuse DID NOT happen at East Side Church of the Nazarene since the case is pending in Vermillion County. My understanding is that when this was brought to light at this church it was taken care of IMMEDIATELY!! Nothing was hidden by the church. All you are doing now is rehashing the pain for this family. I'm not sure of your motive in this letter, but it seems as all your doing is attacking this church specifically. I pray you will find a church that makes you feel safe and loved. "

" Vicky, I think your letter makes a lot of good sense. I did not get the feeling you were picking on churches in general, but trying to make us aware that this kind of perverted behavior can be found in them. If found it needs to be confronted and cleaned up not swept under the rug . If the dirt is swept under the rug, it's still there.

Anyone with half a brain should know that perverts who have an unhealthy interest in children are going to go WHERE THEY ARE! They'll scope out schools, clubs AND yes churches just to name a few. They are EVERYWHERE! Does this mean that each individual club, church, or organization is infected with these creeps? NO, of course not!

Bringing to the forefront problems such as the molestation of our kids if found to be in some churches needs to be addressed. I would find it to be doing the right thing and reporting it if it were in a church. To me it would mean the church was being responsible by taking this appropriate action. I would have tons of respect for any church that cleaned house in this manner!The dirt doesn't have to stick to everyone.

Jon, Vicky's letter did nothing to inflame the non-believers. They don't need any help. They are perfectly capable of choosing their own talking points. You seem to be judging Vicky's motives and insinuating that she's picking on churches in general. I don't see it that way. Apparently she's been involved with churches who did have problems with this serious matter. I feel she wants us to be aware that this does occur even in places where we worship our Lord. Turning blind eyes and deaf ears would not be the right way to go. After all, little children held a special place in Our Lord's heart. "

" I thought this was a very interesting letter and very informative, because it shows that this does happen every where and most would think that thier church is safe from this sort of thing and it is not but should be. "

" No where in Vicky's letter does she say the church mentioned by name was involved in any kind of abuse of children. She did say that the Mattoon man charged in Vermillion County had worked there.

When she mentions "the church" in a subsequent paragraph, I'm sure she meant "the church" collectively not a specific one such as the one mentioned earlier in the letter.This is the way I read the letter. "

" I would be interested in more info in the case Heinekenman is talking about. If the person in question was sentenced to 20 years in prison for the conviction in 1998, plus 3 additional years to run consecutively (not concurrently) for a felony conviction in 2000 for another crime committed in 1998. How is he out 11 years later when he was sentenced to 23? Even good time doesn't give you more than 50% off. Anyone with info? "

" What a bogus thread,and to think I fell for it.Good one. "

" I think Vicky's letter is right on. She wasn't trying to blame The Church as an institution in any way, or any specific Church either. She was merely pointing out that he was here in Mattoon and where he was a Minister. Yes folks, it even happens here in sleepy Mattoon. Or Allenville, or seemingly about any other town.

Sexual deviants are everywhere. We cannot trust completely that our children will not be harmed when they are not with us and under our supervision, no matter the institution. Unfortunately, this seems to be a quite common aspect of our culture.

As for reporting the information, the only person(s) in this case that need protected from the media are the victims. The perpetrator has broken more than just the law of the land, and has no right to expect privacy. This was a decision that the perp actively made harming another person.

As for the other "case" in question. I believe that he was sentenced to 20 years in DOC, which you may as well take 50% off the top. So now he's right off the bat down to 10 years. He got 177 days of Credit time served. So now he's down to about 9 and a half years. If he finished his schooling, GED or other education, he may have received more time off. Also if he wasn't any trouble in DOC he may get good time or other perks.

So, at most he was going for 9 1/2 years in DOC for the murder plus the 1 1/2 for the other charges. He is on parole (or now called Mandatory Supervised Release) for 3 years.

9.5 + 1.5 + 3 = 14 years of punishment is all he gets.

The victims' family, however, gets eternity.

Both of these cases are similar in one way. The punishments will never, ever fit the crime. The harm from these actions will forever alter victims and families, and only God can deliver the judgment He finds just. "

" The pastor we knew was minister in Mattoon at the church next to Eisners and he had molested boys in church basement. Nothing in papers, but he moved onto another CHURCH. No one told the church organization. Unless these creeps are in court, not much can be PROVEN to other churches. I let it be known, if messed with mine, guy would get a ball bat and he better believe in God cause I would knock his head to Heaven. He called the boys liars, but all told same story for years. The boys described something saw and law knew about this mans unusual something.
We were reminded when heard about Jacksons unusual markings. PARENTS, believe your kids and LISTEN.
There was another case, where the man was a bus driver and took kid LAST home so could park along the way. Kid told parents and driver was caught. The driver was unable to drive a bus due to injuries but was fired. The parent never was arrested nor fined. This was back in good ole law and parental enforcements when tire irons ruled. "

" That is my point exactly, Loki813--people believe their churches are safe, and they SHOULD be safe...but all too often, they aren't.

Billie, you are correct; where I wrote, "A number of factors contribute to making the church a safe haven for sexual predators..." I was referring to the church in general. The characteristics I mentioned have been cited by people who research the topic. Many, if not most, churches exhibit at least one of these characteristics. That doesn't necessarily mean a pervert is lurking on the premises, only that the church environment is rendered more favorable for abuse to occur.

As I mentioned, other organizations and clubs likewise show these characteristics, especially if they are tightly knit. HOWEVER, as I commented earlier, steps have been taken in most secular organizations--think of the public schools (usually), also the Boy Scouts--to try to prevent childhood sexual abuse and deal with it when it occurs. Most churches have not been at all proactive in this area. "

" Well thank you, ME2 for your prayers and well wishes.

Although possible, it is statistically unlikely that someone who abuses commits only one offense. A little research on this topic might prove informative.

Many schools, if allegations of abuse are brought against a teacher, send a letter to parents informing them of what's happened and what steps are being taken to deal with it. Similar steps should be taken by churches who find that they have a child abuser in their midst.

They should reach out to parents in the congregation; the leadership of one church I know of actually met individually with the families of the congregation so as to advise them of what was going on and find out if and how they'd been affected.

I get the impression, from personal experience and from research, that most churches are not this proactive. That is unfortunate, but sometimes the media can make a real difference in alerting parents to things they should know about. "

" And, ME2, just because the guy had to resign and surrender his credentials does not mean the situation was "taken care of immediately." Of course I'm relieved that happened and that he was reported to the police--but I was told that people had to ask in order to find out what had happened. (No proactivity.)

What you are forgetting is that many people with children were in and out of the church during the time he was there. All of these children, again statistically speaking, could have been in harm's way.

Somehow, parents in these situations need to be alerted so they can talk to their children and make sure they weren't harmed. If churches can't take care of it, perhaps newspapers and other media can help safeguard the public. "

" For the person who wants to know the law, check into libel law and defamation of character. You'll find that newspapers have a lot of freedom. When someone commits a crime, the newspaper can publish just about any true fact about that person.

In fact, the newspaper can publish the name of the victim if it has that information. But newspapers draw the line somewhere. It spells out the boundaries in its editorial policy, which reporters must follow. I doubt that the J-G has a policy against reporting where sex offenders work. More likely, the paper just doesn't see it as relevant information. "

" shumphreys wrote on Nov 2, 2009 2:57 PM:
" I wonder if the paper would offer a column about their policy in regards to crime reports and court action? I'd like to know what the legal limits are about what can and can not be reported. I can understand some hesitation in reporting home addresses where others in the home may become the targets of hate spewers, as you mentioned many sex offenders are married men with children and I don't think the sins of the fathers should be visited upon the children. So what are the legal requirements and restrictions for this state or is it just local policy not to provide more information? "


Susan that is a great question. I was wondering the same thing myself. Wonder if we will get the answer ever? "

" Vicky many national organizations adult and youth oriented now do background checks on their volunteers that work with youth. I don't know how effective the checks are or whether someone could easily get around them. One problem the Catholic church had was that they would remove an offender from position and just send him to another parish, sort of the "out of sight out of mind" philosophy. It sounds as though some Protestant churches try the same strategy. "

" You know Vicky the first two paragraphs are pretty good I agree with those and the title pointed to those first two but then you wrote four paragraphs of railing against your church and the Church. These last four reveal your real problem. "

" Here is the link for Illinois Sex Offender Information:

http://www.isp.state.il.us/sor/

You can click on your county to generate a list of offender names, addresses, photos, crimes, whether or not they're compliant, etc.

Family Watchdog is a national registry, but it seems to download junk onto the computer. I assume this site gets its info from the states, but I don't know. I have noticed that work addresses are provided in some cases on this site.

When my children were younger, I found it especially useful to know where sex offenders lived, and I am still glad for the address information--realizing it may or may not be up to date. Most people would never harass anyone's family, and I would certainly never condone it. We had a couple of offenders listed as being in our neighborhood--there were never any problems, but we were aware of the addresses. "

" Sorry, Mr. Vanatta, but one does have to wonder--is the shoe pinching a little? Does all this hit a little too close to home? "

" Here are some other websites, specifically for victims (and interested persons) related to clergy sexual abuse:

snapnetwork.org
(Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests--they also have branches for Protestant denominations)

takecourage.org
(Mr. Vanatta, I recommend that you read the section on "collusion.")

StopBaptistPredators.org

crusadeagainstclergyabuse.com
(info primarily for Catholics but others can benefit)

There are others, but I don't have time to look them up right now. "

" Susan,

I believe some churches in the major denominations do perform background checks. That's a step in the right direction! There have been so many lawsuits in recent years that churches have had to make changes in how they do things.

If you have a chance, check out StopBaptistPredators.org. The Southern Baptists also have a history of relocating their preachers with issues. I imagine that it happens in every denomination, but some of the news on this site is mind-boggling. Interestingly, TIME ranked Southern Baptists' rejection of a sex-offender database as a top "underreported" news story of 2008.

The Church of the Nazarene, the denomination we belonged to for several years, has had its share of problems. Last year, a northern California family filed a civil lawsuit against the Nazarene Church and Point Loma Nazarene University for sending a once-convicted chld molester to their unsuspecting Berkeley church where he sexually assaulted a three year old boy and a five year old girl.

It just doesn't stop, but maybe lawsuits and publicity will help raise awareness. "

" Got awful quiet about the murderers.lol "

" Great comments, Folks.

Jon, you may not like it but the sad truth is that many pedophiles have historically used the church as a cover for their activities, and all too often the church has looked the other way by merely transferring those caught. And it's not just the Catholic church that has been guilty of this.

And before you get your knickers in a bunch, let me say that I'm sure the majority of churches are innocent when it come to covering up for pedophiles, but it seems that too many incidents have occurred for you to deny this problem. "

" Just a note on the sentencing questions...

I recall that there was a snafu. I think some folks blamed the DA. If I recall correctly (and I might not after 10 years), the court sentenced two of the individuals with the understanding that they were going to testify against the third criminal. That helped them get lighter sentences.

Then both backed out and refused to testify. The prosecution then had limited proof that the other individual was the primary person involved in the murder. And that helped him get a lighter sentence.

At least one of the individuals should have received a life sentence. Instead, all three will be free in a few years. And let's not forget that the one still in prison has a track record of killing people who cooperate with police investigations and prosecutions.

A lot of people were up in arms and said the court should have withheld the sentencing of the two until they testified against the third guy. If someone can dispute this, I would be glad to hear the facts. If I'm correct, though, the DA who prosecuted the case is a moron who should have been sent packing.

At the end of the day, somebody is responsible for the cold-blooded murder of an innocent person, who was an honor's student and student council leader at Lake Land College and, I believe, a father.

Stranger has made some good points. Testifying against your brother isn't easy. And, since we don't know all of the facts, it's possible that the guy who was just released deserves a second chance.

But it's difficult to have sympathy for the individual, particularly without all of the facts, and I have my doubts about how a convicted murderer could contribute much. It will be difficult for the individual to find a good job, and he'll have trouble finding acceptance among those who know his past.

It's a shame. In some ways, he lost his life, too. But I can't find much sympathy for him. I am reserving my sympathy for the victim. "

" Vicky I had a thought (I know that is unusal for me, thought I'd put that in to deflect others comments) sometimes at the bottom of stories the reporter mentions his/her name and gives an email address where you can comment him/her directly. I think they do that in case someone in the public has more information that they might not have. Have you tried to contact the reporter or the editors directly? "

" What the real problem is. Is that the church is like the police, they are thought to "ONLY" do good and help us all. It only takes one bad apple to spoil the rest. One bad person marks them all, its not fair at all but thats the way it is. Not all cops are bad, but its the bad ones that everyone remembers and thinks of. Same way with the churches that turn their heads and send the pervert some where else. "

" I want to know why it is that the sex offenders can go out in public like we can when ever they want to? Don't get me wrong; I know this is America and we all have rights but, I was at Wal-Mart just the other night in the toy department and a sex offender that I know of for certain was in the toy department (where kids are). Shouldn't there be a specific time or days that they should be allowed out? They violated children!!! They are at stores, gas stations, malls, heck even at the park and NO ONE does anything about it! We need to stop this. I went online and looked up how many lives by me and I am disgusted and I live by schools and I know there are laws about the amount of feet they can live within a school or park! Something is REALLY wrong with this picture! "

" whatswrong, it's always disturbing to to see young children wandering around in WalMart without their parents closeby. A couple of years ago, back in my hometown, a guy came up to a 12-year-old girl and groped her while she was in a Kmart store. Thankfully, he ended up on video and was seen tracking the girl through the store.

Bad guys are out there, and there's no way for us to know who all of them are. Keeping that fact in mind is a necessity in today's world. Personally, I'd like to see a registry for all violent offenders in addition to the one for sex offenders.

What we can do as parents is be alert. And, if we know something is amiss, report it. "

" Mama says, I meant to comment on your story previously but forgot to--what an awful situation. I hope that the parents of the abused kids track down the guilty party and bring him to justice (if too much time hasn't passed) or pursue legal action. If the leaders of that church knowingly sent an abuser on his merry way, they could be in a lot of trouble. "

" why doesn't the times courier print a picture of convicted sexual abusers? IL DOC does on their web site. Where are you local crime-stoppers? "

" Good questions and thoughts re. what the newspaper will and will not print. Sexual abuse by church officials is not uncommon in and around my hometown, and the Charleston (WV) Gazette always mentions if someone is a minister--and where.

When information like this becomes public, other victims often come forward--that's what makes the publicity so important.

Clergy sexual abuse probably isn't that uncommon in East Central Illinois, either, but I suspect it is rarely reported to the media.

Anyway, I hope someone will take the time to write an editorial about the newspaper's policy concerning what will be printed re. allegations, crime reports, etc. "

" All must also remember just because someone said he did it, does "not" make it so. I disagree with giving all of the info before the said person has been found or pleads guilty. The persons name YES so if there is any more victims they can and or might step forward. "

" I might possibly agree with Rohn Gordon's last post, except that so many of those accused w/ sex offenses are in positions of trust and have access to a lot of children. Often, they are ministers, teachers, Scout leaders, etc.

I noticed this article while reading this morning:

http://wvgazette.com/News/Putnam/200911041235

The abuse in this case is emotional and physical, plus the individuals haven't even been charged yet--but the article emphasizes some of the points I've been trying to make. By informing readers where the teachers work, parents have been made aware that this abuse has been going on at their school.

Also, the reading public knows that one of the teachers has taught elsewhere in recent years, so parents in those schools can now be aware of problems that their children may have been exposed to. Who knows how many parents had children with these teachers in previous years and wondered why they behaved strangely? Kudos to the parent who decided to send her kid in with a video recorder.

The truth comes out, but notice that the teachers were initially reassigned to different schools after complaints were made. Big mistake! "

" Rohn Gordon wrote on Nov 5, 2009 7:10 AM:
" All must also remember just because someone said he did it, does "not" make it so. I disagree with giving all of the info before the said person has been found or pleads guilty. The persons name YES so if there is any more victims they can and or might step forward. "

Rohn don't you know on here it is guilty until proven guilty! "