Teacher Sentenced for Sentenced for Sexual Abuse

[Gregory Matthews]

See:

http://www.kgw.com/news/crime/salem-teacher-gets-30-days-for-sex-abuse-of-students/351800960

[rudywoofs (Pam)]

Oregon sure has its share of sex abuse convictions of Adventist teachers...

[rudywoofs (Pam)]

at first I thought maybe the fellow got off easy because his father-in-law is a judge... but in looking at the facts, I highly doubt that was the reason.  The father-in-law is in his own peck of problems, having just been indicted himself on misconduct charges...

[Gregory Matthews]

Pam:  I have had to come to the same conclusion.  The prosecutor is said to have stated that he did not believe that he could obtain a conviction on any greater charge.  The reason is not stated.  Perhaps one of the victims did not want to testify?  In a trial of this nature, it is not fun for a victim to testify and then undergo cross examination.

 

Wanderer:  In order to bring those who are alleged to have known about the abuse the following would have to be proved:  a)  A definitive legal requirement for one to report.  'b) That the legal requirement applied to the people alleged to know of the abuse.  c) Proof that the knowledge that those people had met the boundaries of the statute.

I do not know what the reporting requirements of the applicable statute were, if any.  But, absent proof of any one of the above three, it would be unlikely to obtain a conviction. 

Trials of such do take place.  In Colorado, where I recently lived, several pastors (not SDA) of a  large Protestant congregation were charged of violation of such a Colorado law.  But, those charge were not felony charges. 

[Gregory Matthews]

For those who are interested in the mandatory reporting requirements for Oregon, see:

http://www.oregon.gov/DHS/abuse/Pages/mandatory_report.aspx

On the surface, it might seem that there were SDA officials who had a legal requirement to report.  However, the above URL is not the statute.  There is a link on that page to the statute, which is long and complicated.

It should be noted that under the statute, Section 419B.010 provides a list of exceptions to the mandatory reporting requirement.  Included in the exceptions is a clause that states that the person's knowledge of the alleged offense must be such that the alleged abuse is deemed to be reasonable.  In addition, a person who believes that the alleged offense is known to law enforcement is not required to report.  These two exceptions alone constitute two major exceptions to the mandatory reporting law.

 

[bonnie]

The denomination should not need a mandatory requriement to report and immediately terminate anyone that is known or believed to be harming a child. At the very least ,If those that had knowledge were to be terminated regardless of their position for failure to report it and put a stop to that behavior much of the abuse would stop