This is Part 4 of my family’s #churchtoo story.
Part 1 – Police and DCS Response to Sexual Abuse Allegation in Church Childcare Setting
Part 2 – Confidentiality Agreements Conceal Abuse
Part 3 – Complicit or Complacent
Background
In the prior posts, I shared that our family was involved in a church in which there were allegations of sexual abuse reported on August 30, 2014, with the date of the incident August 24, 2014. The offender and his family denied the abuse. According to an individual at the Child Advocacy Center, Brentwood Police Detective John Wood considered the offender believable. John Wood gave a directive to the church to not inform the families with children under the supervision of the offender. On July 30, 2015, families of children in the offender’s three-year-old class were notified of a meeting regarding an incident in our children’s classroom. On August 2, 2015, we met with pastors and elders and learned there was an incident of a sexual nature between two juveniles in our child’s classroom, charges had been filed, and a court date was pending. We were told that we would be updated as the case progressed. On November 8, 2015, I followed up via email and received a call back from a pastor who told me that the teen was through the courts and was not permitted on the church campus. On November 30, 2015, we learned that a lawsuit was filed against the church alleging the male teen volunteer orally and anally raped a three-year-old boy.
Once we learned about the horrific allegations, we were concerned for our son, who was two and three-years-old while under the supervision of the convicted offender. We contacted church leaders and the police, none of whom could provide any assurance that our child was safe from harm under the supervision of the convicted offender. They told us these thing privately while publicly refuting claims in the lawsuit or maintaining a posture of silence.
The investigation in 2014 and 2015 was limited to considering only the one disclosing child. As such, there was a missed opportunity to uncover the potential full scope of the situation. With young children, there is a limited window of opportunity to do an interview as their long term memory is not as developed as an older child or an adult. Parents learning of an incident one year or more after exposure is too long to wait. No one can say for certain the offender didn’t attack multiple children multiple times. Potentially, he could present more danger to the community than a one-time offender.
Church members may feel secure that the offender was monitored while on the campus prior to his court hearing and was later banned from the church campus. But, the offender didn’t disappear from the face of the earth. He was in other settings, which may not have been informed of the very severe allegations and consequent conviction.
Reporting Suspicions of Convicted Offender in Boy Scouts
In prior posts, I explained that I attempted communications with the parents of the juvenile offender. While doing online searches for the family, I found the father’s contact information on a merit badge counselor list for a local boy scout troop in Nashville. I was able to use that information to attempt contact with the parents. I was concerned that the teen offender might be participating in the troop. However, I wasn’t certain he was still participating.
Later, I saw a flyer on the troop website for a trip that the father of the teen offender led. At that point, I sent an email listed on the site below to the Middle Tennessee Boy Scouts informing that I suspected a convicted juvenile offender was in a troop.
https://web.archive.org/web/20161113072815/http://www.mtcbsa.org:80/Parents/scout/aboutus/whistleblower.html
I received a call back from Larry Brown, who found a scout with the same name as the offender’s on the roll. We discussed the situation at the church, and he seemed concerned for the young children. He commented that there is usually more than one victim. We further discussed that I had learned the convicted offender had no jail time and that because juvenile records are sealed, there would be no reason that scout leaders or anyone else would have known about the very serious allegations and the conviction. I left the conversation with the understanding that Larry Brown would be contacting the church.
I later emailed him a timeline of events and provided contacts for both the police and DCS. I wrote that I would appreciate his advocacy.
Included in the information I sent Larry Brown were the attempted contacts to the teen’s father in which I asked the parents if the teen ever brought my son to the bathroom. I didn’t receive a reply. I felt that the lack of responsiveness from the father was unbecoming of a scout leader in that he was not kind enough to provide a reply to my very reasonable questions regarding my very young and vulnerable child who was under his family’s care.
The Boy Scouts have been riddled with abuse scandals including a recent one in Nashville involving former Scout leader Darrell Fisher.
https://www.wkrn.com/news/west-meade-man-taken-into-custody-for-rape-of-12-year-old-boy/1091588745
http://www.wsmv.com/story/36263661/former-nashville-boy-scout-leader-sentenced-to-18-years-in-prison
Because of the abuse scandals that have plagued the organization, I know they have developed some of the best abuse prevention protocols, so I trusted that Larry Brown would take the best course of action.
Contacting Christ Presbyterian About Convicted Abuser
To give some background on the teen’s family, his father runs a ministry that does overnight events for youth and adults, including events with both youth and adults. The father’s ministry does fundraisers, and these fundraisers are sometimes at church facilities. For instance, while the teen was being investigated for sexual abuse against the three-year-old at the Brentwood church, the ministry held their fundraiser at the Brentwood church.
Later in the year after I had made a report to the Boy Scouts and spoke to Larry Brown, the teen’s father held a fundraiser at Christ Presbyterian Academy. This school is related to the church that sponsors the troop that it appeared the teen and his father participated in. It didn’t make sense to me that if the church had been notified of the teen’s conviction and his presence in the troop, that the father’s ministry would be hosting a fundraiser at the church.
As an aside, around this time, I also saw evidence the family participated in another Nashville troop, but it appears they changed troops several years ago.
I decided to contact the church and learned that Todd Teller would be an appropriate person to contact. I sent an email to both him and the Senior Pastor Scott Sauls. The reply I received is below.
Scott Sauls <ssauls@christpres.org>
Tue, Dec 12, 2017, 11:39 AM
to Todd, me
Dear (Jane),
This is the first I have heard of this.
Thank you very much for bringing your concern to our (and my) attention.
I have reached out directly to congregational care and asked that you receive a call as soon as possible.
Scott Sauls
I spoke to the congregational care minister Todd Teller after this email and explained the situation.
I don’t know what, if any, action the Boy Scouts took. Nor do I know what, if any, action Scott Sauls took.
By this time, the convicted offender should be 18 years old, so he should be ineligible to participate in the Boys Scouts based on his age. I am curious to know if the convicted offender has been listed in the Ineligible (IV) Volunteer Files. I am not sure how juvenile offenses affects a person’s record in adulthood, but I wonder if a criminal background check would show an offense.
What I do know is that parents whose children are participating in activities that present a higher risk for abuse such as camping and other overnight events, are entitled to know the Boy Scout’s official position on convicted juvenile offenders (particularly violent offenses), and more importantly the Boy Scout’s actions based upon a notice of a convicted juvenile offender within a troop(when he was a juvenile).
According to the training guide regarding the prevention of youth-on-youth abuse, important information on page 8 states regarding higher risk activities for abuse,
“It’s important that we remind everyone that youth-on-youth abuse can occur in Scouting during any activity, but especially where observation or adult supervision is limited. This includes overnight activities and events that occur in less-structured environments as well as secluded areas in regular meeting places. Higher risk situations include overnight hotel stays, overnight tenting and camping, and situations involving group latrine and/or showering facilities.”
In addition, page 9 lists some facts about abuse and youth:
- More than one-third of serious physical and sexual abuse incidents are committed by youth (U.S. Department of Justice, Juvenile Justice Bulletin, 2009, “Juveniles Who Commit Sex Offenses Against Minors”).
- Nearly one out of every four students (22 percent) report being bullied during the school year (National Center for Education Statistics, 2015). Further, 19.6 percent of high school students report being bullied at school in the past year; 14.8 percent report being bullied online (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2014).
- Research indicates the peak age for male youth offenders is age 13 to 16.
- Targets of (sexual) abuse tend to be boys and girls three to five years of age younger than the perpetrator.
- Sexual experimentation can lead to abuse.
- Youth offenders who groom and abuse can be of any age or demographic.
Not only this, but the troop is sponsored by a church that also runs a school. There are many youth under the care of Christ Presbyterian Church and Christ Presbyterian Academy. What is the church’s position on the notice of a convicted juvenile offender within its programs?
The Gospel Coalition Article Featuring Governor Haslam
I did follow up with Scott Sauls regarding advocacy on behalf of the vulnerable in Tennessee. In March 2018, I saw that The Gospel Coalition ran an article on Governor Haslam’s advocacy for education in Tennessee. The article stated that Governor Haslam attends Christ Presbyterian Church and that Scott Sauls is his pastor. I forwarded the letter that I sent to legislators in January 2018 that I included in Part 3 of my #churchtoo story with the addition of the request below.
Subject: Fwd: Child Sexual Abuse, Sexual Assault, and Harassment Laws in TN
To: ssauls@christpres.org
Dear Pastor Sauls,
I recently saw this article on the TGC website.
I see that Governor Haslam is a participating member of your congregation. Due to your exposure to the referenced situation via my contact in December 2017 and your proximity to our governor, I am forwarding you this email in which I express a need for legislative change regarding child sexual abuse cases. I would appreciate your review of the email and advocacy on behalf of the vulnerable in Tennessee.
Personally, I feel like the system is broken related to sexual abuse cases. In the stories I have read over the last several years in which abuses have occurred in institutional settings, the narratives are strikingly similar. It is almost like you have the same storyline with a different set of actors.
What I have suggested just scratches the surface of the issues, but it is a start. I believe it time to make some changes so that the same tragic stories are not repeated time and again.
Sincerely,
(Jane)
I did not receive a reply to this email. I did follow up via this tweet without any comment.
Silence is never an option for Christians when abuse and injustice have been perpetrated.
— Scott Sauls (@scottsauls) June 29, 2018
regarding child sexual abuse cases. I would appreciate your review of the email and advocacy on behalf of the vulnerable in Tennessee."
— Jane Speaks (@JaneSpeaksUp) June 29, 2018
Attempted Contact to The Gospel Coalition
Additionally, the Brentwood church where the abuse occurred in the church childcare setting is listed in The Gospel Coalition(TGC) directory of churches. I have attempted to contact TGC twice via their website regarding the abuse situation. I first contacted in November 2017 and next in June 2018. I did not receive a reply after either notice. I have copies of the notices that I sent.
Youth-on-youth abuse is common, affecting approximately 30% of abused youth. Youth-on-youth abuse needs to be handled more sensitively due to the juvenile status of of both parties. However, a response of inaction is unacceptable. Abuse perpetrated by youth is devastating and harmful to an abused child. Care should not be withheld. Juvenile cases are confidential. This is to protect the privacy of the offender. However, transparency and oversight are also important. Is it possible that confidentiality is being used to cover-up criminal misconduct and prevent appropriate safeguards to be put in place? There needs to be accountability even in cases in which there are confidentiality issues.
Just like in the adult offender world, juveniles who offend are still out in the world potentially exposing others to risks outside of the original place of offense. If this is not already happening, consideration needs to be made for individuals who maybe exposed to an offender outside of the reported abuse setting.