BANGOR, Maine — Whether anyone can be held responsible legally for not reporting the Rev. Robert Carlson’s sexual abuse of children outlined in a Maine State Police report released this week was unclear Friday.
Because Carlson committed suicide last year shortly after learning he was under investigation, he obviously could not be charged with a crime, R. Christopher Almy, district attorney for Penobscot County, said in an interview Friday.
Whether an individual who suspected Carlson might have been abusing children could be charged with a crime for failing to notify officials is unclear, the veteran prosecutor said.
“This office has never prosecuted someone for not reporting suspected abuse,” Almy said.
The intent of the law, according to Almy, was to encourage people to report suspected abuse, not to punish them for not reporting it.
The statute, first passed in 1965 and amended several times since then, says: “The following adult persons shall immediately report or cause a report to be made to the department [of Health and Human Services] when the person knows or has reasonable cause to suspect that a child has been or is likely to be abused or neglected or that a suspicious child death has occurred.”
The law then lists 32 categories of professionals required to report immediately suspected physical or sexual abuse of children to the Maine Department of Health and Human Services.
Those categories include doctors, nurses, dentists, teachers, guidance counselors, school bus drivers, school officials, social workers, youth camp administrators, homemakers, mental health counselors and law enforcement officials.
Theoretically, that could include the former president of Husson University, a Penobscot County sheriff’s deputy and detective, a Bangor police officer and a therapist who treated some of Carlson’s victims. They said they had either received information about or witnessed Carlson engage in criminal or inappropriate sexual behavior over the last four decades, according to information in the portion of the state police report made public Wednesday.
In the interview at his office Friday, Almy said the statute was not clear about whether a mandatory reporter could be prosecuted for not reporting abuse.
“If there is any kind of evidence that a mandated reporter in this situation failed to report, then you have to look to see whether or not the statute is clear and says, in fact, that if there is a failure to report, whether it is a criminal offense, a civil offense or any offense at all,” Almy said. “My reading of the statute is that it is vague on that point. Vague.”
The district attorney said that other factors would influence a decision about whether to prosecute someone.
“Then we’d have to look to see … whether or not there is a statute of limitations on reporting,” he said. “For instance, if a child reported in the year 2000 to a mental health professional that he or she was abused, does that mean that 12 years later we can bring a prosecution? I would be concerned about that.
“Then, of course, we’d have to see whether or not it is in the state’s interest, in the public’s interest to prosecute somebody for not reporting,” he concluded. “There’s all kinds of considerations here.”
The investigation into Carlson’s activities began last year after Almy’s office received a letter accusing the minister of sexual abuse. The district attorney said he referred the investigation to the state police because Carlson was associated with the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office, which normally would investigate incidents of abuse reported in Orrington.
Almy said he had yet to receive a copy of the state police report and did not know when it would arrive in his office or how long it would take him review it.
The DA’s equivocation is ridiculous. Justice needs to be pursued passionately, not meekly and with cowardice. Laws are ultimately meant to bring good and do right.
And we are looking at a brutal, perverse wrong — the wrong of helping to protect a Sandusky-like individual — and SURELY that should be considered criminal.
The DA needs to become a champion of justice with a fiery sword of truth, and stop cowering in a thorny morass of excuses.
DO THE RIGHT THING! Be a leader for the good, and stop looking like you’re just another cog in a dysfunctional system. We NEED to send a strong message about this sickness in our society, which allows child abusers to do damage for decades.
So, again, Mr. DA. DO THE RIGHT THING! NOW!
Study up on due process, specifically statutory due process. Then you might understand Almy’s position. Due process is the heart of criminal proceedings. We in this country do not prosecute or convict based on something MIGHT being illegal or because it SEEMS like the right thing to do. Nor should we be prosecuting pepole based on emotions.
The law clearly states that these professionals are “mandatory reporters” in that Maine law makes it “mandatory” that they report any suspected child abuse that they see.
So where I grew up if the law requires you to do something….and you don’t do that…….then you have broken the law. People are prosecuted for breaking the laws every day.
Perhaps the real problem is that most of these fine folks are “above reproach” and fine community citizens thus we shouldn’t do anything to them. If we can find a janitor, or a garbageman someplace who witnessed this, then we can throw the book at him, as he is not somebody “important”.
My wife was a victim of exactly this kind of abuse. Many fine citizens knew it………and did NOT do anything about it. So the abuse went on.
I hope that those who knew……….and did nothing……..have a nice warm place to spend eternity.
There is absolutely no good excuse for these gents covering for Carlson, NONE. How can we make the system any better if we don’t punish those who saw and did nothing?
“The law clearly states that these professionals are ‘mandatory reporters’ in that Maine law makes it “mandatory” that they report any suspected child abuse that they see.”
But what’s the penalty for not reporting?
Due process requires the state to inform its residents of penalties for failing to follow particular laws. Absent a penalty, you can’t prosecute criminally, because that violates the due process clause of the Constitution.
DonnaAnnB posted this last night.
Maine criminal law at 17-A§554 Endangering the welfare of a child
1. A person is guilty of endangering the welfare of a child if that person:
C. Otherwise recklessly endangers the health, safety or welfare of a child under 16 years of age by violating a duty of care or protection.
3. Endangering the welfare of a child is a Class D crime.
~~~~~
I would say that covers the therapist as they “knew” of at least half dozen victims and did not follow the mandated reporting law and that lead to the “reckless” endangerment of the “health, safety or welfare” of the young boys. A good DA might even be able to make a case for the two Bangor police officers two.
As a mandated reporter myself I am shocked and dismayed that a simple phone call was not made. If they had made that phone call or opened an investigation would Carlson have been stopped sooner? We will never know.
The Supreme Court has determined (more than once) that the right of free speech includes the right to refrain from speaking.
Good lawyers know this, and they do not want to lose a case to the obvious.
You may wish you could legislate away all the potential for evil, but that is not going to happen. So keep looking for a target for your indignation, go after Beardsley, Ross, Almy and anyone else who DIDN’T abuse anyone. Make those people pay for what Carlson did. that will make you happy right?
Your missing the point. Beardsley, the two Bangor police officers, the therapist, the PC Deputy Sheriff are MANDATED reporters.
Title 22 Health and Welfare Section 4011-A. Reporting of suspected abuse or neglect
1. Required report to department. The following adult persons SHALL IMMEDIATELY (emphasis mine) report or cause a report to be made to the department when the person knows or has REASONABLE CAUSE TO SUSPECT (emphasis mine) that a child has been
or is likely to be abused or neglected or that a suspicious child death has occurred:
(13) A school official;
(23) A law enforcement official;
(30) A sexual assault counselor;
http://www.mainelegislature.org/legis/statutes/22/title22sec4011-a.html
The therapist admitted that they knew of a half a dozen victims.
The two Bangor police officers admitted that they saw Carlson leave in his car with a young boy the darkest area of the parking lot. They admitted that they considered putting up surveillance cameras but decided it was to “dark”
The PC Deputy Sheriff admitted seeing Carlson in the control room at 1 or 2 in the morning with young boys and thinking that was very odd.
Those individual had a duty to act under Maine law and failed to act. The problem is there isn’t a penalty for failing to act. Well that’s not completely true…the penalty for failing to act as required my law is the abuse continues and the victims pay the penalty.
The reports indicate that law enforcement officers highly suspicious of Carlson’s actions reported what they saw to their superiors. Their bosses did nothing.
Surely their bosses, who were directly responsible for supervising Carlson, should have initiated an undercover watch on the man?
Perhaps they could have even had someone get the boys’ identity and then sit down with their parents. An officer skilled in handling kids, could have chatted with the boys and uncovered all the necessary information. Charges could have been brought – end story.
The worst problem in this whole case is having parents knowing that something is amiss, yet doing absolutely nothing. Decades have elapsed during which Carlson apparently continued to harass one particular subject. Now, other cases are surfacing. But, where were the parents?
Children are known to try hard to convince parents that someone – a highly regarded public official,or, seemingly “nice” guy – is molesting them. Sometimes, they are unable to tell their parents exactly what is happening. Parents either dismiss their children’s claims. Or, fear that stepping between their children and the molester, could imperil their job security and community standing.
The child comes first. It is mandatory that parents swiftly intervene when an older person of either sex takes an unusual interest in their child. Get rid of the man or woman immediately. If forced contact is attempted again, get a warrant for the intruder’s arrest.
Wow. Here is evidence that it, obviously, just the tip of the ice berg. What …. are…. you…. waiting …. for, Mr Prosecutor?????????????? This is inexplicable. Get out of the way and let another law officer do the job, you’ve clearly become a hinderance and our people are ever more vulnerable, sir. Get out of the way. Go.
Right to free speech does include the right to refrain from speaking. I agree. EXCEPT when you are MANDATED, repeat MANDATED to speak. Good lawyers know this too. There is no need to go looking for targets, because, due to their own admissions, this is a target rich environment. Prosecute them all together just like they did in Nuremburg. These people knew the weak were being grossly abused and DID NOTHING to stop it when they were MANDATED, at least some of them, as professional to stop it or, at a minimum, report it to authorities who would, including the police. It does not matter that their suspect had not been convicted previously, they had “reasonable and probable” cause, based on the credible evidence they had already amassed that he had and would commit serious and grievious crimes against the weak.
I believe “child endangerment’ applies only to those people or “that person” having direct charge of a child. It usually involves neglect, willful wrongdoing, or careless disregard of a child’s safety or well-being. A counselor, for example, who suspects a parent of neglect is not directly in charge of that child, and therefore could not be charged of child endangerment.
You may be right. It just galls me that people in positions to do something actually saw something and didn’t do what the law requires them to do.
It would be interesting to know if DHHS ever got any calls regarding Carlson and his pedophilia behaviors. I wonder if they followed through if they had been notified. Perhaps, DHHS is part of the problem and never did anything.
Wholeheartedly agree. If the DA or the AG really want to show that they mean business when it comes to abuse of a child and reporting it they should start an investigation that looks at who knew what when and work forward.
If it shows DHHS wasn’t notified then correct the problem by attaching a penatlty to the law for not reporting.
If it shows that DHHS was notified then what did they do with the information.
If it leads to current or past DA, Sheriffs, Deputies, Chiefs, university presidents, PCHC, EOCC, etc…then let it go there.
They need to show that they care about child abuse and that they are willing to expose whatever skeletons are in closets regardless of who or what they are.
I believe the system failed these young victims. Now we need to show that while failing them we are going to try and fix whatever was broken so we can try and prevent this from happening again.
Excellent! Here’s another way to hold those who fail to report accountable. In the meantime, they should resign or be forced to resign…. all of them, while a proper investigation and prosecution is conducted.
There is civil protection for making a report that does not turn out to be true but there is no penalty for not doing what is mandated.
There is however a very good case for a civil action for the victims against both the estate of Carlson and the individuals for not reporting.
How can a DA prosecute someone for failure to report a suspected case when all that person needs to say is that he or she was not suspicious enough to report or cause a report. Because there are varying degrees of suspicion ranging from a sneaking one to an articulable one, at what point is a professional culpable? The law clearly does not define “suspicion”. Hence one reason for the DA not to prosecute for failure to report suspicion of child abuse or neglect.
Good point. People like Dr. Beardsly and the others knew only one small piece of the puzzle. We know much more now, so it is easy for us to look back with 20-20 hindsight and say, “They should have done something.”
Beardsley had more than one piece of the puzzle. He had two disturbing phone calls regarding Carlson. He had a counselor who notified him. He had one of the abused go directly to him (which he denies and i wish this person would step up to show he sweeped it under the rug and lied). Yet, Bearsdley never made a report to DHHS because he did not want it to get in the news. He wanted to protect his own assets, he did not care about those abused under his watch….ya it might make me look bad. This is the mentality we are up against and why people do not speak up and stop the abuse. Beardsley allowed the abuse to go on and on. He is as bad as Carlson as far as I’m concerned.
We can have 20-20 hindsight. We’ve read the newspaper reports. We know Carlson committed suicide. We know that person A was told something, and person B was suspicious about something else, and person C was uncomfortable about something he thought Carlson may have been doing. Each of them had one piece of the puzzle. Now, looking back, we have most of the pieces of the puzzle. So it’s easy for us, now, to say “They should have known.” We’re all Monday morning quarterbacks, but we don’t know what we would have done if all we had was an uncomfortable feeling or a vague suspicion.
I agree with you with two points to make.
1) We have two Bangor police officers that went so far as to consider placing surveillance cameras up because they saw Carlson leaving a very dark area of a parking lot and observed him with a young boy in the front seat with him at least once. They decided not to put the cameras up because the lot was to “dark”.
2) The therapist (interestingly the only person interviewed by the MSP that isn’t identified by even a first name) that had first hand knowledge of, in their words “a half dozen” victims.
In 1 above if that had been you or I we would have been pulled over immediatley and questioned extensively. In fact years ago I was pulled over (12-15 years ago) because I choose a part of Bangor that had the best cell service in the area to make a very important cell call. What I didn’t realize was the area I choose was next to a day care and the day care operator called and reported a “suspicious” car. Now mind you this was in broad daylight, I had no one in the car with me, I made the phone call and left but I was pulled over approximately a half mile away from the day care. The officer was pleasant, explained why he had pulled me over and asked me why I was where I was. I explained the circumstances and he let me go. In my case no harm no foul. That certainly wasn’t the case with Carlson.
I’m well aware of these concerns, sir, and I’m still not impressed with the DA’s response. The law is a body of codes, precedents, jurisprudential insights, and interpretation.
And emotion is absolutely appropriate, often a necessary catalyst to get sluggish lawyers moving, WHEN there is a sizeable body of evidence in the police report, for starters, suggesting a cover up involving various professionals.
It is cowardly to say, “Oh, the law won’t allow me to pursue those who abet child abusers.” DA’s can be leaders or they can be bureaucrats that hide in the grey cracks of obfuscation.
Again, DO THE RIGHT THING, Mr. DA. Stop buying into this dysfunctional system that allows molesters to go on abusing for DECADES!
I like “grey cracks of obfuscation.”
The humble Farmer
Spruce I want to tell you that normally we are on opposite ends of the political spectrum and often trade posts. But on this one I am behind you 110%. The people that expressed knowledge of abuse to the MSP or had suspicion that abuse may have been occurring and did nothing enabled Carlson to continue that abuse.
What good is having a mandated reporting law if there is no penalty for failure to report? The DA need to send a clear message to those of us that are mandated reporters that failure to report will be punished. To do anything else sends the message that “we require you to report but if you don’t, don’t worry it’s OK” and that not the message that needs to be sent.
Again Spruce great post and I am with you on this one.
We are often opposed, but you are one of the few people who are always trying to offer good solid arguments and research, advancing the depth and wisdom of the discussion–and I salute you for that.
I think we have all learned that even polar opposites can come together for the common good. this is one of those times. I very much appreciate your kind words sir.
You stated, “the people that expressed knowledge of abuse to the MSP…enabled Carlson to continue the abuse.” I have a problem with that statement, as those people you referred to did at least make a report to an agency in charge of law enforcement, including enforcement of those laws relating to child protection. Yes, technically the report was not made to department of Health and Human Services, but how can they be charged criminally for doing what they likely thought was proper and right? No judge in his right mind would permit such a charge to go forward without dismissing it outright.
Please don’t mistaken my criticism here. It’s not meant to put you down or to dismiss the importance of protecting children. Surely more can be done to protect children but there are limits under the Constitution as to what can be done. Besides, I’ve seen way too much harm by the Department of Human Services done to innocent fathers and their children in divorce cases involving custody issues on account of flimsy allegations brought up the mother to gain an advantage. This agency has power over God, it seems.
First no offense taken in the least.
My observations are based on the MSP investigation post Carlson suicide. If I made a mistake I will take my lumps with the best of them. But the interviews I read seemed to be all post suicide and they showed a level of knowledge or suspicion of Carlson’s activity pre-suicide.
In other words the therapist told the investigator that they knew of a half dozen victims.
The two Bangor officers said that saw Carlson leaving a dark parking lot with a young boy as a passenger.
The PC Deputy Sheriff saw Carlson with young boys in the jails control room at 1 to 2 in the morning.
These were all events that should have raised Fort McHenry sized red flags with these professionals. Did any of them actually make a report or cause a report to be made? I don’t know but based on the continued abuse it doesn’t seem that it did.I know that DHHS has issues and I know someone right now going through a battle with DHHS but I am sorry but I expect those people listed above to make that phone call or open that investigation and it doesn’t seem that was the case here.
Exactly.
Yes, those are very troubling events collectively; and singularly, the knowledge – not just mere suspicion – of abuse by the therapist not being reported. I can’t comment on the event at the jail’s control room since admittedly I don’t even know for sure why such room exists to begin with. I’m heard though that Carlson was sometimes called in the middle of the night to assist law enforcers for one reason or another (like someone threatening to committing suicide).
I met Carlson personally at a wedding in his church. Even have pictures of myself and him together. Without any doubt he was a charismatic figure if there ever was one…very intelligent, and far from having the mien of a deranged man.
To be honest Whawell I never thought I would see the day that you and I would even come close to agreement on something but on this we are close. I say close because what you said is 100 percent correct if we were dealing with average people here, but we are not. Look at the cast of characters Chris Almy is dealing with: The current Commissioner of The Maine Department of Conservation and
former President of Husson University, The former head of the Maine
Gambling Control Board and current UMaine Chief of Police, The Sheriff
of Penobscot County, The Chief of Detectives of the Bangor Police Dept.and these are just the people that have been named in the BDN. Think of all of the people who immediately after the word of Carlson’s death became public who were singing his praises. It was a who’s who of power not just in this area, or the State of Maine but also on a National Level. Frankly I never expected the NEWS to get into this matter as heavily as it has. For that they need to be commended. Oh and what you said about DHHS and its heavy handedness is spot on.
Carlson, from what I know about him – and I met him personally – was no doubt an influential and persuasive person. As far as I was concerned then he could have run for political office and won hands down. For that reason I can understand why many people who might have detected something suspicious about him could have and would have readily dismissed the suspicion.
Please. The very people who could have been the most effective in stopping Carlson did not even follow protocol and notify DHHS. Meanwhile, bug eyed Welch watched from his house while Carlson was abusing in the dark parking lot even seeing a young child in car as they were leaving. For 8 or 9 months!
Yes, if what you are telling me is true, there’s no reason for failing to report what he saw on the first occasion.
It is in the report.
JD you and I have both been around the proverbial block a few times albeit not together. We both know that if a DA wants to prosecute someone that they will be able to find a statute to do it under. Chris is hedging his bets in this matter. He is dealing with a time bomb. Look at the cast of characters. They range from one of the top political positions in the State, , The current Commissioner of The Maine Department of Conservation and former President of Husson University, The former head of the Maine Gambling Control Board and current UMaine Chief of Police, The Sheriff of Penobscot County, The Chief of Detectives of the Bangor Police Dept. These are all people with an enormous amount of power and influence in Penobscot County and the State of Maine. Add to that the list of people who came out after word of Carlson’s death with praise. It read like a who’s who of power in the State of Maine.
Agreed. And this case could make or break Almy. When I graduated college and became an investigator my mentor told me that their will be one case in your life that will either make you or break you. How you handle that case with determine which ending happens.
This case really could be that case for Almy. How he responds will determine if he earns my vote when or if he runs for re-election.
Myself, I would like to think that I would put politics aside and let the facts lead me to where they lead me.
Ya right . Since he compared the Brownville mother to a child molestor that was on prosecuting Based on emotions? I question I get banned .
The day the pervert jumped off the bridge due process was complete. He’s Guilty.
Give it to a Judge to decide. The prosecutor, without passion or prejudice, has a duty to report misbehavior, with or without, police assistance, to a Judge in good standing. The prosecutor is not a judge and it seems, here, that he not only won’t prosecute obvious crimes or violations, he is making it more difficult for anyone else to do so with statements he has now made to actually help perpetrators of abuse avoid accountability in Maine.
It’s unethical for a prosecutor to go around willy-nilly charging people in the hopes that a judge won’t toss the charges before trial. He has to be sure he can actually win the case, not only before a judge or jury, but on a due process appeal.
The statute in question does not have a penalty attached to it. Therefore, it’s unconstitutional.
If he did who do you think he should prosecute, remember this is almy were talking about that sets in a air conditioned office all day making big bucks.
1st go after the therapist
All he does is prosecute drug cases. Look at the number of those incarcerated and it is predominantly for drugs. Not much else he does. Wait until it is his grandchild or great-grandchild, then he’ll cry like a baby just like Ross did when he saw his perverted friend lifeless and on bath salts. These are our leaders? Out with them all.
I can see Ross in two more years or less, he does nothing. Jails are understaffed, suicides are up . Almy will get done soon too
I guess the question is — and I’m not sure of the answer — do you want the state to spend millions of our tax dollars on a case it’s pretty sure it can’t win? I think (or maybe hope) that’s what’s at issue, rather than anything else.
The DA is already paid so it would not cost the state anymore. What slacker….two days in row he kept saying I have not read the report MSP hasn’t sent it to me yet. Well Almy, you could have read it here on BDN or WABI.tv or call and asked the MSP to fax you a copy. You are a little too complacent in your position.
I think it is possible that the D.A., by not doing the obvious, right thing here, has decided to retire, but hasn’t told anyone yet. All the inaction makes me want to puke…. with all due respect, get out of the way. Mainers who are young, weak, disabled, mentally challenged or elderly deserve better protection than this.
I’m sure Mr. Almy will do his usual, nothing. If i was a victim I would start a civil lawsuit, Almy will never pull through.To many of his comrades involved.
Civil lawsuit for what?
You have made a valiant effort to educate the angry mob. They are not in the mood to listen to reason. They want “the law” to conform to their emotion, and it just doesn’t, and won’t.
Without passion or prejudice, sir. The facts already seemingly admitted and disclosed establish a prima facia basis for convictions of these people by any group of reasonable Maine jurors. No. No emotion here, per se. If there was, an mob would be organized to deal directly and, unfortunately, violently to these people. But, no. “The law”, a non-violent way of dealing with such horrible negligence, must be resorted to to prosecute and deal with this behavior. All law is about dealing with bad, unacceptable behavior, and nothing more. It is the only alternative to bashing each others brains out when a conflict arises between people. That is called “the rule of law”, and not “the rule of violence” “might makes right”. Here, this religious freak and his enablers built up the latter. They thought “might makes right”, affilicating with “comrades” in the Rotary, the Bangor Police Department, Fire Department, DHHS, PCHC, doctors, therapists, counsellors, etc… was how this ought to continue to be dealt with, even up to the point he was told by one of his “comrades” that he was being investigated and apparently decided to kill himself by jumping off a bridge down river. Tragic that he killed himself? Yes, for everyone. But, more tragic is the legacy that must now be dealt with, including answering the question of what to do about treating and healing the many victims and stopping and addressing, correcting the systemic causes of this tragedy. This debate will continue for a long time, but it joins with many other related debates about institutional abuse in Maine, the country and the world, as we all know. To minimize efforts to demand action and change as “willy nilly”, “angry mob” or efforts that are merely based on “emotion” is a petty insult and dismissed as such. Now, if you are serious about this issue, please make an effort to focus on what is important; helping the victims survive, prosecuting the enablers and stopping similar abuse in order to ensure the weak, who have no one else, are truely represented and protected.
Breach of legal duty; fiduciary… to begin with. These people, along with the dead perp himself, by breaching their MANDATED duty to protect vicitims by failing to report suspected AND actually witnessed physical and sexual abuse, caused or aggravated previously existing emotional and physical injury, harm and trauma on or inrelation to the several victims. They are probably well withing the statute of limitations for the next period, at least. There is plenty of time to bring a lawsuit. Aggravating circumstances exist to impose Punitive damages, too. This would be a strong message that the community is simply not going to stand by and let this abuse go unpunished any longer. Perps and enablers BEWARE.
“comrades”?????!!!!!! I thought so. That explains it. The DA is suffering from a serious case of “conflict of interest” morning sickness, because he is definately pregnant with the need to step back from any involvement with this file. Mr. Almy …. “get out of the way” and let another law officer do the job of protecting the weak by prosecuting and stopping perpetrators and their enablers.
Please MR. Almy you are the one who brought up child molesters In the Brownville mother case . Then to take a soft stance on people covering for them would make you a hypocrite . If you chose to do nothing then you are the one that takes a soft stance and allows this to go on. If you have prof that people required to report broke the law by not reporting and do nothing . Then Maybe it is partly your fault this went on??????? Hmmmm against the law not to report but the DA will do nothing . No sense having a law is thier? Do your job . You need to set an example so this will not happen again.
“This office has never prosecuted someone for not reporting suspected abuse,” Almy said.
Well Gee wiz Mr. Almy- the DA who oversaw the Penn State case figured out how to prosecute the shmucks that didn’t report the abuse and colluded to hide the facts of what was really going on with Sandusky……perhaps you could give Prosecutor Frank Fina a call and he could school you in doing your job…..except we all know nothing will happen to anyone who allowed Carlson to continue to do what he did. The good old boy network lives on.
‘The intent of the law, according to Almy, was to encourage people to report suspected abuse, not to punish them for not reporting it ..” Ummmmm then why have it be a LAW?? Why don’t we call it a suggestion? We suggest you report abuse but hey if that’s too inconvenient for you- don’t bother after all it’s not your kids who he’s molesting right? no problem…..so if I find the speed limit inconvenient I can just ignore that also with no consequences right? RIGHT.
Get a backbone Mr. Almy and set an example for other people (because you know there are more out there) who know that abuse is going on and choose to do nothing…..choosing to do nothing is making a choice……
Excellent point
Can the guy that tipped off carlson be guilty of something I wonder. How about manslaughter, he wouldn’t have jumped had he not known he was being investigated. I know it’s a reach but there is no way the Ross didn’t violate policy that lead to the demise of Bobby boy. NO WAY!
Ok you and I NEVER agree on anything, but I TOTALLY AGREE with you on this!!!
That’s not a “reach,” that’s plain ridiculous.
Why am i not surprised that you would say that. Why dont you take Almy on the next time the campaign comes up Ryan, since you obviously know so much more about the law than the rest of us on this forum. Maybe you could give explanations when you dont prosecute anyone that breaks the law. At least that would be an upgrade from what we have currently. It wouldnt matter if Almy charged anyone here or not, because he would just give him a PLEA deal and he or she wouldnt serve any time anyway.
I hardly EVER agree with Mr. Robbins, but in this case he is correct. You do not have to be a lawyer to know (or learn) that prosecuting Sheriff Ross for manslaughter because he told Carlson he was being investigated is silly or to use Mr. Robbins words “plain ridiculous.”
Sheriff Ross mayhave violated Department policy (not a crime) and he may have contributed to Carlson’s decission to end his life, but the words “may have” are not clear convincing evidence.
Since Carlson is dead (and therefore can never be prosecuted for crimes he may have committed) no one else should be prosecuted on the basis of hearsay or innuendo.
It is clear that people are angry that they have no one to which they can apply their tar and feathers. I’m sorry a child abuser got off so lightly also, BUT looking around for someone else to be a punching bag is far from productive.
Nothing should be done to Sherriff Ross, provided he disclosed the information as part of his investigation. However, if it was merely a “tip off”, then he should resign, be fired and / or prosecuted as accessory to a crime, after the fact (i.e. conspiring to cover the crime up). The crime of child sexual abuse involves, like the Penn State case and that criminal’s long sentence, the perpetrator and his enablers, at times. They are all guilty. This was not merely a violation of county government policy, as you describe it. This is also not mere innuendo or hearsay. This wass obviously a “tip off”, an inappropriate and, apparently, unlawful disclosre of confidential information by an officer of the government to the subject of an investigation. I will even bet Sherriff Ross collected and cashed his county government paycheck that week. But, when he did, he also became a thief of that public money, the people’s money, by impersonating an officer of the county government who is entrusted with protecting the people, when, in fact, he behaved otherwise by not doing his duty to protecting the people of the county or the information relating to an ongoing investigation into criminal behavior. Ross was simply not acting like a Sherriff is supposed to act from any view, and that’s obvious. If he hasn’t already gone yet, he should git while the gittin is good, and before the D.A. takes time to think this one through.
But are we forgetting about the therapist, the two Bangor police officers, the PC Deputy Sheriff and Beardsley that ALL expressed suspicion about Carlson and did nothing in follow up or follow through.
The mandated reporting law is there for a reason and if it was used (as required by law) how much sooner would Carlson have been stopped?
They failed to make the required phone call and they failed to protect the young boys from Carlson.
Pennsylvania’s laws on the matter may be different.
Almy doesn’t make the law, the Legislature does. The law in question lists no penalty for not reporting. Therefore, it violates the due process clause of the Constitution. Almy IS doing his job when he decides not to violate someone’s due process rights.
Your analogy to speeding is not relevant, as Maine’s laws on speeding clearly spell out the penalty for violating those laws.
What do you want a judge to do with a prosecuting of a crime for which there is no prescribed penalty? Do you want the judge to be able to dream up ANY penalty he chooses?
I’m just reading a lot of excuses from the DA. It would seem that Mr. Almy is looking for a way to avoid prosecuting Dr. Beardsley.
Bill Beardsley is, I think, the least guilty of all. Yes, he should have reported his suspicions but he was in the company of people who were in much more culpable situations than his, including Glenn Ross, the police officers, and the therapists. The actions of Ross, in particular, are troubling and unethical, at best.
“suspicions” are exactly what needs to be reported, duh! This “company of people”, including Beardsly, Ross, the police and health workers acted by not acting and people’s lives were severly impacted as a result. They should all be made to resign, be fired and / or prosecuted and sued for the damages they clearly caused or aggravated. There are plenty of people looking for work who would gladly replace them, I’m sure.
All of now have the benefit of 20-20 hindsight. We’ve read the newspaper reports about the investigation. We know that Carlson committed suicide.
We know much, much more than Dr. Beardsly knew. He only saw one piece of the puzzle. We have the advantage of seeing most of the other pieces now, and so we know much more than he knew. It’s easy for us to judge another person who didn’t know nearly as much as we know.
Beardsly did act on the one part of the puzzle he knew about, and got Carlson to resign from his position at Husson. We might think that’s not enough, but it was something. We can all be Monday morning quarterbacks, but we don’t know what we would have done if we were in the same position Beardsly was in, and only knew the little bit that he knew.
There appears to be so much abuse going on that it’s systemic, overwhelming enforcment agencies and exhausting. People haven’t told anyone their burnt out and have quit, at least, emotionally, but they should. They need to recuse themselves. Get refreshed. Turn the files over to others immediately who understand the duty to protect people in good faith to their office. Staffs need to clearly be increased to effectively protect victim’s rights and enforce protective laws. It is probable that a temporary “abuse court” needs to be established in each county to catch up with the caseload, even. There is no higher priority. Get with it or get out and let others do it.
How about criminal conspiracy to cover up a crime? When someone is “mandated” to report and doesn’t, then it seems pretty clear that, like young Bush said, “if you ain’t with us, then you must be against us”, they are against the victim and with the perpetrator and should be prosecuted accordingly. Let’em try to defend against it. They’ll plea out and do some time. It gets them off the street, out of reach of victims and we can quickly move on to the next perpetrator. Who needs a failure to report law.
There is a world of difference between suspecting and knowing. You would have to prove these people KNEW Carlson had committed a crime and that they had deliberately set out to cover up the crime. Not only that, you would have to prove the people participated in the crime.
sad but i think the fact is he is afraid to cross the Thin Blue Line, You know prosecuting speeders and shoplifters is OK because most dont have lawyers but going against cops and sheriffs just scares him. The sad part is he dosent even need to win he just needs to set example that he will try and maybe that alone would make more people come forward, maybe that would be enough for the legislative branch revisit the law and add penalty’s, maybe it would be enough to cause some internal investigations into actions of people that knew but stood idly by. But you know it would look bad for his convection record if he lost so there might be another reason to coward up.
You are so right about the “thin blue line”…..they have all been letting each other get away with so much over the years that they are afraid if one starts talking then it will cause a chain reaction……It will all lead back to Almy……need the Feds to look into this one……
It is almost funny that the DA will prosecute people with pocket knives but otherwise doesn’t care about the welfare of abused children.
It is called “mandatory report”. Mandatory means authoritatively ordered; compulsory. Well if we are ordered to report then surely there would be a consequence by law. We are required to follow the law or be arrested. This is the perfect case to exercise the law to show people they need to report. Otherwise, we are sending the message you do not need to follow this law and protect children. No wonder abuse of children is rampant. If our law is too confusing (which I don’t think it is) then the law needs to be changed to note consequences so our dear DA’s are not confused.
We agree. I am and have been a mandated reporter for over 20 years. I find it ridiculous that the state of Maine (who regulates and mandates certain professionals who have a license to practice their profession) takes this matter very seriously and have no compunction (and shouldn’t have any compunction) about rescinding an individual’s license and ceasing their ability to practice- if they do not report suspected abuse/neglect or act unethically…BUT the DA Chris Almy can’t figure out how to do it. If my profession can figure out how to respond to apathetic, non-professional, enabling behavior one would THINK the DA could as well. Oy.
There’s no penalty. What would be the point of filing charges in the first place? The case would be thrown out in a heartbeat.
Some of these people, especially the therapist, had a professional and legal duty to report and neglected (I would argue, criminally) to do so to their detriment. On my jury, I would, if all the other facts supported the charge (criminal neglect, etc…), vote to convict and hold them strictly liable for their neglect. They can, thereafter, argue how much or little they knew or did in mitigation at sentencing. This upstanding freak, this monster of renown, who was so devious as to groom his victims and cover up his wolf-like identity by creating health care centers and hiding in them emotionally killed a lot of people, including his family, friends and the victims themselves. Part of this scheme, you can be sure, was to buy off the very doctors, therapists and police personnel he knew knew the truth, if only to buy him time to further quench his unquenchable appetite. When they took the money, if any, they became, albeit unwittingly, at least initially, a party to his criminal offences, and everyone knows it. This prosecutor, especially. Now he has to make a decision and it seems he already has, again, but is not telling anyone. Perhaps, he simply doesn’t feel comfortable investigating and prosecuting associates. If this is true, he should step out and let someone unfamiliar with the parties do it. That is all I am saying. The issue is not what is provable necessarily. It begins before we get to that. It is an apparent conflict of interest between this DA and those he must investigate, that can not be overcome short of the DA owning up to it, personally and professionally, and doing the right thing in order to ensure the weak are protected.
In the article here on BDN notes an online training for mandated reporters. It also notes on that training: “for which you may be prosecuted and fined up to $500.00” Almy there are consequences for people who do not follow the law. You need to get your big boy pants on and follow through on people who knew and did not report. If the number of people had reported to DHHS, the sheer number would have created ongoing investigations. Carlson could most likely have been stopped if the people involved had reported as required with less children having been abused. So what if you win or lose in court as much as you taking action to show how important it is to protect children because they cannot protect themselves. Your inaction tells every child sexual abuser it is okay to abuse as nobody does anything anyway. First read the report, then STAND UP!
DA Almy made the following statement above “Then, of course, we’d have to see whether or not it is in the state’s interest, in the public’s interest to prosecute somebody for not reporting.”
Here is the follow up question that Ms. Harrison should have asked, “Mr. Almy, when is it in the state’s interest not to prosecute when the victim is a child and cannot defend themselves from the abuse?”
Mr Almy, I don’t care WHO is running against you the next time you are up for reelection. Who ever it is will surely put the interest of the defenseless above the interest of the state!
And a follow on question would be “Mr. Almy by prosecuting those people that failed to report what they suspected Carlson of doing, wouldn’t that set the tone that the DA’s office treats sexual abuse of children as a serious crime and one worthy of being reported as required by law?”
I am with you on this JD he said how important it was for people to come foward in cases of child abuse and even bought up child molesters in the Brownville mother case. Should the woman have been charged yes . But to compare her to a child molestor to get a conviction and do nothing about people who do not report . I will campain against this man who is not a man . Maybe Mr. Hunt will run against him again. lol Take a tough stance if it is polically correct but if it is morally the right thing to do do nothing. If it is against the law charge then arrest them make a public example if nothing else . If it is the law and no but they can not be punished. I need to talk to my state rep. Not a move on or ALEC bill . A real bill that needs to make it a crime with guide lines line up to a year in jail . At very least it needs to be on these peoples criminal records . I got grief for my tough questions on Almy before. The Man needs to take this seriously . I might be out in left field most the time but I think we can get along enough on some issues to make signs LMAO Have fun .
If you bring the paper I will bring the markers.
I would love to have a beer and chat lol but I do not drink. We do not agree on much but I know you have decent values . (At least from here). I think he will be under to much pressure not to do anything. Renee will not just let this go I hope. Lets not bash the OWS or the protesters at the courthouse On this case. You must have kids. Yes reelection time this should be brought up. I do not think Almy is a bad person but he dose not have the backbone to do what we know is right in this case . I am not saying he has a case but saying best interest of public come first is way out of line. Peace . Do not risk your job for politics. Lets not get to wound up till we have the facts maybe we took this wrong? I do not think so but maybe? lol
I’m not sure that some people have realistic expectations here. What do you think the law can do after the fact? Had even one of these victims come forward and pressed charges while Carlson was alive, then the law could have been enforced. But vague suspicions disclosed after the dude has offed himself will never meet the burden of proof that a prosecutor’s office would require to bring it to trial. Bringing a half-baked case to court and losing would only discourage people from coming forward.
One key difference between this case and the Sandusky case is the actual evidence of an orchestrated cover-up of Sandusky’s crimes. While both Carlson and Sandusky were in positions of authority, Penn State administrators’ actions were institutional in nature. Carlson, by contrast, used his fake priest collar to glean trust as a smokescreen for his perverted behavior. He was obviously a smart operator, never charged while he was alive.
This makes enforcing the laws after the fact nearly impossible.
It seems like more people on this board are hell-bent on justice and/or revenge rather
than expressing a genuine desire to examine the reporting system with the intent
of preventing future abuse to children.
We are all outraged by this behavior, but lighting the torches of vigilantism will do nothing to undo the damage done. There are many victims here and they all need to heal. Let the facts emerge before pointing fingers at public servants. If evidence is revealed that shows an INTENT to cover up for Carlson, THEN demand justice.
If you read the MSP report we have a therapist that admitted that they knew of six (6) victims of Carlson and two Bangor police officers that witnessed him leaving a dark parking lot with a young child in the care. Thhe officers actually discussed installing surveillance cameras but decided against it because the parking lot was “to dark”.
Both of those rise to what Title 22 Section 1041A calls “reasonable cause to suspect that a child has been or is likely to be abused”. http://www.mainelegislature.org/legis/statutes/22/title22sec4011-a.html
That is worthy of investigation even if it is only to learn how to prevent this from reoccurring in the future.
Where do you read the report, am i not seeing it.
Here you go…
http://station.wabi.tv/assets/SP11-084951.pdf
How do you know the therapist didn’t make a report?
While heavily redacted the interview with the therapist clearly state that there were at least six victims and makes no indication that they reproted it to anyone. Now does the MSP say the therapist reproted it to anyone.
Even if they didn’t the Bangor PD officers should have….they even expressed in the interview they had suspicion enough to consider installing surveillance cameras to observe Carlson’s behavoir but decided against it because the area Carlson was parking in was “to dark”. That should have raised their level of suspicion even higher don’t you think?
Yes! I think everyone who had suspicions should have reported them. I’m a mandated reporter and have called in several reports when people assumed no report was ever made because nothing was followed up on.
Cameras can be installed that gather enough light to get a clear image even in darkened areas.
Totally agree. That’s why I believe both officers have a great deal of explaining to do. To the public and to his victims.
Yes. But, cameras can not run over and stop church molesters of underage children in parking lots. But, then, neither will Bangor Policemen, it appears.
You have got that right. I have been stopped many times and questioned. Been on side of road to make phone calls . Try it sometime pull over at night to make a phone call if a policeman drives by he will check on you.
The police indicated, apparently, they SAW Carlson with underage children in a parking lot and did not stop it or, at least, investigate it, dammit! Whomever did should be fired for gross derelecting of duty (sp), as should their Police supervisors / superiors. The correctional officer should have run in to stop this freak when he observed them in the control room. These are FACTS. Not suspicions. Facts support criminal convictions.
Agreed. I have posted the same info.
I haven’t read all of your posts yet. My apology. You know, I think commenting on these Bangor Daily News articles is better than “sliced bread”. It’s great to have freedom of speech rights in Maine, isn’t it?
And here is the link to the 110 page report if you care to read it. http://station.wabi.tv/assets/SP11-084951.pdf
Worthy of further investigation? Yes. Worthy of unfounded accusations against people trying to do difficult jobs? No.
This case is by no means black-and-white or cut-and-dried. Knowing what they know now, I’m sure some of these officials would have handled their suspicions differently. But then, hindsight is always 20/20.
Or, maybe they wouldn’t and, further, they won’t. It is not unfair, after too long a period, to suggest people are reluctant or, even, unwilling to do their job of reporting, investigating or prosecuting. Improper bahavior went unnanswered for far too long. When this happens the public has a right to be concerned or, even, outraged. Change for the better will likely occur quicker when the latter happens. In my view, this is good for the community. People have and are clearly denying this, becoming even angry and depressed. This is good too, because, at some point, sooner or later, we will all accept that this happened and needs to be stopped, people held accountable and, if they have a proper attitude, retrained, and the system corrected, including the laws that govern these situations. Laws merely state what we think about certain behavior; good or bad, and how we will deal with it, either way. There are laws that punish or demand compensation for bad behavior. There are laws that honor and promote good behavior, including public, professional and business officers. When, even, these honored officers go wrong and fail to do what their high office requires, including prosecutors, police, doctors, religious officials and therapists, then they become subject to laws that deal with such bad behavior. Simple.
ambrosebear…I agree with much of what you expressed, but I think the dynamics of this tragedy are far from simple. Logic says that none of us can control the past, so we are only left with the option of reaction. Destructive, clandestine activities such as child sexual abuse are complicated, troubling and very difficult to quantify.
From a philosophical viewpoint, morals, laws and ethics are three areas that interweave to define both the personal and social aspects of human behavior. The point of laws and their enforcement is to seek justice. Penalties/punishments are designed to be a deterrent. But in a case like Carlson’s, that option is meaningless. He did his terrible deeds and then took his own life. For his sexual abuse victims, this is a double tragedy, as first they were powerless to stop him when he lived and then they became powerless by being denied the satisfaction of justice.
As I’ve maintained consistently on this board…unless there is evidence of a cover-up, a rush to judgement on people other than Carlson helps no one to heal, recover or understand. Unlike in the Sandusky case, an inability to act on limited information by a variety of public individuals does not, to my mind, constitute a cover-up.
Of course this is not to suggest that a cover-up might not be revealed in the future. So continued investigation is paramount. Despite what Bangor officials claim, there should be no “closing the book” on Carlson’s terrible chapter. It is all but certain that the fall-out from this will be felt in the Bangor area for years to come.
With a dearth of satisfaction for the injured parties, we are left with limited choices. I believe the best choice is to use this as a “teachable moment” by having this public discussion, by examining existing protocols and by being determined to prevent such monstrous behavior from ever occurring in our homes and neighborhoods and communities.
Thank you for your kind response. Our focus is on identifying, reporting, stopping, holding persons accountable, and prevention with regard to abuse of any kind, but, most especially, the abuse of defenseless children, physically disabled, mentally challenged and the elderly. That is not to say weak men and women are lower priority as historical imbalances of not quite been corrected just yet, either. But, if that is our focus, and, clearly, it seems to be yours, sir, then, yes, lets not “rush” but let’s not “drag our feet” either. Abusers are out there and can’t stop themselves from their way of thinking and behaving. They expect and need us to stop them. They, typically, don’t resist, either. They’re addicted and need to be redirected with treatment and 24/7 observation by qualified healthcare workers, and not just permanently locked away like dogs. They are humans with “behaviors”… very, very dangerous behaviors at the extreme end of the scale. Carlson’s enablers helped him get to that extreme, unfortunately. INTENT is important, but their DUTY to act and failure to do so was INTENTIONAL, which permitted ongoing abuse to occur. They, unlike the average Mainer, had a DUTY TO RESCUE the victims in the form of making madatory reports of suspected abuse, and they didn’t do it. That failure was intentional. No doubt. The law would likely support a court decision to convict the enablers and provide civil compensation for the harm they and the perpetrator caused. All of these people have professional insurance, or should have it. Thier estates provide a source of victim compensation, ultimately. It seems they should have already sued all involved by now. Heard anything? Again, thanks for responding.
How is having a child in a car in a dark parking lot suspicious? All the fast food joints have dark parking lots at night, during hours. The parking lot around the Bangor Mall could be considered dark at night. There are many, many “dark” parking lots frequented by families and other people around the city. I dont think in any other situation have I heard about the dreaded “dark parking lots”. In this case, given his actions, it becomes suspicious. But, if I saw someone parked in a dark parking lot 1. I doubt id be able to see inside the car 2. I wouldnt automatically assume that there is a sexual assault taking place. Seems a bit silly. I guess its a good thing I dont have kids and probably wont, id be afraid that if I took them out some night and stopped anywhere for a minute that id get arrested for some lunacy.
Yes, I have to agree and am surprised nobody else has pointed this out.
How many people rush to call the police any time they see a man and a young child in a car in a “dark parking lot”?
Agreed Lucy but these weren’t ordinary people. They were police officers and what they saw gave them pause to think about installing surveillance cameras but for some reason decided against it. That pause is the problem. To consider placing surveillance cameras means they considered the activity suspicious.
Carlson did not have young children when this event occurred.
The MSP report mentioned the officer did not see the car go into the parking lot during the 30-45 minutes he observed the parking lot indicating that the car and occupants were in the lot longer than 30-45 minutes.
The MSP report stated the officer said it was the “darkest” part of the parking lot.
The officer saw the young boy as Carlson’s car was leaving the lot.
Let me relate a personal experience from about 12 – 15 years ago. In Bangor in the middle of the day I had to make an important phone call from the road. I choose an area where I knew the cell signal was strong and wouldn’t drop the call. So around 1 PM, by myself I made the call. Unknown to my I choose a parking spot approximately 150-200 yards from what I now know to be a day care. The day care operator called Bangor PD and reported a “suspicious” car. I completed the 10-15 minute call, drove away and was pulled over by BPD. They asked me what was I doing in the area, why I choose the area that I parked in, etc…they ran my license and registration and satisfied let me go. Another Bangor PD cruiser then pulled along side my car, the officer looked me in the eye and then drove off.
Now let me state I had no problem with how I was treated or that they stopped me to ask why was I in the area I was and what was I doing. The stop took all of 5 minutes and didn’t cause me any problem.
With that knowledge, wouldn’t you agree that any car leaving the darkest area of a parking lot with a young boy with a male driver that was there at least 30-45 minutes should have been treated in the same way and manner as I was?
Yes. Its circumstantial. In one circumstance, children are with adults in parking lots eating their purchases in plain sight of people and cars parked adjacent to them. In other circumstances, an adult and an underage child is observed in a car, which is clearly parked away from the close view of other people and not adjacent to other cars, and …… the Bangor Policeman knows the identity of the car as that being one Reverand Carlson. Here, the Police knew the perp, knew he was behaving suspiciously, wanted to put cameras up at this, obviously, often visited part of the parking lot. Big diffence in circumstances. One you sense and know is likely innocent. The other, you run over, throw open the car door, grab the suspected abuser off the victim and cuff him before immediately calling DHHS to protect the child from further abuse and trauma. I have 4 children and 8 grandchildren. One knows the difference, believe me, in every glance at cars parked in the dark. Heck, anyone who’s parked and slept overnight in their RV at a Walmart knows this.
Carlson was not a Priest. He claimed to be an ordained minister of the Congregational Church. I hope at some point the Bangor Daily News will stop referring to him as “Reverend”, he was not a Reverend. He was a fraud. Many people were fooled by him, including his congregation, the folks at Husson, PCHC, the County Jail, and on and on.
As for Beardsley, he knew he had a bad apple on his hands and he should have made it known to the authorities that there were questions about his behavior, but he did not.
He needs to admit that, but he won’t. To do so would put his present job at risk. Does anyone think that Governor Lepage will have guts enough to ask him to step down even if his actions are questionable, not on your life. Lepage will defend him despite his public proclamations about zero tolerance for abuse. Lets see how this shakes out.
‘THE LAW” can do plenty “after the fact”. The law can help ensure medical bills for victim treatments are paid by Carlson’s Estate. The law can criminally prosecute and hold civilly accountable for damages due to pain and suffering Carlson’s enablers. The law can be enforced and expanded to make it a crime for POLICE not to report suspected abuse to DHHS. There is plenty the law can and should do, still.
He talks the talk but dose not walk the walk . At least this time I on this (case)I have real support . Same subject different (Name) case . They can track my IP if they want .
JD, I think he ran unopposed last election, I wrote someone in, find someone to run against him, and I’ll vote for them, I’d even vote for you.
Mr. Hunt might not be a great public speaker LOL but bet he could have more back bone . What is wrong with are society today . I remember racing home from school to catch the latest Brady bunch show . Things were far from perfect then but its time we get back to real values . We are not moving ahead fast enough or maybe not all in the right directions.
As someone who worked directly with children .. I was a mandated reporter. My understanding was if you had suspicion of or knowledge of child abuse or neglect you were mandated to report or initiate a report by contacting DHS or the police and they would investigate. I am having difficulty understanding what part of “mandatory; required by law” the DA is unsure of.
And if they can’t be prosecuted, at the very least fire them.
Why is Sheriff Ross still employed – we are a loser bunch of Penobscot County citizens if we give him any more time in office next election – he should be out the day he broke the code and told his pal of the up and comings.
He should have been arrested for interfering with an investigation. They would have arrested you or I if we did what he did.
“pal”! Sherriff Ross resign! Sherriff Ross resign! Sherriff Ross resign. Do not pass Go. Do not collect $200. Sherriff Ross resign!
I am also a mandated reporter and I cannot just call the police. I actually have a 24/7 toll free number to call and the law is very clear that I must call that number in addition to a call to the local PD.
As mandated reporters are we not to call the police, i was always told too. I have only had two times i have had too so far
I am covered by very specific rules because I would come into this knowledge through my employment in public safety.
ok that is why some are different. Thank you
I am a mandated reporter, as well. After I made a DHS report I was castigated by the medical doctor for not calling him first. I very calmly informed him that as a mandated reporter my call had to be made to Adult Protective. He wasn’t happy…..which tells me he would have ordered me to keep still. Did I do right? Oh yes!
I have a number i call when i have to mandate for the type of work i do, but i called it one night and then i got a lecture from child services the next day to call them. So who knows who i am supposed to call. But i call child services most of the time, just thank god i dont need to use this that much
I was also a mandated reporter and once had to make a call. I informed a supervisor, who unfortunately then told the persons in question. I was hounded and berated by them for months. Was it difficult and terrifying? Yes. Do I regret it? Absolutely not, since ur led to an investigation. I know dozens of other people who also are mandated reporters, and I applaud every single one that does the right thing. The law is in place for a reason, and there should be consequences for those that knowingly and willingly turn a blind eye.
Yes you did the correct thing. When we suspect that a child (or the elderly) are being abused or neglected we have to take action to protect those that cannot protect themselves.
Most definately, in my view. I want to hang around with people like you. I like you. Seriously. I totally agree with you. Remember, Carlson apparently relied on doctors, just like yours, to take his PCHC money, probably as partners, in order to maintain his secret, montrous identity. Your doctor, here, would probably have gone along with Carlson too, told you to “keep still” in order to keep the money flowing. Greed and obsessive seeking of profits have no consiounce (sp).
DA Almay is a “comrade” of Carlson and company, and has NO BUSINESS, with his apparent conflict of interest, participating in any decision about whether or not “it is in the state’s interest not to prosecute when the victim is a child and cannot defend themselves from the abuse?” This seems to be evidence of how Carlson was able to get away with his abusive scheme for so long. He was apparently so good at seduction that, even after he killed himself and his true identity as a monster has been revealed, his enablers and “the system” is still trying, through, again, inaction, to keep the truth covered up and to let the enablers remain unaccountable, and the systemic causes of all this to go unaddressed. The Public Interest is clearly our need to NOT cover this truth up, to hold enablers accountable and to address the systemic causes of this tragedy. Now. If Mr. Almy can’t see this, then replace him. Current and future victims rely on it.
I think what is being largely overlooked on this comment board is the fact that prior to the
Sandusky case, this repulsive clandestine activity (sexual molestation of children) seldom made headlines. Yes, the Catholic church has been taken to task because of the dozens of cases being litigated; but just recently, Jerry Sandusky’s high-profile position at Penn State prompted a national examination of these terrible sexual violations.
We have many high-integrity professionals here in Penobscot County, in areas as diverse as law enforcement and education. It is easy to point a finger and say, “Why didn’t he come forward and say or do something about Carlson?” As some of the witnesses stated, religious
figures were considered above suspicion then.
That has all changed now.
Just as Sandusky’s case set a national precedent, I believe Bob Carlson’s case sets a LOCAL precedent. From this point forward, people in both private and professional capacities will be hyper-alert to this form of deviant behavior. It is easier to take action when there is
greater public awareness and accurate information made available. The BDN serves the community by striving to expose as many facts as possible; the public serves the community by educating themselves about this sick and atrocious behavior and reporting any suspicious behavior immediately.
Perhaps this is the only good that will come of the suffering of these victims and the death of a flawed and troubled soul. Sometimes a harsh light must be cast in dark places to illuminate the truth.
oops
“They said they had either received information about or witnessed
Carlson engage in criminal or inappropriate sexual behavior over the
last four decades.”
This is simply not a factual statement in relation to Beardsley. He never said this in the report. He said he was told that Carlson had an affair with someone. Embarrassing but not criminally “inappropriate” activity.
If everyone reported evidence of every affair, the phone at the police station would never stop ringing.
Betty, you need to go read the report. Beardsley had multiple reports and now he is lying.
Isn’t this the same DA who wanted a police officer accused of a crime to take a penile plethysmograph test?
Yes Mr Harrington In the Lawrence case . I personally know several people involve in that case. The . I was told by 4 of them at differnt times (including the ring leader) that they made up the story. My days in lagrange . Even so he and MR.Roberts refused to prosecute any case MR. Harrington brought before them. Ruined an innocent policemans career .
I remember the story clearly and the dumbos on the Old Town City Council along with the worthless town manager and the jerks who were in the Rotary at the time, who thought it was funny to make light of the penile plethysmograph test. Chris Almy and Mr. Roberts in their rush to judgement of an innocent man are now wanting to just move on. Where is his wife, what did she know and what about his estate?
I am no fan of Mr. Almy or Mr. Roberts. Why did they get to keep thier jobs?
Mr. Almy – it is your job to find some clarity on this issue. The people who enabled this behavior, who lied and who violated their positions of public trust need to be thoroughly investigated and charged, if there is a crime found.
I hope Chris Almay does not discuss this with Sheriff Ross about what he is going to do with future charges pending. Ross will have to rent Jeff’s Catering to discuss it with everybody to inform everyone hiding infor. So they can line up on the Waldo-Hancock.
I have heard several rumors about a sheriff and a Boy scout leader, but rumors are seldom true. I think in this case though, investigation would be justifiable.
If “rumors are seldom true” why did you even bring it up?
That is a suspicion report it to DHHS.
Come on Chris cut out the well…..gee wiz….I don’t know stuff. There was a point in your career that you took a stand for kids. I am sure the name Lawrence must ring a bell. Remember Connie Chung ambushing you in the parking lot behind the old police station. A lot of District Attorneys would have wilted under that kind of pressure. You didn’t. As far as your saying that the law’s intent is to encourage people to report child abuse not to punish people who fail to report you could say that about most any law. Are you now going to apply the same standard to armed robbery, manslaughter and drug offenses? Of course you won’t. I know that you have been put right smack dab into the middle of a major cluster (insert expletive). The people of Penobscot County need you to send a loud, and clear message in this case Chris ……. If you sexually abuse children in Penobscot County, Maine or know of someone sexually abusing children in Penobscot County, Maine and don’t report it then you will be made to pay dearly for it, no if’s and’s or but’s. Our kids, grand kids and great grand kids deserve nothing less.
Should we bring up the Greenlief case again????????????????????? J/K not here Many liberal nuts could join forces with conservatives for real issues like this one. Libs join with conservatives for a real cause wow is it possible?
people need to stop calling him REVEREND! he was not a REVEREND!! he was a man that took advantage of young boys and fooled us all into thinking that he was a great man that loved God. well guess what if he really loved God he wouldn’t have abused those boys.
Chris is in an impossible spot here. He is an elected DA who must be seen as tough on sex offenders to stay in office. Like our Legislators, this usually involves finding bigger and better ways to pillory those already caught. The problem is that the whole “lone pervert” model that law enforcement and prosecutors use is not very effective against those in positions of authority who abuse minors. They tend to form well organized, well financed organizations that groom prey, cover each other and intimidate witnesses. Every now and then a stupid one gets thrown under the bus, but a DA cannot play “let’s make a deal” to take down the organization. Until we give these folks the tools they need to approach this problem like organized crime, I fear it cannot get any better. The leaders often have gold badges or teaching licenses.
Maine criminal law at 17-A§554 Endangering the welfare of a child
1.
A person is guilty of endangering the welfare of a child if that person:
C. Otherwise recklessly endangers the health, safety or welfare of a child under 16 years of age by violating a duty of care or protection.
3. Endangering the welfare of a child is a Class D crime.
Being a mandatory reporter certainly qualifies as a “duty of care or protection” don’t you think?
What you find with the DA is that if the case is not handed to him on a plater, so that there isn’t any work to do on the investigation and then go in a plea the case down. he’ll do it, it time for a new DA as well as a New Sheriff from outside the present adminastration, a sheriff that will allow his officers to do there work, and who will stand behind them, not talk out of both sides of his mouth..
I agree.
Isn’t forcing people to report suspected crimes forcing them to engage in speech? Isn’t that a 1st amendment violation?
If it wasn’t part of a job description, then absolutely it would be a violation (although also, in my opinion, immoral). However, when you accept a job that places you in the position of protecting children, then you must abide by the laws and regulations that follow it. If you decide to become sherriff, or a teacher, or a doctor, etc., then you should be aware of your lawful expectations; therefore, when you sign a contract, you have willingly decided to follow those laws and should be prosecuted accordingly if you do not follow the law or whatever regulations your institution has put in place.
Let’s put it this way: if I were a teacher and I told a misbehaving child to calm down or I would kill him (and maybe sprinkle in some details to show him I meant business), would you be defending my 1st Amendment right to free speech? No, if you were decent, you would be calling for my resignation and possibly the construction of a gallows. What’s the difference? Harm is harm.
The difference is you are not being forced to threaten to kill kids.
My point was, as a professional you are held to a set of standards, whether set down by the law or the individual organization. When you sign a contract, you agree to all the responsibilities. If you do not legally comply, you are liable. You have already agreed to comply despite your 1st Amendment right, and should be held responsible.
its not an OUI so nothing major will be done!
No, it’s drugs involved. They are filling our jails and prison.
I am reading alot of discussion about who is considered a mandatory reporter or not. REALLY!!!! So regardless of your position what about your moral obligation to protect children, why would it matter if it was mandatory or not. I do agree though that the people who were in a position of trust especially a councilor should be prosecuted !!! How do these people live with themselves knowing they might have prevented one more child from the abuse of Rev. Carlson. Please investigate this for the sake of the children!!!!!
A Maine district attorney while in a mediation session when informed that the individual I was representing was doing 5 miles per hour by the charging Brewer officer above the posted speed limit all because of an inconsistency in signage stated…”It does not matter 1 mile per hour above and she was speeding, case closed”. That district attorney was Mr. Almy, and now he can not seem to find grounds to prosecute those who failed to report and in essence aided Rev. Carlson in covering his pedophilia as accessories in the commission of.
I feel for all those victims created by this same practice of oversight that Mr. Almy displays as part of the sickness that allows pedophilia to run rampant.
Perhaps Almy has similar habits and perversions just like Ross.
Right, Where are your priorities Almy.
Perhaps prosecution is not possiable, but these people should loose their public positions and counselor positions….CHCS which knew early on because its counseled victoms should lose their license….period.. The hope house saw Bob with young boys acting out…come on they knew and those who knew should have stoped it….they sould lose there positions, all of them…
They have lost their positions in the public eye. None of us will ever look at them the same. Grown men who could not even protect one kid. I scrape you off the bottom of a farm boot.
Whoever hears of any inappropriateness towards children( or anyone) is legally, if not morally bound to report this to the proper authorities… How can anyone stay quiet when they know or even have an inkling that this is going on… Parents, family, and oh yes, lets not forget the whole judicial, as well as the religious sector that all knew what was going on… I can only imagine how may bills were being payed by this “savior” for his victims!
So Bangor, Maine, what are you going to do about this??? When you have all the people in power sweeping this under the rug, do you really think it will help the victims?
People need to speak up, there is no shame in being abused but there is for the people in power who knew it was going on and protected the perpetrator, no matter what he was doing “for the family”. SICK AND WRONG AND IT NEEDS TO STOP!
First of all, the second to last paragraph refers to Mr. Carlson as a minister. Hell, he was no minister, change that BDN.
he served in the position of a minister
he was self appointed, something that is unclear to many
ZZZZ
The reason nothing will be done is because Carlson was close with some many people in powerful place it can be just swept under the rug. When visitors come into the state of Maine , they should be able to read a sign that says, “Welcome to Maine, The state where you can get away with anything.” This state is an absolute joke! Oh and last I checked, If I were to work for the DEA and had a friend I knew who sold drugs and tipped him off that he was going to get his house raided, I would lose my job. Apparently though, if you are Sheriff Glen Ross, you can tip someone off and get away with it with no repercussions. This is the way life shouldn’t be.
Exactly, Ross interfered with an investigation and may be as devious as Carlson noting his actions. He did not have to tell Carlson about the investigation and could have simply stated you are not allowed here for right now. Why is the state police letting this go? Ross interfered with your investigation which he knows better. And state police might want to investigate a Cindy who commented that she had a relationship with Ross as an inmate.
When I lived in Massachusetts, it was called mandated reporting for a reason. And people were prosecuted for failure to report abuse or neglect. It did not happen often, but it did happen. If the law if not clear, then it should be clarified so that people who fail to do the right thing have to answer to more than their own consciences.
Carlson was up to his arm pits in the “ol boy” network. It is my bet standing right beside him was our civic minded D.A. and our Sheriff.
That does not surprise me by their actions and inaction.
Does his wife still claim to not know anything about it? One of the reports said she wasn’t even living with Bob at some point. I think she knew and left because of it. He no doubt had kiddie porn on his computer in between his molestings. If she knew, and I think she did, she should have reported him for the sake of the children.
Unfortunately we will never know how much covering up was done in this case. I am still baffled as to why Carlson’s computer was not confiscated and gone through with a fine tooth comb. That could have led to information on how many people this evil person was molesting and just how deep the trail of cover up goes.
Almy needs to do the right thing. Ross was wrong but since a group of fellow sherrifs declared that he did nothing wrong he keeps his job? Like another poster said if I tipped someone off that they were going to be raided I would be in jail.
This whole is wrong from top to bottom.
Abuse & molestation of a human is never ok and should not be swept under a rug.
firecap66 wasn’t too far off the mark. carlson was well connected for years with the pillars of our community who would tell you that they didn’t have the slightest clue about carlson.
There is a law on sexually abusing an INNOCENT child. It’s our job to make sure that a child isn’t abuse. If you cover it up and not say anything when you know it’s going on. Makes the pedifile keep doing this behavior, When keeping it quiet all your doing is protecting the pedifile. We need a law, IT is our job to protect kids.
Let’s be the first in the nation to make this law… Let the county know we have 0 tollerance on any kind of sexual abuse. Come on Maine do the right thing.. lets start protecting these innocent kids!
The statute is clear and concise. I question whether Almy has got the guts to do his job. Here is the wording of the statute:
MES Title 22-A
Chapter 1071
Subchapter 2
Sub-section 4011-A
Paragraph 1:
“Required report to
department. The following adult persons shall immediately report or
cause a report to be made to the department when the person knows or has
reasonable cause to suspect that a child has been or is likely to be abused or
neglected or that a suspicious child death has occurred.”
Sub-section A:
“When acting in a professional capacity: ”
(13) A school official.
Almy needs to charge Beardsley for failure to report as required, and the Governor needs to put Beardsley on a bus.
Does the statute say failure to report is a crime? Which class of crime?
Class D. Felony
“Whoever aids, abets, counsels, commands, induces, or procures the commission of an offense is a principal.”[6]In 1948, § 550 became 18 U.S.C. § 2(a). Section 2(b) was also added to make clear the legislative intent to punish as a principal not only one who directly commits an offense and one who “aids, abets, counsels, commands, induces or procures” another to commit an offense, but also anyone who causes the doing of an act which if done by him directly would render him guilty of an offense against the United States. It removes all doubt that one who puts in motion or assists in the illegal enterprise or causes the commission of an indispensable element of the offense by an innocent agent or instrumentality is guilty as a principal even though he intentionally refrained from the direct act constituting the completed offense.[7]
Subsection (a) of Section 2 was amended to its current form in 1951 to read, “Whoever commits an offense against the United States or aids, abets, counsels, commands, induces or procures its commission, is punishable as a principal.” Subsection (b) was also amended in 1951 to add “wilfully” and “is punishable as a principal.”[8]
[edit] Application to “white collar crimes”
See also: White collar crime
Since 2001, the Securities and Exchange Commission has filed a number of complaints related to the aiding and abetting of securities fraud. For example, CIBC and Merrill Lynch were separately charged with aiding and abetting Enron’s evasion of record keeping requirements and required financial controls. Settlements, including disgorgement, penalties, and interest reached $80 million in both cases.
[edit] Civil
Aiding and abetting is also a legal theory of civil accessory liability. To prove accessory liability through “aiding and abetting,” the plaintiffs must prove three elements:
That Defendant B breached a duty to Plainitff, the result of which injured Plaintiff;That Defendant A knowingly and substantially assisted Defendant B in breaching the duty; andThat Defendant A aware of its role in promoting the breach of duty at the time it provided assistance.[9]
Two of whom are supposed to serve and protect…. oh wait…. they are just not the victims
Theoretically, that could include the former president of Husson University, a Penobscot County sheriff’s deputy and detective, a Bangor police officer and a therapist who treated some of Carlson’s victims. They said they had either received information about or witnessed Carlson engage in criminal or inappropriate sexual behavior over the last four decades
If any of those who had suspected were “Mandated Reporters” then yet they can and should be held responsible. It is in their training to report such incidents. If not then I feel it is their consciences that will pay and should haunt them the rest of their lives. Why is it we treat our children and those who do the most for us (Vets) like crap and praise those who help destroy others lives? Humanity is so backwards.
I just realized something….The department of conservation and the department of ag are set to merge at the end of this month. By all reports, Walt Whitcomb will be the new leader and Beardsley is out. That should make the Governor’s decision as to whether to keep Beardsley around very easy….talk about political expediency. As for all who failed to report, I would be more worried about civil litigation by victims rather than criminal prosecution. That is, if there were victims post their notification of Carlson’s actions. Does that make sense?
Looks like Mr Almy is trying to sweep a brick under the rug.
This investigation and possible prosecution needs to be conducted by the AG’s office. Penobscot County officials are too close to the issue.
Perhaps the esteemed counsel could start with the therapist and work his way toward law enforcement.
Professionals Required to ReportRev. Stat. Tit. 22, § 4011-A
The following persons, when acting in a professional capacity, are required to report:
Allopathic or osteopathic physicians, residents, interns, emergency medical services persons, medical examiners, • physician’s assistants, dentists, dental hygienists, dental assistants, chiropractors, podiatrists, or registered or licensed practical nurses
Teachers, guidance counselors, school officials, youth camp administrators or counselors, or social workers•
Court-appointed special advocates or guardians •
The following persons, when acting in a professional capacity, are required to report:
Homemakers, home-health aides, medical or social service workers, psychologists, child care personnel, or mental • health professionals
Law enforcement official, State or municipal fire inspectors, or municipal code enforcement officials•
Commercial film and photographic print processors •
Clergy members•
Chairs of professional licensing boards that have jurisdiction over mandated reporters•
Humane agents employed by the Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Resources•
Sexual assault
This whole thing is BS Sheriff’s dept can’t act on suspicion alone..police reports are always reporting police checked out suspicious activity..people are always put on administrative leave with or without pay until things can be cleared up…this is just another case of no one stepping up and doing the right thing and because he was a religious figure and a friend they turned thier heads in the other direction..
Ah yes, Chris Almy, Maine’s “Can’t Prosecute” prosecutor
Tell us, Mr. Almy, just why this is so “unclear” to you???
How can anyone be prosecuted for not reporting what is nothing more than supposition?
Not one of those people listed had anything more concrete on Carlson, other than he seemed to have an unhealthy interest in youngsters. That triggered some to report his activities to their bosses. But, apparently it went no further. The facts were much clearer in the Penn State debacle. However, even reporting actual observations of the offender, did nothing.
DA Almy makes it clear – how can you prosecute someone for believing that a man on the pay roll is a pedophile and not reporting that belief to the boss? The observations of this man and his company certainly brought concern, even if there was no proof. You can’t prosecute for failing to report a crime, since no crime could be proven.
The “law” itself is more than just confusing. It’s tinged with that ominous Big Brother stench and could result in more tragedies, than success. Anyone could be cited for being seen frequently in the company of youngsters. Anyone could be under suspicion. And, families could be wrecked and lives destroyed based on one person’s suspicions that their neighbor, or, friend is a pedophile. Unfounded suspicions – as in Witch hunting.
Today, there is a lot of “should have” and “would have” on the heals of this case. It does nothing to change what happened. Not even the man’s closest friends or family knew the other Carlson. Suspecting him of being a pedophile is one thing. Proving it – the real test. Families need to trust their kids. Bosses need to heed their employees warnings. Get rid of it before it becomes what this case did.
I’m a mandated reporter and have been for 20 years…..I am mandated to report if a client tells me about abuse/neglect directly OR if I SUSPECT abuse/neglect etc…..I only have to SUSPECT something such as seeing bruises, or the child or adult alludes to abuse/neglect etc or the client tells me directly. I do not necessarily NEED ‘concrete’ evidence. I don’t believe I have ever had a client tell me directly that yes they have been abused- it is a complicated process. I also do not take making a report lightly- it’s a very serious thing. It is NOT the role of a mandated reporter to do ANY investigation- that’s the DA’s office or DHHS job. My job is to make sure the DA or DHHS get’s the information so they can decide to act on the information…..if the DA or DHHS never gets the INFORMATION then nothing ever happens and THAT is where this system breaks down…..as in with Carlson or Sandusky. People knew and people did nothing thus they enabled the behavior to continue…..and thus here we all are today….again…and we will be here again at some point….again.
You make several excellent points. But if I read the recent article correctly the therapist who was counseling at least one of Mr. Carlson’s victims not only knew that he was the perpetrator of their client’s abuse but was also aware of other victims being seen by other therapist within the agency. While I’m unclear regarding Maine’s statute of limitations in prosecuting prior abuse we had a case of a perpetrator who was living and very much still in the position to abuse any number of additional victims. Based on that fact alone any therapist who was aware of his alleged past behavior should have reported it immediatelly to the proper authorities who then should have conducted a intense investigation. If Maine law has no penalty for failure to report we need to take a very close look at changing the law. However, what we can do now is file a formal grievance with whatever Board oversees the licensure of the therapists involved and that Board needs to take serious disciplinary action against any therapist who was aware of the abuser identity. As for Sheriff Ross I suspect that had any one of us released that information to a person under investigation we would have also been seriously disciplined, if not fired on the spot. Ross has demonstrated an inability to properly perform his job and he needs to pay a price for his incompetence. While Mr. Carlson clearly lacked the courage to face the potential legal and social consequences of his actions, and I suspect would have chosen to end his life at the point that he became aware of the investigation, had the Sheriff acted professionally it’s entirely possible that a great deal more concrete information would have been gathered before Mr. Carlson had an opportunity to harm himself. As for all of the others involved, while I don’t believe for a second that their roles in this should be white washed I think we need to be very careful to seperate suspicion from knowledge.
Right now, for me, the most important thing is that there are clear and serious consequences for those who knew and failed to act….and in the Sheriff’s case for tipping off a suspected pedophile. We have an obligation to take a strong stand and not, for even a second,to consider sweeping any of this under the rug.
Here is the link to the law that mandates certain classifications of employment to report know or suspect cases of child abuse, neglect or suspicious death of a child. Every single one of the 32 classifications are people that either do or may come into contact with victims of child abuse. It does not mandate that every day people report or cause to report suspected child abuse cases. I am a mandated reporter in more than one classification and I would rather make the report and be wrong then not make the report and be right in my suspicion. If the mandated reporters do not stand up for those that cannot fight back, who will?
http://www.mainelegislature.org/legis/statutes/22/title22sec4011-a.html
Translation—it’ll be too hard to win these cases so we aren’t even going to try.
Translation of Almay’s statement: No, I’m not going to hold any of these people accountable for not doing what should have been done, thus allowing the abuse to continue for YEARS longer than it otherwise might have. Shame on you, Mr. Almy.
Of all those witnesses, shouldn’t the Sheriff and detective, at least, be held responsible??? Isn’t it their job to uphold the law and to arrest criminals, never mind report if they know of a criminal? That is just plain old not doing your job!
First, Carlson was not a Reverend. Second, if there are mandatory reporting laws, why are there no repercussions for not reporting? Someone needs to be accountable for what happened. Glen Ross tipped Carlson off but, gets off without a slap on the wrist even. Crazy situation with crazy outcome. I do hope everyone that Carlson abuse, including his family, finds peace and heals completely.
no one will be charged. statue of limitations?!!! Puleeze – it’s been 52 years since I was abused and I hurt and suffer each and every day. A life sentence. No one cares really.
You’re right it can be a life sentence that being said it’s not true that no one cares…many people care- they unfortunately were apparently not the one’s who had the information on Carlson…..and I’ll be honest caring is all well and good but it’s not enough…..people need to actually DO something about the information they may have. To have information and to DO nothing is wrong. We can all see the results of people having information and DOING NOTHING with Carlson and Sandusky…..it results in nothing positive period.
These people always cover for each other. Than’s how the abuse goes on for so long.
Mr Almy has to mnay friends in this deal and should remove himself as the lead DA
Imagine what those kids thought when carlson brought them down to the jail in the middle of the night, with law enforcement all around and not one of them does or says anything, after carlson had probably just finished or was going to rape them later on that night. carlson probably used the trip to the jail to either intimidate the kids or reinforce the normality of what he was doing, when deputies or whoever did’nt question the visits what were the kids supposed to think.
Mandated reporter be damned, whoever saw something and did’nt do something is indebted for life by their inaction on behalf of their victims. carlson’s car parked in a parking lot for 8or 9 months, seen with a kid at the same time, late nite visits with kids to jail, I need to look at the kiddie porn for some research, a therapist being told carlson assaulted me by several patients, accusations of child sex abuse and you don’t grab the computer,
What’s the final answer, I’m sorry there’s nothing we could have done and there’s nothing we can do. All we have to do now is hang on and it will all be over soon! I hope this group that was abused bands toghether and tells everything that happened and eveything they know, it would be a horriic story but one that needs to be told so it is not forgotten.
As a Nurse and a mandatory reporter I think Mr. Almy is way off. I’m sorry but IT’S THE LAW! Plus even if it wasn’t I can’t believe that anyone knowing a child is being molested could just say nothing. It’s hideous, if we can’t protect children from pedophiles then we need to stop having children. Sorry but how does one live with themselves knowing this information and not doing anything about it.
You knew Almy, didn’t you? OMG. You knew and did nothing.
Thier is No way he did not know.
The statute has been in place since 1965, yet not once has the DA’s office taken anyone to task for not reporting abuse. Perhaps it may be time for that to change. Perhaps it is time for the professionals to be held accountable for not reporting if that is what it takes to really “encourage” them to do the right thing.
Almy is not a Judge. If he has information which clearly indicates a serious misbehavior is occurring or has occurred, like the police, he has a duty, as prosecutor, to stop it or to, definately, make his report of the misbehavior to a Judge in good standingin order to be dealt with according to law. This D.A. is clearly undermining the police when he states in this article his opinion that the legislation is, “vague”. Perpetrators and their defence lawyers must be slapping their knees, rolling around and laughing at this statement, between wiping tears of joy from their eyes. At the same time, and not just child victims, but victims of adult and elder abuse will likely now be less protected from current or potential abusers. Look at the legislation and give it the purposive interpretation intended under law. But, regardless, the jerk clearly was, among other things, an agent of his corporate church, which had a fiduciary duty, in civil law terms, to the victim(s) he apparently abused. They would, it seems, be found liable for aggravated personal injury damages and, seemingly, “criminal” negligence. With all due respect to him, the D.A. should and probably does know this already. Why the foot dragging? Do your job. Protect our children, elders and our physically disabled and mentally challenged community members, sir!
Maybe Because MR. Almy knows thier are other high figure ones being covered up for? I think if he would have done his JOB Carson would have been investigated a long time ago. He has NEVER prosecuted anyone for not reporting? I would bet many times he new of mandated reporters that did not report. He is clearly playing into a system that thinks it is ok to RAPE kids if you are a person in power . I will never have any respect for this man. MR. Carlson was not the first public figure covered up for . He will not be the last. That is a fact but to stand by and act like you are going to not even try makes him as bad as the person who did this. What is in the interest of the state or public it more important than what is in the interest of children.