THANK YOU FOR YOUR ENCOURAGEMENT, MASPAL !

Thanks so much for you encouragement. It really comes at a very good time.

Just a few months ago a man I work with was arrested for first degree sexual assault against two girls ages 12 and under. According to the paper the girls are now about 16 and finally pressed charges. He has been out on bail and working. In our profession he has a great opportunity to be around children. I have been very upset by this. The stand our company took at first was that he needed to take a few weeks off to let the news die down. Then they let him resume his position with no regard for the allegations made against him. He was allowed to spend an entire day at an amusement park giving out samples for our company. Needless to say he was around children all day. Now, just two weeks ago, new charges were filed against him in the county we work in. The first charges were in the county he lives in and it is a very small rural community. He knows everyone and he has money.

I was just livid when I saw the news that he had new charges against him and was still allowed to perform his job with no restrictions or protection for the children he may be around. The new charges only stated 2nd degree rape. It did not specify if it was to a child or not. So knowing my way around a courthouse I went to the county court house that day after work. I looked up the charge and got the case number. Then I went to the clerk’s office and asked to see the file. They were a little hesitant but they knew it was public knowledge so they got the file. A lady came out with the file and said that there was really not much in the file yet because he had not even been arrested yet. She said it just gives the charges. I said yes I know may I see the file. I realized she was trying to protect the innocent but I had to know if the victim was a child or not.

Well this all happened about 20 years ago and the girl is now a woman. Her name was not listed on the case file because she was a minor at the time. I did not need to know her name. I just needed to know if she was a child or not. As far as I was concerned, she was a child. Even though she is an adult now, she was a child when it happened and around the age of 12 to 13. The same age as the girls who just had filed charges against him in his home county. I then made a trip to the prosecuting attorneys office to let him know that I disagreed with him getting out on bail. I let him know that he was around children in his job and I felt he should not be allowed to be around children. I also let him know that he had charges pending against him in another county, something he had not been informed of. He assured me that day that once the perpetrator was arrested and could be arraigned, he would make it a stipulation of his bond that he not be allowed around children in his job or otherwise. I felt better knowing that maybe I helped keep another innocent child from being hurt by him.

I may have put my job on the line but I really did not care. I felt my company should be more responsible about the situation.

Finally, this past Monday, he was given an ultimatum, “retire, or be fired”. He chose to be fired and it seems that now he may try to file a wrongful dismissal suit against the company. In the meantime, he confided in the other secretary that this same woman has now filed charges against him in his home county. Hopefully this lady will have the courage and the strength not to give up and keep after the law enforcement officials to do their jobs. I also feel this may help the other young girls that filed charges against him. I believe that if he did this to this woman 20 years ago then there are probably many more and maybe they will eventually come forward. I pray so because he has a two-year-old daughter and her mother is very young so he has custody. I do not know if CPS has heard of the charges and if they have stepped in to ensure the safety of his child.

This man is 57 years old, so he could have been hurting young girls for at least 30 years maybe more. I sent my story in last night. I am very interested in doing anything at all I can do to help. I really want to start a chapter here to get more people involved. I spoke briefly with the prosecuting attorney about my thoughts and he also agreed we need stricter laws. I have also spoken to my pastor and he is very interested in doing whatever he can to help get some things changed. Morally sound and conservative people need to take a stand and take this country back.

T. Thaxton - TinaThaxon@msn.com