Duty. honor. country. Those words shape the ethos of generations of American service members, millions of whom we honor this Veterans weekend. Yet those words ring hollow at the Citadel, where we have only just learned of a years-old coverup at the highest level that prevented an alleged child sex abuser from being punished and left him free to molest children.
What they knew: a camper told the Citadel that 4 years before, school alum and counselor Skip ReVille invited two campers into his room, showed them pornography and engaged in sexual activity.
What they did: although the Citadel counselor's acts are chargeable as felonies in South Carolina the Citadel chose not to tell police. Citadel had their general counsel investigate, they found a clean background check, no other allegations, and they accepted ReVillez's denials. ReVille went on to molest 5 children and sits jailed for those offenses. His attorney says he's sorry.
What they said: nothing. Years later, after Penn State's president Graham Spanier and head coach Joe Paterno were fired for choosing not to call Pennsylvania police to report child sex abuse allegations against Jerry Sandusky, Citadel President, Lt General John W. Rosa and board chair Doug Snyder issued a statement after media inquiries concluding that "despite the parents' wishes for privacy we wish we had done more."
Joe Paterno's "I should have done more" statement at least blamed himself -- Citadel appears to be blaming the victim's parents' desire for privacy for the school's failure to report the crime to police. Now having been a sex crimes prosecutor, I know that nearly every victim says that coming forward is a huge personal risk. There is the unwanted attention, the shame factor, and a "blame the victim" mentality in our culture that keeps most crimes hidden. Most fear they will be re-victimized by the system if they engage police -- or go beyond a police report to an actual criminal case -- so a quiet investigation seems a welcome alternative. But here the Citadel had the responsibility to avoid its own internal conflict of interest, report the charges, and let the police have that discussion with the family.
The police may have been able to use their powers of investigation to locate other victims, to search the computer, or to perform other acts while protecting the identity of the informant. They may have been able to convince the young man to bring charges or, if the victims did not wish to testify, to at least admonish the abuser.
We don't know whether the family would have opted to proceed because the police never got the chance to talk with them. We don't know why the Citadel decided to have their general counsel -- not even an outside counsel with no pressure to protect the school, but one of their own employees -- investigate a fellow employee for criminal wrongdoing. We don't know if being summoned to the police station and confronted with his actions would have led to a confession or spared DeVille's future victims, like the children his attorney says he is now sorry about molesting.
Law enforcement, Congress and the Pentagon must investigate how this military academy failed to protect the innocent. We cannot rush to judgement of their legal culpability - before all the facts are known, the leadership must be granted the presumption of innocence and accorded all due process just like the leadership at Penn State. But by their own admission, we know that Citadel's leaders decision to keep child sex abuse charges involving their alum and employee from police was a moral failure to "duty honor country." We know that Citadel's disturbing conspiracy of silence did a disservice to the victim and his parents, and endangered future children such as the ones ReVille is charged with molesting. That is why the Citadel employees who covered up the child sex abuse charges must stand down and the Citadel community needs to tale a lesson from Penn State's initial mistake: rally around the victims not the enablers.
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Joe Peyronnin: Scandal at Penn State
Danny Groner: The Fall of False God Joe Paterno at Penn State
- Ben Peters, The Citadel, c/o 2010
Mary Cimino, Charleston , SC
Please Google:
IBM detained mother of ex-employee on the day of centennial
or
How Much IBM Can Get Away with is the Responsibility of the Media
or
Tragedy of Labor Rights Repression in IBM China
You don't whose responsibility was it to file a police report?
We will learn much more as this unfolds if we do not overwelm ourselves by the CYA the trustees are making right now with many who shout foul take out any and everyone.
We can execute without a trial. Would it not be better to know the truth, punish the guilty and make sure it never happend AGAIN. That to me is the best way to help these victims and the next generation.
I guess people are forgettng that rape of children, has been happening across the USA, long before this individual, Jerry Sandusky, began doing it to those innocent kids? Wasn't Micheal Jackson, paying millions of dollars to parents or "legal " guardians, to keep them quiet? Did any money eventually go to the kids are grown ups or to see therapists?
And what is wrong or the strategy of his lawyer(s) to let Jerry Sandusky speak in public to about the case? Seem he is trying to make it as difficult as it can possibly be, to rack those hours and spend every cent left to Jerry Sandusky and not to be paid to the kids or are now adults and could use it to hela themselves with professional therapy or a secure mental avenue in the time to come or need of it.
The cart does not fit in front of the horses. The punishment should not be before the trial.
Common sense cannot be replaced by Popularity. We know the result of Lynching and even unfair trials based on Self Motive for burning Witches
I am afraid Peterno who spent his life at Penn State has been sacrificed. If he is guilty so be it. Requireing me to stop 5 of the 1% bikers for abusing is not like calling 911 when I see a farmers field on fire. It is common sense. But if my first born was dying in the back seat. I maybe preoccupied. Excuse me.
Here too I have to insist on the Rule of Law. But as you say when there is Cash you can trade your Never Never Land child ranch for 3 kids of you own and no wife.
Maybe something will change NOW although I won't hold my breath.
“The victim and his family came forward in 2007 and met with the Citadel and their attorney to give a detailed 169-page statement,” McLeod said in a statement. “The victim and his family asked the Citadel for one thing: ‘Stop Skip ReVille from molesting any more children.’ ”
The family wanted to make sure no other families would have to suffer what they had endured since the molestation occurred, McLeod’s statement also said. Following the report, the family believed the Citadel would report the abuse to authorities in order to protect future victims, he said.
The family, who no longer lives in the Charleston area, has been shocked in recent weeks to learn that the Citadel did not report the abuse and that Skip ReVille continued coaching and teaching the children of our community, McLeod said.
http://www.postandcourier.com/news/2011/nov/14/citadel-sets-press-conference-reville-afternoon/
What-the-hell is up with 'conservatives' who wish to control my sexuality with consenting adults/reproductive/abortive/STD avoidence techniques, but in their own lives, allegedly like to play 'diaper dress-up', (Sen. D. Vitter), spend theior off time crusing airport men's rooms, (Sen. L. 'wide-stance' Craig), take the long bracn of the Applacjhian trail to visit their mistresses, (the S.Carolina Goveneor), and of course, ROME; (Not the 'HBO-series', but the current Hq for 1.2 billion sheep, (aka, one of the biggest hurds o' ungulates in existence)?