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It was 7 am, January 25, 2007. The sky was gray
but the sun was not yet up. A 10 year-old girl stood alone in front of
the closed Eastside Elementary School in Rogers, Arkansas waiting for
a bus to take her on to her school another mile away. Suddenly a man's
hand was over her mouth so she could not scream. He dragged her away,
stopping between the school gymnasium and a small shed. He told he to
do exactly as he said or else he would hurt her bad. The man
instructed her to pull down her pants then he sexually assaulted the
little girl. He stopped when it sounded as if someone might be coming,
but he told her not to tell anyone as he left the scene.
Why was a little girl
standing alone outside a school that was not yet open?
We do not know. Over 95 emotionally charged
entries on a local news paper's bulletin board wanted to know. Many
assumed the parents dropped her off and blamed them for the rape. At
least one said that this was part of the school's transportation plan
and that the student had ridden another bus to the school and was
waiting for a connecting ride, therefore, the school was to blame for
the rape. For whatever reason a 10 year-old girl is left alone at any
bus stop with no adults in the area, it is a bad plan. In today's
society it is simply not safe to trust that everything will be OK when
a child is placed in a position where there is no one available to
protect her. It would appear that using a closed school provided a
false sense of security and more hiding places for a perpetrator to
launch and consummate an attack.
Check your transportation
plans to see if students are being placed in vulnerable positions.
If you are not sure, ask someone or an agency from outside your
community to look at your plan for possible danger points
(School
Site Safety Assessment). Using an outside source is
crucial as those living inside the community take many things for
granted and rely on familiarity rather a criminal mind set to
determine safety issues. Keys To Safer Schools has provided this
service to many schools across the US. Most are surprised at the
vulnerabilities found by using outsiders.
A suspect was arrested
later that day. Why was he there?
The man arrested is listed on the Arkansas Crime
Information Center's website as a registered sex offender. Other
information available about the suspect included:
- 1996 Misdemeanor conviction for indecent
exposure
- 1997 Misdemeanor conviction for indecent
exposure
- 1997 Pleaded guilty to residential burglary
and first-degree sexual abuse. [sentenced to 20 years, 10 years
were suspended, paroled in 2001.]
- 2002 Pleaded guilty to financial identity
fraud. [5 year suspended
sentence]
- 2005 Pleaded guilty to sexual indecency with a
child. [4 years probation]
- He has 3 children, at least one of whom
attends Eastside Elementary.
- He is being held in Benton County Jail on
$500,000 bond.
When he was sent to prison in 97, it was his third conviction for a
sexual offense. In other jurisdictions this would have been a third
strike and he would never be free again. But in this case his sentence
was cut in half then he only served 4 years and was paroled. He was on
parole and was convicted for two more felonies. In other
jurisdictions, either one would have caused his parole to be revoked
and the full sentence imposed. Now he is arrested again for a horrible
sexual offense while on parole, probation and a suspended sentence but
he is in jail with only a $500K bond.
Why was this incident kept quiet?
According to parents in the Rogers area reported that they had not been notified
of the attack as late as 4 days after the incident. Most found out
about it when the police issued a news release on the Monday following
the Thursday attack. Both police and school officials have cited
privacy issues. However, parents feel less than secure when things
happen around their children and they are not told. Similar incidents
in other areas have resulted in the school and/or police posting
information pages on websites to insure that parents are dealing with
factual information and not local rumors. However, the silence
generated by the privacy issue is also very common. See
Sexual Assaults at
Schools. The identification by the victim was only a partial
identification. She told police he was thinner than the man they
arrested. What if the suspect in jail is not the one and the predator
is still roaming the streets looking for more victims? Do parents and
the community deserve to know? If you had a child in a similar setting
would you want to know?
How wide spread is this type of attack?
It is too common and too often. In a brief 10 day window, dozens of
other incidents were discovered. They happened in every state an in
other countries. They happened to elementary and high school students;
teachers and staff members. They were committed by other students and
trusted adults. They happened in public and private schools. Something
is seriously wrong.
If you are concerned about the welfare of
your children as a teacher, administrator or parent, contact Keys
today to learn what can be done to provide a safe and secure learning
environment at your school.
For more details or to engage an Expert Consultant
call or email Keys today.
1-800-504-7355
If your school needs help in establishing
policy or implementing procedures for a Crisis/Emergency Response Plan
and Team contact
Keys To
Safer Schools.com today for assistance from the
Multi-disciplinary Team.
If
you have any comments or questions please Email us at
keys@keystosaferschools.com
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(501)246-8835
