Sexual
Predators are Found in too Many Places...
by Dixie
A. Walter
My View
July 7, 2005
By
now most of the world has seen the heartrending surveillance video
tape of tiny, eight-year-old Shasta Groene
hugging
herself and looking beseechingly into the faces of customers at a
convenience store near Kellogg, Idaho. This tape was taken a day
before the abducted child was finally recognized at a Denny's restaurant, and rescued
July 2 from the grasp of convicted sex offender Joseph Duncan III. The
child had undergone a horrendous six-weeks of sexual abuse by
Duncan.
She and her nine-year-old brother, Dylan,
were kidnapped from Coeur D'Alene, Idaho May 16. Dylan, who was
also sexually abused, is believed to be dead. *Human remains found
earlier have not yet been positively identified as being Dylan. The
identification of the remains probably won't be available until next
week. Authorities believe Duncan may be also be
responsible for the deaths of Shasta's mother, older brother and her
mother's boyfriend who were found bound and beaten to death May 16.
Duncan began his life of perversion in
Tacoma when he was in his mid-teens. In 1990 the state Legislature passed
an involuntary commitment law for violent sexual predators which could
have been used in an attempt to keep Duncan locked up. However, when
he was released from prison in 2000 he was evaluated and authorities
maintained they didn't find enough data that he would reoffend.
The
state failed Shasta Groene and her family. The state, which had the
tools, should have protected society from Duncan who made it
clear on a Web site that he was going to do great harm to
"society." The state must also be charged with protecting
children, as well as other at risk citizens, from hidden predators as
well as convicted and registered sex offenders. Hidden predators can
be teachers, doctors, ministers, priests, counselors and mental health
professionals to name a few.
On a happier note, Eatonville
presently has only one registered sex offender within the town limits,
down from six a year or so ago.
This person, a man in his mid-forties, shows up on the Pierce County
Sheriff's Sex Offenders site within a half mile of Curtis Lane on the
east side of town. He is listed as a Level 1 offender whose crimes are
"Child rape 1" and "Child rape 2." Level 1
offenders are categorized as presenting the lowest risk to the
community. For those living outside the town limits please see Pierce
County Known Registered Sex/Kidnapping Offenders
- click "I agree," then
"Neighborhood Search." From there you can enter street names
and find if a sex offender is in your neighborhood.
Sadly,
in many cases the state does not
succeed in keeping vulnerable individuals out of harm's way. For a
case in point please read Elect Davenport's article below about how
the State of Washington Department of Health once again failed to
protect citizens from a "professional predator."
*July
11, 2005: The human remains found at a remote campsite have been
identified through DNA as those of
nine-year-old Dylan Groene.
Professional
Predators
The Quiet Sexual Assault...
by Electa Davenport
July 8, 2005
Almost daily news headlines showcase a story about an
abducted child, an abusive parent, a rape victim… they shine a
bright light on the action – the violent crime. Yet there is an
equally insidious group of sexual predators among us. They are
hidden among our most trusted; our pastors, our doctors, and even our
counselors – the people you trust the most to care for your
well-being. These offenders are seldom caught and even less
seldom punished by the same standard as the street criminal. When
they are discovered, their crimes are often viewed as “white
collar” and the State’s vengeance is softer for them.
It is so; the world today is a dangerous place for many
– particularly for children and vulnerable women. The
Internet; replete with its chat-rooms, URL links to hard-core and
child pornography, on-line dating services, and even email (with its
unwelcome attachments), offers the sexual predator boundless tools for
the exploitation of children and emotionally vulnerable adults.
Although
it may be personally abhorrent to some, there is an established right
to the access and use of pornography (porn) by and between mature
and like-minded adults. However, that said, there is no
imaginable, justified, or permitted use of child-pornography (kiddy
porn).
Clearly
and simply, child-pornography is a sexually predatory and exploitative
behavior and act. Equally clear and compelling should be our
commitment to insist, and insure, that the vulnerable populations are
protected and the offenders prosecuted. Some of the ways and
means to accomplish this are already available, yet others need
development, refinement, and adequate resources.
"Kiddy
Porn" has a Demographic
Porn
and “kiddy porn” does have a demographic – men,
particularly single, secular men. And they lurk hidden
within this broad demographic spectrum spanning the socio-economic
continuum. Although the predominance of offenders is single men,
there is a growing connection to the “industry” by women,
married/involved men and their wives or partners. There is also a
particularly heinous crowd of these predators that pray on the
emotionally weak and vulnerable population – counselors, the clergy,
doctors, and mental health care professionals.
Take
for a moment, and as an example, the professional mental health
provider or counselor who is also a predator. These
“professionals” use their positions of trust and their skill-sets
as tools to pry into the lives and bodies of the emotionally
weak and uncertain. They typically target women and children.
They
are the professional “care givers” we customarily view as safe
havens… trusted retreats and respites from the turmoil of
domestic abuse, a dissolving marriage, a loss, harassment at work. Many
of these “clients” or patients are separately or additionally
weakened by substance abuse, and/or some form of mental defect such as
eating or bi-polar disorders, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
(ADHD), etc.
The
patients of these providers are quietly and systematically
“groomed” – that is prepared for the sexual predation, use,
and control that follows. The jokes and adages about the
psychiatrist’s couch are anything but an urban myth – they are
unfortunately, and all too often, a conventional and contemporary
reality.
It
is not uncommon that the used, and abused, victim does not even
realize what has happened – maybe ever! So skilled and
systematic are these predators, that often, and even in the face of
discovery and evidence, their victims will defend and protect their
very abuser. Some of the groomed victims are deceptively
introduced to hard-core and child pornography as part of a
“therapeutic process.”
Sex Acts
Described as "Therapy"
Others
are quietly and systematically coerced into performing sex acts with
their professional provider, also described as “therapy.” Then
there are the under-considered and often forgotten fodder made up from
among the others...those that also suffer secondary impacts from the
victimization of their loved ones – they include the husbands, the
children, and the families.
The
examples are not that hard to find and there is recent case in Washington
State that should serve as an example, one that should certainly
raise our level of concern. That case involves Gregory E.
Pritchett, a Licensed Mental Health Counselor. Pritchett lives in
Sumner and he practices in Renton.
About seventy-five percent of his client census is made
up of women and children. And, his license to practice was
recently suspended indefinitely by the State of Washington Department
of Health (DOH) for “Unprofessional Conduct.” In this (his)
case, it was for emailing child pornography to his clients.
Some
of the other claims, charges, and complaints filed against Pritchett
were for using sex as a therapeutic tool, the sharing of private
patient records, and providing/dispensing prescription drugs without a
license. Pritchett’s file remains active with at least one
complaint still under investigation by the Department of Health. As
irony would have it, he even advised the Court regarding the
disposition of sexual offenders!
As
part of the plea bargain (known as an Agreed Order) he struck with the
State, Pritchett was required to comply with certain provisions.
Some of these include: notifying his clients of his suspension and the
reasons for it, immediate cessation of his practice, prohibition on
accepting any new patients, that he pay a $5,000 fine, that he undergo
a comprehensive psychological evaluation and treatment program
focusing on the issues of “sexual misconduct,” and that he pay the
State for all costs associated with his disciplinary action. To
date, he has not complied with most of these requirements.
Probably
because Pritchett and the State agreed on the conditions of his
disciplinary action, the State did not to prosecute him for an act
that was clearly a felony. The evidence was compelling that he
accessed hard-core pornographic Web sites, that he captured images
clearly violating federal and state laws (including child
pornography), and that he emailed some of these kiddy-porn images to
at least one client.
State and
Federal Laws Violated
He,
in essence, admitted to violating State and Federal laws – he, in
fact, committed a felony and escaped prosecution. You will
not find him on the sexual offender notification list. He avoided
that simply by reaching an understanding with the State…an
understanding that, by the way, provides a return path to his
profession!
It
can easily be argued that he (or his ilk) may present a higher risk to
a vulnerable population than the predator lurking in a back
alley. The State should at least take it upon itself to provide
his patients with a copy of the Order since Pritchett (although he was
required to) has not. This will at least allow them to reexamine
the effectiveness and methodology of their counseling and treatment
programs and to consider their own options or actions. Many of his
patients were probably left with an unexplained interruption of needed
and important treatment.
Then
there is the issue of the court’s prior dependence on Pritchett for
the disposition of cases involving sexual predators, child custody
hearings, drug use, etc. You would think the State would be
troubled about the past services and recommendations he made to the
courts and various state and private programs. That those
recommendations and professional opinions were used to help adjudicate
or focus treatment should be an issue of serious concern.
Legislation
should be promoted that will further strengthen the licensing and
license review requirements of/for counselors in general and
mental health counselors in specific. Pritchett, as a poster
case-in-point, certainly serves as a good example for the need for
legislative reform. At a minimum, licensed providers found
culpable of these predatory acts should have their license permanently
revoked.
Anyone
thinking of using a mental health counselor should look to the State
for information before making a selection. The Department of
Health provides a Web site through which you can “check up” on
your provider to help you make an informed decision – if you intend
to use one.
The
records regarding the example provided in this article may be viewed
at the Department of Health Web site. Simply go to this link
Licensed
Mental Health Counselor - WA State Dept. of Health
Click on "Provider Credential Search" and enter Pritchett's
credential number - LH00004046 - or his name.
You will be taken to a summary page and from there click on
“View Action Reports.” For a complete set of the legal
documents, follow the links provided on the DOH site. And
if you wish additional detail; there are well over 800 pages
of material available through a public records request disclosure
process.
For
more information please see ZielkeLaw.com:
Sexual Misconduct by Doctors
