[Ansteorra] Fw: [Burkhaven] bad stuff here in the east
Bob Dewart
gilli at hot.rr.com
Fri May 11 20:29:26 PDT 2007
This just might explain some.
Gilli
Burkhaven, An Odyssey of Learning
http://home.hot.rr.com/burkhaven/
----- Original Message -----
From: DZ
To: Burkhaven at yahoogroups.com
Sent: Friday, May 11, 2007 7:37 AM
Subject: [Burkhaven] bad stuff here in the east
http://www.nbc10.
<http://www.nbc10. com/news/ 13283614/ detail.html?
dl=headlineclick>
com/news/13283614/ detail.html? dl=headlineclick
PHILADELPHIA -- Six children who were sexually abused
by the youth
director of a medieval history society filed a federal
complaint
Tuesday alleging the organization failed to take
adequate precautions
to safeguard children from predators.
The civil complaint stems from the conviction of
Benjamin Schragger,
45, who in 2005 pleaded guilty but mentally ill to
charges including
involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, child rape,
indecent assault
and related counts.
The four boys and two girls, identified only as John
Doe or Jane Doe in
a pair of lawsuits filed in U.S. District Court in
Philadelphia, are
seeking unspecified damages from the Society for
Creative Anachronism,
a group with 30,000 participants worldwide that
studies and re-enacts
the Middle Ages.
Schragger was known as "Lord Ben the Steward" to the
dozens of children
he mentored over the years as a local leader of the
society. Schragger
led the local chapter for more than 10 years and also
directed the
youth program for the society's East Kingdom, which
stretches from
Canada to Delaware.
The plaintiffs contend that the society failed to
require background
checks of adults who took part in children's
activities, and didn't
uniformly follow protocols widely used by scouting
groups and other
children's organizations that require two adults
present at all
activities.
The complaint also claims the society "adopted a
head-in-the- sand
attitude" after it knew, or should have known, about
the abuse.
"It is time for the SCA to take responsibility for
failing to protect
these children," Jeff Fritz, attorney for five of the
young plaintiffs,
said in a statement. "The SCA failed to adopt and
implement appropriate
policies and procedures to protect these children,
robbing them of
their innocence."
On weekends, children gathered at Schragger's parents'
farmhouse in New
Tripoli, about 60 miles northwest of Philadelphia, to
make period
costumes, construct chain mail armor, engage in mock
battles and do
other activities related to the period. The home was
known among group
members as "Tulgey Woods" or "The Manor."
Prosecutors said Schragger abused 11 children, ages 7
to 14, from 1999
to 2003, usually during sleepovers while Schragger's
parents were away.
Schragger, who was deemed by the sentencing judge to
be a sexually
violent predator under Megan's Law, will not be
eligible for parole for
about 30 years.
A spokeswoman for the Society for Creative
Anachronism, which has its
headquarters in Milpitas, Calif., said she was unable
to provide
immediate comment.
Bibo Ergo Sum...I Drink Therefore I Am
Virescit Vulnere Virtus...Courage Grows Strong at a Wound
Today is the tomorrow I was worrying about yesterday
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