PhOtOs-Counsellor/Teacher Sexually Abused 100+ Children
 

Former Camp Counselor and Gym Teacher, 94, May have Sexually Abused ONE HUNDRED Children as Disturbing Personnel Records Suggest Authorities Knew and Preferred to 'Let Sleeping Dogs Lie'

• William Bricker arrested in September - decades after alleged assaults
• Charged with immoral and indecent acts against two boys and one girl
• Attacks reportedly occurred at Wyoming camp in 1962, 1968 and 1985
• But now, newly-found memo has suggested there may be 100 victims
• Released by school district, it says: 'Could have 100 children abused'
• Bricker, now 94, 'has heart failure and breathes through oxygen tank'
• He must undergo competency evaluation before an extradition hearing

Daily Mail UK, 14 December 2014


A 94-year-old former camp counsellor and gym teacher who is charged with multiple sex crimes against children may have abused a staggering 100 youngsters, a new memo has suggested.


William Bricker was arrested at his retirement community, the Tendercare Health and Rehab Center in Garfield Township, Wyoming, in September after allegedly abusing two boys and one girl.

He was later charged with immoral and indecent acts with a child over the alleged sexual assaults, two of which reportedly occurred against two boys at Teton Valley Ranch Camp in 1962 and '85.

The third apparent attack involved a 14-year-old girl who was reportedly kissed and fondled by Bricker during an overnight camping trip at Grand Teton National Park in 1968.


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Former camp counselor: William Bricker (pictured in his police mugshot), 94, who is charged with multiple sex crimes against children, may have abused a staggering 100 youngsters, a new memo has suggested


After he was charged, Bricker's former employer, Winnetka District 36, released hundreds of pages of his personnel records, some indicating school officials knew of his alleged crimes decades ago.
But now, a handwritten page dated 1995 - a decade after Bricker left his job at District 36's Hubbard Woods School - has been unearthed that suggests there may have been up to 100 victims.

The memo, written during the tenure of then-Superintendent Rebecca van
der Bogert, includes the shocking phrase:
'Could have abused 100 children'

It also features references to the Cook County state's attorney and school lawyers, as well as phrases that apparently read:

'Letting sleeping dogs lie may be more helpful' and 'no proof'.

Although the page appears to describe the Winnetka school district's reaction to the allegations made against Bricker, it remains unclear who wrote the memo, who it was written for, nor why it was written.
'We are not in a position to comment on or interpret documents prepared by others almost 20 years ago,' district attorney, Michael Loizzi, told the newspaper.


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Scene: Bricker was arrested at his retirement community after allegedly abusing two boys and one girl. Two of the assaults reportedly occurred at Teton Valley Ranch Camp (pictured) in Wyoming 1962 and 1985


But former school board member Judy Meyer, who was on the board when the memo was apparently penned, described the possibility of up to 100 child victims was upsetting.

'It's very unnerving to hear that,' she said, explaining that she was not previously aware of the page's existence. 'And to think he spent so many years (as a teacher). It is very disturbing.'

Earlier this month, it was revealed that the state of Wyoming is seeking to have Bricker sent from Michigan to face the sexual assault charges against him.
On December 4, a Northern Michigan judge ruled the pensioner - who was arrested on September 23 - must undergo a competency evaluation before any extradition hearing can be held.

Quote:

DISTURBING QUOTES IN THE MEMO 'Could have 100 children abused' 'Letting sleeping dogs lie may be more helpful' 'No obligation to inform - Not in employ currently' 'Statute of limitations anyway'

According to his attorney, Anders Gillis, Bricker is gravely ill; he apparently suffers from heart failure and uses an oxygen tank to breathe in home confinement at his hospice.

'We need to determine whether or not he is able to recall whether he was present in the state of Wyoming at the time of the alleged crimes,' Mr Gillis told The Associated Press.

Meanwhile, Teton County sheriff's detective Dani Spence and county prosecutor Steve Weichman, citing state law, said they could not discuss the case or charges against Bricker.
The charges stem from information investigators received in February about abuse at the Teton Valley Ranch Camp, according to an affidavit filed in Teton County Circuit Court.

One former scout claimed he was molested aged 13 by Bricker in a bunk-style cabin at the camp in 1962, adding that he had initially brought the alleged assault up in the late 1960s.
He thought he 'had communicated' to an assistant Boy Scouts leader at the time who he knew about the accusations and had been 'hurt', the affidavit said.

The man, now aged 65, told investigators 'he never heard the Boy Scouts ... did anything about the accusation at that time,' it added.
But Boy Scouts of America spokesman, Deron Smith, argued that the group was not aware of the allegations against Bricker until earlier this year.


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Hospice: According to Bricker's attorney, Anders Gillis, the pensioner suffers from heart failure and uses an oxygen tank to breathe in home confinement at the Tendercare Health and Rehab Center (pictured)


'While this individual was last involved in Scouting in 1988, when we received notice of alleged abuse this year we reported it to law enforcement officials in Wyoming and Illinois and have assisted them in their investigation,' Mr Smith said.
He added that the organization has developed and enhanced its efforts to protect its young members in the decades since the alleged incidents took place.

Last month, a woman also told investigators that she was kissed and fondled by Bricker during an overnight camping trip at Grand Teton National Park when she was just 14 years old.

And last February, another former scout who spent five weeks at Teton Valley Ranch Camp in 1985 told police he was molested on at least six occasions by Bricker in the cabin he shared other boys.

In October, the Winnetka school district released Bricker's personnel records following a police investigation, saying:

'We believe it is our responsibility to be forthcoming with the community.'
It's very unnerving to hear that [there are possibly 100 victims]. And to think he spent so many years [as a teacher]. It is very disturbing'
Judy Meyer, ex-school board member


A spokesman added: 'We want potential victims to know how seriously this School Board takes these issues.'

However, attorney Marc Pearlman, who represents an alleged victim, questioned why the district seemingly did not do more to report claims against Bricker to authorities - even after his retirement.

'What's shocking is, even when a person is gone and no longer a present danger to the organization, it's very myopic thinking, because they could be harming other children somewhere else,' Mr Pearlman told the Tribune.

Bricker worked as a physical education teacher at Hubbard Woods Elementary School in Winnetka, Illinois, a suburb north of Chicago, from 1949 to 1985.
He also worked at Teton Valley Ranch Camp in Kelly, Wyoming, every summer until 2002, according to a lawyer for the camp.
Earlier this year, the Teton Valley Ranch Camp Education Foundation board wrote in a letter to families and campers that the camp was under different owners at the time of the alleged abuse.

The camp had operated in Kelly from 1939 to 2000, according to court documents. It was later sold and moved to Fremont County.

'We don't have a lot of additional information,' the letter read. 'What we do know is that, as an organization dedicated to the development and care of children, we seek and support justice for any person or persons who may have been harmed and lived with this for decades.'

It is unknown whether Bricker has yet undergone the competency evaluation.