Just wanted to share: Pretty SICK
Foster Parent Accused In Sexual Assault
This article was published on Wednesday, March 7, 2007 4:31 PM CST in News
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Man had 30 children in his care over two years
THE MORNING NEWS
BELLA VISTA - Bella Vista police Wednesday arrested on sexual assault charges a man who has had more than 30 foster children in his care over two years.
Brian J. Bergthold, 45, of 2 Ealing Circle in Bella Vista, turned himself in to the Benton County Jail on charges of sexual assault, engaging children in sexually explicit conduct for visual or print medium and possession of medium depicting sexually explicit conduct involving a child.
Bella Vista Detective Barb Shrum said she is trying to reach families or caregivers to arrange interviews with any child who has been in Bergthold's care. Two children in his care were removed from the home Feb. 16, police said.
Police began an investigation Feb. 9 after a boy made a complaint about Bergthold, and a judge granted investigators' request for a warrant to search his home.
In the search, police confiscated several items, included computers and a minicassette tape showing children in sexual acts. A videotape showed a teenage boy performing a sexual act as well as footage of a teenage boy being sexually assaulted by Bergthold, Shrum said.
Another boy told an investigator at the Children's Advocacy Center in Rogers on Feb. 26 that Bergthold had offered him and other children alcohol.
Shrum said Bergthold was a single Benton County foster parent for more than two years, housing 30 children between the ages of 9 and 17.
Shrum said Bergthold turned himself in about 11 a.m. Wednesday after his attorney, Drew Miller, advised him to do so.
Here is the thread you can place a comment too! I did!
http://www.nwaonline.net/articles/2007/ ... ssault.txt
Here we go again!
Moderators: family_man, LindaJM
A single man has had 30 foster children in his care in a 2 year period and no one questioned this arrangement. It goes to show you CPS will feed children to the lions for that federal funding dollar. And they will steal your children using excuses such as your home was a danger to your child because there were toys or dirty laundry on the floor or there was a "rotting" turkey carcass in the garbage after a Thanksgiving dinner or there was too much food in the pantry (all true stories).
We must not confuse dissent with disloyalty. We must remember always that accusation is not proof and that conviction depends upon evidence and due process of law. Edward R. Murrow
It just gets better
You see I am very angry because this is the same County that DHS took my brother's girls and something happen in foster care but DHS will never tell the truth!
BELLA VISTA -- A 13-year-old boy once in the care of a Bella Vista foster parent arrested Wednesday on sexual assault charges said he called police after a November incident when the man yelled and threw hangers, chairs and suitcases at them.
A police officer who responded in November confirmed the account, and Bella Vista detective Barb Shrum confirmed the boy was one of about 30 that stayed with Brian J. Bergthold while he was a foster parent.
Bergthold, 45, of 2 Ealing Circle in Bella Vista was arrested Wednesday and remained Thursday in the Benton County jail in lieu of a $50,000 bond. He is charged with sexual assault, engaging children in sexually explicit conduct for visual or print medium and possession of medium depicting sexually explicit conduct involving a child.
Bergthold's attorney, Drew Miller, said his client is innocent.
A police investigation began Feb. 9 after a foster child complained about Bergthold. Police twice searched Bergthold's home Feb. 16 and 19, confiscating computers, 70-100 mini-videocassette tapes and more than 100 videotapes. An affidavit stated that one tape showed a teenage boy masturbating and being sexually assaulted by Bergthold.
Two children in Bergthold's care were removed from his home Feb. 16.
More than 20 people contacted Bella Vista police about the case Thursday, Shrum said. Bergthold fostered dozens of boys that were between the ages of 9 and 17, and investigators have asked parents and guardians of children who have been in Bergthold's home to contact the Bella Vista Police Department at 855-3771.
The 13-year-old boy said he was in foster care at Bergthold's home for six or seven days in November. He and two others decided Nov. 6 to file a complaint about Bergthold one afternoon while they were doing yard work. He said his friend was tired of Bergthold's abuse and "all of his yelling." The boys went to Kevin and Tamara Schoenauer's home at 7 Ealing Circle, while Bergthold was watching television, he said.
The Morning News interviewed the boy and his mother Thursday. It's the newspaper's policy not to name minors who may have been victims of abuse.
The mother said the boy was in foster care because his father, who had custody, was accused of abusing him. She regained custody of the boy Nov. 13, after he left Bergthold's care, she said.
Shrum said she has an interview scheduled with the boy.
Bella Vista police records show that three boys told investigators Bergthold was angry about missing a conference call and because his coffee wasn't made. They said he shouted, threw things and broke a door frame. The statements said Bergthold told the boys they would not eat that night.
The boy said other foster children told him stories about how Bergthold would try to touch them. The boy said Bergthold didn't touch him.
"It took me a while to understand what they were saying, but after a while I believed them," the boy said about the stories the other boys told.
Tamara Schoenauer said she remembers the boys coming to her house in November, but they never mentioned anything about inappropriate touching. She said the boys said Bergthold had alcohol in the home, but told her he mostly verbally abused them.
Police visited Bergthold's home Nov. 6 but didn't find evidence of thrown furniture. Police contacted a Department of Health and Human Services worker, Laura Keihlbauch, the report said.
The boy and Bella Vista officer Jason Runions, who responded Nov. 6, said the children were returned to Bergthold's home.
The boy said Bergthold then forced them to call police and to recant their stories. Runions confirmed that the boys called to say they had lied.
Tamara Schoenauer said a different boy came to her home in September and told her he was so scared of Bergthold, he threw up. A report from the Bella Vista Police Department confirmed that police were dispatched to the Schoenauer home Sept. 27.
The report said Bergthold called police about the same time and reported a foster child had run away. Police determined the runaway boy was at the Schoenauers' home and an officer went to pick him up.
"My heart is squeezed in half, it's just breaking," Tamara Schoenauer said about news of Bergthold's charges.
Julie Munsell, spokesman for the Department of Health and Human Services, said she couldn't comment on cases involving foster children, but said children are removed from homes when there is an abuse allegation.
Munsell said children can be returned to a home for several reasons, including recanted testimony, conflicting statements or unfounded statements.
"We would not return a child to a home where we believe the home is unsafe," Munsell said.
Munsell would not comment about the gap between the beginning of the police investigation Feb. 9 and when two boys were removed from Bergthold's home Feb. 16.
Shrum said she spent several nights and weekends poring over the tapes' content during her investigation. Some of them contained pornography, she said.
Shrum said she is trying to interview all of the children that were left alone with Bergthold, but has had trouble contacting some of them.
Here is the thread:
http://www.nwaonline.net/articles/2007/ ... ldfolo.txt
BELLA VISTA -- A 13-year-old boy once in the care of a Bella Vista foster parent arrested Wednesday on sexual assault charges said he called police after a November incident when the man yelled and threw hangers, chairs and suitcases at them.
A police officer who responded in November confirmed the account, and Bella Vista detective Barb Shrum confirmed the boy was one of about 30 that stayed with Brian J. Bergthold while he was a foster parent.
Bergthold, 45, of 2 Ealing Circle in Bella Vista was arrested Wednesday and remained Thursday in the Benton County jail in lieu of a $50,000 bond. He is charged with sexual assault, engaging children in sexually explicit conduct for visual or print medium and possession of medium depicting sexually explicit conduct involving a child.
Bergthold's attorney, Drew Miller, said his client is innocent.
A police investigation began Feb. 9 after a foster child complained about Bergthold. Police twice searched Bergthold's home Feb. 16 and 19, confiscating computers, 70-100 mini-videocassette tapes and more than 100 videotapes. An affidavit stated that one tape showed a teenage boy masturbating and being sexually assaulted by Bergthold.
Two children in Bergthold's care were removed from his home Feb. 16.
More than 20 people contacted Bella Vista police about the case Thursday, Shrum said. Bergthold fostered dozens of boys that were between the ages of 9 and 17, and investigators have asked parents and guardians of children who have been in Bergthold's home to contact the Bella Vista Police Department at 855-3771.
The 13-year-old boy said he was in foster care at Bergthold's home for six or seven days in November. He and two others decided Nov. 6 to file a complaint about Bergthold one afternoon while they were doing yard work. He said his friend was tired of Bergthold's abuse and "all of his yelling." The boys went to Kevin and Tamara Schoenauer's home at 7 Ealing Circle, while Bergthold was watching television, he said.
The Morning News interviewed the boy and his mother Thursday. It's the newspaper's policy not to name minors who may have been victims of abuse.
The mother said the boy was in foster care because his father, who had custody, was accused of abusing him. She regained custody of the boy Nov. 13, after he left Bergthold's care, she said.
Shrum said she has an interview scheduled with the boy.
Bella Vista police records show that three boys told investigators Bergthold was angry about missing a conference call and because his coffee wasn't made. They said he shouted, threw things and broke a door frame. The statements said Bergthold told the boys they would not eat that night.
The boy said other foster children told him stories about how Bergthold would try to touch them. The boy said Bergthold didn't touch him.
"It took me a while to understand what they were saying, but after a while I believed them," the boy said about the stories the other boys told.
Tamara Schoenauer said she remembers the boys coming to her house in November, but they never mentioned anything about inappropriate touching. She said the boys said Bergthold had alcohol in the home, but told her he mostly verbally abused them.
Police visited Bergthold's home Nov. 6 but didn't find evidence of thrown furniture. Police contacted a Department of Health and Human Services worker, Laura Keihlbauch, the report said.
The boy and Bella Vista officer Jason Runions, who responded Nov. 6, said the children were returned to Bergthold's home.
The boy said Bergthold then forced them to call police and to recant their stories. Runions confirmed that the boys called to say they had lied.
Tamara Schoenauer said a different boy came to her home in September and told her he was so scared of Bergthold, he threw up. A report from the Bella Vista Police Department confirmed that police were dispatched to the Schoenauer home Sept. 27.
The report said Bergthold called police about the same time and reported a foster child had run away. Police determined the runaway boy was at the Schoenauers' home and an officer went to pick him up.
"My heart is squeezed in half, it's just breaking," Tamara Schoenauer said about news of Bergthold's charges.
Julie Munsell, spokesman for the Department of Health and Human Services, said she couldn't comment on cases involving foster children, but said children are removed from homes when there is an abuse allegation.
Munsell said children can be returned to a home for several reasons, including recanted testimony, conflicting statements or unfounded statements.
"We would not return a child to a home where we believe the home is unsafe," Munsell said.
Munsell would not comment about the gap between the beginning of the police investigation Feb. 9 and when two boys were removed from Bergthold's home Feb. 16.
Shrum said she spent several nights and weekends poring over the tapes' content during her investigation. Some of them contained pornography, she said.
Shrum said she is trying to interview all of the children that were left alone with Bergthold, but has had trouble contacting some of them.
Here is the thread:
http://www.nwaonline.net/articles/2007/ ... ldfolo.txt
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katgotsteve
- Posts: 219
- Joined: Thu Dec 21, 2006 10:47 am
- Location: Georgia
should i think that a man be exempt from raising foster children becuase he is single? no, do i think a man should be watch carefully not just for sexual abuse but other abuse? yes. men are strong and with all that testosterone running through thier viens they loss their tempers, well most men. but a father even a foster father should be allowed mistakes, but what this man did was JUST PLAIN SICK. dhr should have looked on them, if a child runs away esp. why did they not ask him why he ran away? better yet, why in the hell didnt they just give custody to his mother in the first place? there had to be some family out there for him. we all know that a crappy family is better than foster care. no one takes care of a child like mama can, but grandma sure can try...lol
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