Posted on 08/15/2008 10:22:28 AM PDT by Graybeard58
TORRINGTON -- A baseball umpire group acknowledged this week that members knew they were honoring a convicted pedophile when the group recently gave him a good service award.
The Torrington Board of Approved Baseball Umpires on Aug. 5 honored Thomas Barbero, a former Torrington zoning enforcement officer, former Eucharistic minister and an umpire for 28 years, with a plaque for his years of service to the board and work umpiring local baseball games. Barbero received the plaque during the board's annual awards banquet at Dick's Restaurant.
Barbero was convicted eight years ago of having sex with four boys. A report given to the judge at Barbero's sentencing said he had engaged in this type of sexual activity for 27 years and he was likely to do it again. Barbero, who served time in prison, retired from umpiring in 1998, two years before his conviction. He is a registered sex offender.
Board members said they are aware of Barbero's record and chose to honor him because his service and work as an umpire deserved recognition.
"Tommy was one of the greats, he really was," said Torrington Board President Lou Fracasso of Barber's umpiring experience. "He's paid for what happened. He went to prison for it."
The Torrington board is part of a statewide organization that recruits and trains umpires, then assigns them to officiate at high school, middle school, parochial school and youth league games. Barbero was an umpire in the Babe Ruth league, which includes players from 13 to 15 years old.
Barbero pleaded no contest in 2000 to one count of second-degree sexual assault and two counts of risk of injury to a minor for incidents that occurred in 1994 and 1995. Details of the allegations were sealed because they involved 14- and 15-year-old boys.
Barbero served as an umpire from 1960 until 1998.
"He was a good umpire and a good umpire for our board," said R.J. Poniatoski, a board member and umpire, who said he was aware of Barbero's past. "I don't know what else you want me to say."
Poniatoski said there was no specific reason why Barbero was being honored now, a decade after his retirement, for his service. Barbero received an award along with Thomaston High School assistant coach Tony Geraci and Gilbert head coach Patrick Cooke.
Fracasso, of Winsted, said that several members of the board felt it was time to recognize Barbero's contributions.
"He was a stickler for having us wear our uniforms properly. He made sure we looked like umpires," Fracasso said.
Barbero, 60, resigned from his city job in 2000.
Barbero declined to comment.
"I'd rather not comment on it at this time. I try to take it one day at a time," he said.
Barbero is listed on the state Department of Public Safety's sex offender registry. At the time of his sentencing, he admitted in court that he had sex with four boys between 1994 and 1995 in Torrington. Barbero's attorney told the court that Barbero had himself been sexually abused as a youth and that his own abuse, as well as a life of service to the community, should be taken into account. In a statement to the court, the mother of one of his victims called Barbero "a monster" and said he used her son "for his own sick and selfish gratification."
Judge Alexandra DiPentima said Barbero's crimes were perplexing in light of his community service, but said in giving the sentence that she needed to balance Barbero's positive behavior against the strong likelihood of recidivism.
A Department of Correction spokesman said Barbero was released to supervised parole in December 2003 and was discharged from parole on June 4, 2004.
He was put on probation for 35 years, ordered not to have any contact with minors without an adult present, told to have no unsupervised contact with males under 18 and ordered to have sexual offender evaluation treatment.
Probation, and a good service award.
Words fail me.
This is shocking!
We see these types of stories here in CT (it’s not the only place) fairly often. CT in many areas has large lib/dem strongholds and ideology and these people elect judges, senators, congressman etc. who push and vote their agenda through. I don’t see much activism going on in CT, except for that coming from the left. It is a blue state but there are a lot of conservatives, lots of reasonable people who don’t really liked being judged as leftist because they reside within the boundaries of that state. I know that posting these stories on here is really helpful at bringing attention to these situations. A lot of people read FR. I wish we could do more.
Wonder what triggered the “former” status. < /sarc>
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