Posted on 05/10/2002 3:03:53 PM PDT by moyden
Bond is $200,000 for accused teacher
By Sheila Shelton/Staff Reporter
Bond was set at $200,000 in Livingston County Circuit Court Thursday afternoon for Gerald Scott Huddleston, 35, of Fairbury. He has been charged with three counts of predatory criminal sexual assault of a child in connection with three of his art students in the Prairie Central School Community Unit School District.
Huddleston was charged by Livingston County Sheriff's Police on Wednesday and taken to the Livingston County Jail. Formal charges were filed by the Livingston County State's Attorney's office on Thursday morning. Huddleston remained in jail this morning.
The charges against Huddleston, a grade school art teacher, involved three girls; one is just under 10 years old and the other two are each 10 years old. It is alleged that one of sexual acts took place between March and April of this year and then two occurred this Tuesday.
Assistant State's Attorney Carey Luckman asked Associate Judge Charles Frank to set bond at $250,000.
"This was not a forcible situation these three little girls were enticed by trust. The children were given candy or food to be taken into a room alone with this man at the school where he teaches their art classes," said Luckman.
"The charges against this man are not probationable offenses and bond should be set at $250,000 or $25,000 -- 10 percent. As a condition of the bond, if he posts it, he should not be allowed to have contact with anyone under 13 years of age. He should refrain from contact with anyone at any school under 18 years of age," said Luckman.
Attorney Jim Bass who represented Huddleston told the court that his client is married.
"He has a wife and is not likely to flea this jurisdiction. I'm sure he is not returning to his employment. Set the bond at $25,000 so he can post bond and let him begin getting help and he won't leave the community," said Bass.
Luckman also read into the record that Huddleston received court supervision in 1996 in McLean County on a public indecency charge for exposing genitalia.
Frank reminded Huddleston that there is a mandatory prison term on each of the charges he now faces if convicted.
"You are now unemployed and a condition of your bond, if you post it, is that you cannot be around any children, not even a relative. You have to make all court appearances. Your next court appearance will be at 3:30 p.m. on May 24 for a preliminary hearing and it will be before Judge Harold Frobish."
Prairie Central Superintendent Philip Pogue said, late this morning during a telephone interview, when asked about Huddleston's current employment status with the district, "I cannot make any comments regarding any disciplinary concerns."
He stressed that this statement concerns all employees of the district and not any single one.
Men should not be allowed to teach elementary school. Too many of them are pedophiles.
Soon to be had, I'm guessing.
As for your other comment, it's wrong. There's no widespread problem with men in elementary school classrooms; the problem is much more one of perception -- some people will view any man who can get along with kids as a pedophile.
flea????
My company does a pretty thorough background check on all prospective employees. Every county they've lived, worked, or went to school going back a certain # of years is checked. We do a social security trace to pick up additional addresses (and to make sure they have a valid SS#). The cost averages about $100 per applicant. Some people try to cover their tracks, but most do not.
It's money well spent, and I'm shocked (but perhaps not surprised) that not every school district in the country doesn't do at least a cursory background check.
I'm not a sue-happy person by any stretch of the imagination, but if I were the parents of these girls, I would sue the district for negligent hiring practices.
(I just had a horrifying thought--they could have done a background check and knowingly hired a flasher as a teacher. Even worse!!!)
Don't be too sure. If she stuck with him after he was arrested for public indecency, she might stick with him for the long haul. Denial, you know. But then again, maybe she'll dump him. I wouldn't let my husband touch me ever again if I knew he'd had his filthy hands on little girls in that way.. I'd be outta there.
Where is the context? WHAT PROPORTION of all public school teachers have been arrested for child sexual abuse, as compared to Catholic priests? The press is gleefully reporting the proportion of Catholic priests apparently involved in such reprehensible activities. Is it avoiding the proportion of public school teachers BECAUSE IT IS HIGHER, meaning a greater risk to children?
Likewise, although the lamestream media regularly condemn the policy of the Boy Scouts to exclude homosexual adult leaders, it has never reported the percentage of Scoutmasters who are engaged in sexual child abuce. Is it avoiding the proportion of Scout leaders BECAUSE IT IS LOWER, showing that the Scout policy of protecting the boys is exactly right?
Remember the story some years ago of a fisherman on a boat who was killed by a falling cow? The cow had been pushed out of a plane. The point is, where is the context? "Fisherman Killed by Falling Cow," that's an interesting story precisely because it has never happened before. "Man Killed by Speeding Automobile," is an important story, because it happens hundreds of times a year. It will happen again. To some extent, it is preventable.
Well, dammit, sexual abuse of children by public school teachers also happens hundreds of times a year. This is not a single, criminal instance. It is part of a pattern of behavior. Reporters! Editors! Report the pattern -- what proportion? How often? How much risk to children?
Once the people have the facts, THEY will decide what is necessary to solve the problem in the public schools. One answer is to kick the National "Edukashun" Association out of the nation's schools. But we can't have that, now can we? So, I guess we can't be trusted with the facts that might lead to that result.
Congressman Billybob
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Click here for latest: "President John Edwards -- Think About It."
What was it? Intergenerational sexual relations?
SEXUAL DEVIANTS rarely rehabilitate. I say kill them, but society won't, so they ought to at least put them away where they won't be able to prey on kids again.
I clicked on your name, and read the list of "teacher-sexual abuse" articles. Have you done a Google search, or whatever, that would provide context? In other words, what percentage of the universe of public school teachers were arrested for child sexual abuse over the last year? How does that compare with the percentage of Catholic priests arrested for the same thing over the same period?
You might be more than halfway to being able to answer these questions. And if you're using Google search, you could throw in the porportion of Boy Scout leaders, as well. From anecdotal evidence, I feel certain that the risk of sexual child abuse will be highest for public school teachers, middle for priests, and lowest for Scout leaders.
But on this point, to get it published in some part of the lamestream media, anecdotal evidence is worthless. Hard, supportable numbers are what is required.
Congressman Billybob
Click here to fight Campaign Finance "Reform" - CFR
Click here for latest: "President John Edwards -- Think About It."
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