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According to local news source channel 9, authorities in Douglas County Colorado are looking for children who may have had contact with a former youth volunteer accused of having a sexual relationship with a child at his church.
Sheriff's deputies say William "Bill" McLaughlin, 45, was arrested in December 2009 and charged with multiple felony counts including sexual assault on a child by one in a position of trust.
"It is very tragic to hear about these types of cases, especially when it involves someone who is put in a position to care for and guide our youth. It is a great reminder for parents to talk to their children about issues involving these types of cases and how important open and honest communication is," Douglas County Sheriff Dave Weaver said in a news release.
Detectives believe McLaughlin, who was a youth volunteer at Denver Church of Christ, might have taken advantage of other children. During his time with Denver Church of Christ, which has satellite churches across Colorado and the country, McLaughlin had contact with hundreds of children and traveled extensively.
John Lusk, a senior minister with Denver Church of Christ says the church has about 600 adult members and its main church is in Arvada.
Lusk says McLaughlin volunteered with the church's youth from 1999 to 2006, but was "taken out" of the youth volunteer program four years ago. Lusk says he didn't know why McLaughlin was removed, but added McLaughlin has not been involved with the youth for four years.
According to Lusk, McLaughlin volunteered with teens from the church's high school group. His job was to attend activities and serve as a mentor. The idea, Lusk says, was "to be a spiritual guide to them."
"We typically do background checks," Lusk said. He was unsure whether a background check was done on McLaughlin.
During the ongoing investigation detectives have learned that McLaughlin lived in several locations within Douglas County, where some of the crimes took place, as well as multiple places in the Denver metro area.
McLaughlin declined to talk on-camera with 9NEWS.
McLaughlin's ex-wife, Cathy Jones, who does not live in Colorado, was in disbelief over the charges.
"I'm shocked. I don't believe it, can't believe it," Jones said. "I don't think it's true. He's a good man."
Jones and McLaughlin have been divorced since 1995.
In 2006, McLaughin was charged with a misdemeanor for sexual contact without consent, but in exchange for pleading guilty to harassment, the first charge was dismissed.
Pam Russell, a spokeswoman for the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office, says in the 2006 incident, a 14-year-old son of a friend told deputies McLaughlin was constantly around. One day, in the family's kitchen, deputies say McLaughlin tried to put ice down the boy's pants. The teen repeatedly told McLaughlin no, but deputies say he persisted and eventually did put the ice down the boy's pants.
Deputies say when McLaughlin put the ice down the boy's pants, he touched the 14-year-old's private parts. The incident was reported after the fact, and McLaughlin was charged with a misdemeanor.
The Denver Church of Christ issued the following statement after McLaughlin's recent arrest:
"The leadership of Denver Church of Christ was informed in late December by the Douglas County Sheriff's Office that a former youth volunteer of the church was arrested and charged with an offense against a young man. The Church leadership is very concerned by these allegations and the harm these actions bring to all involved. The Church leadership has been cooperating with the Sheriff's investigation since the initial arrest.
"Our thoughts and prayers go out to this victim, his family, as well as all others concerned and affected by these events. As we wish to protect the privacy interests of the persons who have raised these concerns, we cannot comment any further on the case, or the investigation. We ask that all of those involved with these events and the investigation appreciate the seriousness of the claims and fully cooperate with the Sheriff's investigation."
Anyone with information about McLaughlin, additional victims or inappropriate conduct by McLaughlin should contact the Douglas County Sheriff's Office Investigations Division at 303-660-7548 or its tip line at 303-660-7579.
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According to a recent story in The Salt Lake Tribune
The House Education Committee voted unanimously Tuesday in favor of a bill that would expand the criminal background checks required of school employees to include volunteers.
HB81 would require background checks for "volunteers who [are] given significant unsupervised access to a student in connection with the volunteer's assignment."
Legislators dismissed the concerns of Rob Layton, of the Utah Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, who warned that vague language in the bill would make it difficult for citizens to volunteer in schools.
"You are excluding a large range of people," he said, citing those who have been arrested, but not charged, and those who have been convicted of drug and alcohol-related misdemeanors, such as open container and marijuana possession laws. "It is just additional burdens on [volunteers]."
The bill's sponsor, Rep. Sheryl Allen, R-Bountiful, said more stringent requirements are necessary to protect children. The bill comes after public safety officials last year unearthed nearly 7,000 arrests, criminal charges or convictions. But a single employee could account for a dozen or more of those, said agency spokesman Jeff Nigbur.
The bill would also allow districts to require employees, applicants and volunteers to pay the background check fees, rather than the district covering those costs.
Currently, teachers undergo a background check as part of receiving or renewing a teaching license.
Licensing fees charged to them cover the costs of background checks. Periodic checks are also required for non-teaching staff such as bus drivers.
A district may choose to require non-certified employees, such as custodians, secretaries, and lunch clerks, to undergo a background check when they are hired, although the district must cover those costs. Becky Williams, the human resources director for Davis School District, said shifting those fees would save her district approximately $300,000 over six years. Pre-employ.com offers background check services to thousands of organizations and is the largest supplier of volunteer background checks in the nation. Full descriptions can be found here:
http://www.mybackgroundcheck.com/Business/Volunteer
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Read the full news release: At Least 1-in-29 College Students Have Criminal Records
Students with criminal records could be sitting in every classroom at colleges and universities in the United States, according to a new report.
A nationwide study by MyBackgroundCheck.com, a leading supplier of criminal background checks for students and faculty members, revealed that approximately one out of every 29 college students across the nation had some type of previous criminal record, and the actual cases of crime may be higher since juvenile records are not reportable or included in the study.
The study of 13,859 students in 125 universities, career colleges, nursing schools, and other educational institutions found a variety of convictions from across the nation. The convictions uncovered in this study did not include juvenile records – which are not accessible to the public in most situations – and were organized into the following categories and percentages:
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Child Molestation (2.4%);
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Sexual Abuse (5.2%);
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Assault (4%);
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Drug Possession (7.4%);
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Theft (8.8%);
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Fraud (2.7%);
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Driving Violations (60%); and
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Disorderly Conduct (9.5%).
“Parents sending children off to colleges and universities should closely view the background screening policies of those educational institutions,” stated Robert Mather, CEO of MyBackgroundCheck.com. “The days of secrecy surrounding previous criminal activity in a university are gone,” Mather continued. “In today’s world, parents, faculty, and students wish to be educated about the criminal convictions of their roommates, students, or instructors and, at the least, engage in conversation surrounding the facts, beginning with the question: Is there a criminal in the classroom?”
MyBackgroundCheck.com is one of the largest providers of “student-supplied” background check services to colleges and universities to use for their students, faculty members, contractors, and vendors. To learn more about student background checks, visit http://www.mybackgroundcheck.com/Students. Universities can find out more about MyBackgroundCheck.com's no-cost nationwide program by visiting http://www.mybackgroundcheck.com/Business/ClinicalDirectors.aspx.
Read the full news release: At Least 1-in-29 College Students Have Criminal Records
Follow MyBackgroundCheck.com on Twitter at www.twitter.com/MyBackgroundChk.
pr@mybackgroundcheck.com
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As further proof that identity thieves will take advantage of any opportunity for identity theft – including the H1N1 Virus – the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is reporting on its Health Related Hoaxes and Rumors page that it has received reports of fraudulent H1N1 Virus emails referencing a supposed “CDC sponsored State Vaccination Program” that are actually attempts to gain personal information to commit identity theft.
The CDC reports that the fake email messages attempting to gain information for identity theft – a process known as “phishing” – asks users to create a “personal H1N1 (swine flu) Vaccination Profile on the cdc.gov website” and that “every person that has reached the age of 18 has to have his/her personal Vaccination Profile on the cdc.gov site.”
However, the CDC has NOT implemented a so-called state vaccination program for the H1N1 Virus requiring registration on www.cdc.gov, and warns that users clicking on the “Create Personal Profile” link in the email risk having malicious code installed on their system that could steal personal information and lead to identity theft.
The CDC also reminds users to take the following steps to reduce the risk of being a victim of the H1N1 Virus phishing attack that could lead to identity theft:
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Do not follow unsolicited links and do not open or respond to unsolicited email messages.
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Use caution when visiting un-trusted websites.
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Use caution when entering personal information online.
An example of the H1N1 Virus phishing email can be seen at www.cdc.gov/hoaxes_rumors.html.
MyBackgroundCheck.com is a leading provider of consumer requested and applicant supplied background checks that allow consumers and jobseekers to keep their personal information accurate and secure from identity theft. To learn how personal background checks can help prevent identity theft, visit www.mybackgroundcheck.com, email info@mybackgroundcheck.com, or call 1-800-503-2364. Follow MyBackgroundCheck.com on Twitter at www.twitter.com/MyBackgroundChk.
pr@mybackgroundcheck.com
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