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| Last Updated:
Mar 11, 2010 - 9:20:54 PM |
 | | Director Mike Heath with Letter |
On Friday, January 19, the Christian Civic League was able to obtain a copy of the Augusta Police Department's report (#07-193-OF) filed by Officer Christian Behr regarding the surrender of Mr. Adam E. Flanders' letter for an official investigation. The report states, "The letter speaks of incidents going on with a homosexual organization called 'OUT'...Hein gave me the letter...This case should be forwarded to the Rockland PD [Police Department] and the [State of Maine] Attorney General's Office." The report was approved by Augusta Police Department Lieutenant Peter Couture.
On Saturday, January 21, Maine's Magic City Morning Star online newspaper published a news story about the case. In the article, publisher Ken Anderson reveals, "In other correspondence, Flanders says that OUT members were responsible for stealing and/or destroying several 'Yes on 1' signs during the campaign period leading up to the vote on the People's Veto of the governor's gay rights legislation, and he states that several of the organization's adult advisors encouraged this illegal activity." The allegation is based upon an email Mr. Flanders sent to the League on January 16.
On Monday, January 22, the League contacted the Rockland Police Department Chief Bruce Boucher about this alleged criminal activity. We asked for a formal investigation by the department for both the allegations of adults having sex with minors and the criminal damage to property of the campaign signs. The following day we received confimation from Chief Boucher that the Rockland Police Department is currently conducting an investigation into the alleged crimes. He stated, "I have assigned this to an officer for a follow up investigation/interview with Mr. Flanders concerning his allegations."
Upon receipt of this confirmation of an ongoing local police investigation, the local media was notified. A reporter from a Portland-based newspaper expressed interest in the story. An out-of-state educator with his own online website committed to researching and publishing information on the story.
MassResistance, a Massachusetts-based pro-family, pro-traditional marriage activist and lobbying organization, notified the League of the OUT...As I Want to Be organization's webpage on MySpace.com (Warning: this webpage, although able to be accessed by the online public, contains graphic and disturbing images and content). League Executive Director Mike Heath was a guest on MassResistance's local radio program this week, aired on WTTT AM 1150. An audio version of the program will be available on the website.
As of this report, no regional Maine newspaper (the Bangor Daily News, the weekly Courier Publications, Blethen Maine Newspapers, etc.) have decided to publish this news of an ongoing police investigation of child sexual abuse allegations against this organization.
Most distressing though, was the response received from Augusta's Kennebec Journal News Editor Eric Conrad. The entirety of his email to our office upon notification of this news was: "
Thanks, Mike. Let us [the Kennebec Journal News Department]
know if charges result from this, from the Rockland PD [Police Department]
or the AG's [State of Maine Attorney General's]
office./Eric."
The Kennebec Journal reports exensively on other police investigations of alleged criminal activity, in Maine and elsewhere, prior to charges being filed. These news items include their weekly "Police Log" column and numerous stand-alone news stories.
One news article reported this week announced that a police investigation into brain harvesting that had been reported repeatedly over two years has closed without charges being filed. Mr. Conrad's email implies that, for some as yet unexplained reason, this news story is held to a different standard and will remain unreported by this central Maine newspaper.
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