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May 07, 2005

Molester worries Bonanza

A Bonanza man who pleaded guilty to child abuse remains in the town, and community members gathered Thursday, many with children in tow, to ask why.

"I have five girls - it has affected our lives dramatically," said Tami Dirks, who lives next door to the man. "I'd like to put him on an island by himself."

The man in question is Kenneth Sherman, 60, who pleaded guilty to two felony counts, attempted sodomy and attempted sex abuse, and was put on five years of probation. The victims were children of a friend.

County officials held a town meeting Thursday night to answer questions from the community. Although many didn't like the answers they heard, they stopped afterward to thank the officials for the meeting.

District Attorney Ed Caleb said prosecutors had problems with both the case and with finances.

Sherman has cancer, and Caleb said Friday that the cost of caring for him "a huge factor" in the decisions that led to the probation decision.

But once that decision was made, he said, other problems were obvious.

"We couldn't find the victims," Caleb said in the meeting Thursday night. "When we did think we had and sent messages, they were not answered."

Caleb said prosecutors wanted the testimony for the victim-impact part of the sentencing, but the family's disappearance suggested a trial might have been difficult for the prosecution.

He said the victims and their family were finally located Thursday, after the sentencing, in a Klamath Falls motel.

Without direct victim testimony, Caleb said, the options were to let Sherman go free while officers tried to contact the victims, or let him plead guilty and get him on probation.

Sherman is living with a landlord and friend who agreed to accompany him on the occasions he leaves the home, said Steve Berger, the county's chief probation officer. He said that was the only place where his department could find someone to take him in a suitable setting.

Caleb drew applause when he said, "If I could do it under the law, I'd kill them" and referred to child abusers as "scumbags."

Kiki Parker-Rose, supervisor of community corrections, detailed the restrictions on Sherman:

He is not allowed to have contact with minors.

He may not drink alcohol.

He cannot go on the north side of Highway 70, where the school and store are located.

He must submit to a polygraph every 3 to 6 months, as must all offenders.

He is allowed to come to Klamath Falls for treatment sessions and for shopping if he is accompanied by his landlord.

His movements are electronically monitored with an ankle bracelet. If he moves more than 100 feet away from the base in the home, an alarm goes off and the corrections department is alerted.

"How fast can you get here if that happens?" a community member asked from the audience. Berger encouraged audience members to call 911 or their resident deputy if they see Sherman breaking the rules.

Berger said his department can only enforce the orders of the courts in ways that make the community safest within the "box" of the laws.

"If you're looking for a change in state law, we have those every election," he said.

An audience member asked how to keep our children safe.

"Be active parents," Berger responded. "Spend time with your kids."

"What really allows a sex offender to commit a crime?" Berger asked, and then answered: "Deception, secrets, and gaining trust of family members."

In 85 percent of cases of sexual abuse, he said, the offender is a family member or someone who has, through deception, gained the trust of the family and the victims.

Posted by Nealus at May 7, 2005 03:24 PM

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