Hundreds of victims? Dr. EARL BRADLEY - Dover DE
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Hundreds of victims? Dr. EARL BRADLEY - Dover DE
by TomTerrific0420 on Sat Jan 09, 2010 5:11 pm
DOVER, Del. — Dating back almost a decade, there were
complaints and investigations involving Dr. Earl Bradley, a well-known
Delaware pediatrician who authorities say may have molested more than
100 children.
There were jokes among colleagues, who thought Bradley had an
unusual practice with his carnival-like office filled with toys and a
merry-go-round. Even Bradley's own sister, who worked for him, heard
parents' concerns.
Despite the warnings, Delaware's medical board only recently suspended Bradley's license — after he was arrested.
"The system failed. What I don't know, and what we must find out, is
where and how," said Delaware Gov. Jack Markell, who plans to order an
independent review of the state's handling of the case.
Outraged parents have complained that children could have been spared had officials acted sooner.
"If he was under investigation for over a year, why didn't someone
speak up?" a tearful mother said at a community forum last month. "All
of this could have been avoided."
Bradley, 56, is being held in lieu of $2.9 million bond after being
charged with more than 30 felonies, including rape. After years of
suspicions, his arrest came when a 2-year-old girl told her mother that
Bradley hurt her last month when he took her to a basement room after
an exam.
Authorities have said Bradley videotaped some of the attacks, some of which occurred in exam rooms with Disney themes.
Bradley faces a preliminary hearing on Thursday. His attorney,
Eugene Maurer, did not immediately return telephone messages left at
his home and law office Saturday.
The case has shocked the close-knit coastal community of Lewes and
the central Delaware town of Milford, where he closed an office in 2005
after police investigated him. The case is even more chilling because
some alleged victims are no more than 6 months old.
The governor is not the only one calling for a review. The state attorney general's office also has asked for an investigation.
What they are likely to find is a lot of fingerpointing, but few willing to accept much, if any, responsibility.
For example, officials who oversee the Board of Medical Practice
claim they never received any complaints until after the arrest. State
law requires all medical professionals, state agencies, and law
enforcement agencies to report to the licensing board in writing within
30 days if they believe a doctor is or "may be" guilty of
unprofessional conduct.
State police said they didn't notify the board of a 2008
investigation because they worried about jeopardizing their case. The
attorney general's office was involved in a 2005 investigation, yet
apparently didn't tell the board.
Milford police said they tried to file a complaint with the board in
2005, but were rebuffed by an investigator who told them it needed to
come from the victim or her parent.
Even two pediatricians interviewed in 2005 told investigators about complaints from Bradley's former patients.
Dr. Lowell Scott told police he referred to Bradley as a "pedophile" when talking to colleagues.
"I probably shouldn't comment on that. ... We would refer to him that way as more of a joke," Scott told The Associated Press.
"We all felt that he practiced differently than we did. ... None of
us had any actual knowledge of him doing any potential harm," Scott
said.
Bradley was described as a quiet, unkempt man who had trouble
looking adults in the eye but nevertheless gained parents' trust.
Police allege that after finishing exams at his Lewes office, he would
molest children in the basement or an outbuilding, where they would be
given toys or candy.
Scott said he never had any proof, only accusations.
"You're talking a 3-year-old against a 50-year-old. I figured if
there was something behind it, then the police would lead to the
medical board," he said.
Bradley's own sister, who worked for him as an office manager, told
police she had complained to two officials with the state medical
society, but again, nothing came of it. The society officials deny
receiving any complaint from Linda Barnes.
Barnes told police in 2005 that her brother was bipolar and taking
medication from the office, and that several parents had complained to
her about Bradley inappropriately touching patients.
An initial review by Attorney General Beau Biden's office indicates
a prosecutor recommended the 2005 matter be referred to the medical
board, but there is no evidence that his agency notified the board.
"That's part of what I've asked the state solicitor to review," Biden said.
complaints and investigations involving Dr. Earl Bradley, a well-known
Delaware pediatrician who authorities say may have molested more than
100 children.
There were jokes among colleagues, who thought Bradley had an
unusual practice with his carnival-like office filled with toys and a
merry-go-round. Even Bradley's own sister, who worked for him, heard
parents' concerns.
Despite the warnings, Delaware's medical board only recently suspended Bradley's license — after he was arrested.
"The system failed. What I don't know, and what we must find out, is
where and how," said Delaware Gov. Jack Markell, who plans to order an
independent review of the state's handling of the case.
Outraged parents have complained that children could have been spared had officials acted sooner.
"If he was under investigation for over a year, why didn't someone
speak up?" a tearful mother said at a community forum last month. "All
of this could have been avoided."
Bradley, 56, is being held in lieu of $2.9 million bond after being
charged with more than 30 felonies, including rape. After years of
suspicions, his arrest came when a 2-year-old girl told her mother that
Bradley hurt her last month when he took her to a basement room after
an exam.
Authorities have said Bradley videotaped some of the attacks, some of which occurred in exam rooms with Disney themes.
Bradley faces a preliminary hearing on Thursday. His attorney,
Eugene Maurer, did not immediately return telephone messages left at
his home and law office Saturday.
The case has shocked the close-knit coastal community of Lewes and
the central Delaware town of Milford, where he closed an office in 2005
after police investigated him. The case is even more chilling because
some alleged victims are no more than 6 months old.
The governor is not the only one calling for a review. The state attorney general's office also has asked for an investigation.
What they are likely to find is a lot of fingerpointing, but few willing to accept much, if any, responsibility.
For example, officials who oversee the Board of Medical Practice
claim they never received any complaints until after the arrest. State
law requires all medical professionals, state agencies, and law
enforcement agencies to report to the licensing board in writing within
30 days if they believe a doctor is or "may be" guilty of
unprofessional conduct.
State police said they didn't notify the board of a 2008
investigation because they worried about jeopardizing their case. The
attorney general's office was involved in a 2005 investigation, yet
apparently didn't tell the board.
Milford police said they tried to file a complaint with the board in
2005, but were rebuffed by an investigator who told them it needed to
come from the victim or her parent.
Even two pediatricians interviewed in 2005 told investigators about complaints from Bradley's former patients.
Dr. Lowell Scott told police he referred to Bradley as a "pedophile" when talking to colleagues.
"I probably shouldn't comment on that. ... We would refer to him that way as more of a joke," Scott told The Associated Press.
"We all felt that he practiced differently than we did. ... None of
us had any actual knowledge of him doing any potential harm," Scott
said.
Bradley was described as a quiet, unkempt man who had trouble
looking adults in the eye but nevertheless gained parents' trust.
Police allege that after finishing exams at his Lewes office, he would
molest children in the basement or an outbuilding, where they would be
given toys or candy.
Scott said he never had any proof, only accusations.
"You're talking a 3-year-old against a 50-year-old. I figured if
there was something behind it, then the police would lead to the
medical board," he said.
Bradley's own sister, who worked for him as an office manager, told
police she had complained to two officials with the state medical
society, but again, nothing came of it. The society officials deny
receiving any complaint from Linda Barnes.
Barnes told police in 2005 that her brother was bipolar and taking
medication from the office, and that several parents had complained to
her about Bradley inappropriately touching patients.
An initial review by Attorney General Beau Biden's office indicates
a prosecutor recommended the 2005 matter be referred to the medical
board, but there is no evidence that his agency notified the board.
"That's part of what I've asked the state solicitor to review," Biden said.
TomTerrific0420- Supreme Commander of the Universe With Cape AND Tights AND Fancy Headgear
- Job/hobbies: Searching for Truth and Justice
Re: Hundreds of victims? Dr. EARL BRADLEY - Dover DE
by TomTerrific0420 on Wed Jan 13, 2010 4:17 pm
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- Nearly
two decades before pediatrician Earl B. Bradley was charged with raping
nine of his child patients, his uncle was convicted of lewd behavior
and exposing himself to young girls in central Pennsylvania.William
A. Bradley Jr., a retired high school and college teacher, was
sentenced to 18 years probation in 1992 by a Pennsylvania Court of
Common Pleas judge. He died five years later, at 92, at a State
College, Pa., nursing home, according to an obituary published in the
Centre Daily Times on Feb. 14, 1997.In
Delaware court documents from 2005 obtained last week by The News
Journal, a witness told police that Earl Bradley's uncle had been
arrested years before in State College on pedophilia-related charges.Pedophiliac
behavior within families is not unheard of, according to Leslie
Lothstein, director of psychology at the Institute of Living at
Hartford (Conn.) Hospital's Mental Health Network."I've
seen, over the course of 40 years, a number of families where you can
go back three generations and you can look at similar patterns,
especially sexual abuse," Lothstein said. "It's not a rare event, but
it also doesn't mean that if you have a family history of pedophilia or
a sexual behavior that you are going to see it in the next generation.
"So the question is, how does that occur and how does that happen?"What
research there is on the topic has found that pedophiliac offenders are
more likely to come from dysfunctional families -- where sexual and
physical abuse is common. This emotional trauma may play into the cause
of the sexual disorders.What sort of upbringing the Bradleys had is not known.
Nor is what sort of contact the men had with each another.Earl Bradley
inherited $1,000 from his uncle.Both men graduated from Penn State University
and received advanced degrees from Temple University.A
search through Penn State's yearbooks, "La Vie," found no information
on Earl Bradley's stay there. William Bradley's time as a Nittany Lion,
however, was documented in a few lines: William Arthur Bradley Jr. came
from Philadelphia and went by Bill. He was in pre-medical and had
transferred from the University of Pennsylvania. He'd also been a
member of the glee club, college choir, was vice president of Watts
Hall and a college technician.William
Arthur Bradley Jr. came from Philadelphia and went by Bill. He was in
pre-medical and had transferred from the University of Pennsylvania.
He'd also been a member of the glee club, college choir, was vice
president of Watts Hall and a college technician.After
graduating from Temple, Earl Bradley conducted his pediatrics residency
at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital until 1986 when he opened a
practice on Academy Road in Philadelphia and worked at Frankford
Hospital. Earl Bradley moved to Lewes in 1994, taking a job at Beebe
Medical Center. Three years later, he resigned and joined the nearby
Bayside Health practice.He
later went into private practice, operating BayBees Pediatrics briefly
in Milford and in Lewes, where his office features toys, rides and
Disney-themed examination rooms."He [Earl Bradley] seemed like a
nice sort of fellow," said Donald Dreibelbis, executor of the uncle's will.
Dreibelbis met Earl Bradley at his uncle's funeral. Dreibelbis said he made sure
Earl Bradley received his father's gold watch, which had been in the
uncle's possession. "He got some of the things that should have been
his. I saw to that."Dreibelbis
said he knew little more about the nephew, but said he was aware of the
uncle's criminal troubles because he was assigned to move Bradley from
his Patton Township apartment after his conviction."I wouldn't say we were friends," he said.
Uncle arrested three times
William Bradley was arrested
at least three times in 1990 by two different Centre County, Pa.,
police departments. While the incidents occurred that year, one of the
documents states Bradley's assaults dated to 1989.According to court
records obtained from the Centre County Courthouse in Bellefonte, Pa.:
• On Aug. 10, 1990, William Bradley exposed himself to two children, ages
8 and 10, according to Patton Township, Pa., police. The kids were in
the children's park area of the Troftrees Apartments, where Bradley
used to live. The children left, but returned with an 8-year-old
friend. Bradley was still in the park, sitting on a park bench exposing
himself.One of the
children said Bradley "had his penis out of his shorts, holding the end
of it with his fingers and moving his hand around."As the children left the park,
Bradley called out to them and asked how they were doing.]Both
8-year-olds told police they had seen Bradley do this before -- one
said she had seen him do this once in 1989 and twice in 1990; the other
told police she saw Bradley "pinching his private parts" and exposing
himself at least three times before.
• On Aug. 15, 1990, Patton Township police began investigating an
indecent assault of a 4-year-old girl. William Bradley, according to
police, had taken the girl to his backyard a few days earlier. Bradley,
who she called "The Farmer," made her fondle him, as well as preform
oral sex on him. He also performed oral sex with her, calling the act
"special kisses." Earl Bradley, according to police, videotaped himself
performing and receiving oral sex with children of the same age at his
Lewes pediatrician's offices.
• On Aug. 15, 1990, William Bradley was arrested by Penn State University
police after he exposed himself at the agricultural school's Ag
Progress Days Festival. When Bradley was initially questioned by
police, he told officers he had lost all sensation in his leg. Because
of that, he had to place his hand on his leg to make sure it was moving
properly causing his shorts to ride up."His
explanation seemed reasonable at the time, given his age and apparent
physical condition," Officer Christine D. Cihak wrote in her report.
She later learned Bradley had previously been escorted to his car by
another officer who had caught him exposing himself to a young girl.
In October of that year, Penn State police charged him.
Sentenced to probation
At his nonjury trial covering
all three arrests, William Bradley testified he "had no sexual
feelings, desire or interest in sex," because of an operation he had in
1925.A letter he
wrote to the court stated that at 31 he married a 28-year-old woman
"who left me in a few weeks, because I was not able to consummate the
marriage."At his
trial, Bradley claimed there was no way the girls could have seen his
penis on Aug. 10, because when he sat down, his penis "rejects into the
abdomen completely. You can't see it."When
prosecutors asked him why he started taking medication to help give him
an erection, Bradley replied: "It wasn't to help. It was to see if it
could -- it bothered me that I couldn't get an erection.
"When asked why the girls had said he had done the things he was accused of,
Bradley claimed they were lying or "well coached."[Then-Centre
County Court of Common Pleas President Judge Charles C. Brown Jr.
sentenced Bradley to probation on March 30, 1992. He also was ordered
to have no contact with children.William Bradley died Feb. 12, 1997 -- six days shy of his 93rd birthday.According
to his obituary, William Bradley received his master's degree in
clinical psychology and his doctorate in education from Temple
University in 1943.After
graduation, William Bradley went on to the U.S. Naval Air Development
Center of Pennsylvania, where he was chief psychophysiologist. He then
taught at Montgomery County Community College and New Jersey's Rider
College, as well as several high schools.He
gave $1 million to Centre Community Hospital, according to his 1997
obit. He also was a major contributor to Temple University and
Montgomery County Community College.
two decades before pediatrician Earl B. Bradley was charged with raping
nine of his child patients, his uncle was convicted of lewd behavior
and exposing himself to young girls in central Pennsylvania.William
A. Bradley Jr., a retired high school and college teacher, was
sentenced to 18 years probation in 1992 by a Pennsylvania Court of
Common Pleas judge. He died five years later, at 92, at a State
College, Pa., nursing home, according to an obituary published in the
Centre Daily Times on Feb. 14, 1997.In
Delaware court documents from 2005 obtained last week by The News
Journal, a witness told police that Earl Bradley's uncle had been
arrested years before in State College on pedophilia-related charges.Pedophiliac
behavior within families is not unheard of, according to Leslie
Lothstein, director of psychology at the Institute of Living at
Hartford (Conn.) Hospital's Mental Health Network."I've
seen, over the course of 40 years, a number of families where you can
go back three generations and you can look at similar patterns,
especially sexual abuse," Lothstein said. "It's not a rare event, but
it also doesn't mean that if you have a family history of pedophilia or
a sexual behavior that you are going to see it in the next generation.
"So the question is, how does that occur and how does that happen?"What
research there is on the topic has found that pedophiliac offenders are
more likely to come from dysfunctional families -- where sexual and
physical abuse is common. This emotional trauma may play into the cause
of the sexual disorders.What sort of upbringing the Bradleys had is not known.
Nor is what sort of contact the men had with each another.Earl Bradley
inherited $1,000 from his uncle.Both men graduated from Penn State University
and received advanced degrees from Temple University.A
search through Penn State's yearbooks, "La Vie," found no information
on Earl Bradley's stay there. William Bradley's time as a Nittany Lion,
however, was documented in a few lines: William Arthur Bradley Jr. came
from Philadelphia and went by Bill. He was in pre-medical and had
transferred from the University of Pennsylvania. He'd also been a
member of the glee club, college choir, was vice president of Watts
Hall and a college technician.William
Arthur Bradley Jr. came from Philadelphia and went by Bill. He was in
pre-medical and had transferred from the University of Pennsylvania.
He'd also been a member of the glee club, college choir, was vice
president of Watts Hall and a college technician.After
graduating from Temple, Earl Bradley conducted his pediatrics residency
at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital until 1986 when he opened a
practice on Academy Road in Philadelphia and worked at Frankford
Hospital. Earl Bradley moved to Lewes in 1994, taking a job at Beebe
Medical Center. Three years later, he resigned and joined the nearby
Bayside Health practice.He
later went into private practice, operating BayBees Pediatrics briefly
in Milford and in Lewes, where his office features toys, rides and
Disney-themed examination rooms."He [Earl Bradley] seemed like a
nice sort of fellow," said Donald Dreibelbis, executor of the uncle's will.
Dreibelbis met Earl Bradley at his uncle's funeral. Dreibelbis said he made sure
Earl Bradley received his father's gold watch, which had been in the
uncle's possession. "He got some of the things that should have been
his. I saw to that."Dreibelbis
said he knew little more about the nephew, but said he was aware of the
uncle's criminal troubles because he was assigned to move Bradley from
his Patton Township apartment after his conviction."I wouldn't say we were friends," he said.
Uncle arrested three times
William Bradley was arrested
at least three times in 1990 by two different Centre County, Pa.,
police departments. While the incidents occurred that year, one of the
documents states Bradley's assaults dated to 1989.According to court
records obtained from the Centre County Courthouse in Bellefonte, Pa.:
• On Aug. 10, 1990, William Bradley exposed himself to two children, ages
8 and 10, according to Patton Township, Pa., police. The kids were in
the children's park area of the Troftrees Apartments, where Bradley
used to live. The children left, but returned with an 8-year-old
friend. Bradley was still in the park, sitting on a park bench exposing
himself.One of the
children said Bradley "had his penis out of his shorts, holding the end
of it with his fingers and moving his hand around."As the children left the park,
Bradley called out to them and asked how they were doing.]Both
8-year-olds told police they had seen Bradley do this before -- one
said she had seen him do this once in 1989 and twice in 1990; the other
told police she saw Bradley "pinching his private parts" and exposing
himself at least three times before.
• On Aug. 15, 1990, Patton Township police began investigating an
indecent assault of a 4-year-old girl. William Bradley, according to
police, had taken the girl to his backyard a few days earlier. Bradley,
who she called "The Farmer," made her fondle him, as well as preform
oral sex on him. He also performed oral sex with her, calling the act
"special kisses." Earl Bradley, according to police, videotaped himself
performing and receiving oral sex with children of the same age at his
Lewes pediatrician's offices.
• On Aug. 15, 1990, William Bradley was arrested by Penn State University
police after he exposed himself at the agricultural school's Ag
Progress Days Festival. When Bradley was initially questioned by
police, he told officers he had lost all sensation in his leg. Because
of that, he had to place his hand on his leg to make sure it was moving
properly causing his shorts to ride up."His
explanation seemed reasonable at the time, given his age and apparent
physical condition," Officer Christine D. Cihak wrote in her report.
She later learned Bradley had previously been escorted to his car by
another officer who had caught him exposing himself to a young girl.
In October of that year, Penn State police charged him.
Sentenced to probation
At his nonjury trial covering
all three arrests, William Bradley testified he "had no sexual
feelings, desire or interest in sex," because of an operation he had in
1925.A letter he
wrote to the court stated that at 31 he married a 28-year-old woman
"who left me in a few weeks, because I was not able to consummate the
marriage."At his
trial, Bradley claimed there was no way the girls could have seen his
penis on Aug. 10, because when he sat down, his penis "rejects into the
abdomen completely. You can't see it."When
prosecutors asked him why he started taking medication to help give him
an erection, Bradley replied: "It wasn't to help. It was to see if it
could -- it bothered me that I couldn't get an erection.
"When asked why the girls had said he had done the things he was accused of,
Bradley claimed they were lying or "well coached."[Then-Centre
County Court of Common Pleas President Judge Charles C. Brown Jr.
sentenced Bradley to probation on March 30, 1992. He also was ordered
to have no contact with children.William Bradley died Feb. 12, 1997 -- six days shy of his 93rd birthday.According
to his obituary, William Bradley received his master's degree in
clinical psychology and his doctorate in education from Temple
University in 1943.After
graduation, William Bradley went on to the U.S. Naval Air Development
Center of Pennsylvania, where he was chief psychophysiologist. He then
taught at Montgomery County Community College and New Jersey's Rider
College, as well as several high schools.He
gave $1 million to Centre Community Hospital, according to his 1997
obit. He also was a major contributor to Temple University and
Montgomery County Community College.
TomTerrific0420- Supreme Commander of the Universe With Cape AND Tights AND Fancy Headgear
- Job/hobbies: Searching for Truth and Justice
Re: Hundreds of victims? Dr. EARL BRADLEY - Dover DE
by TomTerrific0420 on Thu Jan 21, 2010 4:40 am
Delaware prosecutors are moving to freeze the assets of a pediatrician suspected of sexually assaulting several patients.A
spokesman for Attorney General Beau Biden says his office filed a civil
racketeering lawsuit late Wednesday against Dr. Earl Bradley.The
lawsuit is intended to protect the doctor's personal assets for
potential victims. State law allows the Department of Justice to put a
lien on those assets and seek forfeiture.Officials plan to ask that the civil lawsuit be put on hold pending resolution of the criminal case against Bradley.Bradley is being held in lieu of $2.9 million bail on charges of sexually assaulting several patients at his office last year.
spokesman for Attorney General Beau Biden says his office filed a civil
racketeering lawsuit late Wednesday against Dr. Earl Bradley.The
lawsuit is intended to protect the doctor's personal assets for
potential victims. State law allows the Department of Justice to put a
lien on those assets and seek forfeiture.Officials plan to ask that the civil lawsuit be put on hold pending resolution of the criminal case against Bradley.Bradley is being held in lieu of $2.9 million bail on charges of sexually assaulting several patients at his office last year.
TomTerrific0420- Supreme Commander of the Universe With Cape AND Tights AND Fancy Headgear
- Job/hobbies: Searching for Truth and Justice
Re: Hundreds of victims? Dr. EARL BRADLEY - Dover DE
by TomTerrific0420 on Fri Jan 29, 2010 5:19 pm
LEWES, Del. - More
than a month after the arrest of pediatrician Earl Bradley, a Lewes
woman is calling for changes to the accused doctor's office so the
community can heal.
Bradley's office, Baybee's Pediatrics, is easy to spot from Route 1
in Lewes. Bradley, 56, used toys, cars and decorations to cover his
office and surrounding yard. In December, Bradley was arrested and
charged with sexually assaulting or raping several of his patients.
Court documents said Bradley videotaped some of the alleged acts on
some victims no older than 6-months.
Margaret Drury frequently stands outside Bradley's office on Route 1
with a sign about an hour or two a day. She said the building can stay,
but Bradley's toys and decorations need to go.
"I'm saddened," Drury said. "I'm here because I want people to come
together in this community and be aware that this does go on."
Drury said she is a mother and former nurse who is disgusted by what
police say may have happened inside. She also claimed responsibility
for hanging black ribbons around the outside of the office in what she
calls a sign of grief.
One of Drury's signs asks onlookers to pressure the Delaware
Attorney General's Office to remove the items. Last week, Attorney
General Beau Biden announced plans by the Justice Department to freeze
Bradley's assets through a civil lawsuit.
Jason Miller, a spokesman for the Department of Justice, said the
lawsuit puts a lien on Bradley's property but does not give the state
the authority to remove any items.
Meanwhile, a Georgetown community group is conducting a massive
outreach campaign to make sure Bradley's Hispanic patients don't get
overlooked.
La Esperanza said it is notifying clients of the case and directing
parents of former patients to authorities. The director said there is
concern that the language barrier will prevent potential victims from
coming forward. As part of its outreach, the center has a bilingual
translator and can provide transportation services to affected
families.
than a month after the arrest of pediatrician Earl Bradley, a Lewes
woman is calling for changes to the accused doctor's office so the
community can heal.
Bradley's office, Baybee's Pediatrics, is easy to spot from Route 1
in Lewes. Bradley, 56, used toys, cars and decorations to cover his
office and surrounding yard. In December, Bradley was arrested and
charged with sexually assaulting or raping several of his patients.
Court documents said Bradley videotaped some of the alleged acts on
some victims no older than 6-months.
Margaret Drury frequently stands outside Bradley's office on Route 1
with a sign about an hour or two a day. She said the building can stay,
but Bradley's toys and decorations need to go.
"I'm saddened," Drury said. "I'm here because I want people to come
together in this community and be aware that this does go on."
Drury said she is a mother and former nurse who is disgusted by what
police say may have happened inside. She also claimed responsibility
for hanging black ribbons around the outside of the office in what she
calls a sign of grief.
One of Drury's signs asks onlookers to pressure the Delaware
Attorney General's Office to remove the items. Last week, Attorney
General Beau Biden announced plans by the Justice Department to freeze
Bradley's assets through a civil lawsuit.
Jason Miller, a spokesman for the Department of Justice, said the
lawsuit puts a lien on Bradley's property but does not give the state
the authority to remove any items.
Meanwhile, a Georgetown community group is conducting a massive
outreach campaign to make sure Bradley's Hispanic patients don't get
overlooked.
La Esperanza said it is notifying clients of the case and directing
parents of former patients to authorities. The director said there is
concern that the language barrier will prevent potential victims from
coming forward. As part of its outreach, the center has a bilingual
translator and can provide transportation services to affected
families.
TomTerrific0420- Supreme Commander of the Universe With Cape AND Tights AND Fancy Headgear
- Job/hobbies: Searching for Truth and Justice
Re: Hundreds of victims? Dr. EARL BRADLEY - Dover DE
by tears4caylee on Sat Jan 30, 2010 1:50 pm
As a mother, Im very disturbed by this...Not only because this dr. comitted these acts, but WTH were the parents when he was examining their children.....Yes he's a pervert and a pedophile but why did the parents leave their children alone with this dr....
I have never left my son alone with any dr. or for that matter, with anyone. I am disgusted at what this dr. has done but also with the thoughtless brainless parents...JMO
I have never left my son alone with any dr. or for that matter, with anyone. I am disgusted at what this dr. has done but also with the thoughtless brainless parents...JMO
tears4caylee- Supreme Commander of the Universe With Cape AND Tights AND Fancy Headgear
Re: Hundreds of victims? Dr. EARL BRADLEY - Dover DE
by TomTerrific0420 on Mon Feb 22, 2010 4:02 pm
DOVER, Del. — A Delaware
grand jury returned a sweeping indictment Monday against a pediatrician
accused of serial child molestation.
The indictment returned by a Sussex County grand jury charges Dr. Earl
Bradley of Lewes with more than 400 counts of criminal conduct. More
details about the charges were to be released at an afternoon news
conference.
Bradley was arrested in December and initially charged with 29 felony counts for allegedly
abusing nine children, but state prosecutors have said there could be
as many as 100 victims.
Investigators have said Bradley videotaped some of the attacks with which he is charged,
some of which occurred in exam rooms decorated with Disney themes.
Some alleged victims were no more than 6 months old.
Bradley is being held with bail set at $2.9 million. His medical license was
permanently revoked by the state Board of Medical Practice last week.
Attorney General Beau Biden scheduled a news conference Monday afternoon to
discuss what his office described as "progress made in the
investigation and prosecution of the case ..."
Biden, who was in Dover presenting his agency's budget proposal to the
legislature's finance committee, declined to discuss the indictment
with reporters before the news conference.
After years of suspicions among parents and questions about his strange
behavior from colleagues, Bradley was arrested after a 2-year-old girl
told her mother that the doctor hurt her in December when he took her
to a basement room after an exam.
The case has shocked the close-knit coastal community of Lewes and the
central Delaware town of Milford, where Bradley closed an office in
2005 after police investigated him.
Biden and Gov. Jack Markell have ordered reviews to determine whether
doctors, hospitals, state agencies or law enforcement authorities
failed to comply with a state law that requires all such entities to
report to the medical licensing board in writing within 30 days if they
believe a doctor is or "may be" guilty of unprofessional conduct.
grand jury returned a sweeping indictment Monday against a pediatrician
accused of serial child molestation.
The indictment returned by a Sussex County grand jury charges Dr. Earl
Bradley of Lewes with more than 400 counts of criminal conduct. More
details about the charges were to be released at an afternoon news
conference.
Bradley was arrested in December and initially charged with 29 felony counts for allegedly
abusing nine children, but state prosecutors have said there could be
as many as 100 victims.
Investigators have said Bradley videotaped some of the attacks with which he is charged,
some of which occurred in exam rooms decorated with Disney themes.
Some alleged victims were no more than 6 months old.
Bradley is being held with bail set at $2.9 million. His medical license was
permanently revoked by the state Board of Medical Practice last week.
Attorney General Beau Biden scheduled a news conference Monday afternoon to
discuss what his office described as "progress made in the
investigation and prosecution of the case ..."
Biden, who was in Dover presenting his agency's budget proposal to the
legislature's finance committee, declined to discuss the indictment
with reporters before the news conference.
After years of suspicions among parents and questions about his strange
behavior from colleagues, Bradley was arrested after a 2-year-old girl
told her mother that the doctor hurt her in December when he took her
to a basement room after an exam.
The case has shocked the close-knit coastal community of Lewes and the
central Delaware town of Milford, where Bradley closed an office in
2005 after police investigated him.
Biden and Gov. Jack Markell have ordered reviews to determine whether
doctors, hospitals, state agencies or law enforcement authorities
failed to comply with a state law that requires all such entities to
report to the medical licensing board in writing within 30 days if they
believe a doctor is or "may be" guilty of unprofessional conduct.
TomTerrific0420- Supreme Commander of the Universe With Cape AND Tights AND Fancy Headgear
- Job/hobbies: Searching for Truth and Justice
Rampant sexual abuse in the medical field
by JimW on Fri Feb 26, 2010 8:25 am
I recently read a book, BOY ON A PONY, by George Abagnalo, published in 2002, that is about rampant sexual abuse within the medical field. The author may be the first person ever to have noted that pediatrics is a perfect specialization for pedafiles.
JimW- Cricket Tracker
Re: Hundreds of victims? Dr. EARL BRADLEY - Dover DE
by kiwimom on Fri Feb 26, 2010 3:23 pm
JimW wrote:Last year I read a book, BOY ON A PONY, by George Abagnalo, published in 2002 that was about rampant sexual abuse within the medical field. The author may be the first person ever to have noted that pediatrics is a perfect specialization for pedafiles.
Welcome to the forum JimW
Thanks for the info. I completely agree. Same with child psychologists IMO.A long time ago I fostered a 3 year old girl. I had to take her to a psychologist appointed by the child welfare authorities. He said the sessions would be about an hour and was talking as though I wasn't going to be there too. He confirmed he wanted to see her alone. I said no way, that's crazy. He said it was ridiculous for me to object but I said tough. I said if he didn't want me in there with them then his female secretary at least had to be there. He said MY strange behavior about it raised his suspicions that I was sexually abusing her!!!!!
I refused to take her to him and the authorities placed her with another family. The authorites used that guy all the time and I've always been suspicious about that incident. Something very wrong IMO.
kiwimom- Supreme Commander of the Universe With Cape AND Tights AND Fancy Headgear
Re: Hundreds of victims? Dr. EARL BRADLEY - Dover DE
by TomTerrific0420 on Fri Feb 26, 2010 3:45 pm
kiwimom wrote:JimW wrote:Last year I read a book, BOY ON A PONY, by George Abagnalo, published in 2002 that was about rampant sexual abuse within the medical field. The author may be the first person ever to have noted that pediatrics is a perfect specialization for pedafiles.
Welcome to the forum JimW
A long time ago I fostered a 3 year old girl. I had to take her to a psychologist appointed by the child welfare authorities. He said the sessions would be about an hour and was talking as though I wasn't going to be there too. He confirmed he wanted to see her alone. I said no way, that's crazy. He said it was ridiculous for me to object but I said tough. I said if he didn't want me in there with them then his female secretary at least had to be there. He said MY strange behavior about it raised his suspicions that I was sexually abusing her!!!!!
I refused to take her to him and the authorities placed her with another family. The authorites used that guy all the time and I've always been suspicious about that incident. Something very wrong IMO.
---I don't know what the current situation is but I don't think it would be a bad thing to report it, even now.
TomTerrific0420- Supreme Commander of the Universe With Cape AND Tights AND Fancy Headgear
- Job/hobbies: Searching for Truth and Justice
Re: Hundreds of victims? Dr. EARL BRADLEY - Dover DE
by TomTerrific0420 on Sat Feb 27, 2010 2:53 am
LEWES, DEL. -- Every day this week, a team of State Police detectives
has arrived at a different front door in this seaside resort on the
same heartbreaking mission. They bring with them a captured video
image, carefully cropped to show nothing but a young face, that
confirms another family's nightmare: Their child might be a victim of
Earl Bradley, a popular local pediatrician who now stands accused of
sexually molesting scores of young patients.
More than 100 victims have been identified from the 13 hours of
video Bradley allegedly made of the assaults. And Delaware Attorney
General Beau Biden this week announced a 471-count indictment
against the physician. But as one of the largest sex-crime
investigations in U.S. history works through more than 7,000 case files
removed from Bradley's office, hundreds of other parents remain
suspended in an agony of waiting.
"There are definitely more to come," said Patricia Dailey Lewis, the
deputy attorney general who runs the victims' service office the state
has set up a few doors from Bradley's cluttered frame house. "I had a
woman call yesterday just screaming, 'I want to know right now if my daughter is on a video.' It's horrible for them, just horrible."
Winter is normally a tranquil time in Lewes, a town known to summering
Washingtonians as a sleepy ferry port. But residents say the alleged
betrayal of trust has shattered that calm and threatens to split the
small town over questions of blame.
Lewes's off-season of anguish began two months ago when police,
acting on a complaint from a young patient, arrested Bradley, 56, and
searched the garishly decorated office he maintained on Route 1 near
the border with Rehoboth. Amid the miniature carnival rides and
elaborate toys, investigators found a network of video cameras,
computer files and other evidence they said documents a history of
brazen and systematic pedophilia dating back as least 11 years.
Since 1998, according to the indictment and interviews with
attorneys, Bradley violated children ranging in age from 18 months to
14 years of age, many of them on multiple occasions. The charges
include rape, sexual exploitation, continuous sexual abuse of a child
and reckless endangerment. All but one of the victims identified so far
are girls.
Bradley is being held with bail set at $2.9 million. His attorney did not return a call seeking comment.
Many of the alleged assaults reportedly occurred in the presence of
parents, disguised as part of an examination under a privacy sheet.
Bradley might have also used a camera concealed in a penlight or a
cellphone he was known to place on the exam table, according to one
couple briefed by investigators.
At other times, Bradley would take the child on a brief visit to the
basement or a nearby outbuilding, ostensibly to fetch one of the
post-exam toys he was famous for giving his patients.
"He took her down to the basement one time, but it was for less than
two minutes," said one distraught mother whose 7-year-old daughter had
been a patient of Bradley's since birth. This woman and husband, who
asked not to be identified to protect their family's privacy, agreed to
meet at a library to talk about the case. "He told me it was too messy
down there," she said. "I waited right at the top of the stairs."
The couple said investigators have told them that several of the
counts in the indictment relate to crimes against their daughter.
Bradley said he was treating the child for a recurrent urinary tract
infection, which they now see as a ruse.
"It was just a way for him to examine her private parts every time
we took her," said the husband. "We have laid in bed until 3 o'clock in
the morning to review every visit from birth to now, looking for
clues."
In retrospect, they said, there were some: He lavished hugs and nose
rubs on their daughter while being businesslike and perfunctory with
their son, now 2 years old; the kisses on the cheek that their daughter
had lately begun to complain of; that quick visit to the basement.
But at the time, Bradley struck them as accommodating and competent.
He frequently met them at off-hours and sometimes didn't charge for
minor consultations.
"He had a very good reputation," the mother said.
Broken trust
There were always two schools of thought about the doctor who buzzed
around town in a series of bright yellow Volkswagen Beetles. To some,
he was a disheveled oddball, socially awkward and overly ostentatious
with an office that featured a statue of Buzz Lightyear on the roof.
But to others, including many medical professionals who put their
kids in his care, he was a talented doctor with a unique gift for
relating to children.
"They all said he didn't talk well with parents but with kids he was
the best they'd ever seen," recalled the mother of the 7-year-old, who
said she chose Bradley based on the recommendation of nurses at the
hospital the day her daughter was born. "I look back now and realize
that was the day I could have changed a lot of things."
The charges against Bradley have rocked the town of 3,100. Public
meetings have been filled with angry accusations that authorities
should have uncovered Bradley's alleged crimes earlier (there
reportedly were complaints dating back many years). Other
professionals, from teachers to preachers, say a new wariness affects
every contact with a family.
"You second-guess going to a dentist office now," said Anna Moshier,
who did not take her two children to Bradley. "My son had to go back
for an X-ray, and I said, 'No way he's going without me.' This has
always been like a village, but our sense of trust has been broken."
Biden, who was elected attorney general in 2006 and is the son of
Vice President Biden, said his office has poured unprecedented
resources into the case. More than 20 prosecutors and staff workers,
along with agents borrowed from other departments and the
Alexandria-based National Center for Missing and Exploited Children,
are working in Wilmington, Lewes and a crime lab in Dover. In Lewes,
the temporary office is fielding calls from victims' families,
overseeing Bradley's medical records and counseling children, parents
and even grandparents.
"Anytime you have a case when so many victims were subjected to what we
indicted on Monday, it's going to be hard to process," Biden said. "As
concerned as I am about the children, I'm equally concerned about the
caregivers."
Spreading the blame
Margaret Drury, a retired nurse from Lewes, has been picketing
Bradley's former office, facing the busy traffic on Route 1 with signs
that call for officials to remove the amusement park trimmings from the
site. Two weeks ago, state workers dismantled the Ferris wheel, moved
Buzz Lightyear to a side yard and covered the carousel with plywood. A
Mickey Mouse riding toy is still visible through the front door window.
Drury, standing near one of the idled yellow Volkswagens, said the
local medical community should have known what Bradley might have been
up to within the doors that some locals reportedly referred to as
"Neverland."
For victims and their parents, it might be years before
recriminations give way to healing. The 7-year-old's parents said it
was impossible to shield their daughter from talk of the case, which
has saturated local media and sidewalk gossip. It adds to their agony
when bloggers, strangers and even friends who don't know their
involvement blame parents for being careless guardians.
The father recently had to hold his tongue when he was in front of
two chattering strangers in line at Dick's Sporting Goods, both of them
heaping blame on "those kids' parents."
"I wanted to turn around and say, 'If that monster could fool me, he
could fool you,' " the father said, tears in his eyes. "You hear that
stuff, it's like an arrow in your heart."
has arrived at a different front door in this seaside resort on the
same heartbreaking mission. They bring with them a captured video
image, carefully cropped to show nothing but a young face, that
confirms another family's nightmare: Their child might be a victim of
Earl Bradley, a popular local pediatrician who now stands accused of
sexually molesting scores of young patients.
More than 100 victims have been identified from the 13 hours of
video Bradley allegedly made of the assaults. And Delaware Attorney
General Beau Biden this week announced a 471-count indictment
against the physician. But as one of the largest sex-crime
investigations in U.S. history works through more than 7,000 case files
removed from Bradley's office, hundreds of other parents remain
suspended in an agony of waiting.
"There are definitely more to come," said Patricia Dailey Lewis, the
deputy attorney general who runs the victims' service office the state
has set up a few doors from Bradley's cluttered frame house. "I had a
woman call yesterday just screaming, 'I want to know right now if my daughter is on a video.' It's horrible for them, just horrible."
Winter is normally a tranquil time in Lewes, a town known to summering
Washingtonians as a sleepy ferry port. But residents say the alleged
betrayal of trust has shattered that calm and threatens to split the
small town over questions of blame.
Lewes's off-season of anguish began two months ago when police,
acting on a complaint from a young patient, arrested Bradley, 56, and
searched the garishly decorated office he maintained on Route 1 near
the border with Rehoboth. Amid the miniature carnival rides and
elaborate toys, investigators found a network of video cameras,
computer files and other evidence they said documents a history of
brazen and systematic pedophilia dating back as least 11 years.
Since 1998, according to the indictment and interviews with
attorneys, Bradley violated children ranging in age from 18 months to
14 years of age, many of them on multiple occasions. The charges
include rape, sexual exploitation, continuous sexual abuse of a child
and reckless endangerment. All but one of the victims identified so far
are girls.
Bradley is being held with bail set at $2.9 million. His attorney did not return a call seeking comment.
Many of the alleged assaults reportedly occurred in the presence of
parents, disguised as part of an examination under a privacy sheet.
Bradley might have also used a camera concealed in a penlight or a
cellphone he was known to place on the exam table, according to one
couple briefed by investigators.
At other times, Bradley would take the child on a brief visit to the
basement or a nearby outbuilding, ostensibly to fetch one of the
post-exam toys he was famous for giving his patients.
"He took her down to the basement one time, but it was for less than
two minutes," said one distraught mother whose 7-year-old daughter had
been a patient of Bradley's since birth. This woman and husband, who
asked not to be identified to protect their family's privacy, agreed to
meet at a library to talk about the case. "He told me it was too messy
down there," she said. "I waited right at the top of the stairs."
The couple said investigators have told them that several of the
counts in the indictment relate to crimes against their daughter.
Bradley said he was treating the child for a recurrent urinary tract
infection, which they now see as a ruse.
"It was just a way for him to examine her private parts every time
we took her," said the husband. "We have laid in bed until 3 o'clock in
the morning to review every visit from birth to now, looking for
clues."
In retrospect, they said, there were some: He lavished hugs and nose
rubs on their daughter while being businesslike and perfunctory with
their son, now 2 years old; the kisses on the cheek that their daughter
had lately begun to complain of; that quick visit to the basement.
But at the time, Bradley struck them as accommodating and competent.
He frequently met them at off-hours and sometimes didn't charge for
minor consultations.
"He had a very good reputation," the mother said.
Broken trust
There were always two schools of thought about the doctor who buzzed
around town in a series of bright yellow Volkswagen Beetles. To some,
he was a disheveled oddball, socially awkward and overly ostentatious
with an office that featured a statue of Buzz Lightyear on the roof.
But to others, including many medical professionals who put their
kids in his care, he was a talented doctor with a unique gift for
relating to children.
"They all said he didn't talk well with parents but with kids he was
the best they'd ever seen," recalled the mother of the 7-year-old, who
said she chose Bradley based on the recommendation of nurses at the
hospital the day her daughter was born. "I look back now and realize
that was the day I could have changed a lot of things."
The charges against Bradley have rocked the town of 3,100. Public
meetings have been filled with angry accusations that authorities
should have uncovered Bradley's alleged crimes earlier (there
reportedly were complaints dating back many years). Other
professionals, from teachers to preachers, say a new wariness affects
every contact with a family.
"You second-guess going to a dentist office now," said Anna Moshier,
who did not take her two children to Bradley. "My son had to go back
for an X-ray, and I said, 'No way he's going without me.' This has
always been like a village, but our sense of trust has been broken."
Biden, who was elected attorney general in 2006 and is the son of
Vice President Biden, said his office has poured unprecedented
resources into the case. More than 20 prosecutors and staff workers,
along with agents borrowed from other departments and the
Alexandria-based National Center for Missing and Exploited Children,
are working in Wilmington, Lewes and a crime lab in Dover. In Lewes,
the temporary office is fielding calls from victims' families,
overseeing Bradley's medical records and counseling children, parents
and even grandparents.
"Anytime you have a case when so many victims were subjected to what we
indicted on Monday, it's going to be hard to process," Biden said. "As
concerned as I am about the children, I'm equally concerned about the
caregivers."
Spreading the blame
Margaret Drury, a retired nurse from Lewes, has been picketing
Bradley's former office, facing the busy traffic on Route 1 with signs
that call for officials to remove the amusement park trimmings from the
site. Two weeks ago, state workers dismantled the Ferris wheel, moved
Buzz Lightyear to a side yard and covered the carousel with plywood. A
Mickey Mouse riding toy is still visible through the front door window.
Drury, standing near one of the idled yellow Volkswagens, said the
local medical community should have known what Bradley might have been
up to within the doors that some locals reportedly referred to as
"Neverland."
For victims and their parents, it might be years before
recriminations give way to healing. The 7-year-old's parents said it
was impossible to shield their daughter from talk of the case, which
has saturated local media and sidewalk gossip. It adds to their agony
when bloggers, strangers and even friends who don't know their
involvement blame parents for being careless guardians.
The father recently had to hold his tongue when he was in front of
two chattering strangers in line at Dick's Sporting Goods, both of them
heaping blame on "those kids' parents."
"I wanted to turn around and say, 'If that monster could fool me, he
could fool you,' " the father said, tears in his eyes. "You hear that
stuff, it's like an arrow in your heart."
TomTerrific0420- Supreme Commander of the Universe With Cape AND Tights AND Fancy Headgear
- Job/hobbies: Searching for Truth and Justice
Re: Hundreds of victims? Dr. EARL BRADLEY - Dover DE
by TomTerrific0420 on Sun Feb 28, 2010 12:47 am
LEWES, Del. — Every day last week, a team of State Police detectives
has arrived at a different front door in the seaside resort town of
Lewes on the same heartbreaking mission. They bring with them a
captured video image, carefully cropped to show nothing but a young
face, that confirms another family's nightmare: Its child might be a
victim of Earl Bradley, a popular pediatrician who stands accused of
sexually molesting scores of young patients.
More than 100 victims have been identified from the 13 hours of
video made of the assaults. Delaware Attorney General Beau Biden last
week announced a 471-count indictment against the physician.
But as one of the largest sex-crime investigations in U.S. history
works through more than 7,000 case files removed from Bradley's office,
hundreds of other parents wait to find out if their child was
victimized.
"There are definitely more to come," said Patricia Dailey Lewis, the
deputy attorney general who runs the victims-service office the state
has set up a few doors from Bradley's frame house. "I had a woman call
yesterday just screaming, 'I want to know right now if my daughter is
on a video.' It's horrible for them, just horrible."
Lewes residents say the case has shattered the town's typical calm and threatens to split it over questions of blame.
Lewes' anguish began two months ago when police, acting on a
complaint from a patient, arrested Bradley, 56, and searched the
garishly decorated office he maintained.
Amid the miniature carnival rides and elaborate toys, investigators
found a network of video cameras, computer files and other evidence
they said documents a history of systematic pedophilia dating back at
least 11 years.
Since 1998, according to the indictment and interviews with
attorneys, Bradley violated children ranging in age from 18 months to
14 years of age, many of them on multiple occasions. The charges
include rape, sexual exploitation, continuous sexual abuse of a child
and reckless endangerment. All but one of the victims identified so far
are girls.
Bradley is being held with bail set at $2.9 million. His attorney did not return a call seeking comment.
Many of the alleged assaults reportedly occurred in the presence of
parents, disguised as part of an examination under a privacy sheet.
Bradley might have also used a camera concealed in a penlight or a
cellphone he was known to place on the exam table, according to one
couple briefed by investigators.
At other times, Bradley would take the child on a brief visit to the
basement or a nearby outbuilding, ostensibly to fetch one of the
post-exam toys he was famous for giving his patients.
"He took her down to the basement one time, but it was for less than
two minutes," said one distraught mother whose 7-year-old daughter had
been a patient of Bradley's since birth. This woman and husband, who
asked not to be identified, agreed to meet at a library to talk about
the case. "He told me it was too messy down there," she said. "I waited
right at the top of the stairs."The couple said investigators have told them several of the counts
in the indictment relate to crimes against their daughter. Bradley said
he was treating the child for a recurrent urinary-tract infection,
which they now see as a ruse.
"It was just a way for him to examine her private parts every time
we took her," said the husband. "We have laid in bed until 3 o'clock in
the morning to review every visit from birth to now, looking for clues."
In retrospect, they said, there were some: He lavished hugs and nose
rubs on their daughter while being businesslike and perfunctory with
their son, now 2; the kisses on the cheek that their daughter had
lately begun to complain of; that quick visit to the basement.
But at the time, Bradley struck them as accommodating and competent.
He met them at off-hours and sometimes didn't charge for minor
consultations.
"He had a very good reputation," the mother said.
Oddball or talented?
There were always two schools of thought about the doctor who buzzed
around town in a series of bright yellow Volkswagen Beetles. To some,
he was a disheveled oddball, socially awkward and overly ostentatious
with an office that featured a statue of Buzz Lightyear on the roof.
But to others, including many medical professionals who put their
kids in his care, he was a talented doctor with a unique gift for
relating to children.
"They all said he didn't talk well with parents but with kids he was
the best they'd ever seen," recalled the mother of the 7-year-old, who
said she chose Bradley based on the recommendation of nurses at the
hospital the day her daughter was born. "I look back now and realize
that was the day I could have changed a lot of things."
The charges against Bradley have rocked the town of 3,100. Public
meetings have been filled with angry accusations that authorities
should have uncovered Bradley's suspected crimes earlier because there
reportedly were complaints dating back many years. Other professionals,
from teachers to preachers, say a new wariness affects every contact
with a family.
"You second-guess going to a dentist office now," said Anna Moshier,
who did not take her two children to Bradley. "My son had to go back
for an X-ray, and I said, 'No way he's going without me.' This has
always been like a village, but our sense of trust has been broken."
Beau Biden, who was elected attorney general in 2006 and is the son
of Vice President Joseph Biden, said his office has poured
unprecedented resources into the case. More than 20 prosecutors and
staff workers, along with agents borrowed from other departments and
the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, are working in
Wilmington, Lewes and a crime lab in Dover.
In Lewes, the temporary office is fielding calls from victims'
families, overseeing Bradley's medical records and counseling children,
parents and even grandparents.
'Neverland' trimmings
Margaret Drury, a retired nurse from Lewes, has been picketing
Bradley's former office, facing the traffic on the road with signs that
call for officials to remove the amusement-park trimmings from the
site. Two weeks ago, state workers dismantled the Ferris wheel, moved
Buzz Lightyear to a side yard and covered the carousel with plywood. A
Mickey Mouse riding toy is visible through the front-door window.
Drury, standing near one of the idled yellow Volkswagens, said the
local medical community should have known what Bradley might have been
up to within the doors that some locals reportedly referred to as
"Neverland."
For victims and their parents, it might be years before
recriminations give way to healing. The 7-year-old's parents said it
was impossible to shield their daughter from talk of the case, which
has saturated local media and sidewalk gossip. It adds to their agony
when bloggers, strangers and even friends who don't know their
involvement blame parents for being careless guardians.
The father recently had to hold his tongue when he was in front of
two chattering strangers in line at Dick's Sporting Goods, both of them
heaping blame on "those kids' parents."
"I wanted to turn around and say, 'If that monster could fool me, he
could fool you,' " the father said, tears in his eyes. "You hear that
stuff, it's like an arrow in your heart."
has arrived at a different front door in the seaside resort town of
Lewes on the same heartbreaking mission. They bring with them a
captured video image, carefully cropped to show nothing but a young
face, that confirms another family's nightmare: Its child might be a
victim of Earl Bradley, a popular pediatrician who stands accused of
sexually molesting scores of young patients.
More than 100 victims have been identified from the 13 hours of
video made of the assaults. Delaware Attorney General Beau Biden last
week announced a 471-count indictment against the physician.
But as one of the largest sex-crime investigations in U.S. history
works through more than 7,000 case files removed from Bradley's office,
hundreds of other parents wait to find out if their child was
victimized.
"There are definitely more to come," said Patricia Dailey Lewis, the
deputy attorney general who runs the victims-service office the state
has set up a few doors from Bradley's frame house. "I had a woman call
yesterday just screaming, 'I want to know right now if my daughter is
on a video.' It's horrible for them, just horrible."
Lewes residents say the case has shattered the town's typical calm and threatens to split it over questions of blame.
Lewes' anguish began two months ago when police, acting on a
complaint from a patient, arrested Bradley, 56, and searched the
garishly decorated office he maintained.
Amid the miniature carnival rides and elaborate toys, investigators
found a network of video cameras, computer files and other evidence
they said documents a history of systematic pedophilia dating back at
least 11 years.
Since 1998, according to the indictment and interviews with
attorneys, Bradley violated children ranging in age from 18 months to
14 years of age, many of them on multiple occasions. The charges
include rape, sexual exploitation, continuous sexual abuse of a child
and reckless endangerment. All but one of the victims identified so far
are girls.
Bradley is being held with bail set at $2.9 million. His attorney did not return a call seeking comment.
Many of the alleged assaults reportedly occurred in the presence of
parents, disguised as part of an examination under a privacy sheet.
Bradley might have also used a camera concealed in a penlight or a
cellphone he was known to place on the exam table, according to one
couple briefed by investigators.
At other times, Bradley would take the child on a brief visit to the
basement or a nearby outbuilding, ostensibly to fetch one of the
post-exam toys he was famous for giving his patients.
"He took her down to the basement one time, but it was for less than
two minutes," said one distraught mother whose 7-year-old daughter had
been a patient of Bradley's since birth. This woman and husband, who
asked not to be identified, agreed to meet at a library to talk about
the case. "He told me it was too messy down there," she said. "I waited
right at the top of the stairs."The couple said investigators have told them several of the counts
in the indictment relate to crimes against their daughter. Bradley said
he was treating the child for a recurrent urinary-tract infection,
which they now see as a ruse.
"It was just a way for him to examine her private parts every time
we took her," said the husband. "We have laid in bed until 3 o'clock in
the morning to review every visit from birth to now, looking for clues."
In retrospect, they said, there were some: He lavished hugs and nose
rubs on their daughter while being businesslike and perfunctory with
their son, now 2; the kisses on the cheek that their daughter had
lately begun to complain of; that quick visit to the basement.
But at the time, Bradley struck them as accommodating and competent.
He met them at off-hours and sometimes didn't charge for minor
consultations.
"He had a very good reputation," the mother said.
Oddball or talented?
There were always two schools of thought about the doctor who buzzed
around town in a series of bright yellow Volkswagen Beetles. To some,
he was a disheveled oddball, socially awkward and overly ostentatious
with an office that featured a statue of Buzz Lightyear on the roof.
But to others, including many medical professionals who put their
kids in his care, he was a talented doctor with a unique gift for
relating to children.
"They all said he didn't talk well with parents but with kids he was
the best they'd ever seen," recalled the mother of the 7-year-old, who
said she chose Bradley based on the recommendation of nurses at the
hospital the day her daughter was born. "I look back now and realize
that was the day I could have changed a lot of things."
The charges against Bradley have rocked the town of 3,100. Public
meetings have been filled with angry accusations that authorities
should have uncovered Bradley's suspected crimes earlier because there
reportedly were complaints dating back many years. Other professionals,
from teachers to preachers, say a new wariness affects every contact
with a family.
"You second-guess going to a dentist office now," said Anna Moshier,
who did not take her two children to Bradley. "My son had to go back
for an X-ray, and I said, 'No way he's going without me.' This has
always been like a village, but our sense of trust has been broken."
Beau Biden, who was elected attorney general in 2006 and is the son
of Vice President Joseph Biden, said his office has poured
unprecedented resources into the case. More than 20 prosecutors and
staff workers, along with agents borrowed from other departments and
the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, are working in
Wilmington, Lewes and a crime lab in Dover.
In Lewes, the temporary office is fielding calls from victims'
families, overseeing Bradley's medical records and counseling children,
parents and even grandparents.
'Neverland' trimmings
Margaret Drury, a retired nurse from Lewes, has been picketing
Bradley's former office, facing the traffic on the road with signs that
call for officials to remove the amusement-park trimmings from the
site. Two weeks ago, state workers dismantled the Ferris wheel, moved
Buzz Lightyear to a side yard and covered the carousel with plywood. A
Mickey Mouse riding toy is visible through the front-door window.
Drury, standing near one of the idled yellow Volkswagens, said the
local medical community should have known what Bradley might have been
up to within the doors that some locals reportedly referred to as
"Neverland."
For victims and their parents, it might be years before
recriminations give way to healing. The 7-year-old's parents said it
was impossible to shield their daughter from talk of the case, which
has saturated local media and sidewalk gossip. It adds to their agony
when bloggers, strangers and even friends who don't know their
involvement blame parents for being careless guardians.
The father recently had to hold his tongue when he was in front of
two chattering strangers in line at Dick's Sporting Goods, both of them
heaping blame on "those kids' parents."
"I wanted to turn around and say, 'If that monster could fool me, he
could fool you,' " the father said, tears in his eyes. "You hear that
stuff, it's like an arrow in your heart."
TomTerrific0420- Supreme Commander of the Universe With Cape AND Tights AND Fancy Headgear
- Job/hobbies: Searching for Truth and Justice
Re: Hundreds of victims? Dr. EARL BRADLEY - Dover DE
by kiwimom on Sun Feb 28, 2010 12:13 pm
TomTerrific0420 wrote:kiwimom wrote:JimW wrote:Last year I read a book, BOY ON A PONY, by George Abagnalo, published in 2002 that was about rampant sexual abuse within the medical field. The author may be the first person ever to have noted that pediatrics is a perfect specialization for pedafiles.
Welcome to the forum JimW
A long time ago I fostered a 3 year old girl. I had to take her to a psychologist appointed by the child welfare authorities. He said the sessions would be about an hour and was talking as though I wasn't going to be there too. He confirmed he wanted to see her alone. I said no way, that's crazy. He said it was ridiculous for me to object but I said tough. I said if he didn't want me in there with them then his female secretary at least had to be there. He said MY strange behavior about it raised his suspicions that I was sexually abusing her!!!!!
I refused to take her to him and the authorities placed her with another family. The authorites used that guy all the time and I've always been suspicious about that incident. Something very wrong IMO.
---I don't know what the current situation is but I don't think it would be a bad thing to report it, even now.
Thanks Tom, but he was the authorities pet psychologist and they backed him to the hilt. As he hadn't actually done anything wrong to my knowledge or that I could prove there was nothing else I could do. This was in Australia. I lived there for 3 years and came home with a very bitter taste in my mouth.
kiwimom- Supreme Commander of the Universe With Cape AND Tights AND Fancy Headgear
Re: Hundreds of victims? Dr. EARL BRADLEY - Dover DE
by TomTerrific0420 on Sun Mar 07, 2010 3:10 am
At the time, it seemed like an innocent enough request. The Sussex
County parents brought their infant daughter to see Dr. Earl B.
Bradley, and the pediatrician asked if he could hold her.
They were cautious parents, protective of their baby, the kind who
didn't easily give in to these kinds of requests, especially from
people who weren't family.But Bradley was no stranger.They
had known him since their older child was a baby. Over the years, he
had given them his personal pager number, showed up for emergency-room
visits and accommodated same-day appointments.And
even though he was running late with a waiting room full of patients
wanting his time, Bradley still wanted to hold her. Impressed by his
interest, the baby's mother handed the girl to the burly doctor dressed
in blue scrubs. Bradley bounced the infant in his arms, gave her a
quick hug and handed her back. The exchange lasted only a few seconds.The
hug -- and later, a peck on the cheek -- became a habit. Nearly every
visit, Bradley carried the girl as he walked down the hall, popping
into an exam room to show her a picture of Ariel from "The Little
Mermaid" in one room or a Buzz Lightyear ride in another. When she was
old enough to walk on her own, he held her hand.The
girl's parents didn't consider anything unusual because they watched
Bradley do the same with nearly all of his female patients. Considering
their daughter was a frequent patient in his office because of a minor
but chronic health condition, they appreciated his concern. To them and
other parents, the attention seemed a validation of Bradley's
dedication.They
didn't realize that over a period of several months, the Lewes
pediatrician was slowly separating their daughter from them, using
excuses about taking her to get a toy or a popsicle to be alone with
her, first for a few seconds, then stretching it out to a couple of
minutes at a time."I've
been to different doctors, dentists and specialists over the years.
Never would I let them walk around with my kid. It wouldn't have
occurred," said the girl's father, who asked to not be identified
because his daughter is one of Bradley's victims. "But he was
conditioning us. It was a progression, and the increments kept getting
longer. At the time, it wasn't something I saw as sexual. Seeing him
with the kids -- and it wasn't just mine -- gave me a sense of comfort
in the office. And our child always came back happy."
Allegations that Bradley sexually abused more than 100 patients in his
practice have become a horrifying national story, with some
commentators saying the 56-year-old physician could be among the worst
child molesters in recent U.S. history. But Bradley is the last thing
many people in Delaware want to talk about, especially parents whose
children are among his victims.
"It's been horrifying. I'm living a nightmare in the daytime and
night," said the Sussex County father, who discovered his daughter had
been abused after police contacted him as part of the investigation.
"Even during the day, you're just devastated by it."He
doesn't want to talk about the crimes committed against his daughter.
He's already worried about what people in his small town have heard.
Meeting at a local library, the father speaks quietly. He smiles only
once during the 75-minute conversation -- when he shows a picture of
his daughter."I have to protect her," he said, his eyes focused on her face.
'"You have to understand that."But
for victims stalked by a sexual predator, it's hard to know what's
coming. They're unwittingly going up against offenders willing to go to
extreme lengths to make people trust them, said Earl Hickey, a San
Francisco psychologist who studies violence and serial crime. On the
surface, they appear concerned, kind and interested in the people
around them. They often devote time, money and effort to activities
important to the community in order to win trust and defuse suspicion."People
at that level, they know they're bright. They use their profession to
gain access to their victims," said Hickey, director of the Center for
Forensic Studies at Alliant International University in California. "We
make assumptions about medical professionals. If a doctor is using his
profession to groom parents, they would assume that what's happening is
supposed to be done. Who would ever challenge a doctor? It becomes a
perfect storm, if you will, for such an event."
An amusement park for an office
To those who visited, Bradley's office was the scene of a busy, often chaotic, operation.
Outside, the place more resembled an amusement park than a doctor's
office. A Buzz Lightyear statue perched on the roof. Down below, a
white VW Beetle with racing stripes and the No. 53 from the Disney
movie "The Love Bug" was parked in the lot. The kid-sized
merry-go-round and Ferris wheel made the office something of a landmark.
In the waiting room, parents often jostled for a place to sit, squeezing
onto a long bench while their children played on kid-sized cars,
hammered at a workbench or watched cartoons in the kid-sized movie
theater. Exam rooms appealed to younger patients, with images of
Pinocchio, Dumbo the elephant and The Little Mermaid on the walls."The
office is a tiny, little claptrap," said one mother whose infant son
was seen by Bradley three times. "It's a small, small place, probably
as big as my living room and kitchen."In
recent years, Bradley operated a solo practice, making him the only
face of BayBees Pediatrics. Turnover among nurses and office staff was
high. There was usually a long wait to see the doctor, sometimes 45
minutes or more, especially if the office squeezed in several same-day
appointments. Bradley's reputation for being flexible with scheduling
made him popular with parents who were grateful for his
later-than-usual office hours. And because he seemed to take an
interest in their children's well-being, many parents were willing to
overlook the cluttered waiting room and fingerprint smudges on the
movie theater's screen."It was pretty uncomfortable, but everyone waited,"
the Sussex County father said.Although
some parents found Bradley standoffish, one Rehoboth Beach mother with
two daughters who saw the doctor said over time he warmed up to the
family, asking about their lives and sharing details about his own
children."He
made it seem like he was interested in you more than just a patient,"
said the woman, who switched pediatricians in part because she thought
the office wasn't as clean as it should be. "I wouldn't say it was a
friendship, but he definitely wasn't just professional in the sense of
being a doctor."
Unlike other kids who cried at the prospect of going to the doctor,
Bradley's patients didn't seem to have the same apprehension. Much of
that had to do with the ornate toys he gave out at the end of
appointments : race cars, clothes and other trinkets adorned with the
Disney princesses and other popular characters. They weren't
dollar-store trinkets, but gifts that cost several dollars apiece.
The Sussex County father said he once asked Bradley about the
extravagant nature of the gifts. "I told him, 'You don't have to give
them anything.' He said, 'I want to. I love the kids.' "
'An element of trickery'
The Sussex County father believes Bradley was able to hide what he was
doing to patients under the guise of providing ongoing medical care.
Many parents, especially those with their first child, took his
recommendations and diagnoses without question.On
more than one occasion, he told the girl's parents that she probably
had a urinary-tract infection and that she might complain of discomfort
because of that. If her complaints persisted, he told them, they should
bring her back to the office for further evaluation."If
your child is sick with a fever, you're not thinking about there being
something wrong there. You are a concerned parent," said the father. "I
saw this person in a year more than I saw aunts or uncles or some
friends. I trusted him."When
another parent of an infant son pulled out her cell phone in the middle
of an appointment last fall to ask her husband whether their son should
get the H1N1 vaccine, Bradley told her cell phones weren't allowed
inside the office. He made her go outside to make her call -- which
lasted for about a minute -- while he stayed with the infant in the
exam room with the door open until she returned."To
me, it was like how it was in a hospital," said the first-time mother,
who switched doctors after a month because of what she called Bradley's
gruff demeanor. "It's like there was an element of trickery and
deviance in order to manipulate."
The Sussex County father said he once asked Bradley about the
extravagant nature of the gifts. "I told him, 'You don't have to give
them anything.' He said, 'I want to. I love the kids.' "
Poster's Note: There are more details to this story. For the rest of the article, go here:
http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20100307/NEWS/3070349
County parents brought their infant daughter to see Dr. Earl B.
Bradley, and the pediatrician asked if he could hold her.
They were cautious parents, protective of their baby, the kind who
didn't easily give in to these kinds of requests, especially from
people who weren't family.But Bradley was no stranger.They
had known him since their older child was a baby. Over the years, he
had given them his personal pager number, showed up for emergency-room
visits and accommodated same-day appointments.And
even though he was running late with a waiting room full of patients
wanting his time, Bradley still wanted to hold her. Impressed by his
interest, the baby's mother handed the girl to the burly doctor dressed
in blue scrubs. Bradley bounced the infant in his arms, gave her a
quick hug and handed her back. The exchange lasted only a few seconds.The
hug -- and later, a peck on the cheek -- became a habit. Nearly every
visit, Bradley carried the girl as he walked down the hall, popping
into an exam room to show her a picture of Ariel from "The Little
Mermaid" in one room or a Buzz Lightyear ride in another. When she was
old enough to walk on her own, he held her hand.The
girl's parents didn't consider anything unusual because they watched
Bradley do the same with nearly all of his female patients. Considering
their daughter was a frequent patient in his office because of a minor
but chronic health condition, they appreciated his concern. To them and
other parents, the attention seemed a validation of Bradley's
dedication.They
didn't realize that over a period of several months, the Lewes
pediatrician was slowly separating their daughter from them, using
excuses about taking her to get a toy or a popsicle to be alone with
her, first for a few seconds, then stretching it out to a couple of
minutes at a time."I've
been to different doctors, dentists and specialists over the years.
Never would I let them walk around with my kid. It wouldn't have
occurred," said the girl's father, who asked to not be identified
because his daughter is one of Bradley's victims. "But he was
conditioning us. It was a progression, and the increments kept getting
longer. At the time, it wasn't something I saw as sexual. Seeing him
with the kids -- and it wasn't just mine -- gave me a sense of comfort
in the office. And our child always came back happy."
Allegations that Bradley sexually abused more than 100 patients in his
practice have become a horrifying national story, with some
commentators saying the 56-year-old physician could be among the worst
child molesters in recent U.S. history. But Bradley is the last thing
many people in Delaware want to talk about, especially parents whose
children are among his victims.
"It's been horrifying. I'm living a nightmare in the daytime and
night," said the Sussex County father, who discovered his daughter had
been abused after police contacted him as part of the investigation.
"Even during the day, you're just devastated by it."He
doesn't want to talk about the crimes committed against his daughter.
He's already worried about what people in his small town have heard.
Meeting at a local library, the father speaks quietly. He smiles only
once during the 75-minute conversation -- when he shows a picture of
his daughter."I have to protect her," he said, his eyes focused on her face.
'"You have to understand that."But
for victims stalked by a sexual predator, it's hard to know what's
coming. They're unwittingly going up against offenders willing to go to
extreme lengths to make people trust them, said Earl Hickey, a San
Francisco psychologist who studies violence and serial crime. On the
surface, they appear concerned, kind and interested in the people
around them. They often devote time, money and effort to activities
important to the community in order to win trust and defuse suspicion."People
at that level, they know they're bright. They use their profession to
gain access to their victims," said Hickey, director of the Center for
Forensic Studies at Alliant International University in California. "We
make assumptions about medical professionals. If a doctor is using his
profession to groom parents, they would assume that what's happening is
supposed to be done. Who would ever challenge a doctor? It becomes a
perfect storm, if you will, for such an event."
An amusement park for an office
To those who visited, Bradley's office was the scene of a busy, often chaotic, operation.
Outside, the place more resembled an amusement park than a doctor's
office. A Buzz Lightyear statue perched on the roof. Down below, a
white VW Beetle with racing stripes and the No. 53 from the Disney
movie "The Love Bug" was parked in the lot. The kid-sized
merry-go-round and Ferris wheel made the office something of a landmark.
In the waiting room, parents often jostled for a place to sit, squeezing
onto a long bench while their children played on kid-sized cars,
hammered at a workbench or watched cartoons in the kid-sized movie
theater. Exam rooms appealed to younger patients, with images of
Pinocchio, Dumbo the elephant and The Little Mermaid on the walls."The
office is a tiny, little claptrap," said one mother whose infant son
was seen by Bradley three times. "It's a small, small place, probably
as big as my living room and kitchen."In
recent years, Bradley operated a solo practice, making him the only
face of BayBees Pediatrics. Turnover among nurses and office staff was
high. There was usually a long wait to see the doctor, sometimes 45
minutes or more, especially if the office squeezed in several same-day
appointments. Bradley's reputation for being flexible with scheduling
made him popular with parents who were grateful for his
later-than-usual office hours. And because he seemed to take an
interest in their children's well-being, many parents were willing to
overlook the cluttered waiting room and fingerprint smudges on the
movie theater's screen."It was pretty uncomfortable, but everyone waited,"
the Sussex County father said.Although
some parents found Bradley standoffish, one Rehoboth Beach mother with
two daughters who saw the doctor said over time he warmed up to the
family, asking about their lives and sharing details about his own
children."He
made it seem like he was interested in you more than just a patient,"
said the woman, who switched pediatricians in part because she thought
the office wasn't as clean as it should be. "I wouldn't say it was a
friendship, but he definitely wasn't just professional in the sense of
being a doctor."
Unlike other kids who cried at the prospect of going to the doctor,
Bradley's patients didn't seem to have the same apprehension. Much of
that had to do with the ornate toys he gave out at the end of
appointments : race cars, clothes and other trinkets adorned with the
Disney princesses and other popular characters. They weren't
dollar-store trinkets, but gifts that cost several dollars apiece.
The Sussex County father said he once asked Bradley about the
extravagant nature of the gifts. "I told him, 'You don't have to give
them anything.' He said, 'I want to. I love the kids.' "
'An element of trickery'
The Sussex County father believes Bradley was able to hide what he was
doing to patients under the guise of providing ongoing medical care.
Many parents, especially those with their first child, took his
recommendations and diagnoses without question.On
more than one occasion, he told the girl's parents that she probably
had a urinary-tract infection and that she might complain of discomfort
because of that. If her complaints persisted, he told them, they should
bring her back to the office for further evaluation."If
your child is sick with a fever, you're not thinking about there being
something wrong there. You are a concerned parent," said the father. "I
saw this person in a year more than I saw aunts or uncles or some
friends. I trusted him."When
another parent of an infant son pulled out her cell phone in the middle
of an appointment last fall to ask her husband whether their son should
get the H1N1 vaccine, Bradley told her cell phones weren't allowed
inside the office. He made her go outside to make her call -- which
lasted for about a minute -- while he stayed with the infant in the
exam room with the door open until she returned."To
me, it was like how it was in a hospital," said the first-time mother,
who switched doctors after a month because of what she called Bradley's
gruff demeanor. "It's like there was an element of trickery and
deviance in order to manipulate."
The Sussex County father said he once asked Bradley about the
extravagant nature of the gifts. "I told him, 'You don't have to give
them anything.' He said, 'I want to. I love the kids.' "
Poster's Note: There are more details to this story. For the rest of the article, go here:
http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20100307/NEWS/3070349
TomTerrific0420- Supreme Commander of the Universe With Cape AND Tights AND Fancy Headgear
- Job/hobbies: Searching for Truth and Justice
Re: Hundreds of victims? Dr. EARL BRADLEY - Dover DE
by TomTerrific0420 on Wed Mar 24, 2010 10:42 am
A Delaware pediatrician pleaded not guilty Wednesday to 471 felony
counts in the alleged child abuse of his patients, according to a
spokeswoman for the state Department of Justice. Dr. Earl
Bradley, 56, was arrested in December on charges that include rape,
sexual exploitation of a child, endangering child welfare and assault.
Bradley, who had a practice in Lewes, Delaware, is accused of
victimizing 103 children -- all girls except for one boy. Delaware
Attorney General Beau Biden has said the charges are based on "video
and digital evidence" seized from Bradley's home and medical practice in
December. Bradley also has medical licenses in Pennsylvania, New
Jersey and Florida. Authorities have said they have contacted officials
in those states.
The next step in the
proceedings is a case review May 17, according to Kerry Angell, a
spokeswoman for the Delaware Department of Justice.
counts in the alleged child abuse of his patients, according to a
spokeswoman for the state Department of Justice. Dr. Earl
Bradley, 56, was arrested in December on charges that include rape,
sexual exploitation of a child, endangering child welfare and assault.
Bradley, who had a practice in Lewes, Delaware, is accused of
victimizing 103 children -- all girls except for one boy. Delaware
Attorney General Beau Biden has said the charges are based on "video
and digital evidence" seized from Bradley's home and medical practice in
December. Bradley also has medical licenses in Pennsylvania, New
Jersey and Florida. Authorities have said they have contacted officials
in those states.
The next step in the
proceedings is a case review May 17, according to Kerry Angell, a
spokeswoman for the Delaware Department of Justice.
TomTerrific0420- Supreme Commander of the Universe With Cape AND Tights AND Fancy Headgear
- Job/hobbies: Searching for Truth and Justice
Re: Hundreds of victims? Dr. EARL BRADLEY - Dover DE
by TomTerrific0420 on Sun Apr 18, 2010 11:51 am
A Delaware hospital has revealed that it investigated a 1996
complaint against a pediatrician now accused of molesting more than 100
patients, but the doctor was cleared of any wrongdoing.A nurse
reported in 1996 that Dr. Earl Bradley may have inappropriately touched
young girls in his care.Officials at Beebe Medical Center said
after Bradley's December arrest that they were not aware of any past
problems with him. They have since acknowledged that Bradley was
investigated by Milford police in 2005, but no charges were filed.
Officials said in a statement that they were revealing the 1996
complaint now because they could do so "without jeopardizing the
criminal case."Police and prosecutors found out about the 1996
investigation after they charged him in December.Bradley faces
471 criminal counts including rape, sexual exploitation of a child and
continuous sexual abuse of a child. Authorities say he videotaped the
assaults of his patients, including infants and toddlers, some of whom
screamed or tried to get away. The recordings date back to 1998.Beebe
CEO Jeffrey M. Fried said he regrets not being able to stop Bradley in
1996."Once you know what happened, you see what a diabolical
person he was," Fried said. "It makes your stomach turn."The 1996
complaint came from a nurse who worked with Bradley. She raised several
concerns, chiefly about his practice of using a catheter to obtain
urine samples from young girls. The nurse questioned why Bradley needed
girls to undress before an exam and the way he positioned girls while he
examined their genitals. She was also concerned about his kissing and
hugging of patients.The complaint eventually reached Fried, who
has been Beebe's CEO since 1995. He said he considered it a "clinical"
concern and not a complaint of a sexual nature.An internal
investigation concluded there was nothing unusual about Bradley's
clinical practices, and while Fried said Bradley's hugging and kissing
of patients was "quirky," the hospital did not consider it to be a
violation of policy. Bradley was not disciplined.Chase T.
Brockstedt, an attorney who represents one alleged victim's family, said
Beebe missed a golden opportunity to stop Bradley."Think of all
the children who would have been spared," Brockstedt said.Fried
also told The News Journal of Wilmington that the hospital did not
disclose the 1996 complaint during the 2005 investigation into
allegations of patient abuse by Bradley, which ended without any charges
being filed. The hospital had received a subpoena seeking any
complaints and disciplinary actions against Bradley.But hospital
officials were not obligated to report the complaint because Bradley was
cleared after an internal review, Fried said, adding that the hospital
believed police were pursuing a case related to Bradley's financial
troubles.In a statement, Beebe said there "has never been any
attempt to hide Bradley's behavior. There was simply no reason to do so,
nor would anyone at Beebe Medical Center protect a doctor, or anyone,
at the expense of the children in our community. Remember that members
of our staff and physician community continued to use Bradley to treat
their children and grandchildren until publicly informed of his abuse."Bradley
is being held in lieu of $4.7 million bail. A status conference in the
case is scheduled for May 17.
complaint against a pediatrician now accused of molesting more than 100
patients, but the doctor was cleared of any wrongdoing.A nurse
reported in 1996 that Dr. Earl Bradley may have inappropriately touched
young girls in his care.Officials at Beebe Medical Center said
after Bradley's December arrest that they were not aware of any past
problems with him. They have since acknowledged that Bradley was
investigated by Milford police in 2005, but no charges were filed.
Officials said in a statement that they were revealing the 1996
complaint now because they could do so "without jeopardizing the
criminal case."Police and prosecutors found out about the 1996
investigation after they charged him in December.Bradley faces
471 criminal counts including rape, sexual exploitation of a child and
continuous sexual abuse of a child. Authorities say he videotaped the
assaults of his patients, including infants and toddlers, some of whom
screamed or tried to get away. The recordings date back to 1998.Beebe
CEO Jeffrey M. Fried said he regrets not being able to stop Bradley in
1996."Once you know what happened, you see what a diabolical
person he was," Fried said. "It makes your stomach turn."The 1996
complaint came from a nurse who worked with Bradley. She raised several
concerns, chiefly about his practice of using a catheter to obtain
urine samples from young girls. The nurse questioned why Bradley needed
girls to undress before an exam and the way he positioned girls while he
examined their genitals. She was also concerned about his kissing and
hugging of patients.The complaint eventually reached Fried, who
has been Beebe's CEO since 1995. He said he considered it a "clinical"
concern and not a complaint of a sexual nature.An internal
investigation concluded there was nothing unusual about Bradley's
clinical practices, and while Fried said Bradley's hugging and kissing
of patients was "quirky," the hospital did not consider it to be a
violation of policy. Bradley was not disciplined.Chase T.
Brockstedt, an attorney who represents one alleged victim's family, said
Beebe missed a golden opportunity to stop Bradley."Think of all
the children who would have been spared," Brockstedt said.Fried
also told The News Journal of Wilmington that the hospital did not
disclose the 1996 complaint during the 2005 investigation into
allegations of patient abuse by Bradley, which ended without any charges
being filed. The hospital had received a subpoena seeking any
complaints and disciplinary actions against Bradley.But hospital
officials were not obligated to report the complaint because Bradley was
cleared after an internal review, Fried said, adding that the hospital
believed police were pursuing a case related to Bradley's financial
troubles.In a statement, Beebe said there "has never been any
attempt to hide Bradley's behavior. There was simply no reason to do so,
nor would anyone at Beebe Medical Center protect a doctor, or anyone,
at the expense of the children in our community. Remember that members
of our staff and physician community continued to use Bradley to treat
their children and grandchildren until publicly informed of his abuse."Bradley
is being held in lieu of $4.7 million bail. A status conference in the
case is scheduled for May 17.
TomTerrific0420- Supreme Commander of the Universe With Cape AND Tights AND Fancy Headgear
- Job/hobbies: Searching for Truth and Justice
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