What Is a Statute of Limitations?

A statute of limitations is a law that sets the maximum amount of time that parties involved in a dispute have to initiate legal proceedings from the date of an alleged offense, whether civil or criminal. The length of time the statute allows for a victim to bring legal action against the suspected wrong-doer can vary based on the jurisdiction and the nature of the offense.

My sisters and I, along with three other families we know of, were victims of one man who has preyed on children and gotten away with it in Delaware County, PA, and the state of Delaware, for over 45 years.

There has been significant reform regarding the statutes of limitations for childhood sexual assault, trafficking and production of pornography in the past decade on both the federal and state levels. Unfortunately they are not retroactive. We’ve been let down by so many people who could have stopped this monster it’s unsettling.

Most victims repress these memories only to find once they are mentally healthy enough to face their predators the statute of limitations are up.

I grew up in the 80s where there’s things weren’t talked about, we didn’t have therapy, no one told us we could pursue legal action once we turned 18. We were given back to our abuser and had to stay there until we could legally leave.

In regards to our case, it started in the Air force, where this man was court marshaled for sexually abusing a minor when he was 21, this child was his own sister in law. He completely escaped justice, only receiving an undesirable discharge.

He then move on to a family in 1978 where CYS was involved, he admitted to sexually abusing two more girls under 12, it was later discovered that a juvenile boy was also envolved. He received therapy for his crime from a Delaware County, PA CYS social worker. This social worker believed he could reform him.

He moved on yet again and found his next victims in 1980, 3 girls under the age of 12, that is me and my sisters. One of his friends, who he approached to become involved in our molestation, bragged to his employer, who in turned called child line and reported it. Low and behold he somehow beat the system again. Our case was never prosecuted despite our abuser admitting to it, despite our own mother handing over evidence to the police herself.

The same CYS social worker from his 1978 case took our case and “rehabilitated” him again. My sisters both asked for help directly to the case worker and nothing came of it. The previous victim was willing to talk to my sister to help us, but our mother no showed in CYS. And they never followed up.

Our mother was ordered to go to a psychiatrist and never went, no one ever followed up.

In 1986 he was charged in Delaware for production of child pornography. He received no jail time and was placed on the Pennsylvania sexual offenders register. Not the National registry and not on Megan’s Law. This man escaped justice 4 times and left his victims without any recourse. The system at every level failed at least 8 children in 4 different cases.

Everywhere we turn we are told because it was prior 1986 there isn't anything anyone can do. The laws are not set up for adult victims to come forward and get the justice they deserved. Every fiber of my being tells me he's still hurting kids and there are other victims out there. Had county officials done their job in 1978 this would have stopped decades ago. Had the military charged him and locked him away potentially none of this would had happened. 8 children could have had a chance for a normal life.

CYS let him and my mother go, we have all the documents from all of these cases in which my sisters asked the social worker for help, now we’re asking for your help to change the laws.