Texas
Amid child sex abuse by North Texas clergy and caregivers, don’t overlook these predators
The wave of recent accusations about sexual abuse of North Texas children by people parents entrusted their kids to — including religious leaders, an assistant at a pediatric clinic and a private school caregiver — are deeply disturbing.
Among the stories is Dallas Morning News faith reporter Adrian Ashford’s profile and interview with Cindy Clemishire, who went public in June accusing evangelical celebrity Robert Morris of sexually abusing her for more than four years, beginning in 1982 when she was 12.
Morris, founder and longtime senior pastor of Gateway Church in Southlake, has made one public statement, admitting in a June Christian Post article to “inappropriate sexual behavior with a young lady.” He resigned from his megachurch four days after Clemishire’s accusations.
All these reports shake our faith and conversations turn to, “What’s gone wrong in institutions like churches and schools that allow such despicable realities to unfold?”
It’s a reasonable question, but it overlooks the bigger problem. Children are victimized by adults every day and in every community, this one included. A new case of child sexual abuse is documented every nine minutes, according to the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network.
Every account of a scout leader, youth minister or Little League coach sexually abusing children should be a warning to parents to stay vigilant about the access other adults have to their kids. If someone seems more interested in your child than you are, that’s a red flag.
Research overwhelmingly points to sexual abuse taking place in the home with the likeliest predator being a family member or a known, trusted visitor.
These stories often aren’t reported to authorities, much less in the news.
Having written regularly about this topic for two decades, I know most parents are naïve. Too many people believe sexual violence inflicted by family members takes place in neighborhoods inhabited by “People Not Like Us.”
I grew up in an ordinary suburban family and know that’s not correct. About the time I started grade school, an adult family member began sexually abusing me. Years later, when I tried to tell my mother, she begged me not to mention it to anyone else.
For the next 20 years, I tried to fool myself into believing what had happened didn’t matter. Only after I drove my life into a ditch did I get professional help.
The awful reality is things haven’t improved much in the last half century. The Centers for Disease Control estimates at least one in four girls and one in 20 boys experiences sexual abuse before age 18.
How can each of us better protect all children in our communities? That question led me to reach out to four North Texas leaders in the fight against child sex abuse — each with a key role in bringing justice through the courts and healing to the victims.
These experts pointed out sexual abuse starts with unfettered access — most often in the home, where children are vulnerable captives. They said the solution starts with not looking the other way when something doesn’t seem quite right.
Amy Derrick, an assistant district attorney whose work includes prosecuting crimes against children, said it’s most important — whether you have kids or not — to be available if a young person needs help. “Let them know, if they come forward, they have a safe and trusting place to come to,” she said.
The work starts with your own children: Empower them to set boundaries and say no, monitor their activities and have open, factual conversations.
“That’s how you help your child navigate their world, including their online world, safely and responsibly,” Derrick said. In turn, your kids spread healthy messages to their friends.
The Dallas County DA’s office handled 734 child sexual abuse cases in 2022 and 595 in 2023. This year’s total stands at 515; Derrick said the majority of cases involve a family member.
In the 45 child abuse cases tried this year, 15 ended in sentences of life or 99 years, Derrick said, and most of the other defendants received prison time.
Leigha Simonton, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas, regularly urges community members to stay alert to warning signs of sexual abuse in children with whom they interact. Her office points to the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network website for a list of potential indicators.
“Tragically, the perpetrator is often a parent or another family member,” Simonton said. “If a child cannot feel safe with family, who can they feel safe with?”
The U.S. Attorney’s Office does not disclose the relationship between victim and perpetrator if the information allows the child to be identified. “But I can tell you,” public affairs officer Erin Dooley said, “some of the most appalling cases our office prosecutes involve sexual abuse by a relative — including parents, grandparents or other close relatives.”
Among the cases Simonton’s office has prosecuted in recent months was a Dallas man who filmed himself sexually assaulting girls as young as 6. Gemond Copage Miller was sentenced in May to 60 years in federal prison.
Leslie Michael Alt of Forney, who filmed himself molesting a young child, was sentenced in July to 120 years in prison. “Seeing the images he had of my daughter as a toddler shattered me,” the mother testified at sentencing. “Unable to voice she was uncomfortable, unable to communicate to me, her mother, that any of this was happening to her.”
Kathleen LaValle, president and CEO of Dallas CASA, said sexual abuse conversations focus on perpetrators outside the family because for many people it’s too disturbing to accept the predator is a relative like a biological father, stepfather or uncle.
Dallas CASA, or Court Appointed Special Advocates, supports children who are removed from their homes, including in cases of incest or sexual abuse by a parent’s partner.
The first step toward restoring the innocence of childhood to a sexual abuse victim, LaValle said, is for the child to share the truth. “Unfortunately, most abuse incidents are never reported or go unreported well into adulthood,” she said.
It’s important for adults to follow their instincts. For example, LaValle said, pay attention if a child wants to avoid certain outings or overnight stays or exhibits unusual reluctance, anxiety or apprehension. Avoid the conspiratorial “don’t tell your mom” or “it will be our secret” for low-level offenses like a stop for ice cream before dinner.
The most effective message to share with children, LaValle said, is scary situations become less scary when we talk about them.
Tell your child, “You don’t have to struggle through a frightening situation on your own,” she said. “Come to us if you feel afraid or threatened or just can’t see a good way out.”
Madeline Reedy, chief program officer with the Dallas Children’s Advocacy Center, says we all have an obligation to understand what sexual abuse looks like and to report it quickly to authorities. Among the advocacy center’s many responsibilities is to work with victims in Dallas County criminal sexual abuse cases.
“You think it’s happening over in that neighborhood,” Reedy told me. “It’s really happening in our neighborhood.”
Reedy said the advocacy center’s average client is an 11-year-old girl sexually abused by someone she knows. Seventy percent of the 9,000 cases the advocacy center handled in 2023 involved sexual abuse.
Children rarely tell about the abuse right away, Reedy said. Seventy-three percent don’t tell for at least a year; 45% don’t tell for at least five years. Some never disclose.
That is why it is so critical for adults to recognize the signs and symptoms of abuse and report suspicions to the proper authorities. The Dallas Child Advocacy Center website includes information about spotting abuse as well as many educational opportunities, in both English and Spanish.
“You can be vigilant, without being a vigilante,” Reedy said. “Everyone has an obligation to help.”
If you suspect a child is being sexually abused, call the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services Hotline at 1-800-252-5400 or file an online report at txabusehotline.org
2024 Texas Hall of Fame Invite
- November 20-22, 2024
- Where: Lee and Joe Jamail Swimming Center — Austin, TX
- When: 10 am CT prelims/6 pm CT finals
- Participating Teams: Pitt, Stanford, Texas (host), USC, Wisconsin, BYU, Cal Poly
- Meet Info
- Live Results
- Results on Meet Mobile: “Texas Hall of Fame Swimming Invite”
- Day 1 Prelims Live Recap | Day 1 Finals
The Texas Longhorns entered the summer with a lot of weaknesses on paper that needed to be addressed, and via the addition of high profile transfers and international recruits, they have addressed many of those.
The big question mark, though, was the breaststroke leg and whether the Longhorns had someone good enough to challenge for an NCAA title.
The group was led last season by 5th year Jake Foster, who swam 51.22 at a dual meet, and Will Scholtz, who was 52.09 at Big 12s. 52.0 is a nice time by almost any measure, but for a team hoping to climb several rungs on a ladder and challenge for an NCAA title, it wasn’t going to be enough.
The comments read things like “where are the Longhorns going to find a true breaststroker,” referencing the fact that Texas didn’t have a swimmer finish higher than 16th at NCAAs in the 100 breast last year.
But on Thursday morning, they may have found their guy as Nate Germonprez, now a sophomore, turned a corner with a 50.39.
That makes him the 7th-best performer in the history of the event with the 15th best performance ever in a flat-start 100 yard breaststroke. Every time ranked ahead of him was done at a season-ending championship, making Germonprez’s swim the best mid-season time in history.
Top 10 Performers all-Time, Men’s 100 SCY Breaststroke
- Liam Bell, Cal – 49.53 (2024 NCAAs)
- Ian Finnerty, Indiana – 49.69 (2018 NCAAs)
- Max McHugh, Minnesota – 49.90 (2022 NCAAs)
- Caeleb Dressel, Florida – 50.03 (2018 SECs)
- Kevin Cordes, Arizona – 50.04 (2014 NCAAs)
- Carsten Vissering, USC – 50.30 (2019 NCAAs)
- Nate Germonprez, Texas – 50.39 (2024 Texas Invite)
- Caspar Corbeau, Texas – 50.49 (2022 NCAAs)
- Van Mathias, Indiana – 50.57 (2023 NCAAs)
- Brian Benzig, Towson – 50.59 (2024 NCAAs)
Germonprez is a bit of a paradox as a swimmer. He was a very good breaststroker in high school, winning an NCSA title in the 100 breaststroke in 2023. But he was so versatile that his 52.59 as a high school senior was almost overlooked, when in most classes that would make him a big ‘breaststroke’ signing.
We wrote several articles and did interviews in tribute to his versatility (here and here, for example).
He didn’t even swim a breaststroke race at the Olympic Trials, instead opting for the 50 free (53rd) and 200 IM (12th). He would later swim the 100 free (49.46), 200 IM (1:58.11), and the 100 breaststroke (1:00.48) at the Austin Futures meet, winning and going best times in each. His 100 breaststroke time would have put him into the semifinals at Trials.
Is he a real breaststroker? He’s not a pure breaststroker, if that’s what we mean when we say “real,” which is understandable because for most of swimming history, breaststrokers were sort of a different breed.
But he broke the school record of Caspar Corbeau (50.49), who is most certainly primarily a breaststroker (though he can sprint a little bit too).
When Germonprez and Modglin both committed to Texas, it was fun to daydream about what that tandem of versatility could bloom into in the college ranks, and now we’re seeing it happen. As much as Texas needed guys like Chris Guiliano and Kacper Mawiuk and Hubert Kos to move back into the national title picture this quickly, they really needed a breatstroker, and now they have one.
The Fort Worth skyline reflects off the Trinity River. It is a city that loves its roots and embraces its evolution.
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If you’ve been one of the 10.8 million annual visitors to Forth Worth, Texas, you already know it’s worth a multi-day stay. But sometimes, you don’t have that luxury, and the best you can swing is an overnighter. I’m here to tell you, that’s not a bad thing. Fort Worth, a pleasantly compact city in comparison to its sprawling neighbor, Dallas, turns an overnight stay into an opportunity to immerse yourself in Texan culture while luxuriating in the finer things in life.
Start with a semi-private flight via JSX, which operates out of its own terminal outside of Dallas-Love airport. This streamlined service provides private-flying ease and comfort at a fraction of the cost (a typical flight from Houston to Dallas costs about $500 round trip and gets you there in about an hour). After an extremely comfortable flight, you’ll touch down in Dallas, and it is a matter of minutes to deplane, collect your bag, and hail a ride. Opt for a rental car from JSX onsite provider Go Rentals or just use a ride app for the day.
The lobby of the Crescent Hotel Fort Worth features eye-catching chandeliers and comfortable seating with views of the outdoor courtyard and fireplace.
Crescent Hotel Fort Worth
The heart of Fort Worth is 40 minutes away – you’ll leave the hustle and bustle of the big city behind and find tree-lined (and impeccably clean) streets. You’ll also find the new Crescent Hotel Fort Worth, which Conde Nast Traveler recently dubbed the #1 Hotel in Texas. Service is on point – when I arrived feeling a little queasy, the staff managed to rustle up a bowl of soup and a grilled cheese sandwich, and that was with the dining room temporarily reserved for a television crew shooting on the premises.
Which apparently is a thing in Fort Worth. It’s becoming an increasingly popular destination for movie and TV filming, and it’s clear why. The landscape is quite pretty, made all the prettier in the Cultural District, where Crescent Hotel is located. It features lovely museum buildings and wide streets that will beckon you outside to explore, and that exploration should include the Fort Worth Botanic Garden, the oldest botanic garden in Texas. It boasts 23 specialty gardens, such as the Japanese Garden ideal for a serene stroll, along with sculptures, ponds, waterfalls, and a don’t miss greenhouse.
If you prefer the indoors, just across the street from the Crescent Hotel is the Kimbell Art Museum, which recently celebrated its 50th anniversary and features works by creative legends like Rembrandt, Picasso, and Cezanne. The Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth is a stone’s throw away, as is the Amon Carter Museum, currently featuring an exhibit entitled “Cowboy.”
The Fort Worth Stockyards are home to the twice-daily cattle drives that pay homage to the culture and history of his area.
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And speaking of cowboys, you must set aside time to witness an authentic and historically accurate cattle drive, which takes place twice daily at 11:30 am and 4:00 pm on Exchange Street in the historic Fort Worth Stockyards. Watch as wranglers outfitted in boots, chaps, and hats reminiscent of the early American days drive cattle through the town. You can learn more about Fort Worth’s cowboy culture at The National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame, the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame, and the Cattle Raisers Museum.
If you haven’t noticed by now, Fort Worth is a bit of a dichotomy with its attention to ranch life every bit as important as its evolution to modern city. That’s why a day here is a study in contrasts, and one of the best ways to see – and taste – that is through the food. Start with lunch on the hacienda-style patio at Joe T. Garcia’s, a popular Tex-Mex restaurant serving up margaritas and family recipes like bean chalupas since 1935.
Mouthwatering scallops are cooked to precision at Waters, a fine dining restaurant in Fort Worth, Texas
Rebecca Deurlein
For dinner, dive into Waters Restaurant for a fine dining experience helmed by Chef Jon Bonnell. Appetizers like crab cakes and tomatoes topped with fried goat cheese are about as close to perfect as you can get. And foods that depend on being cooked just right, like scallops and filet, are indeed just right. Waters is located in Sundance Square, a walkable entertainment and business district that is especially lovely at night and offers live theater, shopping, an historic Chisholm Trail mural, water features, and over 30 restaurants, in case you decide to stay.
That’s the only problem with Fort Worth – one day and night will give you a taste that will have you hustling to get back. So maybe not such a problem after all.
Texas
City of Houston defends keeping firefighter on payroll amid nude video controversy and lawsuit
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — The City of Houston says its hands are tied when it comes to a firefighter who showed a nude video of a female firefighter to their colleagues.
John Barrientes was found liable in a civil trial last year and was ordered to pay former firefighter Melinda Abbt $250,000. City Council is considering approving an $850,000 payment to Abbt to settle a separate federal lawsuit related to the matter.
Yet some council members question why Barrientes has been allowed to keep his job.
The city points to an obscure Texas law governing police and fire departments.
“If you’re looking to terminate someone’s employment because of a past act, the statutory scheme in Texas requires that that occurs within six months of the act,” City Attorney Michel Arturo said.
But that’s not how other attorneys see it.
“I’m not aware of any law that says you have to fire someone within 180 days of the misconduct,” employment attorney Michael Lombardino said.
Arturo sent Eyewitness News a copy of the Texas Local Government Code. Under a heading titled ‘Indefinite Suspensions,’ it reads:
“In the original written statement and charges and in any hearing conducted under this chapter, the department head may not complain of an act that did not occur within the six-month period preceding the date on which the department head suspends the firefighter or police officer.”
Lombardino said that should only apply to indefinite suspensions, which he said are different than terminations.
“Sometimes you need to be able to conduct an investigation, so putting a time limit on when you would be able to terminate an employee doesn’t really make sense,” he said.
Arturo told council members that firing Barrientes could give him grounds for a wrongful termination suit. Some worry about the lawsuits the city could face by keeping him.
“If we have another incident that comes up, aren’t we in more legal jeopardy because we are aware of this behavior?” Councilman Fred Flickinger asked.
Council won’t vote on whether to approve the settlement with Abbt for at least another week.
For news updates, follow Luke Jones on Facebook, X and Instagram.
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