Sociology > Education > ST. PETERSBURG, FL - Child Abuse Tip Had Fatal Effect: Man was beinginvestigated on suspicion of sexually abusing two of his adopted daughtersages 13 and 15
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Sociology > Education |
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09 Sep 2007 11:50:15 PM |
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ST. PETERSBURG, FL - Child Abuse Tip Had Fatal Effect: Man was beinginvestigated on suspicion of sexually abusing two of his adopted daughtersages 13 and 15 |
Child Abuse Tip Had Fatal Effect
By CARLOS MONCADAand MIKE WELLS The Tampa Tribune
Published: Sep 9, 2007
http://www.tbo.com/news/metro/MGB435SZC6F.html
ST. PETERSBURG - It was an anonymous tip to authorities last week that
set off a chain of events ending in the death of city leader John Bryan.
Few saw it coming.
"I didn't want to be the guy that knew that was going to happen," city
council member Bill Foster said Saturday.
Yet Foster predicted the tragic outcome after reading Bryan's terse
resignation letter on Friday. Just hours later, the city council
chairman committed suicide amid a criminal investigation into
allegations that he sexually abused two of his adopted daughters and a
nanny.
"I've known John for a long time and I knew what was important in his
life," Foster said. "And I knew by the tone of his resignation and by
the few allegations that were allowed to be made public.
"I just knew it."
With expressions of grief, sadness and a sense of disbelief, friends and
colleagues of Bryan spent Saturday in mourning for the two-term council
member and his family. They recalled a respected public servant who
cherished his family, loved his hometown and relished the outdoors. He
was considered a rough-around-the-edges Republican and strong ally of
Mayor Rick Baker and a man who spoke bluntly and unequivocally on issues.
"This is a very sad day for our city," Baker told reporters Saturday
afternoon. "I ask all in our community to hold the Bryan family up in
your thoughts and prayers. They had a hard day [Friday]."
The normally upbeat mayor was visibly downcast and appeared on the verge
of tears as he struggled to complete his prepared remarks between long
pauses.
Alone With His Thoughts
Bryan, 56, was found by a St. Petersburg Times reporter about 5:45 p.m.
Friday slumped in a golf cart in the garage of Bryan's second home in
Floral City. In the closed garage were a riding lawn mower that was
running and two four-wheelers that also appeared to have been running
but were found out of gas. A suicide note was found in the house, but
the Citrus County Sheriff's Office has declined to reveal the contents.
The autopsy was to be performed in a medical examiner's office in
Leesburg, Citrus County sheriff's spokeswoman Gail Tierney said.
"He went to his place up there by himself," city Councilman Earnest
Williams said. "That's the time you need to be around someone. Because I
can imagine the kinds of thoughts going through his head up there by
himself."
Bryan was being investigated on suspicion of sexually abusing two of his
adopted daughters and a third person who worked as a nanny for the
family. The daughters are ages 13 and 15, said Ron Stuart, a spokesman
for the Sixth Judicial Circuit, which includes Pinellas County.
Bryan contended the sexual relations he had with the nanny were
consensual and occurred while she was an adult.
The Pinellas County Sheriff's Office began a child protective services
investigation "last week or so," spokeswoman Marianne Pasha said
Saturday, adding that she could not provide details.
A representative of the sheriff's unit that investigates child abuse
appeared at Friday's shelter hearing in Unified Family Court, in which
Circuit Judge Raymond Gross ordered Bryan to move out of the home he
shared with his wife and daughters.
St. Petersburg police began a criminal investigation into the
allegations at the same time as the sheriff's office, spokesman Bill
Proffit said.
"There was an anonymous complaint made and we launched a dual
investigation," he said. The sheriff's office "conducts a child
protection investigation and we do the criminal investigation," he said.
Word of the investigation leaked to the public Friday and that kind of
brought it to a halt, he said.
"We were right in the middle of the investigation when that happened,"
Proffit said. "Now we have to ask ourselves, 'Is the investigation
over?' and 'At what point does a redacted portion of it become available
to the public?'"
Bryan's resignation letter, which offered no explanation, was dated Aug.
20. In July, Bryan resigned from the Pinellas-Pasco board of the
Sarasota Family YMCA, which handles foster care services in the two
counties.
Bryan's resignation from the YMCA board was verbal and was for "time and
personal reasons," said Lee Johnson, the agency's executive vice president.
Pinellas County Commissioner Ken Welch, who also served on the board
with Bryan, said he did not know why Bryan resigned. Welch himself
resigned two months ago because of other obligations.
"I'm terribly saddened by the whole situation, especially for the
[Bryan] children," Welch said. "I hope they can get their lives back
together eventually."
One of Bryan's two sons from a previous marriage, Christopher Bryan, 28,
of St. Petersburg, declined to comment when reached Saturday by phone.
Messages for other relatives and Bryan's former spouse were not returned.
Bryan's wife, Alicia, could not be located Saturday. No one answered the
door at the family's northeast St. Petersburg home off Gandy Boulevard.
"They are surrounded by family, loved ones," said Foster, who spoke with
Alicia Bryan on Saturday morning. "They realize it's going to take a lot
of time to recover. But I will say there's a lot of people and a lot of
friends and family lifting them up in prayer and embracing them."
He said Alicia Bryan admitted that "she doesn't have time to fully mourn
her own personal loss because of her extreme focus on the children. Her
100 percent attention right now is the two children."
A Private Man's Public Service
Described as a deeply private man, Bryan's life revolved around his
family, his public service and his long involvement in the Exchange Club
of Northeast St. Petersburg, a service group that sponsors the annual
Ribfest food festival in St. Petersburg.
The exchange club, of which Bryan is a former president, supports
primarily children's causes and works to prevent child abuse, according
to the group's Web site.
With a booming voice, the tall, silver-haired Bryan was a presence on
the council. Those who worked with him said he took a common-sense
approach to governing and did not hesitate to speak his mind, even at
the expense of offending colleagues or constituents.
"He knew what he liked and he knew what he didn't," Foster said. "And he
wasn't afraid to share his opinion."
Bryan was first elected in 2001, two years after he retired from his
home-building business, Bryan Homes, which built more than 300 houses in
the city. He was re-elected in 2005. His current term runs through Jan.
2, 2010. The city council will fill Bryan's vacancy within 45 days.
Although it was speculated that Bryan might run for mayor in 2010, some
colleagues said Saturday that they never heard Bryan say he was
interested in the post.
Williams said Bryan had been considering running for a Pinellas County
Commission seat next year, but he confided to Williams two weeks ago
that he was going to retire after finishing his term.
Williams was still trying to make sense of the tragedy.
"The worst that could have happened to him was he would have gone to
jail," said Williams, shaking his head.
Reporter Carlos Moncada can be reached at (727) 451-2333 or
cmoncada@tampatrib.com. Reporter Mike Wells can be reached at (813)
259-7839 or mwells@tampatrib.com.
JOHN BRYAN
AGE: 56
FAMILY: Born and raised in St. Petersburg. Wife, Alicia; two adopted
children; three adult children from a previous marriage.
CAREER: Selected as St. Petersburg City Council chairman for a one-year
term that was to expire Jan. 2. Attended St. Petersburg Junior College.
Owner of Bryan Homes before retiring the business. Eleven-year board
member of Environmental Development Commission, including three years as
chairman; vice chairman of St. Petersburg budget review committee;
served on Pinellas County construction licensing board and Southern
Growth Policies Board; helped develop Coffee Pot Park as chairman of
Northeast Exchange Club committee; Pinellas County schools mentor.
Source: Tribune wires
CURRENTLY CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES VIOLATES MORE CIVIL RIGHTS ON A
DAILY BASIS THEN ALL OTHER AGENCIES COMBINED INCLUDING THE NSA / CIA
WIRETAPPING PROGRAM....
CPS Does not protect children...
It is sickening how many children are subject to abuse, neglect and even
killed at the hands of Child Protective Services.
every parent should read this .pdf from
connecticut dcf watch...
http://www.connecticutdcfwatch.com/8x11.pdf
http://www.connecticutdcfwatch.com
Number of Cases per 100,000 children in the US
These numbers come from The National Center on
Child Abuse and Neglect in Washington. (NCCAN)
Recent numbers have increased significantly for CPS
*Perpetrators of Maltreatment*
Physical Abuse CPS 160, Parents 59
Sexual Abuse CPS 112, Parents 13
Neglect CPS 410, Parents 241
Medical Neglect CPS 14 Parents 12
Fatalities CPS 6.4, Parents 1.5
Imagine that, 6.4 children die at the hands of the very agencies that
are supposed to protect them and only 1.5 at the hands of parents per
100,000 children. CPS perpetrates more abuse, neglect, and sexual abuse
and kills more children then parents in the United States. If the
citizens of this country hold CPS to the same standards that they hold
parents too. No judge should ever put another child in the hands of ANY
government agency because CPS nationwide is guilty of more harm and
death than any human being combined. CPS nationwide is guilty of more
human rights violations and deaths of children then the homes from which
they were removed. When are the judges going to wake up and see that
they are sending children to their death and a life of abuse when
children are removed from safe homes based on the mere opinion of a
bunch of social workers.
CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES, HAPPILY DESTROYING THOUSANDS OF INNOCENT
FAMILIES YEARLY NATIONWIDE AND COMING TO YOU'RE HOME SOON...
BE SURE TO FIND OUT WHERE YOUR CANDIDATES STANDS ON THE ISSUE OF
REFORMING OR ABOLISHING CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES ("MAKE YOUR CANDIDATES
TAKE A STAND ON THIS ISSUE.") THEN REMEMBER TO VOTE ACCORDINGLY IF THEY
ARE "FAMILY UNFRIENDLY" IN THE NEXT ELECTION...
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