Guys--I've got a question. I know of another sex abuse case with hundreds of allegations which literally "fell off the face of the earth". It's the Roseberg, OR Gallup Christian Day Care case of the late 80s. This occurred less than ten years before our case and less than 100 miles away. No one in the judicial system in our county remembers this case although many know of this judge and worked here at the time. Here's a recent email I sent to our DA:
I've been looking into this case and not pleased with what I'm finding. I can hardly believe that I'd never heard of this case, given all the research I've done. I don't find any listing for these men on Vinelink but do find a telephone/address listing in Roseburg for them. Were they released? Did the children recant? What happened? Surely, somebody in your office must remember this case:
This is from a 2009 article about a retiring Douglas county judge, Judge Bill Lasswell, who tried the case:
http://www.nrtoday.com/article/20090301/NEWS/902289974
"Certain tragic cases have left their mark on the judge.
A story that recently came to Lasswell’s mind involved a peculiar meeting back when he was district attorney. On an autumn afternoon in his darkening office in the courthouse, two strangers asked to speak with him and tape the conversation. The pair wanted to talk to Lasswell about child witnesses. Apparently, they wanted to persuade the district attorney that children were unreliable, not to be trusted. At the time, Lasswell wasn’t sure what to make of the encounter.
A few months later, the mystery was revealed as Lasswell’s office began to prosecute the shocking and nationally followed child sexual abuse cases against
Edward and Mary Lou Gallup and their son, who ran local child care centers together.
Lasswell, a father of three, said it was the most traumatic case he’s been involved with.
“I don’t want to be anywhere near them ever again,” he said."
[ETA: This is almost word for word what our judge said about our case on the day of our children's rapist's convictions]
And this:
http://www.endritualabuse.org/ritualabusearchive.htm
"August 28, 1991, STATE OF OREGON v. MARY LOU GALLUP, COURT OF APPEALS OF OREGON, 816 P2d. 669, 1991 Ore. App. LEXIS 1266, Conviction Remanded // September 6, 1989, STATE OF OREGON v. EDWARD J. GALLUP, SR., 779 P.2d 169, Conviction for Sodomy Affirmed
Overview: Appellate documents state Mary Lou Gallup sought reversal of her conviction for sexual abuse in the first degree. The Appeals Court found error in the local courts ruling that material contained in the District Attorney file was work produced, and exempt from discovery,
which resulted in her conviction being vacated.
Mary Lou Gallup operated a private kindergarten in Roseburg, Oregon, called the Gallup Christian Daycare center. Her husband, Edward J. Gallup, an ex-minister of the Nazarene church, operated a separate preschool in that same vicinity. Their son, Edward (Chip) J. Gallup, operated a preschool in Winston, Oregon.
In 1987 defendant Ed Gallup Sr. was indicted for sexually assaulting a young boy who was a student as his preschool, and his son, Chip, was ultimately indicted on six separate charges for sexually assaulting six other preschool students. Chip Gallup was ultimately found guilty of three charges....."
more at link
and this:
http://www.religioustolerance.org/ra_gallu.htm
"The Gallup family consists of Ed Gallup Sr., Mary Lou Gallup and son, Ed "Chip" Gallup. Jr. They are fundamentalist Christians who operated three Gallup Christian Day Care Centers in Roseburg OR. They were charged and convicted on multiple counts of improper sexual activity with children. Over
100 children disclosed stories of ritual child abuse and sexual molestation. Included were many activities found in other Satanic ritual abuse cases: the killing of animals, posing for pornographic pictures, ritual sexual abuse by robed adults....."
and
"All three were found guilty in separate trials. A change of venue was obtained for the fourth trial. this probably contributed to an acquittal. Mary's conviction was overturned on a technicality. Some sources say that Ed Gallup Sr. and Chip Gallup both remain in jail. Others say that Ed Gallup Sr. has been released...."
Later developments:
In 1992, Cavalcade Productions in Ukiah CA released a movie titled "Children at Risk: Ritual Abuse in America." It included allegations of ritual abuse of children in Roseburg OR. Mike Farrell (B.J.) of M.A.S.H. fame was the narrator.
Do people think that no one is ever going to ask questions? What happened to the court records? Where's the paper trail? What happened to the alleged victims? I just sit here and wonder. Surely the way this case was handled MUST have informed our judge. Surely, someone knows the whole story. Why can't we get to the bottom of these stories? Wouldn't there be some sort of record of a dismissal, a recantation?
Aren't there other parents like me who believe that their cases are actually bigger? Or "alleged" victims who did NOT get justice? And if someone were truly wrongly accused, why wouldn't there be easily located information concerning a travesty like that?
www.christianitytoday.com
