How Could You? Hall of Shame-Bobby Glen Burrell case UPDATED

This will be an archive of heinous actions by those involved in child welfare, foster care and adoption. We forewarn you that these are deeply disturbing stories that may involve sex abuse, murder, kidnapping and other horrendous actions.

From Lawton, Oklahoma, One More Soul Outreach Ministries Elder Pastor Bobby Glen Burrell, 28, is charged with Sexual Abuse of a Child from incidents at Sequoyah House group home.

“In October 2012, Lawton Police Officers were called out to the Sequoyah House, a juvenile group home for children in custody of the Department of Human Services.

Lawton Police Captain Craig Akard says a worker at the home stated some of its residents had reported Burrell had been exposing himself and performing lewd acts in front of the them.

Akard says the worker explained all the incidents had taken place at a church where Burrell was a pastor.

He says the allegations included unauthorized trips from the Sequoyah House between Burrell and juvenile residents and Burrell showing them pornography.

In addition, Akard says their investigation shows three former Sequoyah House employees may have known about the alleged incidents taking place but did not report them.

Arrest warrants have been issued for 32-year-old Stephaine Clanton, 39-year-old Dekota Shedd, and 33-year-old Chevonne Goins, who are facing Duty to Report Abuse or Neglect charges.

Michelle Thompson, who has six children and lives down the street from One More Soul, says she is shocked after hearing about the charges against the local pastor.

“You really just can’t trust anybody,” Thompson says. “I don’t think that there’s anywhere really anymore that’s safe.”

Thompson says it is important to let kids know it is ok to speak out if they are being abuse.

“We don’t know what these predators say to your kids to scare them into keeping their mouths shut but just encouraging your kids to talk, encouraging other children, letting them know where a safe place is, making them feel safe so they can express themselves,” Thompson says.

Akard says further charges against Burrell may be pending.

The Sequoyah House closed its doors and stopped operating shortly after the abuse allegations were made.”

Lawton Pastor Accused of Sexually Abusing Children

[Texoma Homepage.com 8/26/13]

REFORM Puzzle Piece

Update: “Bobby Glen Burrell, pastor of One More Soul Outreach Ministry, is accused of exposing himself and masturbating in front of a 16-year-old boy after taking the boy from the group home to the church.

Burrell is only charged with one felony count of child sexual abuse. But Lawton police reported Burrell took several group home children on unauthorized trips and that “six possible juvenile victims were interviewed.”

In addition to being a pastor, Burrell, 28, was on staff as a youth guidance specialist at the privately run Sequoyah House in Lawton where the youths were living.

Three other Sequoyah House staff members, Stephanie Clanton, 32, Dekota Shedd, 39, and Chevonne Goins, 35, face misdemeanor counts of failure to report child abuse. Clanton is from Blanchard. Shedd and Goins are from Lawton.

Allegations of child sexual abuse were first reported to Lawton police by Sequoyah House programs director Cheryl Carroll on Oct. 11, according to police reports. Clanton, Shedd and Goins reportedly had known about the alleged abuse since Sept. 18, but failed to report it to law enforcement authorities.

The 16-year-old alleged victim told investigators that Burrell took him to the church in July 2012.

The boy said Burrell took him into the church office, locked the door behind him, and asked him to watch a pornographic video with him on his cellphone.

Burrell masturbated while he watched the video and encouraged the boy to watch the video and masturbate, as well, the boy said.

“At first, Burrell denied all allegations,” Lawton Police Detective Nancy Lombardo said in an affidavit.

Later, Burrell admitted masturbating in the church “bathroom” but contended it was the boy who had been watching the pornographic video and stated the boy had encouraged him to watch the video.”

Burrell later denied masturbating at the church during an interview with a DHS investigator, Lombardo said.

“Burrell also stated that he had only taken boys to the church after normal business hours once or twice, and then later gave numerous examples of after-hours outings with different boys,” Lombardo reported.

A telephone call to the church office was not returned.

Possible victims, who ranged in age from 14 to 17, told detectives that Burrell would pick them up at the group home after hours and take them to the church, his home and fast food restaurants.

The Sequoyah House closed Dec. 27 after the Oklahoma Department of Human Services notified the home’s operator in November that it was canceling the company’s contract and revoking its license, said Mark Beutler, DHS communications manager.

The group home was operated by Sallisaw-based Sequoyah Enterprises, which is currently appealing the contract cancellation and closure, he said.

Beutler said as soon as allegations were received, DHS officials acted immediately to ensure that Burrell was removed from the group home and prohibited from returning.

“We continued to have our child welfare staff on site every day, including weekends, monitoring the safety of the children,” he said. “We take very seriously the safety of the children in our care and take every precaution to ensure their safety.”

The charges filed Friday in Comanche County District Court were the result of a joint investigation by the Lawton Police Department and the DHS Office of Client Advocacy.

If convicted, Burrell could be sentenced to up to life in prison and fined from $500 to $5,000. The other three suspects in failure to report the alleged abuse each could be imprisoned up to a year and fined up to $1,000, if they are convicted.”

Lawton pastor charged with child sexual abuse

[Tulsa World 8/27/13 by Randy Ellis]

Update 2: “The trial for a Lawton minister charged with child sexual abuse is set to begin Monday in Comanche County Court. Bobby Burrell was arrested last August after a ten-month investigation by Lawton Police.

A worker at a Lawton group home, the Sequoyah House, alerted authorities and told them Burrell exposed himself and performed lewd acts in front of kids.”

 

Pastor’s child sex abuse trial to begin Monday in Lawton[Kswo.com 2/10/14]

Update 3:“A teenager took the stand in Comanche County Court today and accused a Lawton pastor of sexually abusing him inside a church.

He was the first witness in the trial of Bobby Burrell, who is charged with child sexual abuse. Police started investigating Burrell back in October of 2012 but didn’t arrest him until August of 2013.

Monday, the state said while Burrell was a minister at “One More Soul Outreach Ministries”, he masturbated in front of a 16-year-old and then lied to police and the Department of Human Services once he was confronted about it.

Burrell was not only a pastor but a youth guidance specialist at the Sequoyah Home where the alleged victim was staying. The state said Burrell took the victim to his church to do some tile work in one of the bathrooms but did so without filling out the proper paperwork; which is mandated by the home’s policy.

The testimony given was about actions that are not acceptable for anyone, but especially a pastor. The accuser said he had been living at the home for a short amount of time but already did not like having to stay cooped up inside all the time, so when Burrell asked if he would help re-tile his church’s bathroom, the alleged victim was all for it.

He said things started to get uncomfortable from there. In the drive there, the teenager said Burrell asked about girls and asked questions about sex. Then Burrell played porn on his phone and plugged it into the speakers of the car to make it louder.

At the church, they didn’t work on tiles, yet. The accuser said Burrell took him to his office and played porn on a computer and asked what kind he liked before picking his own type. Things didn’t end there, the accuser said Burrell put his shirt over his head and started masturbating, and asked him why he wouldn’t join before insulting him for not doing it.

To make things worse the accuser claims Burrell used anointment oils during the act. After the incident, they then worked on the tiles for a few hours before Burrell took him back to the home saying “what happens at the church stays at the church.”

The state will continue their case Tuesday morning.”

Local pastor on trial for child sexual abuse[KSWo.com 2/10/14]

“The Lawton pastor accused of performing lewd acts in front of a teenager at church was found not guilty Tuesday afternoon.

The verdict marks the end of a long wait for Bobby Burrell who has been under investigation since October of 2012 for the accusations. His accuser claimed Burrell took him to his church, showed him porn, and then began to touch himself in front of him.

After the verdict came back it was jubilation for the friends and family members of Burrell, who from the get go, stood by his side saying this isn’t something he would do. Burrell admitted to masturbating in the church, but said it was never in front of his accuser. He said his accuser, instead, walked in on him when he was doing the act in the church’s bathroom. His attorney said morally he made a mistake, but now he is innocent.

“The jury vindicated him, and the jury indicated he did not do anything wrong.  He’s innocent, and he is a free man, and that is it,” said his attorney, Jason Lowe.

Lowe said the verdict of not guilty all came down to the law and not what is morally wrong or right. “Masturbation is not a crime. He never masturbated in front of the young man, it’s not a crime. Pornography is not a crime and I think the jury realized and followed the law.”

In the trial things got heated between Lowe and Detective Nancy Lombardo, of the Lawton Police Department, when Lowe cross examined her about the accuser’s interview with police. The defense mentioned throughout the trial that the accuser was laughing during his interview saying he wasn’t taking it seriously. Lombardo said she has interviewed hundreds of sex victims, many being juveniles and their demeanor in an interview is often strange due to the embarrassment of it and that laughter is common.

Ultimately it came down to the defense’s main witness, the accuser’s best friend at the Sequoyah Home. He said the accuser would tell him everything, but never said anything about the alleged incident. The witness also said he tried to watch porn on Burrell’s phone when he let him use it but Burrell caught him and took the phone away saying that he shouldn’t do that.

The witness also said the accuser and another kid made up the allegations and tried to tell them it was wrong to do so. In the end, it appears that may have been what was needed to convince the jury Burrell is not guilty.”

Bobby Burrell found not guilty of child sexual abuse[KSWO.com 2/11/14]