How Could You? Hall of Shame-Jason Mason

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 Bloomington, Illinois, “A McLean County jury ruled Tuesday that Jason Mason is a sexually dangerous person who should be committed to a state sex offender program.

The decision came after about two hours of deliberation following a week of testimony. Among the witnesses were two children who alleged the 41-year-old Normal man sexually abused them and a third who said Mason showed him explicit material.

In his closing remarks, Assistant State’s Attorney Adam Ghrist defined a sexually dangerous person.

“A sexually dangerous person is someone who preys on kids, a person who puts them in a position to be harmed, a person who takes advantage of the weakest among us,” said Ghrist, describing Mason.

The prosecutor reminded jurors that three experts confirmed that the boy and girl who reportedly were abused suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder.

The boy, who was about 4 when he was allegedly abused, was chosen by Mason because he was emotionally vulnerable, said Ghrist.

“Jason Mason got the one he could, the one that wouldn’t tell, the one that needed him,” said Ghrist.

Defense lawyer Keith Davis said, “This case is about a rush to judgment” by authorities. A key element missing from the state’s case was medical evidence of the specific abuse Mason allegedly perpetrated on the boy, said Davis.

Mason denied during his testimony Tuesday that he showed sexually explicit material to one of his adopted sons or sexually abused a second boy who also was adopted by Mason and his former wife, Debbie Brock. He also denied abusing the girl when she visited the family.

“I’ve never had sexual contact with any child,” Mason said during about an hour on the witness stand.

All three children are siblings and Brock’s grandchildren.

After the verdict, Brock said the decision “finally gives me and the boys (of whom she had custody) closure that we didn’t have before because we didn’t know what was going to happen.”

Brock said she will continue her efforts to regain custody of her two adopted sons, who are now in state custody. The girl was adopted by another family member.

The state filed the sexually dangerous person petition in lieu of bringing Mason to trial on predatory sexual assault charges leveled in 2011.

In addition to the McLean County case, Mason also was convicted in 1989 in Mason County of sexually abusing a 6-year-old girl.

Two of the children in the local case were allowed to testify via closed-circuit television after Ghrist argued the children could suffer harm if they were in forced to be in the same room with their alleged abuser.

Ghrist said the case involved thousands of hours from people in several agencies since it began in 2011.

“Tonight’s verdict allows many people to turn the page from a very bad chapter of their life and begin the healing process,” he said.”

Jury Deems Bloomington Man Sexually Dangerous

[Pantagraph 11/26/13 by Edith Brady-Lunny]

REFORM Puzzle Piece