How Could You?Hall of Shame-Lee Dunbar,Sr 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 Omaha, Nebraska, “An Omaha foster parent and retired captain with the Omaha Fire Department is in jail, accused of sexually assaulting three foster children.

Lee Dunbar, Sr., has been in the Douglas County Jail since mid-December. The 66-year-old is behind bars because of the charges leveled against him by foster children.

According to police reports obtained by WOWT 6 News – three girls between the ages of 9-and-11 told investigators at Project Harmony that Dunbar, their foster parent, had sexually assaulted them.

In two of the cases, on different occasions, the girls said they had fallen asleep in his bed and when they woke up he was sexually assaulting them. A 10-year-old told detectives Dunbar encourages children “to watch movies on his bed with him and sleep there” if they get tired.

WOWT 6 News checked Lee Dunbar’s background to see if the state missed something when it decided he should be a foster parent. Before these sexual assault charges, the last time he was arrested was in 2001 in a case of road rage. A woman thought she cut him off and said he pulled up beside her near

the Fire Union Hall and smashed her mirror and then struck her with a mini-baseball bat. She needed stitches.

He was convicted of a misdemeanor and put on probation. At the time, in the summer of 2001, he was a captain with the Omaha Fire Department. He retired three months later.

While Nebraska’s Department of Health and Human Services could not comment on this case, WOWT 6 News was told foster parents must pass background checks and character evaluations every two years.

In addition, case managers visit the home every 30-days and meet with the children separately to see how they’re doing.

Dunbar is currently in the Douglas County jail on a $125,000 bond awaiting trial on three counts of first degree sexual assault of a child.”

Foster parent accused of sexually assaulting three foster children [WOWT 3/27/17 by Brian Mastre]

REFORM Puzzle Piece

Update: “Omaha Police first heard about allegations that an Omaha foster parent had sexually assaulted one of his foster children when the girl told someone at her school.

Soon not one, or two but three young girls who were foster kids in the home of retired Omaha firefighter, Lee Dunbar, Sr, had shared similar stories with investigators at Project Harmony.

The girls – who were between the ages of 7-and-11 – told detectives they would fall asleep in his bed watching movies.

Without getting too graphic for the news, they’d wake up with what prosecutors say was the sexual assault of a child.

“I can’t speak specifically about this case,” said Douglas County Attorney Don Kleine, who weighed in on the broader circumstances when allegations are made, in general, against foster parents. “It’s horrific to think to you have a child placed in the system as a ward of the state who has more than likely been victimized before – to be victimized by the people who are supposed to be taking care of them and looking out for them.”

Lee Dunbar, Senior, was licensed as a foster parent in the state of Nebraska for two years – from May of 2014 to May of 2016 – when he allowed his foster parent license to expire.

During that time – according to the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, a total of seven children were placed in his home.

If convicted of the three counts of sexually assaulting a child, Dunbar faces a sentence of 20-years to life.

He currently is locked up in the Douglas County Jail on $125,000 bond pending trial.

Since some of the victims came forward after the initial allegations – we wondered what the statute of limitations for Sexual Assault of a Child were.

According to Kleine, Nebraska changed its law in 2004 so that there’s no statute of limitations for this crime.”

Foster child first reported alleged abuse at school [WOWT 4/2/17 by Brian Mastre]

“A former foster parent and a retired Omaha firefighter is charged with his fourth sexual assault of a child offense. This all came to light after a 15 year-old girl came forward with her story to investigators at Project Harmony.

Police said the first incident happened when the victim was just 9-years-old. Earlier this month, she told her story to investigators. She said she was assaulted twice by Lee Dunbar the first time back in March of 2011 and then again in January of 2013.

Dunbar was the girl’s foster father, at the time. He’s already behind bars facing three other similar charges.

It’s due to situations like this that an assessment process exists within the foster care system.

“Our recruitment specialist goes out and meets with that family in their home, tells them a little bit about our philosophy and beliefs about foster care, we learn a little bit about their motivation,” said Nebraska Children’s Home Society Michelle Moline.

Moline with Nebraska Children’s Home Society one of several foster care agencies in the metro has never experienced the arrest within one of their own foster families but it still hits home.

Her team takes the necessary steps like specialized training to make sure this kind of thing never happens but it can. After all, these agencies are assessing people.
“Just like any other populations of people, foster parents come with different strengths and challenges, and there are times when even with the most thorough assessment, that families do fall through the cracks or do not function in ways that after the assessment we believe that they would,” said Moline.

And that’s when many agencies often take a step back and ask themselves, are we doing enough?

“Especially when these situations happen, I think it makes us all really look at that and think, ‘Are there some things that we need to be evaluating and changing,” [Duh!] Moline said.

Michelle said it is critical that families within the foster care system have the right intention.”

Foster parent accused of sexually assaulting four foster children [WOWT 4/18/17 by Jessica Gill]