How Could You? Hall of Shame-Gary M. Reed 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 Twin Lakes, Wisconsin, a former foster parent, Gary M. Reed, 65, “was charged with repeated sexual assault of a child. ”

“Investigators said additional foster children may have been victimized.”

“According to the criminal complaint, Reed lived in Twin Lakes and Randall during the time the assaults allegedly occurred.

The criminal complaint states the investigation into Reed began when a now 37-year-old man contacted a detective with the Twin Lakes Police Department, telling the detective he had been sexually assaulted when he was a foster child in the village about 23 years ago. Detectives from the Kenosha County Sheriff’s Department joined the investigation on Nov. 16.

According to the complaint, the 37-year-old man told detectives he had been in the foster care system and was sent to live with Reed when he was about 13 years old. He lived with Reed until he was about 17½ years old. During that time, according to the complaint, the former foster child told the detective he had been sexually assaulted by Reed many times. “(He) reports that the assaults occurred two to four times a week the entire time he lived with (Reed).”

A second former foster child, now 33, also told police he was assaulted by Reed, but has yet to make a formal statement, according to the criminal complaint. The second former foster child “speculated that approximately 22 other foster children may have been sexually assaulted by the defendant, indicating that the defendant had favorites and gave his ‘favorites’ special privileges and would tell them that he was their last chance in life,” the complaint states.

The now 37-year-old who originally came forward with the accusations said that Reed would tell him that his home was the last place he could stay “and if he didn’t, he would end up in a halfway house or other terrible place.” He would threaten to call his social worker if he did not perform sexual acts, the complaint states. He also said that Reed would bribe him with wine and marijuana.

The Twin Lakes detective “assisted” the former foster child in making a recorded phone call with Reed, according to the complaint. During that call, the complaint states, Reed admitted that he engaged in a sexual relationship with the former foster child.

Assistant District Attorney James Kraus said that if convicted, given Reed’s age, “he is facing perhaps spending the rest of his natural life in prison.”

At Reed’s initial appearance in court Monday, defense attorney Larisa Benitez-Morgan said Reed is disabled, lives on Social Security and has no criminal history.

Information on Reed’s history as a foster parent in Kenosha County was unavailable Monday.

Reed’s bond was set at $100,000.”

Former foster parent accused of sexual abuse of teen in his care

[Kenosha News 11/20/17 by Deneen Smith]

REFORM Puzzle Piece

Update:“Kenosha County prosecutors filed for more charges against a former Twin Lakes foster father who allegedly sexually assaulted children under his care two decades ago.

Gary M. Reed, 65, who was already bound over for trial, faces three counts of repeated sexual assault of the same child.

At a Jan. 4 arraignment, Reed, now of Manitowoc, pleaded not guilty to all charges and his next appearance in Kenosha County Circuit Court will be for a final pre-trial on April 12.

According to the criminal complaints, the alleged sexual acts happened as early as 1996, when he resided in the Town of Randall, and later in the Village of Twin Lakes.

The initial complaint, which was filed last November, states the now-37-year-old victim told a Twin Lakes police detective Reed assaulted him when he was 13 years old and continued for another four years.

The victim, who indicated there could be more victims, said Reed assaulted him two to four times per week.

Reed allegedly coerced the victim into performing sexual acts through intimidation. The victim told police Reed would often say his home was the last place he could stay and if he didn’t, he “would end up in a halfway house or other terrible place.”

Additionally, Reed allegedly “bribed” the victim by offering him wine and marijuana.

“(The victim) indicated that this was not uncommon in the defendant’s home and that other foster children were given special considerations, but not all of them were,” the complaint states.

Through a coordinated phone call with authorities, Reed allegedly admitted to the crimes in a conversation with the victim, according to the complaint.

Meanwhile, another foster child, who is now a 33-year-old, came forward to tell investigators there could be nearly two dozen other foster children involved.

“Approximately 22 other foster children may have been sexually assaulted by the defendant, indicating the defendant had favorites,” the complaint states.

Eventually, in December, two more victims came forward with the same allegations, according to a Dec. 28 criminal complaint.

According to the first victim, who is also 37 years old, he moved in with Reed after reporting “troubles with his father and was living in a shack.”

The complaint alleges Reed coerced the second victim, who was 16 at the time, into performing sex acts in exchange for wine and allowing him to smoke cigarettes.

For the third victim, who was 11 or 12 years old when he moved into the Reed home, he told authorities Reed’s alleged acts started after his wife moved out of their Town of Randall residence about two years later.

The now-32-year-old victim, according to complaint, said Reed’s assaults were occasional at first, but eventually escalated.

As the third victim grew older, he started finding ways to avoid the sexual assaults, including overnight stays at friend’s homes.

By the time the third victim was around 16 years old, Reed’s alleged assaults were less frequent, the complaint contends.

Reed has been held in Kenosha County Jail on a $100,000 cash bond since his arrest in mid-November.”

Former foster father faces more assault charges

[My Kenosha County 2/9/18 by Jason Arndt]

Update 2:“Former Twin Lakes foster parent Gary Reed got a 25-year prison term during sentencing Thursday for sexually abusing children he had in his care.

Speaking through a letter read to the court by his wife, one of Reed’s victims said he thought he had finally found salvation from a lifetime of abuse when he was placed in Reed’s home.

A teenager when he was placed as a foster child in the Twin Lakes home, the man said he had been physically and emotionally abused in his father’s home from an early age and had repeatedly been ignored by authorities when he sought help. He finally escaped his father’s abuse by jumping from a window and fleeing barefoot in winter to a friend’s home.

When he landed in Reed’s home, he said through his letter, he thought his years of abuse were finally at an end. “For the first time in my life I felt safe,” he said.

But soon, he said, Reed began to sexually assault him, telling him that, if he told anyone what was happening, he would be sent away to someplace worse.

“Gary Reed was at one point a father figure to me, and was the only parental figure I ever had,” the man wrote. He said he still valued some of the things he learned from Reed, typical things a teen might learn from a parent, like gardening. “But I am also very damaged by him.”

The man said he dropped out of high school as soon as he was turning 18 and went out on his own. “I’ve been playing catchup ever since.”

Sentenced for sexual assaults

Reed, 65, was charged with sexual assault last year after one of his former foster children went to Twin Lakes Police to report he had been sexually abused by Reed about 23 years before. Police there took the story seriously and launched an investigation, eventually capturing audio of Reed admitting in a phone conversation with the former foster child that he sexually abused him.

After he was charged in that case, other victims came forward. He eventually pleaded guilty to the sexual assault of two victims.

Reed was a foster parent from 1992 to 2009, typically taking teenage boys who are often the most difficult foster children to place.

At an often emotional sentencing hearing Thursday, Deputy District Attorney Angelina Gabriele said that she worked in the juvenile court system at the time Reed was a foster parent. She said the court system at the time was “massively and tragically duped” by Reed, who appeared from the outside to be a devoted foster parent to troubled youth.

“These boys were the perfect victims. They had no family support. They had troubled pasts. And he had total control over them,” she said.

Reed, speaking to the judge, appeared to be surprised that his actions had had a lasting impact on his former foster children.

“I realize this was the worst choice I made,” he said. “I guess I didn’t realize how many people would be affected. I guess I should have gotten help.”

Judge Bruce Schroeder sentenced Reed to 25 years in prison followed by 15 years of extended supervision on one case. For the second case, he sentenced him to 10 years of supervision consecutive to the first case. He noted that he will be 90 years old when he is released from prison.

“You know what, you chose to do evil,” Schroeder said, saying he victimized “very vulnerable people who had no one else in the world.”

After the hearing, Gabriele praised the bravery of the former foster children who came forward. “I’d like to think it was cathartic, for these boys, now men, to come forward and to finally be believed,” she said.”

Ex-foster parent gets 25 years for sexually assaulting children in his care

[Kenosha News 6/7/18 by Deneen Smith]