How Could You? Hall of Shame-Keith Marcum 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 Rohnert Park, California, group home owner Keith Marcum, 68, ” has been accused by three people of sexual and physical abuse that spanned several years, authorities said. ” He operates an in-home care facility for mentally and physically disabled adults and children.

“Officers arrested the man, identified by police as Keith Marcum, 68, on Monday afternoon at his home after an initial victim came to police in April, Rohnert Park Department of Public Safety Deputy Chief Aaron Johnson said.

That person, who is disabled and was a former patient at the home, accused Marcum of prolonged sexual and physical abuse that started about 10 years ago.

Two additional people have come forward to police with similar allegations in the days following Marcum’s arrest, and detectives worry more have not yet contacted police, Johnson said.

A search of Marcum’s Brenda Way home in Rohnert Park, where he’s run the facility for about 30 years, additionally turned up more than 600 images of child pornography, the agency said.

“We think that this case is going to grow,” Johnson said. “We are at the very tip of the iceberg.”

Police identified Marcum on Thursday as a “board-certified clinical psychologist,” but Marcum’s name does not appear in a search of licensing records for California psychologists on the website of the state Department of Consumer Affairs. His name is also absent from the licensing records for the American Board of Professional Psychology.

In their initial press release on Wednesday, they identified him as a “board-certified clinical pathologist.”

Basic public searches for Marcum’s name turned up no apparent listings of him as a psychologist or pathologist, but Assistant City Manager Don Schwartz and Johnson both said late Thursday that they thought Marcum had retired as a psychologist.

Marcum was released from jail Thursday afternoon after posting a bond for a $765,000 bail, according to Sonoma County Sheriff’s Sgt. Spencer Crum. Interviewed at his residence Thursday afternoon, Marcum said he did not know why he was arrested or “what was going on.”

“I don’t have any recollection of doing anything wrong,” he said.

Marcum said he had operated a foster home out of the residence from 1990 to 2009 and had stopped working completely a year ago. He also said the home was used as a facility for disabled clients while he was employed by the North Bay Regional Center, an organization that aids people with developmental disabilities, from 1990 to 2006. Representatives of the North Bay Regional Center did not immediately return a request for confirmation of Marcum’s employment there late Thursday afternoon.

Marcum declined to answer additional questions about his arrest or work history, or the three people police said were living with him at the time of his arrest. Their family members were contacted and the three people were removed from the home.

As of Thursday, prosecutors had filed 14 felony charges against Marcum based on information from the initial victim who came to police, Johnson said. They included multiple counts of sodomy, forced lewd acts on a child, continuous sexual abuse of a child and possessing child porn, court records show.

The Sonoma County Public Defender’s Office, which was listed as his legal counsel in court records, did not return a request for comment Thursday.

The two additional people who came forward after Marcum’s arrest described being sexually abused by Marcum over the course of eight years, starting at the age of 6, police said.

Johnson did not have a time frame for when those alleged acts were said to have occurred, and said detectives were still investigating those allegations as of Thursday. He did not know if either victim was also a patient or former patient at the facility, he said.

Johnson did not know how many people were in Marcum’s care over the course of his career, though that would be part of the investigation, he said. Detectives planned to interview the three people living with Marcum at the time of his arrest as part of their investigation.

Matt Moynan, who’s lived next door to Marcum for five years, said he was surprised to hear about the man’s arrest. Moynan said Marcum appeared to be a nice person, though he would occasionally yell out commands at the people who lived with him. Moynan could only recall two men who he saw regularly at the home, along with Marcum, and both appeared to be disabled men.

“When I talked to him about what he did and he seemed to be doing a good job for the kids,” Moynan said.

Detectives urged any additional victims to contact the department’s Investigations unit at 707-584-2630.

Marcum is scheduled to return to the Sonoma County Superior Court for arraignment proceedings on Monday. The court website showed no prior criminal cases for him.”

Rohnert Park man suspected of sexual, physical abuse at in-home facility

[The Press Democrat 5/2/19 by Nashelly Chavez]
“He was arraigned on the charges last week and will be in court May 14 for appointment of counsel.”

“The complaint filed against him Wednesday alleges continuous sexual abuse of a male child between Oct. 28, 1991 and Oct. 27, 1999.

Marcum also is charged with sodomy by force against a minor and lewd acts by force against a minor and another person between July 12, 2007 and July 11, 2010.

The complaint also charges Marcum with sodomy of an incompetent minor with a mental or physical disability without consent, and possession of more than 600 images of child pornography including 10 or more images of a prepubescent minor or a child under 12 years old.

The complaint alleges there were at least three alleged victims of the sexual abuse.

A disabled, past resident of the in-home care facility on Brenda Way in Rohnert Park revealed years of sexual and physical abuse, and another victim came forward after Marcum’s arrest and described being sexually abused between six and 14 years old, Johnson said.

Detectives found the images of child pornography during a search of Marcum’s residence on April 29, Johnson said.”

Caregiver For Disabled Charged With Sex Abuse Of Child, Possession Of Child Porn

[CBS San Francisco 5/6/19 by ALEXANDRIA BORDAS AND KEVIN FIXLER]

REFORM Puzzle Piece

Update: Thanks to Anonymous for giving us this article.

“A Rohnert Park man charged in May with sexually and physically abusing disabled children and adults at his in-home care operation was struck and killed by a SMART train Tuesday night.

Authorities think Keith Marcum, 68, took his own life, making him the third fatality on the passenger rail line in less than two weeks. Video from the train showed Marcum lying on the tracks moments before it approached him at about 9:30 p.m., Sonoma County Sheriff’s officials said in a statement Wednesday.

The Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit train was traveling north when the conductor spotted the man on the tracks roughly 15 yards south of the Scenic Avenue crossing north of Rohnert Park, said Jennifer McGill, SMART chief of police. The conductor pulled the emergency brake, sounded the train horn and flashed lights before hitting Marcum, she said. Trains in that area run at speeds of up to 79 mph.

“From our perspective at this time, the man was intentionally trying to get hit,” McGill said. “This is another case of someone having a clear intention of taking their own life.”

Gabby Trejo, a Scenic Avenue resident close to the SMART tracks, said the quiet rural neighborhood was disrupted Tuesday night by a blaring train horn.

“We thought that was strange. It usually doesn’t make any noise,” Trejo said of the train. “We just let it go, and then after a little while we saw a bunch of flashlights on the side because it was super dark. Then we saw a body that was covered. It was crazy.”

For 30 years, Marcum operated an in-home care facility for mentally and physically disabled adults and children at his Brenda Way home. Two months ago, he was arrested by Rohnert Park Department of Public Safety officers after three people accused him of sexual and physical abuse spanning several years.

Rohnert Park police started an investigation in April after the first victim, a former patient at the home, came forward accusing Marcum of repeated sexual and physical abuse that began about 10 years ago. Two more people reported similar allegations to police following Marcum’s arrest.

Sonoma County prosecutors filed 14 felony charges against Marcum in May based on witness interviews, police said. Court records show they included counts of sodomy, forced lewd acts on a child, continuous sexual abuse of a child and possessing child pornography.

Marcum was released from the county jail after posting $765,000 bail. Three patients living in Marcum’s house were removed at the time of his arrest, after police searched his home and uncovered 600 images of child pornography, Astley said.

The case against Marcum will be suspended, said Aaron Johnson, deputy chief at the Rohnert Park Department of Public Safety. However, he said, any additional victims that come forward will be connected to necessary services.

“There are two sides of it. You want the justice for the victims but you also want to make sure that they now get the services and support they need,” Johnson said. “It is hard because this individual (Marcum) isn’t going to go through the judicial process.”

Marcum’s Santa Rosa attorney Jane Gaskell did not return calls Wednesday for comment.

During the investigation, police determined Marcum’s certifications as a clinical psychologist were fraudulent, said Sgt. Keith Astley, lead officer on the case. Investigators also reached more witnesses that gave police additional accounts detailing the abuse that occurred in Marcum’s home, he said.

He claimed to have earned multiple degrees from the University of Colorado that included doctorates in clinical psychology and neurophysiology, and master’s degrees in educational psychology and cognitive psychology, Astley said.

“We never found any documentation supporting those degrees Marcum claimed to have obtained,” the sergeant said.

In 1981, Marcum was arrested for alleged sexual assault on a child in Longmont, Colorado. He received a deferred sentence of four years, according to court records.

Hours before his death, Marcum posted a farewell message on his Facebook page that drew concerned comments.

“Farewell everyone — it’s been a wonderful life,” Marcum’s post said about 7 p.m. Tuesday.

Marcum’s death marked the fourth apparent suicide on the SMART line since the public transit system began operating nearly two years ago. Overall, he’s the seventh person to be killed by a train.”

Man facing sexual abuse charges killed by SMART train north of Rohnert Park

[The Press Democrat 7/11/19 by ALEXANDRIA BORDAS AND KEVIN FIXLER]