How Could You? Hall of Shame-Mary McClellan Laughinghouse 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 Danville, Virginia, former social worker Mary McClellan Laughinghouse, 55, was charged with two counts of taking incident liberties with a minor foster child in Pittsylvania County and two counts of taking indecent liberties with a minor foster child in Danville.
“A Danville grand jury indicted Laughinghouse two weeks ago.
The county indictments date the allegations between Jan. 1, 1989, and July 1, 1989, and July 1, 1989, and July 1, 1990.
The Danville allegations are dated Jan. 1, 1989.
Laughinghouse was 31 years old at the time.
Virginia State Police Special Agent G.R. Snead filed a search warrant for Laughinghouse’s personnel and training records from the social services office in Tightsqueeze on March 31, 2011.”
Former social worker accused of sex with foster child
[Star-Tribune 3/20/13 by Jonathan Parker]
REFORM Puzzle Piece
Update: “Mary M. Laughinghouse pleaded guilty Dec. 6 in Pittsylvania County Circuit Court to four counts of taking indecent liberties with a minor after a motion to dismiss the charges was denied by Judge William Alexander II.
Laughinghouse, 55, was indicted in February and accused of having an inappropriate sexual relationship with a minor in her custody between 1989 and 1990. Laughinghouse was a social worker with the Pittsylvania County Department of Social Services at the time and was assigned as the minor’s caseworker.
The victim — who was 16 and 17 at the time he said the incidents occurred — first reported the incidents in May 1994 while seeking treatment at Danville Regional Medical Center for issues with depression, according to court documents.
He told a representative from the Danville-Pittsylvania Mental Division/Emergency Outreach Services he and Laughinghouse had an affair after he was placed in foster treatment. The victim — now 42 — was placed with his grandparents in December 1987 and was under the supervision of Social Services beginning in January 1989, according to court documents.
The victim said “sexual relations took place several times between he and his social worker, Mary Laughinghouse” before he turned 18 in July 1990. The report was delivered to Gerald Todt, executive director of Pittsylvania County Department of Social Services at the time, according to court documents.
In those same documents, H. Victor Millner, attorney for Pittsylvania County Department of Social Services, was made aware of the complaint, and Laughinghouse was placed on administrative leave for about two weeks while the complaint was investigated.
Laughinghouse returned to her role as a case worker. Court documents state there was no record of another complaint made by the victim or anyone on his behalf until 2011.
In November 2010, Laughinghouse was contacted by the victim, and he told her he “wanted closure.” The victim called her again in January 2011 and left a message stating he wanted closure. He was contacted and told — among other things — not to call back, according to court documents.
The victim contacted Lt. Col. Ronnie Simpson with the Pittsylvania County Sheriff’s Office in February 2011. He told Simpson while Laughinghouse was his caseworker, the two engaged in sexual relations. Simpson contacted Virginia State Police and requested they investigate the matter, according to court documents.
The victim told Special Agent Garland Snead with the Virginia State Police he had a sexual relationship with Laughinghouse while he was in the custody of Social Services. He was able to provide Snead with incriminating evidence including notes and partially nude photographs of Laughinghouse, according to court documents.
The notes and letters Laughinghouse wrote to the victim detailed her “feelings of love” and enjoyment of “physical contact between the two,” the affidavit stated. The victim told Snead the sexual encounters occurred in both Danville and Pittsylvania County.
Prior to 2011, the victim never reported the encounters to police.
Glen Berger, Laughinghouse’s attorney, filed a motion to dismiss based on several issues. In his motion to dismiss, Berger wrote that the allegations were “investigated and dismissed as not being credible” during the 1990s.
The Social Services investigation file was unable to be located, and Todt died in 2010. The victim can’t remember the dates when the incidents happened, and he claimed to be 15 when some of the encounters occurred — although records show he wasn’t placed in custody until January 1989 when he was 16.
Millner, now 84, destroyed all of his records and doesn’t recall the details of the case and why it was deemed not credible. The victim’s psychologist in 1989 and 1990 told State Police he destroyed his records from that time period and his “recollections of the victim are limited,” according to court documents.
Harold Plaster, Pittsylvania County Sheriff in 1994 when the victim first made the accusations, is now in a nursing home and unable to remember any important information regarding the case, according to court documents.
Laughinghouse is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 29 in Pittsylvania County Circuit Court.”
Former social worker pleads guilty in decades-old sex crimes case[Go Dan River 12/12/13 By Allison M. Roberts]
Update 2:“Mary M. Laughinghouse will serve no time after pleading guilty in Pittsylvania County Circuit Court in December to four counts of taking indecent liberties with a minor.
Laughinghouse, 55, was indicted in February 2013 and accused of having an inappropriate sexual relationship with a minor in her custody between 1989 and 1990. Laughinghouse was a social worker with the Pittsylvania County Department of Social Services at the time and was assigned as the minor’s caseworker.
On Wednesday, Judge William Alexander II sentenced the former social worker to eight years — two years for each count — and suspended all eight years.
Alexander told Laughinghouse these incidents shouldn’t have happened, and there was no doubt in his mind she realizes that. Alexander said incarcerating Laughinghouse wouldn’t help the victim and he didn’t think incarceration was the answer.
The victim — now 42 — testified at the sentencing and told Alexander the sexual relationship he had with Laughinghouse hasn’t impacted everything in his life but it has played a part in it.
“I forgave Mrs. Laughinghouse,” the victim said. “It is what it is.”
The victim — who was 16 and 17 at the time he said the incidents occurred — first reported the incidents in May 1994 while seeking treatment at Danville Regional Medical Center for issues with depression, according to court documents.
He told a representative from the Danville-Pittsylvania Mental Division/Emergency Outreach Services he and Laughinghouse had an affair after he was placed in foster treatment with his grandparents in December 1987 and was under the supervision of Social Services beginning in January 1989, according to court documents.
The victim said “sexual relations took place several times between he and his social worker, Mary Laughinghouse” before he turned 18 in July 1990, according to court documents.
Glenn Berger, Laughinghouse’s attorney, said his client has lived an exemplary life outside of the facts of the case. Berger said his client was a good wife, good mother and good employee.
Berger said his client has lived the last 25 years in fear that she would have to publicly deal with her “transgressions” and feels immense embarrassment about having the details of her actions out in the open.
Danville Commonwealth’s Attorney Michael Newman said this case was a delicate balancing act. On one hand there was the sexual relationship Laughinghouse had with the victim, which is illegal. But on the other hand, Newman said if she had been arrested and prosecuted 25 years ago when it happened, there would have been several children who didn’t receive her help as a social worker.
Alexander said Laughinghouse continued her life after the relationship ended and had an exemplary record with the Department of Social Services. He cited her excellent character references and no prior convictions — calling this incident “the worst thing” that has probably happened in her life.
Prior to sentencing, Laughinghouse spoke through sobs — almost unintelligible at times. She said she was sorry for her actions and ashamed by the people who have been hurt by them.”
No prison time in county social worker sex case[Go DanRiver 1/29/14 by Allison M. Roberts]
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