June 22, 2004, 06:00 AM
Matthews guilty plea, a lesson for all of us
Yesterday, Jon Matthews pleaded guilty to indecent exposure with a child. He also admitted to improperly touching the victim. He agreed to a plea arrangement that would require him to pay a fine, register as a sex offender, move from his home and be subject to a seven year adjudicated sentence. Even though the district attorney, Matthews and the family of the 11 year old have agreed to the terms of the plea arrangement, the judge in the case can reject the terms. If he does, Matthews can withdrawal his plea and take his chance with a jury, where he could face up to10 years in prison if convicted. The judge will rule on August 2nd of this year.
Since this case first became public last October, people have asked me what my thoughts were about the guilt or innocence of Jon. At the time, some people immediately said the Jon they knew could not possibly be guilty. Others said just the opposite. I did not take a position. A few listeners criticized me at the time for taking Jon off of the air and for not defending him. My position was simple. I suggested that no one should make any conclusions about the case until the facts were known. Secondly, there was no way that I could allow Jon to stay on the air. Once he was officially charge, he knew he needed to resign.
Since there is still a possibility, although remote, that this case could still go to a jury, I will limit my comments. I could possibly be called to testify. However, I feel I can make the following observations. First, this is a tragedy for the 11 year old, her family, Jon and his family. Jon has pleaded to a serious offense. We must protect our children and hold accountable anyone who harms them. He has lost his job and his reputation. He will wear the modern day version, being a registered sex offender, of the Scarlet letter for the rest of his life. He clearly deserves his punishment.
My main concern is for the 11 year old, her family and Jon’s family. They will need time to heal from this ordeal. The lesson we have learned from this is that although we are warned constantly about sex offenders, we must be very protective of our children in the company of adults. Whether such crimes are a sickness or a willingness to simply break the law, is a topic I will leave to the experts. However, it is clear that there are adults in our society who cannot be trusted to be alone with children. They may be family members, coaches, friends or neighbors. We must not allow our children to be in a situation where they are alone with an adult. Let me be clear, I am not putting blame on the family. They felt they had known Jon for years and trusted him. However, this is another example of a family’s trust being violated. We’ve seen it many times in society recently. We’ve had sex scandals in our churches, youth organizations and in our neighborhoods. Jon’s case is another example of shock, surprise and disappointment for many. It is another sad comment on our times of the innocence of being a child is lost and other lives being destroyed.
My daughter played competitive sports for years. She traveled the country. My wife or I was always with her, but I never considered that sex offenders would be stalking her or her teammates. Many years ago, a police officer told me one day that sex offenders often attend children sporting events, swimming, basketball, volleyball or little league games. They sit in the stands and watch our children. It just never occurred to me that this problem was so rampant in our society.
As an adult you must also be careful, especially if you are a male. You should never be alone with a child who is not yours. Recently, there was a high profile case of a woman who was separated from her husband and convinced her two little girls to lie about their Dad being inappropriate with them. The children eventually told the truth and sadly a judge, under the law, had to take the children away from the mother and place them in a foster home.
The final tragedy would be if all of us do not learn from this sad case. I will pray for healing for all who have been hurt, especailly the 11 year old. I will also pray for Jon.
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