'Hopeful' signs, but state investigation still needed

"We [Bellmore-Merrick Parents for Change] are hopeful that the sentences imposed by [Wayne County President Judge Robert] Conway on Wednesday, Jan. 14 bring some degree of comfort and relief to the victims' families. They have fought so bravely and with great dignity to ensure that those individuals responsible for committing these acts of violence against our children are brought to justice.
      "We are also hopeful that the sentences, which were based on the nature of the attacks, will be enough to convince New York State Education Commissioner Richard Mills to honor the requests made by members of our organization to launch an independent, comprehensive investigation into the actions of the Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District relative to the New York State Safe Schools Law.
      "The individuals charged and sentenced for committing these violent crimes against our students have accepted responsibility for their actions by pleading guilty to a series of severe criminal charges. The decision by Judge Conway clearly holds them accountable and responsible for their actions.
      "It is now time for the state education commissioner to ensure that the regulations signed into law by Gov. George Pataki, as contained in our Safe Schools Law, are upheld as well.
      "Bellmore-Merrick Parents for Change contends that regulations in the Safe Schools Law pertaining to the reporting of criminally violent acts to law-enforcement authorities were ignored or violated by the Mepham High School principal, the coaches and the district superintendent.
      "Our call for a state investigation, which hundreds of Bellmore-Merrick residents support, surpasses the issue of moral character. The investigation we seek concerns the good judgment, legal obligations and acceptance of accountability on the part of those responsible for the health, education and safety of our children."

set in a shaded box:
Will a 4th be charged?

      For more than a month, reports have circulated that a fourth assailant will be charged in the Mepham High School sex-abuse case.
      Last week, Bill Satkowski, a Pennsylvania state trooper, told the Herald that Pennsylvania authorities are eyeing a possible fourth perpetrator. But he said, "I cannot confirm nor deny that there will be more changes. The investigation is still ongoing. When the investigation is completed, we will review what we can release at that point."
      The New York Times also began reporting last week that a Pennsylvania grand jury is looking into whether the five Mepham football coaches should face charges. Pennsylvania authorities with whom the Herald has spoken could not even comment on whether a grand jury was convened over the Mepham case. Its deliberations are supposed to be closed to the public.

Photo credit: Michael Otterman/Herald

Photo caption #90266B: At the Wayne County (Pa.) courthouse last Wednesday, the three confessed assailants in the Mepham High School football sex-abuse case were sentenced. The oldest perpetrator was sent to a wilderness boot camp. One remains in a Pennsylvania rehabilitation center. The youngest assailant was put on probation.

pt hed: Mix of anger and relief
drophead: Mepham football sex-abuse sentences evoke strong emotions
By Scott Brinton and Hector Flores

      For some who are closest to the case, the sentences meted out to the three Mepham High School football players who admitted to sexually abusing three younger teammates at Pennsylvania camp last summer brought only more pain. For others, they offered a sense of relief.
      In Honesdale, Pa., last Wednesday, Wayne County President Judge Robert Conway reportedly ruled that the oldest of the attackers, Phil Sofia, who was a senior and a team co-captain, would be sent to a wilderness boot camp. Ken Carney, a junior, would remain in a residential treatment center in Pennsylvania, where he would receive rehabilitation counseling. And the youngest, Thomas Diasparra, who was 15 at the time of the attacks, was given probation and was sent home to his family in Bellmore-Merrick.
      All three assailants will pay court and medical costs to the victims and write a letter of apology to each of them, as well as a 1,500-word essay describing the effect of the attacks on the victims, their families and the community. None will be allowed to return to Mepham High School without Conway's consent. And each must perform 100 hours of community service.
      Terry, the mother of a ninth-grade football player who attended the camp but was unharmed, said the judge's ruling was "horrendous."
      "There is no justice at all," she said. "This is not teaching anyone anything. [The perpetrators] are laughing right now.
      "They will be re-evaluated every four months -- so what!" Terry continued. "The judge did say that they can't go back to Mepham, but I just feel that this punishment does not meet the crime they committed. If they had done that in New York, they would have had the book thrown at them. But they have been treated as juveniles, while their crime was that of an adult."
      She also noted that many Mepham students -- including one victim who is a friend of her son -- are angered by the sentences.
      Jim Rullo, of North Merrick, a member of Bellmore-Merrick Parents for Change, has been outspoken about the attacks since October. Rullo, who has received a series of letters and phone calls threatening him and his family, is a friend of one victim's family. He said the three perpetrators caused a "life sentence" of psychic pain for the victims. Meanwhile, he said, "The attackers have been given a gift, and they should embrace that gift. They should take that opportunity and turn their lives around and become productive members of society."
      The father of one Mepham varsity football player who was to be the team's quarterback and did not know about the attacks while at the camp, said his concern now lies more with the victims than with the perpetrators. As reported by the Herald in December, the father attends church daily to pray for the three ninth-graders.
      "I'm more concerned about the care of the victims," he said. "I don't know what they're doing specifically. I hope they're receiving treatment. I don't know if they'll ever get over this."
      Regarding the sentences, he said, "Do [the perpetrators] belong in [the boot camp and treatment center]? At this point, they do. I think they need rehabilitation."
      Ken Kornobis, of North Merrick, co-founded Concerned Citizens for Excellence in Education for the purpose of reinstating the five Mepham football coaches who lost their coaching jobs after the attacks. He said, "I'm glad [the assailants] got what they got. The judge knows the facts better than I do. I'm all for giving them the punishment that they deserve. Not knowing all the facts, I rely on the judge."
      Many said they found some comfort in the knowledge that the three perpetrators will not return to Mepham without a judge's order, allowing the victims to walk the school's halls without fear.