Melissa Rodriguez and other counselors at Roxanne’s House in San Marcos help child abuse victims file statements against their abusers. She says that child abuse cases in Hays County are up this year and offenders are receiving stiffer sentences. (Photo by Sean Kimmons)
by SEAN KIMMONS
After inappropriate images were found on Wesley Wayne Schaefer’s computer, it initially seemed that child pornography would be the only charge the 34-year-old San Marcos man would face in trial.
But investigators probed further and asked six children who once lived with Schaefer to be interviewed at Roxanne’s House, a children’s advocacy program that is part of the Hays-Caldwell Women’s Center.
As the trial drew closer, the children sought counseling and came forward with sexual abuse claims. With the added evidence, investigators added a first-degree felony charge of continuous sexual abuse of a child to Schaefer’s case.
“It was determined that there was a lot of inappropriate activity going on,” recalled Melissa Rodriguez, the director of Roxanne’s House.
In May, District Judge Gary Steel sentenced Schaefer to life without parole for the continuous sexual abuse charge, plus 100 years for numerous counts of child pornography. Although the latter counts likely sent Schaefer to jail for the rest of his life, the life sentence made sure of it.
Rodriguez, who has worked at Roxanne’s House for about a decade, says a collaborative effort between her organization, investigators and prosecutors has led to more child abuse case convictions and stiffer punishments this year.
From January 1 through September 12, there have been at least 19 child abuse convictions. Nine of those cases were jury trials that resulted in sentences totaling 280 years in prison plus two life stints, including Schaefer’s. The other 10 cases were plea agreements that assessed 159 years of prison time, according to the program’s figures.
“There really haven’t been many in the past,” says Rodriguez, who often testifies as an expert witness in these trials. “This is the first year we’ve had this many trials.”
STREAMLINED JUSTICE
Rodriguez credits investigators and prosecutors actively pursuing claims and using her program as a resource to fortify cases. Also, the Texas Legislature passed “Jessica’s Law” in 2007, mandating longer sentences for those found guilty of repeated sexual abuse of a child.
“It carries a heavier weight, 25 years to life, and it’s been utilized a lot,” Rodriguez said of the recent law.
If a child abuse claim arises, either physical or sexual in nature, the child is typically interviewed at Roxanne’s, which attempts to create a friendly environment where alleged victims can give statements.
In the program’s current fiscal year from October 1, 2010 to September 12, 2011, caseworkers handled 220 child forensic interviews. In the same time period from October 2009 to Sept. 12, 2010, there were 165 similar interviews, Rodriguez says.
Hays County Assistant District Attorney Cathy Compton says that it’s imperative to have a neutral agency conduct these testimonies.
“When these cases essentially boil down to the credibility of one child versus sometimes a whole family or a whole group of adults, that’s really important to us,” Compton said of the interviews. “It makes or breaks the cases.”
Besides interviews, the program offers a range of free services, such as counseling to alleged victims and their non-offending family members. Also, the program runs simulated court scenarios to prepare children before they take the stand.
“This helps the children understand that they have a voice in the courtroom – whether it’s an outcome that they want or not,” said Hays County Sheriff’s Office Det. Jeri Skrocki, who investigates these cases. “Their case being prosecuted reaffirms to them that someone listened, cared and tried.”
CLOSE TO HOME
The majority of cases in Hays County include children victimized by family members, Rodriguez says.
There is an ongoing case, she says, that involves a man who is accused of molesting several family members, but no one reported it until recently.
“It finally took a six-year-old girl to come forward,” she says. “It’s really frustrating to hear that. They didn’t have to be abused.”
If a person knows of a child being abused, he or she is required by state law to report it so further abuse can be prevented.
“The hardest thing a child can ever do is come forward and tell that awful secret,” she said. “And when they do, it’s incumbent on adults to do something about it.”
The mother of a 12-year-old girl touched inappropriately by the mother’s then-boyfriend, John Everett Fitch, remembers being referred to the program in 2009. After the forensic interview, she and her daughter received counseling and support during the court trial.
“Having them there with us at the trial was very comforting for her,” said the 43-year-old Buda woman, who wanted to be identified as Liz to protect her daughter’s privacy. “I can’t imagine people going through that without the added support.”
The girl’s testimony helped sentence Fitch to 20 years in prison on July 21, almost two years after Liz reported the abuse.
Before the ruling, the trial took a toll on Liz and her daughter, who acted out by chopping off her hair, cutting herself on the arm and tearing up her bedroom, Liz says.
“She was out of control,” Liz recalled. “She wouldn’t talk to me or open up. She would just yell, ‘there’s nothing wrong with me!’”
Today, she and her 15-year-old daughter have closed that chapter in their lives and are looking forward.
“We’re not broken,” Liz said. “We’re making the best out of our lives, instead of looking in the past. We’re going to move on and help other people that this has happened to.”
Her advice to those in similar situations is to seek counseling and be patient as the justice system works itself out.
“It will get you down, but you got to stay positive, especially for the kids,” she says. “Even parents need therapy. It doesn’t mean you’re weak, it just means you’re human.”
TIME TO HEAL
Marla Johnson, the executive director of the Hays-Caldwell Women’s Center, routinely comes across adults at her shelter who have suffered abuse as children.
“They’re still struggling with it,” she says. “It’s not something you can ignore. If a child has been sexually abused, there needs to be an intervention.”
From her experience, Johnson says there tends to be a limited number of sex offenders that prey on more than one child.
“If you can stop a perpetrator of child sexual abuse then you can have the potential of saving a lot of victims,” she said.
Once reported, the best thing to do is to tackle child abuse-related issues at the onset, counselors say.
Child abuse victims are more prone to social ills, including eating disorders, depression, anxiety, fighting, self-inflicted wounds and drug addiction, Rodriquez notes.
“Those addicted to substances are trying to kill something inside them,” she says. “That’s what we want to get out, then build from there and heal from so they won’t be at an increased risk later.”
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