Dr. Arrested

Jettie reminded me earlier today that it was 40 years ago today at sundown on Halloween that a founding member of the church that I pastored in Wyoming was arrested being accused of abusing women in medical exams.  He was a medical doctor.

Eventually a female police detective came from Casper and told a large group of women what had happened to them and from that about 100 made accusations.  I think 13 charges were eventually filed and he was convicted on 9 counts – one being for 20 years.  He was in prison for 17 years.

He has been out now quite a few years and doing well in his late 90s. 

Those were very difficult and wild days.  You should ask Jettie how it affected her as a young girl fully aware of what was going on.

About two years after he was taken to prison, the sheriff called me in and took me to an interrogation room where I was informed that if anything happened to any of the women, the same fate would happen to me as happened to the doctor.  I asked the sheriff if I too would be jailed with no witnesses and no evidence.  

Such is what happened to the Dr. – there were NO witnesses and NO evidence.  Not one shed of evidence for any of the “crimes” purported and no collaborating witnesses.  The jury was confused by a “mob”, that is, because there were 13 accusers and he was tried on all 13 charges at the same time, he was deemed guilty and convicted.  It was the case that enough voices confused the truth.  

It was only by God’s protection that I didn’t end up in jail for if just one of the women would have accused me of anything I might have been arrested and jailed – maybe even sent to prison.

It all seems far-fetched accept that there were religious and monetary issues laying behind the obvious.

Concerning those women, they went back to him often even after the supposed abuse.  They even took their daughters and granddaughters.  When asked why they kept him as their doctor they reported that it was because he was a good doctor.  They were asked if there was another doctor in town which there was – one of their own religion – yet they continued with the one they later accused.  

It was a crazy, hard and even evil event with three books written of it, 60 Minutes coming to town to do a segment, and it being a topic of conversation on many talk shows – some national.

It seemed then, and yet today, appropriate that he was arrested at sundown on Halloween for it certainly was the beginning of a dark and devious case.