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Author Topic: The Citadel Child Sex Abuse Tragedy - Louis "Skip" ReVille Chgd with 22 counts  (Read 26204 times)
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MuffyBee
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« on: November 17, 2011, 09:09:29 AM »

http://www.postandcourier.com/news/2011/nov/17/citadel-placed-its-reputation-above-stopping-sexua/
Citadel placed its reputation above stopping sexual abuse
November 17, 2011

Citadel President Gen. John Rosa apologized Monday for not reporting that a counselor had engaged in inappropriate sexual contact with a teenage boy at a summer camp that was run by the college. The apology comes late and rings hollow.

The counselor, Louis “Skip” ReVille, is accused of sexually abusing several teenage and pre-teenage boys in the Charleston area in the years after he worked at the Citadel camp. In 2007, one former camper told the school that ReVille had engaged in inappropriate sexual conduct with him when he was 14 years old.
 ::snipping2::
ReVille, a graduate of The Citadel, has admitted to sexually abusing three boys while working as a coach, vice principal and Bible school teacher. Arrested on Oct. 28, he is charged with five cases of sexual abuse and police expect other charges will be filed.

The extensive details of ReVille’s crimes would not have come to light if it had not been for The Post and Courier. The Post and Courier assigned several reporters who investigated the many different sides of the story, producing well-researched, well-supported, and well-written stories that remind us of the invaluable role that newspapers play in our lives.

The ReVille story reminds us why newspapers are still necessary in a digital world where snake oil is sold as journalism on partisan blogs, talk radio, and cable news programs, and where news reporting has been gutted for higher profits by corporations that run television networks and local television stations.

The ReVille story also presents a disturbing parallel to the one involving former Penn State University defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky, who is accused of sexually molesting eight boys. Football coach Joe Paterno and university president Graham Spanier were fired because they did not do enough after a witness said he had seen Sandusky having sex with a 10-year-old in a shower at the team’s practice complex.

The Post and Courier and police investigations linked ReVille to the Citadel camp in the days after his arrest. When the newspaper tried to question Citadel officials, the school refused to cooperate. The Citadel ignored the newspaper’s Freedom of Information request until it realized that as a state school it had no choice but to comply.

The newspaper reported that hundreds of documents revealed that The Citadel purposely decided that it was more important to protect its reputation than it was the welfare of a teenage boy.

If The Citadel had reported the incident in 2007, the lawyer of the boy who made the complaint said, “What we’re seeing now as a community may never have happened.”
ore...
Edit to add Louis "Skip Re Ville Accused" to Subject Line & Edit to change number of charges.  MB
« Last Edit: March 22, 2012, 03:43:07 PM by MuffyBee » Logged

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« Reply #1 on: November 17, 2011, 09:15:38 AM »

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/citadel-profoundly-investigating-sex-abuse-charges-alumnus-arrest-article-1.977859?localLinksEnabled=false
The Citadel ‘profoundly sorry’ for not investigating sex abuse charges after alumnus arrest
South Carolina teacher and Citadel grad busted in child molestation scandal was investigated by school in 2007

November 15, 2011

 ::snipping2::
Louis "Skip" ReVille, 32, a decorated alum of the famed military college and principal at a Christian prep school in Mount Pleasant, S.C, was arrested on Oct. 28 and admitted to molesting or performing oral sex on some of the nearly dozen teen boys who have come forward, according to local reports.

ReVille allegedly had a history of preying on boys dating back to his years at The Citadel, but the military college dropped the ball on investigating allegations that surfaced four years ago, the school said.

While working as a counselor at the college's summer camp in 2002, the ex-cadet allegedly lured two campers into his room with pizza and Chinese food and showed them porn on his computer, the school said.

While there was no touching involved, the ex-camper who complained to the school in 2007 said the trio "engaged in sexual activity," the statement said.

ReVille denied the accusations and the school eventually dropped an investigation into the matter after talking to the accuser's family but finding no proof.

The incident was not reported to the police.

ReVille graduated from The Citadel and went on to work and coach at nearly a dozen schools, churches and youth programs around the Charleston area before becoming principal of Coastal Christian Preparatory school last year.

His arrest devastated the local community and left shaken Citadel officials saying they were "profoundly sorry" for missing an opportunity to report a potential predator to police.

"At the time we took what we thought were the necessary steps. It's now clear we should have done more," Citadel President retired Lt. Gen. John W. Rosa said at a press conference Monday.
 ::snipping2::
Rosa said the school didn't go to the police because the complaint "was not criminal in nature" and the accuser's family wanted to settle the matter privately and not get the cops involved.

But a lawyer for the accusers' family, Mullins McLeod, said The Citadel is accountable.

"Had The Citadel reported facts , what we're seeing now might not have happened," McLeod said, adding that the family, who now lives in Texas, was considering suing the school.

Rosa said the school has turned over all the documents relating to their 2007 investigation to Charleston police.

ReVille faces 14 sex abuse charges and was being held in a county jail on $1 million bond.

************************************************
BBM

You'll notice ReVille faces 14 sex abuse charges, compared to the 40 Jerry Sandusky has. Notice ReVille is being held in a county jail on a $1 million bond, while Jerry Sandusky is walking around  free with a $100,000  unsecured bondbond that only has to be paid if he fails to show up to court and his attorney has said Mr. and Mrs. Sandusky should go away on a vacation so Jerry can "clear his head".  
Modify to add links:
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/11/16/us-usa-crime-coach-campus-idUSTRE7AF1WZ20111116
http://deadspin.com/5859075/
« Last Edit: November 17, 2011, 09:20:56 AM by MuffyBee » Logged

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« Reply #2 on: November 17, 2011, 10:56:53 AM »

http://verdict.justia.com/2011/11/17/the-universal-need-for-the-mandatory-reporting-of-child-sexual-abuse
The Universal Need for the Mandatory Reporting of Child Sexual Abuse
November 17, 2011

Just in case you believed that Penn State was the only university with the problem of child sex abuse on campus, The Citadel’s president just publicly apologized for failing to report information about alleged abuse that had occurred during a summer camp held at the military college.

And that is not the only brush with the issue for The Citadel, which apparently settled claims against another Citadel camp counselor to the tune of $3.8 million in 2006.

Does anyone truly think Penn State and the Citadel are the only two universities in the country with secrets to hide on child sex abuse?  Me neither.
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« Reply #3 on: November 17, 2011, 11:06:56 AM »

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-57326733-504083/man-accused-of-sexually-abusing-boys-at-the-citadel-worked-with-kids-for-10-years/
Man accused of sexually abusing boys at the Citadel worked with kids for 10 years
November 17, 2011


Louis Neal ReVille  (Credit: WCSC)

(CBS/WCSC) CHARLESTON, SC - The man accused of sexually abusing boys while a camp counselor at The Citadel has reportedly been working with children for a decade.

According to CBS affiliate WCSC, since 2002, Louis ReVille, 32, has been an English teacher, a principal, a tennis coach, and even a licensed foster parent.

ReVille was arrested on October 28 and police say he has confessed to sexually assaulting five teenage boys that he coached in Mt. Pleasant, S.C.

He is charged with three counts of criminal sexual conduct with a minor and three counts of lewd acts on a minor. The investigation is ongoing.

In 2007, the Citadel received a complaint from a former camper who said that in 2002 ReVille invited him and another boy into his room to watch pornography. According to the statement by the Citadel, they did not touch each other, but engaged in sexual activity.
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« Reply #4 on: November 17, 2011, 12:56:10 PM »

 
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« Reply #5 on: November 18, 2011, 03:56:22 PM »

http://www.carolinalive.com/news/story.aspx?id=688250
Haley wants answers in coach abuse case
November 18, 2011

(AP) -- Gov. Nikki Haley says she wants to know why The Citadel didn't give police information about a complaint against a former Citadel camp counselor now charged with five counts of molesting young boys.

Haley says anytime anyone has information about such a situation it needs to be turned over to police.

Citadel President John Rosa has said the college lost public

trust by not aggressively pursuing a 2007 report about a complaint against 32-year-old Louis ReVille involving an incident five years earlier at the camp.

Rosa said the college is investigating and has hired a New York

company to review Citadel procedures and make a report.
 ::snipping2::
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« Reply #6 on: November 18, 2011, 11:22:10 PM »

http://www.abcnews4.com/story/16072668/reville-was-president-of-bulldog-bullpup-program
ReVille was president of Bulldog-Bullpup program
November 18, 2011


 ::snipping2::
Louis "Skip" ReVille was a role model – or at least those at The Citadel believed so. Around about the same time he was allegedly bringing summer campers to his room for Chinese food and pizza in exchange for having them watch pornography and touch themselves, he was the president of the Bulldog-Bullpup program.

It was a role that warranted interaction with anywhere between six and 10 at-risk youth for each year he was involved.

In the Bulldog-Bullpup program, cadet volunteers are matched with young people from the community who are in need of role models.

Along with one-on-one opportunities for the cadets to work with "Bullpups" on self-esteem and social skills, the program hosts three holiday parties a year. Children chosen for the program are selected based on meetings between Citadel representatives and local school counselors.

Charlene Gunnells, media relations coordinator at The Citadel, said there have been no complaints against ReVille while he was at the helm of the program.

"None that we are aware of," she said.

Currently there are 11 charges against ReVille, many of which local law enforcement officials say he has confessed. Still, investigators say more charges are expected. The Citadel is at the heart of child sex abuse scandal talk. Citadel President Lt. Gen. John Rosa admitted this week the college failed in its handling of a 2007 report of sexual abuse against ReVille.

Now, state leaders and lawmakers across the country are demanding answers and pushing for tougher laws on reporting abuse.

On Thursday, the top Democrat on the House education committee, Rep. George Miller from California, called for a hearing on the sex abuse scandals at The Citadel and Penn State.

It's an action that has been supported by many lawmakers, regardless of party lines.
 ::snipping2::
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« Reply #7 on: November 18, 2011, 11:24:49 PM »

http://www.abcnews4.com/story/16057349/attorney-representing-victims-of-skip-reville-release-statement
Attorneys of ReVille victims tell Pinewood Prep to preserve documents
November 16, 2011

MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. (WCIV) -- Attorneys representing the families of five victims of Louis "Skip" ReVille have asked Pinewood Prep to preserve any and all records relating to ReVille and his employment at the school.

"It's pretty routine when you have a suspicion that could be pertinent to a claim," said attorney, Gregg Meyers

Meyers represents the five families of the alleged victims sexually abused by ReVille.

"I'm not saying any of them are students at Pinewood," Meyers said. "Their contact with Skip ReVille was after 2007 when The Citadel's inaction might have prevented some of these boys from being molested."

In the early 2000s, ReVille served as a Citadel camp counselor.  Earlier this week, The Citadel admitted mishandling a 2007 case involving ReVille and claims of abuse from a past camper.

"We're sorry that we didn't pursue it more," said Lt. Gen. John Rosa, The Citadel's president.
 ::snipping2::
After The Citadel, ReVille taught English between 2002 and 2006 at Pinewood Prep until school leaders decided to not renew his contract. They say it was for instructional reasons.

A letter was sent by the law offices of Pierce, Herns, Sloan & Wilson and Gregg Meyers, of counsel to Jeff Anderson & Associates PA to Pinewood Prep's Head of School, Dr. Carolyn Baechtle.

"It is critical to these families that all records in your possession that in any manner reference Mr. ReVille are preserved. You are hereby on notice that the following documents should under no circumstances be destroyed for any reason without a Court Order allowing their destruction. If you do not agree to comply with this request please let me know immediately so that legal action may be taken to preserve the documents and data," it stated.

The documents asked for preservation include the background check on ReVille, emails sent to ReVille, job reviews about ReVille, all complaints made about ReVille, his personnel file, and any documents relating to ReVille.

While there are no lawsuits against any of the places Reville once worked, Meyers says he plans to approach them in the near future.

"We may write to them and say 'do you want to have a conversation about this or do you want to have charges that we fight about?' " he said.
Video at Link
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« Reply #8 on: November 19, 2011, 10:43:40 AM »

http://www.heraldonline.com/2011/11/19/3540421/sled-joins-citadel-child-sex-abuse.html
SLED joins Citadel child sex abuse probe
By Glenn Smith - gsmith@postandcourier.com
November 19, 2011

CHARLESTON --

South Carolina's top police agency has joined the investigation of Louis "Skip" ReVille as The Citadel continues to draw heat for mishandling allegations and allowing the admitted molester to roam free.

Also Friday, a former foster child who lived with ReVille said another state agency seems to have dropped the ball in investigating his time as a foster parent to four kids. The teen said he has been waiting for weeks to speak with state social workers about a porn and masturbation session that mirrored what reportedly occurred at The Citadel.

The State Law Enforcement Division confirmed it has joined the investigation into The Citadel scandal at the request of Charleston police.

They will look into a teen's 2007 allegations that ReVille lured young campers into his room to watch porn and masturbate while serving as the camp's senior counselor.

The Post and Courier asked police whether they will investigate The Citadel's failure to report that complaint to authorities. Police responded, "The investigation will incorporate all relevant issues based on evidence discovered during the ongoing probe."

Under state law, numerous professions, including teachers, principals, clergy and police, are required to report instances of suspected child abuse. College administrators are not specifically mentioned in the law, but attorneys for some of ReVille's alleged victims argue they are there by extension.
 ::snipping2::
The U.S. Department of Education also is said to be looking into The Citadel case.


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« Reply #9 on: November 19, 2011, 10:45:34 AM »

http://www2.counton2.com/news/2011/nov/18/2/bell-legal-group-files-new-charges-against-citadel-ar-2724397/
New charges filed against the Citadel and camp counselor Michael Arpaio
November 18, 2011

GEORGETOWN, S.C. November 18, 2011- The Bell Legal Group filed a new civil suit in the South Carolina Court of Common Pleas, Charleston County, against convicted sex-offender Michael J. Arpaio, Jr. and The Citadel, a Charleston-based military college.

The new case, involving a former camper at the Citadel Summer Camp, will seek damages for sexual acts against a minor.  The action is filed by Bell Legal Group attorneys including founding partner J. Edward Bell, III and David W. Harwell, Retired Chief Justice of the South Carolina Supreme Court.

The Bell Legal group sued Arpaio and The Citadel in 2005 on behalf of their clients, five campers who participated in The Citadel Summer Camp program. The victims were awarded a $3.8 million settlement in the civil action.  The law firm has recently been contacted about handling multiple new claims against Arpaio, and has filed suit on behalf of one victim this week.

Arpaio, a former U. S. Marine and counselor at The Citadel Summer Camp between 1995 and 2001, pled guilty to various charges in 2003 following a United States court-martial.   Arpaio served 15 months of his 10-year sentence in a South Carolina military prison.

The firm’s case involves a young man who attended the Citadel Summer Camp in 2001.  The former camper had previously been identified as a possible witness through the course of discovery in the 2005 civil actions, but did not choose to come forward until October 2011.  The victim contacted Bell Legal Group and sought representation prior to this week’s allegations of sexual misconduct against Louis Neal ReVille.
 ::snipping2::
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« Reply #10 on: November 20, 2011, 03:43:39 PM »

http://www2.counton2.com/news/2011/nov/19/citadel-asks-attorney-general-investigate-school-r-ar-2727312/
Citadel asks Attorney General to investigate school response to ReVille child sex accusations
November 19, 2011

As the investigation continues into the accusations of sexual misconduct between Louis "Skip" ReVille and several juvenile boys in the Lowcountry, The Citadel has asked South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson to conduct an independent investigation.

The Citadel's Board of Visitors' chairman, Douglas Snyder, sent a letter to Wilson's office Friday.
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« Reply #11 on: November 23, 2011, 01:44:57 PM »

http://www.live5news.com/story/16096204/citadel-president-under-scrutiny-during-investigation
Citadel president under scrutiny during ReVille investigation
November 21, 2011

CHARLESTON, SC (WCSC) -

The Citadel is now under scrutiny for the way it handled a sex abuse allegation against Louis "Skip" ReVille who worked at the school as a camp counselor from 2000 to 2004. The man leading the school, President Lieutenant General John Rosa, is feeling the heat.
 ::snipping2::
Over the last few weeks, he said he's heard people call for the school's Lieutenant General to step down from his post but Carter's not falling in line.
 
"At the Citadel our standard is higher," says Carter. "People look it at us and say they have a really high standard and maybe we can pick a flaw in it. We tend to try and destroy our heroes perhaps."
 
Rosa held a press conference a week ago today confronting allegations that the Citadel didn't do enough while investigating a 2007 complaint of child sex abuse against former camp counselor Louis "Skip" ReVille.
 
Rosa said the school was sorry that they didn't pursue it more and the military college acted on the best information they had available to them.
 
But Rosa's remarks and statement the school didn't handle the investigation properly sent shockwave's through the ranks.
 
A handful of alumni told Live 5 News they aren't happy with Rosa's judgement and want him out but didn't want to have their names and statements made public.
 
But other alumni support the Lieutenant General, like Carter.
 ::snipping2::
The Citadel Board of Visitors called on South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson Friday, asking him to conduct an investigation that will report its findings directly to the board and the public about the way the Citadel handled the 2007 complaint against ReVille.
Video at link.
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« Reply #12 on: November 23, 2011, 01:46:48 PM »

http://www2.counton2.com/news/2011/nov/22/citadel-leaders-meeting-not-about-rosas-future-ar-2742662/
Citadel leaders: Meeting not about Rosa's future
November 22, 2011

 ::snipping2::
Now, more than ever, attention is focused on board members, eleven of them are graduates of the school.  Tuesday the BOV met, openly, for just minutes, then quickly voted on going into executive session behind closed doors.

The issues being discussed we are told, are the recent, filing of the lawsuit, against the school over the Arpaio case and contractual matters, with Guidepost Solutions. A firm, first, hired by the school to help with the Reville investigation.

We asked the Chairman of the BOV, Col. Douglas Snyder a few questions, as he was entering the meeting Tuesday afternoon.

They included whats next in the in investigation-- as well as what's ahead for school president, Lt. General John Rosa. Who some believe, may have not done enough, after the school learned of the allegations of sexual abuse.
Video at link.
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« Reply #13 on: November 23, 2011, 01:51:13 PM »

http://www.charlestoncitypaper.com/charleston/the-citadels-failure-to-act-has-tarnished-its-reputation/Content?oid=3648975
The Citadel's failure to act has tarnished its reputation
The Citadel's Shame

By Paul Bowers
November 23, 2011

 ::snipping2::
Carroll says many graduates are hesitant to speak out against the Citadel — "You don't want to criticize the mother institution," he says. To him, that's a big part of the problem with the way the Skip ReVille case was handled. When a former camper from the school's now-defunct summer camp came to the administration in 2007 and made an accusation against ReVille, a 2002 Citadel graduate, the only people who investigated that accusation were fellow Citadel graduates and employees.

After ReVille was arrested in Mt. Pleasant on Oct. 28 on a charge that he had fondled a child, at least eight more people told police that they, too, had been molested by ReVille as children. It's the same opened-floodgate effect that played a role in the investigation of Charleston teacher Edward Mein Fischer in the late 1990s. One former student of Fischer's came forward with allegations in 1997, saying that Fischer had sexually assaulted him in the 1980s while he was a student at James Island High School. After his arrest was announced, 12 other students came forward to the solicitor with accusations. In 1999, Fischer received a 20-year prison sentence for 13 counts of sexual abuse, although he later confessed to victimizing 39 boys in his 40-year career.

Gregg Meyers, a Charleston lawyer who represented the families of many of Fischer's victims, sees another important similarity between Fischer's story and ReVille's: A school had the chance to stop a molester before he could hurt other children, and it failed to do so. Before Fischer taught at James Island, he was a teacher and athletic advisor at the private Porter-Gaud School. When officials there caught wind of accusations being made against Fischer, they declined to report it to police. Fischer left the school, and Porter-Gaud provided recommendations that got him jobs at other schools.

"The Citadel wasn't out affirmatively trying to help ReVille get another job," Meyers says, "but they were doing nothing to limit his exposure. Any child that this guy molested after 2007 is going to the Citadel and saying, 'What were you doing sitting silent? ' "

After working as a counselor at a Citadel summer camp from 2001 to 2003, ReVille continued to surround himself with children. He taught English and coached basketball at Pinewood Preparatory School in Summerville from 2002 to 2006, hosted four foster children in his home from 2004 to 2006, coached at the Mt. Pleasant Recreation Department from 2007 to 2011, coached tennis at Bishop England High School from 2008 to 2010, and coached basketball at Moultrie Middle School from 2009 to 2011. At the time of his arrest, he was a vice principal at Coastal Christian Preparatory School. He also held boys' Bible studies with the youth of Eastbridge Presbyterian Church, where he and his wife are members.

Meyers says five families have contacted him for consultation so far, saying their children were victims of ReVille's. He says any claims made against the Citadel will have to be investigated on an individual basis.

"Now if you want to hand me a good lawsuit, by all means, keep quiet, don't say anything, don't investigate, and don't report," he says.

 Documents released by the Citadel surrounding the ReVille case indicate a pattern that Meyers calls "thinking it halfway through." The first half is to wonder whether the family of the victim will sue the school for the incident, and the Citadel appears to have put a lot of thought into that. The second half, which there is no indication that the school followed through on, was to find out where ReVille was currently working to let the employer know about the allegations.

One of the main players in the released documents is attorney Mark C. Brandenburg, general counsel for the Citadel. The genesis and authorship of some pages in the packet are sketchy, and a spokesman from the school has refused to explain certain ambiguities.
Some things are crystal clear, though. What is known is that in May 2007, Brandenburg sent a letter to a claims manager at the Insurance Reserve Fund, a branch of the State Budget and Control Board that provides insurance for the college, asking for financial support to travel to the family and interview them about their claims. His reasoning was that "the school believes it would be beneficial to both the IRF and the institution, and the most likely approach to lead to a quick and inexpensive resolution of this claim."

Brandenberg got approval for the reimbursement and traveled to interview the former camper and his parents in July 2007 (see story, p. 26). When he arrived, the camper told Brandenburg that he had been coerced into watching pornography and masturbating in ReVille's room in 2002. The young man pleaded, "I don't want him to do to another kid what he did to me."

The camper's father, a Citadel graduate, indicated that he did not want to sue the school, but he asked what the school could do about letting his son enroll as a student. His son's grades had gone down the tubes after the summer of 2002, and he had recently received a rejection letter from the school.

"I think this young man deserves for the Citadel to take another look at him," the father said. Later, he added, "And — and that's — you know — but it's up to him. He's an adult. But for me, I think the Citadel was — was part of the root cause. I think that it can be part of the root cause to fix him. And, you know, I think it's a very inexpensive way for the Citadel to say, do you know what? We'll fix our own. We'll — we'll — we'll keep this within — within a family, and off we go."

In a later e-mail to the IRF, Brandenburg wrote about the father, "He is a Citadel graduate ... and I suspect feeling much of the typical desire that graduates have to see their sons attend the Citadel." He wrote of the son that he "seems interested in attending, though not as interested as his father is in seeing him attend." He also said he detected "animosity" from the former camper's mother.

Ultimately, the school offered to help the former camper work his way through remedial classes at a community college so he could get into the school, and Brandenburg even got approval from the IRF for a $20,000 settlement to be paid to the family. But the documents indicate the family stopped contact with the school after freshman matriculation in 2007, and in August 2008, a representative from the IRF wrote a letter to Brandenburg indicating that the agency would close the ReVille file "due to a lack of pursuit" by the family.

Time appears to have run out for the family of that camper to sue the Citadel over the ReVille case. As Brandenburg indicated in an e-mail to the IRF, his interview with the family in July 2007 was "an unequivocal trigger of the statute of limitations." The family had three years to act. However, families of later victims could still sue the Citadel for failing to stop ReVille.

The school never turned the accusation over to police, and nowhere in the documents is there an indication that the school tried to contact ReVille's later employers to advise them of the claim that had been made.

To be fair, Brandenburg's job is to protect the Citadel's legal interests. The school was sued in 2003 when five campers from the same summer camp claimed they had been molested by Marine Corps Capt. Michael Arpaio, who later served 15 months of a 10-year prison sentence for sexual abuse. The school ended the suit in 2006 with a $3.8 million settlement, but another former camper came forward with a lawsuit against Arpaio and the Citadel last week.

So aside from Brandenburg, who else knew about the allegation against ReVille? According to a letter written by Brandenburg to the IRF, the boy's father initially tried to call the college's president, Lt. Gen. John W. Rosa, when he heard the claim from his son. Rosa's secretary answered the phone, and Brandenburg responded on behalf of the president. Meeting itineraries show that Brandenburg spoke with Rosa multiple times about the case, although Rosa has said that it was presented to him as a matter of settlement, not a criminal matter.

Rosa, for his part, is no newcomer when it comes to dealing with sex scandals. As a former Air Force major general, he was promoted to superintendent of the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo., in 2003 after four leaders of the school were removed in the wake of a systematic cover-up of the rapes of dozens of female cadets.

According to Rosa, Brandenburg tried to contact other campers to corroborate the claims he had heard. "After initial communications were not returned, it was understood they did not want to speak with us," Rosa said. He says the camp staff, when questioned, spoke highly of ReVille, who had been elected Honor Court chair and received a graduation award for public service during his time as a student. ReVille denied the camper's accusation.

The administration of the Citadel kept the accusations under wraps until after ReVille was arrested in October. This was in spite of Brandenburg's assertion, in an e-mail to the IRF, that the camper's story was "believable."

"Skip, as I have reported before, denies all of this," Brandenburg wrote. "However, Arpaio's initial denials were equally forceful, and unfortunately, ultimately proved totally false."

 Gregg Meyers has worked on many child sexual abuse cases involving schools and churches, and he knows the telltale errors that institutions commit when someone comes forward with an accusation.

He lists three steps that any organization should take:

1. Report the complaint to police. Even if the evidence is insufficient to prove the claim, turn it over to someone whose job it is to investigate such things.

2. Ask around to find out if any other children have been affected in your own institution.

3. Find out where the accused person works, and give the employer notice of the accusation.

The Citadel took none of these steps.
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« Reply #14 on: November 25, 2011, 01:09:38 PM »

http://www.fitsnews.com/2011/11/21/ravenel-citadel-president-must-resign/
Ravenel: Citadel President Must Resign
By Thomas Ravenel
November 21, 2011

Like many of my fellow Citadel graduates and Charlestonians, I am outraged at the events that have unfolded at the hands of former graduate Skip ReVille – who is facing fourteen counts of sexually abusing young boys.

I think it is time for a change at The Citadel and it should start at the top.

Winston Churchill once said that “the price of greatness is responsibility.” The Citadel has a responsibility to its students, staff and all those it serves. I am outraged at the gross misconduct and dereliction of duty that has occurred at the school because members of the Citadel’s leadership failed to act in a responsible manner.

This incident was reported to the office of the President of The Citadel and its general counsel. So while, General John Rosa was the first person who knew about these allegations, he was the last person to do anything about them, even at the request of the victim and his parents. Yes, President Rosa, you failed to do enough.

Now, it is time to take responsibility.
 ::snipping2::

AUTHOR’S NOTE: Thomas Ravenel, former S.C. Treasurer, is a 1985 graduate of The Citadel. This column originally appeared as a letter to the editor in The (Charleston, S.C.) Post and Courier.
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« Reply #15 on: November 26, 2011, 02:25:32 PM »

http://www.postandcourier.com/news/2011/nov/23/attorney-molester-reville-leads-investigators-his-/
Summerville police enter ReVille investigation
November 23, 2011

 ::snipping2::
Summerville police confirmed today they are trying to track down a number of victims identified by ReVille in his statements to investigators.

Capt. Jon Rogers didn’t have a firm count on the number of victims, but he said there are “several” who were reportedly molested by ReVille, who lived in Summerville at one point. The victims appear to have been underage boys, he said.

ReVille, 32, has been naming victims and providing details of his crimes since his arrest in Mount Pleasant on Oct. 28, authorities have said. The former coach, teacher and Bible study leader had access to hundreds of children throughout the region through his work over the past decade.

Rogers said Summerville police learned in the past week of potential victims in their town. They are still early in their investigation and he cautioned that it could take some time to track down those involved and determine if they want to pursue charges. At this point, no arrest warrants have been issued for ReVille in Summerville, he said.

ReVille wants to continue cooperating with investigators and has no plans to seek a trial to refute the numerous sexual abuse charges filed against him, his attorney said today.

ReVille appeared in bond court this morning on six new counts related to four boys between the ages of 12 and 15 in Mount Pleasant. He previously had been charged with molesting five other boys in that town.

Magistrate Judge Linda Lombard set his bail at $400,000 on the new charges, bringing his total bail to about $1.4 million.

Hanahan police have indicated that they plan to charge ReVille with molesting five boys in their community. Charleston police and the State Law Enforcement Division are also investigating whether any sexual abuse occurred at The Citadel, where ReVille supervised boys in a summer camp.

His attorney Craig Jones said ReVille is “extremely sorrowful” and feels ashamed of his actions. He remains strong and is determined to do whatever he can to lessen the impact on the victims.

Jones said ReVille is meeting with investigators a couple of times every week and that the majority of names that have surfaced in the case are coming from him.
 ::snipping2::
Jones had no time table for when the case might wrap up, but he does not anticipate any trial. He said ReVille does not want to put his victims through the ordeal of a trial or having to testify.
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« Reply #16 on: November 26, 2011, 02:27:12 PM »

http://www.postandcourier.com/news/2011/nov/24/reville-case-spills-into-summerville/
ReVille case spills into Summerville
November 24, 2011

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« Reply #17 on: November 28, 2011, 09:10:20 PM »

http://www.postandcourier.com/news/2011/nov/28/citadels-dark-secret/
Citadel's dark secret
School facing tough questions over summer camp

November 28, 2011

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« Reply #18 on: December 01, 2011, 03:48:48 PM »

http://www.live5news.com/story/16158839/reville
Emails released by The Citadel in ReVille case reveal more details
November 30, 2011

CHARLESTON, SC (WCSC) -

The Citadel released new documents Wednesday evening in its investigation into former camp counselor and accused child sex predator Louis "Skip" ReVille.

The documents include emails from 2007 between the military college's lawyer and several counselors, shortly after a former camper accused ReVille of sexual abuse.

The former camper accused Reville of forcing him and another teenager to watch pornography with him and touch themselves in 2002. In the documents released Wednesday, The Citadel's attorney, Mark Brandenburg, wrote that the camper seemed "believable" because his story had remained the same each time he was asked to described the alleged abuse.
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Link to email transcripts:  http://ftpcontent.worldnow.com/wcsc/news_content/pdf/morereville.pdf

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« Reply #19 on: December 01, 2011, 03:56:12 PM »

Shameful!!

http://www.postandcourier.com/news/2011/dec/01/citadel-emails-revealing/
Citadel emails revealing
Conversations show efforts to avoid costs, publicity

December 1, 2011

More emails released by The Citadel on Wednesday show the school hoped to dodge a criminal investigation and lawsuit by conducting its own private inquiry into allegations against molester Louis "Skip" ReVille in 2007.

Some 47 pages of newly discovered emails show The Citadel's in-house attorney, Mark Brandenburg, was keenly aware of the school's exposure to a camper's complaint about ReVille and spent months trying to help the college avoid publicity and financial damages.
n one email to a party whose name was blacked out, Brandenburg noted that the complaining camper had not approached law enforcement or filed a civil suit over sexual abuse allegations against ReVille.

"Moreover, I am hopeful that, by conducting an investigation on behalf of the school, no 'formal' investigation -- criminal or civil -- will occur," Brandenburg stated. "Of course, I cannot guarantee that, as I have no control over what the complainant does."

At the time, the military college was still reeling from another sex abuse scandal at its summer camp that resulted in nearly $4 million in settlements.

With the dust barely settled on that case, Brandenburg found himself fielding allegations from a teen who said ReVille had watched porn and masturbated with young boys while serving as the camp's senior counselor in 2002.

The emails detailing Brandenburg's work on the complaint provide further evidence that The Citadel was more concerned about protecting itself than stopping a possible predator who, by then, was working as a teacher and coach in the community. Now, that predator, ReVille, has confessed to molesting at least nine other boys since his Citadel years, and the college faces accusations that it might have saved those kids from abuse had it just told police what it knew about him in 2007.

The emails, coupled with previously released documents, reveal a purposeful effort to handle the matter out of the public eye. The Citadel has maintained this was done out of respect for the family's desire for privacy.


 ::snipping2::
Around this same time, Brandenburg was already calculating the statute of limitations on the camper's allegations and sizing up the school's potential financial exposure in emails to the state Insurance Reserve Fund. The fund footed the bill for his investigation and would likely pay out any settlement or judgment in the case, as it had in the previous sex-abuse scandal.
In a May 18, 2007, exchange, a fund representative suggested Brandenburg hold off on interviews until they could further research how the statute of limitations would apply in this case.

Brandenburg replied that he already was quite familiar with the law from his work on the recently settled cases stemming from former Marine Capt. Michael Arpaio's molestation of boys at The Citadel's camp. That is one reason why the school "settled for such large amounts in those cases," he said. It also gave him pause in sizing up the ReVille matter.

"I am NOT optimistic that we can escape this case, or others, based purely on the statute," Brandenburg wrote. "I have much more to say on the matter, but would prefer to do so on the phone, rather than in e-mail."

In July of that year, Brandenburg traveled to Texas to interview the former camper and his family. In a later e-mail to his Insurance Reserve Fund contact, he noted that teen's story remained consistent and he found the boy to be believable.

In November 2007, Brandenburg wrote the same contact about his discussions with the boy's family about helping him to get into a community college and, possibly, The Citadel. There was also discussion of a potential $20,000 settlement with the boy. Brandenburg, however, said he hadn't heard from the boy's family since August and hadn't pushed the issue.

"I plan to put this file back in my file cabinet, but do not plan to take any action on it further," he stated.

The matter, in fact, was then shelved without police being notified.

The fallout

ReVille, 32, went on to coach and teach around the Lowcountry for years. He is now accused of molesting nine boys in Mount Pleasant, and authorities have indicated more charges are on the way. Charleston police and the State Law Enforcement Division also are investigating ReVille's actions at The Citadel summer camp, where he worked from 2000 to 2004.

The emails released Wednesday are in addition to hundreds of pages of documents The Citadel handed over Nov. 14 in response to a Freedom of Information request. The new emails were only recently discovered on an external hard drive, according to Jeff Perez, the school's vice president of external affairs.

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