Inside information into the years-long child abuse saga involving Louisville Metropolitan Police Department (LMPD) officers is now being revealed. The city commissioned former U.S. Attorney Kerry Harvey to investigate the LMPD Explorers program for children to determine if sexual misconduct, abuse, and even rape were widespread with police officers involved in the program.
Hardly an isolated incident, in total, a series of seven lawsuits names more than eight current or former LMPD officers.
In a disturbing description to FOX News this week, one of the victims went into graphic detail on how he was abused and raped by people he looked up to.
“C.F.,” WHO USES A PSEUDONYM TO PROTECT HIS IDENTITY IN A CIVIL LAWSUIT, SAID THAT WHAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN A GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN ABOUT LAW ENFORCEMENT BECAME A NIGHTMARE OF EXPLOITATION AND SEXUAL ABUSE.
Two former LMPD officers have already been convicted of serious crimes, as The Free Thought Project reported, and the city, with good reason, wanted to know more about how police handled the complaints from parents and reports children were being groomed, propositioned, and even raped.
As TFTP reported in October 2017:
BRANDON WOOD…ALLEGEDLY RAPED A TEENAGE BOY, BOTH IN [HIS] CAR AND IN A RESIDENCE, AND FILMED THE CRIME FOR THE PURPOSES OF PRODUCING PORNOGRAPHY. [KENNETH] BETTS AND WOOD WERE POLICE OFFICER MENTORS IN THE YOUTH EXPLORER PROGRAM FOR KIDS WHO WANT TO ONE DAY BECOME LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS. IT WAS INSIDE THE MENTORSHIP PROGRAM THAT THEY ARE ACCUSED OF FINDING THEIR VICTIMS.
As FOX reports, Wood pled guilty to a federal attempted enticement charges and is scheduled to be sentenced May 28. Betts pled guilty to federal enticement and and child pornography charges and will be sentenced May 23, although that date could be delayed.
Betts struck a plea deal which was going to allow him to only serve 10-15 years, but U.S. District Judge David Hale said this sentence was too lenient and issued a continuance for sentencing to get Betts to serve more time.
None of these charges would have happened had the victims not sought out lawsuits as the department had no interest in pursuing their own—allowing this abuse to go on for years.
The original accusations were followed by lawsuits with one lawyer reportedly representing five victims abused by officers inside the Explorers program. Now, that number has jumped to 15 victims.
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