BishopAccountability.org
	Birthday Party Host in Keller Accused of Sexual Abuse Attorney Says Keller Man Is Innocent, Statement Was Coerced By Wendy Hundley and Scott Goldstein Dallas Morning News October 12, 2007 http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/stories/DN-mrdon_12met.ART.North.Edition1.42d2acd.html KELLER - Police investigators say they want to talk to possibly hundreds of children who may have been victims of a man they say confessed to sexually abusing "multiple" youngsters who attended birthday parties at his home-based business over the past decade. An arrest warrant for aggravated sexual assault was issued Thursday for Clinton Don Simpson, 65, a minister and owner of Mr. Don's Whistlestop, a miniature half-mile railroad track Mr. Simpson constructed on his Buckner Lane property. Keller police are offering assistance to parents who are concerned that their children may have been inappropriately touched by Mr. Simpson. They urge parents not to question their children themselves because doing so could harm the case. Parents should contact the Keller police directly. Mr. Simpson was at John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth being treated for mental exhaustion late Thursday and is expected to turn himself in soon, according to his attorney, Lisa Mullen of Fort Worth. She has proclaimed her client's innocence. Keller police Detective Tom Barnett said the arrest warrant was issued after a parent complained to police following a birthday party Sunday at Mr. Simpson's business at which 3- and 4-year-old girls attended. While Mr. Simpson and the children were riding the train, the parent noticed Mr. Simpson "in a peculiar position." "His hands were in a position that didn't look right," Detective Barnett said. The parent told police that after the train ride, the 3-year-old girl indicated that Mr. Simpson had touched her inappropriately. "He is accused of [sexually assaulting] the little girl while they rode the train," Detective Barnett said. Five other parents of young girls at the same party contacted police about the possibility that their children also were fondled by Mr. Simpson. But only one of those children was able to describe to police what happened, police said. Mr. Simpson voluntarily came to the Police Department on Monday and confessed during an interview that he had molested multiple children, Detective Barnett said. The detective said Mr. Simpson wasn't arrested then because "we felt like we needed to do more investigation to corroborate his confession." Detective Barnett said that Mr. Simpson has operated Mr. Don's Whistlestop for 10 years and that there may be "dozens and possibly hundreds" of other victims. Mr. Simpson's son-in-law Jon McKenzie acknowledged that Mr. Simpson admitted wrongdoing to police, but he said that came only after police coerced a confession. "I will say that we feel that the Keller police, after questioning Don for many hours, mentally exhausted him, and we believe that also some threats were possibly used against Don in obtaining his statement," Mr. McKenzie said. Ms. Mullen agreed with Mr. McKenzie's contention of police pressure against her client and said he "had such an emotional breakdown that [police] felt the need to take him to" the hospital after the interrogations. She said her client would turn himself in when his condition improves, but she did not offer a timetable for when that would be. "He's not going to go anywhere," said Ms. Mullen, who criticized police for publicly disclosing that Mr. Simpson admitted to wrongdoing. "We will surrender when he's mentally stable enough to not harm himself and to surrender." Keller police Thursday denied forcing Mr. Simpson's statement. They say he voluntarily came to the police station Monday and began to talk to them. "There was no coercion," police Lt. Brenda Slovak said. "He drove here to the police station in his own truck. He knew something was up. At one point, he called his wife from here and he wanted to tell his wife what happened. She came up here and was with him for the interview." Mr. Simpson has lived at his Buckner Lane home for 25 years, and police say he has no criminal record. "Until Sunday, the Keller Police Department had never had any complaint against him," Detective Barnett said. "He was regarded as an upstanding citizen." Mr. Simpson retired from teaching at the Brown Trail School of Preaching in Bedford several years ago, said Robert Stapleton, the school's director. Mr. Stapleton arrived at the school in 2003, after Mr. Simpson had left, but he said he knew of no complaints about him. "Everything I've ever heard about him is that he was an outstanding individual," Mr. Stapleton said Thursday. "I got word of [the allegations] this afternoon, and I shared it with some of the people in the school who have known him in the past, and they were all shocked that such could be the case. ... I've never heard anything negative about him." Only adults are enrolled at the school, Mr. Stapleton said. Terri Spann, a neighbor who has known Mr. Simpson for more than 20 years, finds the allegations against him hard to believe. "He's a good man, a hardworking man," said Ms. Spann, who lives across the street from Mr. Simpson. "If I ever needed something, he'd be there for me." Authorities said Mr. Simpson has been the preacher at Haslet Church of Christ in Haslet for nearly 20 years. Attempts to reach church members Thursday were unsuccessful. Ms. Spann said Mr. Simpson, an avowed train enthusiast, personally built the miniature train tracks next to his house and had routinely hosted parties for youngsters for years. The Web site for Mr. Don's Whistlestop was rendered inactive Thursday, but before it was, it showed that a two-hour event cost $250 and that horseback rides were offered for an additional $50. "Mr. Don will be your engineer as you travel along over a half-mile track that winds through a tunnel and over a 200 foot trestle bridge," the Web page claimed. "Mr. Don welcomes children and adults to come ride his trains and have FUN." Keller Development Services coordinator Denise Wilkinson said Thursday that her office was not aware Mr. Simpson was operating the business at his home, in violation of city code, until this week. "He's kind of in a remote part of Keller, the dead end of an old county road," Ms. Wilkinson said. "Unless somebody calls and complains or asks about some sort of activity, we wouldn't really go down there as far as code enforcement is concerned." But Ms. Wilkinson said a letter from her office was hand-delivered to Mr. Simpson's home Thursday ordering him to "immediately cease and desist" with operating his business. While Keller police are asking that potential victims come forward, Mr. Simpson's supporters are asking that "the community not to rush to judgment." Ms. Mullen said Mr. Simpson's family, including his wife of 45 years, is in shock over the allegations. "You couldn't find a man with a better character," she said. "This man is innocent, and he's spent 65 years proving that." whundley@dallasnews.com and sgoldstein@dallasnews.com
Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.