By Beth Hundsdorfer
Belleville News-Democrat
June 23, 2010
http://www.bnd.com/2010/06/23/1305101/former-freeburg-student-alleges.html
A former Freeburg District 70 student alleged in a lawsuit filed in federal court on Wednesday that the late Robin Hawkins, a former teacher, coach, counselor and superintendent in Freeburg, blindfolded him, bound his wrists and molested him.
The suit also alleges that former school superintendents Clarence Haege and Lawrence Meggs engaged in an agreement with Hawkins not to report suspected child abuse to the state child protection services or the police -- a charge Haege denies. Meggs could not immediately be reached for comment.
Mike Wagner, the school district's lawyer, said the district had not yet been served with the suit and declined to comment. Wagner previously has stated that the district did have one allegation of sexual misconduct by Hawkins reported in the early 1980s.
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"It was reported to the Freeburg police, to the Department of Children and Family Services," said Haege, who retired in 1994 after serving as superintendent for 20 years. "We met with the boy's father. After DCFS checked it out, it was deemed unfounded. We did everything we were supposed to do.
"... We went the distance. We saw no evidence of it."
Hawkins committed suicide last year just weeks after the Illinois State Police launched an investigation into sexual misconduct by Hawkins that spanned decades.
"The lawsuit filed today is the first lawsuit filed concerning childhood sexual abuse by Robin Hawkins while employed as a teacher and later an administrator with the Freeburg School District," said lawyer Mike Weilmuenster, who filed the suit on behalf of the plaintiff, known in the suit as "John Doe." "We expect to file more lawsuits on behalf of the victims of Robin Hawkins and the Freeburg School District in the future."
Doe attended Carl L. Barton Elementary School from 1994 to 1996 and alleged Hawkins molested him numerous times during school and extracurricular activities. Doe retained no memory of the abuse until 2007 when he saw Hawkins, the suit stated. Two years later, the man went to counseling to treat depression and post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of the abuse.
The suit states that Haege and Lawrence Meggs:
* Allowed Hawkins to have unsupervised access to various rooms and areas of the school, despite having knowledge through numerous independent sources that Hawkins used the premises to sexually abuse minor male students.
* Were deliberately indifferent to the safety, security and well-being of all the minor male students at Carl L. Barton Elementary School.
* Concealed Hawkins' sexual harassment, sexual grooming and sexual abuse of minor male students.
* Failed to report Hawkins' misconduct to law enforcement or the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, as required by law.
* Refused or failed to investigate reports of sexual misconduct against Hawkins.
* Prevented boys, including Doe, from getting an education free from sexual harassment, sexual grooming and abuse.
Hawkins' body was found in May 2009 behind the wheel of his 1964 Mustang convertible in a barn on his property near Belleville. The cause of his death was suicide by carbon monoxide asphyxiation.
In November, the News-Democrat obtained copies of the Illinois State Police investigative report under the Freedom of Information Act, including reports that showed at least five possible victims, including a minor boy who was interviewed by police a week after Hawkins' death.
"We are cognizant that this action may cause anxiety in the Freeburg community; however, we believe that the citizens of Freeburg deserve to know the truth and would agree with us that those responsible for allowing childhood sexual abuse to occur or covering it up should be held accountable," Weilmuenster said.
Weilmuenster has battled the Catholic Diocese of Belleville in several sexual abuse cases. A former altar boy received a $1.2 million settlement after he alleged he was molested by his parish priest. Weilmuenster also received a $5 million verdict for James Wisniewski, who claimed the diocese covered up sex abuse by Rev. Raymond Kownacki. The diocese appealed that verdict.
Contact: bhundsdorfer@bnd.com
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