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	New Allegations of Sexual Abuse Made against Camp Good News, Lawyer Says By Shelley Murphy and Akilah Johnson Boston Globe April 7, 2011 http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/2011/04/new_allegations.html The fallout from US Senator Scott Brown's disclosure that he was molested as a boy at a religious camp on Cape Cod continued today as two more people came forward alleging that they had been sexually assaulted at Camp Good News in Sandwich, according to a lawyer. "Two more individuals have contacted me today,'' said Boston attorney Mitchell Garabedian, adding that a man and a woman told him today that they were sexually assaulted at the Christian camp in the 1980s. Both said they were molested by a worker at the camp, according to Garabedian, but not by Charles "Chuck" Devita, who committed suicide Wednesday after learning state prosecutors were investigating a sexual abuse allegation against him. That allegation had been referred to police and prosecutors on Monday by Garabedian, who disclosed that the victim, a 36-year-old man, said he had been abused as a child by Devita while attending the camp in 1985. The man came forward after Brown, 51, disclosed in his autobiography, "Against All Odds," released in February, that he had been groped by a counselor while attending a Cape Cod religious camp as a boy. The Republican senator has not identified his abuser or named the camp, where he has said he was abused 42 years ago. But operators of Camp Good News acknowledged that Brown had attended the camp, expressed shock and concern over the allegations and issued him a letter of apology. Devita, 43, a longtime camp employee who served as director of the physical plant, shot himself to death as he sat in his pickup truck outside the camp, according to authorities. He left behind a note saying he had done nothing wrong and was "sick of being accused,'' according to a law enforcement official. The Boston public relations firm hired by Camp Good News to represent it said it was preparing a statement in response to Globe inquiries about the new disclosure. However, the statement released this afternoon addressed allegations made by Devita's mother, Sandra Devita, that she had alerted the camp to her fears that her son was a sexual predator. In a telephone interview last night from her Florida home, Sandra Devita, said she suspected her son may have been molesting children when he was in his early 20s and brought her concerns to the camp's former director, Faith Willard, who said nothing was amiss. "They said they didn't see anything going on, basically," Devita told the Globe. "They were more afraid that he was gay than that he was molesting children.'' But Faith Willard, whose family has operated the Christian camp for decades, denied being warned by Sandra Devita. “Faith Willard, a 78-year-old with an MA in counseling from Columbia University, had only one phone conversation with Sandy Devita and has never met her in person, to the best of her knowledge,’’ the camp's statement today said.The statement concluded: “That one conversation was initiated by Mrs. Devita for the purpose of asking Ms. Willard to have Chuck Devita call his mother. At no time was the issue of abuse raised by Mrs. Devita to Ms. Willard." Garabedian said that the supervisors of the camp must explain why they didn't notify police after Devita's mother raised concerns about her son's behavior. Sandra Devita said she recognized the signs of a possible molester because she was working at the time in a sexual abuse unit in New York City’s social services department. "His own mother, who was also qualified to make a judgment, told the supervisor of Camp Good News,'' Garabedian said. "What more evidence did they need to show that Chuck Devita was a pedophile?" Cape and Islands District Attorney Michael O'Keefe did not immediately return calls today, but along with Sandwich Police Chief Peter Wack, released a statement yesterday saying that the suicide will not end the inquiry and "any and all allegations of abuse will continue to be investigated concerning this camp.'' In an interview today, Garabedian said he notified the prosecutor that two more alleged victims contacted him today and "he informed me that he would like to know immediately about any further allegations of sexual abuse at the camp.'' As of today, Garabedian said, six people have contacted him alleging they were sexually assaulted at the camp, including three men who identified Devita as their attacker, and two men and a woman who have identified someone else. He said all of them said they were inspired to come forward after Brown made his allegations public. "It's a snowball effect,'' Garabedian said. "They are inspired by other people coming forward. Victims aren't happy a person died, but they want to try to heal at least to a small degree. And at least by coming forward they've started the healing process.''
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