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	Camp Good News Abuse Claims Multiply By George Brennan Cape Cod Times April 13, 2011 http://www.capecodonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110413/NEWS/104130321/-1/NEWSMAP FORESTDALE — With his office fielding calls daily from people who claim they were sexually abused at Camp Good News, attorney Mitchell Garabedian says the growing scandal has the feel of abuse cases that have rocked the Catholic church. The number of alleged victims at Camp Good News has reached 13 — 11 men and two women — and there are multiple abusers, Garabedian said. The alleged assaults began as early as the 1970s and continued through the mid-1980s, he said. Last week, Garabedian, who represented hundreds of sexual abuse victims and won millions of dollars in settlements with the Catholic church, went public with allegations from a man who said he was sexually assaulted on multiple occasions as a 10-year-old boy in 1985 by a man who still worked at Camp Good News. That victim was inspired to come forward by U.S. Sen. Scott Brown, who wrote in his recently released autobiography about being abused as an 11-year-old at a Christian camp on Cape Cod. Although Brown never named the camp or his abuser, directors at Camp Good News confirmed that Brown attended the Sandwich-based camp as a boy and apologized to him in February. Last week, as the state police launched a criminal investigation into the allegations filed by Garabedian, longtime camp employee Charles "Chuck" Devita, 43, committed suicide. At least three victims named Devita as their alleged abuser, Garabedian said, though he has not released the names of other camp employees suspected of committing abuse. At a press conference Tuesday, he said they are all men and there are fewer than five. "I'm seeing a domino effect," he said. camp will 'right wrongs' The public relations firm hired to deal with the crisis for the camp refused to comment Tuesday on the growing list of victims. "Camp officials will tell their side of the story in an appropriate forum, rather than addressing these types of allegations in the media," a spokeswoman said in a prepared statement. On Friday, the growing allegations forced camp directors to close for the upcoming season and led the American Camp Association to strip the camp's accreditation. In a letter sent to parents Friday, the camp's assistant president, Stephen Brooks, said the camp is cooperating with investigators. "Our family and the staff can no longer put our time and energy into making Camp Good News the best possible Christian camp experience for the kids," Brooks wrote. "Unfortunately, we must now focus on the past and righting any wrongs which may have occurred." Brooks also promised to be in touch with parents about refunds. According to the camp's website, an eight-week session costs close to $2,000. "We pray that God will guide us on the right path, heal those who need healing and give us strength to do what must be done," Brooks wrote. Garabedian is doing his own investigation into the latest claims of sexual abuse, including the possibility that some claims might not be credible, he said. Meanwhile, he has referred all 13 alleged victims to state police investigating the camp on behalf of Cape and Islands District Attorney Michael O'Keefe's Office for potential criminal prosecution. O'Keefe's office declined to say whether any alleged victims have come forward independently. Camp leaders have also been accused of ignoring warning signs of abuse. In 2002, Devita was accused by a fellow camp employee of possessing child pornography, but the police could not pursue charges because a computer disk containing the images was allegedly thrown away by a camp official. Officials at Sandwich Community School, where Devita worked part time on pool maintenance, found the allegations credible enough to fire him. The former camp counselor went to the police after then-camp director Faith Willard failed to take the allegations seriously, he told the Times. Devita's mother, Sandra, also told the Times she attempted to warn Willard that her son might be a pedophile, a claim Willard has denied through a spokeswoman. employees come forward Garabedian said at a press conference Tuesday that three employees of the camp have come forward to tell him about concerns they had, including one woman who told camp leaders she was uneasy about Devita's interaction with campers. "They told her she had too much hate in her heart," Garabedian said. In a telephone interview with the Times, Garabedian said there is something amiss with the supervision at the camp. "This should not be acceptable behavior with camp officials," Garabedian said. "Children should not be in danger or in harm's way." Those who attended or worked at Camp Good News continue to have mixed feelings about the emerging scandal. "I'm still friends with kids I went to camp with there and they were as shocked as I was," said Lindsay West, who attended the camp for eight years. Her mother, Stefanie Silva, had a different take. Silva, who worked at the camp to help defray the cost of her daughter's fees, said things were kept "hush-hush" by camp directors. In other developments, the Sandwich Board of Health has taken no action on the camp's annual license, Health Director David Mason said. Given the camp's decision not to open this summer, there won't be any need for an inspection this year, he said. Previous inspections showed no issues or violations, he said. Contact: gbrennan@capecodonline.com
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