By Glenn Smith
Post and Courier
November 2, 2011
http://www.postandcourier.com/news/2011/nov/02/reville-was-at-abuse-session/
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| Louis “Skip” ReVille, a married father of triplets, is being held in lieu of $675,000 bail. |
MOUNT PLEASANT -- When Louis "Skip" ReVille went to work at Coastal Christian Preparatory School last year, he offered to work for free just to gain experience.
Now, people are mortified over what his intentions might have been at Coastal, other schools and several sports teams.
The community is buzzing with rumors and apprehension in the wake of ReVille's arrest last week on child-molestation charges. The well-traveled local coach and school official is accused of performing sex acts on three boys, but he has had access to hundreds of children through his work around the Lowcountry over the past decade.
Several parents of boys who spent time with ReVille have told The Post and Courier that while their sons were not molested, the children are concerned for friends and former teammates.
Mount Pleasant Police Chief Harry Sewell Jr. said Tuesday that more charges are anticipated "probably in the next few days."
"Our main purpose is to seek the truth in all this," he said.
Police arrested the 32-year-old ReVille on Friday, not long after he attended a child sexual-abuse-prevention program for teachers at Coastal Christian put on by Darkness to Light.
ReVille, a vice principal, helped the group set up for the program and attended the full 2 1/2 hours of training, said Martha Tumblin, a licensed therapist and Darkness to Light trainer.
Tumblin said she was surprised to learn that ReVille was soon accused of the very thing the group labors to prevent.
Meanwhile, The Citadel, where ReVille attended college, revealed Tuesday that an attendee at the school's former summer camp accused ReVille in 2007 of inappropriate behavior during an incident five years earlier.
The school declined to give specifics about the incident, but noted that the camper made clear it did not involve physical contact.
"Beyond our investigation, and subsequent discussions with the family of the individual who made the accusation, the matter was not further pursued by The Citadel, or to our knowledge by the family," said Jeff Perez, the school's vice president for external affairs. "We will cooperate with Mount Pleasant police in its investigation."
Perez said The Citadel was deeply disturbed by ReVille's arrest, as he had been well- regarded as a cadet and a counselor.
ReVille served as a camp counselor as a student and for two years after he graduated. The camp hosted between 200 and 250 youths during each of its two summer sessions, Perez said.
ReVille, a married father of triplets, went on to become a teacher and assistant coach at Pinewood Preparatory School in Summerville, a tennis coach at Bishop England High School, a coach at the Mount Pleasant Recreation Department, a basketball coach at Moultrie Middle School, a travel league basketball coach, a coach at Velocity Sports Performance in Mount Pleasant, an occasional volunteer basketball coach at Rollings Middle School of the Arts in Summerville, and a youth group leader at Eastbridge Presbyterian Church in Mount Pleasant.
His career is now in limbo following his arrest on three counts each of second-degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor and committing a lewd act on a minor under 16.
ReVille is being held at the Charleston County jail in lieu of $675,000 bail. He doesn't appear to have an attorney, and he gave investigators written statements admitting to performing sexual acts on three boys between the ages of 13 and 15, according to arrest affidavits.
While the allegations occurred before his employment at Coastal Christian, the school has fired him from his job.
Representatives from Darkness to Light and the Dee Norton Lowcountry Children's Center went to the school Tuesday night to meet with parents and offer them support and advice in dealing with the situation.
Darkness to Light Chief Operating Officer Jolie Logan said that, among other things, facilitators planned to give parents tips on how to talk with their children about the incident, what questions to ask and what parents can do to help prevent abuse.
It is important for children to know that their parents will support them and that they will not get in trouble for sharing what has happened to them, she said.
Libby Ralston, director emeritus of the Dee Norton Lowcountry Children's Center, said her organization wants parents affected by the ReVille case to know that help and treatment are available for those who need it, at no cost.
Parents and children also need to know they are not to blame for whatever happened, she said.
Also Tuesday, Bishop of Charleston Robert E. Guglielmone sent a note to Bishop England parents about ReVille's arrest and the diocese's intention to cooperate with the police investigation.
ReVille served as the school's boys' tennis coach from 2008 to 2010 and left last year on his own accord, Guglielmone said.
"The diocese has no reports of any complaint against Mr. ReVille during his tenure at the school," he wrote to parents.
Still, full-time guidance counselors are available to students at Bishop England to discuss this situation or any issue they may have, said Maria Aselage, spokeswoman for the Diocese of Charleston.
Contact: gsmith@postandcourier.com
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