People Named in Bob Carlson Investigation Report Respond to Findings

WCSH
August 3, 2012

http://www.wcsh6.com/news/article/209390/2/People-named-in-Bob-Carlson-investigation-report-repsond-to-findings

[with video]


One of the men named in the Maine State Police report about the Bob Carlson sex abuse investigation says the police got it wrong.

An anonymous source in the report said Former Husson University President Bill Beardsley knew about two potential victims of sexual abuse at Husson University.

The person told police one student came forward to Beardsley, and a third-party reported abuse for another student to the President.

Beardsley told NEWS CENTER that never happened.

"No student ever came to me at Husson," said Beardsley, who is now the Commissioner of the Department of Conservation.

"I don't know who said that, a therapist or whatever, but it just didn't happen," said Beardsley.

Carlson was Chaplain at Husson Univeristy until he resigned at 2006.

Beardsley told police he received two anonymous phone calls from people saying Carlson was not who he claimed to be.

Beardsley said he came away from one phone call with the impression that Carlson had been engaged in a homosexual affair.

Beardsley told NEWS CENTER he held a meeting with Carlson about those phone calls, and Carlson promptly resigned.

Beardsley said allegations of sexual abuse did not prompt the resignation.

In an interview in the Maine State Police report, one person told police there were at least six potential victims of Carlson's sexual abuse.

That same person said at least two of them were minors when the alleged abuse occurred.

Maine law requires mandated reporters, such as therapists, to alert the Department of Health and Human Services if they suspect child abuse or neglect.

Maine law does not explicitly state how mandated reporters should handle the case when the victim comes foward after he or she turns 18.

Members of the Bangor Police Department are also named in the State Police report as having observed Carlson behaving suspiciously.

Bob Welch, a former Bangor Police Officer and current University of Maine Police officer, told police he was worried when he saw Carlson's car in a parking lot near his home.

Welch told Lt. Tim Reid with the Bangor Police Department that he saw Carlson's car frequently parking in dark areas of the parking lot for an hour at a time over the course of 8 or 9 months.

Welch told Reid he saw a young child in the car with Carlson.

According to the investigative report, Lt. Reid and Welch discussed installing security cameras in the area, but decided against it.

The report states, "They felt that because [the car was in dark areas] they would not be able to get any usable pictures."

"Various people over the years have had various opinions and speculations," Lt. Reid told NEWS CENTER.

"That does not rise to the level of a criminal investigation. The department has never received credible information of criminal misconduct or any time of sexual activity that would generate a criminal investigation."

Bob Welch was not availble for comment on Thursday.