Affidavit of Ted Gunderson in the Linda Weigand matter
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I, Ted L. Gunderson, being duly sworn, state:
1. I have personal knowledge of the facts and matters contained herein and if
called upon as a witness to testify to the same, I can and will testify hereto:
2. I am over the age of twenty one years and believe in the obligations of an
oath, and I am not a party nor do I have an interest in this matter.
3. I served in the FBI from December, 1951 to March, 1979. For the first nine
and one half years, I was assigned as a Special Agent investigator. Thereafter,
I advanced through various administrative levels until I retired in March, 1979.
At the time of my retirement, I was one of the top executives, specifically the
Senior Special Agent in Charge of the Los Angeles Division. I had three Special
Agents in Charge as well as more than 700 personnel under my command. As the
Senior Special Agent in Charge it was my responsibility to oversee all phases of
the FBI's investigative jurisdiction throughout most of Southern California
which encompassed a population of more than 14 million people. I was also
responsible for the handling of all administrative manners as well as liaison
with other government agencies and the media.
4. After retiring I was asked by US Attorney General Griffin Bell to coordinate
security for the Pan American games, San Juan, Puerto Rico (Summer, 1979) There
were six anti-American terrorist groups active on the island, yet no terrorist
acts were committed during the games. In 1981-1982, I served on the California
Narcotic Authority as a consultant for Governor Jerry Brown. I served as a
consultant in 1984 to the Los Angeles Olympic Committee.
5. After retirement, I established Ted L. Gunderson and Associates, Santa
Monica, California, an international security consulting and investigation firm.
Since 1979, I have worked with many of America's most prominent attorneys and I
have been involved as an investigator in numerous high profile cases, including
the Doctor Jeffrey R. MacDonald, triple murder case, Fort Bragg, North Carolina,
February 17, 1970 and the McMartin pre-school alleged sexual molestation case,
Manhattan Beach, CA. My resume is attached.
6. I have examined and reviewed the following documents. From this review, and
based on my 46 years as an investigator, it is my professional opinion, that Jon
and Ben's lives and personal safety and security have been, and continue to be,
in grave danger. It is also my professional opinion, that certain public
officials have been derelict in their duties by not removing the children from
Thomas Wilkinson before now. These children must be removed immediately to
ensure that they are not harmed sexually, emotionally, psychologically and/or
physically any more.
a. I have provided herewith a true and exact copy of the Affidavit of Bruce
Merriam, Detective, Stowe (Vermont) Police Department, January 22, 1993. In this
affidavit, Officer Merriam and Social Worker James Adams interviewed Benjamin
Wiegand and Ben "said he has worries, holding up three fingers. When asked,
B.W. said those worries are dad (Thomas Wilkinson), his penis on my penis,
tongue in my butt and penis and his penis in my mouth. B.W. said that his dad,
Tom, pees in his mouth. When asked what color the pee was, B.W. said white. when
asked if his dad's penis was hard or soft at the time, B.W. said hard.
b. I have provided herewith a true and exact copy of the letter dated January
25,1993, signed by a Vermont State's Attorney and a District Judge, from the
State of Vermont, Lamoille County, charging Wilkinson, between 10/13/92 to
1/20/93 with sex acts of contact between penis and anus with Ben Wiegand, a
person under 16 years of age.
c. I have provided herewith a true and exact copy of the Letter dated July 15,
1993 from Department of Social and Rehabilitation, Social Services Division,
State of Vermont, Caroline S. Russel, District Director of Social Services to
Paul Shanley, Department of Children and Families, New Britain, CT. "I am
greatly concerned that the court in Connecticut has ordered custody of Ben to be
with Karen Wilkinson, Tom's sister. She has been an avid supporter of her
brother, does not believe that he committed these acts with the boys, and has
traveled to VT, numerous times with her brother for the various proceedings
here. If either of the boys were to be ordered into her custody, this could
place them at great risk of harm and further abuse by Mr. Wilkinson".
"Linda Wiegand has acted appropriately to protect her sons from further
harm and to see that they are receiving proper counseling to deal with their
abuse. Mr. Wilkinson's argument has been that the boys were coached by Ms.
Wiegand to say the things that they did in order to gain custody of them in the
divorce. Dr. Balsam was questioned about this and feels confident that the boys
were not coached."
d. I have provided herewith a true and exact copy of Letter from Dr. Gordon
Ahlers, Lakewood Health Care, to Attorney Judith Benedict (who represents Jon
and Ben), dated August 25, 1993. Dr. Ahlers relates to Ms. Benedict bizarre
behavior of Ben during a visit wherein Ben stated "I'm going to hump you
Mom. I'm going to hump you Jon. I'm going to suck your vagina, Mom. I'm going to
suck my penis. Jon, I'm going to suck your penis. Jon, why don't you suck my
penis. I'm going to fuck you Jon." Dr. Ahlers was attempting to dress
Jonathan's burns. While doing this, Ben "attempted to suck his own
penis." Dr. Ahlers further states that Jon and Ben needed ongoing
psychotherapy to get them through this stage of child sexual abuse.
e. I have provided herewith a true and exact copy of the Discharge, Outright
Summary, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA for Benjamin Wiegand Wilkinson, date of
discharge September 2, 1993. Benjamin described as a four and a half year old
boy. Page six of this report states that on August 28th and 29th, Ben showed an
increase in concerns about sexual issues. Ben spoke about his concerns about
Aunt Karen... "problems... pee pee and poo poo problems." He stated
"My dad has 116 problems. He has pee pee and poo poo problems." While
playing Nintendo, Ben lost his turn, and said about Mario, the Nintendo
character, that his "doo doo was sticking out" and made a reference to
Mario having a vagina. His brother said he did not have a vagina.
On August 29, 1993, Ben stated "Super Mario got an ax on his penis"
after losing in Nintendo, Mrs. Wiegand, the mother, reported to the staff about
her son's disclosure of sexual abuse with his father, his aunt and others. In
the presence of his mother and a friend. Ben stated that he had "pee pee
and doo doo problems" with his father outside one day. He stated that his
"Aunt Karen has a vagina, a pee pee hole, and butt hole and tried to kill
him". The report further states that after the mother left, that he had
"gina" problems with Aunt Karen, who he said "Pushed my head down
to her "gina" and stood up and tried to pee in my mouth."
This report further states Ben advised "Well, I have these problems. My dad
has these problems. He wakes me up in the middle of the night and takes me
outside. I saw animals and I got killed." When asked what Ben meant by
"got killed", he answered, "Well, when you get that close to
animals, you get killed." The report further states, that afternoon, Ben
asked to show one of the staff the picture he was drawing. While drawing he said
"She pee pee'd into my mouth.. Auntie Karen pee'd into my mouth. That's
what these drops are here...pee. In that hole there is a vagina." When
asked what one of the figures in a drawing represented, Ben answered
"That's me.. my mouth." Ben gave the writer the drawing and when the
writer asked if he wanted her to keep it, Ben said "Yes, I want you to have
it so you won't forget what I told you."
Page 8 of same report states "sexualized material and comments about
possible abuse by Ben increased over the weekend of 8/27-8/29. This included
comments specifically implicating his father and Karen as well as
drawings."
f. I have provided herewith a true and exact copy of the Discharge, Outright
Summary, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA for Jonathan Wiegand, date of discharge
September 2, 1993. Jonathan is a seven and a half year old boy. Upon first
meeting Jon and Ben, the report states Jon spontaneously advised "I know
why we're here." He stated "It's because my dad put his penis in our
butts, and the last time he put it in Ben's mouth." Dr. Stromherg asked
when, and Jon did not respond, coloring quietly, and abruptly stated that he
wished to leave.
Page 5 of the report sets forth information of Jon's behavior on August 29,
1993. He playfully kicked his brother in the groin area, once, and while his
brother was in the bathroom, stated "I know what he is doing in
there." That afternoon, Jon gave a staff member a picture with two human
figures, one labeled "Jon" and the other labeled "Tom". The
Tom figure has a penis and the Jon figure appears to have buttocks facing
towards the penis.
g. I have provided herewith a true and exact copy of the Affidavit taken for the
United States District Court, for the District of Vermont, of James Adams,
Social Worker, Department of Social and Rehabilitative Services, Morrisville,
Vermont, dated June 16, 1994. James Adams is the departments Child Abuse
Investigator. In this affidavit, Adams stated that he was provided with sexually
explicit drawings made by Benjamin and Jonathan, prior to formal interviews. He
states that during the interview, Jonathan states that he had seen his half
brother, Benjamin, sexually abused by Tom Wilkinson. Adams stated "based on
information relayed by the boys' mother, a licensed psychiatrist, who had seen
the boys, the boys themselves, and from the Stowe police, as well as other
collateral information, he substantiated that sexual abuse had occurred."
He also investigated allegations that Ms. Wiegand had been sexually
inappropriate, and found no substantive evidence to these allegations. He stated
Ms. Wiegand appeared to he making correct and responsible decisions concerning
the boys safety and welfare and the case was closed February 8,1993.
h. I have provided herewith a true and exact copy of the Affidavit taken for the
United States District Court, for the District of Vermont, of Stephen J. Balsam,
MD, civil action file number 2:94-cv-175, dated August 16, 1994. Dr. Balsam is a
licensed psychiatrist practicing in Burlington, Vermont. In this affidavit Dr.
Balsam advised after observing and speaking with Jonathan and Benjamin Wiegand,
he suspected that they had been sexually abused. This suspicion was based on the
following facts: "Both children engaged in violent and overly sexualized
behavior, which is common in children who have been sexually
abused".." Both recounted specific instances of Thomas Wilkinson
abusing them" which included, but were to limited to "Thomas Wilkinson
putting his penis in Benjamin's butt, Thomas Wilkinson striking Jonathan, and
Thomas Wilkinson licking Benjamin's butt. The children recounted other instances
of sexual and physical abuse as well."
Continuing, Dr. Balsam stated that the allegation was made that Linda Wiegand
was coaching the children. He advised "I conducted a stress interview with
the children while Ms. Wiegand was absent from the room. During that interview I
explained to the children that they bad to be careful, to tel1 the truth,
because the allegations they were making could result in their dad going to
jail. Benjamin then became very angry. After he calmed down, he said that he did
not want his dad to go to jail, but just wanted him to stop doing these bad
things to him. Benjamin's reaction to this interview was immediate and
straightforward." Continuing, Dr. Balsam stated in his report
"Jonathan's reaction was to remain quiet for many weeks. He eventually told
me that he wished Tom would go to jail." Dr. Balsam stated "because of
the fact that I stressed and surprised the boys with my statement about possible
jail, without Linda being present, and because their reactions were harmonious
with their individual personality styles, I felt that no coaching had
occurred,"..."Interestingly, both continued to assert that their
father had sexually abused them. It was their reactions to this interview that
led me to believe that the children's allegations of sexual abuse were
credible."..."My belief that the children had been sexually abused by
Thomas Wilkinson was arrived at after lengthy consideration."
i. I have provided herewith a true and exact copy of the separate depositions of
Jonathan Wiegand and Benjamin Wiegand taken for the United States District
Court, for the District of Vermont, at Department of Children and Families
Headquarters, Hartford, CT. On page 27, line 21, "Q: All right. Now, where
were you when he (Thomas Wilkinson) stuck his penis in your butt? A: Where were
we? Q: Where were you? What house? A: The one in Connecticut, when we were all
living together, and the one in Vermont, when he visited." On page 28, line
9, "Q: Would you be standing or laying down? A: Laying down, faking like I
was asleep when he did it. Q: And would you be laying on your back or on your
tummy? A: Sometimes on my back, sometimes on my tummy." Page 28, line 18,
"Q: So you pretended you were sleeping? A: Yes. Q: And would Tom say
anything to you? A: Yes, he would kill me if I told. Q: But you pretended to
sleep anyway? A: When he walked in the door and was doing it to Ben, I peeked,
and I was watching it, too, happen to Ben. Q: All right. So when he walked in
the door, you were peeking in then, and you saw him doing it to Ben? A:I was
laying on my bed and he was in with Ben and I was peeking and he did it to me.
i. Page 29, line 8, "Q: And what would Ben do or say about all this? A: He
got threatened too. A: Uh-uh. Q: How did he get threatened? A: That he would
kill us if we said anything to anyone. Q: Did he ever kill you? A: No, because
we never told anyone until we were living in Vermont, away from him." Page
30, line 2, "Q: Now..and then, and when you were in your house in
Connecticut, what did you wear to bed? What did you sleep in? A: Pajamas. Q: So,
when Tom came in, you were pretending to sleep? Did he take your PJ's off or did
he leave them on? A: Took them off. Q: And did that wake..did you still pretend
to be asleep? A: Not when he started doing it, because it hurt. Q: All right. So
did you say it hurt? Did you ever complain about it? A: Once, I think. Q: What
did you say? A: Stop. Q: And what did he say? A: He said really nothing. Q: Did
you like it, or did you dislike it, him having his penis in your butt? A;I never
liked it Q: Did he put anything on his penis when he had it in your butt? A: Yes
Q: What did he put on his penis? A: A condom."
Page 31, line 21, "Q: When he put his penis in your butt, was it hard or
was it soft? A: Well, it hurt, but it was soft sometimes. Q: Did he ever try to
bribe you like with candy or anything? A: Yes. Q: OK. How did be do that? A:
Well, before he would bring us to the batting cage and miniature golf and take
us to ice cream, and he told us if we said anything, he would kill us right
after we got ice cream. Q: And so that was in Connecticut. So you are saying
some nights, he would stick his penis, not only in Ben's butt, but he would
stick it in your butt? A: What? Q: In Connecticut, he would stick his penis in
Ben's butt, and then go over and stick his penis in your butt? A: Yes. He did it
to both of us. Q: Same night? A:(nodding head in the affirmative) Q: How soon
after he put his penis in Ben's butt would he would put it in your butt? A:I
don't know. An hour."
Page 32, line 24, "Q: Now, in Vermont, did he ever stick his penis in your
butt or do anything that you didn't like? A: Yes, he did. "Q: OK, when was
that? A: At night." Page 33, line 10, "Q: The night that Tom did
something that you didn't like. A: He did that more than one time. Q: Okay. Was
it always at night. A: Yes. Sometimes he did it in the day. Q: Okay. But most
times at night? A: Yes. Q: And usually, your mom was sleeping? A: Yes. Q: Do you
recall times when he did it...Did he ever do it in the Stowe house, next to the
school? A: Yes. Q: Okay. And whereabouts were you when he did it.. or when he
did it to Ben? A: He did it to both us."
Affidavit of Ted L. Gunderson Part II
The testimony of this child continues throughout the remainder of the
deposition, which is 65 pages in length. Benjamin's deposition was also taken on
this date and is 31 pages in length, very informative and indicates similar
behavior as Jonathan's which is indicative of a child who has been sexually
abused. It should he noted, with extreme interest, that these children were
forced to sit next to the man, Wilkinson, during these depositions, who they
accuse of sexually abusing them, with no child advocate in the room, and with
Wilkinson's attorney as the "children's" attorney. A videotape of this
deposition is available through the Vermont Federal Court Judge.
j. I have provided herewith a true and exact copy of the Physician's Affidavit
of Children's Condition of Imminent Danger, by Dr. Gordon Ahlers, Burlington,
Vermont, August 19,1996 to the Commissioners of Social Services, States of New
York and Connecticut. In this affidavit, Dr. Ahlers informed the Commissioners
of Social Services, that he had grave concerns about Jon and Ben's safety and
well-being and asked them to immediately investigate this report and to remove
these children from abuse and harm. He stated "I believe that every minute
counts and these children are in danger of being further sexually abused"
and according to the children's statements to him, "they were threatened
with their lives for disclosing the abuse and the abusers."..."These
children are in serious and imminent danger."..."The boys were at risk
from Tom and from his sister, Karen, and should have no contact with them."
..."In addition, the boys' hospital reports (McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA)
from September, 1993 indicate that Benjamin describes and implicates Tom and
Karen having oral and anal sex with him."..."As a mandated reporter
and as the children’s' physician, having first hand knowledge of the
children's statements and allegations, I ask that you immediately withdraw these
children from an environment which presents the risk of further physical,
psychological, and sexual abuse as each second goes by. I feel that we have a
moral and legal obligation to remove these children, secure their safety, and
interview them about their past and present trauma. I believe that unless you
act immediately, these children will be further victimized and perhaps deceased.
How can the person the children accuse of raping them, be in charge of their
care and well-being?"
k. I have provided herewith a true and exact copy of: 1. Protective order from
the State of New York, Family Court, Duchess County, Judge James D. Pagones,
Family Court Judge, August 21, 1996. This order was issued as a direct result of
Dr. Ahler's Statement as set forth above (j). Because of this order, the New
York State Police were dispatched to Karen Wilkinson Nutter's house to take Jon
and Ben away >from her and to return them to their mother. The children and
Nutter were no longer there when the police arrived. They were later found in
Suffield, CT and the Suffield police refused to serve this order.
This order awarded custody of Jon and Ben to petitioner, Linda Wiegand. It
denied respondent, Thomas Wilkinson, all access to, all visitation and contact
with the children, and it ordered that the court make and enter an order of
protection in favor of the children by appointing a law guardian to advance the
best interests of the children. It ordered that Thomas Wilkinson shall not
harass, menace, recklessly endanger, engage in disorderly conduct towards,
assault or threaten the children. It ordered that Wilkinson shall stay
completely away from the children and the petitioner, her residence and place of
employment.
2. Multi~purpose Petition, Family Court, Duchess County, to the Honorable James
D. Pagones, in the matter of Benjamin and Jonathan Wiegand, August 21, 1996,
from Robert B. Allers, Acting Commissioner. This is an order that Jon and Ben be
removed from the custody of their aunt, Karen Nutter.
3. Sworn statement by Louise Tetor, Case Manager II, State of New York, Duchess
County, signed August 21, 1996. Ms. Tetor advises that on August 20, 1996, a
report of suspected child abuse was received concerning Benjamin and Jonathan
Wiegand and involving the Aunt, and current custodian, Karen Nutter. The report
alleges that the children are in imminent danger with Ms. Nutter because of
allegations of sexual abuse.
l. I have provided herewith a true and exact copy of the Letter dated August 23,
1996 from the Duchess County Social Services Department, Poughkeepsie, New York,
Louise W. Teter, Case Manager II and Dorothy Sucato, Supervisor, to Mr. Thomas
Wilkinson, 1360 South Street, Suffield, CT 06078. This letter informs Mr.
Wilkinson that he is listed as an alleged perpetrator on a suspected child abuse
maltreatment report sent to Duchess County by the State Central Registry,
Albany, New York The letter asks Mr. Wilkinson to contact the Social Services
Department for an interview. It is not known if Wilkinson was interviewed.
m. I have provided herewith a true and exact copy of the CPS (Child Protective
Services) Report No.11340, State of Connecticut, Department of Children and
Families (DCF), CPS Report Protocol, October 31, 1996. Status of report:
Protective service accepted. Case open date: August 20, 1996. Reporter James
Thomas, State's Attorney, 101 Lafayette Street, Hartford, CT 06106. Home phone
(860)566-3190. This inside report which was furnished anonymously to Linda
Wiegand states that Jon and Ben Wiegand are "at risk" and the alleged
perpetrator is Thomas Wilkinson, 1360 South Street, Suffield, CT 06078. This
report confirms that DCF is aware that Jon and Ben are with the
"father" as of the date of this report. Intake worker Margaret Russell
and Intake Supervisor, Linda Harris, according to this report, are also aware of
the sexual abuse allegations made by Ben and Jon against Thomas Wilkinson, and
according to DCF form 2073-A. it was the intention of the writer, who appears to
be Margaret Russel, to refer this mailer to the appropriate law enforcement
agency for a criminal investigation.
n. I have provided herewith a true and exact copy of the Letter from James E.
Thomas, Connecticut State's Attorney, Criminal Division, to Linda Rossi,
Commissioner, DCF, Hartford, CT, dated October 30, 1996. In this letter, Mr.
Thomas states "It has been reported to me that Thomas Wilkinson has removed
these children (Jon and Ben) from the State of Connecticut. Pursuant to CGS 17A-
103, I have reasonable cause to suspect that these children are in danger of
being abused and or have been abused and I am referring said matter to you for
the action you deem appropriate."
o. I have provided herewith a true and exact copy of the Defendant's Reply to
Plaintiffs Opposition to Motion to Compel and Request for a Protective Order,
signed by Harrison Liebowitz, Assistant Attorney General, Waterbury, Vermont,
dated November 19, 1996. AAG Liebowitz attended Jon and Ben's deposition on
August 1, 1996 at Connecticut DCF headquarters and comments as follows:
"Thomas Wilkinson was physically present in the room, during the
deposition, without the children having a support person to accompany
them."..."Jon Wiegand maintained at his videotaped deposition that he
was sexually abused by Thomas Wilkinson, a position that he has continued to
maintain since the allegations first arose."... "The written
transcript of this deposition completely fails to show the detail of emotion
suffered by this child in the process of this attempted impeachment, including
his attorney forcing him to tears."
p. I have provided herewith a true and exact copy of the Affidavit of Gordon K.
Ahlers, MD of Children's Condition of Immediate Danger, dated November 19, 1996,
submitted November 20, 1996 to the Hartford Superior Court, Judge George Levine
presiding with Judith Benedict as the children's "attorney", and was
ignored. Transcript of this court hearing is available. This letter states that
Dr. Ahlers learned on August 16, 1996 that Ben and Jon Wiegand were in the care
and custody of Tom Wilkinson and his sister, Karen. Dr. Ahlers reiterates
information as set forth in his letter dated August 19, 1996 ( above) and
further states "How can the persons the children accuse of raping them, be
unsupervised in caring for them...in addition the children are at risk for the
AIDS virus...which increases exponentially as each day goes by which includes
further sexual abuse." He continues "Untreated and unsupervised
pedophiles caring for two defenseless, innocent children is a travesty. I
recommend that the children be removed from Tom and Karen Wilkinson immediately,
that they be given to their mother Linda Wiegand, and that she be ordered to
take them to an appropriate medical facility which specializes in the diagnosis
and treatment of severely sexually and emotionally abused children..."
Dr. Ahlers concluded that "the medical/legal maneuvering in both Vermont
and Connecticut has done nothing to serve the truth or interests of these two
boys." ..."I believe that the children are at grave psychological and
physical danger."
q. I have provided herewith a true and exact copy of the Motion to Amend, March
31, 1997, Linda Pierce Prestley, Assistant Attorney General, representing
Attorney General Richard Blumenthal. This petition is in an abuse and neglect
case that DCF filed against Thomas Wilkinson, January, 1997. It states that the
petitioner, Linda D'Amato Rossi, Commissioner of DCF moves this Juvenile court
in Rockville, CT to amend their petition to add the allegations of neglect,
specifically 1: The children have been living under conditions detrimental to
their well being; 2: The children have been denied proper care and attention
emotionally.
r. I have provided herewith a true and exact copy of a Motion to Quash
Defendant's Subpoena Duces Tecum, filed by the law firm of Carmody and Torrence,
on behalf of Dr. Kenneth Robson, Institute of Living Medical Group, dated April
18, 1997. In response to Linda Wiegand's subpoena to produce any and all copies
of audio taped interviews of Jon and Ben, conducted by Dr. Robson, in 1993 and
1994, his motion to quash these tapes was granted. The motion asked that the
tapes not be released because "Sessions with the minor children involved
discussions of very sensitive issues, including, grave allegations of sexual
abuse by their father, Thomas Wilkinson."
s. I have provided herewith a true and exact copy of a Motion to Amend, May 14,
1997, Linda Pierce Prestley, Assistant Attorney General, representing Attorney
General Richard Blumenthal. This petition is in an abuse and neglect case that
DCF filed against Thomas Wilkinson, January, 1997. It is amended to
"reflect the following facts"..."The children were abused as
defined by CT state statutes. This allegation is based primarily on the
statements of the children to Dr. Kenneth Robson in 1993; their statements to
various professionals in the State of Vermont in 1994; statements that the
respondent, the mother, claims were made to her by the children and statements
made by Jonathan during a deposition on August 1, 1996, that the respondent,
father of Ben and legal guardian of Jon, Thomas Wilkinson, sexually molested
them. After the children were handed over to the alleged perpetrator, during the
depositions taken on August 1, 1996, the children were afforded no protection,
with no legal counsel to ensure their best interests, yet Jonathan, although
traumatized by the questions posed, continued to assert that he and his brother
had been sexually abused by Mr. Wilkinson." This further claims that DCF
has been denied access by Mr. Wilkinson to the children's purported therapist,
access to the children, and access to school officials, completely thwarting DCF
statutory mandates to investigate referrals of abuse. This Motion to Amend
states that access to the children has been prevented, although consent is not
required to interview the children, when the alleged perpetrator is a member of
the household.
t. I have provided herewith a true and an exact copy of the Petition: Neglected,
Uncared-for, Dependent Child/Youth, filed by DCF on. June 4, 1997 in Rockville
Juvenile Court which states that Jon and Ben "are being denied proper care
and attention, physically, educationally, emotionally, or morally; are being
permitted to live under conditions, circumstances or associations injurious to
well-being; have been abused, a condition which is the result of maltreatment
such as but not limited to, malnutrition, sexual molestation, deprivation of
necessities, emotional maltreatment or cruel punishment; that they are uncared
for, in that, their home cannot provide the specialized care which the physical,
emotional or mental condition of the children requires."
I have seen many drawings by both children, a true and exact copy contained
herewith. They are sexually explicit showing the genitals in some instances. A
survey, by I believe, UCLA, was conducted in the late 1980's that established
that children who were never sexually molested did not include genitals in their
drawings whereas a high percentage of those who were sexually molested did
include the genitals in their drawings. Another survey in the late 1980's, by I
believe, University of New York at Buffalo, revealed that children tell the
truth in traumatic situations 98% of the time (exact percentage not known at
this time.) I do not have the surveys available at this writing, but will
provide them at a later date.
I have personally inspected Ms. Linda Wiegand's home and note, when the children
are removed and placed into her custody, each has his own bedroom and
facilities, including toys and bicycles; the facilities are clean and safe. They
provide pleasant surroundings for the children. I have met with officials of the
Hamden police department, including Chief of Police, John Amhrosio, and
Inspector Bob Nolan, and they have assured me that they will provide safety in
the event of a problem or emergency.
I have read the foregoing affidavit, it is true and accurate under the penalty
of perjury to the best of my knowledge, and belief.
Signed:
Ted L. Gunderson, retired FBI Senior Special Agent in Charge
Subscribed and sworn to before me this 29th day of October, 1997, in and for New
Haven county, State of Connecticut. ss: Hamden
Notary: Linda M. Melillo Seal My Commission Expires
December 31, 2000