There is a guy who lives in my town. His kids were about the same age as my kids and so he used to come over to the house occasionally for birthday parties, to pick up the kids for soccer practice, that type of thing. I had been to his house a few times. A beautiful huge victorian on the main street in town. He had 4 kids, the amazing car collection that was written up in one of the car magazines, he had a very successful graphics business in New York (which is why he could afford to buy all the cars I guess). I tried doing some business with him one time. Seemed like a really nice guy. He was a group leader at his church. Just seemed like he had it all.

About 10 years ago he suddenly got divorced. Seemed odd to me at the time because it seemed to happen quickly, his wife threw him out of the house and he was living in the garage apartment. That was it, hadn't seen or thought about him in about 10 years.

Then 2 days ago I read in the local paper about a guy who was just convicted of molesting a 4 year old girl. 49 years old and facing 2 to 7 years in federal prison. I looked at the name: it was this guy. He was babysitting the child at the time and was friends with the victim's family.

I'm still trying to process it. I asked my kids if anything funny ever happened when he was at their house and my son said the only thing he remembered was that the son told sex jokes at a very early age, which bothered my son, especially at that age.

This guy was rich, beautiful house, successful business, church leader, a fleet of collectable cars and guitars, 4 kids, wonderful wife. He had it all. And a child molester whose life is now ruined along with his victims. You never who might be a predator. I still can't understand how this could have happened and why this person decided to destroy his life. It is all so very sad.

You just never know who the preditor is in your neighborhood. Sometimes it is the person you least suspect.

I guess it just shows that there's sicko's from all walks of life.
It's beyond me what in the world would make someone do those kind of things to kids.
I'm glad to hear that your kids were not messed with by this guy.
Bob.

Famous last words- "But he seemed like such a nice guy."

Shame.

I grew up with one; he was my childhood best friend, we literally grew up together, living across the street from each other. He went into the Marines and I into the Air Force in the sixties. We lost track of each other and just fell out of touch.

I knew he settled in California after his two tours in Viet Nam and discharge in '69. In fact I couldn't believe it when he told me he'd signed up for a second tour in Nam. We kept in touch in the seventies, then we just completely got side tracked; me in my career and he in his pursuits in the construction business.

I'd tried googling him over the years but never could find him. Last year I tried again and he showed up in California as a convicted sex predator. Broke my heart. He was like a brother to me. In fact when we were kids, we even did the blood brother thing that was popular through shows like Lassie when Tommy Rettig's character Jeff and his best buddy Porky cut themselves and became "blood brothers." Of course this was all before AIDS, but nevertheless, I'm still here and so is he apparently.

I've thought about trying to contact him now that I know where he is, but I'm not sure I want to now. It's a dilemma.

Also the first words offered by neighbors when asked ...

Slide and Bob,

I'm sorry for the anguish you are feeling. Such a terrible thing to find out about someone you were once close to.

I'm a Penn State grad and live near enough to Old Main. They're in the middle of that trial right now and evidence has been introduced indicating a massive cover-up. The whole thing, the whole topic, is just too much to bear. I don't think I'll ever be able to understand why anyone would do such a thing.

- B.H.

In news stories about this sort of thing, the neighbors always say one of two things, and both comments are usually well-represented: either, "we never could have suspected he would have done it," or "we always thought he was weird."