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Alleged assault at Kings Island raises safety concerns

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By Justin McClelland, Staff Writer 4:45 PM Friday, June 10, 2011

MASON — As police continued Friday to investigate the alleged sexual assault of a young boy at Kings Island, experts warned parents to be more cautious with their children in public areas.

Police said they had no further information on the identity of the suspect in the case.

A sketch of the man suspected of sexually assaulting a 7-year-old boy June 3 restroom near the Diamondback was released this week. The man, who is accused of forcibly fondling the child, has shoulder-length hair and a thin mustache, according to the sketch.

Parents around the community expressed shock and concern over the incident.

“I have always been concerned to take my four children to public places because you cannot trust anyone,” said Jenn Scott of Hamilton. “People have sick minds. We as adults are the ones kids are suppose to be able to trust to protect and... help them. Not beat, sexually assault, or abuse in any other way.”

Researchers estimate that in the United States, about 1 out of 6 boys and 1 out of 4 girls are sexually abused, according to the center for post traumatic stress disorders. Twenty percent of child sexual abuse victims are under the age of eight.

In reported cases of child sexual abuse, the abuser is a stranger in only 10 percent of the reported occurrences. In 60 percent of reported cases, the abuser was someone the child knew, but was not a family member, the Center for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder reports.

Arrests in reported child abuse cases are made in 29 percent of cases reported to police, according to Darkness to Light, a non-profit organization dedicated to preventing sexual abuse of children by training adults to recognize the signs of abuse. Seventy-three percent of child victims do not tell anyone about the abuse for at least a year. Forty-five percent of victims do not tell anyone for at least five years.

It is estimated that only 4-8 percent of child sexual abuse reports are fabricated and most of those are made by adults involved in custody disputes or by adolescents, according to Darkness to Light.

“Who lets a child this age out of their sight? Be it at a Mall, The Grocery Store, or Kings Island. There are Sick and Perverted people everywhere. You have to Vigilante when it comes to your kids. We are the first line of Defense,” said parent Rob Anderson.

Parents need to be cautious anytime they take children to crowded places, said Teresa Wiles of the Warren County Child Advocacy Center. Safety really begins at home by talking to children often about their safety and finding ‘teachable moments” to reinforce safety skills.

Wiles said children under the age of 10 should never be sent into a public restroom alone.

“(Public restrooms) can be very large and confusing for a child and often can have more than one entrance or exit,” Wiles said. “Parents should stay outside a stall or within earshot of their children.”

Older children should use a buddy system when they go off for periods of time away from parents, staying close to at least one friend at all times, Wiles recommended.

Kings Island officials said they were working with Mason police to investigate the incident.

Park spokesman Don Helbig said the park analyzes and discusses security measures on a daily basis but said he could not go into details on Kings Islands’ security practices for fear of compromising those measures.

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