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More Revelations in Huntington Beach Sexual Abuse Case

Police are alleging that the Huntington Beach couple accused of molesting a teenage boy, have also attacked other kids in the past.  The couple, both schoolteachers, has been accused of sexual contact with the boy, who was a student at Westminster High School.

The couple, Daniel Sheppard and Gay Davidson-Sheppard began a relationship with a young boy two years ago.  The boy was 17 years old at the time.  According to police, the abuse began in the form of invites to the couple’s Orange County home.  The couple then showered the boy with gifts, and played video games with him at their home, building up an environment of trust, before they finally molested him in April of 2009.  The boy was soon making weekly visits to the home, setting off a routine of continuous and sexual molestation involving both the husband and wife. The couple also took pornographic pictures of the boy, and also got him to e-mail them nude pictures of himself.

Daniel Sheppard is facing charges of abusing the boy until September 2010.  His wife is facing charges of abusing the boy until three months later.  They continued the abuse even after the boy turned 18, but because he was no longer a minor, the couple were not charged for the sexual episodes that occurred after he turned 18.  In March 2011, the boy told his mother about the abuse, and the mother informed the police.

The Westminster Police Department as well as Orange County police officers are now looking for others who have been abused by the couple to come forward.  According to the police, several people have already come forward to confirm that they were abused by the couple too.

School should be the safest place for your child, but unfortunately, for hundreds of California schoolchildren, school is where the nightmare of sexual abuse begins.  It’s not so surprising to Orange County sexual abuse attorneys that so many instances of sexual abuse begin in school.  School provides an environment of trust and authority that some teachers, coaches and others use to begin abusing a child.

It’s not unusual to have persons laying the groundwork for abuse in school.  In this case, the couple first lured the boy with promises of gifts and video games, plying him with alcohol, and then made their move.  Techniques like these are used often by molesters, and the perpetrator of the abuse is very often in a position of authority.

Sexual abuse can have severe lifelong consequences.  There are studies to indicate that children have been sexually abused go on to become molesters themselves.  Besides, these persons may be at a higher risk of depression, and may engage in reckless sexual activity.  Victims of sexual abuse are also much more likely to abuse alcohol than children who have not been abused.

The Reeves Law Group is a law firm with offices throughout California dedicated exclusively to the representation of personal injury victims, including victims of sexual abuse. Please visit our website at trlglaw.com. If you desire a free consultation on a personal injury matter, please call us at (800) 644-8000 or email us.

The Reeves Law Group is not representing any party in the matters discussed in this posting.

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