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Ventura County School Board Official Sentenced to 17 Years for School Sexual Abuse

School sexual abuse is a tragic occurrence. A Ventura County school board official, who sexually abused a minor and impregnated her, has been sentenced to 17 years in state prison. It has been a case that has shocked California sexual abuse attorneys and the Ventura County community.

Brian Martin was a member of the Rio School District board when he began to sexually abuse the girl, who was then 10 years old. He has now been found guilty of sexual abuse and infliction of bodily harm. Martin also pleaded guilty to an additional charge of performing a lewd act on the child. The girl, who is now 15 years old, was among a group of four children taken in by Martin and his wife, when one of their relatives stopped caring for them because of drug troubles.

The fact that the abuse continued for several years, and Child Protective Services and Ventura County officials chose not to act, has raised a major controversy. According to the Rio School Board District, the girl confided to some her classmates who were concerned enough to report this to school employees. School authorities brought the matter to the attention of county workers. School sexual abuse is tragic for the victim and their families.

However, it was not the first time that the incident had come to light. According to the Los Angeles Times, County authorities failed to investigate the claims of sexual abuse even after they had received reports of the ongoing abuse at least six times over the past two years. That failure by Ventura County officials to investigate allegations of abuse has come under a microscope. Ventura County supervisors have now called for a review of the procedures followed when there are complaints of sexual abuse.

There has been plenty of criticism of Ventura County social workers, not just from California sexual abuse lawyers, but also from concerned citizen groups. The fact that the abuse involved a high-ranking member of the school board, and continued for so many years uninvestigated, is definitely a cause for concern. County authorities had plenty of opportunities to investigate these allegations, but failed to do so.

County officials and Martin’s wife defend their failure to act on this matter earlier, by saying that the girl had refused to admit during interviews that any such abuse was going on. It’s a fact that children may lie about abuse that is taking place, out of fear or anxiety. Very often, sexual abuse is seen in relationships where there is a bond of trust and authority, like a coach/teacher and student. In such cases, it’s normal to find that children are not that forthcoming about coming forward to report the abuse.

For this girl meanwhile, moving ahead with her life is going to be a monumental task. The baby that she delivered in December has been put up for adoption. These are the kinds of life experiences that you wouldn’t wish on a grown up adult woman. Hopefully, this girl will now receive the kind of support and help she needs going forward.

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 assault and abuse. Please visit our website at http://www.robertreeveslaw.com/. If you desire a free consultation on a personal injury matter, please call us at (800) 644-8000 or email us at contact@robertreeveslaw.com.

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

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