Pediatrician accused of ‘brutal attacks’ on kids: maybe as much as 100 victims..

[HipChick]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34570779/ns/us_news-crime_and_courts/



ANNAPOLIS, Maryland - A pediatrician charged with sexually abusing his patients likely attacked more than 100 children at an office he had decked out with a merry-go-round and a ferris wheel, a state official said Wednesday.

The volume of evidence seized from Dr. Earl Bradley's practice and home, including video tapes and computer files, makes it difficult to estimate the number of victims, said Alexis Slutsky, a deputy attorney general assigned to the state's Child Predator Task Force.

"I'm comfortable in saying probably well over 100 potential victims," she said at a news conference with Attorney General Beau Biden and other law enforcement officials.

Slutsky said the investigation is focusing on cases between 1998 and the present.

Being held on $2.9 million bond
Bradley, 56, was arrested last week and is being held in prison on $2.9 million bond. He has been charged with 33 felony counts relating to seven victims. A preliminary hearing Wednesday was postponed until Jan. 14. His attorney, Eugene Maurer, did not immediately return a call seeking comment.

Stacy Cohee, a deputy attorney general, said Bradley was not brought to the courthouse for Wednesday's hearing because corrections officials are "concerned about his mental state right now," adding that there were concerns he is suicidal.

The case has shocked the close-knit community of Lewes, a town of about 3,100 on the Delaware coast. The case is even more chilling because some alleged victims are no more than 6 months old.

"It's horrific," said Wallace Hudson, vice president of Beebe Medical Center just blocks from Bradley's home. Bradley had privileges at the hospital which were immediately suspended when he was arrested. Pennsylvania's state board of medicine also announced an immediate temporary suspension of Bradley's license there.

Police say Bradley used video cameras to record some of the attacks.

An 18-page document detailed the alleged attacks in exam rooms, which had Disney themes such as Pinocchio, at BayBees Pediatrics, Bradley's solo practice. A detective who viewed the assaults described in court papers the 6-foot, 225-pound Bradley as having a "violently enraged expression on his face" in one video involving a 2-year-old.

"As of this moment, we have not identified all of the victims in this case, and the investigation is ongoing in an aggressive fashion," Biden said.

Office known for toys and rides
Bradley's office was known for its many toys and the rides he had in front. On Wednesday, the deserted office looked more like a small run-down carnival than a pediatric office, including a small merry-go-round and Ferris wheel. A pink sign in front of one building read: "Princess Parking only. All Others will be toad."

Hudson said Bradley had been in the area since 1994. He said the hospital has arranged for counseling for patients and their parents. He also said doctors who already have full practices have arranged to take Bradley's patients, who he estimated "runs in the thousands."

Mike Duckworth, treasurer of the Bethel United Methodist Church near Bradley's home, said the charges have brought "a lot of shock" in the neighborhood and to the parents of children in the church's preschool program.

"There was a time when Dr. Bradley was the new and exciting pediatrician in town," Duckworth said.

Duckworth said his granddaughter had two appointments with Bradley, but his daughter decided to get a new doctor about four years ago after Bradley asked to see the girl alone.

"There was a point in the examination when he wanted to take my granddaughter away and my daughter wouldn't let him do that," Duckworth said.

Bradley also had medical licenses in Florida and New Jersey.

"We are looking into that at this time," Cohee said.

The alleged crimes cited in court papers happened between August and December. Police said they learned of the alleged abuse when a 2-year-old girl told her mother that the doctor had hurt her during a Dec. 7 appointment.

The News Journal of Wilmington on Tuesday cited a detective's sworn statement that said evaluation of seized video files and software has discovered 15 more unidentified victims.

[moc]

1. How does a pediatrician molest a 2yo during an office visit?

Where on earth was the mother? I've got two kids, and I never leave the exam room when they're with the doctor. When kids reach teenage, there's reason because sometimes the youth won't be candid with the doctor with a parent present but a two year old? No way would my 2yo be left alone with the doctor.

[TwilightGardener]

3. I've always been with my kids, too, in the exam room.

Massive red flags would go up if a doc wanted to see my baby alone--the parent is there to keep the kid calm and answer questions.

[FLAprogressive]

12. I think people see doctors as people who they can trust and don't think twice about it

I wouldn't trust anyone who specifically asks to be alone with a kid....but that's just me.

[asdjrocky]

2. How was he alone with so many kids.

Neither of my daughters were ever in the doctors office without me or mom present. Don't get me wrong, I'm not blaming parents, but I'm just wondering how on earth this could happen.

[kestrel91316]

5. Well, for starters, we don't know that it DID happen. An allegation in the

media doesn't mean much to me. I wanna see at least indictments, and specific charges, and then ideally a trial and conviction if it's true.

I'm NOT defending pedophiles. I do find the claim that he molested so many children in a place where their parents should have been in attendance a bit strange.

ETA to add I should read b efore posting, lol, I see 33 felonies, indictment, etc. Oops.

[asdjrocky]

6. Lol, I do the same thing.

It looks bad for him, but you actually have a good point. Sometimes innocent people are railroaded by how the media portrays things.

[SharonAnn]

4. Kudos to Mr. Duckworth's daughter for seeing the "red flags" and acting to protect her daughter

When something seems "not right" or "creepy", it's often because there is a real problem there. Under no conditions should a young child be alone with a physician in an office exam.

"There was a time when Dr. Bradley was the new and exciting pediatrician in town," (Mike) Duckworth said.

Duckworth said his granddaughter had two appointments with Bradley, but his daughter decided to get a new doctor about four years ago after Bradley asked to see the girl alone.

"There was a point in the examination when he wanted to take my granddaughter away and my daughter wouldn't let him do that," Duckworth said.

Duckworth said his granddaughter had two appointments with Bradley, but his daughter decided to get a new doctor about four years ago after Bradley asked to see the girl alone.

"There was a point in the examination when he wanted to take my granddaughter away and my daughter wouldn't let him do that," Duckworth said."

[Jamastiene]

7. Disgusting. If he's guilty of that,

throw the book at him, lock him up, and throw away the key. :puke:

[FLAprogressive]

9. +1

[Sirveri]

8. In the future please limit articles to 4 paragraphs.

Hip Chick: Please be aware that DU copyright rules require that excerpts of copyrighted material be limited to four paragraphs and must include a link to the original source.

[Dappleganger]

10. It's quite easy to do, really.

If he had an x-ray machine quite often the nurse or doctor will ask the parent to stay behind while they take pictures since the rooms in pediatric offices are often extremely small. I've let our kids go many, many times to do that but then again I was right outside the door.

[LoZoccolo]

11. It disturbs me in an especially bad way when I hear about the things these people do to lure kids.

Things like the merry-go-round and the decorated offices that this guy had. I think it creeps me out because they understand on some level what kind of toys and things make kids happy, but they really don't want the kids to be happy, they're just using it to trick them. They'd put a smile on a kid's face and then turn around and terrify them; that's really disturbing.

[Libertas1776]

13. Jeez, my mother came in the exam room with me

until my late teens (As weird as that may sound) I don't understand how a two year old could be left alone with a freaking adult with no supervision. Also, I don't know how anyone could trust a doc with a freaking ferris wheel and merry go round. That alone sends up the freaky weird ass red warning flags.

[BlueIris]

14. Aw, how sweet is it that they're "concerned about his mental state."

I hope he lives to rot in jail, but let's just say if their concern, um, lapsed long enough to save the taxpayers the expense (and his victims the trauma) of a trial, I wouldn't be crying myself to sleep that night.

[PCIntern]

15. Two words only:

Sick Fuck.

that is all...

[tmyers09]

16. The guy's picture is damn creepy.

Not a whole lot you can say about this, other than to be careful and alert, even if the person seems trustworthy or in a respected position (priest, teacher, in this case pediatrician).