Little Rascals Day Care Center

The Little Rascals Day Care Center was in Edenton, North Carolina and was involved in day care sexual abuse hysteria.

Accusation

The Little Rascals Day Care Center was run by Robert Kelly, Jr. and his wife, Betsy. In April 1989 Robert was arrested and charged with child sexual abuse. Betsy was arrested in September 1989, along with five others: Scott Privott, the owner of a video store and personal friend of Robert Kelly; Shelley Stone, a teacher at the day care center; Dawn Wilson, the cook; Robin Byrum, who also taught at the day care; and Darlene Bunch who had no relationship to the day care center, but was involved in a divorce and child custody case with her now ex-husband, who was a police officer. “Robert F. Kelly Jr....face(d) 187 counts, including having sexual intercourse with children and with other adults in front of them. His wife, Betsy, 36, and five other adults face(d) similar charges.” [cite news | last =Smothers | first =R. | title =Child-Abuse Case Is Ordeal for a Town | language =English | publisher =New York Times | date =August 19, 1991 |url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D0CEEDE1139F93AA2575BC0A967958260 | accessdate = 2007-12-22]

Trial

The trial was originally moved from Edenton to Farmville due to local publicity. “The attention became national...May (1991) with the airing of a documentary, "Innocence Lost," on the PBS series "Frontline," which took the position that abuse of the extent alleged by the state was impossible.” cite news |last=Rosenfeld | first =M. | title =Child Abuse Conviction in Day Care Case;N.C. Man Was Subject of Sympathetic Documentary | publisher =Washington Post | date =April 23, 1992 |url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-1002268.html | accessdate = 2007-12-22]

In March 1992, “Mr. Kelly, 43 years old, (was) facing 100 charges of sexually abusing a dozen children in 1988 and 1989 at the Little Rascals Day Care Center...Originally there were 248 charges involving 22 children, but the prosecution ha(d) withdrawn many charges while Judge D. Marsh McLelland...ha(d) dismissed others.” “The assistant district attorney said, "their reactions fit the pattern of a traumatized child. They are a consistent picture that paints abuse." [cite news | last =Smothers | first =R. | title =Closing Arguments in Child-Abuse Trial | publisher =New York Times | date =March 24, 1992 | url =http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E0CE0DD1738F937A15750C0A964958260 | accessdate = 2007-12-22]

Robert Kelly

Each defendant was tried separately with Robert Kelly the first to go to trial. Testimony lasted nine months with 12 children providing descriptions of sexual and physical abuse: babies ritualistically killed, victims taken out on boats and thrown overboard, and inappropriate trips in hot air balloons. In April 1992, “Robert Kelly Jr. was convicted of 99 of 100 counts of rape and related crimes against children.” One of the mothers of the 12 children that testified against Kelly stated that she felt “overwhelming relief.” cite news | last =Mayfield | first =M. | title =Man convicted in N.C. child sex abuse case | publisher =USA TODAY | date =April 23, 1992 |url=http://www.lexisnexis.com/us/lnacademic/results/docview/docview.do?risb=21_T2751467195&format=GNBFI&sort=RELEVANCE&startDocNo=1&resultsUrlKey=29_T2751468205&cisb=22_T2751468204&treeMax=true&treeWidth=0&csi=8213&docNo=23 | accessdate = 2007-12-22] The six other defendants, including Kelly’s wife, would face trials later. The jury believed the children on the witness stand. One juror stated “the children were convincing.” Kelly and his supporters believed he was innocent. He was sentenced to 12 consecutive life terms in prison. The trial “included 83 prosecution witnesses and 60 defense witnesses.” The children had testified that Kelly had forced them to have different types of sex. The parents testified that the children exhibited abnormal behavior. “Twelve children, between the ages of 4 and 7, testified, and the results of physical and psychological tests of them were presented as evidence.”

Dawn Wilson

She turned down all plea bargains. At trial, four children testified against her. After deliberation, the jury convicted her and she was sentenced to life in prison.

Betsy Kelly

In January 1994, Betsy Kelly, had by now been in prison for two years awaiting trial. She accepted a plea of "no contest," and a sentence of seven years in prison. She served an additional year in prison and was released.

Case overturned

Six months after Betsy's release, the Appellate Court of North Carolina overturned the convictions of both Robert Kelly and Dawn Wilson, stating that there were legal errors by the prosecution. On May 23, 1997, the prosecution dropped all charges related to the Little Rascals case against the two.

The others

The charges were dropped against Shelly Stone, Darlene Harris and Robin Byrum. Byrum had by now spent one year in prison awaiting trial. After serving three years in jail, Scott Privott had his bond reduced from $1 million to $50,000, and he was released on bond. Rather than face a trial Scott Privott accepted a "no contest" plea.

References

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