Del. Doc Charged in Huge Child Abuse Case

(CBS/ AP)  A Delaware grand jury returned a sweeping indictment Monday against a pediatrician accused of serial molestation in what could be one of the worst child sex abuse cases in the nation's history.

The 160-page indictment returned by a Sussex County grand jury charges Dr. Earl Bradley of Lewes with 471 counts of sexual crimes against 103 children.

The parents learned of the horrors just before Christmas. Bradley was arrested after 15 years as a pediatrician in the town of Lewes, a sleepy fishing village of 3000 on the Delaware shore.

Bradley was a popular doctor with children, reports CBS News Chief Legal Correspondent Jan Crawford. A visit to his office, called Bay Bees Pediatrics, was like going to an amusement park with a Ferris wheel and a merry-go-round

Local father Donnie Nauman Jr., said, "Almost everybody knows somebody that, yeah, their kid went there."

"He wanted the kids to come to him," Nauman told CBS News. "When they said they were going to Dr. Bradley's, they were like, 'Yay! We're going to Dr. Bradley because he's got the rides.'"

Attorney General Beau Biden said all of the alleged victims, including one boy, were caught on more than 13 hours of video recordings, some dating to 1998, that were seized from Bradley's office and home.

"The charges in this indictment are unique in the history of the state of Delaware, as far as I can tell," he said.

"These were crimes committed against the most vulnerable among us - those without voices," Biden added as tears welled in his eyes and he paused to collect himself.

Police discovered an extensive videotaping system throughout Bradley's offices, in the basement and surrounding buildings. He taped the most brutal assaults when he took the children off alone, Crawford reports.

Biden said that while there have been other cases around the country involving multiple victims, "I know of no other that has this many victims."

The charges against Bradley include rape, sexual exploitation of a child, unlawful sexual contact, continual sexual abuse of a child, assault and reckless endangering.

Bradley, who was arrested in December and initially charged with 29 felony counts for allegedly abusing nine children, is being held with bail set at $2.9 million. His medical license was permanently revoked by the state Board of Medical Practice last week.

Bradley's attorney, Eugene Maurer, did not immediately return telephone messages Monday.

Authorities would not say whether they think Bradley had videotaped all of his alleged assaults or whether there may be more victims.

"I expect that we will add to this indictment with new charges over the coming months," Biden said.

He encouraged parents and victims of Bradley, "regardless of age or gender," to contact prosecutors, who have sent out about 3,100 letters to Bradley's patients and set up an office in Lewes to handle complaints and direct potential victims and their families to counseling and other services.

"I know that today's indictment will reopen painful wounds," Biden said.

Sussex County prosecutor Paula Ryan declined to say how many alleged victims seen on videotape have been identified by name, or to provide an age range. The indictment refers to each alleged victim only as "Jane Doe" or "John Doe."

For years, parents and colleagues were suspicious and complained about Bradley's behavior. One fellow pediatrician routinely called him a "pedophile," reports Crawford.

Bradley was arrested after a 2-year-old girl told her mother that the doctor hurt her in December when he took her to a basement room of his office after an exam.

The case has also shocked the central Delaware town of Milford, where Bradley closed an office in 2005 after police investigated him.

Biden and Gov. Jack Markell have ordered reviews to determine whether doctors, hospitals, state agencies or law enforcement authorities failed to comply with a state law that requires all such entities to report to the medical licensing board in writing within 30 days if they believe a doctor is or "may be" guilty of unprofessional conduct.

Biden said Monday that those investigations are aimed at determining "how this physician could lurk in our midst for as long as he did."

Officials say today's indictment isn't the end of the Bradley investigation, reports Crawford. For some parents, that's terrifying.

"I feel like telling the doctor, 'You SOB, we trusted you,'" says Nauman. "We trusted you. How could you do that?"

Nauman worries about whether his daughter is one of Bradley's victims. "I look at her when she's laying there sleeping, and just think, the poor girl. I just pray she's not one of them because she's so sweet. She's my little baby."

[nathanbawks]

If he does not know how to use it remove it!!
If he does know how to abuse them then he shall lose them!!
If he does knows how to rape then take!!
If he knows how to traumatize then he too should be INCARCERATED!!

They were little baby girls america the issue at hand makes me want to vomit in the toilet. How stupid sick and selfish that he decides to use his doctor license to prey on young girls who thought they could confide in him. How uncanny that his behavior was learned too!! i'd hate to meet his MOMMY AND DADDY!!
Let this be a wake up call to all parents out there if you don't do your own background checks then any outside force nowadays can be diverted to better grounds if we all abide by the same rule "protection". You see growin up I have a best friend who was traumatized by a 14 year old who decided to rape my best friend when she was seven years old. Too my surprise i Hopped on the sex offenders registry and "like father like son" they both had a criminal record- how twisted is this lesson? They continued to live seven doors down on the same road of course with no intention and he got 2 years probation? The rape was not vaginal- ?"at the age of seven"? he also had the ability and the tactic to ask her after what had all happened to him in court. He say's "why did you tell everybody"? I rationally as an adult with feelings had wondered how long MOMMY stayed with the idiot who taught all of this discrete irrational, traumatic, manipulating, and abuse "how long did they keep dad around?" He may be dead now but his secret was safe (the fathers)!! She is my best friend and i grew up with her now since i was 12 i'm now 33. What about Teen Suicide is he being jailed for all the therapy, all the intervention, and what do you say to a peice of crap like him that he is nothing to our society and never will be!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[sms81]

We don't need tougher laws...we need to apply the ones we have with integrity. To every person who knew and didn't fight to have him lose his license...they need to also stand trial for each child that was abused after they turned away. Your silence gives consent.

[thejoker12]

Why didn't the parents go into the office with their children? Most parents do.

[formrusmcsgt]

In a word?

Stupidity.

[formrusmcsgt]

by yaddaR February 23, 2010 8:01 AM EST
May god save the children
---
It would appear that He missed His chance...

[formrusmcsgt]

400 times, I might add.....

[yaddaR]

I find it so disturbing when i hear of things happening in this world that are so wrong it makes a person sick to the core. Teachers, Doctors, Priest and parents molesting and abusing the innocent. There are really no words to express the emotions that I feel when I hear these stories. It makes me wish that movies were real that the guilty were taken to some abandoned building and put through numerous torturous events by some crazed maniac. Sometimes I feel that we would all sleep better at night knowing a person like that were in existence and the abusers lust and sickness would turn to fear so much so they would be afraid to attempt these sickening acts. Hopefully whatever prison this coward winds up in the Prison officers will turn a blind eye to him and allow the other inmates to inflict as much bodily harm to him as possible. May god save the children

[formrusmcsgt]

by taiotoshi8602 February 23, 2010 12:37 AM EST

However, I am attorney... My point is that I have seen innocent people's careers and lives ruined by wrongful accusations.
----
You're no attorney.

How many "wrongly accused" have 13 hours of video showing the actions they are "wrongly" accused of?

Attorney my ass. You can't even read......


"caught on more than 13 hours of video recordings, some dating to 1998, that were seized from Bradley's office and home."

[taiotoshi8602]

Disclaimer: I in no way, shape or form condone these animal's behavior. In fact, I don't believe that a slow painful death is sufficient to punish them for their crime. I myself was twice a victim of molestation in my preteen and teen years.

However, I am attorney who has seen first hand many people wrongfully accused of molestation. Even today, it is not uncommon for one spouse (usually the mother) to wrongfully accuse the other of molestation to gain intial custody in a nasty divorce action. As a partner of mine use to say "when you step in a cow patty, you can wipe it off your boots but some of the stink is going to stick to you." The same is true with molestation accusations, you are guilty until proven innocent and even when you are proven innocent, many will believe that you are actually guilty and somehow escaped jail on some legal technicality.

This is such a horrendous crime that many want to punish someone for the crime and if someone is offered up (accused)the presumption of guilt is on him. Be honest with yourself, if you were a juror would you truly grant him innocent until proven guilty or would you be predisposed to guilty until proven clearly and convincingly innocent.

Again, I am in no way condoning child molestation. I am a victim myself. My point is that I have seen innocent people's careers and lives ruined by wrongful accusations.

For many years I taught Judo to kids, both boys and girls, in my off hours. I loved instilling pride and self-confidence in young minds. I eventually quit teaching out of the fear that given the close bodily contact inherent to such teaching, I might be wrongfully accused and my life and career ruined ... and that is a darn shame because I found it to a very rewarding use of my free time. Peace All

[slowfoodmama]

Do you really think this is a case of false accusation? Right.

[murmur5555]

Lewis E. Braverman MD is an endocrinologist who has been at various Harvard Hospitals, Johns Hopkins and UMass Medical Center. He was witnessed to engage in indecent A&B on all of his female patients while he was at UMass. He is a sadistic psychopath who also was emotionally abusive to children. All of these assaults occurred in front of other medical students and doctors. Patients complained about him but no one stopped him. He abused anywhere from 15K to 40K times. The UMass campus had a long history of abuse of women patients and staff members. The police have refused to investigate the crimes.

[tn31326]

Before moving away from Delaware, we lived in a development across the street from this mans office, I always thought it was a bit unusual with all the toys in the front yard.
My wife worked with him at Bay Heath center before he had his own office. She always said he was odd and kept to himself. it's about time this went national it was going on for years. The Medical community is slow to turn on their own But questions were asked at Beebe Hospital in Lewes for some time before he was caught. Maybe CBS. should look there as well !!!!!

[porcine_aviator]

"The Medical community is slow to turn on their own "

You got that right! It's an epidemic within the medical community. Most medical errors are committed by repeat offenders, and they get away with it because their colleagues will cover for them over and over again, out of either misplaced loyalty, or a fear that they too could face such an accusation someday. It's pathetic, and it's a taboo that kills an estimated 100,000 people a year in this country alone.

[betsupset]

I heard that he had been acused of this before in Pa. and when there wasn't enough envidence to go forward he was then hired at BeeBee. Even a HINT of anything he should not have been given permission to treat children in Del. OR anywhere!
You could have been in the same room with him & your child and with his back toward you who knows what he could do. Unless you have a child that has gone though something like this you REALLY don't know what a helpless feeling it gives one. Everyone has to step up and voices need to be heard!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[BettySQW]

The only way to stop these predators is to legislate and demand tougher laws. This can and WILL be done. Go to http://www.protect.org/ and find out how it's being done now!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5OmJ6DffaM

PROTECT is founded on the belief that a single-issue focus is the only way to make child protection a political priority. Like the NRA or the AARP, we know that there is strength in numbers and power in being focused exclusively on a single issue. Traditional child advocacy groups have not focused on the single issue that we care about most: protecting children from abuse, exploitation and neglect. As a result, their efforts have often been diluted and their political influence questionable.