How disturbing is this

[Anthony]

I read this in the Lincoln Journal Star and was shocked to know something like this could happen. I guess the only thing one can do is to pray for this man, right?


School intruder hid in restroom
BY JOE DUGGAN and MARGARET REIST / Lincoln Journal Star

In a matter of minutes Thursday, a 27-year-old Lincoln man slipped through Arnold Elementary School’s defenses and stole the innocence of a 5-year-old boy.
Siems


On Friday, prosecutors charged Joseph A. Siems Jr. with first-degree sexual assault of a child. Siems, a former student at Arnold, told police he went to the school with the intent of committing the assault, according to court documents.

Siems is diagnosed with bipolar disorder and lives at the Bel-Air Home, an assisted-living center at 2328 A St. He is a convicted felon with a long history of offenses as a juvenile, including sexual assaults of other children, according to his family.

“He’s a really messed up person,” said his mother, Ann Siems of Lincoln. “He should have never been released from the Regional Center and he was. I love the boy very, very much, but I’m just sickened over this situation because I knew sooner or later this would probably happen again.”

Police arrested Siems at the school Thursday afternoon after he pulled down the 5-year-old’s pants in a bathroom storage area and put the boy’s genitals in his mouth, according to court documents. Judge James Foster set Siems’ bond at 10 percent of $150,000 and he remained in custody at the Lancaster County Jail.

The following account comes from police, Marilyn Moore, associate superintendent for instruction at Lincoln Public Schools, and documents filed by prosecutors in Lancaster County Court:

Siems, who does not have a car, rode a city bus to the school at 5300 W. Knight Drive. A secretary saw him come through the front doors. When he didn’t check in at the office, she followed him until he walked into the boys’ bathroom.

The secretary walked to the cafeteria, at the other end of the building, to find the school coordinator, Shannon Mitchell, who was in charge because the principal was at a funeral and the assistant principal was on the playground with students.

Mitchell immediately headed back to the office. On the way, she noticed a few children near the bathroom and water fountains and told them to get back to class.

At the office, she told staff to call 911 and issued a Code Red, which put the building on lockdown. At 1:29 p.m., they called 911.

In the meantime, the intruder stood in one of the stalls in the restroom. The kindergartner entered the bathroom and the intruder spoke to him, convincing the boy to go with him to a small supply storage area inside the restroom where the sexual assault occurred.

No one saw the boy go into the restroom. After the assault, he returned to his classroom, where he told his teacher something had happened.

“It was truly a matter of minutes before the school was in a lockdown,’’ but within those few minutes the boy was assaulted, Moore said.

After calling 911, Mitchell and the assistant principal stood outside the bathroom and tried to talk with the man, who didn’t say much. They could see there were no children inside the bathroom.

The intruder then walked out of the school. The assistant principal and a custodian followed him and talked him into returning.

The first officer arrived at the school at about 1:39 p.m. As the child reluctantly disclosed more details, additional officers and investigators came to the school.

An investigator trained in helping children victimized by sexual assault interviewed the boy and a doctor examined him, police officer Katherine Finnell said. He apparently did not suffer additional injuries and required no hospital treatment.

The school remained locked down until police left about an hour later.

“I think everybody followed the procedures as carefully and closely as they could,’’ Moore said.

Siems has no past criminal record of sexual assault as an adult, said Assistant Police Chief John Becker. Neither he nor other law enforcement officials would comment on whether Siems had a juvenile record of sexual assaults.

His mother, however, said Siems committed sexual assaults on young boys several times in the early 1990s. Ann Siems said her son was in and out of the state mental health system for those offenses and other behavioral issues.

Dr. Richard Dyer, clinic director for the Lincoln Regional Center, said confidentiality laws prevent him from discussing Siems’ medical history. He did say, however, Siems was not presently under a treatment commitment at the center.

In general, he said the law requires the regional center to seek the least-restrictive treatment for patients with mental illness. While medical staff try to protect the public from possibly violent patients, they also work to transfer patients to community settings as soon as their conditions allow.

“You’re balancing patient rights, patient freedom with public safety,” he said. “You’ve got court decisions going both ways and it’s a delicate line to walk.”

Thursday’s incident marked the second violent act against a child committed by a group home resident in the past 18 months. In April 2004, a resident of a group home on Coddington Avenue dragged a boy from a bike and stabbed him with a knife.

In November, a judge dismissed felony charges against Roger Einspahr, who is developmentally disabled, because he was incompetent to stand trial. He was committed to the state’s mental health system for supervised treatment.

Legislative changes prompted by the stabbing affected people with developmental disabilities but not those with mental illness who live in assisted-living centers, Dyer said. That’s because once the regional center discharges a person with mental illness, that person is no longer under the state’s control or custody.

And they try not to release someone who represents a threat, Dyer said.

“Predicting dangerousness is an inexact science,” he said. “What you have to go on is history. Does that mean they should be locked up forever? Can you justify that morally? Can you justify that economically?”

Reach Joe Duggan at 473-7239 or jduggan@journalstar.com. Reach Margaret Reist at 473-7226 or mreist@journalstar.com.



Also in Archives:

Parents raise concerns about Arnold assault
LPS faces questions
Suspect has long history of trouble
Parents offer suggestions to improve school security
Gas prices likely to increase before Rita strikes
School intruder hid in restroom




Copyright © 2002-2005, Lincoln Journal Star. All rights reserved. | Privacy Policy | Contact Us

[Thy Geekdom Come]

[theculturewarrior]

This sickens me, but I'm just as sickened by media coverage of the mentally ill. The untold millions of us who live rewarding, balanced lives don't make the news. Just the schizophrenic who killed his mom. It's stigmatizing.

[theculturewarrior]

Once, in confession, I told the priest that I was struggling with depression and that I was recently diagnosed with bipolar disorder. He became visibly uncomfortable for the remainder of my confession. That is the only time that has ever happened to me, but nevertheless, I'm starting to see how lagging America is in its treatment of the mentally ill. For example, it is a dogma of the Catholic Church that even the "mad" are to be baptized. I have never seen a Catholic priest at any of the hospitals I have been in, and one was Catholic! And once, I was turned away when I asked to be baptized!

In fact, in one, aside from Protestants, only Muslims visited us. And bikers.

Let me tell you all this. If you are uncomfortable dealing with somebody who is struggling with mental illness, you are just as sick as they are.

Cheers.

TCW

[theculturewarrior]

Just an added note, since St. Therese's feast day is coming. When she was sick at the age of ~ten, she gives a pretty vivid description of psychosis. Even Saints have struggled with this.

[Old_Joe]

[quote name='theculturewarrior' date='Sep 24 2005, 12:15 PM']Once, in confession, I told the priest that I was struggling with depression and that I was recently diagnosed with bipolar disorder. He became visibly uncomfortable for the remainder of my confession. That is the only time that has ever happened to me, but nevertheless, I'm starting to see how lagging America is in its treatment of the mentally ill. For example, it is a dogma of the Catholic Church that even the "mad" are to be baptized.
[right][snapback]736288[/snapback][/right]
[/quote]

Part of the problem is that people have this mentality that mentally ill people are less than human as opposed to there's something wrong with them, something that can helped if not fixed. It's depressing I know. I used to live with a guy who had bipolar. He wasn't a bad guy, but he did have some serious faults, nothing that couldn't be helped with some time, patience, prayers, and grace. On a side note, he was a convert and his faults kept my other roommate, a protestant, constantly asking me why he has allowed into the church.

If anything, this article shows that the mentally ill especially the serious cases need our prayers and charity more than anyone else. Life is incredibly difficult for them, and they can be prone to follow through with temptation, especially when the temptation stems from their illness. think of it this way, the people whose lives have become difficult because of the recent hurricanes will hopefully become better sometime in the future. The misery they are in is only temporary. However, some become desperate and resort to looting, violence, and other crimes to resolve their needs. The mentally ill live like this. In fact Retarded means hindered or held back. The more serious the illness, the more their lives become. Some of them see no other choice but to satisfy their own needs. Others seek help or are given help from other people and that makes their lives better. You see how a little charity can go a long way?

Edited September 25, 2005 by Old_Joe

[homeschoolmom]

[quote]In a matter of minutes Thursday, a 27-year-old Lincoln man slipped through Arnold Elementary School’s defenses and stole the innocence of a 5-year-old boy.
Siems
[/quote]

I can't read any further than this without litterally wanting to vomit.

[Sojourner]

[quote name='homeschoolmom' date='Sep 25 2005, 12:03 AM']I can't read any further than this without litterally wanting to vomit.
[right][snapback]736883[/snapback][/right]
[/quote]
I used to have to read court filings along these lines every day (just imagine what that does to your outlook on life) but we never included the level of detail about the specifics of abuse in news reports that I see in this one. I'm kinda surprised that the paper decided to publish as much detail as it did.

[homeschoolmom]

[quote name='Sojourner' date='Sep 25 2005, 12:08 AM']I used to have to read court filings along these lines every day (just imagine what that does to your outlook on life) but we never included the level of detail about the specifics of abuse in news reports that I see in this one. I'm kinda surprised that the paper decided to publish as much detail as it did.
[right][snapback]736891[/snapback][/right]
[/quote]
In that case, I'm glad I didn't read further

[infinitelord1]

I just wonder what this says to homosexual activists? Its OK as long as you are happy?

[Old_Joe]

I thinking about taking a job at a special ed school run by Marian Sisters. I would be working with kids with illnesses like Autism, Down's Syndrome, Aspberger's Syndrome, etc. I would be working as an after school coordinator. I'd basically be helping the nuns out between end of school and bedtime. My only concern are whether or not i'd have the energy to keep up with the kids. : In case you're wondering, I do have experience living with mentally ill people. I have a brother that's Autistic and a sister that's Mentally Retarded.

[Old_Joe]

[quote name='Sojourner' date='Sep 25 2005, 12:08 AM']I used to have to read court filings along these lines every day (just imagine what that does to your outlook on life) but we never included the level of detail about the specifics of abuse in news reports that I see in this one. I'm kinda surprised that the paper decided to publish as much detail as it did.
[right][snapback]736891[/snapback][/right]
[/quote]

It's a very liberal paper. that's why I only read the comics.

[Sojourner]

[quote name='Old_Joe' date='Sep 25 2005, 12:15 AM']It's a very liberal paper.  that's why I only read the comics.
[right][snapback]736897[/snapback][/right]
[/quote]
I can see why.

Sex abuse is one of those tricky things ... people need to know enough about it to protect their children, but knowing too much is just disturbing. If you're not careful, it's easy to slip into a place where you're pretty sure every guy is a couple steps away from being abusive.

[theculturewarrior]

[quote name='Old_Joe' date='Sep 24 2005, 11:41 PM'] Life is incredibly difficult for them[right][snapback]736855[/snapback][/right]
[/quote]

Life is no more difficult for me than anybody else. Usually people have no idea until I tell them.

[Thy Geekdom Come]

[quote name='Old_Joe' date='Sep 25 2005, 01:15 AM']It's a very liberal paper.  that's why I only read the comics.
[right][snapback]736897[/snapback][/right]
[/quote]
Yeah...college town...Pagan University...no good...