Little Rascals Day Care Center
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The Little Rascals Day Care Center was in Edenton, North Carolina and was involved in day care sexual abuse hysteria.
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[edit] Accusation
The Little Rascals Day Care Center was run by Bob Kelly and his wife, Betsey. In April of 1989 Bob was arrested and charged with child sexual abuse. Betsey was arrested in September of 1989, along with five others: Scott Privott, the owner of a video store and personal friend of Bob 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.
[edit] Trial
[edit] Bob Kelly
Each defendant was tried separately with Bob 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. After a three-weeks of jury deliberation, Kelly was found guilty on 99 out of 100 counts. He was sentenced to 12 consecutive life terms in prison.
[edit] Dawn Wilson
She turned down all plea bargains and at trial, four children testified against her, and she was convicted and sentenced to life in prison.
[edit] Betsey Kelly
In January of 1994, Betsey 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.
[edit] Case overturned
Six months after Betsey's release, the Appellate Court of North Carolina overturned the convictions of both Bob 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.
[edit] 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.
[edit] Reference
- New York Times; April 23, 1992; Day-Care Owner Is Convicted of Child Molesting. The longest and costliest criminal trial ever held in North Carolina ended today when the owner of a day-care center was convicted on 99 of 100 charges of sexually abusing 12 children there. After 14 days of deliberating, a Pitt County Superior Court jury found the 44-year-old defendant, Robert F. Kelly Jr., guilty of 4 counts of rape, 46 of taking indecent liberties, 36 of first-degree sexual offense and 13 crimes against nature. He was acquitted only of a single charge of taking indecent liberties with one of the 12 children.
