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It is Sept. 1, 2015. Let's review. (Underlining added by me.)
Nov. 5, 2014:
An e-mail from NTM to the Panama MK Representatives who had travelled to Sanford,FL to meet regarding the direction the IHART investigation into Panama abuse would be taking (Note: Theresa Sidebotham participated in these meetings as part of the NTM group):
"Dear Panama MK Representatives,
On behalf of the Board, we want to thank you for the time and effort you took to visit us and share your perspectives and those of other MKs. We understand that abuse issues are a point of sorrow in your own lives, and doubly appreciate your thinking through some of this process and sharing your thoughts. We feel that all of us learned a great deal as we listened to you. Although we may not be able to follow through on all of your suggestions, we hope that this dialogue will help us better serve the NTM MK community.
Again, thank you so much, and please know that we care deeply about each of you and the course of your lives. We know that many others supported you in your time here and we are grateful for their involvement too. Thank you for your prayers as we consider the next steps in this process.
Respectfully,
For the NTM USA Executive Board,
Dan Kreider, Dan Falls and Steve Sanford"
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From NTM, November 6, 2014
To NTM MKs:
IHART Change:
As IHART has progressed with its first field reviews, it has become clear that the task is extremely complicated and time-consuming. Nevertheless, NTM USA remains committed to facilitating the investigation of these historical allegations.
Our original goals for this process have not changed. These are: to remove any abusers who may be serving with NTM USA; to give victims an avenue to tell their story; to offer a means for counseling for any victims who desire that; and to learn from the past to make our organization as safe as possible for all children. However, original plans have evolved and improved with new information and increased understanding, necessitating change in some areas.
Ms. Hendrix has enabled us to progress through the initial three and one half years of this process. Much has been accomplished and many goals reached during this time. While NTM USA appreciates her work and contributions to this effort, at this time Ms. Hendrix is stepping out of her role as IHART coordinator.
Theresa Lynn Sidebotham of Telios Law PLLC has now been appointed to the role of IHART coordinator. Ms. Sidebotham has a strong background in missions. She grew up on the mission field herself, in a Muslim urban environment in Indonesia. She has experienced home school, international school, mission boarding school, U.S. private Christian school and public school. As she and her husband spent time in the military and on the mission field, two of their four children were born overseas. She understands abuse issues and protecting children, as she both personally experienced an environment where child sexual abuse was endemic, and had to protect her own children in a similar environment.
Ms. Sidebotham currently represents children and families in special education cases and cases of governmental misconduct, as well as doing extensive child safety work with religious organizations.
We believe that having Ms. Sidebotham coordinate the IHART process is the best path forward. She will be able to provide new avenues of communication, implement current best practices standards and will further ensure the privacy of those who have entrusted their stories to IHART.
The teams currently doing investigations will be continuing their work during this transition time.
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Jan. 2015, posted by Theresa Sidebotham on the IHART website:
"Pii finished the initial part of the Panama investigation in July of 2014. The Recommendations Panel then met in October. That Panel finalized recommended outcomes for the portion of the investigation that was presented to them but unfortunately the leadership culpability portion of the Panama investigation had not yet been done.
The following month, IHART transitioned to the new IHART Coordinator, Ms. Sidebotham. She is in the process of coordinating the leadership culpability stage of the Panama investigation and also will be coordinating Statements of Findings and a Summary Report for that investigation."
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March 31, 2015, Professional Investigators International released a statement, part of which read:
While Pii was prohibited by contract and directive to not investigate leadership culpability, and concentrate only on child abuse, Pii did acquire, during its child abuse investigation, information directly relevant to leadership culpability. Pii used this information in an October 30, 2014 proposal to Ms. Sidebotham to conduct a follow-up investigation into leadership culpability. Included in this release are some of the details of that proposal:
• The names of those potentially culpable were provided.
• The role each played (dorm parent, parent, leader, etc.) was provided.
• The names of those believed to be deceased were provided, not to relieve the assignment of the culpability, but to be used in calculating the number of interviews
needed to assign culpability.
• The list of offenders with whom each potentially culpable person is/was associated was provided.
• The clarification was made that much culpability was already assignable due to direct statements obtained during the child abuse investigation.
• The list of those potentially culpable was provided.
• In Pii’s proposal, Pii anticipated completing the new Panama Leadership Culpability Investigation in 4 to 6 weeks.
In summary, Pii proposed that it would take them 4-6 weeks to conduct a leadership culpability investigation, because they already had a great deal of information upon which to build such an investigation. (All of the information gathered by Pii had been turned over to Theresa, as she required when Pii was terminated by her/NTM).
It has been 10 months since Theresa took over Pii, and 8 months since she announced that the new IHART would need to investigate leadership culpability in Panama.
Information regarding IHART's current activities has been scanty at best. The entire month of August passed without an update on the IHART website, and July's update did not say anything of substance.
I am just pointing all this out, as a review. Just in case there is still anyone in NTM or out of NTM who actually thinks there is some sort of encouraging progress being made.
The Panama MKs have waited for well over a year since Pat Hendrix informed them that IHART's investigation into Panama was complete.
Well over a year.
That is a long time. Way, way too long.
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