PRESS RELEASE
Teacher Convicted of Trespass after Asking for Help Locating
Pedophile
Rockville, Maryland; May 22, 2013 – A teacher who asked
Montrose Christian School for help locating a pedophile was convicted of
trespass and sentenced to two days in jail.
In March, Maurice L. Douglas, a pedophile teacher who was
convicted of abusing children ten years ago, said on Facebook that he was back
in education. A former colleague, John
Cavanaugh-O’Keefe, began searching for him.
After six weeks of search, he visited Montrose Christian School in
Rockville, where the last recorded assaults occurred, to ask for help. The headmaster and pastor, Ken Fentress, refused,
and demanded that O’Keefe leave. Citing
the danger to children, O’Keefe pressed for prompt action. The pastor’s wife, Linda Fentress, said the
school had no information about events ten years ago, and called the police. O’Keefe was arrested, and charged with
trespass.
In court, O’Keefe offered a necessity defense: “I had a
reasonable belief that a child was in danger, later confirmed. I had exhausted legal means to protect the
child. Two options remained, as far as I
could see: one was slow while a child was in danger, and the other involved
Montrose. So I did everything I could to
persuade them to act.”
District Court Judge Jeannie Eun Kyung Cho said that the
necessity defense was like the duress defense, and that the duress defense does
not apply. She found O’Keefe guilty, and
sentenced him to two days in jail.
O’Keefe taught English at
Montrose for five years, 2001-06. The
2005 yearbook was dedicated to him. He
preached several times at Montrose Baptist Church. He is a pro-life activist; recently, he
published two books on immigration.
For more, contact: John
Cavanaugh-O’Keefe, 6510 Damascus Rd, Laytonsville, MD 20882. 301-922-4284. cavanaughokeefe@gmail.com.
[For more background, see www.protectachildin DC.blogspot.com. Among the PAGES, see the summary.]
