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[Artiste]

After various allegations and defenses put forth by the 3ABN Defenders, including but not limited to the following:

1)  Tommy Shelton is innocent of any charges.

2)  Bob Pickle and Gailon Joy have been the source of any troubles that Tommy Shelton, Danny Shelton, or 3ABN have had.

3)  Linda caused it all.

4)  Tommy Shelton has had some problems in the far distant past, but he reformed and everything is OK now.

5)  Tommy Shelton, being the wonderful person that he is, will now be giving Bible studies to the other prisoners while suffering patiently through his unwarranted trials, the way God would want him to.

We now are informed that the former 3ABN "Kid's Time" pianist, brother of Danny Shelton and homosexual pedophile Tommy Shelton will be spending some well deserved time in prison.

What does 3ABN have to say about this? 

[Artiste]

From a website that defends 3ABN and the Shelton family, January 19, 2012:

"It is good that this innocent man could do the Alford plea since his health is so precarious. It is too bad he must spend a few weeks in jail but the Lord will sustain him and help him...

...I can hardly wait until Tommy is freed from jail  This Alford plea is a good thing because Tommy is innocent of hurting any children...

...He knows that God had a reason for allowing this and has determined to work through the fear and depression of being incarcerated and to let himself be used of God."
 

[Alex L. Walker]

News article is now on Washington Post, but cannott post from my phone. Could someone else?

[Murcielago]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/crime/former-pastor-sentenced-after-alford-plea-on-molestation-allegations/2012/02/24/gIQAf9VfYR_story.html

[Artiste]

Former pastor sentenced after Alford plea on molestation allegations
   By Justin Jouvenal, Friday, February 24, 5:11 PM

The 30-year-old glared down from the witness stand at the former pastor accused of molesting him as a boy and demanded one thing: “I just want you to say you’re sorry — that’s it.”

The man he addressed, Tommy R. Shelton Jr., sat less than 10 feet away in a Fairfax County courtroom. Shelton, 66, stared past him in stony silence.

“You can pretend you didn’t do this, but you know you did,” said the man in the witness stand Friday. “Look at me.” And then, finally, their gazes met.

Soon after, Fairfax County Circuit Court Judge Brett A. Kassabian sentenced Shelton to six years in prison on charges stemming from allegations of molestation from the mid-’90s, when Shelton was leader of the Community Church of God in Dunn Loring.

At the time, Shelton was giving the man, then a high school freshman, piano lessons and counseling him after the deaths of his parents a number of years earlier. The man testified in May 2010 that Shelton kissed him, fondled him and performed oral sex on him. He said two assaults occurred in the church.

“He sought me out and told me he could be a counselor, a father figure,” the man testified Friday, choking back tears. “The things that were done just didn’t feel right.”

The Washington Post generally does not name victims of alleged sexual abuse.

The man was one of two to accuse Shelton of molestation in 2008.

Under a deal reached with Deputy Commonwealth’s Attorney Katherine E. Stott, Shelton agreed to enter an Alford plea on four charges in the 30-year-old’s case. Charges based on allegations brought by the second man were dropped.

In an Alford plea, a defendant does not admit guilt but recognizes that prosecutors have enough evidence to obtain a conviction.

Shelton nevertheless declared his innocence Friday before Kassabian sentenced him. “I’m sorry for any suffering he has received,” he said. “However, I still stick with my plea of not guilty.”

Defense attorneys argued Shelton should serve no time in jail because he is in poor health, had no prior criminal record and had been a loving husband and father for 40 years. Kassabian rejected that.

“The betrayal of your position of authority occurred on many levels,” Kassabian told Shelton.

The case had many twists and turns. In July 2010, Shelton reached an agreement with prosecutors to plead guilty to two felony counts of taking indecent liberties with a child under his supervision. A judge later rejected that deal because it did not put the pastor behind bars.

Stott said she agreed to the deal because the case was difficult: There was no forensic evidence or other witnesses, and Shelton was respected.

[Gregory]

Well, the system of justice, as it works in the United States, has worked.  Probably some people on both sides will be unhappy with the sentence.  Some will likely wish that the sentence had been longer.  Others will wish that it had been shorter.

Personally I was conflicted as to what the sentence might be.  But, I would not have been surprised at a longer sentence.

To those who might have wished for a longer sentence, I say:
1) Six years for a man of his age is not a picnic.
2) Conviction of a felony is not something is light.  It has its consequences.
3) Registration as a sex offender is a heavy burden to carry.
4) Life after release from prison will be different from what it is now.

As I said: Whether imperfectly or not, the system has worked and justice has been served.  TS will carry the marks of this with him for the rest of his life.

My hope for now is that healing can take place in the lives of those who have been adversely touched by him.

[Artiste]

Former pastor sentenced after Alford plea on molestation allegations
   By Justin Jouvenal, Friday, February 24, 5:11 PM

The 30-year-old glared down from the witness stand at the former pastor accused of molesting him as a boy and demanded one thing: “I just want you to say you’re sorry — that’s it.”
...

Shelton nevertheless declared his innocence Friday before Kassabian sentenced him. “I’m sorry for any suffering he has received,” he said. “However, I still stick with my plea of not guilty.”

According to this article, Tommy Shelton would not admit guilt, therefore he could not apologize to his victim.

Were the 3ABN Defenders right in claiming his innocence, or did Tommy Shelton become so hardened and depraved that he could look at his victim, who was in tears in court, and continue deny any guilt?

[horsethief]

This is sweet justice. I do hope now that the civil suit proves that Danny Shelton and the 3ABN board actively sought to cover up and shield this child rapist from the authorities. That includes Walt Thompson, Molly Steenson, Wintley Phipps and John Lomacang.

[Gregory]

Were the 3ABN Defenders right in claiming his innocence, or did Tommy Shelton become so hardened and depraved that he could look at his victim, who was in tears in court, and continue deny any guilt?

My impression, which is not based upon objective evidence, is that TS truely believes that he is not guilty of the charges made against him.  He is in denial.  How could that be?  From the standpoint of psychology, it happens.

But, what do we know?  We know two items of information:
1) By taking an Alford Plea, TS admits that the evidence against him is such that he would probably be convicted in a trial.  NOTE:  TS has acknowledged he would be convicted by legally admissable evidence.    That is a major admission even though he can continue to claim that he is not guilty.
2) In an Alford Plea the judge is required to  consider the weight of the evidence as part of the factors that determine the sentence.  Yes, the judge may have considered the plea of the attornies who represneted TS--no other criminal background, health, otherwise a good citizen, etc.  The judge probably did consider those factors along with the amount of the legally admissable evidence.  In considering the total picture, the judge decided to sentence TS to six years.  That tells me that the judge believed that the amount of the evidence was enough to have convicted in a criminal trial and to have warrented a major prison sentence.

At this point, a major question is:  How long will TS serve before he is released on parole?  The answer to that question will be based upon Virginia law.  I do not know what Virginia law says on this point.  I do know that is some States, TS would be required to serve a minimumn of 3 - 4 years before becomming eligible for consideration for parole.  Again, Virginia may have a different requirement.

However, it is very clear and I have previously cited the Virginia case law to back my statement up:  Under Virginia law, the Parole Board may consider whether or not TS has admitted his guilt.  Therefore, it is possible that if TS consinues to deny his guilt, he will not be given parole and potentially he could serve his full sentence.  No one can know what will happen.

   

[Bob Pickle]

This is sweet justice. I do hope now that the civil suit proves that Danny Shelton and the 3ABN board actively sought to cover up and shield this child rapist from the authorities. That includes Walt Thompson, Molly Steenson, Wintley Phipps and John Lomacang.

Did John Lomacang know anything about Tommy prior to our conversation, I think on September 1, 2006? He seemed to honestly not know anything about Dryden's 2003 letter. That concerned me, since he is the pastor there and they do have a church school on 3ABN's premises. To keep the pastor in the dark about a known pedophile being in the vicinity is reprehensible.

John has never been a board member, as far as I know.

[Johann]

If anyone of you have a connection with Tommy Shelton today, then wish him a Wonderful Sabbath from me. I still have fond memories of him playing at the Sabbath Service in the Nærum SDA church in Denmark. Then I rushed them from there to Malmö in Sweden back in 2003.

[Snoopy]

This is sweet justice. I do hope now that the civil suit proves that Danny Shelton and the 3ABN board actively sought to cover up and shield this child rapist from the authorities. That includes Walt Thompson, Molly Steenson, Wintley Phipps and John Lomacang.

Did John Lomacang know anything about Tommy prior to our conversation, I think on September 1, 2006? He seemed to honestly not know anything about Dryden's 2003 letter. That concerned me, since he is the pastor there and they do have a church school on 3ABN's premises. To keep the pastor in the dark about a known pedophile being in the vicinity is reprehensible.

John has never been a board member, as far as I know.

A 3ABN employee told me about Tommy's proclivities while I was volunteering there in the spring of 20006.  If the employees knew, you'd like to think the pastor knew.

[Artiste]

It sounds like the knowledge was widespread.

[Artiste]

If the knowledge was widespread, then there had to have been a cover-up.

[Murcielago]

It has come as a shock to me to hear directly from members of the Shelton family that they hope Tommy doesn't ever leave prison alive. I hope that in time everyone will be able to move on with life and let it all go. However, if one looks at the the Rodrigo Borgia family, for example, they are remembered almost 500 years later.