Whether this is a 'Criminal' violation or "just a technical violation." It is really stupid (no matter how 'smart' Galen's lawyer is in handling the legalities. Galen may not be revoked but he has behaved in ways that will make it hard for people to trust him.)

Yes good grief Galen. Seems Galen was lucky he was stopped at this point, or maybe its the boys Galen was texting who are "just lucky"?

Or to quote Galen's friend " My friends, this probation revocation stems from behavior that should have never taken place,” Gravens wrote. “The conversations presented as the state of Virginia's evidence are uncomfortable to read, and are in line with the original case that got Galen into the situation he is in today. In speaking to Galen yesterday, I asked how much of the movement he would risk to save his own skin. He replied, all of it.”

Yes, cmckee63...I agree, Good grief, Galen. For many of us who woke up one day and realized that someone we loved had betrayed our trust .. ...Apparently even Galen's close friends were warning him, and yet Galen chose to go ahead and in the process he risked the progress we have (all) made in his quest to satisfy himself.... deja vu all over again? Sad.

Galen was playing with fire and has been burned. Luckily he didn't do anything more than text, but being in the spotlight he should have avoided any communication with anyone under 18 while on parole and afterwards. Any organization that had ties with him should be severed, if not, it will appear that they condone his actions (even if not illegal). Galen was trying to be as close to the line without stepping over it, it wouldn't take much time for him to trip over that line....

I personally will not support him.

Thought as weak: I think this is a story about two people. One is Galen and he's the person the haters/ media will focus onsaying Galen's behavior 'proves their point that "once a SO always a SO."

But the person is Josh Gravens. Reading this story it is obvious that Josh Gravens (once a SO now a "Registrant") Josh did every thing we would all expect anyone of us would do to protect an underage boy. Kudos to the boy's parents and to Josh Gravens who saw the red flags and actually did something.

Gravens is the person we should all focus on. .

Agreed

Like the saying goes you play with fire your going to get burned he was told by his friends to stop doing what he was doing he refused to listen and now his facing the consequences for his actions

I am torn about this one. On one hand I am furious at him for engaging in risky behavior because he was/is a great spokesperson ...and this looks bad for all of us.

On the other hand the only reason what he did was criminal is because he is on parole and an RSO. Although an older guy texting a 16 yr old is considered suspicious by most people it is NOT criminal. It does not sound like the texts actually got sexual at all. Flirting is not sex. In other words it is criminalizing something for one person but not another - that is not right in my opinion.

Advocate2, I don't think making excuses for why this wasn't (exactly) criminal is going to fly. Sounds too much like the shucking and jiving a lot of people engage in to slide by... Galen was on Parole/ probation. Sounds like he took chances and got caught while he was grooming the 16 year old...(Thank goodness it apparently got stopped by Josh Gravens and the kid's alert mother before texting and phone calls led to more because I think, if the risky business had been ignored it certainly would have gone further. )

After someone brings up Galen, I think my own reply will be that I am/ we are deeply sorry that it seems to have come to this. That we always knew that there was a 3-5% recidivism rate but never expected that Galen would need to seek help as part of the 3-5%. Then I would go on to emphasize that this is a story of TWO men and go into Josh Given’s part and the fact that the possibility of recovery is proven by Josh Graven’s actions in joining with the boy’s parent to divert greater harm even though he and Galen were friends and Galen’s actions were in a way a betrayal of Josh and all of us in the activist movement as well. Both Josh and the mother did what we all would hope everyone would do, in spite of personal feelings, Josh saw the red flags and took action to protect a young boy, The chips will have to fall as they may.

Too many of us on Daily strength have had to come to terms with our own version of personal betrayal and recognize who our loved ones are and not who we wished they were....and then hope that if and when we see ourselves and our loved ones with 'new' eyes there will be enough recovery and hope to create a new normal we can trust. This is an old issue all of us face over and over on Daily Strength. It does not mean we join the lynch mob but recovery takes a lot of strength on every side.

http://once-fallen.blogspot.com/2016/04/weathering-storm-weve-been-here-before.html

our movement has been here before. It'll be a bit bumpy but we'll weather the storm and move on.

Thanks for the 'history" I agree entirely. We are all in this together. Victims advocates for their "perfect" victims to remain victims forever...Recovery, like advocacy is a process we all need to be engaged in an we all need to support. People raised too high have no where to get help until (maybe) they hit bottom?
Ever wonder who will be Hasert's cell mate?

Janet - you missed my point. I did not say he did not violate the law (since he WAS on probation he did) - my point was that if he was not who he was it would not be criminal - that was the point

Also, you do not know that he was grooming him at all - reading more into it then is there is do what THEY do to us ... I just do not think that way

Well then stand by Galen the next time you advocate. Did you write letters in support? What is your plan now? Wait, trash Josh and the 16 year old and his mom? I'm not trashing Galen. But I think it's sad that he didn't think that pages of him texting a 16 year old just might raise questions? Just saying...not reading anything the numerous pages of a grown man (in his 30's) who didn't have sense to avoid all this...

Here is how I look at this situation-----

It does not matter if Mr. Baughman broke the law or didn't break the law, if he did or did not violate his probation, or if he was grooming this young man or the messages were innocent.

A 30+ year old man----and especially a sex offender who works in advocacy for our movement, for God's sake----texting page after page and flirting with a 16 year old looks creepy as hell. I am pretty open minded and liberal, but it turned my stomach.

If it looks creepy to me, I cannot imagine how it will look to most folks., Most people----and men in general----cannot relate to a 30 year old man sending flirty messages to a 16 year old boy.

We have a huge population of conservatively minded, middle aged folks out here who, when reading this, will just shake their heads.

Galen used terrible judgment and I know he knew better.

Having said that, Josh Gravens, in my opinion, sort of threw Galen under the bus with all the informaton and opinions. We would have been better served if Josh had limitied his comments; if he had something to say, he should have spoken to Galen personally instead of putting it all out there for everyone to read.

Josh Gravens even hinted that Galen was not perfectly honest with the nature of his crimes. If I had a friend as close as Josh said he was to Galen, I would have been talking to Galen face-to-face instead of a reporter. Not a big thing, but it bothered me.

rewdiazepam

I think he's in deep shit. I think their going to violate him and then at the end of his sentence for the violation their going to re-evaluate him for civil commitment and he'll end up having to go to trial.
I believe he went through it already and he got out of it, and I'm pretty sure as long as he's incarcerated they can go after him again. I know in California they sure can.

Rew, from what I have read Josh did confront him about his actions and Galen brushed him off. Galen was egotistical ant felt like he could do anything and hide. I DO believe he was grooming the boy based on the few tests he sent to the 16 yr old.


To all:
I don't care if he was on or off paper, he should have never attempted to start any relationship with that boy or anyone else for that matter under 18. I have read articles from other advocates who have had first hand interactions and they have said the same.

When I first read the call for support letters I didn't write one, for 2 reasons. 1) I do not know him personally to write a letter and 2) the "Technical parole violation" was very hush-hushed. He didn't want to admit his actions (minimizing) and didn't want to face the consequences of his actions.

I feel that he needs therapy to address his issues and come to terms with his behavior and his desire to have a relationship with underage individuals.

I believe in second chances, but I Galen was given a second chance and has proven he hasn't changed, hitting the many other offenders who have.

CURE better distance themselves from him or they will find they will no longer have a following. I personally will not support any organization that will stand behind Galen, knowing full well that that he did was wrong. I'm pissed as hell!