A 45 year old man with the mental capacity of a 5 year old was sexually assaulted by an inmate at the sex offender's unit at the North Dakota State Hospital. According to the victim's father, the victim, who is not a sex offender, has been living at the hospital for the past 33 years and struggling with mental illness.
The father is pleased overall with the level of care his son gets, but is concerned that his developmental disability makes him vulnerable.
“Anybody that wants to take advantage of him would find an easy time, I think,” the father said.
The Fargo Forum has more in their Offender sexually abused patient story:
Rodney Ireland, 22, who was civilly committed to the hospital as a sexually dangerous individual, admits to sexually abusing the 45-year-old man and takes full responsibility.
But he also says the assault could have been prevented. “I believe that it’s reckless for him to be here in the first place,” Ireland said. “They move him from floor to floor, but he’s still intermingling with sex offenders.”
Ireland, whom The Forum contacted through a phone in the sex offender unit, said the victim has been living with sex offenders since before he arrived at the hospital in September 2003. While the two no longer live on the same floor, the victim is still in the sex offender unit and Ireland and other sex offenders still have access to him, Ireland said.
“I pass him on a daily basis for group activities,” he said.
Alex Schweitzer, the superintendent of the hospital, cited privacy concerns for not divulging more about the situation, and did not verify whether either Ireland or the victim was currently held at the sex offender unit. Schweitzer stated that he “any issues regarding anything in regards to patient care” and that the needs of each patient are dealt with on an individual basis.
Bill Kysar, 47, a convicted sex offender also civilly committed to the State Hospital, said he has advocated on multiple occasions for the victim to be moved to a different unit because he does not feel the current environment is safe.
“If we’re so safe, then how come we’re not out in the community?” Kysar said, referring to several convicted sex offenders who have been deemed sexually dangerous individuals who are too dangerous to be among society.
When asked if there were any requests to move the victim off of the sex offender unit, Schweitzer responded, “I can’t speak about anything in terms of any particular individual on that unit.”
Kysar feels Ireland’s victim is being treated differently than other victims by remaining in an environment where he could be assaulted again by Ireland or someone else.
“They’re not going to take my victim and bring her in here and make her live around me,” Kysar said, adding that Ireland’s victim should receive the same protection.
The victim's father said that while his son is a large man who could physically take care of himself, the mental issues should warrant removal to a different unit. “I think they can find another unit for him if they try,” he said.
Ireland said that despite having taken advantage of the victim’s vulnerability and assaulting him, he now sees himself as an advocate for the victim because he is among others trying to get him removed from the unit so it does not happen again.
“It doesn’t take away from the events that have occurred, but I’m pretty sure that they could have minimized the chances of this happening if they would have moved him to a more secure, more stable environment that you don’t have the high-risk sex offenders (in),” he said.
Ireland now faces a Class A felony gross sexual imposition charge in Stutsman County for the incident, which he confessed to during an August therapy session.
Ireland told an investigator that he assaulted the victim in summer 2006 in the kitchen of one of the sex offender units and believed he took advantage of his mental condition, according to court documents. Ireland was convicted at age 12 in juvenile court in Montana of sexually assaulting a 2-year-old girl and a 6-year-old boy, according to the North Dakota Sex Offender Web site.
Both sex offenders believe the victim was sexually assaulted in the past, and could be again as long as he stays on the sex offender unit.
“It would be naive to think that a pack of wolves wouldn’t attack a wounded animal,” Ireland said.
The father is pleased overall with the level of care his son gets, but is concerned that his developmental disability makes him vulnerable.
“Anybody that wants to take advantage of him would find an easy time, I think,” the father said.
The Fargo Forum has more in their Offender sexually abused patient story:
Rodney Ireland, 22, who was civilly committed to the hospital as a sexually dangerous individual, admits to sexually abusing the 45-year-old man and takes full responsibility.
But he also says the assault could have been prevented. “I believe that it’s reckless for him to be here in the first place,” Ireland said. “They move him from floor to floor, but he’s still intermingling with sex offenders.”
Ireland, whom The Forum contacted through a phone in the sex offender unit, said the victim has been living with sex offenders since before he arrived at the hospital in September 2003. While the two no longer live on the same floor, the victim is still in the sex offender unit and Ireland and other sex offenders still have access to him, Ireland said.
“I pass him on a daily basis for group activities,” he said.
Alex Schweitzer, the superintendent of the hospital, cited privacy concerns for not divulging more about the situation, and did not verify whether either Ireland or the victim was currently held at the sex offender unit. Schweitzer stated that he “any issues regarding anything in regards to patient care” and that the needs of each patient are dealt with on an individual basis.
Bill Kysar, 47, a convicted sex offender also civilly committed to the State Hospital, said he has advocated on multiple occasions for the victim to be moved to a different unit because he does not feel the current environment is safe.
“If we’re so safe, then how come we’re not out in the community?” Kysar said, referring to several convicted sex offenders who have been deemed sexually dangerous individuals who are too dangerous to be among society.
When asked if there were any requests to move the victim off of the sex offender unit, Schweitzer responded, “I can’t speak about anything in terms of any particular individual on that unit.”
Kysar feels Ireland’s victim is being treated differently than other victims by remaining in an environment where he could be assaulted again by Ireland or someone else.
“They’re not going to take my victim and bring her in here and make her live around me,” Kysar said, adding that Ireland’s victim should receive the same protection.
The victim's father said that while his son is a large man who could physically take care of himself, the mental issues should warrant removal to a different unit. “I think they can find another unit for him if they try,” he said.
Ireland said that despite having taken advantage of the victim’s vulnerability and assaulting him, he now sees himself as an advocate for the victim because he is among others trying to get him removed from the unit so it does not happen again.
“It doesn’t take away from the events that have occurred, but I’m pretty sure that they could have minimized the chances of this happening if they would have moved him to a more secure, more stable environment that you don’t have the high-risk sex offenders (in),” he said.
Ireland now faces a Class A felony gross sexual imposition charge in Stutsman County for the incident, which he confessed to during an August therapy session.
Ireland told an investigator that he assaulted the victim in summer 2006 in the kitchen of one of the sex offender units and believed he took advantage of his mental condition, according to court documents. Ireland was convicted at age 12 in juvenile court in Montana of sexually assaulting a 2-year-old girl and a 6-year-old boy, according to the North Dakota Sex Offender Web site.
Both sex offenders believe the victim was sexually assaulted in the past, and could be again as long as he stays on the sex offender unit.
“It would be naive to think that a pack of wolves wouldn’t attack a wounded animal,” Ireland said.
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