Monday, May 12, 2008

EASTON TOWN OFFICIALS STILL WON'T BUDGE

ANOTHER WIERD CLOSED EXECUTIVE MEETING IN THE TOWN OF EASTON OFFICIALS HEADQUARTERS RESULTS IN STILL HONORING PEDOPHILE TOTH
Powel: 'I've just begun'Man plans to pursue renaming Toth Park

Deanna Holgerson, Editor
September 01, 2004

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Michael Powel's fight to change the name of Toth Park is not over.
The Florida resident, who alleges that the late Stephen P. "Skipper" Toth molested him years ago, vowed Monday to continue pursuing his efforts to convince town officials to rename the park, even though the Board of Selectmen and the town's Parks and Recreation Commission agreed at a joint meeting last week to leave the name as it is.

"Changing the name of the park is admitting that Stephen Toth is a sexual predator," said Powel, who claims that Toth molested him on several occasions in the late 1960s and early 1970s. "But not renaming the park is setting a bad precedent for the children of Easton."Easton officials maintain that the issue is not over, and they will leave the option in case anyone else wishes to come forward.First Selectman William Kupinse said no new evidence has surfaced since July, and that both boards reached a consensus during the joint meeting Aug. 25 not to rename Toth Park at this time. The joint meeting took place in executive session."We didn't feel in a position to make a decision about the accuracy of the allegations at this time," Kupinse said. "Toth Park had been named for somebody who did a lot of good for the community. Back then, nobody was aware of a possible darker side to him."At this point, we agreed not to rename the park but to leave the issue open in case someone wants to bring it to the board's attention," he said.Selectman Robert Lessler agreed that when Easton officials named the park after Toth 20 years ago, there were no allegations of sexual misconduct involving children against him."The park was named for the good work that Stephen Toth did," Lessler said. "We can't prove or disprove the allegations against him now. However the issue will remain open."Lessler said many residents who knew Toth have written to the selectmen or told them directly that they never had a problem with Toth."That is not inconsistent with what sexual predators do," Lessler said. "They don't molest every child they come in contact with. However, it also doesn't prove or disprove the allegations against Toth."Powel said he has no intention of letting the issue die, although he stopped short of saying that he plans to bring the town to court over it."I have strength in numbers, and I have a lot of people who are willing to stand with me and back me up," Powel said. "One hundred years from now, it's not going to matter how much money I made or what kind of car I drove or what kind of house I live in. But if I helped a child in any way, especially in the subject that we are dealing with, then I have paid my debt to society."Powel said several national organizations are willing to back him up in his efforts to change the park's name. Some of the organizations he cited are: the National Center for Victims of Crime, the National Victims Advocacy and Research Group, Mothers Against Sexual Abuse, National Justice for Children, the Marilyn Van DeBerg Institute, Survivors First, SNAP, and Bikers Against Child Abuse."I've just begun to fight," Powel said. "They haven't heard the last from me."The park in question originally was called Easton Park. It was renamed after Toth died in 1985 to honor the volunteer work he did in town with the Boy Scouts, Little League, Notre Dame Catholic Church and the Parks and Recreation Commission. Toth owned the school bus company, Toth Transportation, never married, and lived on Sport Hill Road.Since Powel first came before town officials with his allegations about Toth, four other individuals have stepped forward. In April, Powel told the Parks and Recreation Commission in a private session that Toth molested him when he was a child. At that same meeting, retired Easton police Lt. Les Eckert recounted an incident when he was a teenager and Toth allegedly tried to tie him up.At the time, Powel asked the Parks and Recreation Commission to change the name of Toth Park back to Easton Park. The commission tabled the request.In May, another man spoke to the Board of Selectmen - again in a private session - about his own allegations of sexual abuse against Toth. The man, a Vermont resident who once lived in Easton, claims that he knew Toth as a bus driver and a Boy Scout leader. He wrote that Toth would drive him home from scout meetings. When he was alone with Toth in the car, he wrote, Toth would pull the car over, put him in a headlock, and push the boy's face into his crotch.In July, Helen McGonigle, Powel's attorney, presented written statements from the two latest accusers at a Parks and Recreation Commission meeting. One statement was from an attorney in Louisiana who grew up in Easton, recounting an incident involving him and a friend in the late 1960s at Toth's home. The attorney wrote that Toth tried to grab them and allegedly stuck his hand down the other boy's pants.A Florida woman also wrote to McGonigle that she worked for Toth in his office when she was 15 and 16 years old. She said Toth threatened her with tickling and tying her up.Like Powel and Eckert, the other three people have requested that Easton officials take their accounts into consideration and rename the park.Powel, who suffers from a brain tumor, first reported the alleged sexual molestation in 2000. He also is suing Bridgeport resident Carlo D Fabbozzi, a business partner of Toth's, based on accusations that Fabozzi also molested him.A Bridgeport Superior Court judge determined June 2 that Powel produced sufficient evidence to warrant a finding of "probable cause" in his civil case against Fabbozzi. This finding was based upon Powel's testimony, supported by only one other victim of child sexual abuse. The trial is set for March 2005.
©Easton Courier 2008

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