92-year-old charged with molesting youths 40 years ago
BOTETOURT COUNTY – A Botetourt County grand jury returned five indictments against Guy “Tex” Ritter of Salem Monday on child molestation charges that date to incidents in 1970 and 1971.
According to Botetourt Commonwealth’s Attorney Joel Branscom, the incidents allegedly occurred at a time when Ritter, now 92, was serving at least one Lutheran church in Botetourt County.
Two alleged victims, who Branscom was not ready to identify by gender, were 11 and 12 at the time.
Branscom said the victims came to his office with their story and he referred them to the Botetourt County Sheriff’s Department.
Subsequently, investigations led to the charges that resulted in Monday’s direct indictments.
According to Roanoke College’s website, Rev. Ritter has a residence hall named after him, and he served the college as an associate professor of religion and philosophy for 27 years.
Branscom said the indictments were brought under 1970 and 1971 code sections, and that under those charges Ritter could face as much as 25 years in prison if convicted.
Ritter was arrested Tuesday afternoon in Salem, appeared before a magistrate and was released on a secured bond, Branscom said.
This is why we have to be careful about who we leave our children with. It is not the dirty homeless man trying to hitchhike to see his dying mother who we need to worry about. It is the people who usually think they are better than we are that will take advantage of you. Then
look you in the eye and tell you they are going to heaven.
for those that will comment about his age and/or when the abuse happened —- invite him to babysit your grand/children. Have him arrive early so he can eat with the kids before he entertains them then gives them a bath before he tucks them into bed. Go on, give him a call to invite him to babysit for your family. Bob
He may be 92, but his victims are already serving a life sentence for the crimes committed. Glad to see they got him, hope them imprison him the way he imprisoned those children. Editor’s note: Under Virginia law, an accused person is considered innocent until proven guilty.
Something to keep in mind-
Child predators are very cunning and manipulative. They know every trick on how to groom, threaten, lie, and put the fear of god into their victims and sometimes even their family members.
They also appear to do a lot of goods things, they can be very charismatic and you may think they would never harm a child. They have to be this way, in order to not get caught and to continue to abuse
Sexual predators are often powerful and well-loved. It would be comforting if those who preyed on the vulnerable were obvious social misfits whose appearance would somehow set off alarm bells and give us ‘the willies’ or ‘the creeps.’ They rarely do. Usually, predators are among the last people we would suspect of sexually violating others. At a party, the predator isn’t some oddball sitting alone in a corner because others feel uncomfortable with him. Most often, the predator is the guy throwing the party.
We must overcome the dangerous myth that because someone is successful or warm or caring, he or she “couldn’t have done that!
Also, we must stop thinking that because a man is old, that somehow he’s automatically “safe.” It’s just irresponsible to endanger kids by assuming an adult is “harmless” simply because he or she may be losing hair, wearing glasses, using hearing aids or walking with a cane. These can be signs of advancing age, but they are not signs that an individual is safe around kids.
It is extremely rare that a child predator has only one victim. Hopefully anyone who has knowledge or may have been harmed by Guy “Tex” Ritter, will contact the police.
Also keep in mind your silence only hurts, and by speaking up there is a chance for healing, exposing the truth, and therefore protecting others.
Judy Jones, SNAP Midwest Associate Director, 636-433-2511
snapjudy@gmail.com
(SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, is the world’s oldest and largest support group for clergy abuse victims.
SNAP was founded in 1988 and has more than 12,000 members. Despite the word “priest” in our title, we have members who were molested by religious figures of all denominations, including nuns, rabbis, bishops, and Protestant ministers and increasingly, victims who were assaulted in a wide range of institutional settings like summer camps, athletic programs, Boy Scouts, etc. Our website is SNAPnetwork.org).
I’m not as saddened by the three previous responses as I am by the possibly actions of Guy Ritter and by the people he may have damaged — but it’s close. The editor has it right: Innocent until proved guilty. We don’t like it sometimes, but that’s the way our common, constitutional and criminal law work.
To Mary Kelly, who wrote “It is the people who usually think they are better than we are.” Pr. Ritter did what the prosecutor says he did, he should be punished. But I assume you do not know Guy Ritter, or you would know that he is not the kind “who usually think they are better than we are.” Accusations of these kinds of crimes often bring out the worst, most misinformed kind of judgmentalism. I suspect the ease of dashing off an email has much to do with that.
To bob-schwiderski: I’m a parent; I assume you are. No parent with sense is going to leave a child in the care of someone he does not believe is trustworthy. Age is irrelevant. And it’s not just for the safety of the children but also for the reputation of the caregiver. But sadly we cannot all read hearts and minds. In the general sense, bob-schwiderski: A molester is not to be trusted no matter his or her age. I hope he is not saying that Guy Ritter, before the state’s judgment is rendered, is a molester.
To Kay Goodnow: We should never forget the life sentence under which victims of sex crimes (and just about any crimes) live. If the accused is found to have victimized there people when they were children, let justice be meted out. Until then, though, Guy Ritter, the same as any suspect, remains simply “accused.”
JMB
There are errata in my first post:
1. “as I am by the POSSIBLE actions …”
2. “IF Pr. Ritter did what the prosecutor says he did …”
3. “someone WHOM he does not believe is trustworthy …”
4. “In the general sense, bob-schwiderski IS CORRECT: A molester …”
5. “BUT I hope he is not saying that Guy Ritter …”
For those who have commented, do you know the victims or accused?
Don’t judge until you know facts and until proven guilty.
I would trust this man with my life and that of my son 40 years ago and also now.
Judge not least ye be judged. Like SME, I would trust this man with my life and that of my 16 year old son. I had classes with him for a year at Roanoke College and anyone who knows him will know this is nothing more than an attempted shakedown for money. Why did the ones that brought this to light wait 40 YEARS to do so? Was it because they were hurting so bad that they couldn’t deal with it? Nope. Only one of two reason, money or revenge. So sad that this great man has to be put through this; our thoughts and prayers are with him and his wonderful family. Yours should be as well.
This sounds very much like a witch hunt.
Thank you SME and bobbylen for your responses. I know this family personally and this has been horrifying to me. My father is also a minister and I realize that holding this type of position opens you up to accusations for reasons known and unknown. I can’t say what did or did not happen but I have NO reason to believe this is true. I too feel like the allegations are suspect. Before you judge Rev Ritter, please understand that no one knows the full story and you should not jump to any conclusions until that is shared. And yes, should he be able to watch children at his age, I would let my children be alone with him.
First, quite frankly, the law may say innocent until proven guilty; however, our society usually chooses to convict a person and never hears if proven innocent. Secondly, after 40 years…..really…..and you are just now discovering there’s a problem! Maybe counseling will help, but I don’t see where putting away a 92 year old man and destroying his friends and family emotionally make things right for you.
More importantly…..what has happened to the word “forgiveness”….if he did something and has been forgiven by God then I hope his strength and faith will carry him thru. If he did not commit these crimes, then I hope those who comment and convict others before they know the truth and place judgement, will seriously consider asking forgiveness for themselves. It’s just hard for me to believe that those who are so righteous and convict others are so totally sin free themselves!
Let’s see, wait until the accused is too old to fight back, until it’s been so long that the allegations cannot possibly be refuted, until you possibly have ulterior motives to make the allegations, until your memories of what happened have possibly been embellished by your imagination. Yes, that’s really a good idea if you only wish to ruin an old man’s life instead of giving him a chance to refute your allegations. Shame on you. If this happened you should have done something years ago, not when an old confused man has no chance. Do you really want to put a 92 yr. old in jail???
I know the accused and victims. I am so proud of them for coming forward.
His actions were not towards me, but they were towards someone in my family. They have had ripple down effects on my life. Others in my family as well.
Unbelieving… really? Better late than never. Let him rot in jail until he dies and burns.
Discouraged, so God will forgive you for child abuse? I’m thinking more along burning in hell.
SME, I do know him and victims. Its true.
Shockedandsaddened, I sure hope you wouldn’t leave your sons with him.
Knowthetruth, so do I. Its no witch hunt. Its someone’s dirty past finally catching up to him.
Bobbylen, so what you are saying is that you want your 16 yr old molested by a 92 year old man?
Kaygoodnow, you are right. So, so very right.
I wish I could say more to prove how I “know”, but this is a dirty local secret. Its impacted a lot of people. Many will never come forward for fear of how they will be judged and for having to relive what happened to them. So proud of those who have. They are an inspiration for victims everywhere.
God only knows the whole story, but so do the alleged victims. I don’t know how this has turned out since June, but I am very skeptical of any type of sexual abuse by Reverend Tex Ritter, and I am very suspicious of the real motive behind the prosecution and the victims coming forward. I know and have known Tex Ritter and he is not, and has never been this sick kind of person. He has too many friends that would have known about any type of sexual deviancy that he had, and a man should be judged by the people he calls his friends, and in a court of law that gives him due process.
Past financial matters, hard feelings over property or land, it should all be exposed to determine the motive of the alleged victims, considering the nature and friends that this man has and the positive impact he has had on hundreds if not thousands of people.
For anyone who wonders why people don’t speak up or bring charges years after the fact, I can tell you from personal experience. There are many factors including age, shame, embarrassment, fear of not being believed, and fear of being ridiculed, just to name a few. The molestation I endured started when I was a baby and went on until I was in second grade in school. The molester spoketo me with words to describe what she was doing to me that other adults wouldn’t recognize as molestation when I tried to tell what was happening to me. For years and years after I was an adult, and even after having been married twice with three children, I couldn’t even hear other people use the words she used, but in their proper context, without turning red and feeling embarrassed, scared, and ashamed. To this day, I can’t look at certain, plain, ordinary household implements without rubber-banding back to the abuse inflicted on me and wondering if they have the same affect on my little sister.
If that man did what he’s accused of doing, bravo to the children he molested for bringing it to light. I’m 55 years old and have lived with what my molester did to me as long as I can remember. Airing the abuse publically will only serve to cleanse the molested child and release them from the emotional pain and baggage that was heaped on them without their consent or understanding and give ownership back to the person to whom it really belongs–the child molester, pedophile, pervert that has slinked through society freely and without the issues he heaped on those he molested.
What has been the outcome of this case? To date, I’ve not found anything else about it. Can’t someone do a follow-up?
The judge is currently studying the accused’s ability to stand trial and assist with his own defense, as his defense attorneys have presented evidence he has serious dementia.