Ex-hospital director guilty of sex abuse

Criminal Law

A former California state mental hospital director was found guilty Thursday of sexually abusing his adopted son in what prosecutors contend was a pattern of preying on young boys that spanned four decades.

A Superior Court jury convicted 63-year-old Claude Foulk of 31 of 35 counts of sex crimes, including lewd and lascivious acts on a child and sodomy by use of force.

Foulk did not show any reaction as the verdict was read.

He was found guilty of 20 counts of forcible oral copulation, nine counts of sodomy and two counts of lewd acts. He was found not guilty of two counts of sodomy and two counts of oral copulation, charges that were alleged to have happened after the son turned 18.

Prosecutors say another 11 men also came forward to claim Foulk molested them as children dating back to 1965, but only the son's case could be prosecuted because of the statute of limitations.

Foulk was fired from his post at Napa State Hospital after his arrest last year.

He could face a maximum sentence of up to 248 years in prison when he is sentenced Feb. 23.

During an emotional weeklong trial, five now-grown men testified that Foulk abused them for years. They claimed the man they knew as an uncle and foster father bought them pizza and took them to a mountain cabin before forcing them to engage in sex acts.

One of Foulk's two adopted sons told jurors Foulk abused him from the time he was 9 until he was 21, telling him it was how a man shows love.


Related listings

  • Arrest made in $1.5M Bellagio casino chip heist

    Arrest made in $1.5M Bellagio casino chip heist

    Criminal Law 02/03/2011

    Police have arrested a 29-year-old Las Vegas man in a brazen armed robbery of $1.5 million in casino chips from the posh Bellagio resort on the Las Vegas Strip.Anthony M. Carleo was being held Thursday at the Clark County jail pending a Friday court ...

  • Colo. pot grower to be sentenced in federal court

    Colo. pot grower to be sentenced in federal court

    Criminal Law 01/28/2011

    A suburban Denver pot grower who tried to use state medical marijuana law in his defense is due to be sentenced in federal court.Christopher Bartkowicz is scheduled to appear in court Friday. Judge Phillip Brimer must decide whether to accept the fiv...

  • NY man pleads guilty in attack on estranged wife

    NY man pleads guilty in attack on estranged wife

    Criminal Law 01/27/2011

    A 59-year-old New York man has pleaded guilty to slashing his wife's neck during an attack that ended with him being dragged underneath her car.The Democrat and Chronicle of Rochester reports that John Gilbert pleaded guilty Wednesday in Ontario Coun...

Is Now the Time to Really Call a Special Education Lawyer?

IDEA, FAPE, CHILD FIND and IEPs: The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) guarantees all children with disabilities to a free appropriate public education (FAPE). FAPE starts with a school’s responsibility to identify that a child has a disability (Child Find) and create an Individualized Education Program (IEP) to suit the needs of the child.

Forte Law Group is one of only a very few law firms within the state of Connecticut that is dedicated to exclusively representing families and children with special needs.

Parents need to be persistent, dedicated and above all else aware of the many services and accommodations that their child is entitled to under the law. As early as this point within your child’s special education, many parents will often find themselves in the situation asking, “is now the time to really call a special education lawyer?” Here are a few things to consider when asking yourself that question.

Business News

St Peters, MO Professional License Attorney Attorney John Lynch has been the go-to choice for many professionals facing administrative sanction. >> read