Fourth alleged victim may emerge to accuse Fine
Robert Hoatson, an advocate for victims of sexual abuse, said a woman contacted him Nov. 21 and said her family member had also been affected by Bernie Fine. He has not spoken with the family member who was allegedly affected.
At press time, there was no confirmation that a fourth accuser had stepped forward and spoken with authorities.
Hoatson was in Syracuse on Nov. 21 to reach out to victims in response to Jim Boeheim’s ‘outrageous remarks’ and to provide support for possible victims of sexual abuse. After speaking on two radio programs that morning, he got a call while sitting in Faegan’s Cafe & Pub.
The call was from a woman who said ‘that her family had been affected by Bernie Fine,’ Hoatson said. She did not provide details but said it was a ‘comparable story to others,’ he said.
Hoatson said he urged the woman to contact the authorities and believes that she has now contacted the Syracuse Police Department and the district attorney’s office with the claims. Since the call, Hoatson said he has spoken with the woman about half a dozen times. He has not spoken to the potential accuser.
District Attorney William Fitzpatrick and Sgt. Tom Connellan of the Syracuse Police Department could not be reached to comment.
‘At the time, I said, ‘You might consider calling the authorities,’ and they made contact with them,’ Hoatson said.
Hoatson is the president and co-founder of Road to Recovery, a group which provides support to victims of sexual abuse, mainly by members of the clergy. Hoatson has loudly criticized Boeheim’s initial remarks that the other accusers are liars.
The family is ‘in the very early stages of trying to deal with the revelation of this,’ Hoatson said, and the woman has not said whether her family intends to go public with the allegation.
Attempts by Hoatson to reach out to Bobby Davis, Mike Lang and Zach Tomaselli have not been successful, Hoatson said. He and another member of the organization also had breakfast at the diner owned by Lang’s family on Nov. 21 in an attempt to reach out to Lang.
As Tuesday was the first basketball game since Fine’s firing, Hoatson came to Syracuse to promote awareness of sexual abuse. He stood on the corner of Waverly Avenue and South Crouse Avenue and also stood near the Carrier Dome to speak with people, he said.
Published on November 29, 2011 at 12:00 pm
