From Channel 3 News comes this very disturbing report:
Allegations of Child Porn Cover Up at Holyoke Library
http://www.cbs3springfield.com/news/local/49743542.html/
By Matthew Campbell
Story Published: Jul 2, 2009 at 11:07 PM EDT
Story Updated: Jul 2, 2009 at 11:13 PM EDT
An assistant librarian blew the whistle on a patron who is accused of downloading child porn. But she didn't stop there. She speaks out against the higher-ups who, she says, tried to sweep the incident under the rug.
It was a December day at the Holyoke Library. Patrons were using the computer, until raw pornographic images pop up.
But the centerfold on the screen was a toddler.
"They were very sexually explicit photographs of a little girl, probably 3 or 4 years old. You couldn't see his face, but you could clearly see hers. It was almost like she was looking right at you," Wessels says.
Shocked, and staring back at the girl on the screen, were the patron, the assistant library director, and her boss, director, Maria Pagan.
"She thought by restarting the computer, that would take care of it," Wessels says.
Assistant Library Director, Carla Wessels, alleges her boss tried to delete the images and keep the incident quiet, by not reporting it.
"She kept saying over and over, the police are going to want to know a name. And she told me to just relax," Wessels says.
But Wessels couldn't. The images haunted the 5 year librarian.
"When I went home, Friday night after work, I was still really affected. All day through work all I could see were those images," Wessels says.
And that's when she decided to blow the whistle. It was 3 days later on a Monday morning.
"First thing when I got in, in the morning, I went into her office, and said pretty much the same thing when I called her Friday night. And she gave me the same response that the police are going to want to know a name and she even brought up the Patriot Act saying that as a library, we need to keep patrons names and addresses confidential," Wessels says.
Fearing the incident would never be reported, Wessels called police. Holyoke's Cyber Crimes unit seized the computer.
Hours later, the images Maria deleted were resurrected. The photos were brought back to life and the man who allegedly surfed for them was identified.
29 year old Michael Houle, who lives a block away from the library and the elementary school across the street, was arraigned on multiple counts of child pornography possession.
"I'm just trying to do what's right and to have people in the higher lever of authority than me not want to be on my side or tell me I did the right thing, is sad," Wessels says.
So CBS 3 went to the people in power, visiting Maria Pagan at her home, and Chairwoman of the Board, Ellen Moriarty.
After repeated attempts, CBS 3 caught up with Pagan at the library.
"What about the allegations that you told the librarians not to do anything about it," we asked.
"That's what they're saying, I'm not going to say either way," Pagan says.
The Library Director still would not admit timing was an issue.
"The police was called, right," Pagan says. "The person was caught, so time doesn't matter," she states.
But Police Chief Anthony Scott says timing is everything.
"If they deleted files, it would've caused problems, but because of the actions of the assistant librarian, we were able to get the info and secure the computer," Scott says.
But when asked by CBS 3, Pagan is still unsure police involvement was the right thing to do.
"Did you follow the manual that day," we asked.
"Didn't even think of doing it," Pagan states.
"Why not," we respond.
"It was just a reaction," she says.
"Do you regret not calling police earlier," we ask.
"Probably, probably," Pagan says, shrugging us off.
After the incident, the library conducted it's own investigation. The results aren't public, because under city law, drafted in the 1900s, the library is treated as a private organization.
"The library is separate. It's run by a board of trustees," confirms Holyoke Mayor Michael Sullivan.
We ask Pagan more questions.
"Is child safety or the reputation of the library more important?"
"Child safety," she responds.
"Then why didn't you call police as soon as you saw those pictures," we ask.
"It was probably a reaction. That's just it," Pagan says.
But Wessels is afraid it won't be the last time, she'll be calling police.
"I think it could easily happen again," Wessels says.
Our investigation discovered no changes at the library. Sex offender posters are not put up. There are no new firewalls in the library computers, nor are there any new policies for dealing with illegal activities.
Re-Elect Holyoke's Fiscal Watchdog!
