Concerns about Harold Bennett

The authors of a recent letter have decided to post it online. They state:

“Because no response has been received to the following letter from any it was addressed to, the co-signers have agreed to post it online in an effort to inform those who may be impacted, since we have no other confirmation that this information was shared to them. Since we are unaware of any criminal accusations against Harold, the lack of response may be that the behaviors do not justify informing the congregation. Unfortunately such a reactive process can only adapt to crimes that already occur rather than one of crime prevention. We believe and endeavor to help the community prevent crimes when there are reports of blatant and unabated grooming behaviors by an individual. It should also be well understood by now that people can be terribly harmed even without crossing prosecutable boundaries, which is what has occurred in the case of Harold Bennett based on survivor stories shared to Cynthia and others.”

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March 17, 2025

Dear Doyle, Jay, Darryl, and Boring Convention owners,

We are deeply concerned about a recent photo of Harold Bennett with his arm around a young man, reportedly taken two weekends ago in Oregon after a union meeting on the Boring convention grounds during a young people’s gathering. The image depicts a young man embracing Harold surrounded by many underage children, with no other adults in the picture. While we understand other adults were on the premise, the picture made public on Instagram does not show any parents present and thereby sends a message that Harold is a safe person around young people, even unsupervised. As we’ve been trained, perpetrators depend on building trust as a currency which they spend to access their victims. This image is a prime example of how this trust is built and propagated onto others.

Our concern stems from longstanding issues regarding Harold’s inappropriate interactions with boys and young men. The ministry has been aware of these issues for quite some time. Over 20 years ago, Ed Alexander expressed his concerns in a letter. In 2015, Dale Schulz had a meeting with Harold, during which he mentioned that Harold had been reprimanded previously, yet the behavior persists. We understand some of Harold’s former companions and other male workers began to voice concerns about him in the late 1990s to ‘responsible’ male workers in Oregon. Additionally, five of those former young male workers wrote to Harold and to the West Coast overseers in 2011, sharing their concerns about Harold’s behaviors once again. Additionally, Doyle, we know that you are personally aware of the dangers Harold represents, as you mentioned to Cynthia, Sheri and Lauren in 2023 that you had personally witnessed Harold’s inappropriate interactions with young men.

In 2023, Harold was finally removed from the work under intense pressure (including, as we understand, from other overseers). However, the letter explaining Harold’s removal was vague and did not effectively disclose to the friends the level of trauma Harold has inflicted on others, denying them the ability to make informed decisions for themselves and their children. Despite all their efforts, Harold’s behavior has not changed, and we have received first-hand information that his behavior is continuing to this day. The image above therefore represents problematic behaviors that have caused the extensive history of abuse in the church:

• A congregation either uninformed or ill-informed about a man with a history pf predatory conduct; and
• A failure by leadership to establish boundaries of safety that empowers the friends to enforce safe boundaries for their children and their vulnerable within the church.

We see it as imperative that those in positions of responsibility within the church must take immediate and decisive action to prevent future harm. What that looks like to us is the following:

1. Prohibiting Harold from attending gatherings where young people may be present. Ensure that the friends clearly understand this boundary is in place; and
2. Informing the community transparently about Harold’s past behaviors to ensure they are aware of the risks for their own children and young adults and take their responsibility on this matter seriously.

The young men exposed to Harold deserve to know the truth and the extent of his past behaviors, which are reliable predictors of future actions. They deserve to be aware of the risk he presents.

We understand many of the friends believe Harold’s inappropriate behavior is due to him being misunderstood, due to him being autistic. This is a false narrative that also needs to be addressed. First, autism does not prevent people from learning when their behaviors are called out as inappropriate. Secondly, if someone has a development disorder that makes them inappropriate around children and young people, the friends need to take even more care, as this means Harold’s behaviors are both uncontrolled and unpredictable.

How many more victims are you willing to risk before taking strong actions to ensure he Is not allowed near young and vulnerable people?

We look forward to your response and action on this matter

Cynthia Liles, Private Investigator	Eric and Elaine Printz
Dr. Natalie Bolin, DSW, LCSW	Phil Doland
Ben Bolin, School Psychologist	Michael Ford
Deb Rose, Retired FBI Special Agent	Arun Moran
Denice Doucette, Retired Corrections Counselor	Mike Groseth
Steve & Aimee Paddon	Ryan Jelinek
Dan Pearce	David & Bernitta Woodward
Paul Svendsen	Alissa Klenk
Tom & Debi Taylor	Calvin & Nadine Mead
Kent Forsland	Jenn Tschetter
Laura Ryan	Darren & Rhona Reid
	Mike & Tawn Thompson