The news reports below show that Forrest Stobbe pleaded no contest to several CSA counts in 2011, but WINGS was only made aware of the details recently. Stobbe was born and raised in meetings but WINGS understands that he was not attending meetings when he was charged.
WINGS has been told that Stobbe’s name and background information is in the workers’ folder for the local field with instructions that he is not allowed to come back to meetings ever. This information has been in that folder for years, and the instructions have not changed. WINGS has been advised that he has tried to come back multiple times and been told not to repeatedly.
WINGS Observations:
- The precedent of blocking of this perpetrator does not seem to be followed for more recent cases, where every attempt seems to be taken for convicted perpetrators to be allowed and even encouraged to attend after completing any sentence, and for alleged perpetrators to continue fellowship until convicted.
- The award of damages against the school shows that overseers and other workers could be held liable where they have failed to act properly after initial reports of abuse, especially where the perpetrator has gone on to abuse other people.
Male Teacher, 41, Gets 16 Years In Prison For Molesting Boy, 10 – CBS Los Angeles (cbsnews.com)
First published on October 6, 2011 / 4:39 PM
LOS ANGELES (CBS)—A man who taught at a Los Angeles elementary school was sentenced Thursday to 16 years in prison for molesting a 10-year-old male student.
Forrest Miles Stobbe, 41, of North Hollywood pleaded no contest last month to two counts of lewd act on a child and an amended count of continuous sexual abuse of a child under 14, Deputy District Attorney Bradley McCartt said.
Stobbe – formerly a fifth-grade teacher at Queen Anne Elementary School — sexually molested the boy during the 2008-2009 school year, according to the prosecutor.
He was arrested on Aug. 4, 2009, near his home following an investigation by the Los Angeles Police Department’s Sexually Exploited Child Unit and remained jailed since then on nearly $4 million bail.
Jury awards $6.9 million to boy molested by L.A. Unified teacher – Los Angeles Times (latimes.com)
Jury awards $6.9 million to boy molested by L.A. Unified teacher
BY HOWARD BLUME
LOS ANGELES TIMES, DEC. 19, 2012 12 AM PT
A jury has awarded $6.9 million to a 14-year-old boy who was molested by a Los Angeles Unified School District teacher when he was a fifth-grade student.
The judgment, among the largest ever awarded in a district molestation case, comes at a time when L.A. Unified faces close to 200 pending molestation and lewd conduct claims arising from another teacher’s alleged conduct at Miramonte Elementary School.
Tuesday’s jury award stems from acts committed by Forrest Stobbe, a veteran teacher at Queen Anne Place Elementary School in the Mid-Wilshire area. In September 2011, Stobbe pleaded no contest to two counts of a lewd act on a child and to continuous sexual abuse of a child younger than 14. He is currently serving a 16-year sentence in prison.
The case turned on how much responsibility the school system bore, and whether district employees should have recognized warning signs that Stobbe posed a threat to the boy. Attorneys for the school system insisted that district staff acted in a professional and appropriate manner and could not have known what Stobbe was doing.
Stobbe molested the boy beginning in October 2008, when the 10-year-old was his student, and continued to abuse him through the following July, when he was arrested.
Early in the school year, Stobbe befriended the boy, earning his trust, then began to molest him in his classroom in episodes that became more brazen and invasive. He also gave the boy numerous gifts.
Stobbe also ingratiated himself with the victim’s family, buying the boy season passes to amusement parks, where he would take the boy, then molest him before dropping him off at home.
The family appreciated the teacher’s interest so much that the boy’s father asked his son if Stobbe should become his godfather. It was then that the boy told his father of the abuse, the father testified.
The evidence against Stobbe included a jar of petroleum jelly in his school desk that tested positive for the boy’s DNA. The boy told police that Stobbe used the jelly as a lubricant for sex acts.
The plaintiffs argued that there were abundant warning signs that should have alerted Stobbe’s supervisors.
More than two years before his arrest, Stobbe was observed alone with a girl in his car. He allegedly told the principal that he had parental permission to give the student a ride, but that was never verified. He also had private lunches with students in his classroom, which was against school rules.
In another incident, an angry student pushed Stobbe down a flight of stairs, injuring the teacher. The student later declined to talk to police, who consider him another possible victim.
In November 2008, a girl in Stobbe’s class complained that the teacher was making her feel uncomfortable. Stobbe, she said, was stroking her hair, putting it into a ponytail and had once touched her buttocks.
Principal Mary Ann Hall testified that she called the police department, which advised her to handle the matter on her own — a claim the Los Angeles Police Department disputes. If police had been alerted to allegations of such contact, the department would have launched an investigation, said Det. Moses Castillo, who supervised the investigation after Stobbe’s arrest.
Hall, who has since retired, testified that she properly notified her supervisors. Attorneys for the family asserted that Hall either failed to do so, or that her supervisors failed to act on the information.
In the end, the panel of six men and six women found that L.A. Unified was 30% responsible for total damages, which they calculated at $23 million. The other 70% of the liability was assigned to Forrest Stobbe, but attorneys said they had no plans to collect from the imprisoned former educator.
Responding to the verdict, a district spokesman emphasized the district’s commitment to the safety of children.
“We take our duty to protect our students seriously and are continually looking for ways that we can strengthen our screening and reporting processes to ensure that no child is ever hurt in this way,” general counsel David Holmquist said. “Although we can’t change what happened in this case, we remain committed to doing everything in our power to promote healing and improve trust with those impacted.”
Discover more from WINGS for Truth
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
WINGS for Truth 
This should be a model and example for the people and their rulers, the so-called overseers, in the 2×2 fellowship. Their incompetence in dealing with this corruption is overwhelming to my heart. The people in secular places and offices have a much better sense of justice than those who claim to be THE people of God. How can this be so? When in Isa. God said, “I, the Lord, love justice.” It has become very clear to me that the so-called overseers are not what they claim to be. Jesus said very clearly to His disciples that the Gentiles rule over their people, but that it was not to be so among them. And if anyone wants to be the greatest, he must be as a slave. (Not the exact word, but that’s exactly what it means.) But that is not what I see happening in this fellowship. It is quite the contrary; I can only go by what I see and hear. Like the article that I read that one of the higher-up so-called overseers wrote, in there he remarked, that if an overseer tells you to do something, you must do it whether you agree or not. If that isn’t the epitome of arrogance and hypocrisy, what is? I could go on and on, but time would fail me, and what is the use since their ears are closed to any right counsel, and their conscience to the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. so be it, I give up.
Wings: Thanks for the observations.
“We take our duty to protect our students seriously and are continually looking for ways that we can strengthen our screening and reporting processes to ensure that no child is ever hurt in this way,” general counsel David Holmquist said. “Although we can’t change what happened in this case, we remain committed to doing everything in our power to promote healing and improve trust with those impacted.”
Where have we heard similar messages? The general counsel must be the same one the overseers used to draft some of their statements in the last two years. Easily recognizable is the legal mumbo-jumbo to provide every assurance and purport incredible integrity in caring about the safety of children. Same tone, same words, same intent. But just wait to send it … after a verdict has been read,….after a child has been harmed….after the light begins to pierce the decades of coverup… Such familiar fruit!
In the Old Testament, Ezra and Hezekiah were two very great men. Ezra was moved to rebuild the Temple so the COI could have a place of worship. Hezekiah rebuilt the wall around the city for protection from their enemies. Their zeal and integrity to “get it right” was impressive. Their commitment and faith in God was extraordinary. The wall was restored in short order. Wouldn’t be refreshing to see this kind of zeal and honesty in dealing with the problem at hand? (I am not advocating, as someone recently said, “I wish things would go back to the way I thought they were”.) I firmly believe that Jesus is our only hope and not a 2×2 religion pillared by exclusivity.
There must be a recognition that protection from evil and evildoers will always be required by any one of us. Even a high level study of perpetrators, their actions, how they think, changes/sacrifices they are willing to accept to get the opportunity to prey on children is astonishing. I believe thus far, most of the overseers and workers in positions of responsibility, have responded just like the general counsel in the article, where the schoolboard he was representing did not take their duty seriously. Why? They either don’t understand the danger, don’t care, don’t have the courage to act, or all three.
None of us have to wait on the workers, overseers, friends, neighbors or family to act and help protect our children.
I still carry a ton of anger; not exactly against my parents because I view them as victims along with a lot of the friends. But the workers, knowing this wasn’t the ‘only way to Heaven’ and knowing it was started by William Irvine and Andrew Abernathy and other workers and like dominos, just brainwashing all the wonderful friends we knew growing up. The Lord will surely punish those who knew the history of it and lied to the followers. The Lord will most definitely punish the predators who became workers just to have trusting-access to innocent children.
So. It’s all taken care of then? The Lord has it handled? What are we fussing with it for? Are we going to change what happened? But I’m sure He appreciates our help.
Be VIGILANT for your children’s sake! How did parents not see THIS coming? Red flags everywhere 😔.
Junior, I truly believe that The Lord expects us to use every tool we can use in this human world, such as attorneys, FBI, police, etc. I believe 100% that we should go after these evil-doers in any and every way we can; and I have done this; I’ve experienced this when a loved one of mine was molested. All I’m saying is, AFTER this world is over, AFTER the human world fails us, which it usually does (and did with my situation – too young for his testimony to be taken as evidence in a court of law – B.S. like this) – The Lord will deal with these scum.
I suspect you are right on the afterlife. HIS instructions are quite clear about our time on earth. Jesus DID appear angry at the vendors in the temple. Most other times revenge and anger were not often (if at all) part of His persona.
Hate didn’t seem to enter into him, only mercy and forgiveness. DEFINITELY not a common trait of HUMAN nature.
The soul is an individual thing, it’s what is returned to God, the way I read things.
I wish someone could help me with this but I take offense to celebrities – and even a couple of my siblings – who present themselves and their children as perfect ‘Christians’ headed for Heaven when they die. I read a short article online today from Candace Cameron Bure – how her young son read the Bible to her and her husband and helped ‘save’ their marriage. My ‘truther’ father always told me to keep myself humble and do alms in private and yet, these people with the “Jesus Loves” license plates or whatever? I mean it really irritates me. MY son reads the Bible, my son helps our neighbors and doesn’t ask for anything in return, my son does so much for me and my disabled husband but I don’t go on Facebook or Instagram and plaster it all over, and for what? I don’t get it. Does it make them feel better about themselves? Does it help convince themselves that they ARE perfect enough to get to Heaven? I just don’t need that kind of attention and so, I don’t understand those who do.
Some may feel they are fulfilling the biblical commandment of “Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven”.
For others, it may well be a form of hypocrisy, pride or insecurity.
The Light of Christ will shine through our lives as we believe in Him and trust in Him as our all in all. We don’t have to portray ourselves to everyone and tell them how, what, and all that we’re doing to make our light shine; that is just plain hypocrisy. What we need to be concerned about is to draw near to God in Christ Jesus, and He will draw near to us, as the Bible says, in James 4:8. And it is well worth the time to read all of the letter of James, he doesn’t beat around the bush, he comes right out and tells it as it is with God in Christ Jesus. And so, let us let our light shine as it will by faith in Christ Jesus our Lord, by faith, by the works of our faith.
and may it be so, that the flood waters of falsity would not drown out people’s faith. Maybe the prophets can ask for it not to rain any more. Or maybe they have, and the spiritual rain on the earth is found lacking. Has there been a request by the prophet? Special request to the angel of the everlasting gospel? Those with great faith in their association, their member ships may be walking in dry places? Or settled secure in the arc?
Or maybe it is getting stuffy in the arc? Maybe? Waiting for the flood waters to rise? How many 40’s since March 2023? Many sitting two by each, peering out the top window? Just waiting? Waiting and hoping for some rain soon? Faith in another coming of a ‘I told you so’ moment?
Maybe get 4 more windows in that arc? Maybe? Windows that would open? Maybe one to the north, one to the east, one to the west, and one to the south? Did we all know that that is where the word NEWS comes from? But somehow the people need to get a view of the lay of the land, no? The people need to watch, no? But keep the window in the top to help reconcile all what is going on around from the four side windows.
Better still maybe…have Noah (or the Noahs) put down the drawbridge. It will take some convincing I am sure. Some negotiation, because faith in the master plan is strong. It must be stifling in there after all these 40’s, no? With only a window in the top…and some resistance to open it? Put down the drawbridge, and go out into the dry desert places…and look and listen. Do a bit of watching and searching and listening. A child’s cry will be unmistakable. Have faith that if you hear a temper tantrum from some high rock, pass by on the other side of the salt bush.
And if you find a ‘dog’ without a friend, feed it. And make observation if you are being very prone to being selective on who you give a drink of water to in their thirst. It might be a test of your faith…and you never know if, or when there will be a moratorium put on rewrites. We all fall asleep on a shelf in the corner one day. The day the chief falls asleep on the shelf in the corner is not the day to finally permit a little utterance from a child. People thinking the chief(s) are immortal.
Oh how we are all prone to try to grasp spiritual things with our natural hands. Clutch your pearls if you must, and hold them close. If you must. But I have never seen one in the casket with a tight fist, holding on to anything for dear life.
Question. Is faith really faith if you do not go it alone and test it? But I do have empathy…letting go of the coattails of the tuxedos leading the way is freaking difficult. It takes some sweat and maybe some tears. And the ones wearing the ‘spiritual’ tuxes? If you are only showing a strip of white shirt out front between the lapels of your dinner jacket?…beautiful words to say ‘we’ are all sinners. But it takes balls to take your dinner jacket off and show it. Most return to needing to wear a bib one day before we fall asleep on the shelf in the corner. And the words and the mush, and the mush of the words dribbles out…and we are glad for some friendly ‘serviette’ to come along and dob our lips for us. And hope it is not the same serviette we used all our life to hide our face. Our real face. And one other thing I have not seen in the casket? Two faces. We can only go to the long home with one. Far as I can figure.
The abundance of life is now. And Noah’s (or whoever’s) arc might not be the giver. Remind me again. Why did Pharoah think it appropriate to recycle his hard heart? And recycle old falsities? Awww. The pyramid holds the clue you say! He had a scheme, did he? It all pointed to heaven, ya? But why did he want the perfectly cut stones, all fitly joined together to hide him? We will never know. That is what secrets are for. But the promises flourish. Don’t we just so love those promises that will float our boat…some day…over, and at the end of the rainbow. Now tell me…because I am confused. Why do religious people love and hate rainbows at the same time? Confusing. Oh that we the people that are actually interested in truth today would be able to discern the difference between an equivalency and a false equivalency. Because the equivalencies are giving the false equivalencies a run for their money. The equivalencies aren’t interested in the false equivalent’s money though…but rather justice for the oppressed seems to be something they are after. Just how I view it – from the cheap seats. Do you take champagne on ice? A lot of fancy sticks, but only one puck. What’s that you say bro? You think you see a second one on the ice? Well, I’ll be! I wonder which one is the right one? They both look the same! And what are those guys on the ice with the black and white tuxes doing? Now is not the time for pirouettes! Lord help my collide-a-scope eyes!
Simply put, “lead by example.” For instance, there’s this woman at work who starts work at 6 a.m. and every morning, she says “good morning” in our Webex chat to let everyone know, she’s up and working at 6 a.m. BUT – she also is ‘unavailable’ by 2:30 p.m. but doesn’t announce to all “I’m done – have a good afternoon.” UGH.