As long as there have been ill-intentioned adults, there have been abused children. Many of those offenders are here in the Mountain State.
Retired law enforcement officer Kenneth McCord was arrested in Charleston on March 19, 2025, for exchanging sexually explicit text messages, video and photos with a 15-year-old boy.
The United States Marshal Service has McCord in custody for receiving and attempting to receive child pornography.
And former Princeton Senior High School wrestling coach Travis Francisco was arrested and charged for his alleged sexual relationship with a student-athlete he coached.
These are frightening times for our children.
“It’s truly horrifying when someone in a position — such as law enforcement, the judicial system or even political figures — misuses their power by threatening if you tell anyone you’re going to be arrested, and nobody’s going to believe you,” said Just for Kids Executive Director Dr. Deanee’ Johnson. “That’s when children remain silent.”
According to Johnson, child abusers all use the same tactics; starting with the grooming process, honing in on the child’s vulnerabilities to get closer, and isolating them.
“They may provide gifts or money or extra time with that child, building a relationship and eventually testing the waters to see how far they can go with their intended abuse, whether or not that child’s gonna tell somebody,” the executive director said.
She says the offender may interact differently with that particular child and often in the child’s eyes that’s a positive thing.
“I hear in the field, ‘That would never happen to my kid because I always have them with me.’ But the reality is that you don’t always have your child with you,” said Johnson. “Children are online and playing games oftentimes with people clear across the country or even in different countries. They can be victimized just as easily using the same tactics.”
When we think we have all we need to know about what our children are doing, the executive director says we don’t. But you can minimize the risk by paying attention to your kids: is their behavior changing, are they isolating themself or keeping secrets?
“They’re becoming more oppositional or depressed. Those are some of the things to (look out for). And most importantly, if they tell you something has happened — whether you know for a fact it has happened — the most important thing is to believe them,” she said.
As adults, we need to ensure the protection of our child’s safety and security.
“We do that by supporting them, believing them, and getting them the intervention they need,” said Johnson. “Sexually abusive images or material of children is illegal. It’s never a child’s fault for sending or receiving when it comes to adults trying to make those transfer transactions. It’s the responsibility of the adult.”
