Holtan, who was convicted of first-degree and third-degree criminal sexual conduct, was ordered at his 2000 sentencing to serve two years at the Northeast Regional Corrections Center, register as a sex offender and meet the conditions of his probation for 15 years. Any violation of that probation could result in him being sent back to prison for more than 16 years.
He is currently the music minister at a Lutheran Church, an obvious problem. But there is another issue:
Holtan is the conductor and the executive director of the Tucson Chamber Artists, a classical music group that performs throughout the area. The TCA is comprised of all adults, although they do perform in churches and their audiences do not know that he is a sex offender.
Hence my question: Should public grant organizations give money to groups led by convicted sex offenders (who, according to news reports, may be in violation of their parole)? Should grant organizations have an “ethics clause” for leaders of organizations that receive money?
I am interested in hearing from anyone from grant organizations on the subject.
Oopsie! I forgot to register as a sex offender. For 14 years.
Eric Holtan is slowly getting exposed. From The Duluth News:
Holtan, who was convicted of first-degree and third-degree criminal sexual conduct, was ordered at his 2000 sentencing to serve two years at the Northeast Regional Corrections Center, register as a sex offender and meet the conditions of his probation for 15 years. Any violation of that probation could result in him being sent back to prison for more than 16 years.
Hmmm … well, we already know he is NOT registered as a sex offender.
Eric Holtan, Triple Threat—Conductor, Music Minister, Convicted Child Sex Offender
Convicted molester works at Tucson church
Child sex offender is music minister
Man pled guilty in 2000 to molesting girls
He did prison time and is still on probation
Now, musician heads group that performs in churches
SNAP fears he may have hurt or may be hurting AZ kids
What:
Holding childhood photos, child sex abuse victims and their supporters will pass out leaflets at a Tucson church where a convicted sex offender now works. The leaflets will warn church members about the music minister, who pled guilty in 2000 to two counts of child molestation, and urge them to
–demand his immediate removal, and
–talk to their kids about the sex offender.
When:
Sunday, November 10 at 11:15 a.m.
Where:
Outside of Dove of Peace Lutheran Church, 665 W. Roller Coaster Rd (at Oracle) in Tucson
Who:
Members and supporters of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, the nation’s largest support network for men and women abused in religious and institutional settings, including a California woman who is the group’s volunteer Western Regional Director
Why:
This week, members of SNAP learned that Eric Holtan, a music minister at Dove of Peace Lutheran Church in Tucsonchurch plead guilty in 2000 to two counts of child sexual abuse involving two girls in Duluth, Minnesota. Holtan served two years in prison and is still on probation. As a part of his probation, he is supposed to have no unsupervised contact with underage females.
Because Holtan is a child sex offender still on probation, SNAP believes his employment is a clear violation of thechild protection policies of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA). The group also fears for children at many of the churches where the Tucson Chamber Artists perform and that donors and the state may have been “duped” about Holtan’s past.
The Dove of Peace website shows photos of children engaged in music performance. As “minister of music, art and ministry” at the church, SNAP fears that he is working directly with these children.
“How did Eric Holtan pass a background check?” said Joelle Casteix, SNAP Volunteer Western Regional Director. “We don’t know how Holtan got his job or what he told his donors. We do know that he must be in violation of his probation, is breaking the policies of the ELCA, and is definitely duping the people of Tucson about the serious danger he poses. He apparently is a charismatic guy, which is a common trait of sex offenders. The public needs to know the facts: he molested girls, he pled guilty, and now he is in possible violation of his probation. What else is he lying about?”
I am super-duper excited to announce my next book project:
Raising the Armored Kid: A victim and advocate gives you the tools to help your children stay safe from sexual abuse (working title)
This easy-to-read, easy-to-use book will teach parents, caregivers and loved ones common sense strategies that will help children stay safe from child sexual abuse. I include age-specific tools to empower children—from toddlers to adults—and repel predators.
But that is only part of the book. I also explain predatory behaviors such as grooming, give insight into institutional cover-up of abuse, and show how something as simple as changing a parenting style can make the difference in your child’s safety.
Why this book?
I thought back to the more than 10+ years of conversations I have had about my work as an advocate for adult victims of child sexual abuse. The dialogue is always the same: They ask me what I do. I tell them. They ooh and ahh for a minute. Then every parent ASKS THE SAME QUESTION:
“Gosh, what can I do to make sure that it doesn’t happen to my kid?”
That’s when I realized that there is no easy-to-read “toolkit” type of book for parents when it comes to preventing child sexual abuse.There are websites here and there, but most are written by academics who have never been “in the trenches” with abuse victims. Information is difficult or impossible to find on important topics such as grooming, parenting styles, and institutional rot.
Somebody needed to write this book. But who?
Then I realized—that person is me. I am a victim with a powerful and relevant story to tell. I am a parent. I have worked with more than 1,000 victims of child sexual abuse, read the depositions of hundreds of predators, and work closely with advocates, educators and leaders in the field. I’ve been in the trenches, and it’s time for me to use that knowledge to help stop the cycle.
If you don’t need this book, you love someone who does.
