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Professionals to study trends in cult, satanic activityDonald Story Dale W. Griffis Ford Greene Anthony Moriarty Ken Wooden Robert J. SimandlBy PETE REYNOLDSA number of professionals, puzzled and concerned by reports that ritualistic crime is growing, will meet in Matteson later this month for a two-day conference on cults and satanic dabbling.The August 25-26 seminar, cosponsored by The Star, is designed mainly for law enforcement professionals, therapists, educators and social service organizations.It will increase awareness and understanding of ritualistic crime and its impact on youth, said state Rep. Robert Regan (R-Crete), a prime sponsor of the event.Earlier this year, Regan, known as an aggressive child protection advocate, hosted a mini-conference in his Park Forest office where a number of south suburban police chiefs discussed incidents of ritualistic crime in their communities.From that session, the idea of anSouth Suburban college’s paralegal program, the only associate degree program offered in the south suburbs and northwest Indiana, was recently endorsed by the American Bar association.Developed in the fall of 1983, the two-year program combines core requirements and high profile internship experiences to provide students with an overall background in thein-depth seminar was born.Saying the upsurge in cult activity in this area cannot be ignored, Regan said that in his legislative district alone, two youths committed suicide within the past year. He said their deaths were linked to satanic dabbling.Matteson Police Chief Donald Story, a recognized expert on ritualistic crime and cult activity will open the conference at the Matteson Holiday Inn at 9 a.m. August 25.“The phenomenon of satanic dabbling is increasingly spilling over into criminal activity,” Story said.Ritualistic animal mutilations, graffiti with a decidely demonic bent, cemetery desecrations, church vandalism and hizarre teen-age suicides have surfaced in this area during the past 18 months, police officials say.A $50 registration fee covers both days and lunches. Registration through Governors State universitygation, litigation, legal research and writing and case analysis.In addition, students can choose from specialized course electives in everything from estate planning and probate to the law of family relations.Instructors in the paralegal program are field professionals, including paralegals, lawyers and judges, providing current insight into the(one of many co-sponsors) must be completed by August 17.Arrangements to attend only one day of the conference can be made, according to Regan aide Maxine De-Santo.A presentation by Chicago Police Det. Robert J. Simandl, one of the nation’s leading law enforcement experts on crimes of the occult, will dominate most of the first day. He has developed a 16-hour program on the identification and investigation of ritualistic criminal activity.Later in the day, Ford Greene, a West coast attorney specializing in cult litigation will speak. Greene, once a cult member himself, believes that deception and coercion in the name of free exercise of religion” represents an “insidious threat to the well-being of constitutional democracy.An evening session will be conducted by Ken Wooden, an investigative reporter for ABC-TV Newsdents gaining first-hand knowledge of the field by working 15 hours a week in a supervised experience.The three-credit hour course is offered either from 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m., Tuesdays and Thursdays, or from 7 to 9 45 p.m.. Tuesdays, at the main campus. \5800 South State street, South Holland. It is also offered from 4 to 7 p.m., Wednesdays, at Oak Forest high school, 152nd and/-*—, i a.i.Wooden founded the National Coalition for Children’s Justice and the National Child Victim Computerized network. His investigative work for ABC News and the Chicago Sun-Times earned him a Pulitzer Prize nomination.His third book, Prey-Missing and Murdered Children — the result of five years of investigative work — is soon to be published.The following day's session will feature Dale Griffis, 26-year police veteran and expert on mind control cults and their effect on the objec- j tives of law enforcement.Later that morning, Patricia Pull- I ing, founder and director of BADD ! (Bothered about Dungeons and Dragons) — a leading expert on ritualistic crime as it relates to adolescents involved in occult activity, will speak on the effects of fantasy role playing and the suspected influence of heavy | metal music.The conference will end with two breakout sessions, one for police, conducted by Simandl. the other conducted by Dr Anthony Moriarty, as-is involved in helping to investigate the rising number of ritualistic crimes in the south suburbs,” said Star Publisher Norman A. Rosinski. “We broke the story in early May and feedback from the communityleaders and our readers was very positive.“By being one of the sponsors of this conference, we hope to raise awareness about this most serious problem.”CUSTOM WOOD VINYL SYSTEM RESIDENTIALCHAIN LINK $-|79 FENCE| PER LINEAL FTB 48 HIGH. 11W GAUGEincludes Cham link tebric. lop rails ima post, loop caps, tia terminal posts installation e*tra E»pert installation available Free use of tools ere deliverON ALL MATERIALS LABORDOES NOT INCLUDE SALES PACKAGE25 REGION FENCE 3 SALES, INC.Paralegal program gets ABA support
Newspaper Details
Crete Star
Crete, Illinois, US
Thu, Aug 11, 1988
Page 19
Full Page
Clipped by
Walter M.
USA 29 Nov 2023
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