Dr. Earl B. Bradley was treating a 2-year-old

[Dakota Valkyrie]

Delaware State Police said a Lewes pediatrician is facing charges after being accused of raping a 2-year-old girl.

Fifty-six-year-old Dr. Earl B. Bradley, who operates Baybee Pediatrics on Coastal Highway in Lewes, was arrested Wednesday morning on the charges of second-degree rape, first-degree unlawful sexual contact and endangering the welfare of a child. All three are felonies.

Police said Bradley has been the focus of a year-long investigation by detectives involving multiple victims. Investigators said the recent charges against Bradley stemmed from an incident that allegedly took place between late October and early December of this year, and involved a 2-year-old girl.
[...]

Troop 4 detectives took Bradley into custody at his home early Wednesday morning. Detectives also conducted a search warrant at Bradley's medical office. According to police, detectives removed several computers and medical files from Bradley's office while conducting the search warrant.

Guarini said the year-long investigation has led police to other possible-victims and Bradley could face additional charges depending on the outcome of the investigations.

http://www.wboc.com/Global/story.asp?S=11686360

How the hell could this happen? I never left a kid alone with a doctor... especially not a 2-year old.

[MC30]

oh good god!

[peoplesuck]

Wow-I'm also curious how this could happen. I've got three girls and the oldest is 12. I've never, ever left any of them alone period, let alone when they are under the care of a doctor. Nor has any doctor requested to be alone with them.

How would he even have the time or access to do such a thing? Maybe she was hospitalized? That's the only way I can even imagine it.

[MC30]

the focus of a year-long investigation

it pisses me off to no end that even if they thought it was happening they waited a year.....//////
so it took them a year to get evidence against this guy? are they setting him up?


no really, ligit question. this one has me all confuzzled.

[TheDepressor]

I'm sorry if this comes across as sounding sexist because it is truly not my intention, but IMO, I believe that all male dr's, whether pediatricians, gyno, etc, should NEVER be alone with a female patient or any gender if it's a child. There should always be a nurse in the room with them. I don't know if it's mandatory or not because I've never looked into it, but my gyno is male and follows this. There is ALWAYS a female nurse present in the room, and not just during a pap. Ok, I'll retract the male dr so I don't sound sexist and just say all dr's.

[MC30]

I'm sorry if this comes across as sounding sexist because it is truly not my intention, but IMO, I believe that all male dr's, whether pediatricians, gyno, etc, should NEVER be alone with a female patient or any gender if it's a child. There should always be a nurse in the room with them. I don't know if it's mandatory or not because I've never looked into it, but my gyno is male and follows this. There is ALWAYS a female nurse present in the room, and not just during a pap. Ok, I'll retract the male dr so I don't sound sexist and just say all dr's.

all dr's should. and yes you sound sexist. but i don't care, and yes i agree.

[everhopeful]

Ok, I'll retract the male dr so I don't sound sexist and just say all dr's.

Honestly, I think this is a good policy to take.... Assuming the other person is trustworthy. But if I had kids, I wouldn't be leaving them alone with my doctor, and I've had the same doctor since I was a little girl.

[TheDepressor]

Honestly, I think this is a good policy to take.... Assuming the other person is trustworthy. But if I had kids, I wouldn't be leaving them alone with my doctor, and I've had the same doctor since I was a little girl.

Oh, I agree! I would never leave my kids. That's why I'm so curious as to how he had such access. My older son was hospitalized once as a toddler for an illness and I never left his side. I even slept over night with him. But, I know that's not possible for every parent to do. But, even if the child(ren) were in the hospital when he assaulted them, where were all the nurses and hospital staff? Visitors walking around? Even if it was the middle of the night and there were no visitors, there's still nurses, orderlies, etc. I just don't get how this scumbag was able to accomplish it...more than once!

[MC30]

it happens. if i find out it was all BS i will be so stoked. but i can't be so sad when i find out its real. btw i didn't mean it would make me sad as much as i wouldn't be suprised.


blah

[crickett]

I presume perhaps that:
The parent(s) were gullible
He asked them to leave the room during the "examination

I just can't figure out any other way.
Some people would leave because they still see a doctor as an authority figure. If he asked them, they would leave the room. Personally, I would think it odd if a pediatrician had ever asked me to leave the room while they "examined" my child. Most medical professionals want parent to stay with the child.

[Silvahalo]

Investigators said the recent charges against Bradley stemmed from an incident that allegedly took place between late October and early December of this year, and involved a 2-year-old girl.

What his dick fell out and.......well, you know, just sounds odd.

NEVER would I leave my child alone with a male OR female doctor. I want to know at all times what is being checked and examined. Kids are like pets in this regard, you must watch them around people all the time. Just a simple rule I follow.

I hope this dick weed gets his junk examined and, oop!......an accident.

[Dakota Valkyrie]

Detectives began investigating Bradley after complaints to state police, Guarini said. He said police did not arrest Bradley sooner because they did not have evidence until the current complaint surfaced.
[...]

According to court documents, in an interview with the Children’s Advocacy Center, the victim, three months shy of her third birthday, went to visit Bradley’s office Dec. 7 for a checkup on a condition she has had since birth. Bradley examined the victim with her mother in the room. After the examination, Bradley carried the victim out of the room. Her mother stayed in the examination room because she trusted Bradley as her child’s doctor.

Bradley took the victim to a toy room in the basement of the office, something he often did to allow children to get a toy or candy after an examination. The two returned to the examination room two minutes later, and then headed back down to the basement, according to court documents. When they returned, the child had candy.

After lunch with her mother, the victim told her mother Bradley had hurt her while in the basement. The mother called the father, who said his daughter had complained of the same thing after being examined by Bradley Oct. 28.
[...]

http://www.capegazette.com/storiescu...bradley18.html

[TDH]

disgusting.

[everhopeful]

So, wait, he took the kid out of the room for a couple of minutes to the toy chest, brought her back to the mother, then took her BACK to the toy chest a second time?

[Silvahalo]

Our pediatrician always brings the toy basket to the office after the examination. What a sick weirdo, takes baby down to the basement....I don't think so. Poor little one.

[myra manes]

Say to Bubba, pedo freak ..

[vipjohnson]

I left a glowing review for the doctor. jk

[Dakota Valkyrie]

Police received complaints from the parents of at least two other children who were patients of Dr. Earl B. Bradley before allegations from a third this month led officers to move in and file rape charges against the Lewes pediatrician.

Investigators actively looked into the two earlier allegations but found there was not enough evidence to support any criminal charges or even request a search warrant, said state police Cpl. Thomas Guarini.
[...]

Guarini said the matter was not dropped, even though police felt they had hit dead ends. When allegations came from the parents of a 2-year-old girl against the 56-year-old Bradley, investigators late Tuesday filed charges of second-degree rape, unlawful sexual contact with a child and child endangerment. They also followed up with a search warrant that in part was designed to substantiate or disprove the two earlier allegations.

Guarini stressed Thursday that in a Wednesday search of Bradley's BayBees Pediatrics office, police took only the medical records of patients involved in the case.
[...]

In general, Biden acknowledged such cases can be problematic because the children involved may be unaware they are victims and may be unable to clearly articulate what happened. "They are voiceless oftentimes," Biden said. And protective parents may not want their child "to have to relive it and be re-victimized during the process of prosecution."

Legal experts said child sexual-abuse cases present challenges because of the potentially explosive and scandalous nature of such criminal charges and because of the unique legal and practical considerations involved in dealing with a child victim.

Even if a child can manage to state what happened, there could be difficulties in having a child's testimony admitted at trial, said Widener Law School Associate Professor Jules Epstein. Some courts do not recognize a child under 3 as competent to testify, he said.

And if it is allowed, the court is presented with the challenge of how to deal with the right of the accused to confront or cross-examine a child while providing a measure of protection for a vulnerable victim, he said.

To get around these issues, a prosecutor might turn to the physical evidence, Epstein said. "The more physical evidence, the greater the ability to prosecute," he said.

But attorney Donald Roberts, who prosecuted sex crimes for 12 of his 15 years with the Delaware Attorney General's Office, said in child sexual-abuse cases, "there is seldom any physical evidence to substantiate a claim."

This leaves police and prosecutors back where they started, with the statements of a child and their parents.

One way state law enforcement deals with this is by having children interviewed at the Children's Advocacy Center of Delaware by a trained interviewer, who is careful to avoid "tainting" a child's description of events. Those interviews are generally recorded, providing first-person testimony from a child that could be used at trial in certain circumstances.

Roberts, who said he did not know specifics of the Bradley case, said the information from that interview has to be "clear cut" for police and prosecutors to act -- and indicate that a crime occurred, not just a misunderstanding.

Deputy Attorney General Patricia Dailey Lewis said those interviews, in general, often provide a framework for police and prosecutors and sometimes, when they are shown to the accused, lead to confessions.

Roberts also said that police and prosecutors are well aware of the potentially explosive nature of charging someone with a sex crime against a child, particularly if it is someone with standing in the community such as a pediatrician.

Law enforcement does not want to move hastily, Roberts said. In other words, police and prosecutors want to make sure they have a solid case -- that they believe will lead to a conviction, not just a day of headlines -- before they act.

"Timing is very important," Roberts said, and police and prosecutors, "are going to tread carefully," while at the same time moving quickly to protect others from potential abuse.

Roberts added it would be inappropriate, and possibly lead to a civil harassment lawsuit against the police, if law enforcement attempted to do anything before charges were filed that could have put parents or the doctor on notice that complaints were being investigated.

Such a move also could ruin whatever case investigators were developing, he said.

http://www.delawareonline.com/articl...lice-to-doctor

[lundwall1]

Call me sexist I don't care, but if I have a choice I DO NOT go to a male doctor. They are not a woman and have NO CLUE what it is like to be a woman - especially an OB. I would NEVER EVER let a doctor be alone in the room with my little girl - especially a male doctor, and they are certainly NOT taking her out of the room without me. I just don't trust them at all. I am in NYC and here to go to a male OB a nurse is SUPPOSE to be present at all times during the examination. And if I feel a doctor is unprofessional and improper in anyway with me (let alone if I had a 2 year old) I would have NO PROBLEM telling the doctor so. They work FOR ME -I AM PAYING THEM, it's NOT the other way around. Some people trust doctors too much as if they are Gods and know EVERYTHING and that all their choices are correct and not to be questioned - like letting them take your 2 year old daughter out of the room without you - no fucking way for for me. That poor little girl he is accused of raping and any other victims out there - he needs to be castrated

[Obsolete]

I prefer to only see male dr's. Every woman dr I've ever had was cold, rough, and impersonal. My 13 yr old dr recently had to have a painful cyst removed from an intimate area and she didn't feel comfortable with a male dr so we requested a female. We were in the er and it was the middle of the night so it took a while to track one down but it was worth it to make sure she was comfortable. She will probably always prefer a female dr and I will always support that, I just prefer males myself.

Both of my children had the same dr when they were little and he was a man. I remember the exam room didn't have the infant scales in them so the nurse would take the baby into another room and weight them in there. I always followed her, it wasn't because I didn't trust them... it never even dawned on me that someone there might hurt either of my children. For me it was just a natural reaction to go where my baby went.

[Twisted]

I'm sorry if this comes across as sounding sexist because it is truly not my intention, but IMO, I believe that all male dr's, whether pediatricians, gyno, etc, should NEVER be alone with a female patient or any gender if it's a child. There should always be a nurse in the room with them. I don't know if it's mandatory or not because I've never looked into it, but my gyno is male and follows this. There is ALWAYS a female nurse present in the room, and not just during a pap. Ok, I'll retract the male dr so I don't sound sexist and just say all dr's.

In general I have to agree, though I'd say that the pairing and respective genders of the doctor and patient should be irrelevant, and it should be the patient's option whether or not to have an attending nurse present.

I, personally, prefer some of the actions doctors have to perform on me being done with minimal participation from others, even trained medical personnel. It's just a privacy thing.

That said, I absolutely support that a person should be allowed to request secondary supervision at their discretion, and it's almost always a red flag if a doctor requests to be alone with a child at such a young age. I can see cases where a child in their mid-to-late teens may request their parents leaving the room during a doctor visit. Lord knows there were probably things I would have preferred that on which I just let slip until I was old enough.

[moonlilly1981]

My kids dont leave my site even when they are at the doctors office.

[Athena]

I'm sorry if this comes across as sounding sexist because it is truly not my intention, but IMO, I believe that all male dr's, whether pediatricians, gyno, etc, should NEVER be alone with a female patient or any gender if it's a child. There should always be a nurse in the room with them. I don't know if it's mandatory or not because I've never looked into it, but my gyno is male and follows this. There is ALWAYS a female nurse present in the room, and not just during a pap. Ok, I'll retract the male dr so I don't sound sexist and just say all dr's.

You don't sound sexist... you clearly are. That's okay, though - hell, all sorts of bigots hide behind the guise of "public safety".

But you think health care costs are high now? Wait until something like you suggest is mandated. The overwhelming majority of male doctors never violate their patients in any way, shape or form. To institute a policy like this to prevent what occurs in under .01% of visits it overreaching.

I do agree with Twisted, though, that you should be able to request a nurse should you care to. Although, at that point, I recommend you switch doctors. Being able to trust your health care provider implicitly is of th utmost importance.

[Twisted]

You don't sound sexist... you clearly are. That's okay, though - hell, all sorts of bigots hide behind the guise of "public safety".

But you think health care costs are high now? Wait until something like you suggest is mandated. The overwhelming majority of male doctors never violate their patients in any way, shape or form. To institute a policy like this to prevent what occurs in under .01% of visits it overreaching.

I do agree with Twisted, though, that you should be able to request a nurse should you care to. Although, at that point, I recommend you switch doctors. Being able to trust your health care provider implicitly is of th utmost importance.

Again, I have to agree with Athena.

I've run into problems with doctor-patient relationship several times in my past. I think it comes from being in one of the most conservative states in terms of gay rights, and being a gay man. I've had doctors show no interest in the aspects of my health that relate to my sexuality.

I would encourage everyone to have a doctor with whom they are comfortable. If you don't, you could be putting your health at risk because you either may avoid talking about things that you believe your doctor would want to avoid, or your doctor may give poor advice based on personal views and judgments that conflict with professional practice.

[lundwall1]

Quite some time ago there was a female nurse who worked in a TX hospital on the maternity ward in the nursery, an unusual amount of infant deaths occurred-the mortality rate just kepty climbing and climbing-nurses and other hospital officials suspected that she was killing these babies-they KNEW she was killing these babies. But do they report her? NO They were too damn afraid of any scandal - so they let her go with a glowing letter of recomendation. She goes on to get a position at a pediatrician's office. Her job was to weigh the babies, do their measurements etc. The doctor, mom and baby would be in the room and she would come in and take the baby to another room, and guess what would happen? All of a sudden a very healthy baby one minute would be gravely ill literally the next - and some of the babies would die. Come to find out she was injecting these babies with something - can;t remember what- when she would be alone with them and then try and play the hero-but many babies died. She was FINALLY caught when she was working for that pediatrician and the light went on for someone that every time she took a baby they would be sick. I wish I could remember her name and other details, but bottom line - DON'T let ANYONE take your baby/child into another room without you, don't be so willing to trust nurses, doctors etc, I know I would not!

[mdevilus]

Her name was Janine Jones & she was from San Antonio, TX. She is "retired" in the Woman's unit in Gainesville, TX (or is Gatesville?) Her own children do not even answer her letters. She was giving the babies shots of succinynal choline so that she could "revive" them & be the hero. She was diagnosed with Munchausen syndrome. She killed over 30 babies, most were perfectly healthy. Makes you wonder if there were more that just weren't documented. Some were premature & sickly so she thought she was doing them a favor I guess. Her own daughter is scared to have children now because she's afraid that she might snap one day. She doesn't want to chance it in case crazy is running through her blood. Janine thinks she is getting out one day & that there will be some happy family reunion. Her son wants nothing to do with her. Both of her children were adopted after she went to prison. She was adopted as well as a baby. It's ironic, her own granddaughter was extremely premature & probably would have been a mercy killing if she had been in that NICU!

[backlash]

I can't stand Delaware. First, every month when I drive up to New York I have to go through 7 miles of Delaware, and they charge you like $12 in tolls. Now that fucking state has child raping doctors?

[Athena]

I can't stand Delaware. First, every month when I drive up to New York I have to go through 7 miles of Delaware, and they charge you like $12 in tolls. Now that fucking state has child raping doctors?

Buahahahaha! A few years ago, we drove from Bethesda up to Fire Island, NY. We got tolled so heavily going through Delaware specifically, I said, "Damn, is Delaware broke or something?!?" Tolls aren't common here on the west coast, so it was a bizarre experience. One of many bizarre experiences on what became the most bizarre trip of my life.

[backlash]

One of many bizarre experiences on what became the most bizarre trip of my life.

That sounds like the first sentence of a great story. Please continue...

[Athena]

That sounds like the first sentence of a great story. Please continue...

Well, since it's so totally off-topic, I'll run through the short version, if I can manage. My dad and I were just laughing our asses off about this last night.

So, my mom had died. She grew up in Bethesda, and her family had a beach house on Fire Island, and she had always wanted her ashes to be spread there. My little sister had just hyper-extended her knee and couldn't fly, so my dad, my boyfriend Mike and I hopped on a plane and headed back east. My dad, just a week prior, had fallen into a camp fire while camping and burned his stomach pretty badly, which just added a layer of weird to things. Out of concern for my dad (partially), Mike and I brought quarter oz of weed and a heafty stash of pain pills with us. Little did we know the trip would turn into a slightly less exotic version of Fear and Loathing.

So, once in MD, we rented a mini-van and picked up two of my mom's 5 sisters to accompany us, because they insisted. These two aunts, Aze (Suzanne) and Denise were the closest to my mom, but magically morphed into Statler and Waldorf the second we started moving. Everything was crap and we were retarded for this, that and the other reason and this would be the constant background noise for the next 6 or so hours. Just to spice things up a little, we had arrived during the 17-year brood of cicadas, AND left on the hottest day of the year, with 105 degrees and 99% humidity. Oh, and it was the day of Reagan's funeral.

Upon leaving Delaware, we'd be tagged by tolls so many goddamn times, dad just left his wallet between his legs on the seat for easy access. That was a great plan right up until he and Mike decided they needed a pee break. So they pull over on the side of the highway, walk over to some tall grass and relieve themselves.

Boy, what a mistake THAT was.

When we reached the next toll, it was realized that, when dad slid out of his seat to exit the car, he had forgotten about his wallet and it had fallen on the ground. I covered the toll, we exited and headed back to the site. Despite more searching in the tall grass, the wallet was not to be recovered. Luckily, I had enough money to cover the rest of the trip, so we continued on.

We stopped at a rest station, and Mike and dad decided to use the facilities while I helped Statler and Waldorf get something to eat. When they emerge from the bathroom, they're laughing hysterically. Apparently, when they were in the bathroom, Mike noticed a tick on dad. Yeah, fuck long grass on the east coast. So they twirl around for each other, checking each other for ticks, of which there are several, and then they commence the grooming. Well, dad flicks the last tick off Mike... and it lands on some poor guy walking into the bathroom. Instead of informing him, they come tumbling out of the bathroom, red in the face and doubled over.

Fast forward to Brooklyn. We're doing circles and falling into worse and worse neighborhoods, hopelessly lost while we search for JFK express way or whatever. I'm marveling at the fact that it does look just like on TV - Brownstones with clotheslines between them and graffiti, solid, as high as the arm can reach. Dad gets frustrated enough to ask for directions. We see a man sitting in a lawn chair at a local gas station and pull up to him. As dad asks directions, it becomes apparent that this man is completely blind. Surprisingly, he got us exactly where we needed to go.

Finally, we close in on Bay Shore, where we plan to stay for the evening. Due to the tumultous nature of our drive, we all decide we could use a drink, and go in search of a liquor store. We don't see one immediately, so we ask a convenient store clerk. The man in the turbin leads us on a wild goose chase. We stop and ask another. This Sikh also leads us to nowhere. Finally, we ask a native who kindly informs us that liquor stores aren't open that day. Defeated, we head back to Bay Shore with a bunch of wine coolers (why not beer? I'm not really sure).

It's been dark awhile, now, and we drag our weary bodies into the Bay Shore Inn. It looks nice on the outside, but our slow-moving brains soon process the fact that smoking is allowed in the lobby and the clerk is encased in bulletproof glass. If you ever encounter such a scenario, WALK AWAY. It was too late for us, though. Mike sees a plaquard above the glass that says, "Jacuzzi rooms - extra $50". With a devilish smirk, he turns to me, points and says, "I've got an extra $50." I roll my eyes but tell him to go ahead.

We all head to our respective rooms. Mike and I open the door to ours and are greeted by such a bizarre sight, we're speechless for about 5 seconds before bursting into laughter. Our "jacuzzi room" consisted of black carpet with rainbows on it, sexually suggestive "art" on the walls, a meager card table and two chairs next to a window covered by what appeared to be burlap curtains, a king-sized bed complete with a full-size mirror trimmed with Hollywood track lighting on the ceiling above it and one of those machines that accepts coins in exchange for making the bed shake. Oh, and the "jacuzzi" - a tub with air jets that's sitting right in the room. Bow-chicka-wow-wow.

This is just too classic, so I call my dad's room and, without giving anything away, invite him down. When he comes in, his reaction is about the same, only he's got the extra hilarity of seeing Mike across the room in a pair of shorts, splashing away in the tub. We and I sit at the unstable card table, kicking back wine coolers and smoking cigs until we decide our efforts are futile, pop a vicoden each and wait to get knocked out. Dad heads back up to his room, Mike dries off and we don't even take advantage of the awesome (lol!) porn bed.

The next day, we set off for Fire Island to do the deed. We understand that it is, in fact, illegal to spread ashes in such a manner, but fuck it. We're doing it. We get there, head to a chunk of public beach and I dig a hole in the sand near the incoming tide. We pull out the solid, well-sealed box of ashes and - fuck. We didn't bring anything to open it with. I see a ranger, so I think I'm going to use my 21 year old female wiles to extract a screwdriver from him. Yeah, my "wiles" worked a little TOO well, and he wants to take a look at the "car problem" I need the screwdriver for. Backed into a corner, I frantically spill the beans, hoping he'll take pity and turn a blind eye - and facilitate the criminality with his screwdriver. It works! He pulls out a screw driver, sets it on the bed of his truck then turns around. I thank him a million times as I make my way back.

We performed the deed, albeit awkwardly, and headed back to Bethesda. Luckily, the ride back wasn't NEARLY as interesting. I don't think we could have taken much more.

The story's much better in person, by the way. I get to gesture and stuff.