She has lived in Eureka all her life. Jane Doe "I live with my mom, current step-father and step-brother." Prior to that, she lived with her mom and first step-father, "Bob Beideman. The man sitting there.' Jane Doe was 4 when John Beideman started living with her and her mom. The first year, they lived in Ridgewood and then moved to 18th street, when she was "about 5."
Her mother worked an office job. This was during the day time and sometimes, her mom was gone in the evening.
"He took the role as my father, uh yeah," said Jane Doe. Beideman spent time with her. "We would play games.. At night, he put me to bed." Her bedtime routine was "brush my teeth, brush my hair"
He would sing to her. Beideman would carry her around the room like "a koala bear." and by that she meant hugging him.
" After that, "usually he would touch me." She had her own bedroom at the 18th street home.
When asked by Deputy District Attorney Stacey Eads what she meant by Beideman touching her, Jnae Doe responded, "I mean what is considered molestation.'
Ms. Eads asked about the first time Beideman touched her, "I remember after he carried me around the room, he pushed the covers of my bed and laid me down on my bed. He started rubbing me over my clothes on my thigh inching towards my vaginal area." She was five and a half. She remembers wearing kid's pajamas. "Pants and a top."
Beideman rubbed the top of her thigh. He rubbed her with one hand and with his other hand propped himself up on the side but also holding her head. "kind of crouching over me. "He rubbed my vaginal area, my crotch (over her clothing). He rubbed it consistently, for maybe a minute. He used the same hand the whole time. She was lying on her back on the bed."
Ms. Eads: "While he rubbed you this first time, did he say anything to you?"
Jane Doe: "He told me he loved me and how I am his sweet girl."
Beideman finished touching her, said goodnight and left.
She said the bedroom door was cracked. Jane Doe said she was five and a half years old at the time and that she remembers the age because"my bedroom was fairly new but familiar enough that I was comfortable."
Jane Doe said that Beideman touched her inappropriately "pretty consistently over three years. At least three times a week."
"It was always in my bedroom, at night, when he was putting me to bed."
About two years later (after the first time), there was digital penetration. Jane Doe said she was "about 7" and it was on her bed. "It was the normal routine of touching me and rubbing me over my clothing and he slipped his hand under my clothing and then inserted his finger into me ; my vagina."
She said she was "wearing princess panties; the kind that come in a package." When asked how she knew that he penetrated her vagina, Jane Doe said, "Because that is how it felt and it hurt."
"He took it out and put it back in and repeated that a few times and then got up and left. For a minute I cried because it hurt. But I thought it was normal so I just went to sleep." Jane Doe wiped tears away, at this point in her testimony.
When asked if he said anything, "It was his normal,. I love you. You are my sweet girl."
Jane Doe did not think her mom was home when this happened. "Most of the time Bob touched me, my mom was away or out of the house."
"There was one other time he penetrated me again with his finger. At first, it was one finger. Then he added another finger. It really hurt; enough for me to start crying. I think he noticed me crying. But then he got off, kneeled on my bed and pulled his pants down and asked me to kiss his penis. I did but I did not know what he wanted exactly. I saw a kiss as a peck. Then I pulled a way and he left. His penis was erect and he was holding his penis and said, "kiss it."
She said he pulled his underwear down with his pants. Jane Doe said that she had tears when he asked her to kiss his penis. "After he left, I cried more."
"In between the first time and the last time with two fingers, there was possibly two times (penetration) but it wasn't as severe." The second time he penetrated her, she was also in her bedroom and "just her and Bob."
"There was only one insertion of a finger into her vagina. He inserted it and almost immediately took it out. He said his normal, I love you; you are my sweet girl repetitive talk." She was 7 years old.
The third time he penetrated her, "same thing as the second time.. The second time she did not cry because "I thought it was normal. I cried the first time because it hurt. The third time I did not cry. I fell asleep."
Between the first time he rubbed her and the first time he penetrated her, Jane Doe there were times he touched her under her clothing. "Same motions of rubbing, just under the clothing. Some nights he would pull my clothing down to my ankles; sometimes he would just put his hands under."
Last time he touched her inappropriately, she was 8 years old. "Bob had already moved out of the house. He asked my mom if I could come over to his separate home. She said yes. After a few games of hide and seek, I was sitting in his hammock (outside), he was tickling me and it progressed into his rubbing me over my clothing and over my vagina. He said his normal, I love you; you are my sweet girl. He was kneeling on the ground; kneeling over me. I kind of shut down and didn't say anything. I disassociated from the situation. His new home, was literally across one street, on 17th."
"It ended. My mom had divorced him. He was in a separate house. My mom did not want me to have visitation with him."
"Through middle school, I would talk to friends about how affectionate Bob was; my friends wouldn't understand or say that is not normal." This is when she started understanding that what John Beideman did to her was "not normal."
When her mom separated from Beideman, Jane Doe did not tell her mom about the molestation. "About 6 months ago, I told my mom. Yeah."
Ms. Eads: "Were yu able to tell her everything?"
Jane Doe: "No. I don't think she deserves to know that; in terms it would break her heart."
Jane Doe said she told her current stepfather everything. "I told him the basics of what happened. I felt he could help me ease my mom into the knowledge of it."
Ms. Eads: "Why did you wait so long to tell?"
Jane Doe: "I didn't want to put pressure on my mom about it. It wasn't until the 6th grade; middle school; I realized it was wrong so I just dealt with it."
"The last time I saw him was about a year ago. There was a screening of Blade runner at the Eureka Theater."
Beideman's attorney, Mr. Russ Clanton cross-examined Jane Doe and in response to a question, she said that after Beideman moved out, she did not contact him at all. Mr. Clanton asked her if Clay, her current step-father "had expressed ill feelings towards Beideman before she confided in him" and Jane Doe responded in the affirmative.
Jane Doe said there was "no bleeding" and "no irritation in the vagina" as a result of the digital penetration by Beideman.
During re-direct, in response to questions by Ms. Eads, Jane Doe said that her mom worked at the Redwood Run over the summer. She would be gone "less than a week". She said she found out later that her mom and kept cards from her that Beideman sent to her on holidays?
"He would walk me into my classroom and kiss me goodbye in front of my classmates despite my asking him not to," said Jane Doe.
Previous post:
https://johnchiv.blogspot.com/2018/02/humboldt-superior-court-clerk-john.html
(with links to other coverage on this case)
I think your reporting, especially involving the sexual assault of children is excellent. Not too many years ago these cases would not have even been prosecuted. Maybe CPS would pull the child out of the home and problem solved. This is of course if CPS is even contacted. Having a Mother to believe and support you when you tell them is a tremendous help. The abuse is usually something most Mother’s probably already know. Having your child come to you for help and being dismissed is a big problem. If a child is removed, they might be safe, but unfortunately not the next child (Victim) that comes into the abuser’s life. I feel that your reporting brings the hidden secrets out of the dark. Your reporting of what is really happening, right now, captures the pain and despair these victims are feeling. No one wants to believe that they know and trust this person who is now being prosecuted for such horrible crimes. It’s easier to call the children liars than to accept the ugly truth. These Jane Does can’t fake this level emotion dispare. If they were lying, their untruths would have been discovered way before this. To take a case to Court takes a tremendous amount of work and EVIDENCE. These cases are not a he said/she said. By the time these cases get into the actual Court System, it is real. John, you give the young victim’s a voice. Your reporting is tell’s it like it is. There is no sugar coating. These victims are sitting before their abuser, telling very dark secrets. They are up on the stand, it in front of strangers and people they know and trusted, doing the hardest thing they will ever do. Having to recall these memories is frightening. People in the gallery should be as honest as you are and actually hear what is being said. You don’t inject your own agenda and worry about being “nice”. You share the children’s raw emotions. All of these children need to be heard and believed. More and more cases are in the Judicial system. It very well could be in part in thanks to you. The more these children find out they aren’t alone, and that what is happening is wrong, the more will step forward. NO MORE SECRETS! Tell it like it is. It’s ugly but someone has to speak up. Keep up the great reporting on all of your cases, but especially for the children.
ReplyDeleteShe is a very Brave young woman. Thank you for sharing her story. This legal process will hopefully give her closure and validate that what happened to her was WRONG and NOT HER FAULT!
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