The Unlovely Truth Lori Morrison

Imagine a man who sees himself as so incredibly righteous that even the small town Baptist church that he founded might be a bit too liberal for him. That was Dr. John Huntington Story of Lovell, Wyoming. The town had a population of just under 2500 people and one traffic light. It also had a monster who molested hundreds of women and girls as young as three years old. More than 20 years after the monster was finally caged, the town is still divided on who the real monster was.

This is Season 4, Episode 21. Our book this week is “Doc: The Rape of the Town of Lovell” by legendary true crime author Jack Olsen and our guest is Beth Hoel, founder of BHG Consulting Group. She has been a member of the Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers since 2017 and serves on the Governor’s Commission to Prevent Violence Against Women in Arizona. We’ll talk to her in just a bit, but first we are going to investigate this week’s case.

Just like John Story was eventually released from prison, so are the majority of people convicted of sex crimes.  Beth is dedicated to ending generational abuse within families who have experienced the hardship and trauma resulting from sexually abusive behavior. Amazingly, she works with both victims and offenders to make communities safer for us all. I know you’ll find her work as impactful as I did.

Isaiah 59:14-15 Common English Bible says this:

Justice is pushed aside; righteousness stands far off, because truth has stumbled in the public square, and honesty can’t enter. Truth is missing; anyone turning from evil is plundered. The Lord looked and was upset at the absence of justice.

Not much has changed since Isaiah’s time has it? Justice and righteousness still seem far away at times. But this isn’t what God wants! Not everyone welcomes the truth being made known, but the truth is always worth telling. Even an Unlovely Truth. Maybe especially an Unlovely Truth. How else can we hold people accountable and get justice for hurting people? It can be very hard to share traumatic experiences we have or information about a crime. Let people know that you are someone who will listen to their story and give them no judgment or shame. If you have a story to tell and don’t think you have any safe people in your circle, please know that you can share with me.

Highlights from this episode include:


Gain tips for teaching your children what an unsafe person might say or try to do
Learn how a holistic approach to sexual abuse helps address the fact that most convicted sex offenders will re-enter society
Be challenged to let people know you are a safe person to disclose abuse to 

If you like this episode, listen to Season 3, Episode 28: Not MY Son

Visit my website to access more episodes, read my blog posts, or check out ways you can financially support the podcast so that together we can impact more people, more families, and more communities. If you would like to contact me about booking me as a speaker, or ask about my consulting and investigative services, please email me at lori@theunlovelytruth.com.

Grab your own copy of Doc

Check out Beth’s work here

Read more about sexual abuse by medical professionals

Check out Beth and Missy Talk on YouTube

Get Dr. Anna Salter’s book Predators: Pedophiles, Rapists, And Other Sex Offenders (fair warning - I’ve read this book and while it’s extremely informative, their are some graphic portions)

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Can you imagine experiencing a devastating trauma, having to tell all of the hurtful details to strangers, only to face judgment, criticism and even blame? Too often, that’s what rape victims go through. It’s not just the criminal court system. What if when you tried to have criminal charges brought, your attacker sued you in civil court?

We are going to investigate a shocking true crime story to see what spiritual and safety takeaways we can find. Both our case and our guest today overcame systems that seemed stacked against them. These stories will show us ways each of us can be a different kind of PI - a person of impact. It's so much easier to do that than you might think.

Our book this week is Know My Name by Chanel Miller and our guest is Witlee Ethan. Let’s dive into this disturbing yet hopeful case. I won’t get too graphic but we will be discussing sexual assault and rape, so please use your discretion when listening to our sharing this episode.

Highlights from this episode include:


Men that the world sees as good people can still commit evil acts
Women who have less than perfect lives can still be victims
Victims of sexual assault desperately want to feel clean and a non-profit called Her Well addresses this problem with compassion, love, and practical support

Dive a little deeper into Deuteronomy 16:18-20 In Deuteronomy, Moses emphasizes the importance of making a daily choice between pursuing our own wants or obeying God's commands. Individual responsibility is critical, but we all are also part of a larger community. We have to look out for ourselves but we cannot neglect looking out for others as well. Let’s dive a little deeper into Deuteronomy 16:18-20 from the Contemporary English Version:

Moses is speaking to Israel, and he says: “After you are settled in the towns that you will receive from the Lord your God, the people in each town must appoint judges and other officers. Those of you that become judges must be completely fair when you make legal decisions, even if someone important is involved. Don't take bribes to give unfair decisions. Bribes keep people who are wise from seeing the truth and turn honest people into liars. People of Israel, if you want to enjoy a long and successful life, make sure that everyone is treated with justice in the land the Lord is giving you.”

It’s easy to look at these verses and put the responsibility for justice completely on judges. But notice that it’s the people who are appointing these judges! We have to be sure that when we support candidates in any position that we look for people of character - people who will be fair and not give in to corruption. I’m not saying that in either Chanel or Witlee’s case there were any illegal dealings, but there were certainly questionable decisions made. If you get a copy of “Know My Name”, you see how even though Brock Turner was convicted, his sentence was so light that an outraged community had him recalled as a judge. And Witlee is advocating to be sure that cases like hers are dealt with fairly as well. As a community, we have to look out for each other and hold our leaders accountable for their failures.

If you like this episode: Don’t miss Season 4, Episode 4: Surviving: Doing Whatever You Need to Do

Visit my website to access more episodes and read my blog posts. If you would like to contact me about booking me as a speaker, or ask about my consulting and investigative services, please email me at lori@theunlovelytruth.com.

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For two years, twin brothers Chris and Jeff George along with their friend Derik Nolan, ran the largest pain clinic in the United States. They didn’t really care about alleviating people’s pain. They cared about the profits selling opioids could make. Florida’s laws didn’t address the fact that none of the men had any medical training to help addicts. They had no training in counseling to help addicts. They were in it because the money was big. Unfortunately, the addictions the drugs fueled were even bigger.

This week’s guest, Christina Dent, founded End It For Good out of her desire to invite others to listen to the voices directly impacted by our drug laws. She hopes that more people will explore the root causes of drug-related harm and consider a different approach. She is currently writing a book on the research and experiences that changed her mind about the best path forward to help people thrive, even in a world where harmful drugs exist.

Christiana and I had an incredible conversation, and what I learned made me think a lot about 1 Peter 5:8 from the CEV, which says:

“Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”

Keeping ourselves sober in the sense of being clear minded applies to us all. The enemy of our souls is actively searching for ways to destroy us like the lions we see on the Discovery Channel. They don’t chase after the strongest gazelle in the herd. They want to find one who is weak, who is apart from the support of the herd, and isn’t able to notice the danger they are in until it’s too late. Addiction to ANYTHING can cloud our judgment and make us vulnerable to the evil that is in this world.

I say this a lot when I’m giving safety information to people - criminals are looking for the easiest targets they can find. They don’t want problems, they want to give YOU problems. We have to be watchful like Scripture says, and that’s hard to do when our senses are dulled and we allow ourselves to be distracted. And yes, I said “allowed” ourselves. We can learn to focus on what we really need to and block out all of the rest, like service dogs do. I’ve put a link to a video of dogs being trained to ignore loud noises, toys, and even snacks so they can protect the person they are going to be caring for. Maybe we need the same training to become the best service people we can be! Just for fun, I’ve also put in a link to a service dog in training who we all probably look like at one time or another.

If you were intrigued by this week’s episode, be sure to listen to this one: Season 1, Episode 18: Finding Tess

You can visit my website to access more episodes or read my blog posts.  If you would like to contact me about booking me as a speaker, or ask about my consulting and investigative services, please email me at lori@theunlovelytruth.com.

Buy Chasing the Scream by Johann Hari

Buy In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts by Gabor Maté

Visit End It For Good and learn more about Christina

Watch Christina’s TEDx talk

Service dog training video

Service dog training fail

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Are the top true crime podcasts necessarily the most ethical? I read an interesting survey the other day that said that the top two reasons that people listen to podcasts are for entertainment and education. The bottom reason, kind of sadly I think, is for encouragement and inspiration. I will try to give you all of those things on my podcast! That survey made me rethink about looking at true crime podcasts as entertainment and how that made me feel. Was hosting a true crime podcast a good idea, and if it was - how do podcasters ethically share these stories? Today I want to talk about the conclusion I came to AND celebrate other podcasts who are doing it in ways I think fits into a good ethical framework.

It’s the first Tuesday of the month so it’s time to highlight an unsolved case in the hopes that someone listening knows something that will make a difference for the victim’s family. 8-month-old Amiah Robertson was reported missing on March 16, 2019, in Indianapolis, Indiana Her family said they didn’t believe she was in danger - which seems really weird to me since they said she was missing. By March 23rd, police announced that they were from that point forward investigating Amaih’s case as a homicide.

Highlights from this episode include:

• Three recommendations for highly ethical true crime podcasts

• Five ideas to easily make an impact in other’s lives

• One new unsolved case that needs your help

If you liked this episode, check out this previous episode of The Unlovely Truth: Season 3, Episode 48: Twelve Years Gone: Where Are the Skelton Brothers?

Visit my website to access even more episodes or read my blog posts.

To contact me about booking me as a speaker, or ask about my consulting and investigative services, please email me at lori@theunlovelytruth.com.

Regional Facts and Figures North American Indigenous People

Anyone with information about Amiah’s disappearance is urged to contact the IMPD Homicide Office at 317-327-3475 or call Crime Stoppers of Central Indiana at 317-262-8477 (TIPS).

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Are you ready to learn how to turn fear into fuel if you find yourself in a sketchy situation?

This topic can positively impact every single person on the planet - I truly believe that.

My guest is Tony Blauer. Coach Blauer has been in the martial art, self-defense, defensive tactics, and combatives industry for over four decades. He founded Blauer Tactical Systems (BTS) in 1985 and it has grown into one of the world's leading consulting companies specializing in the research and development of performance psychology, personal safety, and close-quarter tactics & scenario-based training for law enforcement, military, and professional self-defense instructors. 

His research on the neuroscience of fear and the startle-flinch led to the development of the SPEAR System®, a modern personal defense system based on physiology, physics, and psychology. It has been used by defensive tactics and combative trainers all over the world for over 30 years. After decades of interviewing victims of violent encounters and studying violence, he created the KNOW FEAR® program which focuses on managing fear through self-awareness, resiliency, and a 'movement' mindset. This program has also been integrated by psychologists helping Vets to deal with PTSD. 

This week’s case centers on two young men who sent up plenty of red flags, but all were ignored. Even when one of them said he was planning to murder someone. Our Scripture this week is 2 Timothy 1:7-8.

 

Highlights from this episode include:


 Learning red flags to look for in teens’ behavior
 Discovering how to use fear as fuel
 Finding out how to effectively spot danger
 Hearing how one woman saved herself from a dangerous situation

 

If you found great takeaways in this episode, you’ll love this episode:

Season 4, Episode 4: Surviving: Doing Whatever You Need to Do

 

Please visit my website to access more episodes, read my blog posts, or check out ways you can financially support the podcast so that together we can impact more people, more families, and more communities. If you would like to contact me about booking me as a speaker, or ask about my consulting and investigative services, please email me at lori@theunlovelytruth.com. 

Here are some ways to learn more about Tony, and connect with him:


 Free guide MAKING FRIENDS WITH FEAR 
 Tony’s main website
 The GARAGE GYM SELF-DEFENSE - Online training with Coach Blauer
ESSENTIALS OF PERSONAL SAFETY - 2-hour LIVE online course
KNOW FEAR podcast
 The "BE YOUR OWN BODYGUARD " Publication - Join Coach Blauer's community

Album on Tony’s website

Facebook albums

Instagram personal

Instagram training page

Website

Training Calendar

 

Bleep Sound Effect courtesy of Pixabay

Do you ever ask yourself this: why do I watch the news anymore? TV, print media, and social media make it seem like violent crime is happening all around us, all the time. What irks me is that once the shock factor is over, so few voices are giving us information about how to respond when tragedy does land at our doorstep. Today’s guest is going to do just that.

Each of us who is a parent knows what it’s like to be in a tough season with our kids. We need the support of others who have been there and survived! For all of us who are seasoned parents, I want to challenge us to find a parent who is in a tough season right now, and see if they would be open to you helping them. Whether that’s just being someone who will listen to them when they need to talk, or being more involved - the important thing is that we work together. That’s how we will make our families, our loved ones, and our communities just a little bit safer. 

I’m excited that we get to talk to the author of this week’s book, Leslie Ghiglieri. Leslie has a degree in political science and has worked on numerous political campaigns. Her interest in the criminal justice field led her to work as a 911 dispatcher in California. After moving to Oregon, she joined the Josephine County Sheriff’s Department working in the dispatch and warrants divisions for three years, then accepted a position as a field representative for a criminal justice computer system overseeing the needs of seventeen agencies. Now retired, she was able to fulfill the wish of a friend to document the story of her husband’s murder and share a surprising message of encouragement. 

 

Today I want us to dig into a passage from Scripture about loving our enemies. It’s from Matthew 5 verses 43 through 47. 

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?”

It’s hard to imagine any of our precious children as enemies. But there are times that we feel like we are in a battle together, and we aren’t on the same side. Cherie wasn’t on the same side of the battle as Dwayne, yet she prayed for him. She encouraged him. She loved him. She wasn’t looking for a reward, she was just trying to be obedient. 

What a great example for us! And notice what it says in the second half of verse 45; that God sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. We are all going to have tough times in life. We will probably all have tough times with our kids. What we don’t want to do is automatically assume that because they are our kids, their behavior is our responsibility - especially the older they get. We do our best, but they decide how they will behave. If anyone out there is suffering because they have a child making bad choices and they feel responsible - please only take ownership of what you did or didn’t do. Your son or daughter is responsible for the rest.

 

If you liked this episode, you’ll want to listen to these:

Season 3, Episode 10: Murder in the Family

Season 2, Episode 19: How do I Forgive? "Murder by Family" by Kent Whitaker

 

Please visit my website to access more episodes, read my blog posts, or check out ways you can financially support the podcast so that together we can impact more people, more families, and more communities. If you would like to contact me about booking me as a speaker, or ask about my consulting and investigative services, please email me at lori@theunlovelytruth.com. 

 

Buy “The Decision to Kill: A True Crime Story of a Teenage Killer and the Mother Who Loved Him” he