Widespread Sexual Abuse Scandal Uncovered in Small Montana Town
Well, this is horrifying news. BuzzFeed published a long-form article this morning entitled, "The Secret Of Miles City: How A Friend Request Shattered A Small Town’s Innocence." In it, the news outlet dives deep into Miles City, Montana, and in particular, the history of a high school athletic trainer named James E. Jensen, known to the locals as "Doc."
Doc enrolled several kids in town throughout the '90s in something called "The Program," which was believed to be an elite training system for his athletes. Now, more than 15 of the men who went through the Program have spoken to BuzzFeed news, and they say they were victims of sexual abuse, and that the town made attempts to cover it up or ignore it. BuzzFeed even found a document which proves the school knew 20 years ago that something was wrong.
Lawyers believe that Jensen abused around 200 boys using his position of power at school throughout the decade. He's 78 now and lives in a retirement home in Miles City. The article is a long and shocking read, but it shines a light on how power can be abused and how difficult it can be to overcome a situation like this.