Three men delivered emotional testimony, describing how they were allegedly molested when they were children by the former director of a state hospital.
The three men claimed that Claude Edward Foulk Jr. molested them in Long Beach and used threats and intimidation to prevent them from telling authorities.
"I remember him telling me, ‘This is normal. This is part of what a grown man needs to do,’ " said one of the men during a preliminary hearing Tuesday in Long Beach court. "He had such a power over me that [I thought] nobody would ever believe me, and I had to do whatever he said."
Foulk pleaded not guilty to 35 felony counts involving his
son.
According to court
records, Foulk allegedly molested a foster child in his care from 1973
to 1985. In 1974, prosecutors allege, Foulk molested a friend of the
foster child, who as an adult went to police last September.
In 1977, Foulk allegedly
molested a friend of a second foster child living at his home in Long
Beach. Prosecutors allege that he masturbated in front of two children
in the early 1990s, asking the minors to participate.
All these cases fell before the statute of limitations, so prosecutors said they could not file charges.
Foulk is being prosecuted for alleged molestations of his son, which
began in 1992 and continued through 2003, according to charges. During these years, Foulk worked as a mental health professional at
several facilities in Southern California, eventually landing the top
job at Napa State Hospital.
According to the Long Beach Press-Telegram, the alleged victims portrayed Foulk as manipulative and controlling, using their vulnerabilities to his advantage.
"In the past five years, I knew that this day
would come, and I wasn’t the only victim," one of the men said in court. "I
knew he needs to pay for what he’s done. …. I thought I was being taken out of the foster system and
being put in a good home … with a loving father. I’m here to close this chapter on my life. I want to move on."
— Shelby Grad
Photo: Long Beach Police Department