Mrs. Barkman operated a preschool at Niles. After she reported the mother of one of her pupils for neglect, that mother in turn accused Mr. Barkman of sexually abusing her child. There was no physical evidence on any of the children which would confirm the abuse, even though it would have been present if the abuse had actually occurred. Children's disclosures occurred after the usual intensive and leading questioning. In 1990, his conviction was overturned. Rather than face a new trial at which he might be found guilty again, he accepted an offer to plead guilty to a lesser charge; he was given 5 years probation.
A classic case of a single allegation mushrooming into hundreds of disclosures of events that never happened. We believe that no sexual or ritual abuse occurred at the Niles preschool.