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The parents of a Vernal vice principal and Boy Scout leader who committed suicide after he was charged with child sexual abuse have filed a lawsuit alleging his arrest was made on false grounds.
Michael and Catherine Papadakos of Paris, Ill., said in the federal court complaint that their son, 43-year-old David Alan Papadakos, committed suicide on Jan. 17, 2013, as a result of his arrest that they claim was based on evidence from a boy of around 12 years old who had a troubled past and suffered from various mental conditions.
The suit filed in U.S. District Court in Salt Lake City alleges that ex-Det. L. Vance Norton, the then-incoming Uintah County sheriff, and Lisa Jorgensen, an employee of the Utah Division of Child and Family Services, violated Papadakos' constitutional rights when he was arrested in October of 2012.
The Utah Department of Human Services declined comment. A message left for Norton was not returned.
The boy who made the allegations had previously witnessed "graphic sexual acts" and been the victim of sexual abuse during his time with his biological mother and the seven years when he was in and out of foster care in the state of Washington, the lawsuit says.
He suffered from oppositional defiant disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, general anxiety disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder.
The boy told a friend he had been sexually abused by Papadakos and police were called. Norton and Jorgensen then interviewed the boy for several hours over two days in October, allegedly "coercing, intimidating and/or supplying [the boy] with facts to compose the story," according to the lawsuit, which also claims police withheld evidence that supported Papadakos' denials of sexual abuse.
Papadakos, 43, was charged in 8th District Court with two counts of first-degree felony aggravated sexual abuse of a child and 10 second-degree felony counts of forcible sexual abuse.
The filing of the charges violated constitutional protections against unreasonable search and seizures, due process and equal protection rights, the lawsuit says.
As a result of the charges, Papadakos lost his job as vice principal at Vernal Middle School, was expelled from a Southern Utah University graduate program and not allowed to participate in Boy Scouts as he had for 33 years, the lawsuit says. His body was found outside Vernal.
The lawsuit asks for unspecified monetary damages, costs and attorney fees.
Suicide prevention
If you or someone you know is experiencing suicidal thoughts, a 24-hour National Suicide Prevention LifeLine is available to help. Call 1-800-273-TALK, Other resources also are available at http://utahsuicideprevention.org/.