Sex offender? Former Catholic school employee tells his story

8-5-2010 Michigan:

Are school employees always guilty when children or teenagers tell stories of sexual abuse?

Take the case of Shaun Webb. A few years ago, Webb was accused of sexually abusing a young teenage girl at a Catholic school in Michigan, where he was employed as a trusted and respected building custodian.

Webb has now written a compelling book called A Motion for Innocence. While this book is a work of fiction, it is based on the true story of a teenage girl who accused Webb of the unimaginable and changed his life forever.

Why do I care about this particular story?

The book really hit home for my family and many of our friends. We knew Webb, as my daughter was attending the school while Webb worked there, and during the time he went through his criminal trial.

In addition, Webb's wife was (and still is) an elementary teacher at the same school. She was my daughter's drama coach, and Webb often helped his wife with the after-school drama duties.

Also, at the time of the incident, I was working out daily at Curves with Webb's first wife. During our workouts, I found out that she was his childhood sweetheart and on good terms with him, and that they shared parenting their adolescent daughter. Webb's former wife told me that despite the charges, she would absolutely still allow her daughter to see Webb regularly.

Because of my concern for the school, the family, and for the truth, I did an investigation of this case for a local newspaper. In fact, the newspaper story that I wrote about the case is referenced in Webb's book. ..For the rest of the story.. Donna Gundle-Krieg