Members of Bikers Against Child Abuse(B.A.C.A.) pose for a photo after assisting in Genesee County Court on Wednesday.
About 20 members of B.A.C.A.(Bikers Against Child Abuse) Niagara Falls Chapter, stood behind a child victim of sexual abuse in Genesee County Court on Wednesday afternoon. The victim, under 12, sat in the same hallway and the same courtroom with their abuser as they waited for justice to be served.
At one point, the victim became visibly upset when their abuser left the courtroom and walked by as their case was delayed by other cases. B.A.C.A. members then surrounded the victim and their family and gave them support and encouragement to get through the tense moment.
B.A.C.A. says they are a body of bikers who are there to empower children to not feel afraid of the world in which they live. The group lends support to each child by involving them with their established united organization. Two members are assigned as the child victim’s primary contacts. The members remain in close contact with the child and assist with services like physical presence at home, visiting the child at school, accompanying your child to court, parole hearings and therapy needs. The group hopes to empower the victim through support.
Through the group’s support during sentencing on Wednesday, the victim and their parents were able to hold up their human shield and brave the elements in court to make statements to the court about the effects of the abuse on them, and the struggles they have endured since the incident.
(B.A.C.A. Niagara Falls/NY Chapter-Info@nf-ny.bacaworld.org 716-299-8336 or help line 716-299-8353)
The defendant Kevin B. Goodenough, 67, of Greece, NY, sexually abused his victim in an incident that occurred on October 8, 2017, when the victim was under 5 years old.
Goodenough accepted a plea deal on February 21, 2023, and admitted to sexual abuse 1st degree, a class D felony, after an investigation by the LeRoy Police Department.
Goodenough admitted to putting the child victim on his lap and placing his hand on private parts under clothing.
A person is guilty of sexual abuse in the first degree when he or she subjects another person to sexual contact:
1. By forcible compulsion; or
2. When the other person is incapable of consent by reason of being
physically helpless; or
3. When the other person is less than eleven years old; or
4. When the other person is less than thirteen years old and the actor
is twenty-one years old or older.
Goodenough had been free on $10,000 cash bail since November 2022, he was arrested on May 6, 2022.
Being free on bail is something a child victim does not understand.
During the victim’s statement to the court, the victim asked for their abuser to go to jail and was confused why he was able to remain out of jail since his arrest.
“If you do something bad, you should be in jail,” the victim told the court. “He was disrespectful to me and my body, I want him to be punished.”
According to the victim’s parent, “We have to go to all these doctors for therapy and we don’t understand why Kevin is free.”
The victim and family had concerns about other children becoming a victim.
First Assistant DA Joseph Robinson asked for the maximum in the case, 6 months of incarceration and 10 years of probation.
“For the victim this won’t be the end of it for the rest of their lives, they will have to live with this and go to therapy. Their childhood has been taken from them. Kevin described himself as a planner who follows through with his plans. Its concerning that he may have planned this ahead of time,” First ADA Robinson told the court.
Goodenough’s attorney, Daniel Dubois, expressed concerns about his client getting jail time as he needs to care of his wife who is not in good health, and also his own health and the list of prescriptions that will be needed while in jail.
Dubois asked the court for the option of 4 months of weekends in jail.
Goodenough did not speak during sentencing.
“Nothing we can say that will give anyone peace,” said Dubois.
“He will be held responsible.”
Before sentencing, Judge Lightcap Cianfrini commended the child victim for their bravery in speaking before the court.
“There are adults that can’t do what you did. I know that you have questions and you have been suffering, you didn’t do anything wrong. Based on what I saw, you will have a great life if you can stand here before me and advocate for children’s safety, you’ve got it all,” said Judge Whitecap Cianfrini.
Turning to Goodenough, Judge Whitecap Cianfrini said, “I respect that you didn’t minimize what you did, but at the same time I don’t know what you were thinking. We have relationships that are fractured, and you swore to God this is what you did, you created a big mess.”
Goodenough was sentenced to a 4-month term of incarceration that started Wednesday. He was also sentenced to 10 years of probation. Goodenough will also be required to register as a sex offender. Goodenough must stay away from all schools and cannot have contact with any children under 17, he will pay restitution of $500. Stay Away Orders of Protection were also issued.
Upon Judge Lightcap Cianfrini’s sentence and adjournment, Goodenough’s hands were placed behind his back and secured in handcuffs, and he was walked out of the courtroom by court security to serve his jail time. It was a moment that brough a smile of relief from the child victim who feared their abuser. The victim stood clutching a stuffed animal and turned to their mother and said, “He’s gone.”