James Short Investigation: New Details

If someone comes forward now with legitimate allegations that can be proven and we can get him to admit to it, then he might see some jail time and we will remove him from society as a threat We have new details on a story we first brought you on Thursday. The Arkansas State Police are investigating former Brookland teacher and church youth minister James Short. via KAIT-TV Jonesboro

[Mystery]

You know it's amazing how a teacher who has every kid in High School saying he's their favorite teacher and not to mention being a very devoted youth minister and church goer for 30 years can have such alligations put towards him. I understand that every person has skeletons in their closet, but I know Mr. Short he couldn't be the man two people are saying he is. All I know is he is a kind teacher and all alround nice person. It's sad, the last thing he told me was he had to hurry to the church after school to finish a theme for a youth classroom for church. God watch over James Short.

[Jim from Alabama]

I'm the person who found and reported Jim Short after all of these years and it is definitely him !Jim Short is from Alabama, Also there are at least FOUR victims from Alabama. I'm sorry for everyone who knows, respects and loves him but he DEFINITELY raped my brother who was only ten years old at the time.

[Mystery]

I etremely apoogize for that. People do need to atone for past sin and Jim is no different. My question is why 30 years later?

[Mystery]

Sorry thought I should just add James Short nickname is Jim. Just wanted no confusion.

[Jim from Alabama]

Believe me, we have been trying to bring attention to this for far more than 30 years. The East Walker Church of Christ in Sumiton Alabama where Jim was prior to his move to Paragould chose to ignore this matter for all of these years. If they had acted at the time, this matter would have been settled a long time ago. I have a copy of a letter that I wrote to the church in 1995 discussing the abuse that occurred but they never even responded to the letter So now, after thirty years another person has contacted us to say that it had also happened to him. Hearing this caused us to come forward. Jim resigned from both his position with the church and the school system immediately for a reason. So now you know the reason for thirty years later.

[Jim from Alabama]

Correction, meant to say far more than 30 years later. This has been a very sore subject in my family for all of these because my uncle who is now an Elder in the Church of Christ and was a deacon at the time felt that it was best to just "drop it" because he was concerned about the image of the church but for us that has been impossible.

[Mystery]

Hmmm...... O.K. 30 years, but when you say rape, what do you mean? There are many definitions of "rape" and many can be misconstrude. Usually when a person thinks rape, you think the extreme which is male probing. By the way thanks for taking the time to answer my questions it feels in a lot of blanks.

[Jim from Alabama]

When I say that Jim Short raped my little brother I mean that after the church services had ended he took him up into the church balcony and pulled down his pants, bent him over and inserted his penis into his rectum. If he had simply fondled him or forced oral sex upon him I would have used those terms. Sorry to be so graphic but you asked !

[concerned]

People need to be around the children more when they are with a youth minister. Parents need to be more involved maybe we don’t need all the youth ministers we have in the church today. When did church start to be just fun? Rock concert, camping, weekend trips ect. We should make sure most activities are on the church ground and at least some parents attending or we don’t need to have the event. It seems one scandal after another at churches to many people wanting to be leaders that should be just attending.

[Mystery]

Well that is truely disturbing if what you say is true and if that did happen he definitly deserves what may be coming to him. Well this definitly answer most of my questions about the whole issue concerning James Short. Another question though, why not go to the police before going to your church first. What about the church that worries about tis image, what does it have to say about the current events?

[Jim from Alabama]

There would be no reason for four people who now live in multiple states and have no other connection to one another to all get together after all of these years and make up something like this.

Why not go to the police first ? My brother and I did not have a Father. He died of heart failure at the age of 26. At his death bed, he made my Mother promise that she would allow his Mother to help raise us in the Church of Christ where she was a member. Our uncle was a deacon in that Church. It took some time before we shared with one another what had happened to each of us.(Jim Short did not molest me but another youth minister and good friend of his did)Once we discovered that we had both been victimized, we immediately went to our uncle to tell him what had happened. Rather than taking action he encouraged us to drop it because it would mean that we would have to go to court and testify and it would make the Church look bad. He frightened us into keeping quiet. My Grandmother was helpless and didn't know what to do. She went along with my uncle's decision. That was something that she regretted even to her death but in the Church of Christ women are to remain silent. She believed that and followed that teaching.

The older we got, the more resentful we became until in 1995 we submitted a letter to the Church asking that this matter be addressed. That letter was completely ignored. We recieved no response.
Now my uncle claims that he does not remember us coming to him about this. Our question to him is Would you have forgotten about this if it had happened to your own son ? We know the answer to this. No one was willing to take a stand on our behalf. My uncle now also wants to split hairs and say that he was only a Deacon and the Elders make the decisions. We don't care if he was the janitor, he should have done something about this.
This has been a terrible injustice and we will remain silent no more !

[Mystery]

Sounds like you have a plan. I do hope this situation gets cleared up in a matter of days (even though it will definitly take longer than that). Once again I'm sorry what has happened to your family. Are you still supporting that church, after they have been protecting their "image"? Also there has been the question that a crime cannot be brought up if a certain amount of time has passed, have you heard anything on that?

[heartbroken]

From reading the postings and the news, it does appear that Mr. Short did do something wrong. It is so heartbreaking to find out this info. Jim Short was always such a good man and an excellent teacher. My children all graduated from Brookland and each of them will say that he was their favorite teacher. He has always went out of is way for the kids at Brookland. It is devasting to the kids to find out that someone that they looked up to and admired so much could have done this. I know that if guilty, he deserves to be punished and I feel very sorry for the victim but at the same time, he has helped so many children thru the years. It is so hard to think that the man that we love and admire could be the man who did this crime.

[amazed]

I heard that your brother does not have long to live, is there truth to that and if so can you tell us why?

[what_to_think]

Mr. Short was always a nice teacher in school...everyone always loved his class! As far as a teacher goes, I did't think that he was a great teacher....as far as a person goes, he was a nice person and fun to be around. There was always something wierd about him though...he had his favorite students and the favorites got to do what they wanted to in class....goof off, get the anwers told to them on a test, never get a tardy in class and so on....but why was he so nice to the kids at brookland school? when you grow up and are not a kid anymore he acts like he don't even know you anymore. Was he close to the kids at brookland school for a reason? are some of the kids that he was so close to hiding something? Or was he just a person who loved kids? Personally I believe that he did do something wrong years ago and moved away and asked god for forgiveness. Now he may not be the same person that he use to be, but he should pay for the sins that he committed years ago. If he did do what he has been accused of...as a christian he knows what he done was wrong and I am sure that he regrets it every day. Then again, you never know what he has been up to all of these years. What is on his mind? are there kids from brookland school that need to speak out? are there kids from the paragould church that need to speak out? If there are more people, please speak out so that this thing can be put in the past and let justice be served! I am sure the myself and many others just don't know what to think..........

[Jim from Alabama]

A plan ? we really do not have a "plan". Two weeks ago we didn't even know where Jim Short was located. Also, two weeks ago I never imagined that David (who was interviewed on KIAT) had also been abused by jim Short. I have not seen David since he looked like the little boy that they showed in the photo. We didn't even go to the same high school. Our hope is that no one has been abused by him since he left Alabama but everything thing that is known about pedophiles indicates that they never stop. Partly because they don't see what they do as being wrong.

All I can say is that it is up to all of you in the Paragould area now to bring this man to justice. Unfortunately there is a statute of limitations here in Alabama. If there are no other victims then as far as I am concerned the man has already been punished enough by being forced to resign in disgrace. I believe that we all deserve forgiveness. But one must ask for that forgiveness. I believe that all of us in Alabama have it in our heart to forgive him.

To those of you in or near Paragould, look for the children from broken homes. Those that may have needed special attention. That is the thing that we all have in common. Being without a Father, other issues in the home. Children brought in on the church "joy" buses. Those are the kids that he sought out because they were less likely to report what had happened. They were easy targets for a man like Jim Short.
I hope that if there are other victims that they will have the courage to come forward. It's not easy to do. It can be embarrasing to admit that such a thing happened but the only way to free yourself of this burden is to speak out.

[what_to_think]

I agree with you jim about he has probably been punished for the crimes committed. Losing his family, friends, teaching position, church position and his image of a good person has to be hard on him. Hopefully he will be strong and deal with the consiquences that he has had coming to him all these years. Everyone should pay for the crime committed, no matter if it is many years later. Living with the bad reputation with no friends and family is the best thing for Jim Short.(if all is true)

How many people have said that they have been abbused by Mr. Short?

[what_to_think]

Jim, is it true about your brother not having long to live? If so...what is wrong with him...don't be upset for asking, just curious

[what_to_think]

I seen that you wrote this, "(Jim Short did not molest me but another youth minister and good friend of his did)"

What about the guy that malested you? Are you pressing charges on him? please share some info on what happened to you also...

[Sad]

As a member of the church of Christ I am sad beyond measure at these events. Reguardless of how it might have made the church look I wish this would have been addressed years ago. Many people have been affected by this news/event. I have known this man for years. It has been a lesson for me that we don't know each other a well as we might think. Your willingingness to forgive such a horrible thing is a great lesson as well. It is my prayer that God will help all those who are affected. I hope my erring brother will do like the prodigal son and find his way home. May God comfort your and bless you.