“I’ve done something I can’t recover from.”
-Tom Chantry, caught in a rare moment of prophetic honesty.
Don Lindblad: “Imagine our surprise, then, when we were asked to meet with the investigators about an hour later. Instead of pressing for some form of church discipline or civil charges, they told us they wanted to give Tom back his life. They believed he had not been forthcoming, that he was far guiltier than what he was willing to admit, but they also believed he was a gifted young man and should return to the ministry someday.”
Exhibit 153 in Court Documents
Don Lindblad’s Review for Earl Blackburn
April 15, 2002
“I have learned two painful lessons as a believer – my undue admiration of and attention to a former pastor who preached the heresy of “Christian Reconstructionism,” and then Chantry, who preached the gospel of himself since he was his own god.”
-Former member of Christ Reformed Baptist Church, Hales Corners, WI
Below are photos of friends/enablers/ARBCA conspirators in the coverup of Chantry’s crimes and family members of Tom Chantry that couldn’t make it to his sentencing. We don’t want to forget them!
Judy Rogers, Tom’s sister and former IRBS employee.
Earl Blackburn, Tom’s close friend. Recently retired from his ARBCA pastorate.
Larry Vincent, ARBCA pastor from Mansfield, TX was a friend of Chantry’s and preached at his church once while Chantry was in jail.
David Dykstra, ARBCA pastor, attended a few days of Chantry’s first trial. Co-authored “Holding Communion Together” with Chantry.
John Giarrizzo, ARBCA pastor in Gilbert, AZ. Chantry fled to his house after resigning from MVBC.
Tom Chantry’s longtime friend and enabler, ARBCA pastor Don Lindblad.
Tom Lyon, ARBCA pastor. Allowed Chantry to preach at his church 6 months after fleeing MVBC. Officiated Chantry’s wedding and preached at Chantry’s installation service at Christ Reformed Baptist Church, Hales Corners, WI.
My article is based largely on the eyewitness account of Chantry’s sentencing by Cheryl Watson. I commend her to readers of this blog. You will find her account here.
Tom Chantry has always been all about Tom Chantry, a textbook example of a narcissist, he remained true to form at his sentencing. His sadistic physical and sexual abuse of children has ruined the lives of numerous victims and their families, yet even at his sentencing, he denied everything. He did not get justice, he has been slandered, his reputation has been destroyed, he will be destroyed.
“It’s hard for me to believe his parents were unaware of his predilection for spankings. I’ve known Tom since he was six years old, and watched him matriculate through the Grace Baptist Christian school in Carlisle, PA, where a favorite playtime game of his was what he called ‘baby’. That’s where he orchestrated scenarios where his playmates were ‘bad babies’ and needed to be spanked. He, of course, meted out the necessary punishment. Perhaps his parents and the school mistook this playtime activity of their own harsh discipline approach, I was not a discipline problem as a child, but that didn’t stop several of the teachers at that school from singling me out for viscous beatings – at times for small infractions, and at other times for infractions manufactured out of thin air.”
-Comment on my blog
The bottom line is Tom Chantry has led a privileged life and is accustomed to getting what he wants. Up until his sentencing, he has never been held accountable for his actions. He appears to be unable to comprehend that the game is up, people are no longer buying his lies.
He said that this verdict and sentence will fix nothing, will turn his wife into a widow with a living husband, and, “It will destroy me.” He stated that there was no justice in this verdict, and that he has been slandered and his reputation destroyed. “This is not justice.”
-Cheryl Watson
“She (Prosecutor Susan Eazer) also spoke of how Tom Chantry denied everything under oath, even some of the spanking. Tom’s testimony proves that he is a prolific liar, which makes him very dangerous.”
Cheryl Watson
Life is ironic. While Al Huber and his daughter, Karen were attending the sentencing of Tom Chantry, I was on the road, mere miles from the Rockford home of the Hubers.
Both Al Huber and Karen (Huber) Chantry believe Tom is innocent of all charges. It’s hard to believe that any rational adult could hold to this belief after sitting through the trials of Chantry and hearing the testimony of the young men and woman that Chantry sexually abused and/or assaulted, but Karen wrote as much to her (what now must be a handful) supporters, stating “Friends, Tom is not guilty of these allegations, but there he sits.” (In Yavapai County Jail.)
Chantry Update by Karen Cha… by Todd Wilhelm on Scribd
The only two supporters Chantry had in the courtroom, both Al and Karen addressed the Court. They both hoped to minimize what two trials had made obvious – that Tom Chantry is a sick, sadistic sexual pervert. ARBCA pastor Al Huber stated:
“Whatever he did in the past, he isn’t the same.”
First of all, what is it that Chantry did in the past, Al and Karen? It’s not a set of vague charges floating around in the netherworld. Tom was charged and convicted of horrific acts of violence and sexual perversion. We saw his victims, we listened to their tortured testimony.
“Whatever he did in the past, he isn’t the same.”
Really? How do you know that? Perhaps his recent statement that the Prosecutor should be hung and the Judge put in prison for life is evidence of Chantry’s newfound Christian character? Perhaps the letters of support for Chantry, included in the presentence memorandum by Chantry’s Defense Counsel show Tom to be a changed man? (I refer to the letters from Claire Kronshage and her son, James Johnson which, in my opinion, demonstrates a textbook example of a pedophile grooming a mother and her son for what would likely have been another case of sexual abuse had Chantry not been arrested.)
Thomas Chantry Sentence Mem… by Todd Wilhelm on Scribd
Former Miller Valley Baptist Church pastor Bob Selph also showed up at the sentencing to speak on behalf of the victim. As much as I hate to say it, I agree with Tom Chantry on this when Chantry said: “Bob Selph finally arrived now that he can’t take the stand.”
Where have you been for the last 19 years, Bob? I have read your sorry letters attempting to explain your and ARBCA’s actions, and I didn’t buy what you said. I don’t know your heart, but I hope you have truly repented and asked the forgiveness of all of the MVBC families you abandoned in their time of need.
Finally, I would like to address the sentence handed down by Judge Astrowsky.
The Judge could have imposed anywhere between 10-24 years of prison time per count. Seventeen years was the preemptive sentence. If the Judge believed there were mitigating circumstances in favor of giving Chantry a lighter sentence, he could reduce the prison time. If adverse circumstances were proved, which they were, the Judge had the liberty to increase the prison time. The Judge disregarded the mitigating circumstances presented by the Defense and sentenced Chantry to the maximum prison time allowed on all four counts of sexual molestation of a child.
Great, thank you Judge Astrowsky.
But then the Judge chose to run all four counts concurrently. Why? I don’t pretend to know anything about the legal system, so perhaps I shouldn’t comment, but it baffles me why the Judge would give Chantry the maximum sentence and then basically undermine the sentence by effectively reducing the time to 1/4 of what it could have been had the Judge ran the sentences consecutively.
One rarely gets everything they hope for in life and such is my feeling in this case. Nevertheless, I do take solace in the fact that Chantry will be in prison until he is 72 years old, unable to molest any more children for a good, long time, and that is really why I write. My goal is to protect children from abusers. That has been accomplished in this case.
Finally, I wanted to reprint this letter from one of Chantry’s victims. I hope she doesn’t mind that I did so. I thought it was very good.
wpDiscuz