Ex-DARE officer accused of sexually abusing teen boys

A former Bucks County police officer is accused of sexually abusing four teenage boys while working as a D.A.R.E officer 20 years ago, but authorities say they fear there could be additional potential victims.

James Christopher Carey, 52, was arraigned before District Judge Maggie Snow on 122 counts of child sexual assault-related charges Wednesday.

Bail was set at $100,000, which he posted, according to the Bucks County district attorney’s office.

Carey, now of Cape May Court House, New Jersey, did not comment to reporters as he left his arraignment in handcuffs, but his attorney Michael Applebaum maintained his client is innocent.

Bucks County District Attorney Matt Weintraub said during a news conference that the abuse happened while Carey was an officer with Warminster.

“We still have grave concerns that this defendant may have abused additional victims from 2000 to 2006,” Weintraub said.

DARE stands for Drug Abuse Resistance Education; it is a national program to teach children to resist drugs and violence. Officers from local departments present the curriculum in schools.

Carey was a DARE officer with Log College Middle School, part of the Centennial School District, during the time of the assaults, according to Bucks County detectives.

The charges against Carey follow a lengthy Bucks County investigation and inquiry by a Bucks County grand jury, the DA’s office said.

Weintraub said Carey was assigned to the elementary, middle and high school in the district while working for Warminster. He ran the Fire Explorer program with the Warminster Fire Department, along with “co-molester,” Charles Goodenough, Weintraub said.

Goodenough, 60, recently died by suicide. Investigators searched his home in late February, and Goodenough died through a drug overdose in early March, according to the DA’s office.

Weintraub alleged the victims were linked to Carey through a Boy Scouts program. Additionally, Carey took children on overnight camping trips through the Warminster Parks and Recreation Department, according to court records.

Court documents also allege Carey sexually abused children in his care from 1987 until 2000. County Detective Gregory Beidler wrote in charging documents that there were countless minors who were in Carey’s care during that time. The detective said they could not be identified because of the lack of, or incomplete, records.

Carey’s previous work history included the Warminster Parks and Recreation Department, and he most recently worked as a school bus driver in southern New Jersey. He also worked at a campground in Cape May, and the Coast Guard, both of which he was fired from, according to Weintraub.

The DA’s office said Carey was the focus of a 2006 New Jersey State Police investigation into inappropriate conduct with minors at the Driftwood Campground. However, no charges were filed.

Weintraub said Carey would get close to his victims, who were all young boys, under the false pretense of his official duty as an officer.

In the first case, the boy’s mother thought Carey was guiding her troubled son into making the right decisions, according to Weintraub.

The second boy was sexually abused by Carey when he was about 13, according to the DA. Weintraub said Carey knew the boy through the DARE program.

The third boy was victimized at the rec center near Log College Middle School, he said. Weintraub said Carey molested the 13-year-old under the guise of “patting” him down.

The fourth boy lived near Carey, according to the DA.

“This victim had no father present, his mother had issues, and this victim was looking for a father figure, a role model, someone he could trust,” he said, “And instead he got James Carey.”

Weintraub said Carey took advantage of his power as an officer to sexually abuse the community’s “most vulnerable.”

“He was a veritable wolf in sheep’s clothing, preying on those who trusted him — our children,” he said.

Carey told District Judge Maggie Snow during his arraignment that he was currently unemployed.

During Carey’s arraignment Wednesday morning, Appelbaum pushed for unsecured bail, adding that his client had showed up to all necessary hearings and had surrendered himself.