Jansen’s alleged victims come forward
Two Taylor grads publish texts, documents showing exchanges with former teacher
This article is brought to you by Freedom Financial.
(Editor’s note: The content of this article may be disturbing to readers, as it contains allegations of sexual misconduct and abuse as well as profanity.)
Charles “Chuck” Jansen currently is being investigated for allegedly grooming young men to perform acts of a sexual nature while he was employed as a teacher at two local schools. Two of his alleged victims came forward on social media on June 12, sharing communications with the once-prominent community leader that lend credence to the accusations.
Brok Westfall and Dakota Harris were students at Taylor High School during Jansen’s tenure at the school, which ended in 2011 with his dismissal. Both men allege that Jansen paid them for various acts while they were students, ranging from stomping on his food to urinating in a crockpot.
Jansen was dismissed from employment at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in late April as the allegations came to light. He was dismissed from Taylor School in 2011 following allegations of misconduct.
Westfall is a Kokomo Police officer. On June 12, he posted to his page on Facebook, claiming to be a victim of Jansen’s.
“I am coming forward publicly on my personal Facebook page to say … I am a victim of Chuck Jansen,” Westfall wrote. “Pictured below is a couple text screenshots and also the proof of the joint bank account Chuck encourage(d) and initiated.
“This isn’t everything. This is just a glimpse into my life over (the) last 14 years. I want to spread awareness around our community and help answer some questions.”
Westfall claimed that the abuse began with Jansen creating “the Brok Westfall Fan Club,” of which he named himself president. He also set up a joint bank account with Westfall and deposited money in exchange for stomping on his food.
“The grooming began when I was in High School,” Westfall wrote. “I want to encourage anyone that knows or suspects they are a victim to reach out. We want to know how he met you, and how it began. Help us connect the dots, and reach others.”
Dakota Harris also took to social media on June 12, making similar allegations against Jansen and also sharing text exchanges with the former teacher. Harris claims to have been the victim who came forward in 2011, resulting in Jansen’s dismissal from Taylor.
“I’m coming forward on Facebook to publicly say I was one of the many victims of Chuck Jansen,” said Harris. “By publicly doing so, I along with others are in hopes it will encourage others to come forward.
“In 2011 at the age of 16 while attending Taylor High School I became a victim … I was the student that came forward to Taylor High School administrators in 2011 regarding the abuse from Charles Jansen. Did he get removed immediately from the school? No. Was there a meeting held with some staff to inform them to “stay quiet and not talk about it” Yes (confirmed by staff) Were all the parents of fellow students reached out to and Informed of the situation or to see if other victims were out there? No.”
The text messages Harris shared detailed exchanges with Jansen in which the former teacher asked Harris to stomp on his food or chew it up and spit it into a bag. He also encouraged Harris to “take a leak” in his crockpot.
Sources indicate that Jansen is being investigated by the Indiana State Police concerning these and other allegations. The catholic church issued a statement last week, confirming that Jansen is no longer employed by the church. And other sources claim that Jansen left the Kokomo area at the end of April.
Despite his departure, Jansen’s alleged victims want justice, and they hope other victims will step forward.
“If they would of known what we know now things would of been handled completely differently,” Harris wrote. “If you were or are a victim please don’t be afraid to reach out, you are not alone. Thank you to my two best friends for giving me the courage to come forward in 2011 when I did.”