Dangerous Pedophile Parole Hearing Wednesday

William 'Hank' Dufort was convicted of 26 counts of sodomy, sex abuse and contributing to the sexual delinquency of a minor.

Dufort is incarcerated in the Snake River Correctional Facility near Ontario, Oregon Image courtesy: pinnacle-engineers.com/

(LAKE OSWEGO, Ore.) - "We encourage Oregonians to tell the State Parole Board not to let this dangerous predator out of prison," said Steve Doell President of Crime Victims United of Oregon. 67-year old William 'Hank' Dufort is scheduled for a hearing before the board on Wednesday March 7th.

Dufort is serving a 48-year sentence for sodomizing and sexually abusing six teenage boys at the Corvallis Farm Home between 1987 and 1989. Dufort was director at the home. "We believe Dufort is such a high-risk deceitful predator that no supervision is available to contain his criminal behavior outside of the Oregon Department of Corrections" said Edie and Doug Richard, parents of one of Dufort¹s victims. "We are asking the board to deny parole because the facts show he is a very dangerous repeat criminal and professional predator. The board has a responsibility to protect all children from this individual. It is as simple as that."

When Benton County Circuit Judge Robert Gardner sentenced Dufort in 1990 he said, "it is clear that Mr. Dufort is what we call a 'fixed pedophile' (and) we've heard during this trial some of the most depressing testimony I¹ve ever heard as a judge. This was one of the strongest cases I¹ve ever seen. The evidence was overwhelming."

Dufort was convicted of 26 counts of sodomy, sex abuse and contributing to the sexual delinquency of a minor. He had worked at the home for troubled children since the 1960¹s and admitted to investigators he had abused other boys during his career there. Doell explained, "this guy was in a position of power, he not only preyed on vulnerable young boys, but he also violated the trust of his coworkers and the community."

To this day Dufort has shown no remorse, has not admitted any responsibility and instead blames his homosexuality for his crimes. "Even though he has had 16 years to come to grips with the gravity of his actions, he remains in denial about his crimes," noted Doell, "he needs to come to terms with the trauma he¹s inflicted on his victims before he¹s even considered for parole."

During the trial, six of Dufort¹s victims found the courage to testify. They were between the ages of 12 and 17 when the abuse occurred. The Farm Home underwent reforms long ago and is now operating under a different name. Dufort has recently been incarcerated at the Snake River Correctional Institution in Ontario.

Crime Victims United is asking the public to object to Dufort¹s release by writing to the Oregon State Board of Parole and Post-Prison Supervision 2575 Center Street NE, Ste. 100 Salem, Oregon 97301-4621.