GOSPEL OF PAUL

Babeu In New Doo-Doo Over Abuse At Old School, Affair With Former Student

When it comes to Arizona lawman and Senate congressional hopeful Paul Babeu, where’s there smoke there’s at least one fire: Babeu (right) just got finished answering allegations he threatened to have an immigrant boyfriend deported when new rumors have started swirling around the Pinal County sheriff’s tenure as a headmaster in Massachusetts in the early 2000s.

ABC 15 reports that while Babeu was director of the private DeSisto School from 1999 to 2001, the state Office of Child Care Services launched an investigation “into repeated allegations of abuse.”

The documents show that during Babeu’s tenure the school was not licensed. Other allegations include detailed instances of physical and sexual abuse.

Holli Nielsen, a former student under Babeu’s watch, called the academy “cult-like,” and told ABC 15 how she was forced to strip down and wear nothing but a sheet in front of other students. “That’s how I spent my 16th birthday. It was just miserable.” Other reports detail strip searches, forced isolation and sexual assaults between students.

Nielsen says Babeu knew of the excesses at the school, but perhaps he was distracted by life at home: According to Babeu’s sister, Lucy, he had a 17-year-old student living with him:

“I said what is this student from DeSisto doing here? He says, ‘Lucy, he’s my boyfriend. I love him.’ ”

Nielsen claims the relationship was “was widely known but not discussed.” The embattled sheriff left the school in 2001, three years before it was shut down as a result of the investigation.

Sadly, it’s not so shocking Babeu had a teenage boyfriend who was attending the school he worked at—closeted Republicans do some really f**ked up things. What’s incredible is that he somehow thought this wouldn’t surface later when he ran for public office.

Babeu insists he’s not guilty of any wrongdoing, but he pulled out of a speaking engagement at the Tulsa Police Heroes awards reception set for this Saturday.

“Sheriff Babeu and the organization running the event both agreed the importance needs to be on the officers, not baseless allegations and attacks made against the sheriff,” said Elias Johnson, public information officer for the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office.

Maybe he’s afraid someone will have a subpoena?

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