Posted on 02/07/2003 11:47:04 AM PST by Lancey Howard
Doctor admits sexually molesting children By LAURIE MASON The Intelligencer
DOYLESTOWN - Is Dr. Alva "Jim" Hartwright a pedophile? The 63-year-old former pediatrician said it depends which definition is used: the legal one or his own.
"The legal definition, no," Hartwright said. "But my own definition, yes. My own definition (of pedophile) is a man who loves boys."
And the enemas he forced the children to undergo? "The enemas were medically necessary," he said.
Hartwright, of Morrisville, made that statement just moments after pleading guilty in Bucks County Court on Thursday to sexually molesting two boys and collecting more than 6,000 images of child pornography. Most of the photos and computer images depicted children receiving enemas.
District Attorney Diane Gibbons said Hartwright's words and actions show that there's little chance he can be rehabilitated.
"This man does not understand, or just refuses to understand, that this is criminal conduct," she said.
Hartwright will be sentenced in approximately six weeks, following an evaluation by the state Megan's Law board, which will determine if he's a sexually violent predator. He faces a mandatory minimum five-to-10-year jail sentence, but could get as many as 30 years behind bars.
He remains in the county prison, where he's being held without bail until his sentencing hearing.
Hartwright was arrested in June following an investigation that began when a 6-year-old Maryland boy who had previously lived with Hartwright told police that he'd seen naked photos of himself and other children at Hartwright's home.
Police searched the Hamilton Avenue house and found rooms strewn with animal and human feces, rotting food and insects. A loaded gun and ammunition also were found.
Two boys, ages 11 and 14, were taken from the house and placed in foster care.
Hartwright and a 22-year-old man who lived with him were arrested. Charges against the younger man, Michael Watts, were later dropped. Gibbons said an investigation showed that Watts also was once a victim of Hartwright.
The children told the police they had been living with Hartwright for several years and that they didn't attend school. They said Hartwright gave them enemas at least three times a week.
The children also told police that Hartwright gave them .22 caliber rifles for Christmas and allowed them to shoot the guns.
Police found thousands of computer files, Polaroid pictures and digital photos of boys in sexually explicit poses. Child pornography magazines and books, including a copy of "Boys for Sale," also were found.
Hartwright admitted being involved in the publication of child pornography magazines in the past, Gibbons said, but there was no evidence that he was involved while he lived in Morrisville.
Inside the computer, police found evidence that Hartwright frequented Internet chatrooms devoted to child pornography. His Web moniker was "Mr. Enema" and his computer password was "enema."
Gibbons said Hartwright admitted to having an obsession with enemas since puberty. She said Hartwright had been molesting children for more than 30 years, finding most of his victims in impoverished neighborhoods.
Hartwright moved to Morrisville in 1999, but he has lived all over the country, she said, sometimes recruiting older teens to scour the streets for young boys to bring home.
Hartwright also sought out drug-addicted mothers and convinced them to relinquish custody of their boys to him. He took some of the children to Germany where, he told police, it's easier to have a romantic relationship with a boy.
Gibbons told county Judge Kenneth Biehn on Thursday that while in the county prison, Hartwright contacted Dawn Witts, the Children and Youth social service agency representative assigned to the case. Witts visited Hartwright in prison to see what he wanted, Gibbons said.
"He repeatedly wept and begged to see (one of the victims). He said having sexual activity with children was a good thing, that if she looked at the faces of the children in the photos she would see that they were enjoying it," Gibbons said.
Witts said after the hearing in county court in Doylestown that she couldn't talk about the case because of confidentiality laws. But of her visit with Hartwright, she said, "It was frightening."
Looking frail and disheveled, with shaky hands and a matted beard, Hartwright sat hunched over the defense table Thursday. He didn't react as Gibbons read the facts of the case to Biehn.
While looking over a sample of the photos found at Hartwright's home, the judge grimaced but didn't comment.
After the hearing, Hartwright was led away in handcuffs, walking slowly with the help of a cane. He said he decided to plead guilty "because it looked like it'd be hard to tell people what really happened and have them believe it." He also said he feared facing a longer sentence if convicted by a jury.
Laurie Mason can be contacted via e-mail at lmason@phillyburbs.com.
February 7, 2003 9:45 AM
Bet a lot of people are thankful you cared.
Don't you just hate it when you work overtime sugarcoating, painting, papering and perfuming some people and then out pops one of the evilest of evil, a perverted human predator of little children. Surely we have fingers to point elsewhere, must keep our little minded selves busy. Now that is just one of how many???? You better believe there are others, hiding in the dark shadows of their perversion. How horrible that all of this must see the light of day, for the unwashed to see. Just terrible.
Bingo! They cover for eachother. I've watched it for years and years. Nobody in the profession wants to stick his neck out, even though they are all legally required to report suspected abuse. Those who look the other way are, IMO, even worse than the perpetrator himself -- they constitute the only safeguard against this kind of thing and they have shamelessly shirked their legal and ethical responsibility consistently.
Before selecting a pediatrician, investigate him thoroughly. Criminal record? Record of complaints to state medical board? Frequents homosexual bars or belongs to homosexual organizations?
Never let your child be interviewed, examined or treated unless you are personally present every second.
Always get a second opinion before permitting the pediatrician to prescribe or treat your child in any non-routine manner. Do not tell the consulting physician that the child has already been seen and diagnosed or that a treatment has been suggested. Know exactly what periodic routine visits should consist of, as well as what vaccinations, etc. are standard practice. Question anything that deviates from this.
Let your child know that he/she can change pediatricians any time he/she wants and the reason won't matter.
And lastly, never select a pediatrician who is a member of the AAP. They do mass mailings to promote boundary violations by their membership, such as interrogating your youngster about firearms in your home.
It's a shame that it's come to this, but medicine has had its chance to police its own ranks and has obviously failed to do so.
There are some good physicians out there but they have to be sought out. And you can never, ever just let go and trust that they will do right by you and your child.
Aint it terrible that there is always someone that enjoys being a burr under your saddle???? Bet you wish you could squish that bug but good. hehehehehehe Gonna bother you all night. Dont fret, you are okay.
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