Sunday School teacher indicted for 55yrs of child abuse - US

Joseph Russell Dendy of Georgia

More "love" from the christians?...... Or should I say, another one bites the dust.

In the US state of Georgia a leader of the Republican party, a Sunday school teacher for years (he and his wife both taught Sunday school in fact), a business owner and having a character described by former State Rep. Roger Hines as "impeccable", has now been indicted on a number of child sexual abuse charges spanning a whooping 55 years.

Good grief. Fifty five years! And all that time he (allegedly) kept up a facade of impeccable-ness, an upstanding church member and teacher trusted with children, and a leader in the local Georgia Republicans and part of the local community as owning a business. 

How could anyone live such an incredibly opposite double life? One would think it'd be virtually impossible to accomplish such a thing for any length of time, but he did it for 55 years (allegedly). Was he perhaps trying to complete with some of the most vile of Catholic priests?

On Thursday, Dendy was indicted on four counts of child molestation, four counts of first-degree cruelty to children, three counts of enticing a child for indecent purposes, and one count each of aggravated sexual battery and aggravated child molestation, the indictment states. He was being held without bond Monday at the Cobb jail. 

Prosecutors contended at his June bond hearing that Dendy has been molesting boys and a girl during a span off 55 years. Alleged victims told investigators they were initially embarrassed and afraid to report the inappropriate contact to police. Dendy allegedly told one victim he would kill his family if he reported what had happened, according to prosecutors. 

Dendy and his wife, Billie, own a travel agency and have taught Sunday school for many years. For four years, Dendy served as the chairman of Cobb’s GOP, the largest red county in Georgia. He also previously served as the campaign manager for former State Rep. Roger Hines, who has described Dendy’s character as “impeccable.” 

Dendy served two, two-year terms as leader of the Cobb GOP and was succeeded last year by his vice chair, Rose Wing. Atlanta Georgia News