This is an awful tale. This also shows that even when authorities are contacted and involved, it doesn't always work out. (published with permission)
CW: Rape, Child Abuse
TLDR: We won’t be returning to CTRF, and the Judge Declined to sign the warrant to arrest Shiloh’s rapist.
We have been silent regarding this issue for the last two years, putting our faith in the “System”, but well aware that the system would more than likely let us down. What we did not expect was for the people we trusted, such as the owners of the The Connecticut Renaissance Faire, to also let us down.
In the fall of 2019, at 14 years old, Shiloh worked as an unpaid volunteer for the for-profit institution of CTRF. He had been working there since he was nine, and like most rennie families, felt comfortable and safe there. I often switched off with his father, Eric Fair, or a few trusted friends to chaperone him on these weekends of volunteer work.
On the grounds of the faire that year, Shiloh was sexually assaulted, multiple times, feet from his father, by an 18 year old man known as Anthony “TaterTot” Hoffman.
In April of 2020, amid the pandemic, and years of therapy, Shiloh came forward. Anthony was in the middle of a *different* sexual assault of a minor case, and that gave him the strength to come forward and tell us what happened. We immediately called the state police in Connecticut and opened a case. We notified the owners of Hitting and Stabbing Emporium, where Shiloh volunteered, as well as the owners of CTRF, who were ‘mortified’ that it happened on faire grounds and promised us he would be banned immediately.
In the fall of 2021, as the pandemic restrictions were easing, things were changing in the faire scene. While The Hitting & Stabbing Emporium would not be returning to the faire for the season, many of Shiloh’s friends were, and he wanted to return. We were faced with the problem: do we allow our now 16 year old to not be punished for being a victim, or do we protect him. We discussed it as a family, and decided to put our faith in “Our faire family”.
We were betrayed. The second to last weekend of the faire, Shiloh calls me in hysterical tears. Not only was Anthony on the grounds of the faire he was working, but he had been invited back to work security. We immediately removed Shiloh from the situation and got him to safety. When the Faire management was questioned, we were told that *they* were told by Anthony ‘the case was closed’.
It was not. The *first* assault case against him had been closed. Ours was still open. We had not been consulted, asked, or warned.
In fact, on 1/18/2022 we received the best news in two years: the Detective on the case had submitted a warrant to be signed for Anthony’s arrest. For those of you who don’t know how this works: A case is opened. It’s worked on for as long, and with however much resources are allocated to it, a warrant is submitted to the court with evidence for arrest, a judge signs the warrant (Or not), then the perpetrator is arrested, then prosecution begins.
Unfortunately, two months later (yes that’s how long it sat on the judge’s desk) we were told that the judge declined to sign it. Case… closed.
But it isn’t closed. My son was sexually abused by an adult who will be working *Security* at the Connecticut renaissance festival this year. Who was working security the year he raped my child. And CTRF’s response was not what we expect from a ‘faire family’. Shiloh has all of the support and love from his real friends and family, has been in therapy and will continue to have those supports. My fear: our fear, is that this man will hurt another child.
This is our truth. Shiloh will be posting his own statement on his page.
If you have anything to say that isn’t support, please PM it to me.
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