# Stephen Collins, say it ain't so! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [October 7, 2014, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stephen-collins-say-it-aint-so/700654 "2014-10-07T14:44:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 11
**Author:** ![you\_with\_the\_face](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/ecccb3/32.png) [@you\_with\_the\_face](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/you_with_the_face)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2014, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stephen-collins-say-it-aint-so/700654/201 "2014-10-15T18:07:44Z")
> [@Zebra](#): > > OK so in the 70’s Stephen does some bad stuff with kids. All I’ve heard is exposing himself and he made a few touch his penis. > > Early 2000’s wife gets a letter about this. Apparently the marriage is going well… Do you know this for a fact? Marriages don’t become bad overnight. Isn’t it possible there was always some dysfunction between them, and things didn’t reach a tipping point until 2012? > [@](#): > > 2012 marriage is now bad and wife says, “you did sex stuff with kids” and Stephen is like ‘yeah’ and she is like “you should take to a therapist about that, don’t worry, I’ll be at your side” and then she records him and takes it to the police. The look into it and say, well it was a really long time ago, we can’t press charges. From what I read, the cops asked her to make the tape. In other words, she didn’t do this without their prodding. We should be asking ourselves why they prodded. What information did they have that we might not have? And also, what information might she have, that we don’t know about? Isn’t it possible she had more insight into his activities than we do? This is almost certainly the case because she was his wife at the time. > [@](#): > > Are there any victims from the 80’s or 90’s or the 00’s? I don’t know. None of us do. We didn’t know about the victims from the 70’s either, until this story broke. All this tells me is that we don’t know enough to say he is or isn’t currently (or recently) offending. The absence of victims coming forth publically means very little, since this is the kind of crime that suffers from underreporting. > [@](#): > > Don’t get me wrong, he is a child abuser but he seems to be the nicest of the dammed. You have not supplied enough facts to support this conclusion. What is evident is that you think you have, but there are holes in your thought process. ---
**Author:** ![brickbacon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/898d66/32.png) [@brickbacon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brickbacon)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2014, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stephen-collins-say-it-aint-so/700654/202 "2014-10-15T19:04:15Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > Because it was really funny. The fact that you can’t see why, of course, only makes it more so. I assume you are accusing me of turning this into an argument which is both false and not not responsive to the comment. But I am glad you got a chuckle out of it. ---
**Author:** ![you\_with\_the\_face](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/ecccb3/32.png) [@you\_with\_the\_face](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/you_with_the_face)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2014, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stephen-collins-say-it-aint-so/700654/203 "2014-10-15T19:14:09Z")
> [@you\_with\_the\_face](#): > > From what I read, the cops asked her to make the tape. In other words, she didn’t do this without their prodding. We should be asking ourselves why they prodded. What information did they have that we might not have? And also, what information might she have, that we don’t know about? Isn’t it possible she had more insight into his activities than we do? This is almost certainly the case because she was his wife at the time. According to this [article](Grant exclusively revealed the news to Radar in a statement from her rep: “I woke up today to learn that an extremely private recording I handed over to the authorities in 2012 per their request in connection with a criminal investigation was recently disseminated to the media. I had no involvement whatsoever with), the ex is claiming the taping occurred at the request of the cops investigating him. > [@](#): > > Grant exclusively revealed the news to Radar in a statement from her rep: “I woke up today to learn that an extremely private recording I handed over to the authorities in 2012 per their request in connection with a criminal investigation was recently disseminated to the media. Does anyone know what prompted this investigation? Or is the prevailing assumption that she was the driver behind everything that happened, including the release of the tape? ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2014, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stephen-collins-say-it-aint-so/700654/204 "2014-10-15T20:54:14Z")
> [@you\_with\_the\_face](#): > > You have not supplied enough facts to support this conclusion. What is evident is that you think you have, but there are holes in your thought process. Why hasn’t any more recent victims come forward. Yes, I know victims of this sort of crime frequently don’t want to report, usually because of fear they won’t be believed. But now, with these confessions, that shouldn’t be standing in anyone’s way. On the surface, it looks like Collins has not done anything since the 70’s. The screaming for him to ‘not be allowed access to kids’ like he is some lurching, foaming at the mouth, dripping cum from his hands pervert is, IMHO, extreme. If he had be tried in the 70’s for what he did and was convicted, what would have been his sentence? ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2014, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stephen-collins-say-it-aint-so/700654/205 "2014-10-15T21:11:05Z")
> [@you\_with\_the\_face](#): > > According to this [article](Grant exclusively revealed the news to Radar in a statement from her rep: “I woke up today to learn that an extremely private recording I handed over to the authorities in 2012 per their request in connection with a criminal investigation was recently disseminated to the media. I had no involvement whatsoever with), the ex is claiming the taping occurred at the request of the cops investigating him. > > Does anyone know what prompted this investigation? Or is the prevailing assumption that she was the driver behind everything that happened, including the release of the tape? I can’t get the article to open, but based upon what you’ve quoted it sounds to me like she had previously recorded the tape on her own and the police requested that she turn it over only after having been made aware at some later date of its existence. ---
**Author:** ![brickbacon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/898d66/32.png) [@brickbacon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brickbacon)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2014, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stephen-collins-say-it-aint-so/700654/206 "2014-10-15T21:14:21Z")
> [@Zebra](#): > > Why hasn’t any more recent victims come forward. Yes, I know victims of this sort of crime frequently don’t want to report, usually because of fear they won’t be believed. But now, with these confessions, that shouldn’t be standing in anyone’s way. That is not the only reason victims don’t report things like this. Besides, you are assuming every one of his victims is alive, willing to go trough a trial, and is aware of the recent allegations. > [@Zebra](#): > > On the surface, it looks like Collins has not done anything since the 70’s. This conclusion is based on nothing. Absence of evidence isn’t evidence of absence. More importantly, the number of pedophiles who act at least 3 times, then stop cold without treatment or intervention is pretty low. > [@Zebra](#): > > The screaming for him to ‘not be allowed access to kids’ like he is some lurching, foaming at the mouth, dripping cum from his hands pervert is, IMHO, extreme. In what sense? Would you want him alone with any kid you care about? If not, then why is it wrong to extend the same courtesy to others? Even the worst pedophile is not going to act every time or with every kid. The point is that him crossing the line at least 3 times, even if those crimes were decades ago and even if they were the only times, means he sacrifices his right to be alone around kids. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2014, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stephen-collins-say-it-aint-so/700654/207 "2014-10-15T21:23:57Z")
> [@brickbacon](#): > > I assume you are accusing me of turning this into an argument which is both false and not not responsive to the comment. But I am glad you got a chuckle out of it. Hee. ---
**Author:** ![jimbuff314](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c57346/32.png) [@jimbuff314](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jimbuff314)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2014, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stephen-collins-say-it-aint-so/700654/208 "2014-10-15T21:35:01Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > I laughed out loud at that. > [@brickbacon](#): > > Why? Damn. I LOLed again. ---
**Author:** ![you\_with\_the\_face](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/ecccb3/32.png) [@you\_with\_the\_face](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/you_with_the_face)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2014, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stephen-collins-say-it-aint-so/700654/209 "2014-10-15T23:45:29Z")
> [@Zebra](#): > > Why hasn’t any more recent victims come forward. Yes, I know victims of this sort of crime frequently don’t want to report, usually because of fear they won’t be believed. But now, with these confessions, that shouldn’t be standing in anyone’s way. Fear of being disbelieved isn’t the only reason a victim might not come forward. There’s still a lot of shame that comes with being preyed upon and used by a child molestor. Some people don’t want to completely disrupt their lives by coming out, especially if they feel as if the past is behind them. Also, some of victims might actually be children still. It’s crazy to assume no victimization has occurred simply because victims aren’t lining up to announce themselves. Anyway, according to [TMZ](http://www.tmz.com/2014/10/13/stephen-collins-7th-heaven-fame-to-lure-children-kids-molestation-investigation/), his ex believes he was molesting as recently as the mid-2000’s. You and others are free to doubt her claims out of hand, of course. But all that underscores is how hard it is for someone in her position to report molestation without hard proof. Ironically, by disbelieving everything she says just to hold on the idea that Collins was unfairly set up, you justify the lengths she went through to tape his confession. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stephen-collins-say-it-aint-so/700654.md?page=10)