A Washington state NBC affiliate has published a list of retired teachers who receive full
retirement benefits even though they’ve been convicted of crimes, some of which are sexual crimes
against children. According to King 5, “. . . 22 teachers, most who had been convicted of crimes against
children, who together have received about $5.1 million above their own retirement contributions,
interest included as of the end of 2014.”
This revelation has sparked outrage across the state and beyond. “What! It’s that gut reaction of, ‘Oh,
my gosh!’ This person is in prison for this and they are receiving several thousand dollars a month?
What?!” exclaimed Anne Marie Gurney, a researcher with the Freedom Foundation, a conservative
policy group in Washington state.
The numbers are staggering, especially when you consider these retired teachers have been convicted,
some of whom are still in prison, of heinous crimes against children.
King 5 reports, “The list includes people like Norman Standley, David Lloyd Anderson, William Pickerel,
Ruben Carrera, Alfredo Castillo and Ande Strittmatter, who were all found guilty of child molestation,
Larry Pierson who was found guilty of assault with sexual motivation, Craig Figley who is serving a life
sentence for molesting children and Christopher Loftus who was convicted of child rape.
In one specific example, KING 5 looked at the records for Laurence “Shayne” Hill. Hill was convicted on
multiple counts of child molestation in King County in 2005 after he admitted to molesting his 10-year-
old and 11-year-old students.”
Washington state residents have a right to be outraged. Anyone who has been convicted of betraying
the public trust by sexually abusing children doesn’t deserve a nice pension.