Man files lawsuit after Lindenhurst cop allegedly sexually abused him
“It destroyed me. It destroyed my mind. My psych. It became something I was obsessed with,” said alleged victim Robert Lowry.
Lowry says he has suffered for decades. Now, he says he's hoping for justice in a courtroom.
Lowry on Monday filed a lawsuit after he says a police officer sexually abused him as a teenager, but never faced prosecution due to the statute of limitations.
“It just eats away at your heart and your soul. and your mind,” Lowry said.
He claims Ralph Goar, a Lindenhurst police officer, sexually abused him almost three decades ago. Lowry was 14 and Goar would have been 19, supervising the Explorers program before becoming a cop.
“So I didn't realize at the time that I had been abused. I just thought that it was something that was weak of me and I needed to correct about myself,” Lowry said.
Lowry waited until five years ago to tell his story to police. His delay prevented a criminal prosecution, but now he's suing Officer Goar and the village.
“The lawsuit alleges that the village of Lindenhurst was reckless in failing to discover that Ralph Goar, then an Explorer leader, sexually abused my client and failed to take appropriate action to stop that abuse,” said attorney Eugene Hollander.
Hollander says Lowry's failure to recognize the abuse will allow this case to proceed. He also represents a young man who claims that five years ago, Officer Gore met him in the middle of the night for a sexual encounter. Prosecutors say there was no crime because the boy was 17 and the officer was off-duty. Hollander says a lawsuit is likely.
“Mr. Goar advised my client that he was a police officer. Second. for the exchange that they had, over which we're going to be litigating, my client saw his badge,” Hollander said.
Officer Goar's attorney has said the officer absolutely denies Lowry's allegations. Village officials say they'll take whatever action is best for the department. So far, officer Goar has been placed on administrative leave.