A retired player for the New York Yankees has recently been accused of three counts of aggravated sexual abuse of children.

John Wetteland, who was the World Series MVP in 1996 after winning with the New York Yankees, faces claims that he forced a relative to have sex with him while they were four years old, according to NJ.com.

The pitcher allegedly committed sexual abuse three times with his relative over the span of two years. The incidents reportedly happened in his home. The former New York Yankees pitcher was reportedly arrested in mid-January but was released on $25,000 bond the same day.

Sexual abuse of children can be extremely damaging to the child but may be hard to spot. The perpetrator may be a family member, or someone trusted by the child’s family, meaning that those responsible for the child may not be suspicious.

However, monitoring for warning signs can help parents and guardians spot any unusual changes in their child. According to the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network, a child may demonstrate the following warning signs after being sexually abused:

• Physical signs of abuse (bleeding, bruises, swollen genitals, frequent UTIs or yeast infections, more);
• Changes in hygiene (refusing to bathe or bathing excessively);
• Development of phobias;
• Symptoms of depression or post-traumatic stress disorder;
• Suicidal thoughts;
• Trouble in school;
• Inappropriate sexual knowledge;
• Nightmares;
• Regressive behaviors;
• Runs away from home;
• Self-harming behaviors;
• Afraid of physical contact;
• And more.

In the past, sexual abuse of children may not have been prosecuted because the statute of limitations may have run before victims are willing to take action. However, New York recently passed a law that will extend the statute of limitations for child sex abuse.

The recently passed Child Victims Act will allow victims of childhood sexual abuse to take legal action long after the previous age cutoff of 23. Now, civil cases can be brought against sexual abusers until the victims are 55 and criminal cases can be brought against abusers until the victims are 28.

The law also allows a one year period for victims of any age or time limit to come forward with legal claims against their abusers.

The extended statute of limitations will allow victims the time to come forward with their allegations. Victims can sometimes have a delayed experience of trauma, meaning that they may not recognize what they went through until years have passed. Under previous laws, this delayed trauma response may have cost victims the ability to seek legal justice. However, the Child Victims Act will allow for a longer statute of limitations which will benefit childhood sexual abuse victims.

“The fact that New York has stepped up and vastly improved its statute of limitations, it helps to pave the way for other states who haven’t yet taken steps to improve their statute of limitations,” said Stephen Forrester to CNN. Forrester works as the director of government relations and administration at the New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children.

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This article is not legal advice. It is presented
for informational purposes only.