The team was established prior to Safe Sports existence or the banned list coming out. It’s odd though - the connection to GMU. Apparently he taught a class? That’s really odd. And sort of alarming. Don’t they run background checks on adjunct instructors?
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According to the SS website, the ban was issued in December of 2018. Hopefully, they were sponsored before the ban and it quietly slipped through without recognition…I don’t know the rep or farm. I’m in central Virginia, but I have friends up that way that are horrified by him. Smartpak is the puzzling one since they are so active with USEF.
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until the culture of ‘open secrets’ changes, there will continue to be ill-informed parents. If those in the know don’t speak up, can we really blame newbie parents?
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Generally speaking, nope. which, given the majority of classes are now taught by adjuncts, is not an insignificant concern, although we are talking about an almost exclusively adult student population.
Keep it simple–where did you dind that the parties got discovery and the ability to confront and cross examine? As far as I could tell in reading through the SS rules, there’s no meaningful discovery and no right to confront witnesses.
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the post you quoted states that there is no right to confront accusers by the accused/representative of accused.
Wow. This is interesting - never actually thought through this part. Yes, its beyond USEF jurisdiction so they cant enforce, but its not that big of a universe, and one would think these things get around. Why would a parent even consider this a good choice??
And I’m guessing he would be on the sex offender registry because of the criminal record? Because its not clear to me that a SafeSport ban would lead to inclusion on that list…
His record is criminal too…he’s on the sex offender list. A friend has the app on her phone when she’s nearby a place to a registered sex offender. It alerted her and she was shocked it was the owner/manager/head trainer.
What is this man’s name? Sorry if someone said, and I missed it.
I used to live closer to this location in NoVa, but am not really part of the local Hunter jumper community, except by virtue of connection to some friends. My experience in a lot of NoVa over the last few years though, is that it’s pretty easy to have a thriving lesson barn business in this area with a problematic person running it who has multiple red flags in terms of horsemanship/competence. Unfortunately. There’s just an explosion of upper middle class families in Western Fairfax and Eastern Loudoun counties, who are often transplants and new to the area and everyone is trying to sign kids up for yet another activity - a vhyoer scheduled culture for kids. So It makes it easy for crummy lesson programs to maintain a steady stream of new clients because there’s a lot of transplant people who have no background in horses just looking for a lesson barn for their kids that’s convenient, has a good website, and that that they can fit into the mix with a bunch of other activities the kids are doing. The horse people who HAVE been in the area a long time (people I know, but I was a transplanted over a decade ago as well) and are already networked, and are actually knowledgeable about what a legit trainer and reputable barn should entail just move in a different circle. It’s an odd dynamic, but what happens is that it creates space for people like this guy to have a thriving business. There’s a few other problematic programs around as well with owners/coaches that have some criminal records too - but not Safe Sport stuff.
One well liked barn by the “brand new to horses” suburban crowd actually used to take kids to schooling shows and coach them to yell “UP” loudly at their horse while going around the ring and approaching tiny cross rail jumps at schooling shows. Or so I’ve heard. Seriously. They have a thriving business. It’s sad but also a little bit funny…
Not surprised you don’t know of the rep. She hasn’t been a Stubben rep very long. I am actually surprised she hasn’t checked the Safe Sport website at all though and noticed the link. She has multiple kids.
One other strange thing I noticed… he actually does NOT appear in the VA sex offender registry. No matter what combination of names you search for. But if you google his name in general, his mug shot and the conviction ten years ago for 3rd degree sodomy… a felony… does come up in other databases. I wonder if people with criminal records like that have ways of keeping their names out of sex offender databases.
I do not know what was involved with the actual conviction. But it’s a big fat YIKES as a parent.
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Thank you.
I don’t have the app on my phone. But I do know how to search the state database 6 ways to Sunday in order not to miss something. And couldn’t find him in it.
It actually has me worried that there is something screwed up with the state database or the tracking, and there are a lot of others out there who I don’t realize I am missing…
As for being the owner/manager/head trainer, they also have a dressage instructor and an older judge with a long resume listed as being affiliated with the program. I don’t know either of those people though. It’s all a little strange.
I had a Facebook exchange with someone whose daughter had ridden with John Lipari for several years, though they’d moved on by then. She was 100% aware of his record and said he’d even told them about it but that it was no big deal. People were joking on the thread that he couldn’t run fast enough to catch a young girl anymore. #wheresthefruitbat.
Kristin Medal has an interesting and worthwhile public post on her Facebook. At least IMHO. She rode in that era and says she knows several of the victims.
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I am so sorry. I have never reported what happened to me - for so very many reasons - and if, as seems to be the case based on your posts, you have found the strength and courage to report what has happened to you I truly applaud and admire you and wish you continuing courage to navigate this current situation. If you did not report, please know you are still strong and brave and utterly undeserving both of what happened to you and of any doubt cast on you by people who do not know. Either way, you are so far from alone in carrying your story.
Please do not hesitate to PM me if you need an ear. No judgments, just support.
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Tom Navarro of Aldie, VA. He’s on the Safe Sport list. Here’s a link to what comes up on Google regarding the criminal history…
Tom Navarro - he’s on the banned Safe Sport list. Barn is based out of Aldie, VA.
http://www.laws9.com/offenders/detail/oid/VA14224
Convicted of a felony… regardless of the earlier “b***h set me up” explanation mentioned.
States may vary in their policy regarding the sex offender list.
In Colorado not all sex offenders are on the list that is available online. If you want a complete list you must go, in person, to the sheriff’s office and request the complete list, which they then give to you as a print out.
I have no idea why this is the policy.
Holy. Cow.
I am going to need to see my dentist after the number of times my jaw has hit the floor in the past week.
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I have no idea how this works in SafeSport, but many years ago, I watched a man and a woman together in a situation that made me uncomfortable watching it. He was, to me, clearly taking opportunities to touch her when touching was not warranted. Multiple times. I will say that she did not appear threatened, just a bit uncomfortable. I spoke to his boss later who said, ‘I’m not sure what I should do with this information.’ I said, ‘maybe nothing now, but if something comes up in the future, there will be some context.’
Granted, my answers would be different now, but perhaps this is the thought process behind the anonymous reports.
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She does.
