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I was recently notified of a couple of articles written by Bret Gordon of Trio Martial arts. To say that I am at loss for words is an understatement.
A few years ago it seems there was someone within Gordon's and Steven Hatfield's ranks (Hatfield is Gordon's instructor) that was convicted of raping an 11 year old girl. The rapist
was convicted and served time. I was shocked as I read what Gordon wrote about the rape of an 11 year old girl on his blog and the attitude he took regarding the incident (links to what he wrote are below).
https://web.archive.org/web/20201202032618/http://www.join-usama.com/blog/psa-patrick-justice
https://web.archive.org/web/20201202034220/http://www.join-usama.com/blog/psa-patrick-justice-part-2
In the first article (linked above) in the comments section Gordon replied to an Angela and stated that: "There is nothing to suggest it (the rape of an 11 year old girl) was a violent crime".
This to me is really the most disturbing statement that he made. Rape is indeed a violent crime, it is defined as a violent act, even more so when it involves a man in his mid twenties (24 or 25 years old) raping an 11 year old girl. Gordon continued in his reply that "there was nothing to suggest it was against a child, which is what partly influenced my decision not to put him (the convicted rapist) on blast.."
Gordon went from claiming that the charge/statute was "vague" to that it was just "drunken sex", and then Gordon claimed there was no conviction. In almost every state having sex with a person who is in a diminished capacity ie being drunk or drugged is rape. A legal aged adult in such a diminished capacity cannot give by law legal consent to have sex.
Also Gordon admits that he misread or didn't understand what "Dismissed with direct indictment" meant when he supposedly did a back ground check on the convicted rapist in 2017. Gordon didn't even bother to google what "Dismissed with Direct Indictment" means in the state of Ohio? Better yet he had an in house Attorney at his disposal why not just ask him?
Gordon admittedly also stated that he saw no need to put a convicted child
rapist "on blast" and didn't see a need to or felt
obligated to report him although Gordon was required to by Safesport standards, as Gordon was Safesport certified at the time.
Gordon has accepted rank by at least two instructors who have promoted convicted pedophiles to high ranks. Instructors who seem to have no problem empowering convicted child rapists, with high black belt ranks. Martial arts schools draw in large numbers of children. These actions literally open doors and enable a convicted pedophile to use martial arts instruction as a potential lure to have access to more potential victims..... children.
Most recently, according to the Ohatchee Police department in Alabama Gordon is also in some hot water with Alabama authorities for his involvement in harassing and doxing Randy Engle, a public servant and government employee and his 13 year old daughter back in February of 2023. Recently, Gordon has even blatantly admitted to doing it on his own blog https://bretgordon.weebly.com/blog/re-frank-dux-dallas-wittgenfeld-et-al#/
Gordon wrote that he dropped the little girl’s name to prove that a blogger, by the name of Gerald Smith was really Randy Engle. However, after the police investigation, in February 2023 the Ohatchee Police Department did inform Gordon that Engle was not Smith. Gordon was then told to stop his harassment. But Gordon has since continued on his blog. The state of Alabama has strict laws regarding the online harassment of its public servants.
Feel free to contact: Ohatchee Police Department, 7801 Al-77, Ohatchee, AL 36271 Phone: (256) 892-3156
Whatever reason Gordon claims to have for his comments and dropping a child's name online in the manner in which he did, reflects extremely poor judgement on Gordon's part to say the least. USA Judo and the USJA may find these behaviors to be acceptable but Florida Freestyle Judo will not tolerate this sort of behavior.
Therefore, on the behalf of myself, Winter Haven Freestyle Judo/Florida Freestyle Judo, its students and members, the open invitations for both Gordon and Hatfield to participate in any of our scrimmages or upcoming events has been RESCINDED. Bret Gordon and Steven Hatfield are banned from our events and scrimmages. This extends to any of their students, representatives or representatives of martial arts organizations that support them. If they attend any of our functions they will be asked to leave immediately by our local law enforcement officers who attend, participate and regulate our scrimmages regularly.
RELATED ARTICLE:
https://theninjerkiller.blogspot.com/2024/03/watching-death-of-judos-national.html
