Hearing for Northern California man suspected of worldwide child abuse put off for months
A Northern California man suspected of abusing hundreds of boys worldwide has had his next court hearing pushed back until next year as his lawyers contend with extensive amounts of evidence in the case.
Brad Reger, a nurse practitioner who was active in Christian schools, youth groups and summer camps in Susanville and elsewhere for years, had been scheduled to appear next Thursday before U.S. District Judge Troy L. Nunley for a status conference.
But Nunley signed an order postponing that hearing to Jan. 18 after Reger attorneys Kresta Daly and Tasha Chalfant asked for the delay and prosecutors Christina McCall and Roger Yang did not object.
“The government has represented that the discovery associated with this case will be voluminous and provided over periodic productions,” Reger’s attorneys wrote. “To date, we have received approximately 2,200 pages and another 5,000 pages are forthcoming.
“These include investigative reports in electronic form, as well as audio/video and native files. Counsel for the defendant desires additional time to review the voluminous discovery, develop the case, conduct investigation, consult with their client, discuss potential resolution, and to explain the consequences and guidelines.”
Reger was indicted in July by a federal grand jury on charges of engaging in illicit sexual activity abroad, transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity and coercion, and enticement.
Reger is accused of abusing three minors in Susanville, Nevada, Virginia, Poland and the Philippines from 2006 through 2014.
He has pleaded not guilty and is being held without bail.
But authorities say there may be many more victims who have yet to come forward and the FBI set up a website — fbi.gov/RegerVictims — and asked for potential victims to use it to report their abuse or call 800-CALL-FBI (225-5324).
“Court documents allege that Reger targeted males between the ages of 12 and 18,” the FBI website says. “Many of these alleged victims allegedly attended religious-affiliated schools, institutions, trips, camps, or clinics.”
Three men who say they were either victims of Reger’s or groomed by him as boys have told The Bee Reger used his positions as church and school volunteer to gain access to them.
“It was just like you hear from the other victims,” said Troy Wilson, a former Juneau, Alaska, police officer who said he met Reger as a boy at an Alaska bible camp in 1972.
Wilson says he was molested by Reger on a camping trip in 1979.
“He took me aside away from the other two boys and had me pull my pants down,” Wilson told The Bee. “He said he needed to inspect me for ticks, made me have an erection and basically was fondling me, saying he was checking to see if I was OK.”
Zack Winfrey was the first alleged victim to speak publicly and said Reger began abusing him when he was 10 and attending the Church of Nazarene in Susanville, where Reger was a member and volunteer youth pastor.
Winfrey said the abuse came as Reger performed “physicals” at his medical clinic before camping outings or trips.
Court documents describe Reger’s alleged abuse of another boy known as “Minor Victim #3” starting as “a medical checkup,” then turning to Reger conducting a “genital inspection” followed by a “mole inspection.”
“Each time he conducted the mole inspection, Reger used his hands to move around his penis and instructed Minor Victim #3 to get an erection so he could better view the mole,” court documents say. “During later trips, only a mole inspection was conducted.”
Winfrey had planned to be at the hearing that was scheduled for next week.
“I’m going to be at every single one,” Winfrey said. “This is all I live for.
“I said he ruined my life. He did. I mean this is what I live like right now. This is my entire life, is this case.”
