The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) has officially cleared Kenneth Whitehorn, former BIA agency superintendent for education on the Tohono O'odham reservation in Arizona, of any knowledge or involvement in a child abuse case that occurred on the Hopi Indian Reservation in 1987.
Polacca Day School teacher John Boone was charged with multiple counts of child molestation and later pled guilty to the charges against him. He is currently serving a life sentence in federal prison. After the arrest of Boone, allegations surfaced that Whitehorn had prior knowledge of the child abuse. Subsequent investigations conducted by the BIA have exonerated Whitehorn of all such allegations, including administrative improprieties or prior knowledge of any child abuse activities.
Interior's Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Eddie Brown said this demonstrates the extent to which we will go to investigate and prosecute those involved in any type of child abuse. "When allegations arise, we will investigate them and prosecute to the fullest extent of the law when the evidence warrants it," Brown said. "When our extensive investigations fully exonerate an individual, we want that known also. This is the case with Kenneth Whitehorn."
