News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Ted Hunt is being hailed as a hero for tipping police to a child molester.
Ted Hunt knew something wasn't right that summer day in 2008. The desk clerk at Best Western Ponderosa Lodge in Sisters checked 67-year-old Rodney Pelling into the lodge with a girl in tow aged about 12 years.
"Immediately everything didn't seem right," Hunt said. "They actually acted more as a couple than as a father/daughter or - as I thought - a grandfather/granddaughter."
The girl later appeared in what seemed a way-too-skimpy bikini and another red flag fluttered in Hunt's gut.
The next day, the girl called for housekeeping and Hunt went to the room.
"When I got up there, I just started seeing some not-normal things," he said.
Only one bed was slept in and there were Playboy magazines laying about.
"At this point I was pretty damn sure something wasn't right," Hunt said.
Pelling and the girl were in the pool and Hunt watched them for a while. Their behavior seemed inappropriate, especially in context of the other things Hunt had seen. He contacted General Manager Paul Haggerty, who donned swim trunks and went down to the pool to check things out. Haggerty agreed: Something was not right.
They called the sheriff's office. Deputies arrived and went up to Pelling's room, where they uncovered evidence of a crime involving sex abuse and child pornography. Within 15 minutes, they had arrested Pelling.
The noted golf instructor was recently sentenced in multiple jurisdictions to 25 years in prison for his actions involving ongoing abuse of the 12-year-old girl. Hunt said that, to his knowledge, the victim is living in another state with family members and is doing well.
Hunt has been recognized for taking action when he could have pushed aside his concerns. By taking action, he saved the victim from ongoing abuse and possibly worse.
Hunt was nominated for a Heroic Hospitality Stars Award by Best Western International, having been recognized as the Heroic Hospitality Star for District 2, encompassing 450 hotels in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, British Columbia and North and South Dakota.
While he did not receive the national award, Best Western CEO David Kong noted that "we found your story so inspirational, we are forwarding your nomination to the American Hotel & Lodging Association... so you can be considered for their annual Stars of the Industry Award."
Hunt told The Nugget that there was no question whether he would take action.
"There were so many red flags, I just had to say something," he said. "If I'd been wrong, I'd have been much happier actually."
Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.
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