
Ray Holmberg (Cass County Jail photo)
I felt I had a couple of jobs to do once the terrible information about Ray Holmberg came to light. One was to make sure the public knows all the details of what was done and who did it. The other was to make sure there was a discussion where the public could speak to it.
So far, I think we’ve done what we can.
I posted a picture of four people on Facebook that were all mentioned in the report. Ray Holmberg, Nick Hacker, Bruce Gjovig, and Jim Poolman are all in the photo. That alone was enough reason to share the photo.
Since then, Bruce Gjovig has issued a statement through his attorney stating he knew nothing of Holmberg’s abuse and appetite for underage boys. That certainly doesn’t seem to be true. Not only did he know, but immediately following one of Holmberg’s trips to Prague, they were seen together in Germany. Are we really supposed to believe that two men that had already emailed each other about Prague and young boys didn’t have another conversation about it immediately following one of Holmberg’s visits to Prague?
Another person in the photo was Nick Hacker. The report shows that he didn’t respond to any of Holmberg’s emails. He called me back after the report became public, and I feel confident he wasn’t aware of Holmberg’s abuse in Prague.
The final person in the photo was Jim Poolman. Jim was a very close confidant of Holmberg that I have received several calls about. This is the same Jim Poolman that announced he was gay shortly after hearing that we would have Will Swearson on “News and Views” the following morning.
Swearson had a lot to say, and I believed him. The ways his vulnerabilities were exploited is nothing short of disgusting. The way he was groomed to be a sex toy took years to do, and in the end, it wrecked his life.
To say that others haven’t contacted me would be a lie. And I feel confident that more will come public with time. The only thing left is for the other victims to find the strength to tell their story too. And my guess is, after the courage shown by Will, they might just find that strength.
In other words, there’s no apology from me.
Good riding with you,
Joel
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