Baby Sitter, Husband Face 1,000 Sex Abuse Charges

By Carissa Lawson/WLKY

POSTED: 5:39 pm EDT March 30, 2010
UPDATED: 10:08 am EDT March 31, 2010

MUNFORDVILLE, Ky. -- A baby sitter, her husband and four other men are accused of sexually molesting at least eight children who were under the baby sitter's care.

Patricia Buster and her husband, Kenny, face more than 1,000 charges for what the Munfordville police chief said happened inside their home over a 13-year span.

"It's really been unreal," Chief Greg Atwell.

"Basically, any of the children who went in the Buster house were potential victims," Atwell said.

Atwell said the couple's crimes first came to light when a relative and two friends accused the Busters of sexual abuse several years ago.

Kenny pleaded guilty in 2007; Patricia did the same in 2008.

In October 2009, a 15-year-old made new accusations.

"She's the one who come forth on her own, which I highly commend her, which started the second investigation," Atwell said.

That second investigation led to eight more victims who told the chief they were abused between 1990 and 2003.

The March 2 indictment against Patricia Buster listed 375 charges, including sex abuse, sodomy and rape.

The indictment against Kenny Buster listed 718 counts of similar charges.

Police said the investigation also revealed the Busters allowed two of Kenny's brothers, Palmer and Harold Buster, and two friends, Mark Puckett and Leslie Melton, to abuse the children.

"That's very scary to know. You take your child to someone to baby-sit your child and for the child to be done that way," Munfordville resident Kim O'Neal said.

O'Neal said she's following the case closely because something similar happened to her daughter.

"It causes you to be angry and makes you want to do things you never thought you'd have in your head because it's your child that's been hurt," O'Neal said.

Atwell said he believes there are more victims he hasn't been able to find, but he won't give up.

"When you get something this big, where does it stop? Will we ever get them all? It's hard to say," Atwell said.

Kenny Buster is serving an 18-year prison sentence on the original counts of rape and incest.

Patricia, Palmer and Harold Buster, along with Melton and Puckett, are each being held at the Hart County Jail on $200,000 cash bonds.

Atwell said this should be a reminder to parents to be extremely careful about choosing a babysitter. Parents should ask their kids if they feel comfortable returning to a babysitter, as well.

From: http://www.wlky.com/news/23005279/detail.html