THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, November 3, 1995 TAG: 9511030513
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY PAUL SOUTH, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: KILL DEVIL HILLS LENGTH: Medium: 80 lines
Dave Cheesman pulled a white piece of paper from a file folder. The words on the document - written by a Dare County youngster five years ago - were chilling:
I must slay you.
I must sacrifice you.
Kill yourself.
Kill yourself.
Kill yourself.
Kill yourself.
That piece of paper may have been evidence of a rarity in teens on the Outer Banks - Satan worship.
Cheesman, the Dare County Sheriff's Department's expert on crime related to the occult, emphasized Thursday that only about 1 percent of the students in the school system are even remotely involved in such activity.
``The tough thing is distinguishing between the people who are wannabes and kids who are really involved in Satanism,'' Cheesman said. ``But if a teen is reading a Satanic bible, or listens to `black metal' music, it may be a symptom of something much more serious.''
Cheesman addressed an audience of juvenile justice officials from throughout northeastern North Carolina as part of a three-day conference at the Holiday Inn.
Most teens who get involved in devil worship are generally not in the mainstream at their school, and are looking for acceptance, he said.
``Most of the kids you find getting involved in this aren't going to be cheerleaders or on the football team,'' Cheesman said. ``Most who are involved are dabblers in it, or self-styled satanists, who are just looking for a place to fit in.''
One of the largest hurdles for law-enforcement officers like Cheesman to overcome is skepticism, not only by parents, teachers and students, but within the juvenile justice community.
``We see generally three things, a lack of knowledge, disbelief, and overreaction. Law enforcement and parents sometimes want evidence. They say, `Show it to me. Let me hold it.' If you can't do that, they say it's not there.''
Overreaction is also a problem.
``There's sometimes a witch-hunt mentality that takes over,'' Cheesman said. ``There was a police chaplain in North Carolina who was quoted as saying that the Smurfs were Satanic.''
Interest in Satanic rituals and the occult generally runs in 20-year cycles, Cheesman said, and is usually fueled by movies and music.
``The media has a lot to do with it,'' Cheesman said. ``Right now the big interest is in psychic hotlines. Things that 20 years ago were considered out in left field are now acceptable.''
Satanic, occult and neo-fascist activity are often related, Cheesman said. Criminal investigations of such groups, however, are difficult.
``It takes a lot of time and effort to get results,'' said Cheesman. ``It's a lot like an undercover drug investigation. You have to gain trust. And if you're dealing with a cult, it's a lot like a motorcycle gang. There's no guarantee that one person will know other people within the organization. It's a cell system.''
The last evidence of such activity in Dare County dealt with the mutilation of animals in the Nags Head Woods area in 1989, Cheesman said. No one was arrested.
While criminal activity related to the occult has been limited, social services personnel have seen instances of self-mutilation and other acts by teens that have cult overtones.
``Kids have tried to kill their brothers and sisters, and inflicted harm on themselves,'' Cheesman said. ``That may or may not be connected to a cult. But it is a symptom of something more serious.''
The increase in the number of single-parent homes and homes in which both parents work may contribute to the problem.
``Parents need to take a greater interest in their kids, who they are hanging out with and what they're listening to. If you don't fill that vacuum in their lives, someone else will.''
Cheesman added, ``It's not what you believe or I believe, it's what they believe that's dangerous. Parents, teachers and law enforcement need to be aware of that.'' by CNB