Charge

involved
teen boy
CHIP MARTIN The London Free Press
Thursday, February 24, 2011 8:27:03 EST AM

A military reservist who tried to blow the whistle on a pardoned sex

offender teaching cadets in London says he will be "watching my
backside."
Kevin Acs, a second lieutenant, was transferred away from his volunteer
duties at 27 Air Squadron after raising concerns for children there.
He said Wednesday he's convinced, however, "justice will be done"
following a stormy parent meeting at the squadron Tuesday night.
The parents learned instructor Roger Micks was relieved of his duties and
military brass said pardoned sex offenders will no longer be accepted for
jobs or volunteer posts in the Ontario cadet organization.
"We'll be changing our policies," Lt.-Col. Morley Armstrong, regional cadet
officer for army, air and sea cadets assured about 100 parents.
Some parents vilified Acs and accused him of going to The Free Press, but
Tom Weihmayr - parent of a former cadet and himself an instructional
officer in the reserves for 14 years - said it was he, Weihmayr, who alerted
a reporter.
Cadet officials blamed The Free Press for spreading misinformation and
said Micks's conviction for gross indecency had little to do with sexual
activity and their children had been safe.
They did confirm, however, Micks, 50, was deemed unsuitable for military
service when he applied.
Micks joined 27 Squadron in 2003 and received his pardon on June 26,
2009, it has been learned from a credible source in the cadet organization.
And Micks never achieved the rank of civilian instructor, despite being
listed as one on the 27 Squadron website.
Micks's photo was removed by Wednesday.
An archived story from the Nov. 22, 1985 Free Press reported the previous
day Micks was convicted in court of gross indecency involving a 15-yearold boy.
The account said Wilfred Roger Micks, 25, was a maintenance man at a
London restaurant and the victim was a part-time busboy.

The boy said the incident occurred in a staff dressing room after the
restaurant closed late on Jan. 7, 1985.
Testifying in his own defence, Micks denied the boy's story, but was
convicted and later sentenced.
Wednesday, a parent of a 14-year-old boy - who asked not to be named
because of the hostile atmosphere among parents at this week's meeting said she wanted more information, but it wasn't forthcoming.
"I wanted to hear from him," she said of Acs' lawyer, Rob Talach, toward
whom much parent anger was directed. He was ordered from the meeting.
The mother said cadet officials fudged when asked by parents to define
"gross indecency," and they insisted "it wasn't like a sexual assault."
Weihmayr confirmed the sexual aspects of Micks' conviction were
downplayed by the cadet leaders amid assurances that children were in
good hands.
The woman said her son enjoys cadets and she has no plans to pull him
out, but "I am hoping they will live up to their word."
Meanwhile, Talach said he will continue to monitor developments. "A verbal
assurance in a closed-door meeting that this change is going to take place"
is worth watching to ensure things improve, he said. He's created an e-mail
address for interested people: make.cadets.safe@gmail.com.
E-mail chip.martin@sunmedia.ca, or follow Chipatlfpress on Twitter.