By Ru Gonzales
The Whittier Daily News, Calif.
WHITTIER, Calif. — The city of Whittier recently paid $3.5 million to four former police Explorers who alleged they were sexually abused by then-Officer Charles “Chuck” Drylie and other officers during the 1970s.
The city agreed to pay to dismiss the case, said Anthony M. DeMarco, who is the attorney for the four ex-Explorers. The settlement agreement did not include an admission of guilt, he said.
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The city paid on March 13, DeMarco added.
Drylie, who is retired from the police department, couldn’t be reached for comment on Wednesday afternoon. His attorney declined comment and referred this newspaper to the city.
The settlement costs will be covered jointly by the city and its insurance provider, according to a statement from the city.
The city is currently working to resolve lawsuits filed by six former Explorers who allege misconduct by former officers in the 1970s and early 1980s, the statement said.
“The city takes these allegations seriously, while placing the highest value on the safety and well-being of our community members. The city is continuing efforts to resolve these cases, and while they remain in active litigation, only limited information can be shared,” the statement said. “The city understands the effect these matters have on those involved as well as on our broader community. We remain firmly committed to ensuring safe and supportive environments for all participants in all city programs.”
There have been numerous cultural and legislative advancements in the past five decades, the statement said, adding that the police department and the other city departments have kept pace with the changes. Numerous mandates, federal and state laws, as well as city policies, have evolved to establish mandatory reporting and investigation policies, the city said.
Several of the Explorers were sexually abused by multiple officers, DeMarco said. The evidence in these cases highlighted that officers, including Drylie, regularly used ride-alongs to isolate underage female Explorers, manipulate and coerce them into sexual activity, he added.
The four former Explorers “are pleased that a measure of accountability has been brought through this case, but they remain concerned that minors participating in Police Explorer programs around the country remain at risk of experiencing exactly what they did,” he said.
One of the former Explorers, Jane D.B. Doe, said she wants parents with daughters in Explorer and church programs to be made aware.
“Because it starts slowly. You’re groomed to make you feel comfortable. A lot of parents are not aware of this,” she said.
Jane D.B. Doe, who is a former law enforcement officer and Medicare investigator, doesn’t want what happened to her to happen to someone else.
“It stays with you,” she said, adding the abuse caused her trauma.
“I’m glad it’s over but it hasn’t brought closure,” said Jane D.I. Doe, who is also one of the former Explorers and a friend of Jane D.B. Doe. She is also upset no criminal charges were filed against the officers because of the statute of limitations.
Jane D.B. Doe filed a lawsuit in 2022 and Jane D.I. Doe followed in 2023. The settlement was paid shortly before trial was set to start on the first lawsuit, according to DeMarco.
The other two former Explorers had not filed before they settled with the city, he said.
Drylie allegedly started abusing Jane D.B. Doe in 1976 when she was 15 and that it continued for several years, according to the lawsuit. The suit also alleged that an unnamed corporal who replaced Drylie as Explorer advisor, began abusing the teen in 1978 when she was 17 and that it lasted years.
The alleged crimes happened in patrol cars during ride-alongs, at the police station, at Drylie’s home, at the corporal’s home and at Jane D.B. Doe’s home.
Christopher Brizzolara, who represented the now-retired corporal, said his client did not pay anything to the plaintiffs and was dismissed from the case on Friday when the notice to dismiss the lawsuits was filed.
“My client did nothing wrong and he should not have been sued,” Brizzolara said.
Jane D.B. Doe said she didn’t report the abuse.
“I was afraid to,” she said. “I felt it was my fault. I felt guilty.”
She also feared retaliation from Drylie and the corporal. If an Explorer said anything about an officer, they would be blackballed after that if they wanted a career, she said.
In 2003, Jane D.B. Doe applied for a job at a city, was told she was the number one candidate and they would be in contact with her with a formal offer, the lawsuit stated. As she left the interview, she came across Drylie who asked why she was there. She told him.
Drylie allegedly told her he did not want her working there. He was afraid she would talk about what he did to her when she was an Explorer, according to the lawsuit.
When Jane D.B. Doe later contacted the city, she was told she would get a letter. She didn’t get the job. She felt Drylie had something to do with that.
Jane D.I. Doe, just turned 18 in 1978 when Drylie allegedly assaulted her.
She was interested in a volunteer sergeant position and asked Drylie what to do to apply. He told her to meet him at his Whittier home around 5 p.m. where he would help her with her interview skills and gave her the address, the lawsuit said.
“It was just him and he opened the door,” she said.
She walked into the living room, Drylie directed her to sit on the couch, told her that he could help her get the promotion and allegedly forced her to orally copulate him, according to the lawsuit.
“I was a virgin,” Jane D.B. Doe said. He made her take a shower afterward, she said.
About a week and a half later, Drylie announced the new volunteer sergeant. Someone else got the position.
Jane D.I. Doe didn’t report the alleged assault.
“I didn’t know what to do. I just kept it inside,” she said.
Jane D.I. Doe left the Whittier Explorer program and joined the Explorer program at the Sheriff’s Department where she became a drill instructor.
After she left, Drylie allegedly assaulted at least three other girls in the program, the lawsuit said.
In 2020, the two Janes were watching the riots resulting from the death of George Floyd when a commercial kept showing up on TV. The ad asked if the viewer had been abused when part of the Boys Scouts of America.
“We were both looking at each other. She said, ‘I have a question to ask you,’” Jane D.B. Doe said.
Her friend asked if anything happened to her when she was an Explorer.
“I said, ‘Yes.’ I started crying,” Jane D.B. Doe said.
“Chuck Drylie. Me too,” Jane D.I. Doe said.
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