A part-time employee at The Game Keep in Hermitage, Tennessee has admitted molesting a 12-year-old boy that he met at the store while conducting gaming events.  The store's owner, Karl Myers, returned to his shop after dinner on Thursday to find the police interviewing one of his employees, Jeremy Paul Duffer, who admitted to police that he molested the boy. 

An article in the Nashville Tennessean on Friday named the store; and while the story made it clear that the alleged crimes did not take place at the store, it also included an embarrassing (in the context of the events) entry from the store's Website, which described Fridays in September as 'Young Bloods' nights, where 'Anyone under of the age of 17 is invited to come build armies, paint figures and play games.'

Faced with an onslaught of bad publicity (the story was covered on TV as well as in the Tennesseean), Myers, who told ICv2 that his store 'was a labor of love,' was aided by a spontaneous outpouring of support from the store's customers.  On their own, customers contacted the newspaper by phone and e-mail, resulting in a much more favorable article in the Saturday Tennessean.  In the second article, the gamers defended the store, their hobby, and the gaming community, pointing out that crimes against young people also occur at churches, YMCAs and schools. 

The second article, written by Ian Demsky (who also wrote the initial piece), is a model of fairness, including positive comments about the store and the nature of gaming from The Game Keep's loyal customers and allowing Myers to present his side of the story as well as his feelings of anger and betrayal at the actions of his former employee.  Noting that the crimes did not take place at the store, Myers told the Tennessean, 'This is a safe place for kids.  There are always groups of people around.' 

Discussing this retailing nightmare on the CBIA Forum, Chris Powell, the General Manager of Lonestar Comics offered several excellent suggestions for retailers, which he gave us permission to reprint here.  'If you don't already, then I would institute a policy of checking the state's sex offender database before hiring an employee,' he said.  'I would also take a look at your store procedures manual (assuming you have one) and add a section that details how employees should interact with children (not being alone with them, not giving them a ride home, etc.).' 

Since the employee in the Tennessee case had no previous record, a background check wouldn't have precluded employment, but if a retailer is ever faced with a similar nightmare situation, having performed background checks and instituted store procedures aimed at protecting minors from predators would demonstrate prudent management and foresight.  

It's also important to note that The Game Keep's loyal customers, who were willing to stick up for the store and talk to the local media on its behalf, represent an asset that any store would be glad to have.