CONNECTICUT: Gay Couple Charged With Molesting Two Adopted Boys, Demands Trial To Clear Their Names

In an effort to clear their names, a Connecticut gay couple has rejected a plea bargain offer and is demanding a trial on allegations that they sexually abused two of their adopted boys. Via WFSB-TV:

George Harasz and Douglas Wirth are accused of raping and locking children in cages as well as other crimes. However, once this went to court, the state had trouble proving some of the allegations actually occurred. Couple that with testimony from other children, who say none of this happened at all, and Harasz and Wirth were able to strike a plea deal. It was one that would've kept the couple out of jail, but Friday, in a surprising twist, the defense said that's not good enough. They withdrew their clients' plea deals and are requesting a trial in an attempt to clear their names completely. The state is also happy with the outcome because they want the opportunity to prosecute Harasz and Wirth.

More from the New York Daily News:

Police said two boys, ages 5 and 15, accused Harasz of sexually assaulting them. Harasz was initially facing first-degree sexual assault and other charges, while Wirth had been charged with third-degree sexual assault of the 15-year-old boy. Their arrest warrants claimed the couple not only sexually and physically abused the children, but also forced them to sleep in closets.

Other children in the home told authorities that they weren’t abused, and prosecutors had agreed to a plea deal because they said a lack of forensic evidence would make it difficult to prove all of the allegations. But now, three other children are claiming they were also abused, although no new criminal charges had been filed Friday, the Hartford Courant reported. One of the victims who spoke during the court hearing said sexual assault began when he was 6. “They took turns raping me over and over,” he said. “Anyone who would do this to a child is a sick, demented person.”

One of the adopted boys is defending his fathers, saying that the state "took the word of an angry, damaged, disturbed boy and destroyed a family.” The story has been posted on numerous anti-gay and right wing sites and was this morning joyously tweeted out by Bryan Fischer.