A longtime member of the performing arts community has resigned from the board of managers at Springfield Municipal Opera after parents called for his ouster.
Efforts to kick Bill Bauser Jr. off the board of The Muni after his appointment by Muni officials in December arose because of allegations that Bauser, while on the board of another nonprofit, Springfield Theatre Centre, failed to do enough in 2018 and 2019 to protect children from inappropriate online and text messages from Adam Power of Petersburg.
The Muni announced Bauser’s resignation in a Facebook post April 5, saying he no longer is a member of the board of managers.
Power, 29, faces eight felony child pornography charges in Menard County and is being held in the Menard County Jail on $300,000 bond after being arrested March 22.
It’s not clear whether any of the children depicted in the images live in central Illinois.
His attorney, Daniel Fultz, said Power plans to plead not guilty when he is arraigned April 18.
Bauser, 56, also of Petersburg, has not been charged with any crimes and works as the auditorium and fine arts coordinator for the Rochester school district.
Bauser declined comment when reached April 3, telling an Illinois Times reporter by phone before hanging up: “I’m sorry. My lawyers advised me not to talk to anyone. Thank you.”
Muni President Mac Warren said the board of managers wasn’t aware of any claim that Bauser didn’t take seriously complaints about Power’s conduct when Bauser was on the executive board of Springfield Theatre Centre, a resident organization at Springfield’s Hoogland Center for the Arts.
Warren previously said The Muni hired former federal prosecutor John Milhiser to conduct an investigation to help Muni officials decide whether Bauser should remain on the board and continue to volunteer running concessions and performing other tasks at the outdoor venue at 815 E. Lake Shore Drive.
Bauser was suspended from the Muni’s board and involvement in the organization, Warren said.
Former Muni actor Johnny Molson, 52, said he was told by a Muni board member that the member’s efforts to bring up Bauser’s past were rebuffed in discussions with other board members prior to Bauser’s appointment.
Warren disagreed, saying some board members might have known about Bauser’s background but didn’t say anything.
Molson, a former local radio personality who currently works as an advertising consultant, and his ex-wife, Kari Bedford, a professional photographer, are encouraging people to sign an online petition at Change.org calling for Bauser’s removal by The Muni. The petition had 789 signatures as of April 5.
Bauser has served for years in both volunteer and paid off-stage roles for community theater groups in the Springfield area.
Rochester Superintendent Dan Cox told the newspaper in an email April 4 that Bauser was put on paid administrative leave March 29 and remains on leave. Cox wouldn’t say why Bauser was put on leave.
Springfield police and the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services interviewed Springfield parents and their children in 2018 about allegations that Power, a piano accompanist and volunteer director of community theater productions, made comments of a sexual nature to minors through the Snapchat mobile app and on other online platforms after he met them in theater productions.
The 2018 investigation did not lead to any criminal charges, and DCFS determined the allegations to be “unfounded,” according to DCFS spokesperson Heather Tarczan.
When Power was charged with eight counts of possession of child pornography, Menard County State’s Attorney Gabriel Grosboll said Power had no prior criminal history.
“If more illegal activity is found, I anticipate additional charges,” Grosboll said.
Sangamon County State’s Attorney Dan Wright decided not to charge Power after the 2018 investigation. He told the newspaper: “Based on the investigation provided, there was insufficient evidence to prove a criminal offense beyond a reasonable doubt, under the Illinois Criminal Code as written.”
Power declined to speak with police in 2018 upon the advice of Fultz, his attorney at the time, according to police reports.
Parents told police they believed Power was grooming their children, police reports said.
Illinois law says a person commits the criminal offense of grooming when he or she knowingly uses an online service or uses written or in-person communication to “seduce, solicit, lure or entice, or attempt to seduce, solicit, lure or entice” a person younger than 17 to commit any sexual offense, to distribute nude photographs or “otherwise engage in unlawful sexual conduct with a child.”
The law also requires prosecutors to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that a defendant personally authored any electronic communication that would qualify under the statute.
The newspaper used the Illinois Freedom of Information Act to obtain Springfield police reports detailing a variety of allegations surrounding Power in 2018 and more recently.
In one report, a 16-year-old told police that Power asked the boy two years earlier, when Power was in his early 20s, whether the boy thought about his juvenile friends while masturbating.
A juvenile female said in a report that Power would ask her personal questions “about if she has had sex and what she and her ‘significant other’ would do.”
The reports said Power has asked juvenile females “inappropriate questions concerning their sex lives and also asked one of the girls to come to his house.” He allegedly asked one girl to “cuddle” with him at his home. The reports didn’t mention any touching occurring other than Power placing his hand on a child’s thigh on a bus.
The reports also detailed secondhand accounts by people who wanted to remain anonymous, situations in which Power’s messages were automatically deleted by Snapchat, and cases in which juveniles were embarrassed by Power’s messages and had deleted them.
Power was employed in 2018 at Our Savior Catholic School and Routt Catholic School, both in Jacksonville, according to police reports. Officials from both of those schools didn’t return phone calls from Illinois Times.
Power graduated from Petersburg PORTA High School in 2012 and occasionally worked as a substitute teacher at the school from November 2019 to April 2021, PORTA Superintendent Matt Brue said.
Power reportedly was in the band at PORTA when he attended there. Bauser worked as a band assistant in 2011 and 2012, Brue said.
Power’s website, powermusiclessons.com, says he has provided choir and band clinics to middle and high school students and provides music lessons out of his home.
Molson and Bedford said their daughter, Annelise, 20, told police about inappropriate messages she received from Power when she was a minor.
Molson and Bedford said they were frustrated when Power’s supporters defended him online after the 2018 investigation ended without charges being filed.
Molson said it is “heartbreaking” that the investigation in 2018 into Power’s conduct “didn’t go further, because a lot of kids followed.”
Bedford said Power has “had five more years to do what he’s done. … We know that this stuff thrives in secrecy. It thrives in silence.”
The pair said they and other parents of children who received communications from Power sent their written complaints to a Springfield Theatre Centre email in 2018.
Jennifer Gronewold, a former president of the organization, said two families sent email complaints regarding Power’s actions at a 2018 summer theater camp for children. Power was a paid staff member at that camp, Gronewold said.
The complaints went to the STC executive board, which included Gronewold and Bauser, she said.
Parents’ concerns resulted in Power being removed from directing STC’s November 2018 production of 13, the Musical, and the STC board decided not to rehire Power for the summer camp in 2019 and beyond, Gronewold said.
If Power was to be considered to be on the volunteer staff for a show, the executive board planned to discuss that situation when it arose, Gronewold said.
The full STC board knew there were complaints about Power but wasn’t aware of the details filed by parents in December 2018 until 2019.
When asked why the STC executive board didn’t inform the full board in 2018, Gronewold said the executive board did not convey details of the complaints to other board members “in an attempt to keep the privacy of the minors and families of those involved and because action had already been taken against Mr. Power.
“The full board knew that complaints of inappropriate behavior had been made against Mr. Power, and as a result, upheld the executive board’s decisions addressing those complaints,” Gronewold said.
Power was removed from the all-volunteer board of Theatre in the Park in New Salem for alleged sexual harassment against a contractual adult employee on the nonprofit’s technical staff, according to Mark Wheeler, the organization’s part-time executive director.
After Power’s removal, Wheeler said he and his wife began to hear complaints from children who were directed by Power in productions at Theatre in the Park and at Springfield Theatre Centre. Wheeler said the text messages he heard about from Power to the children were “really creepy.”
Wheeler said Power was “just kind of unassuming” and “always functioned at a lower level of maturity in terms of how he talked. He was always really charming with the kids.”
Gronewold said the STC’s full board of directors learned specifics of Power’s alleged behavior after Bauser asked Power to be vocal director of an STC musical, Annie Get Your Gun, in late 2019, without consulting board members. Bauser was the volunteer executive director and treasurer of STC at the time.
Complaints from parents, who spotted Power at tryouts for the musical in late 2019 at the Hoogland, where the musical would be performed in January 2020, prompted Hoogland Executive Director Gus Gordon to immediately notify the Hoogland board. Gordon said his board banned Power from the building.
STC board members met with parents, including Molson and Bedford, who were upset about the lack of communication between 2018 and 2019, and removed Power from Annie Get Your Gun, Gronewold said.
Board members asked for, and received, Bauser’s resignation from the STC board in December 2019 and stripped him of his vote. They also recently voted to revoke Bauser’s emeritus status and banned him from participating in any STC event or production, Gronewold said.
She said STC also changed its board structure, updated its sexual harassment and anti-bullying policy, created its first-ever diversity and inclusion statement and made commitments to continue updating its bylaws, policies and procedures “to ensure we are keeping all of our show staffs, casts, audiences and volunteers safe.”
Gordon and Warren said the situation has led to discussions about creating better systems that arts organizations could use to ensure children and others are safeguarded when concerns about conduct are raised.
“We need, as a local theater community, more communication with each other,” Gordon said. “We need more training. People need to be more aware.”
Dean Olsen is a senior staff writer at Illinois Times. He can be reached at dolsen@illinoistimes.com, 217-679-7810 or twitter.com/DeanOlsenIT.
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Im failing to see how Bill Bauser is at fault in this situation. Powers was cleared by DCFS and SPD didnt develop enough information to warrant prosecution by the States Attorneys Office. These agencies surely have the resources and experience to determine if a crime occurred. Are we not supposed to trust them? Was Mr. Bauser not supposed to trust them?
It might be helpful if two of the people pictured were to detail their familys experience with Powers that they failed to pursue long before 2018.
Attempting to destroy a seemingly good man for the actions of a seemingly bad man is wrong.
If you are going to be so bold as to victim blame children for not coming forward sooner, have the decency to at least use your real name. Why hide?
The allegations *alone* were good enough for the Illinois Board of Education to deny Adam Powers application for a full-time teaching certificate. Seems like a small nonprofit theater could use the same moral judgment. I mean, why would you ever err on the side of an alleged sex offender? False accusations represent less than 3% of all allegations. Every police officer we have talked to in this case has reassured us of that.
Furthermore, a failed investigation is not proof of innocence.
Furthermore, these are volunteer run organizations. Bill Bauser was in no way, shape or form obligated to work with Adam Power. He chose to. Simple as that. So either he is indifferent to the suffering of those children or he is incompetent.
Also, whether you think Mr. Bauser had anything to do with enabling Adam Power or not, I would encourage you to think a bit more critically. The children who came forward at Rochester high school recently had absolutely nothing to do with the Adam Power case. There is a long history of questionable behavior that is coming to light.
I mean, honestly. You’re demanding that victims behave in a way that satisfies your grotesque curiosity, but you lack the courage to publicly stand by your own disgusting attack on them?
You want them to publicly gut themselves like fish for you so that YOU can anonymously criticize them on the Internet. Got it.
That takes a special kind of cowardice.
And for the record? The formal complaints that Bill Bauser requested (and received) in 2018 were graphic, thorough, well-documented and extremely detailed. This article and Bill’s removal from STC and Muni never would have happened if he hadn’t chosen to ignore those complaints. No one is “destroying” anyone but themselves here. But nice attempt to blame victims all the way around. Mr. Bauser is simply being held accountable for his actions.
Sorry, “Huh.” He did this to himself.
“Huh” AKA Bill Bauser. Do everyone a favor and keep your thoughts to yourself.
I think this report brings to light the very issues of children trusting adults to do the right thing, and not be victimized over and over again. As we see with “Huh”, (thanks for being brave with your comments) we as a community need to continually follow up, and check in with our authorities regarding these issues. People cannot be silent and expect the out come to be justified. We also cant turn a blind eye when information is given that requires action.
These type of people, like Adam, are among us every day, and it takes time for many of us to completely understand what is happening, because in a normal world we see each other as good. For people to know someone like Adam, and accused them of not doing something prior to the 2018 report is a bit out of context. Sexual predator’s are not wearing signs, or have any distinctive markings. They move in groups of people, very unassuming. They develop a barrier of friends who they deceive and help them unknowing. This is not like driving down a road with signs overtly telling you when to stop, go, turn left or right. It takes carefully listing to children if they say something, its about speaking up when something does not seem right, and its about doing the right thing instead of arm chair quarterbacking about how you would have done it differently. It is not about placing guilt on the very people who are speaking out when they discover these people for who they are.
Adam Power remained among our youth for 5 years after the 2018 report. We should focus on that. How did SPD investigation fail those victims from 2018 to 2023? How did DCFS fail those victims from 2018 to 2023? How did our community fail those victims from 2018-2023? How did our school systems (public and private) fail those victims from 2018-2023? Finally, how did you fail those victims from 2018-2023?
I am among those pictured in this article, and we have been fighting justice for those victims from 2018-2023, and prior. We have been doing it the moment we discovered it, and we did it among the doubters, the abusers, the enablers, and our children. I can walk among this community knowing I at least tried.
Speak up, Stand up.
In response to “Huh”. Not enough evidence doesn’t always mean “not guilty”. Multiple children came forward and detailed their experiences with Power. That should have been enough evidence to warrant Power being removed from any role involving children. It definitely should have been enough evidence for Bauser to cease supporting Power. Children need to be believed in order to be protected. People who don’t believe children should not be in positions of power over children. Further, this article doesn’t go nearly far enough in detailing Bauser’s actions. Read the petition asking for his removal. It goes into much more detail.
Dear Detective Huh,
You seem well-versed in this issue, so allow me to ask a few questions.
Power’s misconduct was reported to Bauser several times and he failed to act. Please let us know what the appropriate number of children it takes before you start to believe them.
Is it 2? Maybe 4? Would 9 get your attention?
You have an acceptable threshold in mind…what’s the number, champ?
As a detective, I can understand why you’d want to remain anonymous – but perhaps your professional experience in this area would help us all understand it better.
I mean…we had a front-row seat and we know precisely what happened when. Would you care to come forward and refute any of it?
I promise not to tell anybody who you are.
I have so much to say on this topic, but I’m going to add a couple more things.
Victims do not owe you anything. They are victims. And when you add in the fact that they are children, they REALLY don’t owe you anything.
Lastly, in the 2018 police report, there is a reference to similar allegations that were made in Petersburg in 2011.
So for you to assume that victims did not come forward sooner just makes you look presumptuous and ignorant.
The warning signs were there for a DECADE. The reports were made. It is not the fault of the victims that it took an arrest for people to realize just how serious this was.
“Huh”, thanks for your cowardly, anonymous, victim-blaming post. When I went to the police in 2018 with the testimony of the victims, I did not know my son was a victim in 2013. Are you blaming him for not telling me? Are you blaming me for not knowing? It’s not a good look. The reason kids don’t tell is because they are afraid to be victimized all over again by people like you.
TIL that not gleefully agreeing with a rabid pack of bullies is victim blaming.
I apparently lack critical thinking skills because I’m not consumed by bloodlust? Almost forgot that I’m also a coward because I have no desire to be bullied IRL by a delusional mob.
Thanks for the education. You’re a charming lot.
I’d especially like to thank Johnny for referring to me as “Champ”. Ouch. My feelings may never recover.
Don’t forget to take your meds folks.
Rabid pack of bullies? You’re the only one anonymously accusing children who were victims of not doing enough for *your* liking. You’re the bully. It’s you.
If you don’t understand why dozens of children (who lost a LOT here, by the way) should be believed and people who willfully and knowingly enable sexual predators need to be held accountable, I don’t know what else to say.
And I mean this sincerely: I truly hope you *never* understand what we understand.
There’s no bloodlust here. Just the ugly truth about your pal.
Hi, Huh! Being put in your place for your insensitive comments is not bullying. Hope this helps.
Also good to know that a petition to remove a volunteer board member from a local theater = “bloodlust” in your world.
You’ve lived a very sheltered life if that’s considered bloodlust to you.
Why was a civil suit never filed against Powers? Preponderance of the evidence is a much lower bar than beyond being a reasonable doubt. Seems like a no brainier.
Huh,
Your timestamps suggest you were busy for a few hours this evening. Maybe scraping pennies together at your little catering gig? Hard to send hateful messages to people when your hands are full of relish trays, innit?
You seem like a no “brainier.”
Not everyone is motivated by lawsuits like you, Bill.
I mean, “Huh.” 👌
I would like to preface my upcoming statement by saying that I don’t have any personal beef with Bauser and honestly had very little interaction with him. I’m a former student of Rochester High School that graduated in 2021, and I was in chorus from 3rd grade to senior year. I have worked with bauser before in a few shows while a student and the amount of people who were bullied by this grown man is astounding. He legitimately yelled at one of the student sound techs for electrocuting herself saying that she was “wasting time,” and he would single out certain students to harass them about their perceived “attitude” aka them respectfully not agreeing with certain creative decisions that he made. Bauser even treated his coworkers like crap. I believe the victims of Power’s actions, and I believe that Bauser neglected his responsibility as an adult to report the incidents in question. He’s already shown a distinct disregard in the safety and well being of children under his care, so I’m honestly not even surprised he covered for a pedophile for the sake of reputation.