10/02/2026
STATEMENT FROM THE HIDDEN CHAPTER
Many of you are aware of allegations leveled by Dave’s estranged daughter, Ireland, accusing him of inappropriate behavior and attempting to link it to resolved false allegations raised while he was a teacher. We know it has been several weeks since Ireland’s initial Facebook post and prolonging a public response has likely garnered more doubt in some people’s minds. We did attempt to put statements out initially, but we were shut down by moderators who clearly decided to side with Ireland regardless of facts or the truth. In addition, we never wanted to deal with private family issues in such a public manner. Although we are disappointed in Ireland’s behavior, we do not have any desire to, and are uncomfortable with, publicly attacking someone we have loved despite their issues. It has been difficult to know the right way to handle the situation.
As survivors of abuse ourselves, we are empathetic to anyone who has survived or is enduring abuse of any type. To be explicitly clear, the accusations of abuse against us are not true. We have not harmed our estranged daughter. Our other children (who have grown up in our home and in this bookstore) can speak to the love, care, and safety they have always known. This situation has been devastating for them and for us. We will address Ireland’s issues as best we can below. We ask you to recognize, however, that we are reserving certain private details we deem inappropriate for a parent to use against their child (estranged or not) in a public forum, even if these private details would illuminate Ireland’s true character.
Ireland’s mother struggled with numerous issues, including an inability to provide a safe, stable environment in which to raise her daughter. Dave found himself in a position of repeatedly picking up his daughter from precarious circumstances. Dave pursued a prolonged custody fight for Ireland and was eventually granted primary guardianship by the courts.
Ireland did have challenges in her childhood and exhibited troubled behavior from an early age. These behaviors included oppositional defiance, self-destructive attention seeking behaviors, and cruelty towards her siblings. She was loved, nonetheless. Dave doted on his children equally. At one point, counselors informally suggested that she might be suffering from Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD). RAD is a clinical condition where a young child fails to form healthy emotional attachments with primary caregivers due to neglect in the developmental stages of childhood. The symptoms of RADS were a match to Ireland’s behavioral issues, which included attention seeking behavior and lack of empathy for others. This was likely a function of her unsafe environments in her early development while under the care of her mother. (As a point of clarification -- Ireland left our home on her own volition before any of this could be formally diagnosed.)
Ireland’s issues magnified with puberty. Ages thirteen through sixteen were tumultuous years. Ireland was in the habit of behaving self-destructively and manipulatively lying to exercise free will. Dave attempted to enforce the appropriate standards of behavior, as any father would. Ireland chafed at the expectations. Eventually, while on a family trip to Universal Studios, an argument ensued regarding Ireland commenting multiple times that various older men were looking at her body. She called them perverts and predators; these men were just enjoying vacation with their family. The argument extended to appropriate dress in public, and concern regarding Ireland trying to look older. Ireland was fixated on seeking male attention while simultaneously complaining of the male gaze. Ireland arranged a flight (with assistance from her mother) to leave Universal on her own. She insisted on, and was given, a ride to the airport. Upon returning home at the end of the family vacation, Dave found her room empty. She has never been banned from our life, and no doors were shut on her.
Leveling accusations against men, both familiar and strangers, has become a reoccurring theme with her. She once asked her grandfather, to his mortification, to leave her volleyball game because she claimed he was staring at the female players inappropriately. It is also our understanding that she was banned from her boyfriend’s house by the young man’s mother because of similar accusations she made against the father. The boyfriend (by all accounts a fine young man) eventually suffered the same allegations after their eventual break-up.
We have been asked on numerous occasions why Ireland has chosen now to level her false allegations. We have not spoken to Ireland in five years as a matter of her choice. Her Grandfather, who had attempted to look out for her and was our primary means of keeping tabs on her, reported that she was upset at how well the store was doing and the positive social media posts the Hidden Chapter received. The timing of the attack also coincided with her sister’s departure for college. Ireland has exhibited a jealous rivalry with her sister, who has often been the object of her cruelty. We have been left to conclude that she could not abide that the family she abandoned was doing well; that her sister had something she no longer did. Her allegations are not difficult to pierce for anyone looking critically. She has contradicted herself repeatedly. The most notable example being her televised interview wherein she stated, “I got out before it could progress into something more…” A self-admission that nothing occurred, leaving her allegations at the level of innuendos.
Ireland likely had help from the media in crafting her allegations. We have two different indications that a story was being worked on by reporters and interns as much as a month prior to its release. The allegations relied on exploiting false accusations leveled at Dave while he was a teacher; accusations which misrepresented events through omission and outright misrepresentation. It is significant to note that these stories were worked on for that length of time, yet we were ambushed for statements an hour and half prior to their going live with their crafted hit pieces. We are addressing these issues with legal counsel. We will defend ourselves to the fullest legal extent on all fronts against any entity or individual which has maliciously slandered us.
The facts of Dave’s case while a teacher is as follows:
He had two incidents at two separate schools involving hugs with female students. The first hug was requested by the student. The second hug was involuntary on Dave’s part as he was hugged from the side while facing away from the student who approached him. Both hugs were public in the school hallways with observers present. One was on camera. These hugs were exploited to create allegations of inappropriate touching. In both cases Dave was absolved of any wrongdoing by school internal investigations. One set of parents attempted to turn it into a money grab and filed a civil suit against Dave and the School District. The court found no wrongdoing and the family has appealed (likely for the reason of seeking a nuisance settlement). The case has languished, but we are not concerned as to its ultimate outcome. In the second incident, the family requested a police investigation after being dissatisfied with the school’s findings. This triggered four Child Protective Service (CPS) investigations -- one for the county in which Dave taught, one for the county where we lived, and one each for counties in which we had joint custody of our children with ex-spouses. Our ex-spouses also launched custody disputes at the same time to exploit the situation. The net result of two school investigations, four CPS investigations, one police investigation and two-family court custody disputes was no criminal charges, no findings of wrongdoing, and no change in custody. In short, Dave was exonerated.
Dave has also been libeled online as it pertains to the status of his Teaching Certificate. People have inappropriately claimed that his teaching certificate was revoked. That is not true. No action was taken to revoke Dave’s teaching certificate as there was no wrongdoing. As part of the Kenton County Child Protective Service proceedings, we were offered a quicker resolution process if Dave voluntarily surrendered his teaching certificate. As we had already made the decision to leave teaching (we had no desire to ever again give anyone another chance to attack us through our public services) this was an easy option to exercise. We could have taken the longer path to preserve the certificate, but we were fatigued with the unfairness and constant burdens of the prolonged battle. Having already moved on from teaching and fully invested our savings into the bookstore, surrendering the teaching certification was an easy sacrifice to end the proceedings sooner. It is important to mention that relinquishment of the certification was requested by CPS after they could not find any evidence of wrongdoing. Though it has been presented on social media as a plea bargain pursued by Dave, this is simply not true.
We would like to take this opportunity to address our broader community – the people we know by name, the families we’ve watched grow, and the countless individuals who have made The Hidden Chapter a refuge of warmth and connection. We know many of you have felt the weight of this media storm and it has raised doubts for you. It pains us to see our community and friends affected. We are deeply sorry for the impact this private family matter has had on our beloved community. We have poured our hearts over these last several years into building The Hidden Chapter — a space meant to uplift, comfort, and bring people together. We have witnessed extraordinary kindness within these walls, shared in your celebrations, and worked hard to create a place that feels like home. To see false accusations overshadow years of dedication; to witness a beloved community space be threatened, has been heartbreaking. We fully recognize that we are not the only victims. You all have been robbed of a place you loved by the allegations. We empathize with your doubts. It is hard to navigate truth when it’s being misrepresented. We hope our good faith statement will help, and we always welcome your questions to address your concerns. We ask for your patience, kindness, and open-mindedness. Given time, we are confident that the truth will prevail.
Finally, we would like to address our supporters. We cannot express the depth of our gratitude for all of you who have stood by us with unwavering commitment and compassion. You have been our lifeline in the wake of the fight for our livelihood, as you continue to be even now. You have given us the strength to stay standing, to keep our bookstore open, and to weather this storm. Our bookstore has brought so many lives together, created so many bonds and memories. You all have made sure we never lost sight of that. Our closest friends welcomed us into their family and spent countless hours fighting for us. Others walked into our shop to express support or compassion, asked questions without rushing to conclusions, and chose to come back time and again. We can never repay these kindnesses. We can never match your humanity. But as long as we are here, we will try to repay your gifts in kind to all who walk through our door. When we opened our shop three years ago, our goal was to give experiences to our guests that would be remembered and re-lived for years to come. We wanted to bring people together with books and with community engagement. This is still our goal, and it would be impossible without you. We are forever grateful. Our children are forever grateful. Thank you.
