‘You are an inspiration’: Officer shares story of overcoming child abuse at awareness event in Rockford

By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — Nate Fey had little faith in the criminal justice system when a police officer saved his life.

As a child and teen he was tormented by a guardian who physically, emotionally and sexually abused him, manipulated him financially and stole from him, he said. But he had little trust in police after an early experience where he was threatened with arrest for calling 911.

Then he met Rosann Baker, the first law enforcement officer he put his faith in. After suffering another instance of abuse in 2005, the then 17-year-old opened up to Baker in the start of a long process that led to his abuser’s conviction.

Today Fey is an officer, having started his career as a Winnebago County sheriff’s deputy and now a state trooper.

“I’ll tell everybody that asks me, ‘why did you become a police officer?’ Because my life was saved by that particular officer,” he said. “I wanted to do the same. I wanted to save somebody’s life.”

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Fey, now 34, shared that story Thursday to dozens of people outside the Winnebago County Courthouse for an event to support survivors and raise awareness about child abuse and neglect. His journey, judges at the event said, gives hope to other survivors and illustrates the need for children to be supported throughout the criminal justice system.

“I have watched Nate not just survive but thrive,” said Judge Jennifer Clifford, who was the prosecutor on Fey’s case at the time. “Though often angry at me, and the system, and the abuser, and his family for what they put him through — and what I put him through to prepare for and testify at trial — Nate showed an inner strength and resilience that he still has today.”

Fey was the featured speaker at Hands Around the Courthouse, an annual public display of support for child abuse survivors. Dozens of people holding a blue ribbon and pinwheels gathered outside the Winnebago County Criminal Justice Center in downtown.

“It took a lot of courage to get up here and speak the way he did,” 17th Judicial Circuit Court Chief Judge John Lowry said. “Nate, your inner, strength, fortitude, perseverance is admiral. You are an inspiration.”

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Childhood trauma has been a focal point in recent years for local law enforcement, which reports nearly three-quarters of youth involved in violent crimes were either witnesses to or victims of violence themselves.

“Child abuse and neglect is connected to other forms of violence. We know that preventing and eliminating one form of violence can prevent and eliminate other forms of violence,” Lowry said. “We all know the emotional trauma, the emotional bruises, last long after the physical bruises have healed.”

Mayor Tom McNamara has also made responding to childhood trauma one of his administration’s priorities. The city has launched a trauma-informed summer camp for children who suffered physical or sexual abuse, it doubled the number of children in early childhood education programs, partnered with Rockford Public Schools for the “Handle with Care” intervention program and created a program for at-risk youth to get summer jobs, among other measures.

“If we continue to fail them and (trauma) goes unmitigated we know the results,” McNamara said. “Since we know it, we can change it. We can change it if we come together and start treating all of these children as if they were our own children, because they are. They’re all Rockford and Winnebago County children.”

For Fey, he said finding the right person to trust and lean on was key. He initially didn’t want to talk about his abuse, which he endured from ages 13 to 17, until meeting Baker. Then he found support from Clifford while preparing for trial.

“Being able to have somebody to connect with and to avoid contact with the offender was the best thing to help me through that,” he said. “It’s hard, emotionally, but at the same time you want everything done. And unfortunately you have to face your offender to be able to get, hopefully, the verdict that you’re looking for.”

The Marine veteran said he considered being a lawyer before deciding on law enforcement. Then, after being hired by the Winnebago County Sheriff’s Department, he was given a call sign — the way officers are identified when on patrol — that reminded him of why he got into this line of work.

“My first call sign was Baker 5.”

This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on Twitter at @KevinMHaas.