Military museum in Florence in turmoil after sexual abuse arrest and allegations, shocking board meeting

The shocking comment was made during a July 15 meeting between the Oregon Coast Military Museum’s board members and the alleged victim’s family, according to an audio recording posted online. That meeting came days after police arrested museum director Geoffrey Cannon on sex abuse allegations.

Court records allege that the abuse happened between Aug. 1, 2024, and July 10 of this year. The family of the alleged victim, identified only by initials in court records, said in a news release that she was 15-years-old and was working as a volunteer at the museum at the time of the alleged abuse. The family’s release also alleges that digital records show that Cannon referenced explicit sex acts in communications with the teen, and urged her to keep the alleged abuse secret.

“Our child deserved a safe, supportive place to learn and contribute; not to be exploited by someone in power,” the teen’s mother said in the release. “The museum’s failure to act decisively, and the board’s victim-blaming remarks, have only deepened our pain. No other young person should be put at risk under the guise of mentorship or service.”

The Oregonian/OregonLive does not typically name alleged victims in sex crime cases.

During the informal meeting on July 15, the teenager’s parents confronted what appears to be the museum’s leadership about its handling of the abuse allegations, according to an audio recording of the meeting obtained from the family. The family stated that everyone present at the meeting was notified that the proceedings would be recorded, and a speaker can be heard announcing that the recorder was on. A copy of the recording was also published on YouTube on behalf of the family.

The victim’s family identified the speaker as Patrick Ritter, a museum volunteer who serves in a leadership role. Ritter told The Oregonian/OregonLive that he was present at the meeting, but said he didn’t know the meeting was being recorded. He declined to comment when asked about the statements he appeared to have made in the recording.

“It’s an unfortunate situation, and when all the facts come out it will be a very different situation,” Ritter said.

The museum’s board president, Gary Cannon, is the father of Geoffrey Cannon.

Neither Geoffrey Cannon nor Gary Cannon could be reached for comment, and the museum did not respond to calls and emails from The Oregonian/OregonLive.

The nonprofit Oregon Coast Military Museum opened in 2015. It displays more than 15,000 military artifacts and photos in its 3,000-square-foot exhibit hall in Florence.

Paul Brickey, an Iraq War veteran who lives near Florence and who posted the audio of the meeting, started a Change.org petition that calls for the museum’s board members to step down and for Cannon to be suspended until the case against him is resolved.

“(Museums) should be a safe place for children to learn about our history,” Brickey told The Oregonian/OregonLive.

As of Friday, the petition had more than 1,000 signatures.