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CHAPTER 2
LARRY KING, A MAN
WELL-KNOWN TO
CHILDREN
The first alarm went off on June 10, 1985, when the Washington
County, Nebraska, Sheriffs Department contacted a Nebraska
Department of Social Services (DSS) social worker handling
the case of Sean*, Sally* and Steve McArthur*. The children
were living in foster care with Jarrett and Barbara Webb of
Fort Calhoun.
The social worker wrote up the call:
The Sheriffs department phoned today and stated they have
the McArthur children in their custody and they had picked
them up from the Webb home due to child abuse complaint.
Sean had welts and scratches over parts of his back which
he said the Webbs had beat him with a railroad iron and
belt. They also had picked up the Webbs' son Joey*, age
16. Joey also complained of being beaten by his parents.
. . . Sean said the Webbs have been beating [them] for quite
some time and this is not the first time this has happened
to them. They were afraid to say anything the other times....
Jarrett Webb worked for the Omaha Public Power District
and was a board member of the Franklin Community Federal
Credit Union, headed by Lawrence E. King, Jr. His wife, Barbara,
is Larry King's cousin.
Foster child Sean McArthur and adopted son Joey Patterson*
Webb were removed from the Webbs' custody that month.
Other of their foster and adopted children-there were as many
as nine in the house at one time-tried to make their break,
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