Thursday, February 10, 2011

David C. Hartshorn - Repeat Sex Offender - “He was just a mild-mannered man”

According to a law enforcement official, Mr. Hartshorn was convicted in 1989 on charges of sodomy, promoting sexual performance by a child under 16, and promoting obscene sexual performance by a child under 16. He served three years of probation.

A convicted sex offender who had risen up through the ranks at his local Little League was arraigned Wednesday on new sex offense charges, the Queens district attorney, Richard A. Brown, announced.

The defendant, David C. Hartshorn, 52, has been accused of using his post with the Rochdale Village Little League — where, according to the league’s Facebook page, he was its commissioner — to sexually assault three boys at his home over a six-month period ending in January 2010.
A onetime Little League Coach of the Year, Mr. Hartshorn is charged with showing child pornography to the boys, two of whom were 14 and one 13, and coercing them into performing sex acts, which he filmed. Additionally, according to the charges, Mr. Hartshorn hosted a game of poker for six boys in which the loser was made to perform a sex act on one of the others. Mr. Hartshorn also captured video of that instance of abuse, the authorities said.
The allegations surfaced after one of the boys reported the abuse to his mother, who called the police, the district attorney said. Upon searching Mr. Hartshorn’s home, the police discovered a cache of child pornography videos, some featuring children younger than 10, Mr. Brown said.

Mr. Hartshorn has been charged with first- and second-degree criminal sexual acts, the use of a child in a sexual performance, second-degree sexual abuse, and endangering the welfare of a child. He would face as much as 25 years in prison if convicted, and is being held without bail.
Mr. Hartshorn was convicted in 1989 on charges of sodomy, promoting sexual performance by a child under 16, and promoting obscene sexual performance by a child under 16. He served three years of probation, though no other details were immediately available.

A message left on Mr. Hartshorn’s voice mail on Wednesday afternoon was not returned. Several calls to the Rochdale Village Little League also went unreturned; the organization’s policy on vetting potential coaches could not be determined.

News of Mr. Hartshorn’s arrest, and the revelation of his previous conviction, shocked people in his neighborhood, where residents said he had lived alone in a two-story house since his parents died.

“I am totally shocked,” said Wanda Harris, a next-door neighbor. “Because you would never know it. These kids come and they’re fighting to get into the house.”

“I’ve never heard or seen anything” bad, Ms. Harris said, adding that during her 11 years on the block, even her grown children had played in the street with Mr. Hartshorn, his nephews and the boys on his baseball teams.

Ms. Harris said she saw children at her neighbor’s house every day, especially in the summertime.

“You’d never know this was going on,” she said. “He was just a mild-mannered man.”

"25% of all sex offenders re-offend within 15 years"
.........Sarah Tofte

"On average most sex offenders are never caught again for a new sex offense, after five years, between 10 and 15 percent of sex offenders are detected, often convicted, of committing a new sex offense. If you follow them for ten years the rates go up somewhat, if you follow them as long as we’ve been able to follow them, which is about 20 years, the rates go up to somewhere between 30 to 40 percent of the total sample will eventually be caught for a new sex offense."
Dr. R. Karl Hansen

Monday, February 7, 2011

Jefferson Benjamin Simmons - Repeat Sex Offender - McDonald's Predator

Previous convictions
  • 1984
  • 1996
  • 2005


A convicted sex offender already facing charges that he twice visited a fast-food restaurant playground in Raleigh is now accused of taking indecent liberties with a minor, authorities said.

Jefferson Benjamin Simmons, 52, of Raleigh, is charged with one count of indecent liberties with a child involving a Jan. 18 incident, according to arrest warrants filed with in the Wake County Magistrate's Office. The child involved was under the age of 16, the warrants say.

Simmons is being held in the Wake County jail on a $250,000 bond on the latest charge. Court documents noted he is "considered a danger."

Simmons' other charges relate to visits authorities said he made to the playground at the McDonald's restaurant at 4121 Blue Ridge Road on Jan. 18 and Jan. 19 in violation of conditions placed on him as a convicted sex offender.

Simmons, of 3704 Hillcrest Drive, was convicted in 1996 in Guilford County on a charge of indecent liberties with a minor, according to the N.C. Department of Justice Sex Offender Registry. The victim in the case was 14, the registry says.

Simmons, who has 17 aliases, was also convicted in 2005 in Wake County of assault on the handicapped and in 1984 in Wake County for taking indecent liberties with a child.



"25% of all sex offenders re-offend within 15 years"
.........Sarah Tofte


"On average most sex offenders are never caught again for a new sex offense, after five years, between 10 and 15 percent of sex offenders are detected, often convicted, of committing a new sex offense. If you follow them for ten years the rates go up somewhat, if you follow them as long as we’ve been able to follow them, which is about 20 years, the rates go up to somewhere between 30 to 40 percent of the total sample will eventually be caught for a new sex offense."

Dr. R. Karl Hansen

Monday, July 5, 2010

Robert Francis Pierce - Repeat Sex Offender - Proves need for Mandatory Sentencing

In June 2003, PIERCE was convicted in Snohomish County Superior Court of Rape of a Child in the First Degree and Child Molestation in the First Degree. PIERCE was sentenced to 131 months in prison, with all but six months suspended.
ROBERT FRANCIS PIERCE, 41, of Kirkland, Washington, was sentenced Monday June 21, 2010, in U.S. District Court in Seattle to 15 years in prison and 15 years of supervised release for Receipt of Child Pornography. PIERCE has prior convictions in Snohomish County for Rape of a Child in the First Degree and Child Molestation in the First Degree. U.S. District Judge Marsha J. Pechman imposed the sentence.

According to records filed in the case, in late May 2009, federal investigators using Peer to Peer file sharing software traced child pornography to an internet address associated with PIERCE. In August 2009, PIERCE’s apartment was searched by law enforcement, and agents located two computers containing more than 600 images of child pornography. PIERCE admitted downloading the images using Peer to Peer software.
In June 2003, PIERCE was convicted in Snohomish County Superior Court of Rape of a Child in the First Degree and Child Molestation in the First Degree. PIERCE was sentenced to 131 months in prison, with all but six months suspended. That suspension will likely be revoked, and the Snohomish County Prosecuting Attorney has agreed to recommend that the state sentence be served concurrently with the federal sentence.
The case was investigated by the FBI and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael Scovill

"25% of all sex offenders re-offend within 15 years"
.........Sarah Tofte

"On average most sex offenders are never caught again for a new sex offense, after five years, between 10 and 15 percent of sex offenders are detected, often convicted, of committing a new sex offense. If you follow them for ten years the rates go up somewhat, if you follow them as long as we’ve been able to follow them, which is about 20 years, the rates go up to somewhere between 30 to 40 percent of the total sample will eventually be caught for a new sex offense."
Dr. R. Karl Hansen

James Ramos - Repeat Sex Offender - GUILTY




A registered sex offender who is on parole for a variety of sex offenses was convicted in federal court this week of possessing child pornography.

James Ramos, 59, of Ballston Spa was found guilty of three felony charges of receiving and possessing child pornography during a jury trial in U.S. District Court in Utica.

Authorities determined he possessed child pornography on two computers.

The U.S. Attorney's Office said "faces of children that had been digitally cut out and pasted onto the bodies of others engaging in sexual activity" were found on one of the computers.

Ramos was on parole at the time for 1990 convictions in Saratoga County Court for child sodomy, sexual abuse and producing child pornography.

He served more than 15 years of a 10- to 20-year sentence in state prison in that case.

He is being held in federal custody pending sentencing Nov. 12 and could face up to 40 years in state prison.

"25% of all sex offenders re-offend within 15 years"
.........Sarah Tofte

"On average most sex offenders are never caught again for a new sex offense, after five years, between 10 and 15 percent of sex offenders are detected, often convicted, of committing a new sex offense. If you follow them for ten years the rates go up somewhat, if you follow them as long as we’ve been able to follow them, which is about 20 years, the rates go up to somewhere between 30 to 40 percent of the total sample will eventually be caught for a new sex offense."
Dr. R. Karl Hansen

Owen Adams - Repeat Sex Offender - Pedo-Repeater

His original crime:
SEXUAL ASSAULT - MISD B - ADAMS HAD SEXUAL CONTACT WITH AN 8-YR-OLD GIRL WHOS MOTHER DIED, AND THE GIRL CAME TO LIVE WITH ADAMS' FAMILY. THE SEXUAL ACTS CONTINUED UNTIL THE GIRL WAS 13 YEARS OLD.



A Wishek man who is a registered sex offender has pleaded guilty to six felony charges involving the attempted rape of a girl younger than 6 years old, fighting with deputies and pointing a loaded shotgun at three people.

Owen Adams, 23, pleaded guilty on Monday in McIntosh County to gross sexual imposition, assault on a peace officer, attempt to disarm a law enforcement officer and three counts of reckless endangerment.

Adams remains in custody at the Burleigh County Detention Center in lieu of $500,000 cash bond.

Adams was accused in February of attempting to rape a girl younger than 6 years old, then fighting with officers who came to investigate. The reckless endangerment charges stem from allegations Adams pointed a gun at family members and officers.

Adams is considered a high-risk sex offender after a prior conviction for Class B misdemeanor sexual assault in McIntosh County. According to court records, he originally was charged in that case with Class AA felony gross sexual imposition.

McIntosh County State’s Attorney Terry Elhard said South Central District Judge Tom Schneider ordered a presentence investigation, which has not been scheduled.

"25% of all sex offenders re-offend within 15 years"
.........Sarah Tofte

"On average most sex offenders are never caught again for a new sex offense, after five years, between 10 and 15 percent of sex offenders are detected, often convicted, of committing a new sex offense. If you follow them for ten years the rates go up somewhat, if you follow them as long as we’ve been able to follow them, which is about 20 years, the rates go up to somewhere between 30 to 40 percent of the total sample will eventually be caught for a new sex offense."
Dr. R. Karl Hansen

Robert Alvarez - Repeat Sex Offender - Child Predator

  • Sexual Abuse-1st Degree
  • Conviction Date: 6/2/1994
  • Age at conviction: 28
  • Victim's Age: 8


A 44-year-old New York man is under arrest this morning for a sexual assault on a 12-year-old boy in Philadelphia's Frankford section.

Philadelphia Police Special Victims Unit has identified the suspect as 44-year-old Robert Alvarez of New York City. Alvarez was charged with sexual assault and remains in police custody.

About 10 Saturday night, police found Alvarez, a registered sex offender, along with the boy inside a van at Hayworth and Rutland streets. Two people who live in the neighborhood called police after spotting the van with New York license plates and becoming suspicious about it.
"When I was walking by, I saw the kid in the van, and then he closed up the van, and said get inside, and that's when I realized something was wrong," Luis Colon told Action News.

"The cops came, they drug the guy out of the van," said Vanessa Gonzalez. "The little boy came out, he was shaking, he was terrified."
Alvarez is a registered sex offender in New York City and was visiting friends in Philadelphia.

"25% of all sex offenders re-offend within 15 years"
.........Sarah Tofte

"On average most sex offenders are never caught again for a new sex offense, after five years, between 10 and 15 percent of sex offenders are detected, often convicted, of committing a new sex offense. If you follow them for ten years the rates go up somewhat, if you follow them as long as we’ve been able to follow them, which is about 20 years, the rates go up to somewhere between 30 to 40 percent of the total sample will eventually be caught for a new sex offense."
Dr. R. Karl Hansen

Sunday, July 4, 2010

Tyrone Luster - Repeat Sex Offender - A Repeat Repeater


Police in Battle Creek say one man is responsible for rape, assault, kidnapping and more over a five hour span.

Tyrone Luster, a registered sex offender, is now facing eleven charges, and possibly more, after an alleged rampage through the streets of Battle Creek.
Lt. Todd Madsen of the Battle Creek Police says that it took ten to twelve officers and two detectives, essentially the whole of the department's night shift, to bring Tyron Luster in.

Luster could be facing charges stemming from a laundry list of incidents that took place across the city.
“He's a one man crime spree,” said Lt. Madsen, “it's clearly evident he doesn't care about anybody or anything, the rules of society do not apply to him.” Lt. Madsen says Thursday was a night like no other, tracking a man with zero respect for the law. Luster is now facing accusations of felony assault, rape, kidnapping, weapons charges, and running from police in two different cars and on foot.
“We're going to do our best,” said Lt. Madsen. “I think we're going to end up with a total of maybe eleven or twelve felony counts against him, plus habitual offender and other things. Hopefully we can make it so this guy doesn't see the light of day.”

Police say Luster's night of mayhem started at the intersection of Wabash and Emmett, when he was pulled over.

Police say Luster threw away a gun, struggled with an officer, and then got back in his car and tried to run the officer down.

That led to a high-speed chase that ended in a crash at Emmett and East Avenue. Police say Luster crashed into a retaining wall just after midnight.

“They had a chase with him, then an accident,” said Lt. Madsen, “but he was able to cut through several fences and get away at that time.”

Then, around 5:40 am, police came to a home on East Willard Avenue to investigate a home invasion. There a female victim said someone got into her home, sexually assaulted her before stealing her car, and forcing her to come along.

The victim there was able to get away. Police allege that Tyrone Luster was behind that attack as well.

“It wasn't a matter of him just needing to get away, this guy is just opportunistic, he found an easy way to get into this house and you know he's going to do what he wants to do,” said Lt. Madsen. “He is very savvy, in police techniques and evidence and things like that, it's almost scary the thought process this guy has.”

Police say the female victim was able to jump from her car while Luster drove down the street, and he continued without her.

A short time later, officers spotted him and attempted to pull him over. That led to a second high-speed chase that ended when Luster crashed into a fence at the corner of Elm and Cliff. That crash woke up James Dickerson Jr. around 6:15 am.

“It was just so noisy,” said Dickerson, “someone putting on brakes, immediately, high-speed, you hear noise, skidding, after you hear the skid you hear the crash, after hearing the crash, that's what caused me to get up and come out the door.”

“It was a bad situation,” said Lt. Madsen, “luckily it was early enough when there wasn't much traffic, because the guy was driving with reckless abandon.”

Luster, who was released from parole in April, could be facing eleven charges, and maybe more.

Lt. Madsen did question why a twice-convicted sex offender could be allowed on the streets without supervision. “It's very disheartening,” said Lt. Madsen, “this guy's a violent offender. He's been in prison for years, and then now he's out and we're dealing with him again.”
After his second crash Luster took off on foot, but was caught by a number of officers.

Luster is being held in the Calhoun County Jail.

"25% of all sex offenders re-offend within 15 years"
.........Sarah Tofte

"On average most sex offenders are never caught again for a new sex offense, after five years, between 10 and 15 percent of sex offenders are detected, often convicted, of committing a new sex offense. If you follow them for ten years the rates go up somewhat, if you follow them as long as we’ve been able to follow them, which is about 20 years, the rates go up to somewhere between 30 to 40 percent of the total sample will eventually be caught for a new sex offense."
Dr. R. Karl Hansen

Claudio Gonzalez - Repeat Sex Offender - Reoffends during Family Day visit

An inmate inappropriately touched a 9-year-old girl during a family event at a specialized prison for sex offenders in Avenel last month, internal documents show, and the Department of Corrections says it has launched an examination into the incident and all family programs.

Corrections has held an annual "family day" for inmates at the Adult Diagnostic and Treatment Center for the past two decades, allowing relatives — including children — to visit incarcerated sex offenders.

Documents obtained by The Star-Ledger show authorities filed disciplinary charges against convicted sex offender Claudio Gonzalez for allegedly touching the niece of another inmate at this year’s event June 16.
The alleged victim was one of 116 children who attended family day along with 418 adult relatives, a department spokeswoman said. Thirty officers and other civilian staff members supervised the event while 210 inmates mingled with visitors outdoors in the prison yard, according to the department.
"The whole process has to be investigated. Was there a staff failure?" Corrections Commissioner Gary Lanigan asked. "The question is now being addressed."

Leaders of prison officers unions criticized the department for allowing family days at the center, which provides treatment to sex offenders — including pedophiles — determined to be "repetitive and compulsive."

Trent Norman, president of Policemen’s Benevolent Association Local 105, which represents prison officers, said Corrections should prevent children from attending.

"You’re dealing with impulsive inmates," he said. "It’s dangerous to have children around impulsive individuals."

The prison is the state’s only one specifically designated for sex offenders. It holds about 680 inmates, some with mental illnesses. Two special treatment units for civilly committed sex offenders — those deemed too dangerous to be released once their prison terms end — are also nearby in Avenel.

Corrections officials said family days, which are held at three other prisons, help inmates stay connected with relatives, increasing their chance of success once they’re released.

"Since 95 percent of offenders will be released following the expiration of their sentences, maintaining familial bonds is a critical issue," spokeswoman Deirdre Fedkenheuer said.
Lanigan said the department will review the programs to make sure officials strike the right balance between promoting family ties and protecting the public.
"The practice of scheduling family day events within the prison facilities is being reviewed for operational effectiveness and efficiencies," he said. "Alternative incentive-based programs that will support familial relationships also are under review."

Martin Horn, a lecturer at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice who previously ran New York City’s prison system, said holding family day at a sex offender prison is too risky.

"You have to be doubly cautious," he said. "For a facility to take that on is to assume an enormous liability."
Gonzalez, a former Lacey Township resident, was 17 when he was arrested for having sex with a 12-year-old girl in 2004, according to Laura Pierro, a senior assistant prosecutor in Ocean County. He pleaded guilty to aggravated sexual assault in 2006, she said. Pierro said Gonzalez, now 23, was determined to be "repetitive and compulsive" and sent to the Adult Diagnostic and Treatment Center for therapy.
During family day, no one came to visit Gonzalez so he joined a fellow inmate and his relatives, according to a disciplinary report. Fedkenheuer would not say whether inmates without visitors were allowed to attend family day events.

At one point, while the second inmate talked with his mother, Gonzalez brought the man’s two nieces to get Italian ices, according to a written statement the second inmate gave investigators. They were gone for about 20 minutes.

The following day the second inmate told authorities Gonzalez touched one of the girls, the report said. The inmate’s name is being withheld by The Star-Ledger to protect the identity of the alleged victim.

Gonzalez later told investigators he put his hand on the girl’s shoulder to "guide" her back to her family, according to the report. He said he only "accidentally brushed" her breast while walking.

The disciplinary charges against Gonzalez are unauthorized physical contact and assault, documents show. Middlesex County prosecutor spokesman Jim O’Neill would not say if there is an ongoing criminal investigation, but said no criminal charges have been filed against Gonzalez.

Fedkenheur said no officers are facing disciplinary charges in connection with family day. She said records from the past three years reveal no problems at previous events, adding that officials could not recall any issues in the years before that.

Gonzalez and the alleged victim’s uncle are still at the Adult Diagnostic and Treatment Center, Fedkenheur said.

In his statement to investigators, the uncle sought to reassure authorities he wouldn’t take matters into his own hands.

"I know what Claudio did to my niece and I know it is true, but he don’t have to worry about me because my family and niece need me," he wrote. "I’ll just leave it to you and it will be taken care of."

"25% of all sex offenders re-offend within 15 years"
.........Sarah Tofte

"On average most sex offenders are never caught again for a new sex offense, after five years, between 10 and 15 percent of sex offenders are detected, often convicted, of committing a new sex offense. If you follow them for ten years the rates go up somewhat, if you follow them as long as we’ve been able to follow them, which is about 20 years, the rates go up to somewhere between 30 to 40 percent of the total sample will eventually be caught for a new sex offense."
Dr. R. Karl Hansen

Saturday, July 3, 2010

Harold Rubin Ayton - Repeat Sex Offender - Saved Proof of his crime on his phone


Police arrested a homeless 30-year-old registered sex offender they say had saved images of child pornography on his cell phone.

Officers with the City of Columbia Police Department arrested Harold Rubin Ayton on Monday and charged him with sexual exploitation of a minor in the third degree, two counts of criminal sexual conduct with a minor.

Ayton was featured on News19 and wltx.com recently after Richland County deputies say he failed to register as a sex offender, something that South Carolina state law requires him to do.
Police say Ayton had pictures that showed him having sex with children. Officers say that phone was given to the Attorney General's Office for forensic examination, and they determined that pornographic images were saved on the phone.
Ayton is being detained at the Richland County jail on a $200,000 bond. Newberry police helped in the investigation.

"25% of all sex offenders re-offend within 15 years"
.........Sarah Tofte

"On average most sex offenders are never caught again for a new sex offense, after five years, between 10 and 15 percent of sex offenders are detected, often convicted, of committing a new sex offense. If you follow them for ten years the rates go up somewhat, if you follow them as long as we’ve been able to follow them, which is about 20 years, the rates go up to somewhere between 30 to 40 percent of the total sample will eventually be caught for a new sex offense."
Dr. R. Karl Hansen

Friday, July 2, 2010

John Michael Fleehart - Repeat Sex Offender - Pedophile


A 39-year-old Jacksonville sex offender was arrested Thursday on a charge of possession of child pornography, according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and prison and court records.

John Michael Fleehart of the 5700 block of Brannon Avenue on the Westside was jailed on $50,000 bail.

FDLE Computer Crime Center and Jacksonville authorities began the investigation in May after they saw videos of child pornography being shared over the Internet. The investigation revealed the child pornography was downloaded from a computer at Fleehart’s home, the FDLE said.
Fleehart served several years for two attempted sexual batteries of a victim younger than 12 in 1992. Then he failed to comply with the sex offender registry in 2004, and in 2005 he was arrested after a woman reported a man peeping into her bedroom window. Police sneaked up on him and caught him masturbating trying to look into the window.
Fleehart did about two more years for those offenses, according to court and prison records.


"25% of all sex offenders re-offend within 15 years"
.........Sarah Tofte

"On average most sex offenders are never caught again for a new sex offense, after five years, between 10 and 15 percent of sex offenders are detected, often convicted, of committing a new sex offense. If you follow them for ten years the rates go up somewhat, if you follow them as long as we’ve been able to follow them, which is about 20 years, the rates go up to somewhere between 30 to 40 percent of the total sample will eventually be caught for a new sex offense."
Dr. R. Karl Hansen