Thursday, July 31, 2008

Walter Jude Dec - Repeat Sex Offender - Compulsive Child Pornography Collector


A man allegedly found with thousands of images of child pornography waived his bond hearing Tuesday as investigators sifted through boxes of evidence.

Walter Jude Dec, of West Lane Street, Shelbyville, was arrested last Thursday and is facing multiple charges of sexual exploitation of a minor. He is currently being held at Bedford County Jail under $350,000 bond.

His first court appearance is set for Aug. 20 at 9 a.m.

Dec is a registered sex offender and was convicted in New York state of possession of obscene sexual performances by a child in 1998, according to the Tennessee State Offender Registry.

Detective Lt. Becky Hord of the Bedford County Sheriff's Department said the investigation began after Dec allegedly asked a friend to make a copy of a compact disc for him.

Dec told his friend that the disc contained photos of a family outing, Hord said.

"When he pops it in," Hord said, referring to Dec's friend, "all these images come up ... and it shocked him. So he immediately stopped and notified the sheriff's department."

Detective Billy Smith, who informed Hord about the case, took the call. Upon viewing the images on the disc, the department was able to get a search warrant for Dec's home.

Dec was at work when officers arrived to search. Hord said Dec's house "was a wreck, but he is organized when it comes to his video stuff."

Hord said that Dec told her that investigators would find pictures on his computer. Some of the videotapes were in the Beta format, which has not been used for decades, Hord said, adding that investigators will have to track down a machine to play them on. The evidence collected from Dec's home also contained 35mm film slides and print photographs.

Hord said the images were primarily of young boys, with the oldest being 13 or 14 years old. Most were around the age of 7 or 8, she said.

"Because of the number of images he had, there's no way we could type up that many warrants," Hord said. One disc had 747 images, another contained 787 and one CD had 1,034 pictures, the warrants state. When a suspect has more than 50 images, the charges increase from a "B" felony to a class "A" felony, Hord explained.

The warrants said that Dec possessed images that "included a minor engaged in sexual activity and simulated sexual activity," while other warrants state Dec "did unlawfully have in his possession material that included a minor engaged in sexually provocative poses, whereby the minor is nude or partially nude."

Other disks had around 12 images, Hord said, and she was able to file warrants for each of the images. Dec has a total of 30 warrants currently against him and that number could increase if more images are found, Hord said.

Hord said that they have yet to look into what's on the hard drive of Dec's computer.

Not only is Dec on the sex offender registry, he had checked in with Hord two weeks prior to his arrest, she said, but did not qualify as a violent offender. He began registering in Bedford County in 2004, she said.

Hord also said that records indicate that Dec violated the sex offender registry in Rutherford County in 2004, but there doesn't seem to be any other record pertaining to the arrest.

"That bothers me right there," Hord said.

Hord said the department had already received complaints about Dec from neighbors, saying that he was walking around the neighborhood putting up circulars for work as a handyman, "which means he's going to access residences," Hord said.

According to Hord, the offender registry did not list any work restrictions for Dec.

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

Brandon Solether Baby Raper Turns himself in


A man accused of child molestation turned himself in to the New Albany Police Department on Tuesday.

On Friday, a warrant was issued for the arrest of Brandon Solether, 25, of New Albany on five counts of child molesting, a class A felony.

On July 2, a woman reported that Solether had orally and anally penetrated her 9- and 13-year-old sons at his residence June 30. The mother reported that both children are mentally challenged.

A certified sexual assault nurse completed a medical examination which showed abnormalities for both boys.

The two boys also told police that Solether showed them a shotgun and threatened to kill them if they told anyone.

On Tuesday, Solether walked in to the police station and turned himself in to police. He is being held in the Floyd County Jail. Bond is fixed at $200,000.

He could face up to 250 years in prison if convicted on all five counts.

Harold Ferrin - Foster Parent charged with molesting Six Year Old


An Indianapolis foster parent is behind bars following allegations of sexually abusing a little girl. The man had only recently been licensed to foster children.

Harold Ferrin is charged with four counts of child molesting involving a six-year-old. The 53-year-old is a foster parent and a civilian corrections officer.

"Most of our investigation is done. IMPD is typically the agency that takes their criminal investigation to the prosecutor's office," said Rhonda Allen of the Marion County Department of Child Services.

Child services removed a boy and girl from the care of Ferrin and his wife and suspended their foster care license.

The girl alleges the incidents happened over the course of a year. Ferrin denies the charges, but he's being held without bond in the Marion County Jail.

Criminal defense attorney Robert Hammerle has serious questions about the Ferrin case and others like it.

"The allegation could be true. Frequently it's not. The problem is that once that stain, once the accusation is made, the stain on a person's reputation, character and soul...it never washes away," said Hammerle.

Prosecutors don't point solely at the accused, they also have concerns about child services.

"There's an obligation to make sure that all of these tips and leads and information are followed through and that people in those positions...there's a tremendous amount of trust and tremendous obligation. They need to make sure that these children are placed with folks that are gonna care for them and protect them," said Marion County Prosecutor Carl Brizzi.

Ralph Raymond Evans - Repeat Sex Offender


It's a sordid tale. An Elk Grove businessman who employed teens and brought costumed mascots to children's parties now faces rape and child pornography charges. And no one but police knew Ralph Raymond Evans is also a registered sex offender, with a past misdemeanor conviction for possessing child pornography.

"Very shocked, very appalled," said one woman who was once a client of Evans' company called Mascot Marketers. "His staffing, from what I remember and dealt with, were all teenagers. And then the secondary part of his business being 'Mascot Parties,' all about the kids."

Evans, 39, is a convicted sex offender who registered as required with Elk Grove police, but because his prior conviction is considered a lesser offense he's not posted on the public Megan's Law Web site.

"Actually that went through the rumor mill that he was a registered sex offender. So of course that was the first thing I went and did, looked it up on the Web site, didn't find him there," said the former business client who doesn't want her identity disclosed. "As a proactive parent I'm very disturbed that he wasn't on there."

According to search warrant affidavits obtained by News10, Evans employed as many as 26 people, many of them underage teens, to wear the mascot costumes. Several of them were part of last May's annual Elk Grove Western Festival parade.

What even police didn't know is that Evans changed his first name to Raymond, using that name as owner of Mascot Marketers, Mascot Parties, and other businesses he ran from his home.

"It's one of those things that unfortunately slipped through the cracks as far as his name change and that association," said Elk Grove police Sgt. Chris Trim. "It is scary just because of the nature of the accusations, also his past criminal history."

The new charges mushroomed from an investigation into domestic violence, according to Trim. Evans' ex-wife complained he was violating a restraining order and stalking her.

He's now accused of breaking into her house, installing hidden video cameras and secretly taping his ex-wife and her children. Further investigation brought forward an 18-year-old woman Evans allegedly brought to his house. Evans got her intoxicated, raped her and videotaped the encounter, according to the affidavit.

During the search, detectives found at least 149 pornographic pictures plus other negatives. One now-adult woman identified those as sexually explicit photos of her taken when she was 15 to 17 years old.

As Evans remains in jail on no bail, his HumVee adorned with advertising for his mascot business sits in the driveway of his house. Several security cameras can be seen covering the outside of the house, as well as the house next door which Evans also reportedly owns.

Evans actually has three cases pending against him in Sacramento Superior Court. One involves felony burglary, stalking and secretly recording someone in a private setting. The second includes two counts of rape using involuntary intoxication. The third case is possession of child pornography, a felony due to his prior conviction.

Detectives are waiting for forensic analysis of computers seized from Evans which may contain more illegal images. In the meantime, they're also conducting more interviews of his young employees.

"It is a great concern for us and that's why we've taken the extra steps to make sure we contact people that were employed by his company," said Trim. "We have detectives doing several interviews. However, we haven't had any additional victims regarding any child incidents come forward."

As for his exclusion from Megan's Law, Trim said that's all set by guidelines from the California Department of Justice. Of the 121 registered sex offenders in Elk Grove, 72 are on the public Web site. Statewide, 25 percent of registered sex offenders avoid the public scrutiny, according to DOJ.

"Ya know, I want to know where my children are. And if my children had been around him I would be a lot more offended by the fact that he wasn't on there," said Evans' former client. "If you have been convicted of anything dealing with a child, as a parent and as a community, we need to be able to have that information." "As far as someone sitting at their home computer, typing in his name, he would not come up," said Trim. "So yes, we are relieved that this person is in custody."

Evans' defense attorney, Hayes Gable, declined to comment about the case. Evans could face 20 years in prison if convicted on all charges.


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

Jose Diaz - Repeat Sex Offender - Impregnated his Victim


A registered sex offender has been accused of impregnating a minor in Ansonia.

Jose Diaz, 54, of Stratford was arrested Tuesday evening on charges of sexual assault and risk of injury to a minor.

Police said Diaz's arrest is the result of an investigation into the sexual assault of a girl under the age of 16.

Police said the girl and Diaz are not related.

Diaz is accused of assaulting the child over several years, resulting with the girl becoming pregnant.

Police said that during the investigation, strong evidence, including matching DNA, was obtained.

Diaz is a convicted felon and a registered sex offender.

The Department of Children and Families is assisting the Ansonia Police Department in the investigation.

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

Arthur Holmes - HIV Positive - Reckless Disregard

Conviction:
Jul 13, 1990

Male, 13 Years
Male, 11 Years
Male, 14 Years

Designation: Sexually Violent Offender




Despite stringent security at Ogdensburg's Bridgeview facility, two inmates managed to have a sexual encounter last month.

One of them is HIV-positive but lied to his partner about his HIV status, according to Ogdensburg police.

The Bridgeview facility, operated by the state Office of Mental Health, is a secure facility for designated violent sex offenders who have finished their prison sentences.

Arthur Holmes, 40, is charged with reckless endangerment. Because the charge represents a parole violation, he's being held without bail in St. Lawrence County jail.

The Office of Mental Health is investigating how the sexual encounter was allowed to happen.

Ogdensburg Police Detective Robert Wescott said that prior to the encounter in June, Holmes' 33 year old sex partner asked Wescott if he had any diseases.

Holmes answered no and the two proceeded to have anal intercourse, considered the most dangerous form of sexual activity for HIV transmission.

Later, another inmate told the 33 year old that Holmes is HIV positive and the 33 year old complained to staff members at the Bridgeview facility, Detective Wescott said.

Holmes was convicted of sodomy in 1990 for sodomizing three boys, ages 11, 13 and 14. More information is available on the New York State Sex Offender Registry website, here.

Detective Wescott said the parole violation will almost certainly land Holmes back in state prison.

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Lloyd Edmisten - Repeat Sex Offender Guilty of manslaughter

A convicted sex offender from Neptune City pleaded guilty today
to manslaughter for administering a lethal dose of a painkiller
to a man he planned to fondle.



A convicted sex offender from Neptune City pleaded guilty today to manslaughter for administering a lethal dose of a painkiller to a man he planned to fondle.

Lloyd Edmisten, 28, faces 10 years in prison when he is sentenced on that charge, as well as on a charge of violation of community supervision for life, said Monmouth County Prosecutor Luis Valentin. Edminsten had previously been convicted of endangering the welfare of a child in 2000.

Valentin said Neptune City police, responding on Oct. 2, 2006, to a call of an unresponsive male at the Charline Motel, found Wayne Richmond, 19, of Neptune Township unconscious on a bed in Edmisten's room.

Edmisten gave Richmond a ``substantial quantity'' of the painkiller Darcovet to incapacitate him and perform nonconsensual sex acts on him, the prosecutor said. Toxicology tests show Richmond had fatal levels of propoxyphene and acetaminophen, components of Darcovet, in his system when he died, Valentin said.

Under the terms of the plea agreement, Edmisten will be required to serve nearly nine years of his sentence before becoming eligible for parole. He is scheduled to be sentenced before Superior Court Judge Ronald Reisner on Sept. 26 in Freehold. Valentin said authorities reached the plea deal after receiving approval from Richmond's family.

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

Michael D York Repeat Sex Offender - Nabbed by Vigilance

Conviction date: 12/18/1992
Sexual Abuse-1st Degree
Offender's age at conviction: 28
Victim Age: 7


A registered sex offender being investigated on new sex charges inadvertently turned himself in last week when he asked a village police officer for a ride, Madison County sheriff's deputies said Tuesday.

Michael D. York, 44, of 2905 Wo

odman Pond Road, Eaton, was walking in Hamilton on Friday when he asked a village police officer for a ride to Oneida, deputies said.

The suspect apparently didn't know that local police were already investigating him after a couple walking their dog along a canal trail on July 2 had reported seeing York and a younger male in a "suspicious incident."

York gave a statement to sheriff's investigators in Oneida, and later was charged with two felony counts of criminal sexual act. Deputies said the victim was a boy under the age of 15. York remains in the county jail in lieu of $10,000 cash bail or $20,000 bond. A court hearing is pending.

Deputies had investigated the July 2 call but were unable to locate either of the two males seen by the couple. The older man, later identified as York, and a youngster had fled on bicycles after their encounter with the couple.

But the callers later conducted their own Internet search on a sex offender Web site linked with the Madison County Sheriff's Office. They identified the fleeing man as Young, a Level 3 sex offender who served time after a 1992 conviction for first-degree sex abuse in an incident involving a 7-year-old.

The couple, who deputies refused to identify because the investigation is still pending, also searched local school yearbooks to confirm the identity of the victim.

"This is kind of unheard of," Undersheriff Doug Bailey said. "It's great that they helped us out like they did."

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

Jose Cruz and Jose Barrios - Father/Son Child Molesters


A Dubois County father and son are accused of molesting two four-year-old girls, the Huntingburg Police Department said in a news release.

Jose Vladimir Cruz, 18, and Jose Abel Cruz Barrios, 39, are facing preliminary charges of child molesting and sexual battery.

According to a news release, the two men fondled a friend's twin 4-year-old daughters multiple times while living at the woman's Huntingburg home.

Huntingburg Police began investigating the case in June after receiving information from Dubois County Child Protective Services.

Jose Vladimir Cruz was arrested this week after an interview with police and charges were later added for his father, who was already lodged in the Dubois County Security Center on unrelated charges, police said.

Jose Vladimir Cruz is also facing a preliminary charge of possession of false government identification. Police say they found an identification card from Texas with his face but a different name and date of birth.

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Harry “Brett” Taylor Child MOlesting Cub Scout Leader


A Gwinnett County Cub Scout leader has been arrested on child molestation charges.

Authorities took Harry “Brett” Taylor into custody after a boy's mother went to police and reported that Taylor touched her 8-year-old son inappropriately.

The alleged incident took place during a sleepover with Taylor's children at a residence in the 1700 block of Bergen Ct in Lawrenceville.

The two children knew each other through Cub Scouts where the suspect was their Cub Scout leader.

Authorities said the victim stated that sometime during the night, Taylor touched his genital area. The victim also stated that the suspect had photographed him while he was drying off and undressing after exiting their swimming pool.

During the investigation, authorities said they learned that the Taylor had been molesting another family member for over an extended period of time.

Gwinnett police said they are investigating two more complaints filed since the initial report of alleged misconduct.

Authorities said Taylor has been on Gwinnett County's library board since January 2006.

"This is why we're asking if anybody has been in contact with Mr. Taylor or their children have been in contact, to please speak with their children and see if there's any inappropriate touching or contact with Mr. Taylor...and if so, to contact our investigators," said Cpl. David Schiralli with the Gwinnett County Police Department.

Gwinnett County library board members said Taylor is still a member of the board as of Monday evening.

Authorities said Taylor is charged with four counts of child molestation and one count of sexual battery.

He is currently being held without bond at the Gwinnett County Detention Center.

Kenneth Wolfe - Repeat Sex Offender - Grabbing kids off their bikes


A registered sex offender in an SUV grabbed a 7-year-old girl by the collar as she was riding her bike, according to the Douglas County Sheriff's Office.

The suspect was pulling so hard on the victim's shirt that the collar was choking her, according to the sheriff's office. The girl managed to get away and hide in some bushes before running to a friend's house.

Deputies arrested Kenneth Wolfe, 59, and charged him with attempted second degree kidnapping and harassment charges.

Wolfe is a registered sex offender in Oregon due to a prior conviction for third degree sexual abuse, according to the sheriff's office. Third degree sexual abuse is a misdemeanor in Oregon.

The investigation began Monday evening when the 911 center received a call from a man reporting someone had attempted to abduct his 7-year-old step-daughter while she was riding her bicycle in the neighborhood.

Deputies responded and learned that the victim and a 10-year-old female friend were riding bicycles in the 900 block of Plateau Drive. A male subject in a green SUV dropped off a male subject at a residence in the 900 block of Plateau.

The girls told the sheriff that the driver of the SUV then drove up to the victim and grabbed her by the back of the shirt. The suspect was pulling so hard on the victim's shirt that the collar was choking her, according to the sheriff's office.

The victim resisted and was able to ride away and hide in some bushes. The victim then ran to a friend's house and told the friend's mother about the incident.

The victim and her friend were able to provide deputies with a detailed description of the vehicle and suspect. She was also able to point out the residence where the first male subject was dropped off by the suspect.

Deputies contacted the occupants of this residence in the 900 block of Plateau Drive. The male subject there told deputies that he had been dropped off by Wolfe.

Deputies contacted Wolfe at his residence on Joseph Street in Roseburg. There was a dark green Ford SUV in the driveway of Wolfe's Residence.

Deputies interviewed Wolfe and then took him into custody.

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

Robert P. Logan - Repeat Sex Offender lured kids with candy


A man registered as a rapist and high risk sex offender in Arkansas was arrested in this small Connecticut town after he allegedly pitched a tent and lured children inside with candy and ice cream.

Robert P. Logan, 34, of North Little Rock, Ark. was arrested over the weekend in Winsted. He was charged with fourth-degree sexual assault, risk of injury to a minor and breach of peace.

Police and parents said Logan offered candy, ice cream and money to several children on Saturday after pitching a tent at the edge of a parking lot behind an apartment building.

A 7-year-old told her parents Logan “pulled her bathing suit away from her bottom and looked at her bottom,” according to police. Another girl said Logan placed his hand on her thigh, with her clothing on.

“He is denying anything inappropriate happened,” Logan’s attorney, Paul Summers, told the Register-Citizen of Torrington. A call was placed to Summers Tuesday seeking comment.

The judge said he set bond at $125,000 because of Logan’s prior criminal convictions and limited ties to the community.

“It’s obvious he fled parole, and he is a registered sex offender whose status is listed as ’delinquent’,” Supervisory Assistant State’s Attorney Andrew Wittstein said.

Logan was arrested in Little Rock in connection with the rape of a 24-year-old woman in 1995. Logan was eventually convicted of sexual abuse, according to Lt. Terry Hastings of the Little Rock Police Department.

Logan was also charged with battery and kidnapping while awaiting trial. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison in 1997 and released by a parole board Sept 26, 2002, with credit for good behavior.

Logan returned to prison Oct. 11, 2007, after he failed to report to his parole officer. He was released Jan. 2. On Feb. 29, he again failed to report and is listed as an absconder in Arkansas.

A court official said Arkansas authorities want Logan extradited back to their state.
Winsted is a community of 7,000 about 25 miles northeast of Hartford.

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

James Edward Green - Repeat Sex Offender - 35 years to life

"You deserve every minute of it," the judge told the defendant. "This conduct is despicable. You're the worst of the worst."
Previous convictions include
  • PRIOR CODE-RAPE BY FORCE
  • SODOMY WITH PERSON UNDER 14 YEARS OR WITH FORCE
  • CRIMES AGAINST CHILDREN/LEWD OR LASCIVIOUS


A registered sex offender who sexually assaulted two 15-year-old boys while holding them against their will on separate occasions at his City Heights apartment was sentenced Monday to 35 years to life in prison.

James Edward Green, 50, pleaded guilty June 17 to two counts of forced oral copulation and admitted a multiple-victim allegation and a 1980 conviction for committing a lewd act on a child. He agreed then to the stipulated sentence.

Superior Court Judge Frederick Maguire told the defendant that handing down life sentences normally weighs heavy on his mind, but it wasn't a problem in Green's case.

"You deserve every minute of it," the judge told the defendant. "This conduct is despicable. You're the worst of the worst."

Maguire told Green that the damage he caused his victims would take a lifetime to get over.

For his part, Green apologized to his victims.

"I'm sorry about everything that happened," the defendant said.

Green molested the two 15-year-olds last Oct. 1 and Oct. 5. According to an arrest warrant, the defendant offered one boy work and told the other he was an immigration officer.

Green took the teens to his 42nd Street apartment, where he locked them in overnight and sexually assaulted them.

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

Robert Jesse Payan - Repeat SEx Offender - Phoenix Child Predator


Phoenix police have released the booking photo of the man arrested in connection with some of the sexual attacks or attempted attacks on girls in west-central Phoenix.

Robert Jesse Payan, 28, had been under surveillance since Wednesday and was taken into custody Sunday night at his central Phoenix apartment complex.

Phoenix police arrested Payan in connection with as many as 11 incidents, with girls involved in three of the cases identifying Payan from photo lineups, court documents indicated.

Payan was booked into Maricopa County jail on multiple counts of kidnapping, molestation, sexual abuse and public sexual indecency.

This was not Payan's first involvement with law enforcement.Since 2000, Payan has had at least nine incidents with Valley law enforcement. Of those, seven were traffic violations in six cities, one citation for unlawful paintball in a park and false reporting, and the most extensive in 2002 in Glendale for indecent exposure.

Police said that Payan was arrested and convicted after exposing himself to a pair of female Glendale High School students.

Court documents said the incident involved two 15-year-olds who were walking along the street. "The defendant drove up to them, said that they looked nice, and when told their age by them, said that age doesn't matter," the document said. "He then stopped his car as they tried to walk away and got out and followed them."

Payan exposed himself and took off in his vehicle, the court document said.

Payan was sentenced to 30 days in jail, 36 months probation and was ordered to complete sex offender counseling.

Here is a complete list of 2008 cases police have been examining:

  • Jan. 5
    1900 block of E. Osborn Road

    The victims, two 12-year-old girls, were playing outside in a common area of an apartment complex when the man approached them, spoke briefly to the victims, then abused them by touching them, police said.


  • March 11
    2500 block of W. Glenrosa Ave.

    The victims, two girls, ages 7 and 10, were in the parking lot of an apartment complex when the man approached them, grabbed and abused both of them, police said.


  • April 14
    1600 block of N. 26th Place

    Man approached an 11-year-old girl, police said. The victim ran away from the man who chased and touched her, abusing the victim, police said.


  • April 21
    2100 block of W. Turney Ave.

    Man approached a 9-year-old girl in her apartment complex police said. He fondled her through her clothing, abusing the victim, police said.


  • June 11
    2200 block of W. Campbell Ave.

    Man grabbed a 12-year-old girl as she was walking through her apartment complex, police said. While holding her, the man fondled the victim by touching her, abusing the victim, police said.


  • June 30
    2500 block of W. Glenrosa Ave.

    Man grabbed an 11-year-old girl from behind as she was walking through her apartment complex, abusing the victim, police said.


  • July 12
    4100 block of W. Osborn Road

    A 9-year-old girl was outside her apartment when the man approached and abused her, police said.


  • July 13
    2200 block of W. Glenrosa Ave.

    A 17-year-old girl was walking to her condo and was grabbed from behind by the man, police said. He placed his hand over the victim's mouth, but she was able to scream and the man ran away, police said.


  • July 16
    5100 block of N 22nd Ave.

    A 10-year-old girl was playing with a group of other juveniles when a man approached the victim, grabbed her and abused her, police said.


  • July 22
    2300 block of W. Glenrosa Ave.

    A man walked up to a 13-year-old girl and spoke with her, police said. The man ran to a car and drove out of the neighborhood. No crime was committed during this incident, police said.

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

    Darrel Rolnicki - Charged with Baby Raping


    A Prescott man faces a child molestation charge involving a 4-year-old after Chino police arrested him July 22 based on what a person reported seeing at the home of a family friend in Chino Valley.

    Prescott police located and held Darrel Rolnicki, 66, at his home in Prescott until Chino police arrived, who then transported Rolnicki back to Chino Valley for further investigation. Chino police then took Rolnicki to the Yavapai County Sheriff's Office jail in Prescott on one count of Child Molestation.

    Raul Jesus Mendoza - Repeat Sex Offender Started Young


    In the most recent case, Mendoza is accused of "luring or talking" the 12-year-old girl into coming inside his apartment. Police said he fondled her and then raped her.

    A registered sex offender living in the 700 block of 37th Avenue was arrested Sunday for suspicion of raping a 12-year-old girl.

    The assault is believed to have occurred last Friday, but the girl didn't tell her parents until Sunday night, and they called Greeley police. Raul Jesus Mendoza, 19, was arrested a short time later and charged with sexual assault on a child. He is being held without bond.

    Greeley police spokesman Sgt. Joe Tymkowych said Monday that Mendoza is a registered sex offender because of previous crimes. He also is on an ICE hold, which means Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers are looking into his past to determine if he is an illegal alien.

    While Mendoza is a registered sex offender, his name doesn't appear on local police lists. Tymkowych said that's because Mendoza was convicted of the previous sex assault when he was a juvenile. According to state law, if a juvenile is convicted of one sexual assault, he or she will become a registered sex offender, but the name won't be available through the public Web sites. If convicted of two felony sexual assaults, the state will allow a juvenile's address to appear on Web sites.

    In the most recent case, Mendoza is accused of "luring or talking" the 12-year-old girl into coming inside his apartment. Police said he fondled her and then raped her.

    The girl will not be identified because she is a victim of sexual assault. No photo is available of Mendoza at this time because police are continuing the investigation.

    Adults convicted of a felony sexual offense or of more than one misdemeanor sexual offense are required by the courts to register as a sex offender. They must register their address with the local police or sheriff's office and then notify them each time they change their address.

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

    Horace Bolden - Repeat Sex Offender Strikes Again


    A registered sex offender was caught looking through a window from the outside in on LaSalle Street early Monday morning.

    Horace Bolden, 55, 7 Quitman St., Natchez, was arrested by the Natchez Police Department and charged as a peeping Tom.

    At 1:18 a.m. Monday, the complainant called the police, stating that a man was knocking on her window, Police Chief Mike Mullins said.

    “Officers arrived and found the suspect and his bicycle,” Mullins said.

    He said there was enough evidence to substantiate the peeping Tom charge.

    “He was looking and knocking on a window, he has no business on the property, and he’s a registered sex offender,” Mullins said. “That was enough probable cause to charge him as a peeping Tom.”

    Bolden was convicted Feb. 2, 1991, for attempted sexual battery in Adams County.

    Bolden, as of Monday afternoon, was being kept at the police department with no bond until arraignment.

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

    Gregory Dean Burton - Pedophile Monster cops a plea

    A Bedford County Circuit Court judge convicted 36-year-old Gregory Dean Burton of 13 counts of forcible sodomy and one count of aggravated sexual battery this morning for sexually molesting six children over a period of five years.

    Burton, a Bedford County resident, entered an Alford plea to those charges this morning, said Assistant Bedford County Commonwealth's Attorney Wes Nance. An Alford plea means Burton technically does not admit guilt but chooses not to risk a trial by jury.

    The victims, four girls and two boys, were usually age 10 or under when Burton abused them, Nance said. The charges cover a time period from 2002 to July 2007, the prosecutor said.

    Burton was arrested last August after an 11-year-old boy whom he had victimized observed him acting inappropriately toward younger children. The boy decided he wanted to put stop to the behavior and told a family member what had happened to him. Burton at first denied everything when questioned by investigators but later admitted to some of the acts he was accused of, Nance said.

    At Burton's sentencing, scheduled for Sept. 30, he faces a maximum possible punishment of 13 life sentences plus 20 years.

    Monday, July 28, 2008

    Shane Amy - Repeat Sex Offender - Pedophile Pervert


    A convicted sex offender faces more charges, and this time they involve children aged 10 and 7 years old.

    Calcasieu sheriff's investigators say 32-year-old Shane Amy forced the two children to perform sexual acts on him.

    Amy was previously convicted in November 2003, for felony carnal knowledge of a juvenile in Calcasieu Parish and is required to register for 15 years.

    CPSO Detective Stephen Irwin is the lead investigator on this case.

    Bond was set at $275,000.

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

    Willie Wragg - Repeat Sex Offender -


    He's already a level three sex offender, the most dangerous level, and now he's back in jail tonight accused of attacking a young girl while she walked to the park.

    His name is Willie Wragg and he recently spent six years in prison for raping a child and now he's accused of attacking another child. Police say Wragg sexually abused a 9-year-old girl last month in the city. He was convicted of raping a 7-year-old girl in 2000.

    Today we spoke with neighbors who are glad he's locked up and not near their children. “I never knew he was like that cause he can be so nice and sweet.”

    Neigbors say Willie Wragg had a past he didn't tell anyone about. In fact, neighbor Emily Bell says he lied to her. “First he told me he'd never did this stuff and said he was in jail for something else.” But they found out what happened.

    A flyer went around the neighborhood. Wragg is already a registered level-3 sex offender. He was convicted eight years ago of raping a 7-year-old. He spent six years in jail, got out and moved to Breck Street a year ago. Now he's accused of sexually abusing a 9-year-old.

    “I think it's a parent’s biggest fear that there is a level-3 offender living in their neighborhood and that something like this is going to happen.”

    Prosecutor Kristy Karle says the girl was walking down Lethen Street last month. The girl told police she was on her way to get a friend. She says Wragg came out from behind the bushes, grabbed her arm and touched her.

    His wife wasn't home today when we showed up but neighbors up and down the street are shocked.

    Norma Vega said, “I can’t believe it. It's not safe for the kids.”

    We checked out how many level-3 sex offenders live in that area and there are five registered within a couple blocks of where this happened.

    Karle added, “It’s always our concern that someone who has a prior and has engaged in this type of activity may reoffend.” And neighbors like bell are glad their children aren't around him.

    Bell said, “I ain't gotta worry anymore about my grandkids."

    Because Wragg already has a prior felony conviction, that makes him a predicate felon. If he's convicted he'd serve a longer jail sentence on the charge, up to seven years.

    Wragg is scheduled to be arraigned on the indictment sometime this week. He is in jail without bail.


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

    Richard Shuleski - Repeat Sex Offender Stalker

    Conviction date: 8/18/2005
    SEXUAL ABUSE OF CHILDREN



    A registered sex offender in being held on charges of stalking several people at Promised Land State Park.

    Richard Shuleski, 44, of Greentown, was arrested for incidents that occured at the park between June 19 and 23. He is also charged as a habitual offender for driving with a suspended license on Route 390.

    He is being held in the Pike County Jail in lieu of $150,000 bail.

    Police are asking that anyone who had contact with Shuleski, in the park, or has information about his activities, to contact Trooper Mark Pizzuti of the Criminal Investigation Unit at the Blooming Grove State Police barracks. The number is 570-226-5718

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

    David Stamm - Youth baseball coach calls his victim a liar


    The former youth league baseball coach accused of child molestation took the stand in his own defense Monday.

    David Stamm talked about having sex with the alleged victim, about pornography on his computer and about hiding his own sexuality.

    On the witness stand, Stamm said he had sex with the alleged victim on at least four occasions, but he said it was consensual and only happened after the alleged victim turned 18.

    Last week, the alleged victim told the jury that Stamm began molesting him when he was 14 years old.

    Stamm said that story started going around town and that's when he offered to pay the alleged victim $5,000 to recant.

    Stamm said he's gay and he hid his homosexuality because if it got out he feared it would ruin a batting cages business he once owned.

    "It's a jock place for guys to come in and talk about jock stuff," Stamm said. "It's just a very macho type of store, not the right place for me to be. I wasn't a hairdresser where people would expect it. I just knew it would ruin the business if it came out."

    Stamm denied molesting the alleged victim and that he inappropriately kissed another 14-year-old who once lived with him.

    Stammd did admit to downloading gay pornography on his computer, but it was adult pornography and not child pornography.

    Stamm is expected to be back on the stand Tuesday.

    If convicted of all charges, Stamm could face 10 years in prison.

    Steven Davis - Child Predator Stopped in his tracks

    Now he begins to whine


    A guest at a DeKalb County, Georgia hotel was arrested last night and charged with child molestation.

    Other guests at the Doubletree Hotel at Buford Highway and North Druid Hills Rd. told police the man was fondling himself and propositioned two young girls from one family near the elevators at the hotel.

    The family from Detroit was in Atlanta for a family reunion.

    Family members chased the subject into the hotel parking lot, beat him and held him until police got there.

    The man is being held in the DeKalb County jail.

    The suspect, identified as Steven Davis, 36, told police when they arrived that he had been assaulted, Parish said. Officers learned later that he had been detained by relatives of a child and an adult who allegedly witnessed him fondling himself.

    Kenneth Lujan - Repeat Sex Offender - Perving on Kids - Again


    A citizen’s tip about a known registered sex offender in the company of children at the GET bus terminal downtown led to his arrest Saturday, the Bakersfield Police Department reported.

    Kenneth Lujan, 48, of Bakersfield, was with his two sons, ages 2 and 4, at the time of the arrest. The boys were taken into protective custody, officials said.

    A police investigation revealed that Lujan was suspected of having molested an 11-year-old girl at the Tropicana Motel on the 1600 block of Union Ave., where Lujan lives. The incident was reported by other residents of the motel, the BPD said.

    Kern County Superior Court records show that Lujan pleaded guilty to a charge of lewd or lascivious acts with a child under the age of 14 in 1988.


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

    Sunday, July 27, 2008

    Briendon Lundell - Repeat Sex Offender - Rapist

    Police booked Lundell into Utah County Jail on Wednesday. Bail has been set at $100,000. Police noted Lundell had previously been arrested several times for unlawful conduct with a minor.


    Police arrested a 24-year-old registered sex offender Wednesday in connection with the rape of an underage female.

    According to a police affidavit, Briendon Lundell, of Lindon, had just met the victim Jan. 25 at his house, where he allegedly supplied her with alcohol and they played a game called "shot a minute."

    When the girl returned to her apartment, Lundell called her and invited himself over, police said. The victim told police she wasn't comfortable with the idea, but Lundell was "insistent." The two smoked cigarettes on the porch for a while then retired to the girl's bedroom to watch a movie.

    Lundell allegedly started kissing and fondling the girl, police said. She said she did not want to have sex, and he said he just wanted to "make out." They kissed again, and he continued to fondle her. The victim tried to resist, and Lundell allegedly forced her clothes off and raped her.

    The victim's roommates were present in the apartment at the time, but they were asleep. One of them later told police she heard arguing coming from the victim's room but thought it was the TV.

    Officers initially arrested Lundell in February. He denied the allegations, saying they just watched a movie that night. He refused to submit to DNA testing. At the time, Utah County Attorney's Office elected not to file charges until DNA results from the Utah State Crime Lab corroborated the victim's account, police said. DNA samples collected via warrant later supported the victim's story.

    Police booked Lundell into Utah County Jail on Wednesday. Bail has been set at $100,000. Police noted Lundell had previously been arrested several times for unlawful conduct with a minor.

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

    Edward K. Carnes - Repeat Sex Offender "Lifelong Pedophile"

    Conviction date: 10/2/1998
    Sexual Abuse-1st Degree
    Offender's age at conviction: 35
    Victim Age: 8



    A Pownal, Vt., man faces 21 years in federal prison after pleading guilty in federal court to child pornography charges stemming from raids on homes he maintained in Pownal and in Troy, N.Y.

    Edward K. Carnes pleaded guilty to two counts of possessing child pornography. He faced a possible sentence of 10 to 20 years on each count.

    In U.S. District Court in Albany, Carnes told Judge Gary Sharpe he was a pedophile who had had a lifelong attraction to young boys.

    Carnes was convicted in 1998 of sexually abusing an 8-year-old boy, and was given a two-to-four-year sentence.

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

    Saturday, July 26, 2008

    Joe Earl "Puddin" Edwards - Repeat Sex Offender -


    A registered sex offender whose arrest on a child enticement charge led to a segment on a national television program was sentenced to five years in prison and 15 years probation Friday.

    Dallas County Circuit Judge Jack Meigs ordered Joe Earl "Puddin" Edwards to serve five years in prison and receive mental health counseling when he is released.

    Edwards, who was held in the Dallas County Jail under a $500,000 bond following his arrest last August, pleaded guilty to a charge of enticing a child for immoral purposes.

    Mary Kay Nichols and her 10-year-old daughter, Hannah Nichols, appeared on the syndicated "Maury Povich Show" in October to thank a couple whose daughter, Tabitha Tuder, was abducted in 2003 and remains missing.

    The Alabama mother said she saw the TV segment and told Hannah what to do if she ever found herself in a similar situation -- scream, shout and run away from anyone who might attempt to abduct her.

    Hannah said had been at a bus stop, waiting to be taken to school and told her mother that a man had stopped his car near where she was standing, got out and began walking toward her.

    Edwards, 52, was arrested not long after he was stopped in a vehicle that fit the description given by Hannah.

    Mary Kay Nichols said she became aware of trouble when her daughter ran back toward their house, screaming "Mama! Mama!"

    "(Edwards) gave two statements saying he wanted to have sex with a 10-year-old girl," Dallas County District Attorney Michael Jackson said after the sentence was handed down. "He won't be roaming around our county for at least five years."

    Edwards, who declined to make a statement as he stood before Meigs, lived near the house where Hannah Nichols lived with her parents and sister.

    Selma defense lawyer Blanchard McLeod said he was pleased with the "split" sentence that reduced the original charge of 20 years to five years behind bars. Edwards is to serve the remaining time on probation.

    "When you have a client who gives two confessions and has a record like his, you don't win many cases," McLeod said, not long after Edwards was led out of the courthouse in chains.
    Waiting for Edwards outside were members of his family, including a woman who identified herself as his niece.

    "He was set up," said Billie Edwards. "He was under a lot of stress, but I don't think he did what they say he did."
    She said her uncle was "on his way" to pick up his girlfriend when he was stopped by a Dallas County deputy sheriff.

    "If I thought he was dangerous, I'd never have let him around my 14-year-old daughter," she said. "I think they should have investigated this case better."

    Mary Kay Nichols said afterward she watched the Povich show in which the grieving parents of Tabitha Tuder spoke about their missing child, she called the program to express her appreciation.

    As a result of her call, she and Hannah were invited to appear on the program. Debra and Bob Tuder also appeared on the show to meet the mother and daughter from Alabama.

    "I'm just amazed that our story helped (Hannah) get away and that she listened to what her mother said," Debra Tuder told Povich.

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

    Friday, July 25, 2008

    David Harry Washburn - Repeat Sex Offender - Molests 5 year old in Restroom


    Prescott Valley Police Officers arrested a registered sex offender after a 5-year-old boy told his mother that a man came into the restroom at Fry's Food Store on N. Glassford Road and made sexual contact him with Tuesday afternoon.

    Officers arrested David Harry Washburn, 65, on one count of child molestation and booked him into Yavapai County Jail in Prescott.

    Washburn left the restroom immediately after the incident and the 5-year-old told his mom, who was waiting outside the restroom. They notified store management, who followed Washburn to his vehicle and stayed with him until police arrived.

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

    Thursday, July 24, 2008

    Merlin Overholt - Child Sexual Predator - Whining Pedophile


    Merlin Overholt took the stand in a Logan County Courtroom Friday during a suppression hearing to determine if a taped confession by Overholt can be used by the Commonwealth in its case against him.

    Overholt's Attorney Stewart Wheeler made the motion to suppress his client's confession on June 30 saying Kentucky State Trooper Brad Bowles who conducted the interview did not read Overholt his Miranda rights before interviewing him.

    According to Bowles, he was not required to Mirandize Overholt before the interview because he had not placed him under arrest at that time.

    Overholt was arrested in January and again in February on numerous charges of sexual crimes against children under the age of 12 and was indicted on 149 counts ranging from rape, sexual abuse, sodomy, unlawful transaction with a minor to engage in sexual activity and one count of incest.

    According to the indictment, there are 10 children under the age of 12 involved in the case, which is still being investigated by the Kentucky State Police. The alleged abuse, according to the indictment, began as far back as 1992 and has continued until his January arrest.

    Overholt's wife, Ruth, has been operating a home daycare for years.

    During questioning Friday by Commonwealth Attorney Gail Guiling Overholt admitted he told Bowles on the night of January 30 that he knew his actions were illegal and he would rather take the fall now and make it to heaven. When Guiling asked Overholt if he had been struggling with this for sometime now his answer was “yes”.

    Bowles also took the stand and gave a descriptive account of what happened during the late hours of January 29 and the early morning hours that followed. Bowles told of how he was called to the Medical Center at approximately 10:16 p.m. on Jan. 29 about a possible child sexual abuse case.

    He said when he arrived at the hospital he spoke with the hospital staff, the emergency physician and the parents of the alleged four-year-old victim who had told her parents Overholt had touched her sexually.

    Upon hearing what he thought was enough to open a case against Overholt, Bowels went to Overholt's home at approximately 12 a.m. He said he asked Overholt to come to the Logan County Sheriff's Department with him to talk. Bowles said he wanted to go to the Sheriff's Department because he wanted to tape the conversation and that was the only place in the county he knew was set up for that. Bowles testified that he did not force Overholt, who drove himself, to come with him.

    Bowles further testified that he told Overholt repeatedly that he was there voluntarily and could leave at any time because he wasn't under arrest.

    When questioned by attorney Wheeler, Overholt he said he felt he didn't have a choice but to go with Bowles because he thought the police would come after him if he didn't. Overholt did agree under cross-examination by Guiling that Bowles told him he wasn't under arrest while interviewing him.

    Bowles said Overholt immediately started talking when they sat down in the interview. He said he asked few questions and just let him talk. Bowles admitted he was surprised at Overholt's confession.

    “Overholt freely told me he was doing this because he would rather answer now and be punished rather than not get into Heaven,” said Bowles, adding that Overholt said it was a weight off his shoulders.

    “I was overwhelmed,” said Bowles who taped the interview. The tape was entered into evidence.

    Bowles said Overholt began telling of other victims but was having trouble recalling their names. Trooper Bowles said he left the interview room and upon returning arrested Overholt because he felt he had confessed to a felony. He said he took him immediately to the Logan County Detention Center.

    Both the Commonwealth and the defense will have to submit a memorandum of support to Circuit Court Judge Tyler Gill by Aug. 4. Gill will then decide on Wheeler's motion to suppress Overholt's confession.

    Overholt has plead not guilty to 149 counts of sexual abuse against a child less than 12 years of age. A jury trial has been set for Sept. 8. Overholt is still being lodged in the Logan County Detention Center.

    Thomas Edwin Russell - Repeat Sex Offender - Pedophile Predator

    "This guy is a true pedophile - a true predator"

    "He never showed any remorse"


    A 53-year-old registered sex offender pleaded guilty Tuesday to sexual abuse of pre-teenage girls and terroristic threatening.

    Thomas Edwin Russell, 53, of Springdale was sentenced to a total of 65 years - 35 years in the Department of Correction and 30 years suspended. He pleaded guilty to three counts of second-degree sexual assault and one count of terroristic threatening. Russell was charged Nov. 21 with eight counts of rape and five counts of terroristic threatening. He is accused of raping pre-teenage girls between April 2006 and November 2007. He is also accused of threatening to kill a victim if she told anyone what he did.

    Russell agreed to the negotiated plea after 4th Judicial Circuit Judge William Storey ruled last week that Russell's previous conviction and an allegation of sexual assault could be presented as evidence at trial.

    Russell was convicted in 1985 of the sexual assault of a 9-yearold girl in Washington County. Russell was sentenced to 15 years in the Arkansas Department of Correction for the crime.

    After his release from prison in 1999, Russell was accused of sexually assaulting a girl in Camden in 2000. This case was not prosecuted at the request of the victim's family, but the victim's testimony at a revocation hearing sent Russell back to prison on a probation violation, Chreea Stanimirovic, 4 th Judicial District deputy prosecutor, said.

    "This guy is a true pedophile - a true predator," Stanimirovic said.

    During sentencing, he never showed any remorse, even when the victim read her impact statement, she said.

    "He never said he was sorry," she said. "He never said anything."

    Russell was sentenced under a statue that typically requires convicted sex offenders to serve their entire sentence if they are convicted of a new offense, Stanimirovic said.

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

    John Arthur Thomas - Repeat Sex Offender - Nabbed by Hero



    Hakiem Bostic didn't think twice about collaring a man who turned out to be a registered sex offender.

    "I didn't need a Red Bull," he said. "My adrenaline was pumping."

    All he knew was that the boy in front of him said the man had made him feel uncomfortable on the light rail train.

    That it appeared the man had looked at him below the waist.

    That he offered him $20.

    Then the boy pointed out that the man apparently had followed him from the train to the gas station where Bostic was emptying garbage cans.

    That's all Bostic, the 41-year-old owner of Clean-N-Sweep Janitorial, needed. He was on the run after the man, confronting him as the man crouched down apparently in an attempt to hide at a nearby church.

    "I'd rather not say what I said," Bostic said Tuesday, "But it was something to the effect: 'You are coming with me. If you try to run off I'm whuppin' you. I know I can run faster than you.'"

    The man wanted to apologize to the boy. But Bostic would have none of that.

    Bostic called police, who praised him Tuesday for protecting the 14-year-old.

    Police said the boy was riding a Regional Transit light rail train at about 9 a.m. Friday when he was allegedly approached by John Arthur Thomas, 45, of Sacramento.

    Thomas asked the boy "What would you do for $20?" and made several sexually suggestive gestures, said Sacramento police Officer Konrad Von Schoech said.

    "The kid felt this guy was propositioning him for sex," Von Schoech said.

    The exchange prompted the boy to exit the light rail before reaching his planned stop, and he saw Thomas follow him off the train.

    The boy then ran across the street to the gas station at 24th Street and Fruitridge Road, Von Schoech said. Bostic said the worried boy was small for his age.

    Police lauded the boy for his actions and willingness to tell an adult.

    "Turns out, (Thomas) is a registered sex offender who has a history of doing this," police spokesman Von Schoech said.

    Thomas has a prior conviction of lewd or lascivious acts with a child under 14 years old, according to online Megan's Law information.

    "We're so thankful we have community members like this," Von Schoech said.

    Bostic said he has caught thieves stealing from his neighbors - a window screen, tires and recyclables. But nothing like this.

    "I'd do it again immediately," he said. "I've got grandkids and daughters. I'd do it in a heartbeat."

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

    Clint A. Nevitt - Repeat Sex Offender Paid a mother to have sex with child

    He allegedly paid the 11-year-old's mother to have sex with the girl, said Middletown police Detective Fred Shuemake, who called Nevitt "one of the worst" pedophiles he's seen in his 10 years as a juvenile detective.


    A registered sex offender already accused of gross sexual imposition with a 9-year-old Middletown girl is now facing charges he raped an 11-year-old, according to the Butler County Prosecutor's Office.

    Clint A. Nevitt, 32, of Middletown, was indicted by a Butler County grand jury on three counts of rape and two counts of gross sexual imposition.

    He allegedly paid the 11-year-old's mother to have sex with the girl, said Middletown police Detective Fred Shuemake, who called Nevitt "one of the worst" pedophiles he's seen in his 10 years as a juvenile detective.

    The allegations came to light after the 11-year-old, who is now living with her father outside of Middletown, told a therapist about the encounters. The girl said her mother, who has not been charged with any crimes, used the money to buy drugs, Shuemake said.

    In 2001, Nevitt was accused of raping a third girl, who was 12 at the time and is related to his 9-year-old accuser.

    He served two years in prison and was listed in the state's sex offender registry after he pleaded guilty to gross sexual imposition and attempted rape.

    The 9-year-old girl testified in a June preliminary hearing that Nevitt paid her to touch him.

    Her grandmother testified Nevitt contacted her before the allegations involving her granddaughter and asked for her help in finding him "young stuff."

    He allegedly had more success when he repeated the same request to the mother of the
    11-year-old, Shuemake said.

    Nevitt is being held in the Butler County Jail in lieu of a $100,000 bond. He faces up to 40 years in prison if convicted on all counts.

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

    Billy Dan Carroll


    A Travis County grand jury has indicted accused serial child predator Billy Dan Carroll on multiple charges, including aggravated sexual assault of a child and indecency with a child.

    The indictments, issued late Tuesday, come as Austin police say they have completed their investigation involving Carroll.

    Sgt. Brian Loyd of the child abuse investigation unit said Wednesday that police still have one victim they hope to identify from a videotape that investigators seized from Carroll's home in Northwest Austin but that they have no way of finding her.

    Carroll is accused of sexually assaulting six children, according to the indictments. He also is charged with indecency with a child by contact and indecency with a child by exposure.

    Police have said they seized a videotape from Carroll's home in which he is seen having sex with children.

    Investigators have said that one of the girls was as young as 2. Carroll's also accused of videotaping a 13-year-old girl with a hidden camera in his home and drugging a victim with a narcotic-laced slushy drink.

    They said Carroll met one victim, an 8-year-old girl, through his volunteer work with Court Appointed Special Advocates of Travis County, an organization that assists children.

    Carroll's next court appearance is scheduled for Aug. 8. A judge has not decided whether Carroll, who owned a well-known court reporting business with offices in Austin and San Antonio, will receive a court-appointed attorney. Carroll has said that his wife, who has filed for divorce, and his former business partner have frozen his assets and he can't afford counsel.

    State District Judge Melissa Goodwin had declined to appoint a lawyer for Carroll and instead asked him to give her certain documents, including income tax statements. Carroll had not done so at a recent hearing.

    Ivy Edwards - Repeat Sex Offender - Arrested for the 59th time

    Edwards was arrested for the 59th time.


    Sandy Banning has been waiting six years for Florida lawmakers to start protecting frail elders in nursing homes from known sexual predators.

    The state Legislature considered legislation this past spring to require criminal background checks of all prospective nursing-home residents, and to deny admission to anybody with a history of sexual offenses or other violent crimes.

    She will push again for the bill next year and Wednesday she is in Washington, D.C., testifying before the House Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight. The committee is examining the problem of sexual predators and offenders living side-by-side with elders and people with dementia in nursing homes.

    “I’m mad. I’m mad because nothing has been done,” Banning, of Jacksonville, said.

    Banning’s 77-year-old mother, Virginia Thurston, was a resident in a Jacksonville nursing home in 2002 when a sexual offender who had been arrested 58 times was placed in the home by a district court judge. A judge placed an 83-year-old man, Ivy Edwards, a repeat sex offender, in the nursing home. Edwards was believed to be wheel-chair bound.

    The evening of July 23, 2002, he wheeled into Thurston’s unlocked room and used his cane to prevent anybody from being able to come in the room.

    By a fluke, a nurse and a trainee were making rounds, found the locked door and entered from the next room that shared a bathroom with Thurston’s room. They discovered the man in her bed.

    Banning initially was told nothing seemed to have happened. The next day, a social worker said her mother, who suffered from dementia, had been sexually assaulted. Edwards was arrested for the 59th time.

    “She didn’t remember,” Banning said, who had to tell her mother what happened. “I had to take her to be examined and watch her cry.”

    Nobody in the nursing home knew of the man’s history because his sexual crimes had occurred before sexual predator registration laws.

    But without mandatory background checks before anyone is admitted to a nursing home in Florida, nobody knows how many sexual predators are living in nursing homes, said Wes Bledsoe, founder of the non-profit organization A Perfect Cause. His grandmother died after being victimized in an Oklahoma City nursing home in 2000. He formed the group to crusade for protecting the nation’s frail elders in long-term care facilities from sexual offenders.

    Bledsoe has been pushing for state laws and federal legislation for required background checks and separate nursing homes for sexual offenders.

    His research of the Medicare database and state registries for sexual offenders found 1,600 registered sex offenders were living in nursing homes in the United States. That figure, which includes 60 murders, is believed to be an underestimate because it does not include non-registered offenders who are high risk, parolees and assaults occurring inside facilities that go unreported. His research involved data from 2002 through 2006.

    The state of Oklahoma passed legislation in June requiring background checks and a separate nursing home for sex offenders. The state is planning to hire a private entity to build and manage an offenders’ nursing home, Bledsoe said. Oklahoma plans to start with one facility to serve the state.

    “My hope is Florida will follow Oklahoma’s lead and not just look at background checks but also separate and secure facilities,” he said.

    Florida Sen. Durell Peaden Jr., R-Crestview, had co-sponsored the bill in Florida that would require background checks of all nursing home residents, which was passed by the Senate but failed in the House.

    “The House will be put on notice to pass this,” Peaden said of next year’s session when he and co-sponsors will bring the Florida bill back next session. “We have to make ours more stringent. They have got to be separated.”

    What it costs for the background checks and to provide a separate facility should not be a factor because the government owes it to the families of vulnerable nursing-home residents to make sure they are safe, Peaden said.

    Banning is retiring later this month and said she is dedicating her time to making sure a law gets passed in Florida.

    Ironically, her testimony Wednesday before the House subcommittee comes six years to the date of her mother’s assault. Her mother has since passed away.

    “Families have a right to know,” she said. “(My mother’s assault) could have been prevented. I am not going to stop until there is a change.”

    The purpose of the hearing is to investigate the size and scope of the problem and what role the federal government might play to stop it, U.S. Rep. Mary Fallin, R-Okla., said in a statement about organizing the hearing.

    “The rare case of sexual assault and abuse that have been documented in these facilities are particularly abhorrent,” she said. “I look forward to working with our nursing homes to guarantee the kind of safe environment that our seniors and their families deserve.”

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

    Curtis Lon Canada - Repeat Sex Offender - Committed to Coalinga

    Canada has been convicted of violent sex crimes three times in 22 years. Each crime involved forcing or attempts to force male victims, one of them a teen, into sex acts



    A San Joaquin County Superior Court judge has ordered a Tracy man committed into the state's custody after a jury Monday found him to be a sexually violent predator.

    Curtis Canada, 42, is being sent to the Coalinga State Hospital for an indeterminate term for the appropriate treatment and confinement, which is subject to annual review by the director of mental health, according to court documents.

    He has been convicted of violent sexual crimes three times since 1986.

    Deputy District Attorney Victoria Boyett, who prosecuted the case, said the jury did the right thing.

    "It's unfortunate, but due to his mental disorder, he's very dangerous to the community,'' Boyett said. "He needs to be in a secure facility to protect people.''

    In separate evaluation summaries through a pair of clinical psychologists last year, Canada was deemed to meet the criteria as a sexually violent predator. In two separate documents, he was diagnosed as having paraphillia, a sexual attraction of an unusual or pathological nature, and sexual sadism.

    Boyett said Canada will have the opportunity to participate in an "intense'' sexual offender program to help him work though some of his issues with a goal of being granted a supervised release.

    "We just don't want any more re-offenses,'' she said. "It's not punishing someone twice for the same thing; its a matter due to his mental illness. We don't need more victims.''

    Canada has spent the past 22 years in and out of prison for committing three violent sex crimes.

    In 1986, he pleaded guilty to forcing a Tracy teenager to perform oral sex on him and was sentenced to two years in prison, according to court documents.

    Less than a year after his release, a jury convicted him of assault with intent to commit sodomy after beating a man. He was sent to prison for seven years, court documents show.

    In 2000, Canada pleaded guilty to forcible oral copulation and was given a nine-year prison sentence, but was eligible for parole in 2007, according to court documents.


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