Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Hilary Foretich - And the mother who protected her from sexual abuse

Hilary Foretich, the little American girl brought to Christchurch two decades ago to grow up in hiding, is now a professional singer in Hollywood using her talent to speak for child victims of abuse.
Foretich -- now known as Elena Mitrano -- was smuggled to New Zealand by her grandmother after her mother, Elizabeth Morgan, claimed during a tough custody battle that Hilary, 5, was being sexually abused by her father, oral surgeon Eric Foretich.
Dr Morgan, a plastic surgeon, spent more the $US1 million fighting the original custody order, but Hilary was deemed too young to testify in court and the allegations were dismissed. Hilary's mother refused to force her to participate in unsupervised visits with her father, and was jailed in August 1987 for contempt. But her daughter was already on the run with her grandparents, retired psychologists William and Antonia Morgan. They took the child on a 2-1/2 year-journey, eventually settling in Christchurch. During this time, Dr Morgan spent 26 months behind bars, then secretly moved to NZ to live in hiding with her daughter.

When the child's location was discovered and became news around the globe, a New Zealand court gave Dr Morgan sole custody, but the case was complicated by rulings from US courts. Dr Morgan and Hilary returned to Washington in 1997 to be with the doctor's mother, but only after the US Congress passed the Elizabeth Morgan Act in 1996, allowing the girl to decide whether to see her father.
"She gave up everything, always believed me, never questioned me, and fought for me tooth and nail for years," Mitrano told the Daily Breeze, a Los Angeles newspaper. "I was living in a hell that no child should ever have to live in," Mitrano said. "It was inescapable. Either I was going to be saved or going to be completely destroyed. I survived, and I think that it made me really strong."
She still lives with her mother in Beverly Hills, but said that life after her return from New Zealand was hard. "During my late teenage years, I was feeling very, very lost, and I started doing drugs. "I definitely had some very dark days when I was a teenager." She struggled for more than 20 years to find her voice, but now at 26, uses it to speak for those who can't.

Her debut album, Rescue Me, was released in June and features a mix of upbeat dance tunes and soulful ballads. "No five-year-old should have to be terrified of one parent, and then lose the other one," Mitrano said. "But I was very fortunate, and I'm stronger for it. There are children who aren't as lucky as I had been, and I wanted to do something for them."

Mitrano hasn't seen her father since he attended a court hearing on her 18th birthday. She remembers screaming: "Get away from me!" when he tried to sit next to her, but that moment made her realise she no longer had to be afraid. "I was expecting this big, huge, scary guy to walk into the room. But he wasn't. He was a tiny, shrivelled old man."

Matthew Bynum _ Internet Predator

A 24-year-old man from Denver has been arrested by the Internet Crimes Against Children Unit of the Colorado Springs Police Department, on a variety of charges related to allegedly luring and meeting juvenile girls for sex.

Matthew Bynum was taken into custody last Saturday, and is being held in the Larimer County Jail, awaiting transfer to El Paso County Jail.

Information gathered by investigators shows Bynum allegedly contacted a number of juvenile girls and convinced them to e-mail him explicit photos of themselves.

Bynum also is accused of meeting some of the girls in person for illegal
sexual contact.

The charges he faces include Sexual Exploitation of Children, Sexual Assault on a Child, Internet Sexual Exploitation of a Child and Internet Luring of a Child.

Joseph Anthony Catlin - Internet Predator


The Maryland State Police Computer Crimes Unit arrested a Baltimore man in connection with the sexual solicitation of a minor.

The accused is identified as Joseph Anthony Catlin, 31, of the 200 block of South Collington Avenue in Baltimore. He is being charged with one count of sexual solicitation of a minor. If convicted, Catlin could be sentenced up to 10 years in prison and/or a $25,000 fine.

A trooper assigned to the Maryland Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force had been conducting an online investigation into Catlin for the last several weeks. The investigation culminated with his arrest after investigators set up a meeting at an undisclosed location in Howard County yesterday evening.

Catlin was taken to the Waterloo Barrack for processing and was taken before a District Court Commissioner who set his bond at $75,000. Catlin is currently being held at the Howard County Detention Center.

The Computer Crimes Unit’s primary mission is to protect children from computer-facilitated sexual exploitation. The unit works cooperatively with law enforcement agencies and prosecutors to provide resources to combat these crimes. The unit is also charged with helping to prevent the spread of these crimes through education and community awareness.

Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Dell Vanderschuit - Captured Internet Predator - Pedophile


Between 8/30/08 and 11/6/08 the Phoenix Police Department’s Drug Enforcement Bureau Vice Unit conducted an internet crime investigation showing that Dell Vanderschuit was soliciting an undercover officer to have sex with both her and a 10 year old girl for $1500.

Ironically, the initial information about the suspect came to us from a Phoenix “pimp” who was infuriated that this suspect wanted to have sex with a young child. Subsequently, undercover investigators made contact with the suspect and began the investigation. On 12/10/08 a warrant was issued for Vanderschuit’s arrest for attempted child prostitution, a class 3 F.

During the course of the investigation Vanderschuit moved to Chico, California from an apartment at 4950 E. Van Buren in Phoenix. Investigators believed Vanderschuit had in his possession in California evidence material to the case.

Our Vice Unit investigators worked with investigators from the FBI Innocence Lost Task Force, the Phoenix Police Department Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, and the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office.

The Innocence Lost Task Force put us in contact with the Chico Police Department. Phoenix Police investigators traveled to Chico on December 19th, 2008. With assistance from Chico P.D. and the FBI a search warrant was served and evidence was obtained, but the suspect was not there.

On Christmas Eve, 12/25/08, Vanderschuit was arrested by I.C.E. in a port of entry in San Francisco for the existing arrest warrant, while re-entering the United States after vacationing in Puerto Vallarta. He now faces extradition back to Arizona.

Sunday, December 28, 2008

James Duke - Repeat Sex Offender Sexually assaults woman at school


Police have arrested a registered sex offender on suspicion he tried to sexually assault a woman at Gilbert High School on Christmas Day.

James Duke, 53, was booked into the Fourth Avenue Jail on charges of attempted sexual assault, theft of means of transportation and attempted kidnapping.

Duke approached an 18-year-old woman who was at school caring for some animals, said Sgt. Mark Marino of the Gilbert Police Department.
"Duke grabbed the victim as she was leaving a gated area on the Gilbert High School grounds," Marino said.

The victim stabbed Duke in the chest with one of her keys, which she had placed in her hand as she saw Duke approaching, Marino said. She also activated her "panic car alarm" as Duke wrestled with her, Marino said.

Duke fled the scene leaving his vehicle behind.

Marino said Duke later stole a semi tractor-trailer which was eventually recovered in north Phoenix. Gilbert police detectives managed to locate and apprehend Duke at 17th Avenue and Union Hills Drive.

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

.........Sarah Tofte

Saturday, December 27, 2008

Christopher Sefakis - Repeat Sex Offender - Internet Predator

"He's a predator and my personal thought is he needs locked up and he needs to stay locked up again, what kind of remorse when he comes in a registers and then goes and does the same thing that he just registered for. He has no conscience,"



Investigators say a Tri-State sex offender went right from updating his sex offender registry information, to allegedly committing another sex crime.

Detectives say this case shows how offenders so often re-offend.

According to the Warren County Sheriff's Office, Christopher Sefakis came to the sheriff's office Tuesday to re-register as a sex offender.
Sefakis was ordered to check in at this spot annually after he was convicted of using the internet to try to meet a teenager for sex last year.

"He's came in here, registered and goes right down the street and does something he's already been convicted of," said Warren County Sheriff Tom Ariss.

Investigators say just 30 minutes after Sefakis was registering... he was back on the internet, setting up a sexual encounter with who he thought was 15 year old boy.

Turns out, it was Hamilton Township detectives on the other end of the chat.

When the officers showed up to meet Sefakis at a shopping center on State Route 48 in Hamilton Township, they did not know they were dealing with someone they'd arrested before in same spot.

"We realized it was him when he pulled in. It was quite shocking to us it was the same guy that would not only come to the same area but to came to the same exact location two times for the same crime," said Hamilton Township Police Lt. Jeff Braley.
When Sefakis was arrested during Christmas week last year.

He served five days in jail after he was convicted.

Now, he's charged again with importuning and unlawful sexual conduct with a minor.
He's registered as a sexual offender he's immediately going online to solicit sex again. I don't know what the answer is. It shows there is an addiction, there is a sickness but it shows for all of us that we have a huge problem.
"He's a predator and my personal thought is he needs locked up and he needs to stay locked up again, what kind of remorse when he comes in a registers and then goes and does the same thing that he just registered for. He has no conscience," Braley added.

Sefakis is currently behind bars at the Warren County Jail.

If found guilty, since it would be his second conviction, he'll spend at least six months in jail.

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

.........Sarah Tofte

Friday, December 26, 2008

Tracking Down Unregistered Sex Offenders

Sex offenders have to re-register 72 hours after their information changes-we learned most of them do, but not everyone.

The sheriff's office arrested 25 offenders this year who didn't update. And four of them are still on the run.

The sheriff's office is on the hunt for these four men:
Brandon Stevenson
Larry Hohman
Herbert Breneman
James Russelburg
All of them failed to report changes to their profiles.

"Most say I forgot... we don't fall for that excuse," says Detective Tom Wedding, who handles the registry at the sheriff's office.

Detectives call Hohman a sexual predator. He has eight convictions of child molestation and hasn't registered since 2005.
"They're thumbing their nose at the law."
The sheriff's office is on the hunt for these four men:

Brandon Stevenson

Larry Hohman
SEXUAL PREDATOR

Herbert Breneman

James Russelburg


Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Jeffrey Alan Wasley - Child Predator - Pedophile - Magician

More than 5,000 images of child pornography and other sexually exploitative materials were seized from a former Kennesaw youth minister and magician’s home computer, according to a 14-page federal complaint.

Jeffrey Alan Wasley, 37, was indicted Monday by a federal grand jury on charges of producing and receiving child pornography. Wasley is accused of taking videos of boys —- some as young as 4 years old —- while they were using public restrooms.

He is being held in an undisclosed location pending a Dec. 30 bond hearing.

If he is convicted, the charges carry a total maximum sentence of 70 years in prison and a fine of up to $500,000, said Patrick Crosby, a spokesman for the U.S. attorney’s office.

Wasley was known as “Magic Jeff” when he performed his popular magic act at amusement parks, local hospitals and schools. He last performed at American Adventures amusement park in Marietta, where he was employed as a magician.

He also served as youth minister for Calvary Jesus Church in Kennesaw. The investigation of Wasley began in July, when he was arrested by Cobb police on child molestation charges, which are still pending.

Two boys, ages 5 and 7, told detectives Wasley approached them in the restroom of a Target store at 740 Barrett Parkway in Kennesaw. He is accused of pulling down the pants of the 7-year-old to tuck in his shirt. The boy wasn’t wearing underwear, according to the federal complaint.

The 5-year-old said Wasley was standing behind him while he was using the restroom. The child reported hearing clicking noises, like pictures were being taken.

When police searched Wasley’s home, they found six videos on his computer showing young boys, between ages 4 and 8, using the restroom, according to the complaint.

Since the video equipment Wasley is accused of using was manufactured in China, he could be charged with violating federal interstate commerce laws.

“This defendant’s actions are especially disturbing because he was allegedly surreptitiously filming young boys in public restrooms,” U.S. Attorney David E. Nahmias said in a statement. “In addition, he had allegedly collected a large amount of child pornography, actions which support a market designed solely to sexually exploit children for others’ sick enjoyment.”

Wasley was arrested again on Dec. 11, when the Cobb SWAT team arrived at his home to serve him with a warrant for the federal charges.

He barricaded himself in the basement of his home and tried to commit suicide by cutting himself.

Wasley worked as a magician under the name Magic Jeff. On his Web site, magicjeff.com, he claims he has performed at Six Flags, Cub Scout troops, Home Depot and a long list of local schools.

Robert E. Murphy - Repeat Sex Offender - Rapes woman on hiking trail next door

  • CRIMINAL DEVIATE CONDUCT
  • 02/06/2002

  • SEXUAL BATTERY
  • 09/25/2001


Bloomington police have arrested a man in connection with an attack on a woman who was running on the Rails to Trails path.

Robert E. Murphy, 27, faces preliminary charges of criminal deviate conduct, sexual battery, robbery, confinement and intimidation. He was booked into jail just after midnight Sunday.

Bloomington police were called just before 3 p.m. Saturday when a woman stopped three people on the trail to say she’d just been attacked. When police arrived, the witnesses were able to provide a description of a man seen running from the woods just before the victim emerged.

The man had a serious facial injury which witnesses described to police. His injuries were not received during the attack, police said.

Detective Sarah Carnes interviewed the victim before taking her to the hospital. While at the hospital, Carnes saw Murphy who had the type of injury described by witnesses. Carnes approached Murphy who said he knew nothing of the attack.

At the hospital, Murphy was accompanied by his girlfriend who was also interviewed by police. According to the police report, the girlfriend said she’d returned home at about 4:30 p.m. and found Murphy doing laundry, which was unusual.

The girlfriend said she saw numerous police officers in the area. When she asked Murphy what happened, he told her someone was attacked on the trail. He later told her that a woman was raped, according to the report. The woman said she thought it was unusual that he would know that since they had no police scanner, and the attack had not yet been reported by the media.

The 26-year-old woman told police she was running on the trail near Country Club Road when she was grabbed from behind. The attacker pulled the victim’s headband over her eyes during the attack. She was forced into the woods where her assailant forced her to perform sexual acts, police said. When she was initially grabbed, the suspect told her he wouldn’t hurt her as he was looking for money. He later threatened to kill her if she didn’t comply with his demands, police said.

During the attack, police said the suspect stole a food item and key from the victim.

Police used a K9 to track the suspect’s scent. The dog led police to South Madison Street, one block from Murphy’s residence, according to the police report.

Police executed two search warrants — one to obtain Murphy’s DNA and a second to search his home. During the search, police found clothing which matched those described by the victim and witnesses. The clothing was found in the dryer, police said.

Bloomington Police Chief Mike Diekhoff said patrols would be increased near the trail although it typically isn’t used as much now that the weather has turned cold. He said it appears the crime was one of opportunity since Murphy lives so close to the trail.

“There has not been a history of problems like this on the trail,” he said.

Diekhoff also commended the work of police officers including Carnes who was observant enough to notice Murphy at the hospital.

“I commend the officers involved that they did a good job on the case in arresting someone so quickly,” Diekhoff said.

Murphy was booked into the Monroe County Jail. Bond was set in Judge Marc Kellam’s court at $250,000 surety, $5,000 cash.

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

.........Sarah Tofte

George C. Ortloff - Guilty - INTERNET PREDATOR




The former state lawmaker from Plattsburgh who was busted in a sex-sting operation in a Colonie motel back in October has pleaded guilty to online enticement of minors.

Sixty-one-year-old George C. Ortloff, known as Chris Ortloff, entered the guilty plea in federal court in Albany today. Ortloff admitted to communicating online with a person he believed to be the mother of two girls, ages 11 and 12, and attempting to arrange for sex with them.

The person Ortloff was corresponding with was actually an undercover agent with the State Police Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. When Ortloff showed up at the Colonie hotel room on Oct. 13th for the purported meeting with the girls, he was arrested by police.

According to the indictment against Ortloff, he had brought to the hotel two vibrators, lubricant and condoms. Investigators also recovered a computer and camera equipment Ortloff had planned to use to film the minors that night, according to the indictment.

Ortloff faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison and a maximum of life in prison when he is sentenced in federal court in Binghamton on April 23rd.

Gerald L. Heavner - Repeat Sex Offender - Goes after 7 year old


A Roberts man was in St. Croix County Circuit Court on charges of Child Enticement-Sexual Contact and Abduction of a Child-Detaining on Friday.

Gerald L. Heavner, 39, last known address of 134 Burr St., did not enter a plea. He will appear before Judge Eric Lundell on Jan. 16 for a plea/sentencing hearing.

A plea bargain was offered. If Heavner pleads guilty to the first count of child enticement, he will spend one year in St. Croix County Jail and serve five years of probation.

St. Croix County Corrections Field Supervisor Mike O’Keefe said it’s likely Heavner will be under some form of law enforcement supervision for a long time.

Charges allege that on Aug. 1, Heavner attempted to entice a 7-year-old girl to ride in his car in Roberts.

“Luckily, he was caught early,” O’Keefe said about Heavner’s potential re-offense.

O’Keefe also commended the child Heavner approached for talking to an adult about what happened, just as children should do in a situation like that.

Heavner has been in St. Croix County Jail since he was picked up on those charges.

Heavner is a registered sex offender. He was convicted of first degree sexual assault of a child on March 26, 1999. In that case, he pleaded guilty. That conviction remains unreversed.

Heavner was still on parole for that conviction during this alleged incident.

According to the Wisconsin Department of Corrections Web site, first degree sexual assault of a child includes sexual contact or intercourse with a person who is under 13 years old.

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

.........Sarah Tofte


Four more INTERNET PREDATORS caught

One man is accused of exposing himself to a 12-year-old girl. Another man was jailed on a charge of possessing child pornography with children as young as 2 years old.

Police say another man talked sexually with a minor online while at work.

The men were recently caught and arrested by the Northwest Louisiana Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, a 15-agency task force with a mission to capture Internet predators.

"Your children are already being hit on, being sexually approached," Bossier City Marshal Johnny Wyatt said of online predators.

Wyatt joined Caddo Parish District Attorney-elect Charles Scott and other law enforcement officials at a press conference Tuesday afternoon hosted by Caddo Parish Sheriff Steve Prator to announce the arrests.

"One of these fools we arrested could be hitting on your daughter or son," Prator said.

Those arrested were:John Robbins, 44, a man from Krugerville, Texas. He was arrested on indecent behavior with a juvenile and computer-aided solicitation of a minor charges. Police said Robbins thought he was talking to a 12-year-old girl online and sent pictures of him exposing himself.

Clayton Bowers, 23, of Shreveport. He was arrested on a computer-aided solicitation of a minor charge. Prator said Bowers thought he was "sexually exploiting" a 14-year-old girl online — while he was at work.

Laurence Finch, 36, of Blanchard. Finch is accused of possessing child pornography with children as young as 2 years old. Interpol got involved, as it alerted the task force of Finch's suspected online pornography through international boundaries, and Prator said sheriff's deputies confiscated five computers and nine hard drives' worth of material.

Larry Esque, of Shreveport. Esque was arrested on three counts of child molestation, against three complainants, Prator said.

"We have still not conquered the problem of Internet solicitation," he said.

The task force, established in 2006, consists of multiple investigators from different agencies trolling Web sites and chat rooms posing as underage girls and boys. When an Internet predator begins to advance on them, detectives record the details and eventually arrest the subject.

Wyatt said the agency has arrested more than 100 Internet predators in the three years since its inception, .

Scott, who will become Caddo Parish's district attorney next year, said he would take a "serious" look when decided sentencing for alleged predators caught by the task force.

Prator urged parents to be extra cautious during the holiday season, especially when choosing computers as Christmas gifts, or letting children stay home on winter break by themselves.

"All I'm saying is: watch out for your kids," Prator said.

Bruce M. Galloway - Repeat Sex Offender - Creates Two New Victims

A registered sex offender was indicted on charges that he sexually abused two young girls.

Bruce M. Galloway, 52, of 20 S. Main St., Hammond, was indicted Monday by a St. Lawrence County grand jury on five counts of first-degree sexual abuse and three counts of first-degree unlawfully dealing with a child.

He is accused of sexually abusing two girls under the age of 11 in 2001 and the summer of 2003, along with providing alcohol to them and a third girl in the summer of 2003.

He is a Level 1 sexual offender because he pleaded guilty in November 2006 to forcible touching and endangering the welfare of a child. He was accused of rubbing the breasts of a 9-year-old girl in July 2004 in a camping area at Can-Am Motorsports Park in LaFargeville and of providing alcohol to three minors at the camping area.

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

.........Sarah Tofte

Jason Powers - Solicitation of a minor - INTERNET PREDATOR


A McMinn County man known in his community is caught on charges of trying to solicit a minor for sex over the internet.

Jason Powers, 35, was the subject of a three week on-line investigation by the Blount County Sheriff's Office. Their technology unit known as HEAT, also focuses on Internet Crimes Against Children. Last year, they worked 370 cases from all over the region.

It was that unit that caught Powers. Detectives declined to release specific information, but say Powers solicited a child under the age of 17 on the internet. He's now facing four counts of solicitation of minor.

Powers is a man from a well-known family in the Athens and Englewood communities of McMinn County. His father is county commissioner, Jack Powers. Jason works in Athens as a manager at Wal-Mart.

Powers is now out of jail on a $60,000 bond. We went to his house today to get his side of the story, but he declined to talk.

Danny Lynn Parker - Pedophile


A volunteer Sunday school teacher accused of taking photographs of young girls and cutting out their faces to make child pornography won't be getting a reduction in his $90,000 bail.

Circuit Judge Donald Jacobsen refused Danny Lynn Parker's request Tuesday for a lower bail.

The 39-year-old Kathleen man has been in jail since his April 18 arrest.

He faces 90 counts of possessing child pornography. Each charge is a second-degree felony punishable by up to 15 years in prison.

A Polk County Sheriff's Office investigation concluded Parker took the girls' photographs and pasted their faces onto photos of nude adult female bodies.

A main question in the case will be whether the altered images are child pornography.

Parker's lawyer, Francis Solorzano, has filed a motion seeking to dismiss the charges. His motion states that the bodies of the children are not depicted, and there is no indication of any sexual conduct by the children.

Prosecutors requested more time at a hearing Monday to research the issues before arguing against the motion to dismiss.

Parker volunteered at Lakeland Acres Baptist Church as a teacher. He also served as a youth camp photographer at Lake Wales Care Center.

Investigative reports have provided more details about the case, including a more than 80-page transcript of Parker's statement to detectives.

His arrest came after people rummaging for aluminum cans inside a trash bin at a Dade City egg farm found photographs of children with their faces cut out, reports state.

Investigators traced the trash back to Parker when they looked up his phone number on a Walgreens photo container, reports state.

Deputies searched Parker's room at his parent's home and found a green, three-ring binder filled with the images. The girls whose faces were used ranged in age from about 5 to 15 years old, an arrest report states.

Parker denied being attracted to female children but later agreed that he was attracted to them, according to the transcript of his statement.

Parker told detectives that he took the photographs of the girls at church and camp events.

He said he would work at night on the images when his parents weren't home, matching the children's faces to women's bodies from pornographic magazines and the cover of a pornographic DVD.

Parker repeatedly denied ever touching any of the girls, according to the transcript.

He said he had "a lot of opportunities" to be alone with children and could have "done whatever," but he did not. He said he had "drawn a line" that he wasn't going to intentionally touch children, according to the transcript.

Detectives asked whether he felt that he might "step over the line."

"I can't predict the future," Parker said, according to a transcript. "I don't know."

Parker told detectives that he didn't date very much and is addicted to pornography. He said he had spent about a month or so making the images, the report said.

He told the detectives that he had been sexually molested for several years beginning when he was 9 or 10 years old, according to the transcript.

In college, he studied ministry but couldn't graduate because he was having heart problems, he said.

Parker said he heard about the idea of putting children's faces on adult female bodies following news reports about a Lakeland school principal accused of similar actions.

John Stelmack, the former principal at Scott Lake Elementary School, continues to face child pornography charges. A trial date has not been scheduled.

Roy Matthew Thigpen - INTERNET PREDATOR nabbed

A Fairfax man has become the latest person to walk into a trap set by a local detective searching for online predators, police said.

Roy Matthew Thigpen, 41, showed up at the Lee’s Hill Shopping Center in Spotsylvania yesterday for a planned sexual encounter with a 14-year-old girl, Sheriff’s spokeswoman Liz Scott said.

As is often the case, the “girl” was actually a Spotsylvania detective who had been portraying a teenage girl online.

Thigpen was charged with electronic solicitation, attempted indecent liberties with a child, possession of marijuana and driving on a suspended license. He was placed in the Rappahannock Regional Jail under no bond.

According to Scott, the suspect first contacted the detective on Dec. 9 in an online chat room.

The suspect asked for the girl’s age and location, and the detective told him he was a 14-year-old girl from the Fredericksburg area.

Thigpen told the "girl" he was 41 and from Northern Virginia, which turned out to be true.

There was no further contact between the two until yesterday, Scott said, when the suspect contacted the detective again.

This time, the conversation became sexually oriented, Scott said, and the suspect suggested specific sexual acts.

Scott said Thigpen asked to meet the girl at the shopping center and continued his explicit conversation on his cell phone while traveling to Spotsylvania.

Detectives were waiting when Thigpen arrived. They recognized his vehicle and they recognized him from pictures he’d sent, Scott said.

A marijuana smoking device, a cell phone and digital cameras were seized from the suspect’s car.

David W. Evans - gets 17 years for being an INTERNET PREDATOR

A Buffalo man who used a fake MySpace page to attract the attention of teenage girls was sentenced to 17 years and six months in prison today by U.S. District Judge Richard J. Arcara.

The judge handed down his sentence after hearing emotional statements by two of the teenage victims of David W. Evans, 48.

Evans called himself "sex master Adam" and posted a picture of a handsome 20-year-old man on his MySpace social networking page, according to Cheektowaga Police and FBI agents who arrested him last year.

Within months, at Evans' request, dozens of women and teenage girls sent him lewd pictures of themselves over the Internet, or by using their cellular telephones, Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron J. Mango said.

Evans, a local cafeteria worker, pleaded guilty in September to four felony counts of creating child porn. Mango said he created the child porn by "coercing" teenage girls into sending him lewd pictures of themselves.

John F. Humann, a federal public defender who represented Evans, said his client has an I.Q. measured at 60, which qualifies him as mentally retarded. Humann acknowledged that his client committed serious federal crimes but said Evans denied threatening any of the girls who sent him pictures.

According to Dr. Charles E. Ewing, a psychologist and University at Buffalo Law School professor, mental retardation can be a "mitigating factor" in determining prison sentences.

"[In 2002] the Supreme Court ruled that someone who is mentally retarded can no longer be given the death penalty," Ewing said. "But mentally retarded people are convicted of crimes and sent to prison, all the time."

Despite his mental deficiencies, Evans was savvy enough to create a fake Web identity and use it to obtain hundreds of nude pictures of girls, Arcara noted today.

The judge said he also found it upsetting that Evans threatened some of the minor victims, telling one victim he would kill her if she stopped sending nude pictures, and another that he would send her pictures to her parents and post them on the Internet if she stopped.

Evans apologized for his actions.

Honoring molesters gives children wrong message

Mental-health professionals and law enforcement officials know how difficult it is for a child or young person to tell any other person that they are being sexually abused by an adult, whether the abuser be a priest, teacher, coach, parent or neighbor. The child may not even fully understand what is happening to them, only that it feels wrong and dirty.

When the child sees that the people he or she loves and respects are in some way honoring, praising or defending a known child molester (possibly the same person who is abusing the child), it becomes almost impossible for the child to feel safe enough to know that they will be believed if and when they report that they have been or are being abused.

If we as a community truly want children or even adults who were abused as children to report their abuse, then bishops, priests and civic leaders must stop honoring those accused of abuse as well as those who covered up abuse.

Nobody who has abused a child deserves any accolades or honors. In fact, they should be stripped of their honors. Frankly, children would expect concerned, compassionate clerics and other adults to lead the charge in this regard.

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Milton Ray Goss Jr - Repeat Sex Offender assaults disabled girl

NEW PORT RICHEY -- A 57-year-old man will spend the rest of his life in prison after a jury convicted him of capital sexual battery on a disabled girl.

Milton Ray Goss Jr., 6413 Tennessee Ave., was arrested in 2006 after an 11-year-old with Down’s syndrome told her mother that Goss, a family acquaintance, had touched her sexually.

The girl, now 14, testified in the trial last week, using a drawing of a body to identify the places he touched her. Goss also took the witness stand, denying the allegations.

Goss was already a convicted sex offender, having served time in prison after a 1990 charge of lewd and lascivious behavior with a girl.

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

.........Sarah Tofte

Alvin Reed - Repeat Sex Offender 73 years old rapes 7 year old girl

A 73-year-old local man was ordered held without bail after having a weight of evidence hearing in Bennington District Court on Friday on charges he sexually assaulted a 7-year-old girl multiple times.

Alvin Reed, of School Street in Bennington pleaded not guilty to charges of aggravated sexual assault on a victim under 13 years of age, aggravated repeated sexual assault and lewd and lascivious conduct, all felonies. The two sexual assault charges carry a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.

According to an affidavit by Bennington Police Detective Lawrence Cole, a woman came into the Bennington Police Department on Dec. 11 and said her 7-year-old daughter told her a man nicknamed "Junior" had engaged in sexual contact with her while she was visiting his apartment. The woman told police "Junior" was Reed, the 73-year-old neighbor of the girl's grandmother.

Cole said he met with the girl on Dec. 15, and said the girl claimed she had many sexual encounters with Reed.

According to Cole, the girl claimed Reed would ask her to sit on his lap and
would then engage in inappropriate conduct. The girl said Reed began engaging in
this conduct when she was 5 years old, and said similar acts had occurred many
times. The girl reportedly claimed that the last such incident was on Nov. 29.
The girl also said Reed would expose himself to her.

According to Cole, the girl claimed Reed had engaged in intercourse with her as well.

Cole said he went to Reed's residence on that day to speak with Reed. According to Cole, Reed admitted that he had touched the girl inappropriately before. Reed reportedly said the first time was an accident, but said the girl asked him to do so again.

Reed also allegedly admitted to exposing himself to the girl. According to Cole, Reed said that he had engaged in inappropriate sexual contact with the girl, but denied actual intercourse.

According to Cole, Reed told police that he had been expecting them and that
what he had done was "nasty" and "sickening." Cole said Reed asked him to tell
the girl he was sorry.

Cole said Reed was then placed under arrest.

According to Cole, Reed has a conviction for statutory rape from 1974. Cole said he learned that the victim was Reed's 15-year-old stepdaughter. Cole said Reed also has convictions for simple assault, breach of the peace, public intoxication, petty larceny and three driving while intoxicated convictions.

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

.........Sarah Tofte

Juvenile Thugs sexually assault girl on school bus

An unidentified female student reported being sexually assaulted on a school bus that left from Southeast High School on Tuesday. Maj. John Gibson with the sheriff’s office said Thursday afternoon no arrests had been made.

The girl, listed as a juvenile on a sheriff’s office incident report, told an investigator three male students “took turns holding her down” while they “fondled her breasts.” The girl said she tried to reach school officials when she got home “but couldn’t get ahold of anyone.” The report said she thought one of the males was a student at the Whitfield Career Academy and the other two attended Southeast. She said she bit one of the males on the arm. The sheriff’s office took the complaint at 5:40 p.m. on Tuesday.

“We have turned over the bus video to the sheriff’s department and they are investigating,” said Eric Beavers, spokesman for Whitfield County Schools. “We will work with the sheriff’s department any way we can.”

Calls to principals Alan Long and Phillip Brown at Southeast and the Career Academy were not immediately returned Thursday afternoon.

Shawn C. Fedele - Mailed Child Porn because he was "CURIOUS"

The former assistant high school basketball coach now facing child pornography charges told police he was curious about child porn and may have e-mailed photos of “young naked children,” court papers filed in the case reveal.

Shawn C. Fedele, an assistant girls basketball coach last year at East Bridgewater High School, told state police he may have e-mailed photos of children, but none were sexual, the court papers note.

Fedele initially denied sending any photos when quizzed by state Trooper Frank Driscoll, but said, when asked again, “Maybe, but not sexual photos but photos which ‘did contain young naked children,’” according to court papers.

Fedele, 25, of 258 Laurel St., East Bridgewater, was indicted by a Plymouth County grand jury on nine counts of child pornography and distribution of child pornography.

Fedele, who has also worked at his family’s candy store in Pembroke, pleaded not guilty to the charges in Brockton Superior Court this week.

He is free after posting $1,000 bail.

Attempts to reach his attorney Wednesday and Thursday were unsuccessful. Attempts to reach Fedele were also unsuccessful.

Fedele served as an assistant girls basketball coach until the end of February of this year.

He was not reappointed to the job.

The investigation was launched after the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children notified state police it had received a tip that someone in the area was downloading child pornography.

One of those photos involved in that initial tip depicted a young girl, age 12 to 14, nude on a bed in a sexually explicit pose, according to court records.

A second photo showed two naked prepubescent girls sitting on a coffee table, according to paperwork filed in court.

Driscoll, as part of the investigation, tracked down the identity of the e-mail account holder and then obtained a search warrant for the suspect’s home and computers Feb. 29.

Police seized computers from the home and later examined the hard drive.

A search of one hard drive revealed about 34 images of suspected child pornography, according to the court papers.

Police interviewed Fedele at his home at the time of the search and asked him about photos depicting children.

“When Shawn was asked if he had a curiosity for children he knew to be underage he stated ‘yes.’ Mr. Fedele stated it started just a few months ago,” Driscoll noted in an affidavit filed to support the charges.

Fedele said he was curious about child porn and had joined chat rooms on AOL that were called “young or something,” according to court paperwork.

Fedele told police he went into one of the chat rooms “two or three times” in December, but could not remember sending photos of underage girls to someone else.

He admitted, according to the report filed in court, to using a file sharing program to find child pornography using the search terms “underage, teen, preteen.”

Fedele, according to the report, said he only opened three files, but they “were not child porn.”

Fedele said he uninstalled the program he used the next day.

Michael J. Lundblad - Basement Dwelling - INTERNET PREDATOR

A 25-year-old man who tried to solicit sex from boys on the Internet and downloaded child pornography while living in the basement of his mother's home in Maplewood pleaded guilty Monday.

Michael J. Lundblad, 25, originally was charged in Ramsey County District Court with 10 counts of possession of child pornography. He pleaded guilty to four of those counts. Six others will be dismissed when he is sentenced Feb. 5 by District Judge Rosanne Nathanson. The plea agreement calls for him to serve 120 days in jail and register as a sex offender for 10 years.

Although Lundblad's mother ran a licensed day care out of her home, there were no allegations that Lundblad had inappropriate contact with any of the children. The day care was shut down when police began investigating the case.

According to the criminal complaint, an investigator with the Minnesota Internet Crimes Against Children task force received information in July 2007 from America Online that a user identified as "cuteboytyler15" had tried to solicit sex from boys under 15 on an AOL chatline.

Lundblad's computer was found at a Pawn America store in Roseville. Investigators found 174 files containing child pornography on the computer and another 600 on CDs and mini-discs found in Lundblad's drawers, closets and bags.

Wade Rowland Sanders - Guilty Child Porn - But he didn't really mean it


Wade Rowland Sanders, a California lawyer who was an adviser to California's lieutenant governor and served in the Clinton administration, pleaded guilty Monday to a charge of possessing child pornography, reported the San Diego Union Tribune.

Sanders admitted in federal court in San Diego of having 600 images of minors, including a 21-minute video that depicted girls engaging in sex acts with an adult man, according to a statement from U.S. Attorney Karen Hewitt.

He was arrested by the authorities on November 7.

"I have no sexual attraction to children whatsoever," Sanders said. "There was no evil intent."

The illegal download was discovered as part of a nationwide initiative called Project Safe Childhood, a multi-agency program that began in 2006, the U.S. Attorney's statement said.

Sentencing is scheduled for March 30. Sanders could get up to 10 years in prison and be ordered to pay a $250,000 fine. Minimum sentence for the charge is five years with supervised release for his lifetime and registration as a sex offender, the prosecutor said.

John Mucher - Videotaped himself raping girl - started when she was FOUR


A man facing 39 sex charges, including six counts of rape and downloading child pornography, has pleaded guilty as charged.

John Mucher, 33, of Craig Drive, admitted guilt Monday, Dec. 22, before Butler County Common Pleas Judge Patricia Oney, who promised he would be sentenced to life in prison, according to Butler County Prosecutor Robin Piper.

Mucher was arrested in August by Hamilton police and charged with rape and gross sexual imposition after an investigation revealed he videotaped himself having sex with a young girl at least once.

In September, Mucher's attorney, Lawrence Hawkins III, filed a not guilty by reason of insanity motion on behalf of his client. Oney ordered a psychological evaluation and as a result of the evaluation, determined he was sane and competent to stand trial.

Piper stated, "He pleaded guilty as charged to every count in the indictment because we offered no reductions. This is one of the more horrendous cases our office has seen. The nature of the sexual abuse inflicted is not fit for publication. Mucher is the kind of guy that makes you want the death penalty for child sex abusers. It's appropriate for him to spend the rest of his life in prison."

Oney is scheduled to sentence Mucher at noon Feb. 2. When accepting his plea, the judge said Mucher will likely get a life sentence with eligibility for parole after 35 years.

During a preliminary hearing Aug. 28 in Hamilton Municipal Court, Detective Mark Hayes said abuse of the girl began when she was about four and continued until days before Mucher's arrest. A video found shows him performing sex acts with the victim, according to Hayes. It is dated January 2008.

Two computers and discs were taken by detectives from the Mucher residence. Police believed the computer equipment may contain additional child pornography.

The indictment alleged Mucher was downloading images of children performing sex acts. He was charged with 30 counts of pandering sexually-oriented matter involving a minor and two counts of illegal use of a minor in a nudity-oriented material or performance. In addition, he was also charged with one count gross sexual imposition of an act he allegedly performed on the rape victim, according to the prosecution.

Mucher has been housed in the Butler County Jail since his arrest in lieu of a $1 million bond.

Bruce Cameron Burns - Respiratory Therapist downloading Child Porn for over 10 years

A Greeley respiratory therapist was nabbed last week as part of a nationwide child pornography ring that could eventually snare more than 200 other people across the country.

Bruce Cameron Burns, 44, was arrested Thursday and charged with three counts of sexual exploitation of a child. Weld County Sheriff’s Office deputies said they searched his home and found more than 7,000 items containing images of children as young as toddlers engaged in sexual activity with other children and adults.

Sheriff’s investigator Daren Ford said Burns admitted he had been downloading child pornography from the Internet since the mid-1990s.

“The defendant explained that he had a problem dealing with child pornography,” Ford wrote in an affidavit.

Burn is in jail in lieu of a $250,000 bond. He is set to appear in Weld District Court at 1:30 p.m. Dec. 31.

The case so far has netted 23 arrests nationwide, Ford reported. It stems from a Pennsylvania investigation that started with a man named Brian Keith Benner, who pleaded guilty last year to 10 felony charges of sexual abuse of children by creating, disseminating and possessing child pornography, according to the Times Herald in Norristown, Penn. Benner, a registered sex offender convicted of raping a 4-year-old girl in 1999, was found in the summer of 2007 to have more than 3,000 images of child pornography at his home in Montgomery County, Penn.

In the investigation against Benner, Pennsylvania authorities found evidence of the pornography through a photo sharing Web site.

According to a Weld sheriff’s affidavit, the Pennsylvania investigation found that images were being shared with Burns through the site.

In November, sheriff deputies searched Burns’ west Greeley apartment and seized two computers, floppy disks, CDs and DVDs, zip disks and video tapes, many that were stored in a locked suitcase in his closet. They found more than 7,000 images and more than 20 movies of children involved in sexual acts with adults and children, according to the affidavit. Burns told deputies he shared photos with others, but he said he could not remember all of the people he’d communicated with.

The affidavit states that Burns worked at North Colorado Medical Center. NCMC spokesman Gene Haffner confirmed that Burns worked as an educator in the respiratory therapy department, and he is still employed as such.

Haffner said he was not aware of Burns working at all with children.

“From what I know at the moment, his role is an educator of adult staff at NCMC,” Haffner said.

If convicted, Burns could face up to 12 years in prison and would have to register as a sex offender.

Monday, December 22, 2008

WANTED: Keith Scott Holland - Cowardly Pedophile with Child Porn on the run


Investigators are searching for a southwest Houston man after discovering more than 100 child pornography videos on a computer seized last week during a search of his home.

Members of the Houston Metro Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force served a search warrant on Thursday at the home of Keith Scott Holland, 49, officials said.

At first, Holland wouldn't answer the door when the investigators with the multi-agency task force arrived at his home in the 9500 block of Ella Lee Lane, officers said.

"When they finally got in, he had tried to hide his computer," said Eric Devlin, a Harris County assistant district attorney. "They found it under a chair."

Holland is suspected of sharing child pornography videos stored in his computer for several months. An undercover investigator with the task force obtained four or five incriminating videos from him, Devlin said.

Holland confessed to trading the videos, but left in a Jaguar sedan while the investigators were searching his home, Devlin said.

"He bolted before the search warrant was done," the prosecutor said. "We believe he is still in the Houston area."

Investigators said Holland is a salesman specializing in leather goods at several stores in the Houston area.

Holland, who is white, is 6 feet tall, weighs 175 pounds and has brown hair and blue eyes, officers said.

An arrest warrant has been issued, charging him with two counts of possession of child pornography. Bail set at a total of $100,000.

Crime Stoppers is offering up to $5,000 for information leading to Holland's arrest. Anyone with information can call 713-222-TIPS or submit tips online at www.crime-stoppers.org. All callers will remain anonymous.

Paul Kidd - Used Royal Connection to Groom boys


A former royal butler to the Queen and Queen Mother has been jailed for child abuse offences.

Paul Kidd, 55, of Stalybridge, Greater Manchester, pleaded guilty to charges including indecent assault and sexual activity with a child.

He was given an indeterminate prison term for the public's protection and ordered to serve at least six years.

Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court heard Kidd even took one of his victims to tea with the Queen Mother.

Kidd, of Castlehall View, worked as a butler from 1977 to 1979 and was senior footman to the Queen Mother from 1979 to 1984.

The offences were committed between 1974 and 1977, 1981 and 1983 - when he was in the employ of the Queen Mother - and 2005 to 2008.

Kidd faced nearly 30 charges relating to sexual abuse against three children, who were under 16 when the offences took place.

The charges included nine offences of indecent assault on a boy under 16, three counts of sexual activity with a boy under 16 and three counts of sexual activity with a boy under 16.

Kidd also admitted 11 counts of making indecent photographs of a child and two charges of possessing indecent photographs of children.

Judge Mushtaq Khokhar told Kidd: "You were someone who had influenced your victims to such an extent they were under your spell.

"They would do anything you asked them to do. I regard you as someone who is dangerous and presents a risk to all the young people you may come across."

The court heard Kidd started grooming one of the boys when the victim was 12 after he had met him as a patient on a hospital ward where Kidd worked as a trainee nurse.

Another victim was 14 years old when he first spoke to Kidd on the CB radio airwave, the court heard.

The levels of abuse Kidd and Hobday subjected their victims to is nothing short of monstrous


Kidd was caught after one of his three abuse victims read a newspaper interview which he gave on the 10th anniversary of the death of Diana, Princess of Wales.

Evidence of further abuse was uncovered during a search of Kidd's home.

Among items found on his computer were 18,019 images of unknown children and a video recording of him abusing another youngster as recently as 2006.

Kidd introduced his most recent victim to a friend, David Hobday, who also abused the child.

Hobday, 57, of St John Street, Dukinfield, was jailed for three years after he pleaded guilty to six counts of sexual activity with a child and one count of possessing an indecent image of a child.

Summing up his sentence, Judge Khokhar said to Kidd: "Each case involved grooming followed up by sexual abuse.

"In each case you gained the trust of the parents of the young victims so they could spend more time with you without expecting anything untoward was taking place."

He said he agreed with a pre-sentence report which found Kidd was "dangerous" because of his continued protestations he had done no damage to his three victims.

"There is a significant risk of you posing serious harm by the committing of sexual offences of this kind," Judge Khokhar added.

Speaking outside court, Det Con James Teggart of Greater Manchester Police's Child Protection Unit said: "The levels of abuse Kidd and Hobday subjected their victims to is nothing short of monstrous.

"The pair are sexual predators who have manipulated their victims and subjected them to the most horrific abuse time and again.

"The victims have had their childhoods taken away from them and will have to deal with what they've been put through for the rest of their lives."

Thomas Welvaert - Repeat Sex Offender - Third Strike for Texas Scum

  • Conviction date: 8/18/1997
  • INDECENCY W/CHILD SEXUAL CONTACT
  • Offender's age at conviction: 15
  • Victim Age: 4
  • Conviction date: 1/14/2008
  • SEXUAL ASSAULT CHILD
  • Offender's age at conviction: 26
  • Victim Age: 15


  • A convicted sex offender from Hearne remained jailed Monday on $100,000 bond, charged with sexually assaulting a 16-year-old in Bryan.

    Thomas Welvaert, 27, is accused of sexual assault and indecency with a child.

    Welvaert has two prior sex offender convictions, according to court records.

    He received five years probation in Falls County for aggravated sexual assault of a child in 1997. And just this past January, he received ten years deferred adjudication for sexual assault of a child in Brazos County.

    Officials with the Brazos County District Attorney's office said Welvaert was given deferred adjudication as part of a plea agreement.

    And because this latest charge is in violation of his probation, the DA's office said it can't comment further since it's a pending case.

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

    .........Sarah Tofte

    Thomas Bavedas - 3rd grade teacher puts cameras under students desk


    A former city elementary school teacher faces criminal charges for allegedly hiding a video camera in a classroom closet and videotaping girls as they changed into costumes in preparation for a Halloween pageant.

    Thomas Bavedas, 39, who resigned as a third-grade teacher at Waltersville School last May after his arrest for allegedly sexually assaulting a 12-year-old girl in Milford, was arrested again Monday. This time, he was charged with nine counts of voyeurism and nine counts of risk of injury to a minor.

    Bavedas, of Brooklawn Drive, Milford, free on bond in the earlier case, surrendered to Milford police after being told there was a warrant for his arrest here. He is awaiting trial in Milford Superior Court on charges of marijuana and cocaine possession, first-degree sexual assault and risk of injury to a minor, possession of child pornography, importing child pornography and employing a minor in an obscene performance.

    Bavedas, dressed in a black hooded sweat shirt, his hands chained behind his back, was later brought before Superior Court Judge Bruce Levin.

    The judge shook his head as he read the warrant affidavit. He then glanced to Bavedas who stood beside his lawyer, Edmund Q. Collier, shifting from one foot to the other.

    Assistant State's Attorney Marc Durso urged the judge to set a high bond for Bavedas because of the serious nature of the charges.

    Collier asked the judge for leniency, pointing out a plea deal is in the works in the Milford case that could mean his client will have to serve a lengthy prison term.

    Levin, however, agreed with Durso and ordered Bavedas held in lieu of $500,000 bond. He continued the case to Jan. 6.

    On May 19, police detectives from Bridgeport and Milford police departments served a search warrant on Bavedas' Milford home and said they found a large amount of child pornography, including video images that appeared to have been taken in a school.

    Bavedas, a teacher in the Bridgeport school system since August 1999, most recently was a teacher at Waltersville School and the Lighthouse after-school program.

    Police said some of the video images taken from Bavedas' home appear to have come from a camera that was placed under students' desks and clearly showed at least two girls' underwear.

    Police also found at the defendant's home DVDs of nearly 10 girls, ages 9 to 12, getting undressed and then dressed into Halloween costumes in a closet in Bavedas' classroom at Waltersville School, according to police. The video was taken on Oct. 31, 2007, police said.

    In June, police said detectives searched Bevedas' classroom and discovered a hole bored into the closet wall that appeared shaped to hold a video camera. Police said the hole was concealed on the outside of the closet with a bulletin board.

    "He arranged activities to be performed by female students so he could get desirable video shots of them that were sexually satisfying to him," said police Sgt. Jesus Ortiz Jr.

    Robert Henry, the chief of staff for the city's schools, said Monday afternoon he was unaware of the arrest and declined comment.

    Scott A. Johnson - Sexual Predator in Denial

    “You know, I was kinda in denial, you know, about the whole sexual predator or pedophile but maybe I am...,” Johnson allegedly told a detective. “I never figured myself as one, but, you know, maybe none of the others out there thought they was one either.”
    A former St. John’s Health System employee faces more than 15 felony charges after police say he convinced several females to weigh themselves in the nude, then secretly videotaped it.

    Scott A. Johnson, 29, was charged Monday with 17 counts of invasion of privacy, a class D felony.

    Police say the former trainer at the St. John’s Health Tracks facility, 4331 S. Fremont Ave., admitted to exploiting the trust of four female athletes — one of them currently 16 — by filming them nude or in their underwear.

    Investigators eventually uncovered three videotapes they say contained the rogue footage, including nine tapings where the victim was under 18.

    Despite this, prosecutors’ options in charging Johnson were limited.

    “I wanted to be able to charge him with something child porn related,” said Assistant Greene County Prosecutor Russ Dempsey. “That would have been a more-serious charge.”

    The problem, Dempsey said, is that none of the footage contains sexual conduct, sexual contact or sexual performances, and so fails to meet the state’s definition of child pornography.

    A probable cause statement filed with the charges details an elaborate deception, in which Johnson physically moved scales into a private room where he’d hidden a video camera.

    The document says Johnson convinced the females — currently between 16 and 24 years old — to weigh themselves nude to get “a more accurate weight.” Officials say that practice is not common at Health Tracks, which offers training programs to enhance athletic performance, and Johnson was not authorized to ask the females to undress.

    St. John’s officials learned of the alleged misconduct on Oct. 28, when an employee found one of the facility’s cameras contained footage of nude female athletes.
    A St. John’s official linked Johnson to the tape, and the man allegedly admitted to taping the females, but said it was an isolated incident.
    He was fired.
    Police were called the next day, and St. John’s Security Director Dwayne Doran told officers an internal audit found two tapes missing from the facility.

    Investigators later found two partially destroyed tapes in a trash can at Johnson’s South Golden Ave. home, the probable cause statement says. The tapes allegedly contained 18 episodes in which the man had secretly taped his clients.

    “There were also several incidents in which Johnson is seen on camera and at one point he looks into the camera to ensure that it is on,” the probable cause document says.

    In discussions with investigators, Johnson allegedly considered whether taping an underage teen made him a pedophile.

    “You know, I was kinda in denial, you know, about the whole sexual predator or pedophile but maybe I am...,” Johnson allegedly told a detective. “I never figured myself as one, but, you know, maybe none of the others out there thought they was one either.”

    The charges against Johnson don’t pinpoint the exact dates he allegedly taped his clients. Instead they each offer a timeframe in which prosecutors believe a crime occurred. The earliest possible incident date is June 4, 2005.

    Each of the charges against Johnson carries a maximum sentence of four years in prison.

    Justin Michael Langston - 35 years for molesting young girl


    An Anderson man pleaded guilty and was sentenced today to 35 years, eight months in state prison for molesting a young girl over a prolonged period of time.

    Justin Michael Langston, 33, was arrested in March at his Riverland Drive trailer park by Shasta County sheriff’s investigators serving search and arrest warrants.

    Shasta County Deputy District Attorney Ben Hanna said Langston admitted to seven counts of forcible lewd and lascivious acts with a minor, child molestation and providing marijuana to a minor.

    He must serve 85 percent — or around 30 years — of his sentence before being eligible for parole, Hanna said.

    Sheriff’s Sgt. Lisa Shearman said after his arrest, that Langston confessed to sexually abusing a girl over a course of six to eight years.

    The alleged victim contacted sheriff’s investigators in February, Shearman said.

    Shearman declined to provide the girl’s age, saying it could possibly be used to identify her.

    Langston was originally held on 44 counts, including aggravated sexual assault of a child, lewd and lascivious acts with a child under 14, using a minor to sell marijuana and providing pornography to a minor.

    WANTED: John Kopkowski - Child Porn Investigation


    Bethel Police need your help finding a man they are calling a person of interest in a child pornography investigation.

    Officers say a computer repair shop called police, after discovering images on a computer brought in by John Kopkowski.

    Warrants were signed allowing investigators to search the computer, and Kopkowski's home on Kilgore in Batavia. On the computer, investigators say they found hundreds of images of young boys and girls. Officials say they "took possession of several items". They last spoke to Kopkowski on Tuesday, and they can not find him now.

    At this point, Kopkowski is not charged in the child pornography case but he does face another felony charge in Clermont County, where Batavia police say he stole pain medication out of a neighbor's mailbox.

    If you have any information that may help police call CrimeStoppers at 352-3040. You don't have to give your name and could get cash for clues.

    Levi Dale Lucas - Destructs Hospital when he doesn't get his way

    A registered sex offender who went to Providence Medford Medical Center for an injured finger Saturday night went berserk in the emergency room, smearing blood on the wall and destroying medical equipment, according to Medford police.

    "It was just such outlandish, disappointing behavior," said police Sgt. Mark Boone. "It was very vicious. He got frustrated because he was waiting."

    Levi Dale Lucas, 21, of Central Point and Kassandra Jean Godfrey, 22, of Medford were arrested on felony criminal mischief and disorderly conduct charges. Lucas is a registered sex offender and is in the Jackson County jail, being held without bail. Godfrey remained in custody Sunday night on $20,000 bail.

    Lucas also was arrested on Nov. 6 on charges of being a felon in possession of a weapon and a parole violation. Lucas appeared in Jackson County Circuit Court on charges of first-degree sexual abuse and attempted assault on a peace officer in 2005.

    Boone said Lucas became angry after waiting about 13 minutes before he was seen for his finger, and to help appease him, hospital staff took him to a room.

    "While he was in the room, he moved the curtains, locked the doors and broke up the inside of the room," Boone said.

    Medical equipment was destroyed and other equipment will have to be recalibrated before it can be used.

    "The entire room had to be sanitized because the subject smeared his bloody hand on the wall," said Boone.

    When hospital staff managed to enter the room, Boone said Lucas confronted them.

    "They got back in there to suture up his finger," he said. "He was challenging some of the staff to fight outside."

    Boone said Lucas and Godfrey showed no signs of intoxication despite their unusual behavior.

    Lucas injured his finger when the flesh became crushed by the side of an engine block.

    After police arrived, Lucas' finger was sutured before he was taken to jail, said Boone.

    Long prison sentences REQUIRED

    Americans found guilty of possessing child pornography on their computers deserve to go to prison and stay there for years. Those actually found guilty of physically forcing children to engage in sexual acts, recording it and putting it online should go to prison for life.
    Those found guilty of possessing and distributing child pornography deserve long prison sentences.

    Stopping the production, distribution and possession of child pornography is one of the most important functions police and prosecutors have in this Internet age.

    So we applaud the Gloucester County Prosecutor's Office, the Monroe police department and the other agencies that worked with them, including a high-tech State Police unit, for arresting 13 local suspects on child pornography charges. The prosecutor's office and police announced the charges Thursday.

    While the Internet has become one of the most important communication tools and information repositories ever created, it has also made it easier for people to commit certain crimes -- the distribution of child pornography being one of them.

    Sick people can abuse a child in front of camera in Bangladesh, Thailand or somewhere else on the other side of the planet, and that video or picture can be seen by pedophiles here while it's happening.

    In 2004, there were 3,433 child abuse domains where pedophiles could go to see children being sexually exploited. Two years later, the number of such Web sites had jumped to 10,656 according to the Internet Watch Foundation, a British nonprofit group that monitors child pornography online.

    Federal, state and local prosecutors and police have had to shift their priorities to keep up.

    In 1994, the crime involving children and sex most referred to federal prosecutors was direct sexual abuse -- 73 percent of all referrals, according to the U.S. Justice Department.

    By 2006, child pornography topped that list at 69 percent of all referrals to U.S. attorneys regarding children and sexual exploitation.

    New Jersey Attorney General Anne Milgram said that over the past two years, more than 100 child porn arrests have been made in New Jersey.

    This latest investigation netted seven adults -- all from Gloucester County -- and six juveniles. Four of the adults are charged with second-degree felonies which could, if they are convicted, bring prison sentences of up to 10 years in prison. The other adults, including West Deptford High School teacher James J. Atkinson III, who has been suspended from his job, face fourth-degree felony charges which could bring up to 18 months in prison.

    It is important for police and prosecutors to make these cases public and bring charges that come with the potential for long prison sentences.

    Unfortunately, the Internet is a largely unregulated superhighway, and there's no way to ever completely shut down the flow of illegal material such as child pornography.

    However, we can protect children both in the United States and around the world from being forced to perform horrible, unnatural acts by hitting the demand-side of the business here. Because this is a crime that has the most innocent and vulnerable of victims, the punishment for possessing and distributing child pornography must be harsh.
    Americans found guilty of possessing child pornography on their computers deserve to go to prison and stay there for years. Those actually found guilty of physically forcing children to engage in sexual acts, recording it and putting it online should go to prison for life.

    And police and prosecutors need to keep up their investigations and keep making arrests. The continued threat of prison is the best weapon we have to protect children around the world from this evil.

    Robert Muhonen - Repeat Sex Offender - Back to Prison

    A Sault Ste. Marie man, who has already done prison time for sex offences involving girls, is headed back to the federal penitentiary for a similar offence.

    Robert Muhonen was sentenced Thursday to a total of 29 months incarceration for making child pornography, touching a young person for a sexual purpose while in a position of trust and breach of probation.

    "Only a denunciatory sentence is appropriate,'' Ontario Court Justice Kristine Bignell said after reviewing Muhonen's lengthy criminal record, which includes convictions in 1993 for two counts of sexual assault and one count of sexual interference.

    She described the photographs Muhonen took of a teenaged babysitter as graphic and the acts intrusive.

    The prison term is in addition to the time Muhonen has already spent in custody -- the equivalent of nearly 18 months with the two-for-one credit he received.

    Bignell ordered the 37- year-old man to provide a DNA sample for the national database and to register as a sex offender for 20 years. Muhonen also is prohibited from going to public parks and swimming areas, where persons under the age of 16 are present or can be expected to be present, or day care centres, school grounds and playgrounds for 10 years.

    As well, he can't be employed or volunteer in a capacity that involves being in a position of trust towards anyone under 16 for the same time period.

    Muhonen pleaded guilty to the offences earlier this month.

    Bignell heard Muhonen took photographs of the 15- year-old girl performing oral sex on him.

    During their investigation, officers with the Ontario Provincial Police discovered 29 photos of a sexual nature which had been deleted from the digital camera's memory card.

    Nine photos of the girl were classified as child pornography.

    Sunday, December 21, 2008

    Jessica Morris - Child molesting "monster under the bed"

    "For a child to come in here and say that her mother should get 200 years in jail boggles my mind. That's what this child needs to heal. You don't want your mother to go to jail for 200 years for doing nothing."



    Jessica Morris was called "the monster under the bed" and "the monster in the bed" Thursday before she was sentenced by Ohio County Circuit Judge James Mazzone to a lifetime in prison.

    Morris, a 31-year-old mother of three from Wheeling, displayed no emotion as Mazzone sentenced her to 101 to 235 years in prison for sexually assaulting her daughter.

    Specifically, Mazzone sentenced her to one to five years for conspiracy to commit sexual assault on a minor, 15 to 35 years each for three counts of first degree sexual assault, 10 to 20 years each for four counts of sexual abuse by a parent and five to 15 years each for three counts of incest.

    The judge ordered the terms to be served consecutively, resulting in an actual sentence of 101 to 235 years.

    The sentence agreed with a recommendation by Ohio County Adult Probation Officer William Ball, the Ohio County Prosecutor's office and West Virginia law.

    In his pre-sentence investigation report, Ball wrote that the victim's "own mother was the monster under the bed."

    Testimony at Morris' October trial revealed that the victim disclosed to child psychologists and counselors that she had been sexually assaulted numerous times by her mother and allegedly by her mother's boyfriend, Jack Jones, who is scheduled to go on trial early next year for his part in the assaults.

    The crimes began when the child was 3 years old and continued until she was 7.

    Speaking on her own behalf Thursday, Morris said "what the state had done to me, my children and my family is not right. Whatever you sentence me to, I just know that it is in God's hands. The truth will come out and if I have to wait in prison until it does - then, so be it."

    Morris' father told the judge his daughter was innocent. He claimed his granddaughter "made accusations that me, my son and another man violated her. I was not given an opportunity during the trial to discredit her."

    The father said he intends to stand by his daughter.

    "I am not going to give up on her," he said. "There is no possible way she could have done this. She is innocent."

    Others in the courtroom were less sympathetic toward Morris. Their comments follows:

    • Attorney Joseph Moses, guardian ad litem for the victim, read a letter from the victim to the judge.

    "Dear judge. I think what Jessica did was wrong. She should never have done it. I hope she gets 200 years of jail. Jack should get 200 years of jail. I hope that they get that much. Thank you for everything that you did. You are really a nice judge. I hope they get what they deserve. What Jack did was wrong too. I wish that stuff never happened. Thank you for everything you did."

    Moses told the court he took exception to Morris' contention that she is innocent. "I do not appreciate the family's decision to not acknowledge what has happened. To sit here and say she does not know what is going on is ridiculous. The truth did come out. The victim disclosed what happened to her. She told the truth. The things that happened to her happened in the home of her mother.

    "For a child to come in here and say that her mother should get 200 years in jail boggles my mind. That's what this child needs to heal. You don't want your mother to go to jail for 200 years for doing nothing."

    • Assistant Ohio County Prosecutor Jenna Wood said, "The evidence in this case is consistent. The victim came into this court and testified that her mother held her down while she was kicking and screaming while Jack Jones forcibly raped her. This child was repeatedly raped in her home with her mother present - and, more disturbingly, your honor, the evidence in this case is that her mother perpetrated upon her on in the absence of Jack Jones.

    "This little girl was raped. She was raped of her childhood. She was raped of her innocence. She was raped of a mother's love.

    "In nature, a mother of an animal will intercept a predator and sacrifice herself to protect her child. What we have in this courtroom today, is a mother that protected a predator and sacrificed her child. She is a predator. She is not worthy of any mercy.

    "The victim deserves salvation and she will only have salvation if she is protected from this woman forever. There is no child more deserving of protection. There is no defendant more deserving of punishment. And, there is no case more deserving of justice.

    "She has been described as the monster under the bed. She was the monster in the bed.

    "And God bless this child whose monsters were real."

    Defense attorney Michael Alberty said he plans to appeal the case to the West Virginia Supreme Court.