Vigilant Antis

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

2011-02-10T06:06:00.000-08:00

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

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

The defendant, David C. Hartshorn, 52, has been accused of using his post with the Rochdale Village Little League — where, according to the league’s Facebook page, he was its commissioner — to sexually assault three boys at his home over a six-month period ending in January 2010.

A onetime Little League Coach of the Year, Mr. Hartshorn is charged with showing child pornography to the boys, two of whom were 14 and one 13, and coercing them into performing sex acts, which he filmed. Additionally, according to the charges, Mr. Hartshorn hosted a game of poker for six boys in which the loser was made to perform a sex act on one of the others. Mr. Hartshorn also captured video of that instance of abuse, the authorities said.

The allegations surfaced after one of the boys reported the abuse to his mother, who called the police, the district attorney said. Upon searching Mr. Hartshorn’s home, the police discovered a cache of child pornography videos, some featuring children younger than 10, Mr. Brown said.

Mr. Hartshorn has been charged with first- and second-degree criminal sexual acts, the use of a child in a sexual performance, second-degree sexual abuse, and endangering the welfare of a child. He would face as much as 25 years in prison if convicted, and is being held without bail.

Mr. Hartshorn was convicted in 1989 on charges of sodomy, promoting sexual performance by a child under 16, and promoting obscene sexual performance by a child under 16. He served three years of probation, though no other details were immediately available.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

2011-02-07T06:43:00.000-08:00

Previous convictions

1984
1996
2005

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Dr. R. Karl Hansen

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

2010-07-05T11:42:00.000-07:00

In June 2003, PIERCE was convicted in Snohomish County Superior Court of Rape of a Child in the First Degree and Child Molestation in the First Degree. PIERCE was sentenced to 131 months in prison, with all but six months suspended.

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

According to records filed in the case, in late May 2009, federal investigators using Peer to Peer file sharing software traced child pornography to an internet address associated with PIERCE. In August 2009, PIERCE’s apartment was searched by law enforcement, and agents located two computers containing more than 600 images of child pornography. PIERCE admitted downloading the images using Peer to Peer software.

In June 2003, PIERCE was convicted in Snohomish County Superior Court of Rape of a Child in the First Degree and Child Molestation in the First Degree. PIERCE was sentenced to 131 months in prison, with all but six months suspended. That suspension will likely be revoked, and the Snohomish County Prosecuting Attorney has agreed to recommend that the state sentence be served concurrently with the federal sentence.

The case was investigated by the FBI and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael Scovill

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

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

James Ramos - Repeat Sex Offender - GUILTY

2010-07-05T11:09:00.000-07:00

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

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

Authorities determined he possessed child pornography on two computers.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Owen Adams - Repeat Sex Offender - Pedo-Repeater

2010-07-05T11:00:00.000-07:00

His original crime:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Robert Alvarez - Repeat Sex Offender - Child Predator

2010-07-05T10:49:00.000-07:00

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

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

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

About 10 Saturday night, police found Alvarez, a registered sex offender, along with the boy inside a van at Hayworth and Rutland streets. Two people who live in the neighborhood called police after spotting the van with New York license plates and becoming suspicious about it.

"When I was walking by, I saw the kid in the van, and then he closed up the van, and said get inside, and that's when I realized something was wrong," Luis Colon told Action News.

"The cops came, they drug the guy out of the van," said Vanessa Gonzalez. "The little boy came out, he was shaking, he was terrified."

Alvarez is a registered sex offender in New York City and was visiting friends in Philadelphia.

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

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

Tyrone Luster - Repeat Sex Offender - A Repeat Repeater

2010-07-04T10:25:00.000-07:00

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

Tyrone Luster, a registered sex offender, is now facing eleven charges, and possibly more, after an alleged rampage through the streets of Battle Creek.

Lt. Todd Madsen of the Battle Creek Police says that it took ten to twelve officers and two detectives, essentially the whole of the department's night shift, to bring Tyron Luster in.

Luster could be facing charges stemming from a laundry list of incidents that took place across the city.

“He's a one man crime spree,” said Lt. Madsen, “it's clearly evident he doesn't care about anybody or anything, the rules of society do not apply to him.” Lt. Madsen says Thursday was a night like no other, tracking a man with zero respect for the law. Luster is now facing accusations of felony assault, rape, kidnapping, weapons charges, and running from police in two different cars and on foot.

“We're going to do our best,” said Lt. Madsen. “I think we're going to end up with a total of maybe eleven or twelve felony counts against him, plus habitual offender and other things. Hopefully we can make it so this guy doesn't see the light of day.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Lt. Madsen did question why a twice-convicted sex offender could be allowed on the streets without supervision. “It's very disheartening,” said Lt. Madsen, “this guy's a violent offender. He's been in prison for years, and then now he's out and we're dealing with him again.”

After his second crash Luster took off on foot, but was caught by a number of officers.

Luster is being held in the Calhoun County Jail.

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

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

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

2010-07-04T09:44:00.000-07:00

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

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

Documents obtained by The Star-Ledger show authorities filed disciplinary charges against convicted sex offender Claudio Gonzalez for allegedly touching the niece of another inmate at this year’s event June 16.

The alleged victim was one of 116 children who attended family day along with 418 adult relatives, a department spokeswoman said. Thirty officers and other civilian staff members supervised the event while 210 inmates mingled with visitors outdoors in the prison yard, according to the department.

"The whole process has to be investigated. Was there a staff failure?" Corrections Commissioner Gary Lanigan asked. "The question is now being addressed."

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

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

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

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

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

"Since 95 percent of offenders will be released following the expiration of their sentences, maintaining familial bonds is a critical issue," spokeswoman Deirdre Fedkenheuer said.

Lanigan said the department will review the programs to make sure officials strike the right balance between promoting family ties and protecting the public.

"The practice of scheduling family day events within the prison facilities is being reviewed for operational effectiveness and efficiencies," he said. "Alternative incentive-based programs that will support familial relationships also are under review."

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

"You have to be doubly cautious," he said. "For a facility to take that on is to assume an enormous liability."

Gonzalez, a former Lacey Township resident, was 17 when he was arrested for having sex with a 12-year-old girl in 2004, according to Laura Pierro, a senior assistant prosecutor in Ocean County. He pleaded guilty to aggravated sexual assault in 2006, she said. Pierro said Gonzalez, now 23, was determined to be "repetitive and compulsive" and sent to the Adult Diagnostic and Treatment Center for therapy.

During family day, no one came to visit Gonzalez so he joined a fellow inmate and his relatives, according to a disciplinary report. Fedkenheuer would not say whether inmates without visitors were allowed to attend family day events.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

2010-07-03T10:19:00.000-07:00

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

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

Ayton was featured on News19 and wltx.com recently after Richland County deputies say he failed to register as a sex offender, something that South Carolina state law requires him to do.

Police say Ayton had pictures that showed him having sex with children. Officers say that phone was given to the Attorney General's Office for forensic examination, and they determined that pornographic images were saved on the phone.

Ayton is being detained at the Richland County jail on a $200,000 bond. Newberry police helped in the investigation.

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

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

John Michael Fleehart - Repeat Sex Offender - Pedophile

2010-07-02T11:17:00.000-07:00

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

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

FDLE Computer Crime Center and Jacksonville authorities began the investigation in May after they saw videos of child pornography being shared over the Internet. The investigation revealed the child pornography was downloaded from a computer at Fleehart’s home, the FDLE said.

Fleehart served several years for two attempted sexual batteries of a victim younger than 12 in 1992. Then he failed to comply with the sex offender registry in 2004, and in 2005 he was arrested after a woman reported a man peeping into her bedroom window. Police sneaked up on him and caught him masturbating trying to look into the window.

Fleehart did about two more years for those offenses, according to court and prison records.

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

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

Jeffery J. Klinghagen - Repeat Sex Offender - Internet Predator

2010-07-02T10:11:00.000-07:00

A convicted sex offender on parole who reportedly used the Internet to set up a sexual rendezvous with a 15-year-old girl pleaded guilty to fourth-degree rape today.

Jeffery J. Klinghagen, 25, allegedly fed the girl a pill for her headache during a meeting at his apartment in Sioux Falls sometime between Dec. 25, 2009 and Jan. 7, 2010. She fell asleep, then realized they'd had sex when she woke up, police spokesman Sam Clemens said. Klinghagen is a registered sex offender who was convicted of third-degree rape in 2006 for having sex with a different 15-year-old girl. He was barred from using the Internet as a condition of his parole.

He pleaded guilty today to the new charge on the condition that Judge Larry Long not consider the previous conviction during sentencing. That reduces his maximum prison sentence from 25 to 15 years.

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

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

Jeffrey Prahl - Repeat Sex Offender - Enabled by "friend"

2010-07-01T10:32:00.000-07:00

A 25-year-old Manitowoc County woman pleaded not guilty Thursday to multiple counts of sexual exploitation of a child and first-degree sexual assault of a child.

The woman also waived her preliminary hearing and her lawyers say they are working on a plea deal.
Police say the woman admitted to taking pornographic photos of 2-, 5- and 7-year-old girls. She also admitted having sexual contact with the 2-year-old.
According to court documents, the woman said she sent the images to 28-year-old Jeffrey Prahl. He is currently in the Manitowoc County Jail on a probation hold with no bond. He has not been charged in the case.

The woman is not being identified to protect the identity of the alleged victims.

Police and prosecutors expect within a week to file charges against a 28-year-old Whitelaw man involved in a child-porn operation, according to Manitowoc County Sheriff's Department Inspector Gregg Schetter.

A Wisconsin Department of Corrections officer found pornographic images of three girls — ages 2, 5 and 7 — on Jeffrey Prahl's phone after he was taken into custody for a parole violation, according to the criminal complaint.

Prahl, a registered sex offender, was convicted in Calumet County of second- and fourth-degree sexual assault of a child in 2000, according to court records. Schetter said he remains in custody.

Prahl told police he intended to sell online the sexually explicit images that a 25-year-old Newton woman had taken. He and the woman exchanged 1,000 images during a two-month period, according to the complaint. Schetter said they had known each other for several years but were not involved romantically.

The complaint says the woman admitted taking the photographs and sexually assaulting the 2-year-old girl for the purpose of selling the images. Her name is withheld to protect the identity of the victims.

Schetter declined to comment on the woman's relationship to the girls. However, the criminal complaint indicates at least one of the girls is the woman's daughter.

The woman appeared Monday in Manitowoc County Circuit Court where Judge Jerome Fox specified the woman have no contact with children, including her own, unless she is at work where she is supervised. Court records indicate she posted $1,000 cash bail June 21.

The woman, due in court Thursday for a preliminary hearing, is charged with six felony counts of first-degree sexual assault of a child and six felony counts of child sexploitation.

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

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

Steward Steckley Jr. - Repeat Sex Offender - Pedophile in Denial Gets 25 to 50

2010-07-01T09:51:00.000-07:00

Repeat sex offender Steward Steckley Jr. will spend at least 25 years behind state prison bars after being sentenced Wednesday in Schuylkill County Court for twice possessing child pornography.

Steckley, 40, of Pottsville, bowed his head as Judge Cyrus Palmer Dolbin sentenced him to serve 25 to 50 years in a state correctional institution.

Dolbin also ruled Steckley is a sexually violent predator, meaning that if he ever leaves prison, he will be required to register under Megan's Law for the rest of his life.

"The Legislature has commanded me to impose this sentence, but even if it had not, I would have imposed it anyway," Dolbin said.

Steckley, who unsuccessfully asked Dolbin for mercy, must serve 25 to 50 years because he had pleaded guilty in 1995 to indecent assault, which resulted in the imposition of Megan's Law sanctions.

Dolbin rejected Steckley's claims that he had not received sufficient notice that prosecutors wanted the mandatory sentence and that it should not apply in his case.

"We are pleased that the judge agreed with our analysis of this case," First Assistant District Attorney Karen Noon said after Wednesday's two-hour hearing.

In a two-day trial, a Schuylkill County jury convicted Steckley of two charges of sexual abuse of children-possession of child pornography, while finding him not guilty of possession of prohibited offensive weapon.

Pottsville police had charged Steckley with possessing pornography twice on May 19, 2009, at his home.

Prosecutors showed to jurors eight movies with boys performing various sexual acts. Carbondale pediatrician Dr. Andrea Taroli testified at the trial that the boys in all the movies were no older than 13.

At Wednesday's hearing, psychotherapist Dean Dickson, Newtown, Bucks County, testified that Steckley clearly fits the definition of a sexually violent predator and poses a permanent risk of committing more crimes.

"He had failed treatment. He was a well-entrenched deviant sexual offender," testified Dickson, who also is a member of the state Sexual Offenders Assessment Board. "What we're looking at here is a period of decades." Steckley has both pedophilia, a sexual attraction to children 13 and younger, and paraphilia, a sexual attraction to adolescents 14 and older, but will not admit anything is wrong with him, Dickson said.

"Pedophilia is incurable," Dickson testified. "He said, 'I am not at risk to reoffend.' Mr. Steckley has been in denial for so many years that it has become entrenched." Deputy Clerk of Courts Diane Baddick produced records showing Steckley pleaded guilty on May 24, 1995, to indecent assault. Prosecutors said that case involved an attack on a 13-year-old child.

Steckley read from three letters people had written on his behalf and asked for leniency.

"I just ask that the court have mercy on me in the sentencing," Steckley said. "It wouldn't be mercy if you deserved it."

Assistant Public Defender Andrea L. Thompson, Steckley's lawyer, unsuccessfully argued that prosecutors had not provided sufficient notice of their intention to seek the mandatory 25-year minimum sentence. Dolbin ruled the notice, provided on June 22, was sufficient under the law.

"We're not playing games here. We're trying to get to the right result," Dolbin said in rejecting Thompson's claim.

After the hearing, Thompson said she would file an appeal on her client's behalf but otherwise declined to comment on the case.

In his sentence, Dolbin also ordered Steckley to submit a DNA sample to law enforcement authorities and pay costs and $100 to the Criminal Justice Enhancement Account.Defendant: Steward Steckley Jr.

Age: 40

Hometown: Pottsville

Crimes committed: Two charges of sexual abuse of children-possession of child pornography

Prison sentence: 25 to 50 years in a state correctional institution

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

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

Robert Thomas Crowe - Repeat Sex Offender - Was still on probation

2010-07-01T07:02:00.000-07:00

A registered sex offender from Cole Harbour stands accused of attacking a young woman in Dartmouth on Sunday.

Robert Thomas Crowe, 22, is still on probation for sexually assaulting two teenagers on a Cole Harbour path in 2007.

He was arrested Tuesday in connection with the weekend incident and appeared in Dartmouth provincial court this afternoon on charges of sexual assault, anal intercourse and breaching probation.

The Crown is opposed to Crowe's release so the case was adjourned until Monday for a bail hearing.

Judge Flora Buchan remanded Crowe to the Central Nova Scotia Correctional Facility in Dartmouth.

Const. Brian Palmeter, spokesman for Halifax Regional Police, said the assault happened early Sunday morning at a Pleasant Street address and wasn't random.

The 18-year-old victim gave officers a statement at police headquarters later that day, Palmeter said.

Crowe was 19 when he attacked a 14-year-old girl and a 13-year-old boy in woods near Sir Robert Borden Junior High School in Cole Harbour on Aug. 24, 2007. He forced the teens to remove their clothes by threatening them with a rock. He made the girl perform oral sex on him and then on the boy while he watched. Crowe also grabbed the boy’s genitals at one point. Police arrested Crowe six months later, in February 2008, after semen on the girl’s clothing matched a sample of his DNA in a federal databank.

The Ancaster Court resident pleaded guilty in Dartmouth provincial court that May to two counts of sexual assault with a weapon and single counts of unlawful confinement and robbery.

Associate Chief Judge Brian Gibson accepted a joint recommendation from the Crown and the defence and sentenced Crowe to 18 months in jail, followed by 16 months of probation.

The judge also ordered that Crowe be listed on the province's sex offender registry for 20 years and prohibited him from possessing weapons or explosives for the rest of his life.

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

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

Shannon Harkins - Repeat Sex Offender - Sexting Repeater

2010-07-01T03:53:00.000-07:00

Springfield police said a registered Tier Two sex offender is back in jail after he allegedly sent child porn from his cell phone.

Authorities said one of the people Shannon Harkins sent the sexually explicit images to, reported him to the police. Now Harkins is facing new felony charges.

Harkins, 33, was already on parole for unlawful sexual contact with a minor, when police said they received information that he was committing sex crimes involving children once again.

Police said Harkins pressed the "send" button over and over again.

Noel Lopez said, "This individual was transmitting sexually oriented material involving a minor from his cell phone."

Authorities said Harkins sent pictures of child porn to several other people and he wasn't trying to hid behind the technology. "He sent a photo with material depicting his face," said Lopez.

When one of the recipients opened the sexually-explicit content, it was easy for them to show police who was committing the crime.

As it turned out, it was a person that police were already familiar with. Harkins had already served time for raping a child in Champaign County.

Police said they do not believe the child victims in the photos are local children.

Harkins was indicted on charges of pandering obscenity and sexually oriented material involving a minor.

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

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

Thomas Ramirez - Repeat Sex Offender - Restroom Predator

2010-07-01T00:02:00.000-07:00

A registered sex offender tried to rape a woman in a San Bernardino park bathroom Monday, but the woman fought back, scaring off the man.

San Bernardino police said Thomas Ramirez, 35, who had recently been released from prison, was captured and arrested. Police booked him into West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga.

Ramirez approached the woman in one of the restrooms at Perris Hill Park at 1001 E. Highland Ave. and tried to rape her, police said. She fought back, causing the man to flee.

Police came to the park at 3:15 p.m. and found Ramirez nearby.

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

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

Jermel Manns - Repeat Sex Offender - Even His Own Family didn't know he was a Registered Sex Offender

2010-06-30T11:08:00.000-07:00

A Cocoa youth pastor was supposed to be a role model, but he's been arrested for sexting a teenager instead. WFTV learned Friday that there's more to Jermel Manns than that one sex crime.

Manns is a convicted sex offender from Illinois who never registered locally, and he got a youth pastor job from his uncle.

If you look up Jermel Manns in the Illinois sex registry database, he comes up with a Jacksonville, Illinois address, and the Illinois sex offender registry lists him as compliant.

But for the past two years he was actually living in Brevard County under the name Jermel Beckford, or as his youth group at church called him, Pastor J.

Jermel Manns is no stranger to the criminal justice system. The 36-year-old was convicted of molesting a teenage boy in Illinois nearly a decade ago.

In 2008 he moved to Florida, took up a job as youth pastor at the Celebration Tabernacle Church in Cocoa and assumed the name Jermel Beckford.

Dressed in a suicide prevention gown, he appeared in Brevard County’s jail to answer to a new sex charge.

The senior pastor at the church, and Jermel's uncle, Errol Beckford, said he knew nothing of his past and was stunned to hear of his arrest.

“I says, what? Are you kidding me? He was a good pastor. He had 75 kids here. He built it up and they loved him," Beckford said.

MOST OFFENDERS KNOW THEIR VICTIM

SOMETIMES IT IS YOUR OWN NEPHEW
WHO HAPPENS TO BE A RSO
AND FAILED TO INFORM YOU

OR IT IS YOUR NEW BOYFRIEND
OR UNCLE
OR BROTHER
OR COUSIN
OR NEIGHBOR
OR CO-WORKER
OR FRIEND
OR PASTOR

Rockledge police say he developed a close relationship with a 16-year-old boy and started sending sexually explicit text messages. One message asked the teen to perform a sexual act.

A friend of the victim saw it and word got to police.

"At this point we do not know if there are any more victims, but we're pleading to the community if you think you've been victimized please come forward we need that information," said Cpl. Alice DiBiase-Deakins, Rockledge Police Department.

Errol Beckford said the church did not run a nationwide background check, but he says they will for Manns’ replacement.

"Whoever that person is we learn from this incident, doesn't matter who it is. It could be the Pope, we're going to run a national and pay for it," Beckford said.

Manns is being held on one count of soliciting a sexual act with a minor, but authorities say he could face more charges for failing to register as a sex offender in Florida and for not notifying authorities in Illinois.

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

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

Richard R. Gallatin - Repeat Sex Offender - Released Only 3 Months Before

2010-06-30T10:43:00.000-07:00

A sex offender on parole is the suspect in the kidnapping and sexual assault of a teenage employee at the Gurnee Mills Outlet Mall earlier this month.

Richard R. Gallatin, 37, is charged in a warrant with four counts of aggravated criminal sexual assault, once count of aggravated kidnapping and one count of armed robbery, according to Gurnee Police Commander Jay Patrick.

Patrick says Gallatin was released on parole from a Wisconsin prison just three months ago. He was serving time for a previous sexual assault in that state.

Gallatin's last known address is 5402 75th Street in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin but he is known to frequent Kenosha, Wisconsin. Police say he also has contacts in the Chicago area, Indiana and Arizona.

The U.S. Marshals Service is working with Gurnee police to locate Gallatin. Police say he should be considered armed and dangerous and anyone who knows where he is should call police immediately.

The 19-year-old victim was kidnapped as she walked to her car in parking lot F at Gurnee Mills at 9:30 p.m. on June 6. She was forced to drive to an ATM machine and withdraw cash. She was then taken to a church parking lot in Kane County where she was sexually assaulted. Police say Gallatin then forced her to drive him to a 7-Eleven store in Forest Park where he got out of the car and let her go.

Gurnee police issued several surveillance photos of a suspect early on in the investigation in hopes someone could identify him and that's apparently what has happened.

As for the photos to the upper right, police say the one showing Gallatin with a shaved head was taken in 2009. The one in which he has had a full head of hair was taken in 2003. The surveillance photos show him with his hair growing out.

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

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

Charles Childress - Repeat Sex Offender - Gets Only 12 Years

2010-06-30T10:31:00.000-07:00

A man who was on probation for a sex crime when he molested another child has been sentenced to 12 years in the Arizona Department of Corrections.

On Jan. 7, Charles Childress was charged with molestation of a child under 12 and dangerous crime against children charges. At the time Childress was on probation for a 2005 conviction for sexual abuse, court officials said.

Victims of both crimes were in the courtroom on June 17 and gave testimony to Navajo County Judge Thomas Wing. The latest victim’s mother had to have her statement read by another person because she was too emotional to read it herself, officials said.

Wing said Childress’ sentence was due in part to his prior felonies and sex offenses.

After his 12-year term, Childress will remain on intensive probation for a lifetime term and will be required to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life, Wing said.

“Out of all the cases we prosecute, prosecution of homicides and crimes against children are our No. 1 priority,” Apache County Attorney Michael Whiting said in a news release. “I am happy with the sentence of 12 years, but wish it was 13. If we could have asked for more prison time we would have, but the law does not allow it.”

The victims declined to comment on the case.

Childress had waived his preliminary trial and accepted a plea. Apache County Attorneys Office Chief Deputy Martin Brannan said under state law Childress had been facing between a minimum of 7.5 and a maximum of 13 years in prison.

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

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

Leslie Johnson - Repeat Sex Offender - Pedophile

2010-06-30T09:50:00.000-07:00

A convicted sex offender whose daughter discovered child pornography on his computers in 2008 was sentenced Tuesday to 30 years in prison.

Leslie Johnson, 59, was sitting in the Minnehaha County Jail in August 2008, on a federal charge of failure to register as a sex offender when his daughter found two laptop computers in his Chevy Suburban. When she turned on the computers, she saw photos and videos of boys and girls - in some cases as young as 3 - engaged in sexual acts. She turned her father in, and he was charged with 10 counts of possession of child pornography.

He returned to Lincoln County to face those charges after serving his 14-month federal sentence for failure to register.

In April, Lincoln County State's Attorney Tom Wollman dropped seven charges in exchange for guilty pleas on three.

At sentencing, defense lawyer Cynthia Berreau said her client was sexually abused, starting at age 3. A court-appointed psychologist noted that Johnson is aroused by children, but Berreau said Johnson never had acted on those urges.

"Statistically, we know that is a cyclical problem, but there are no allegations anywhere that Mr. Johnson has had contact with any children," Berreau said.

Berreau also talked about Johnson's medical conditions, saying that the maximum sentence would amount to a life sentence for her client.

Such a sentence is appropriate, however, Wollman said.

"These victims spend a lifetime wondering who's seen those images and videos," Wollman said.

Johnson's computer contained chat room conversations wherein he'd fantasized about raping young boys and girls, Wollman said. Johnson got the videos through chat rooms from other Internet users.

"Without individuals like Leslie Johnson asking for these images, I don't think anyone would be out there making them," he said.

Judge Stuart Tiede pointed to the psychologist's findings, saying that Johnson is "chronically antisocial," as well as prone to violence and impulsiveness.

"When one looks at all of the factors, I don't think you're very far from doing - as opposed to just watching," Tiede said.

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

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

Danny Fisher Jr. - Repeat Sex Offender - Gets 5 years instead of 50 for abuse of 5 year old

2010-06-30T09:44:00.000-07:00

A convicted sex offender has pleaded guilty to two charges of sexual assault involving a 5-year-old girl.

Danny Fisher Jr., 46, of North Platte, faces up to 5 years in prison for each count when he is sentenced in July. He originally faced a Class 1 felony that carried up to 50 years in prison.

Fisher was arrested Nov. 26 after the victim's father reportedly observed Fisher pulling up the victim's overalls. The father became suspicious and contacted law enforcement who interviewed the victim and learned that Fisher had "touched her private parts" more than once, according to the initial report and confirmed by Fisher in open court on Monday.

Fisher was convicted in 1989 of first-degree sexual assault of a child and served a year.

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

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

Gerald Ignatowski - Repeat Sex Offender - Violent Predator

2010-06-29T10:16:00.000-07:00

A man accused of holding a woman hostage at a Guilford home was taken into police custody after engaging officers in a standoff Tuesday morning, police said.

Police said an officer on patrol was approached by a distraught woman in North Guilford at about 2:30 a.m. The woman told the officer she had been threatened and held against her will by Gerald Ignatowski, 57. The woman said Ignatowski had been drinking heavily, threatened suicide and had a handgun.

The woman said Ignatowski eventually passed out and she was able to escape.

Officers went to the home where the woman said she had been held hostage, which they said was in a heavily populated condo complex. Members of the Branford Police Department as well as SWAT Team members from the Regional Emergency Response Team were also called to the area.

When officers entered the home, they said Ignatowski was not inside. He was later found on a wooded, rocky hillside near the home armed with a .32-caliber pistol.

Police said Ignatowski refused to drop his gun, and made a sudden motion, causing one of the officers to shoot him with a sponge ball. Ignatowski dropped the pistol and was taken into police custody. He was taken to Yale New Haven Hospital for treatment of minor injuries and a psychological evaluation.

Guilford police said Ignatowski will be charged with unlawful restraint, reckless endangerment, criminal attempt to commit aggravated sexual assault, criminal possession of a pistol, disorderly conduct, breach of peace and threatening. When released from the hospital, police said Ignatowski's bond will be set at $100,000.

Police said Ignatowski is a convicted felon and registered sex offender.

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

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

Brian Morris - Repeat Sex Offender - Church Chaperone?

2010-06-29T10:09:00.000-07:00

A registered child sex offender is back in jail and accused of trying to have sex with a 14-year-old girl he met as a church chaperone.

Sheriff’s deputies in Washington County, Indiana arrested 30-year-old Brian Morris of Pekin, Indiana on Monday afternoon.

Morris is charged with attempted child solicitation.

Police say they got involved after Morris allegedly texted the girl inappropriately.

They say Morris then tried to set up a sexual encounter with the girl at a Washington County High School where he was arrested.

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

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

Charles Childress - Repeat Sex Offender - Gets Only 12 Years

2010-06-28T10:31:00.000-07:00

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

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

Calvin Marks - Repeat Sex Offender - Charged with raping girlfriend's child

2010-06-28T09:55:00.000-07:00

Most offenders know their victim

A 44-year-old convicted sex offender was jailed in lieu of $1 million cash bail on charges he raped his live-in girlfriend’s child.

Calvin Marks was booked June 22 into the Washoe County Jail on four counts of sexual assault of a child under 14, assault with a deadly weapon and domestic violence. His bail as set at $1 million cash only.

Reno police Sgt. Gerald Rhodes said sex crimes detectives alleged that Marks abused the girl in a home in the 300 block of Taylor Street during the first three weeks of June.

Rhodes said that Marks is a Tier-2 convicted sex offender, which means he was assessed by authorities as having a “moderate” risk to commit more sex offenses. Records show that in 2001 he was convicted in Las Vegas for attempted sexual assault with a deadly weapon.

Marks also goes by the aliases Calvin Colums and Mark Collins.

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

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

Wayde E. Ephraim - Repeat Sex Offender - This is Prevention

2010-06-26T11:01:00.000-07:00

A Caldwell man was arrested for enticement of a child over the internet Friday.

During an investigation into online enticement, Ada County detectives chatted with a man later identified as Wayde E. Ephraim, 40, of Caldwell. Ephraim believed he was talking with a 14-year-old female and arranged to meet the teen for sex.

A warrant was issued for Ephraim’s arrest based on the information gathered during the investigation, and police served that warrant Friday at Ephraim's home in the 300 block of North Michigan in Caldwell.

Ephraim was taken into custody and booked into the Canyon County Jail on a $250,000 felony warrant for enticement of a minor over the internet.

Ephraim is a Registered Sex Offender in Idaho. The Idaho State Police Central Sex Offender Registry shows Ephraim was convicted of Lewd Conduct with a Minor Child under 16 in 1988 in Valley County.

This case is one of the ongoing investigations conducted by Ada County Sheriff's detectives working as part of the Idaho Attorney General's Office Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.

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

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

Dennis Malone - Repeat Sex Offender - Multiple Victim Pedophile

2010-06-26T10:55:00.000-07:00

Dennis Malone, the man who was caught with an underage girl at his Detroit home earlier this week, has a track record for abusing children, according to authorities.

Malone is a convicted sex offender who served several years in prison for molesting at least seven girls under the age of 13. He was released in 2004.

Michigan State Police Trooper Craig Tuer said Malone is suspected of molesting additional girls, including a 12-year-old who filed a report.

Malone, 54, was arrested on Wednesday after police found him with a 15-year-old runaway girl inside a home on Detroit's east side. He reportedly brandished a gun during a stand-off with police, and the victim escaped the house by jumping out of a window.

The girl's father told Fox that Malone seems to have turned the teenager against him. "He messed her head up, and so (she's) going to need real help. She's mad at me for what happened."

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

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

Edward Lee Higgins - Repeat Sex Offender - 18 Years Later

2010-06-24T16:50:00.000-07:00

Edward Lee Higgins, a local businessman charged with sexually assaulting a former employee at her home in February was dishonorably discharged from the U.S. Air Force in the early 1990s and sentenced to a military prison for a felony sex crime, according to police and court records.

Higgins, 46, of 8520 Durham, Whitehall, was arraigned Tuesday in Muskegon County’s 60th District Court on one count of fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct, a felony, in connection with an alleged Feb. 27 assault of a Montague woman.

The judge also arraigned Higgins as an habitual offender, stemming from a Dec. 10, 1992, conviction by the United States Air Force Military Tribunal of Indecent Acts, according to a court document.

Montague Police Chief Robert Rought — whose department handled the recent complaint — said the habitual offender charge stems from when Higgins was a U.S. Air Force recruiter.

Higgins was charged after several women with whom he was in contact as a recruiter alleged that he sexually assaulted them, Rought said.

As a result of those allegations, Higgins was convicted of a felony, dishonorably discharged and sentenced to four years at the United States Disciplinary Barracks at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, according to a police report.

It isn’t clear how much time Higgins served at the prison. The Chronicle has sent a Freedom of Information Act request to the Air Force to obtain additional information.

In the more recent incident, police said Higgins sexually assaulted a 34-year-old mother and wife at her home while her husband and children were away.

Higgins — who owns multiple businesses in Muskegon County, including several towing companies — declined to comment for this story.

The woman told The Chronicle that Higgins stopped by her home uninvited and when she opened her front door, he walked in, closed the door and began groping her.

The woman said she asked him to leave, but he refused.

According to the police report, he exposed himself, chased the woman around the inside of her home, pulled her pants down and tried to sexually assault her.

The woman said she struggled to get him off her and the attack ended after a neighbor — who witnessed the incident through a window — walked toward her home to see what was going on.

At that point, Higgins abruptly got in his truck and left, according to the police report.

Meanwhile, the woman says she fears Higgins has victimized others. Both she and Rought urge anyone who may have been sexually assaulted by Higgins to call Montague Police at 893-0810.

Higgins has hired Muskegon attorney Terry Nolan, who said last week that his client and the victim had an "ongoing relationship" and the Feb. 27 incident was the result of a "misunderstanding."

The victim denies there was ever a "relationship."

A preliminary examination for Higgins is scheduled for July 2.

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

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

Michael Schuttpelz - Repeat Sex Offender - Child Predator on Wheels

2010-06-24T16:41:00.000-07:00

A federal judge sentenced a child predator to 38 years in prison.

Michael Schuttpelz, 51, a Nebraska truck driver, was caught in a 2007 Internet sting operation in which an FBI agent posed as a mother of two girls ages 5 and 3.

"Virtually immediately, Schuttpelz began discussing plans to travel to Detroit to have sex with the two girls," prosecutors said in a memorandum asking for a 50-year sentence for Schuttpelz.

A federal jury in Detroit convicted Schuttpelz of crossing state lines to have sex with a child younger than 12, transporting child pornography, and possessing child pornography.

Schuttpelz, 51, also has a 1997 conviction in Iowa for molesting a 13-year-old girl.

Schuttpelz, who shouted profanities at prosecutors during a June 14 hearing and violently banged his head against a table at an earlier hearing, spoke for more than five hours over two days, railing about his failed relationships with women, his professed innocence and his theories about class in America.

U.S. District Judge Paul D. Borman initially allowed Schuttpelz to speak without his handcuffs, but U.S. marshals restrained him with wrist and leg shackles part way through Monday's hearing after he began to shout and bang his hands against the lectern.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Mulcahy asked for a 50-year sentence for Schuttpelz, describing him as "a rolling sex predator looking for victims all over this country."

Only by keeping him locked up until he is very old can the children of the country be protected, said Mulcahy, who said Schuttpelz is a paranoid and narcissistic offender with the intelligence to manipulate people to get access to children.

"This has been the Michael Schuttpelz show," Mulcahy said of the sentencing hearing.

"As we've heard over the last two days, anything negative that happened in his life cannot possibly be his fault."

Schuttpelz said he was troubled and lonely when he engaged in the Internet chats and made the trip to Michigan, where he was arrested.

"The man before you today is in no way a pedophile or child molester," he said.

The charges carried a 30-year mandatory minimum sentence.

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

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

John E. Scott - Repeat Sex Offender - CHILD PREDATOR

2010-06-24T16:07:00.000-07:00

A city man who is a registered sex offender and who spent 25 years in prison for raping a boy is in trouble again for reportedly committing another sex crime involving a teenage boy.

John E. Scott, 44, of Millet Avenue, appeared Tuesday before Judge Robert A. Douglas of Youngstown Municipal Court for arraignment on a felony charge of importuning.

There are three sections of the importuning law. According to police reports, Scott is charged with soliciting a person of the same sex to engage in sexual activity.

Scott did not enter a plea to the felony charge and asked the court to supply a court-funded attorney to represent him in the matter. Judge Douglas set bond at $70,000. Scott is in Mahoning County jail.

According to police reports, Scott became the subject of a police investigation after a 13-year-old West Side boy told a friend’s parents that Scott had exposed himself to the boy.

The boy told police he first became aware of Scott two weeks ago while playing basketball with a friend with no shirt on. The boy said he noticed Scott staring in their direction as they played the game.

According to police, the boy said Scott eventually walked over and offered him $1, then asked if the boy would return to his house later that evening. The boy told police he did not go to Scott’s house that evening, but was approached by Scott a few days ago when visiting the same friend.

The boy said Scott gave him another $1 and asked the youngster to come to the back of his home saying, “Take your shirt off, and show me your body.”

The boy told police Scott eventually lured him to the rear of the house, lifted his own shorts and exposed his genitals. The boy then told an adult, who in turn contacted police.

According to reports, Scott was released from prison last year after serving 25 years in prison for the rape of a 7-year-old boy. The report says he was arrested on the crime in 1984 in Cleveland.

The Mahoning County sheriff’s office website lists Scott as a sex offender living at the Millet Avenue address. His picture is displayed along with the details of six other sexual offenders living in a half-mile radius of the Millet Avenue address.

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

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

Peter Frank Gregorich - Repeat Sex Offender - Stole Laptops to Download Child Pornography

2010-06-24T15:57:00.000-07:00

A registered sex offender accused of stealing laptops from a local company and accessing child pornography has been arrested, court records show.

Peter Frank Gregorich, 48, has been charged with theft, a state jail felony. He is in the Travis County Jail on $10,000 bail, records show.

Two laptops were reported stolen May 10 from public-relations firm Porter Novelli after they were placed in front of a FedEx drop box to be delivered to Boston but never made it to their destination, an arrest affidavit said.

Detectives were able to track the computers to Gregorich using anti-theft software call “Lojack for Laptops” that has a function that can track keystrokes, the affidavit said. The user typed his birth date, e-mail address and phone number and used his Social Security number as a password for a wireless network, the affidavit said. Gregorich searched for child pornography while he was in possession of the laptops, it said.

Gregorich was previously convicted of indecency with a child by exposure in Montgomery County in 2002, records show.

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

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

Corie Nathaniel Robbins - Repeat Sex Offender - Got Lenient Sentence then Did it again

2010-06-24T15:27:00.000-07:00

A Northumberland County judge will likely not be as generous when a convicted sex offender stands before him again, this time for resentencing on sex charges dating to 2007.

It was in 2008 when Judge Charles H. Saylor first sentenced Corie Nathaniel Robbins, then 18, on charges of indecent exposure and trying to lure a child into a motor vehicle for exposing himself to a 10-year-old girl as he tried to get her into his car near Sunbury's St. Monica School.

Robbins' age and the fact that he had no prior convictions led to Saylor's sentence of nine to 23 1/2 months in the Northumberland County Prison, followed by a consecutive five years of probation and treatment in a sex offender program.

Saylor said Wednesday that Robbins' resentencing could lead to nearly 5 years in state prison. It would be up to the judges involved whether that term would run concurrent or consecutive to Robbins' potential sentence in Union County.

"When somebody re-offends after being given a certain opportunity, they're not going to get the same opportunity again," Saylor said. "At some point, we make a determination that there isn't too much that can be done anymore at the county level."

Robbins was released from prison in April 2008 after serving the minimum nine months of his sentence, and last week, he allegedly committed a crime in Union County that officials said is similar to the one he admitted to in Northumberland County. Robbins stands accused of attempting to lure a 9-year-old girl into the men's bathroom at the Wal-Mart store, north of Lewisburg in Kelly Township, with a promise of $5.

The girl ran away, and Robbins now faces felony counts of unlawful contact with a minor and criminal contempt to interfere with the custody of children and misdemeanor counts of criminal attempt to commit indecent assault and criminal attempt to commit indecent exposure.

Saylor said he recognized Robbins, now 21, when he saw his picture on the front page of The Daily Item on Wednesday.

"My reaction was disappointment," Saylor said. "We're always hopeful when we require that someone receive treatment that the treatment is successful and they do not re-offend. We hope to give an individual that opportunity to not engage in that behavior anymore."

Robbins' next court appearance is set for July 1 in front of District Judge Leo S. Armbruster, Lewisburg.

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

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

Charles Burks - Repeat Sex Offender

2010-06-24T15:09:00.000-07:00

A convicted sex offender is arrested for not following rules about internet usage.

The Endicott Police Department arrested 39-year-old - Repeat of Endicott for failing to register internet accounts or internet providers.

Burks is a level 2 sex offender. Police say he had been accessing the internet and using social networking sites without telling the state sex offender registry about his internet accounts.

He's also charged with endangering the welfare of a child for an incident in 2009 where he sent text messages containing sexual content to a 15-year-old.

Burks was arraigned in Village of Endicott court and released on his own recognizance.

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

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

Alphonzo Hill - Repeat Sex Offender - Internet Predator

2010-06-24T13:03:00.000-07:00

Deputies said a registered sex offender has been arrested again, accused of having sex with a teenage girl and fathering her child.

Investigators said they have enough evidence to put the 34-year-old back in prison for his second sex-related crime against a child.

Alphonzo Hill, pleaded guilty in 2000 to charges of corrupting a minor. He spent time in prison and then as a registered sex offender.

Sgt. Christopher Clark said, “Can I say I’m surprised? No. But, it is disturbing.”

Clark said it is crimes against children that really affect the people in his office.

Deputies said they received a report last fall that Hill, of Dayton, was having a relationship with a teen.

Clark said, “The report indicated the 15-year-old and 34-year-old had sexual intercourse and she became pregnant with his baby.”

Deputies investigated and learned that the two met on the website MocoSpace and began a short relationship.

“We confirmed through the juvenile that they did meet on the web and had sexual intercourse,” Clark said.

Investigators said they believe the two met several times at a Springfield apartment complex. They believe that Hill is the father of teen’s child with DNA tests pending.

Authorities said they do all they can, but can’t police the entire World Wide Web.

Clark said, “Unfortunately, we are seeing more of it because of access to social websites make it so easy for predators to go after young children.”

In convicted, Hill faces up to five years in prison the unlawful sexual conduct charge.

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

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

Curtis Regulus - Repeat Sex Offender - "I will find you"

2010-06-24T12:59:00.000-07:00

A 38-year-old convicted sex offender was arrested Thursday morning for allegedly rubbing his crotch against a 14-year-old girl on a bus in Anaheim.

Curtis Regulus was taken into custody at 5:45 a.m. near Newport Boulevard and 17th Street in Costa Mesa, Jim Amormino of the Orange County Sheriff's Department said.

Amormino, who said one particularly helpful tip came from a bus driver, thanked the media for publicizing the case and helping "get another child molester off the street."

Regulus is charged with two counts of lewd act upon a child, according to court records. He pleaded guilty March 18 to touching an intimate part of another person and was sentenced to 180 days in jail, according to court records.

Regulus, who was freed from jail June 11, pushed his crotch against the girl as she tried to get off an Orange County Transportation Authority bus at 3:30 p.m. Saturday, Amormino said.

Around 3:30 p.m. June 19, Regulus followed a 14-year-old girl around on an Orange County Transportation Authority bus as she tried to move away from him, Amormino said.

The girl moved to the front of the bus to be near the driver, and Regulus followed her there, he said.

As she waited to exit the bus at Orangethorpe Avenue and Harbor Boulevard in Fullerton, Regulus came up behind her and pushed up against her, Amormino said. Despite her attempts to escape him, the suspect followed her off the bus, pushed up against her again and pulled her toward him by the arm, Amormino said.

The girl managed to break away and ran across the street.

Regulus allegedly shouted, "I will find you" as she ran away.

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

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

Aeron Grenfell - Repeat Sex Offender - Pervert

2010-06-24T12:19:00.000-07:00

A registered sex offender who lives in the Lindsay area was arrested Wed. on suspicion of raping a girl under the age of 14 on June 13 at an undisclosed location, according to the Tulare County Sheriff’s Department.

Her mother reported the incident to the Sheriff’s Department on Wed., deputies report.

Aeron Grenfell, 33, of Lindsay was arrested on suspicion of committing a lewd act with a person under the age of 14, digital penetration and rape. He was taken into custody Wed. at his residence near Lindsay without incident, deputies report.

Grenfell is on active county probation for a prior sex offense. He was booked into the Tulare County Main Jail. Bail was set at $150,000.00.

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

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

Steven Brian Blackston - Repeat Sex Offender - Doesn't Know When to Stop

2010-06-24T10:43:00.000-07:00

A registered sex offender from Taylors is facing new allegations that he had sex with a 15-year-old boy, authorities said.

Steven Brian Blackston, 38, is charged in a warrant with first-degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor in connection with a recent incident in Wellford. He is being held at the Spartanburg County jail, records show.

Blackston is identified in the warrant as a registered sex offender who had previously been convicted of second-degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor.

A 15-year-old boy told a Wellford investigator a sexual act happened inside a man’s vehicle while it was parked on Peterson Drive in Wellford about 12:30 a.m. on June 18, an officer wrote in an incident report.

The teen’s mother had earlier reported him as a runaway, who had gone out of his window and left in a Honda Civic, the officer wrote.

The teen’s stepfather told police that he later found the teen inside a vehicle with a man at a store at Fort Prince Boulevard and Mustang Drag Road, the officer wrote.

The stepfather said the man wasn’t wearing any clothes, and the teen was wearing only gym shorts and socks, the officer wrote.

A warrant lists Blackston’s address as being on Ginger Lane, while an incident report and booking report says he lives on Weehawken Circle. Both addresses are in Taylors.

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

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

Charles Fernandez - Repeat Sex Offender - BabyRaper

2010-06-23T16:14:00.000-07:00

A registered sex offender who was set to start trial this week in Santa Maria on new molestation charges is facing 16 years in prison after pleading no contest to one felony count of continuous sexual abuse of a child.

Charles Fernandez, 44, of Ridgecrest entered the plea — which has the same effect as a guilty plea in terms of sentencing — last month.

He will return to court July 15 for sentencing, said Chief Trial Deputy Stephen Foley.

Fernandez must serve 85 percent of his sentence before he is eligible for parole, Foley said.

Fernandez was charged with three counts of aggravated sexual assault, but two of the counts will be dismissed at his sentencing, under the plea agreement he entered into.

He was scheduled to begin trial earlier this week.

“Based on the facts of the case, and the desire of the victims, we felt it was a fair resolution and brought closure to the case,” Foley said.

According to earlier testimony for the prosecution in the case, Fernandez molested the son of a woman he dated from the time the boy was 7 and in the second grade until almost the end of the child’s fourth-grade year.

The victim is now 17 and living out of state, Foley said.

The abuse stopped, according to testimony in the case, when the boy’s mother ended her relationship with Fernandez.

She told authorities about the abuse in July 2007, shortly after her son told her about the molestation.

In 2005, Fernandez was convicted of sexually assaulting a different child, and was ordered to register as a sex offender in Kern County, according to the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Department.

Because of Fernandez’s history of committing sexual offenses, he could be deemed a “sexually violent predator” around the time of his prison release date, Foley said.

If the court or a jury determines that Fernandez is a sexually violent predator, he will be housed at a mental-health facility until he is deemed no longer at risk of reoffending.

Fernandez’s attorney, Senior Deputy Public Defender Robert Ikola, could not be reached for comment.

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

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

Bruce Nelson - Repeat Sex Offender - Reoffended After Only 2 Months

2010-06-23T15:54:00.000-07:00

A convicted sex offender told to stay away from schools and children less than two months ago was arrested Tuesday after allegedly exposing himself to two teenage girls.

Bruce Nelson, 49, of Pinawa was arrested after two girls in their early teens complained a man flashed them in the town about 120 kilometres north-east from Winnipeg.

Nelson pleaded guilty in April to possessing child pornography and indecent exposure after sending explicit photos of nude children to strangers over the Internet, and flashing a five-year-old and nine-year-old in Pinawa in 2008.

He was given eight months time served and was under probation when he was arrested this week.

Mounties from the Lac de Bonnet detachment arrested Nelson Tuesday within 30 minutes of the alleged indecent exposure incident.

He was arrested close to an area school, said police.

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

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

James Cundiff - Repeat Sex Offender - Gets 38 Years

2010-06-23T15:51:00.000-07:00

A homeless sex offender who attacked three women and stabbed a nurse is sentenced Tuesday. Forty-two-year-old James Cundiff is heading to prison for 38 years.

Cundiff was convicted of stabbing a nurse in the neck last October while she was in a parking lot leaving Miami Valley Hospital. He was also convicted of robbing and attacking a homeless woman in August. Prosecutors say he attacked a woman on her front porch on North Belmonte Park in 2009.

Cundiff was also ruled to be a repeat violent offender.

Last month, Cundiff was convicted of felonious assault and robbery charges.

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

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

James Ford - Repeat Sex Offender - Refuses to comply

2010-06-22T14:52:00.000-07:00

Since 1993, he's been arrested more than two dozen times in Louisville.

Back in 2003, police say he sexually abused three young girls, who were 9-years-old, 10-years-old and 11-years-old at the time.

The man accused of trying to lure teen boys by offering them jobs is now charged with not complying with the sex offender registry.

James Ford was arrested on Sunday for the charge.

Police say he had not updated his address on the registry.

The New Albany man has been arrested more than 20 times in the past.

Last year he was arrested after police say he tried to lure teen boys with jobs at Waffle House.

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

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

Jon Venables - Repeat Sex Offender - Convicted of Murder at the age of 10

2010-06-22T08:40:00.000-07:00

Venables and Thompson were released from juvenile detention in 2001, when they were 18, and given new identities

British prosecutors said Monday that a man convicted of murdering a toddler in 1993, when he himself was just 10 years old, has been charged with child pornography offenses.

Jon Venables, 27, has been charged with downloading and distributing indecent photographs of children. Venables was indicted earlier, but the charges could only be reported Monday after a judge ordered some reporting restrictions lifted.

Prosecution lawyer Gavin Millar read the charges out for the record at London's Central Criminal Court. He said Venables is accused of downloading onto his computer 57 indecent photographs of minors between February 2009 and February this year, and of distributing seven indecent images of children over the Internet between Feb. 1 and 23 this year.

Venables and another 10-year-old, Robert Thompson, lured 2-year-old James Bulger away from a shopping center in Liverpool in 1993 and beat him to death by an isolated railway line.

The crime shocked Britain because of the ages of the victim and his baby-faced killers, and was seared into the national memory through closed-circuit video footage of the two older boys leading the toddler away to his death.

Venables and Thompson were released from juvenile detention in 2001, when they were 18, and given new identities, which the press is barred from revealing — a rare and highly controversial move.

The case continues to arouse strong feelings. While some applauded the decision to release the young killers and hailed their apparently successful rehabilitation, others, including Bulger's parents, argued they should never have been freed.

Venables was taken back into custody in February for violating his parole conditions. Officials then would not give details of his alleged offense, saying it could prejudice any future trial.

Venables is due to attend a court hearing July 23, when he will appear by video link from prison.

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

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

Neal Assad Sabra - Repeat Sex Offender - Pervert Sex Therapist

2010-06-22T08:03:00.000-07:00

A sex addict therapist was sentenced Friday to 22 years in federal prison for being a repeat child pornography offender and illegally possessing a firearm.

Neal Assad Sabra, 45, pleaded for leniency before U.S. District Judge Rebecca Beach Smith. Smith sentenced Sabra according to federally recommended guidelines.

Sabra was arrested earlier this year after he e-mailed several child pornography images to an undercover officer. On Jan. 21, agents searched his Chesapeake home and workplace and seized computers that had more than 300 images and more than 50 videos of child pornography.

This is the second child pornography conviction for Sabra. In 2006, he was convicted in a military court for having child pornography and sentenced to 40 months in prison with all but 18 months suspended.

At the time of his arrest in the current case, Sabra was employed at a local nonprofit organization where he ran group therapy for sex addicts.

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

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

Bruce A. Perry - Repeat Sex Offender - The Pedophile who couldn't help himself

2010-06-22T07:09:00.000-07:00

Perry was convicted of sexually assaulting a 9-year-old girl in 1988

He told police he committed the sexual assaults to relieve stress, adding that he is a diagnosed pedophile and can’t help himself.

A Sheboygan sex offender who repeatedly molested two girls — one of them dating back to 2004 — will be sentenced today on charges that could put him behind bars for 50 years.

Bruce A. Perry, 53, of 1625 Knollcrest Drive, was convicted of two counts of repeated sexual assault of a child after pleading no contest as part of an agreement eliminating the possibility of a life sentence.

He is scheduled for sentencing at 2:30 p.m. before Judge Gary Langhoff.

Perry was convicted of sexually assaulting a 9-year-old girl in 1988, so both of the charges were originally filed in January with an enhancer that mandated a life prison term under the state’s two strikes law for child sex offenses. But the charge was amended to remove the enhancer May 10 when Perry entered no contest pleas to both counts, court records show.

Perry has been in jail since his arrest on a $100,000 cash bond.

A criminal complaint said Perry sexually assaulted a now-18-year-old girl starting in 2004 and a now-14-year-old girl starting in March 2008. The assaults continued until Perry’s arrest in January.

The younger girl said Perry repeatedly forced her to strip, then stood and watched or made her sit on his lap, the complaint said. Perry admitted to those incidents and said he also touched the girl inappropriately beneath her clothes numerous times.

The older girl said Perry touched her inappropriately every week for about five years, but she kept quiet out of fear.

The investigation began in January when police received a report from a children’s organization where a worker had learned of the younger girl’s sexual assaults.

Perry has also confessed to molesting another girl who is now in her 20s, but no charges have been filed related to her. He told police he committed the sexual assaults to relieve stress, adding that he is a diagnosed pedophile and can’t help himself.

Perry’s prior offense, which involved a stepdaughter from a prior marriage, resulted in a year in jail and 10 years probation.

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

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

Ben Walcott - Repeat Sex Offender - Used Fake Name to Access Children

2010-06-22T03:03:00.000-07:00

A convicted sex offender who worked with young boys at local football camps is scheduled to learn his sentence Tuesday.

Last month Ben Walcott pleaded guilty to violating the terms of the Sex Offender Registry Act.

Prosecutors say he used an alias to get jobs with football camps so he could access children to satisfy a foot fetish.

Walcott faces up to a year in prison when he's sentenced Tuesday in Ionia County.

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

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

Daniel D. Crombleholme - Repeat Sex Offender - Raped Wife of Sex Offender

2010-06-21T16:10:00.000-07:00

A Blountville judge on Monday ordered a psychological evaluation for a convicted sex offender accused of raping a fellow sex offender's wife while sharing their Bristol home.

According to court records, Bristol police allege Marc Brouillette, 32, 967 Barker St., Bristol, Tenn., willingly opened his home - which included a child - to convicted child sex offender Daniel D. Crombleholme, 32, even though he knew Crombleholme wasn’t supposed to be living in a residence with a minor.

On Dec. 10, 2009, Brouillette’s wife reported to police that Crombleholme raped her while her husband was at work.

She said she was screaming and trying to fight Crombleholme off, but he told her he had a knife in his pocket and that he would hurt her child when the child got home from school if she didn’t quiet down.

At some point, Crombleholme allegedly stopped the attack because he “knew he was going to jail” and “called the victim’s husband” and told him what had happened.

Crombleholme was subsequently indicted on aggravated rape and a violation of the sex offender registry act.

In addition to announcing a motion for Crombleholme to be evaluated, his court-appointed defense attorney, Ricky Curtis, also asked the judge to sever Crombleholmes charges into two separate cases.

According to prosecuting attorney William Harper, the judge agreed to sever the two charges because the offenses were unrelated.

For allowing Crombleholme to live with his family, Brouillette has been indicted on a charge of facilitation of a violation of the sex offender registry. He has also been indicted for a separate violation alleging he failed to report an employment change in a timely manner.

Brouillette

The alleged violation was discovered when police learned where he was working when his wife’s alleged rape was reported on Dec. 10, 2009. He had been working at a gas station in Bristol since September 2009 and hadn’t reported the change to police.

Court records describe Crombleholme and Brouillette as friends who had been convicted of their respective sex offenses in Massachusetts. Brouillette reportedly moved to Bristol in March 2008, and Crombleholme reported having moved into Brouillette’s home in August 2009.

Brouillette's case is next in court on July 1.

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

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

Timothy Temple - Repeat Sex Offender - Caught in the Act

2010-06-20T16:21:00.000-07:00

He is a convicted sex offender with a criminal history that goes back more than 15 years. In 1993, he was convicted of attempted sexual battery. He was also convicted of stalking in 2006 and again in 2008.

Metro police said they believe Timothy Temple, a convicted sex offender, is responsible for peering into homes in west Nashville.

"It's shocking, to be honest with you," said Cory McClain.

McClain and his wife moved to their Westlawn Drive home a year ago for its charm, he said.

"It's a really friendly neighborhood," he said. "Everyone's running, biking or walking their dogs. It's just been tremendous."

Jennifer Hannah moved to the area a month ago for the same reasons.

"We just like the neighborhood," she said. "My husband lived down the street off Wyoming for awhile. It just seemed like a safe neighborhood."

Safety came into question for Hannah and McClain with recent news of a peeping tom.

According to Metro police, several homes along Westlawn Drive, 18th Ave South and Hillsboro Pike have been victim to an unwanted guest for nearly a month. Several women reported seeing a man looking into bedroom and bathroom windows late at night or early in the morning. In some cases, he left notes for the victims telling them what he saw.

On Friday morning, undercover Metro Detective Charles Taylor caught Temple looking into a window on 18th Avenue South just after midnight. Police aren't releasing his picture because of the ongoing investigation, but Temple is no stranger to the law.

He is a convicted sex offender with a criminal history that goes back more than 15 years. In 1993, he was convicted of attempted sexual battery. He was also convicted of stalking in 2006 and again in 2008.

Temple refused to talk to police Friday but was arrested on charges of trespassing and driving on a revoked license. More criminal charges are possible pending the outcome of the investigation, police said.

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

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

Jose Zamora - Repeat Sex Offender

2010-06-19T16:39:00.000-07:00

A sex offender married to a local school board member pleaded guilty Thursday to molesting a teen.

Shiara Davila-Morales, spokeswoman for the District Attorney's Office, said Jose Zamora of Santa Fe Springs faces a maximum of three years in prison at his July 16 sentencing in Whittier Superior Court.

She said he pleaded guilty to child molesting with a prior conviction.

A second charge of lewd acts upon a child is expected to be dismissed by the judge at Zamora's sentencing, Davila-Morales said.

Zamora was facing a maximum of three years and eight months in prison if convicted of the two felony charges.

He was accused of molesting two teens; one was 16 when the incident happened Dec. 28, 2009 while the other girl was 14 when he allegedly committed a lewd act upon her on or between Jan. 1, 2003 and Dec. 31, 2004.

Zamora is married to Hilda Zamora, a trustee for the Little Lake City School District. She didn't return calls seeking comment on Friday.

His attorney, Douglas Miranda, didn't reply to an e-mail or return a phone call.

Authorities didn't say how Zamora met the two teens, where the incidents happened and how police found out.

Davila-Morales said the victim wasn't a student and the molestation didn't happen at a school in the district.

"The DA's Office is not providing information that would identify any of the victims in this traumatic case. Our position is to protect the victims in these very traumatic cases who have suffered enough," she said.

Zamora was already a registered sex offender when he was arrested on the new charges. He is listed in the California Megan's Law database of sex offenders for a 2006 case where the victim was a 13-year-old girl.

He pleaded no contest on Jan. 4, 2006 to a misdemeanor count of annoying a child and was sentenced to three years' probation and 312 hours of community service, according to Jane Robison, another spokeswoman for the District Attorney's Office.

Court records show a charge of lewd acts on a child was dismissed at the same time.

He's been in custody since Whittier police arrested him April 20 at the Police Services Center, 11576 Telegraph Road in Santa Fe Springs. He is being held at Men's Central Jail in lieu of $170,000 bail.

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

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

Roy Faux - Repeat Sex Offender - Internet Predator

2010-06-18T22:07:00.000-07:00

A Springfield man was in court Tuesday facing child enticement charges -- his third such charge since 2005.

Roy Faux, 37, is a registered sex offender in Springfield, but Greene County authorities said that didn't stop him from contacting multiple young girls on Facebook looking for a "girlfriend."

A detective with the Internet Crimes Against Children task force got involved in the case after a tip was submitted to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children's CyberTipline.

A parent of one of the girls submitted the tip after she learned that Faux had asked her daughter to be his girlfriend via the chat feature of the website. The mother told officers Faux had contacted three of her daughter's Facebook friends, one of whom he had text-messaged after finding her phone number on her Facebook page.

Officers got permission to use the second girl's phone. On June 9, Faux and the undercover detective talked most of the day, court documents said.

Authorities said Faux repeatedly asked to meet a person he thought was the girl, even after being reminded that the girl was 14. He sent naked photos of himself and asked for some of the girl, authorities said.

He also allegedly asked the 14-year-old to marry him and called her his girlfriend.

Faux set up a meeting June 10 at Cox North. According to court documents, he warned that "he was really only 17 years old and to not be scared just because he would have gray hair in his beard."

He was arrested there.

Faux's next court hearing will be July 21. He faces similar charges in Polk County.

Faux pleaded guilty in 2005 to child enticement charges in the Kansas City area. He was sentenced to five years' probation with suspended execution of a sentence of two years in prison. According to a news release from the Greene County Sheriff's Office, his probation has been revoked.

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

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

Robert Kolibas - Repeat Sex Offender - Sorry Victims feel Victimized

2010-06-18T21:51:00.000-07:00

"To all the families involved, any type of people who thought they were victims, I'm sorry you feel that way"
--Robert Kolibas

"To all the families involved, any type of people who thought they were victims, I'm sorry you feel that way," Robert Kolibas told people gathered in a Burlington courtroom.

Few people in the courtroom believed that apology from Kolibas. This spring, a jury convicted the Williston 51-year-old of turning his daughter's sleepover into a nightmare by sneaking knock-out drugs into a houseguest's smoothie, then fondling the teenager in her groggy stupor.

Victim's advocate Karen Burns read a letter from the girl saying Kolibas stole her innocence. "You didn't think I would stop you, but you messed with the wrong girl," Burns read.

"I can't take back what happened," Kolibas said in court, "and I hope the community can forgive me."

Kolibas never addressed the impact of the molestation on the victim, just the strain of the trial. He maintains his innocence but Vt. District Court Judge Michael Kupersmith wasn't buying it.

"I think you know full-well what you did," the judge said.

Kupersmith laid into Kolibas for never accepting responsibility for his actions. At trial, Kolibas claimed he only meant to drug his now-ex wife, to shut her up following an argument. The pills, he said, somehow got mixed into the girl's drink and she was confused about what followed.

"You've always tried to blame others. And your story reeks with self-pity. And it's despicable. I have no reason to believe you'll ever be rehabilitated," Judge Kupersmith said.

Kolibas had hoped for two to 10 years in prison but Judge Kupersmith gave him 22 to 25, calling the crime unconscionable and saying it goes against the pride of safe communities Vermonters stand for.

"You've done a horrible disservice to the community," the judge said.

A spokeswoman told reporters the victim and her relatives are pleased the judge handed down a severe sentence for the severe trauma they've been through.

"They're looking forward to going on with their life, moving forward, and they're happy with the decision that was made today," said Kristine Bickford of the Children's Advocacy Center.

The defense attorney for Kolibas, Peggy Jansch, says she plans an appeal to the Vermont Supreme Court on this conviction. Her client is also facing other misdemeanor charges for allegedly possessing child pornography. Kolibas denies those charges, too.

Wednesday's sentencing hearing was put on hold briefly, when Jansch objected to Judge Kupersmith's handling of the hearing. Jansch accused the judge of being biased for making comments that showed he agreed with the jury's verdict.

The state's administrative judge was called in to settle that, and found there was no personal bias. Judge Amy Davenport ruled it was acceptable for Kupersmith to agree with the jury because he sat through all the same testimony, and that his remarks did not indicate those feelings impacted his ability to issue a fair sentence. Kolibas may ask for a different judge for future court dates, Jansch said.

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

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

Robert Oliver Parmer - Repeat Sex Offender - Went from Girls to Boys

2010-06-18T18:35:00.000-07:00

A registered sex offender is behind bars after he allegedly molested a boy in a town just outside Harlingen.

Palm Valley police arrested 34-year-old Robert Oliver Parmer under an indecency with a child by contact charge on Thursday.

Investigators said the boy made an outcry about two weeks ago.

Chief Alvaro Garcia told Action 4 News that officers were able to secure an arrest warrant based on a forensic interview with the boy.

According to the Texas Department of Public Safety Sex Offender Database, Parmer served two years of prison back in 1999 for the sexual assault of a 15-year-old girl.

State records show that Parmer is unemployed and was last listed as living on the 1700 block of Bobby Jones Drive in Palm Valley.

Parmer was listed in the sex offender database as a “moderate” risk level.

Chief Garcia told Action 4 News that Parmer moved to Palm Valley back in April and complied with state law by updating his address with the sex offender registry.

Garcia said investigators believe the Palm Valley case is an isolated incident.

Parmer appeared before Cameron County Justice of the Peace Sallie Gonzales on Thursday where he received a $50,000 dollar bond.

The 34-year-old man remains in custody at the Cameron County Jail.

If convicted in the Palm Valley case, Parmer could face two to 20 years in prison and/or a fine of $10,000 dollars.

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

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

Donald Edward Turner - Repeat Sex Offender - Strangles Woman

2010-06-18T10:02:00.000-07:00

Asheville police charged a registered sex offender with assaulting a woman.

Donald Edward Turner, 35, of Charlotte Street, Asheville, was charged with assault by strangulation and ordered held without bond, according to an arrest warrant.

A Buncombe County magistrate said in a bond recommendation that the woman required medical attention for bruises and Turner has a history of assaultive behavior.

The assault occurred during an argument after the woman learned of Turner’s prior sex offenses, the magistrate said. He was convicted in 2004 of taking indecent liberties with a child.

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

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

Antoine Johnson - Repeat Sex Offender - Repeatedly

2010-06-18T09:27:00.000-07:00

Newly redacted arrest warrants charging a convicted sex offender with sexually assaulting three young girls several times indicate he was well-known to his victims and their family.

Antoine Johnson, 30, of West Main St., has a history of sex offenses dating back prior to 2002 when he was convicted by Florida authorities of sexual battery involving a child under 12, according to court papers and Connecticut’s Sex Offender Registry.

Johnson also was convicted in 2002 of lewd acts on a child under 12 and in 2004 for sexual battery involving a child under 12.

Johnson is now facing nearly four dozens charges in assaults involving three New Britain girls, ages 11, 9 and 6, including 15 counts of first-degree sexual assault, 23 counts of risk of injury to a minor through sexual contact, eight counts of fourth-degree sexual assault and criminal attempt to commit first-degree sexual assault. The incidents were reported to police in April by a state Department of Children and Families investigative social worker, the warrants for his arrest said. The names of the children were not mentioned in the three arrest affidavits. Several pages of the documents pertaining to the children’s admissions to a clinical interview specialist at St. Francis Hospital were blacked out by court staff because they included comments that could identify the names of the victims.

The children had told a woman close to Johnson that he was forcing them to commit sex acts but she said she feared he would kill her if she came forward with the allegations. The woman told police Johnson had choked her until she nearly blacked out and he had slapped and threatened her with a knife during their relationship.

The assaults came to light when an 18-year-old female moved into Johnson’s home and later told her former foster mother he was touching her and the three young girls.

When Johnson learned of the allegations he threatened to kill himself repeatedly, the warrants said. He told police during an interview that he wasn’t guilty of the Florida assaults and feared he would face similar charges here. Police executing a search warrant at his home discovered the apartment matched the description given by the three young victims. They also found several knives stashed in odd places including his bedroom, court papers indicate.

Johnson was arrested by New Britain police last year and accused of chasing and attempting to stab a neighbor. The arrest violated his probation issued out of Florida and he was incarcerated when he was served with the three arrest warrants for the New Britain sexual assaults on May 11.

He has entered not guilty pleas on all the charges and is being held on $1.15 million bond. The condition of his release if he makes bond include no contact with the victims and no contact with family members. Johnson is expected to return to court July 8.

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

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

Stephen Foy - Repeat Sex Offender - Proves What Happens if You Let an Offender Stay in Your Home

2010-06-18T09:09:00.001-07:00

Clayton, Ohio police arrested a 33-year-old man after a teenage girl said she was sexually assaulted during a sleepover at a friend's home.

Stephen Foy, 33, was taken to jail and accused of child endangering and gross sexual imposition.

The 13-year-old victim told police she woke up early the morning of June 13 to find Foy on top of her.

"She was awakened by the fact that the male was on top of her and touching her outside her clothing. She requested him to stop, and tried to get back to sleep," said Richard Rose, the Director of Public Safety in Clayton. "A short time later he persisted in his actions."

Police said Foy fled when the girl woke up her friends and they called her parents, but he left evidence behind.

"He was instant messaging somebody with a laptop computer, and also there was live video streaming of the incident at that time to another person," said Rose.

Police said he was a relative of the friend, and was staying over at their home during the sleepover.

Foy is a convicted sex offender out of South Carolina and was released from prison in 2008 after sexually assaulting a 16-year old girl. He's listed as a tier-2 sex offender.

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

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

Tony Hughes - Repeat Sex Offender - Can't Leave Young Girls Alone

2010-06-18T09:04:00.000-07:00

A registered sex offender was arrested Wednesday after he allegedly had sex with a girl several times, police said.

Tony Hughes faces 11 counts of statutory rape and sex offenses involving a 14-year-old girl. Officers said the alleged incidents happened between December 2009 and January 2010.

Hughes, a registered sex offender, was previously convicted in 2003 of taking indecent liberties with a minor, according to the North Carolina Offender Registry. He was released from jail in 2005.

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

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

Stacey Alan Deines - Repeat Sex Offender - Internet Predator

2010-06-18T08:41:00.000-07:00

A registered sex offender was arrested Thursday in Kansas as he arrived at his home with a Sequoyah County girl he is accused of kidnapping, authorities reported.

Stacey Alan Deines, 35, of Florence, Kan., has been a registered sex offender in Kansas since 1998 after being convicted of indecent liberties with a 14-year-old child.

Sequoyah County Sheriff Ron Lockhart said Deines was arrested around 7:15 a.m. Thursday by the U.S. Marshals Service on the kidnapping complaint and is in Marion County jail in Kansas on a $250,000 bond.

"He's fighting extradition, so we're proceeding with a governor's warrant," Lockhart said.

The kidnapping complaint arose around 2:10 a.m., when the 16-year-old's father called the Sheriff's Office to report his daughter missing.

He had apparently tried unsuccessfully to pursue Deines' truck before making the call.

Investigators learned the girl had been communicating via Facebook and cell phone with Deines, and they found his cell phone number during a search of her room.

From there, Lockhart said, they subpoenaed the phone company's records and started "pinging" Deines' phone to track him.

Around 5 a.m., the U.S. Marshals Service in Oklahoma City made contact with its counterpart in Wichita, Kan., which dispatched deputies to wait for Deines at his home. He showed up with the girl and was promptly arrested, Lockhart said.

The girl was taken into custody by juvenile authorities in Marion County and could not be questioned without her parents, who were expected to arrive around midday Thursday.

Lockhart said there is some concern about whether the girl was injured because Deines' home is about a five-hour drive from Sequoyah County, but it took him eight hours to get home after he picked her up.

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

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

William E. Gordius - Repeat Sex Offender - Restroom Offender

2010-06-18T08:31:00.000-07:00

BANGOR, Maine — A local man who is a registered sex offender was caught Tuesday evening trying to peek under restroom stall doors at the Pickering Square parking garage, Bangor police Sgt. Paul Edwards said Wednesday.

A female BAT Community Connector employee told officers around 5:15 p.m. that she saw a man on his hands and knees in the women's restroom trying to look at women inside the stalls.

She left quickly and locked the door behind her using a key she was issued as a BAT employee. That trapped William E. Gordius, 53, of Bangor inside the restroom.

Two female BAT employees were using the restroom, "and one left, and [that is when the other employee] noticed him and locked the door," Edwards said.

Officer Dennis Townsend, who was patrolling the downtown area on a pedal bike, was at the scene within seconds and arrested Gordius on a charge of violation of privacy.

He was taken to Penobscot County Jail and was released later that day on bail, a jail official said.

The Maine Sex Offender Registry states that Gordius was convicted in 1987 in Hancock County Superior Court in Ellsworth of gross sexual misconduct and unlawful sexual contact. He was sentenced to eight years in prison, with all but four suspended, for the sexual misconduct, and given two years for the unlawful sexual contact, which involved a child between ages 3 and 14, the Sex Offender Registry website states.

In Bangor, "he has a lot of history with us ... dating back to 1998," Edwards said.

In the last dozen years, Gordius has been convicted of the sale or use of drug paraphernalia, disorderly conduct, violating condition of release, forgery, criminal trespass and obstructing public ways, according to court listings printed in the Bangor Daily News.

If convicted of the violation of privacy charge, Gordius could face a penalty of up to one year in jail and a $2,000 fine.

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

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

William Powell - Repeat Sex Offender - Attempted to Rape Counselor

2010-06-17T22:18:00.000-07:00

A hulking sex offender at the troubled Bronx Psychiatric Center tried to rape a counselor who barely managed to fight her way free, the Daily News has learned.

Patient 7, 40, barged into the victim's office Sunday, grabbed her by the neck with one hand and covered her mouth with his other hand to prevent her from screaming, according to court papers.

The 6-foot-3, 230-pound suspect tried to yank down her pants and underwear while stifling her screams, according to court papers, but she fought back and managed to break away.

She quickly reported what happened, sources said, and Powell was arrested Monday.

He was charged with attempted rape and attempted sexual abuse and held on $100,000 bail.

His lawyer did not respond to a request for comment, and the state Office of Mental Health refused comment.

It was not immediately clear why Powell was at the center, where two patients previously alleged they were sexually abused since 2008. Powell served more than eight years for a 1996 attempted rape in Manhattan, and more than two years in prison for an attempted robbery conviction in Queens in the early 1990s.

The News reported in January that a teen patient at the center claimed he was raped by an unidentified hospital employee and another patient last summer.

State investigators uncovered what sources called "credible evidence" the 14-year-old boy was attacked, although no criminal charges were filed. At the same center in February, a 22-year-old patient claimed he was molested by a worker who was a registered sex offender in Florida.

Employee John Washington said on his application that he was an ex-con but didn't reveal he had committed a sex crime; the hospital never checked.

Washington worked there for nearly three years until he was accused of sexually abusing the victim in March 2008, according to a lawsuit filed by the victim.

No criminal charges were filed because the Bronx district attorney's office said it " was not a prosecutable case."

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

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

Chad Andrew Larsen - Repeat Sex Offender - Hired Murder of His Victim

2010-06-16T22:14:00.000-07:00

Chad Andrew Larsen, 30, was sentenced Tuesday to 25 years to life in prison for soliciting the murder of a 16-year-old girl who was poised to testify against him in a statutory rape case.

The ruling came after Judge Timothy Cissna rejected a motion by Larsen's attorney to recuse the Humboldt County District Attorney's Office from the case because of a campaign advertisement. Cissna said that while parts of the commercial were inaccurate, it “had no effect whatsoever on the judgment in the case.”

Deputy District Attorney Kelly Neel said that the sentence was “a long time coming.”

”Now I get to call the victim and her mother and tell them it's over,” Neel said. “I think they can take comfort in the fact that the justice system held Mr. Larsen accountable for his actions.”

Neither the victim nor her family was in court for the ruling, but Neel said that she would call them with the news.

In addressing the court, Larsen said the advertisement would put his life at risk in prison.

”I'm going to be killed now,” he said. “I need to go to a mental asylum or something.”

Larsen was arrested on the rape charge two years ago and later attempted to arrange for the murder of his victim who, at the time, was poised to testify against him at trial. Larsen was convicted of the statutory rape charge in April 2010.

Larsen's plan was to have the girl drugged and then buried in a trough at his ranch. Hislop said Larsen initially attempted to get his cellmate to do the job, but he didn't want any part of it. Larsen also enlisted the help of his father Dennis, who later went to police and entered into a plea deal. He received probation.

Larsen did find an inmate who he thought would take the job in exchange for $5,000 and a used car. The inmate instead went to the district attorney's office and told them that he was concerned for the well-being of the girl.

That's when the investigation really began to move forward, Hislop said.

”He came forward with notes and maps from Larsen that showed detailed directions on what to do with the body,” Hislop said. “At that point, we said, 'If we don't do something, he's going to get this girl killed.'”

Investigators put a wire on the inmate who turned informant, and had him walk out the front door to make it seem like he was being released from jail.

”We knew it would be on us if he disappeared,” Hislop said, adding that a team of officers kept close tabs on the inmate while he walked to a nearby restaurant to call Larsen's father. Once contact was made to establish that the murder plot was a go, the operation took off.

Investigators were able to track a pair of shovels, which were to be used to bury the girl, that Larsen's father bought at Pierson Building Center in Eureka with his credit card. They then followed Dennis Larsen to the ranch, where he arranged with an undercover agent -- who he thought was the released inmate -- to drop off the shovels and $500 as a down payment in the mail box. Dennis Larsen later went to police.

Hislop said that was sufficient evidence to get a search warrant for the ranch, where investigators seized more material that pointed to the conspiracy.

”Chad has no cause and effect,” Hislop said. “He thinks that everything will just go away.”

In court Tuesday, Chad Larsen said he did not receive a fair trial.

”I watched so many lies go through this court,” he said. “It's ridiculous.”

Chad Larsen said that his attorneys failed to bring evidence to the court that proved the girl was lying in her testimony. Larsen said that he did have sex with the victim -- twice.

”I made a very stupid mistake,” Chad Larsen said before being escorted back to jail. “Was it bad judgment? Yes. Did I have criminal intent? No.”

Cissna said that the facts he was disputing did not change the fact that a person's life was in danger.

”If it were up to Mr. Larsen, his victim would be dead right now,” Cissna said, adding an additional nine years in prison for Larsen's prior record and violation of his parole.

Chad Larsen had faced four years in prison under his original charge of statutory rape. He was already on probation for having unlawful sex with a minor when he was arrested for the second offense of having unlawful sex with a minor two years ago.

Neel said that she is not surprised at the ruling, and is glad the case is over.

”I believe Mr. Larsen has earned and deserves every single day he has been sentenced,” Neel said. “The victim was a 16-year-old kid, and this is something that will impact her life forever.”

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

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

Robert Hoke - Repeat Sex Offender - New Victim Discovered During Compliance Check

2010-06-15T05:35:00.000-07:00

A convicted sex offender who initially blamed his crime on his 9-year-old victim decided against an upcoming trial and pleaded guilty to the first-degree rape charge against him Wednesday in Lawrence County Common Pleas Court.

Robert Hoke, 38, who last listed a Proctorville address, also pleaded guilty to one count of failure to register as a sex offender.

Judge Charles Cooper postponed sentencing until June 30.

Ohio law dictates that, given the age of the victim and the nature of the crime, Hoke will be sentenced to life in prison. However, he may be eligible for parole after serving 15 years.

Hoke has previously served a prison sentence in another state on a sex offense involving another juvenile.

Hoke was arrested in March during a multi-agency sex offender sweep. That action was aimed at verifying whether convicted sex offenders were abiding by the terms of federal laws that dictate where they live and that they notify local authorities if they move, change jobs and so forth.

Hoke was arrested for failing to notify the Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office of a change of his address during that sweep.

After he was incarcerated, the victim told authorities about the abuse she had endured, prompting the new rape charge.

Lawrence County Prosecutor J.B. Collier Jr., said Hoke had initially told authorities “the girl wanted it.” Collier said he told Hoke if he did not plead guilty and spare the child the ordeal of a trial his office would do everything possible to make sure Hoke never got parole.

Hoke was to have stood trial July 1 and 2. He remains in the Lawrence County Jail.

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

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

James Norkin - Repeat Sex Offender - Molests Girl on Bus - Caught on Camera

2010-06-15T05:24:00.000-07:00

Laguna Beach - A 48-year-old man who allegedly molested a teenage girl on a bus in Laguna Beach was in custody today, and authorities called for other possible victims to come forward.

James Norkin was detained by his parole officer on Wednesday for failure to register as a sex offender, according to the Orange County Sheriff's Department.

The parole officer saw news reports about the search for the bus molester and contacted sheriff's detectives, said department spokesman Jim Amormino.

Norkin, who was being tracked with a GPS device, was called to his parole officer's Costa Mesa office on Wednesday because he wasn't where he said he was, Amormino said.

He was taken directly to the state prison in Chino, where deputies today confirmed he was their suspect in the Sunday afternoon groping incident on an Orange County Transportation Authority bus in Laguna Beach, Amormino said.

The alleged victim got on the bus with two other girls younger than 15, and as they rode to Laguna Niguel, Norkin sat down next to them about 3 p.m. and allegedly touched one of the girls in a sexual manner, Amormino said.

The girl was so frightened she did not move, but one of her friends saw what was happening and yelled at the man to stop, Amormino said.

Norkin, who got off the bus at the Laguna Hills Mall stop, has a prior record of indecent exposure, Amormino said.

He said anyone else who may have been molested by Norkin should call the sheriff's department at (866) TIP-OCSD.

Amormino said OCTA buses "are extremely safe. It's a rarity this happened on the bus."

He credited the agency's surveillance system for helping to catch the suspect.

"They have one of the best surveillance systems I've ever seen," Amormino said. "We have several angles, and the sound is good. This dangerous predator is off the street, and this is a good example of law enforcement and the media working together."

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

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

Antonio Barker - Repeat Sex Offender - Peeper Repeater

2010-06-14T08:34:00.000-07:00

Police say Barker had been convicted in Florida for trespassing, loitering and prowling.

Barker is a registered sex offender in Indiana and Kentucky.

A sex offender is arrested for allegedly peeping in a 12-year-old's room.

Evansville police were called to a home on SE 1st Street to investigate a prowler.

The resident told police his daughter woke up in the middle of the night for the previous three nights to find a man looking in her window.

Later that night, police were called back to the home when the resident told dispatchers he caught the suspect in the act.

Police approached Antonio Barker.

When asked why he was on the property, Barker told police he was going to someone's house.

Police say Barker had been convicted in Florida for trespassing, loitering and prowling.

Barker is a registered sex offender in Indiana and Kentucky.

Barker is charged with felony voyeurism.

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

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

Michael McKinzie - Repeat Sex Offender - Caught on Camera

2010-06-13T08:50:00.000-07:00

A registered sex offender wearing a Cox hat is accused of indecent exposure at a 7-Eleven.

Michael McKinzie, 43, was arrested this week after an incident at the Escondido convenience store last Friday, according to police, who said he exposed himself while buying some drinks and handing money to a clerk.

This Friday, a woman living at the address on Kent Avenue in Escondido that McKinzie registered with the state at confirmed he lived there and said he worked for Cox Communications until Wednesday, when the company fired him.

Surveillance video shot at the store allegedly shows McKinzie wearing a ball cap with the Cox logo on it during the incident. A profile page on LinkedIn.com appears to confirm that McKinzie has an employment history with Cox -- according to the page, Michael McKinzie is a "feild [sic] supervisor at Cox Communications."

A representative for Cox Communications confirmed that McKinzie, was fired.

On Friday, Cox released a statement that read, in part:

"All of our employees are required to pass an extensive county, state and federal background check that includes the sexual offender list before being hired. [McKinzie's] background check was clear when we hired him, and that included the sexual offender list.... Nothing in his attendance record would have signaled Cox about his conviction in 2008.... The individual was terminated once we were made aware of his prior conviction and we continue to cooperate fully with the Escondido Police Department during this ongoing investigation."

McKinzie is accused of committing the brazen act while surrounded by four women and a few men.

"As the money is exchanged this unknown male exposes himself by pulling his sweats down and places his private parts on the counter," said Lt. Craig Carter with Escondido police.

"It seemed so brazen -- two females off to his left, one to his right, a couple males behind him in line -- and it didn't even seem to faze him," Carter said.

Carter said the cashier, a 28-year old woman, was very traumatized and shocked but still managed to give change in the hopes that the man would just leave.

One thing this flasher wasn't counting on was the store's surveillance video. The camera picked up the entire incident and helped investigators identify McKinzie.

McKinzie has a 2008 conviction for committing a lewd act with a child under the age of 14. Several days after the 7-Eleven incident, McKinzie was booked into the Vista Detention Facility for indecent exposure.

Because he violated his probation, the crime is considered a felony, Carter said.

As for the cashier, she returned to her job Thursday night despite what happened.

The public won't see the incident any time soon since investigators said they won't release the surveillance video due to legal concerns.

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

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

Leonard Scroggins - Repeat Sex Offender - A Repeat Repeater

2010-06-12T08:59:00.000-07:00

New details show the man who allegedly tried to abduct a 13-year-old girl at knifepoint has quite a history of violating parole.

Department of Corrections documents show convicted sex offender Leonard Scroggins in and out of prison. Back in the mid-90's he was sentenced to ten years for rape in Napa County. He served four and a half, but violated his parole twice; finally being released in 2003.

A couple of months later, Scroggins went back to prison after pleading guilty to a terrorist threat involving kidnapping and rape. He again violated parole, and was just released from prison this past March.

"This guy is the poster child for a broken corrections system," says State Assemblyman Nathan Fletcher.

Within days of getting out on parole earlier this year, Scroggins was already accused of fondling a young girl in Napa County. Months later he allegedly cuts off his GPS monitoring device and was on the run, but the public didn't know until he went on a crime spree in San Diego County.

"What I think that this demonstrates -- someone you can't fix. Someone you can't rehabilitate. In that case, we need to lock them up," Fletcher told San Diego 6.

But changing the existing system is expected to take time. To protect the public in the meantime, Fletcher says we should empower people with information, using resources we already have like electronic billboards. The billboards could be used to put out warnings similar to Amber Alerts but with a description of a sex offender who is acting up or taking off their GPS bracelet.

"The minute you know someone who is in danger -- is on the loose -- has removed their bracelet, I think you should notify everybody as fast as possible, " says Fletcher.

Law enforcement officers say new legislation would be required before an Amber Alert type system could be put in place for sex offenders.

Fletcher says he would like reverse 911 calls to be used to alert the public about misbehaving sex offenders as well.

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

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

Robert J. Patterson - Repeat Sex Offender - Lured Two young boys

2010-06-12T05:41:00.000-07:00

A Tier III sex offender was arrested Friday for reportedly trying to lure two boys into his apartment.

Robert J. Patterson, 58, of 362 Jennings Ave., Apt. F, was arrested on a charge of criminal child enticement. Police said he offered two boys, ages 12 and 11, money to do housework.

Patterson's previous crimes include attempted rape and attempted kidnapping, according to the Richland County Sheriff's Office website. Mansfield police Sgt. Ken Carroll said Patterson committed those offenses in Putnam County in northwestern Ohio. As a Tier III sex offender, he must register with the county sheriff wherever he lives every 90 days for the rest of his life.

The boys identified Patterson from a picture on the sex offender link of the sheriff's office website. According to the police report, Patterson also offered other children money to do housework.

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

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

Kevin Duane Barnard - Repeat Sex Offender - Facing Life Sentence

2010-06-11T05:06:00.000-07:00

A previously convicted sex offender faces a life prison sentence after being found guilty Thursday of making a lewd or indecent proposal to a child.

Tulsa County jurors convicted Kevin Duane Barnard of a charge alleging that he proposed sexual conduct during 2007 e-mail communications with a person he thought was a 12-year-old girl but who was actually an undercover police officer.

Barnard, 33, was also found guilty of a separate felony count of using a computer to commit a felony.

Jurors gave Barnard a life sentence for the lewd proposal and a 10-year term for the computer crime.

Barnard did not testify.

During the sentencing stage of his trial in Associate District Judge Dana Kuehn’s court, Assistant District Attorney Christina Wolfram presented evidence that Barnard was previously convicted in a lewd molestation case in Washington County.

In that 1998 case, he pleaded no contest and got a seven-year suspended sentence, records show.

The Tulsa County case involved evidence that police received information that Barnard had handed a note to a fifth-grade girl in a Tulsa public library providing his name, phone number and e-mail address and a note indicating that she had a friend if she wanted one.

A detective — who portrayed a 12-year-old girl — sent correspondence to that e-mail address.

The defendant was told repeatedly that he was corresponding with a 12-year-old. He suggested meeting and going on a date and inquired about whether they could engage in specific
types of sexual activity, evidence indicated.

Barnard was charged and arrested in May 2007. The resolution of his case was delayed by repeated issues related to his mental competency.

Barnard remains in the Tulsa Jail to await his formal sentencing on July 20.

He also has an unresolved Tulsa County felony charge of failing to register as a sex offender, involving an allegation that he did not report in timely fashion a change of address to the appropriate authorities.

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

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

Lindell Brunning - Repeat Sex Offender - Receives 36 Years

2010-06-10T04:57:00.000-07:00

CLEVELAND OHIO - A convicted sex offender from Cleveland who was found guilty of re-offending after getting out of prison was sentenced to 36 years in prison Tuesday.

Lindell Brunning, 47, was originally convicted of rape in 1983 and sentenced to 10 to 25 years behind bars. He was released in 2008 and registered his address with the sheriff’s office.

But in 2009, prosecutors said he gave the wrong address to the sheriff’s office and was indicted for falsely verifying his address in January 2010.

According to prosecutors, Brunning sexually assaulted a 13-year-boy who lived next door to him in Parma Heights in August 2009.

In April 2010, he pleaded guilty to unlawful conduct with a minor and two counts of sexual battery. During the court hearing, Brunning also pleaded guilty to charges of verification of current address, notice of change of address and tampering with records.

Brunning is now classified as a tier III sexual offender.

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

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

Augustin Figueroa - Repeat Sex Offender - Trafficking Child Pornography

2010-06-09T20:29:00.000-07:00

A man convicted of molesting a toddler more than a decade ago......

A man convicted of molesting a toddler more than a decade ago is back in jail, accused of trafficking child pornography.

Augustin Figueroa, 52, has been accused of offering to trade extremely graphic child pornography online, officials said. He was charged with three counts of promoting child pornography and more charges could be coming, according to prosecutors.

Police said they first made contact with Figueroa online last month and downloaded very graphic videos of children he was offering to trade. Some of the children were as young as 6 years old and engaged in sex, police said.

Investigators said they found more videos when they raided his house in Angleton and seized computers, hard disks and DVDs.

"They were able to actually look into his computer. In the computers belonging to this defendant, in his profile, child pornography. (We) found more than a hundred videos of very young children engaging in sexual acts," said Eric Devlin, an assistant Harris County prosecutor.

Figueroa was arrested at his job in east Fort Bend County.

He is a registered sex offender, convicted in 1997 of sexually assaulting a 4-year-old girl.

The investigation is not over. Detectives are still trying to identify the children being abused in the videos they said they found at Figueroa's home.

"The videos are very, very young. They are very, very graphic, so we are concerned. We'd love to talk to anybody who had any dealings or any experience with him," Devlin said.

Figueroa is facing three second-degree felonies. Each carries a punishment of up to 20 years in prison.

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

Leslie "Tom" Agnew - Repeat Sex Offender - "I want to say I'm sorry. That's it"

2010-06-09T19:29:00.001-07:00

"This is an egregious offense," he said. "There are just a few, if any, that are worse than what's happened here."

Calling the crime egregious and violent, a judge Wednesday sentenced a 45-year-old Lincoln man to nearly the maximum for repeating the crime that put him on the Sex Offender Registry more than a decade earlier.

Leslie "Tom" Agnew spoke only briefly at the afternoon hearing in a full courtroom.

"I want to say I'm sorry. That's it," Agnew told District Judge Robert Otte, before he got 35 to 38 years for attempted first-degree sexual assault and generation of child pornography.

Agnew turned himself in to Lincoln police in August after allegations surfaced he inappropriately had touched two girls. Prosecutors added charges a month later after police discovered photos on his computer.

He later pleaded no contest to two felonies.

In court Wednesday, Agnew's attorney, Tim Eppler of the Public Defender's office, asked for a minimum prison term or possibly intensive probation.

"He understands his actions caused a tremendous amount of hurt," he said.

Agnew took full responsibility for his actions, Eppler said.

But he urged the court not to re-punish him for a conviction in 1997 in Omaha, for which he got six to eight years, after victims in that case came forward with letters to the judge in this case.

Eppler also pointed to an assessment calling Agnew a low-risk to commit another sex crime.

Deputy County Attorney Matt Acton took issue with the assessment. He said that almost immediately after Agnew got out of prison in the earlier case he put himself in a position to end up in the same spot.

"It's ridiculous to think that Mr. Agnew is a low risk to reoffend," he said.

Acton asked the judge for the maximum, 40 years, given that he had committed the same crime before, this time after learning he had a problem. Acton said the effects of his crimes were "drastic, horrible and everlasting."

Then the victims' mother read a letter asking for help, not the maximum sentence, for Agnew.

She said a maximum sentence wouldn't help her, her daughters or Agnew. He has an issue, she said, and desperately needs help.

In the end, Otte gave Agnew 35 to 38 years.

"This is an egregious offense," he said. "There are just a few, if any, that are worse than what's happened here."

Agnew also faces supervision and listing on the Sex Offender Registry for life, as well as a possible civil commitment once he's released.

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

Tony Phipps - Repeat Sex Offender - Habitual Pervert

2010-06-09T19:24:00.001-07:00

Court records also indicate at least five women have taken out restraining orders against him, including his sodomy victim.

A registered sex offender with a Lane County criminal history for sodomy and other sex crimes has been arrested on suspicion of harrassment after what police are calling a possible abduction attempt near an elementary school Tuesday.

Police arrested Tony Phipps, 36, on suspicion of harassament around 11:27 a.m. Wednesday.

Police said Phipps is homeless and has no known address, but court records list a Royal Avenue address for Phipps in Eugene, where he has convictions for sodomy and contributing to the sexual delinquency of a minor for offense in Lane County stretching back to 1997. The offenses involved a teenage girl in Eugene.

An earlier version of this story indicated he had a conviction for rape. Further scrutiny of original court records indicate Phipps was charged with rape but pleaded guilty to sodomy in exchange for having rape charges dismissed.

Court records suggest Phipps moved to Albany around 2006, then to St. Helens around 2008. In both cases, he faced charges of failing to register as a sex offender.

Phipps was arrested Wednesday in St. Helens as police investigated a report of what they are calling a "possible abduction case."

On Tuesday, a 5th-grade boy walking home from Lewis and Clark Grade School in St. Helens, Ore., reported being approached and grabbed by an unknown male suspect, police there said.

Police said the student described being grabbed from the rear by a man who pulled on the student’s backpack. The student turned to face the unknown man as the man reached out toward the student. The student slapped away the unknown man’s hands and ran to his home.

Police released a description of the “unknown male” to the public, other law enforcement organizations and to other City of St. Helens employees.

A short time later a City of St. Helens Public Works Supervisor observed a man that fit the description and relayed that information to police.

Tony Phipps' criminal history from Lane County court records:

1998 - Convicted of felony Sodomy in the 3rd Degree in Lane County. His female victim was 14 at the time. He was also charged with other rape and sodomy charges when the victim was 13 and 14, but those charges were dropped as part of a plea deal.

2000 - Convicted of misdemeanor Contributing to the Sexual Delinquency of a Minor in Lane County. His victim was the same girl as the 1998 sodomy conviction. The victim was 16 at the time.

2006 - Convicted in Albany for failing to register as a sex offender

2008 - Convicted in St. Helens for failing to register as a sex offender

Court records also indicate at least five women have taken out restraining orders against him, including his sodomy victim.

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

Carl Floyd - Repeat Sex Offender - Violent Stalker

2010-06-09T15:15:00.000-07:00

A Fairfield man is in the county jail today after U.S. Marshals and police took him into custody on a charge of aggravated stalking.

Authorities say Carl Floyd, a 40-year-old convicted sex offender, stalked and threatened his estranged girlfriend last month. Then, on Tuesday, he took one of their children without permission, federal investigators said.

Floyd returned the child unharmed after he learned police had become involved in the case, said Marty Keely, U.S. Marshal for the Northern District of Alabama. The marshals and Fairfield police took him into custody later Tuesday night.

In May, Floyd threw a brick through his estranged girlfriends car window and, during a telephone call to her, threatened to kill her and a police officer.

Floyd was taken into custody after lawmen found him hiding in an attic of a house where police had tracked him. A .40-caliber handgun was also recovered.

Floyd faces additional charges because he was carrying a weapon and he was not living at the address provided authorities per registered sex offender laws.

"Quick apprehension of sex offenders is a high priority for the U.S. Marshals Service," Keely said.

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

Eddie Mack Caldwell - Repeat Sex Offender - Sexual Predator

2010-06-09T13:48:00.000-07:00

A Marianna resident was arrested and charged Tuesday after he was identified as the suspect by the victim of a sexual assault that occurred that same day.

According to a news release from the Marianna Police Department, officers responded to report of sexual battery that occurred at the Wash House, at 2898 Orange St. in Marianna.

The suspect was identified by the victim in a six-man line up and a warrant was issued for the arrest of Eddie Mack Caldwell, 51, of 4505 Jackson St. in Marianna.

According to police, Caldwell was arrested a short time later. He is being charged with sexual battery upon a disabled person.

Marianna police also said Caldwell is also listed on the Florida Department Of Law Enforcement’s website as a sexual predator. He is being housed at Jackson County Correctional Facility, where he will await first appearance.

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

Wayne Ramkisson - Repeat Sex Offender - Rapist

2010-06-08T22:04:00.000-07:00

Village Police in Monticello have charged a 34-year-old local man with first-degree rape after he sexually attacked a 16-year-old girl after giving her alcohol.

Wayne Ramkisson of Monticello was also charged with endangering the welfare of a child and unlawfully dealing with a child in the first degree. Ramkisson is already a level three sex offender in New York for a prior conviction of sexual abuse in the first degree that occurred in 1996.

The victim had met Ramkisson earlier Sunday afternoon and took a walk with him to Dehoyas Park on Hay Street where he began to make unwanted sexual advances toward her, it is alleged.

When she resisted and told Ramkisson to stop, she was pushed to the ground and forcibly attacked.

Concerned family members alerted police that she had not returned home at a designated time. A police officer searching for the girl found Ramkisson and her walking on West Broadway after the assault.

Ramkisson had also threatened the girl not to say anything to the police but when an officer interviewed her, she reported the incident.

Ramkisson was remanded to the Sullivan County Jail without bail.

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

Kenneth Lapradd - Repeat Sex Offender - Used Library to Obtain Child Porn

2010-06-08T21:43:00.001-07:00

A federal grand jury indicted a twice-convicted sex offender on charges that he downloaded child pornography at the University of Louisville's art library.

Kenneth Lapradd, 47, was arrested in March.

Investigators said they found numerous images of child pornography after searching Lapradd's apartment.

After his arrest, a judge said Lapradd should be kept in jail. The judge said Lapradd was a danger to the community.

If convicted, Lapradd could receive a maximum sentence of 55 years in prison and a $500,000 fine.

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

Robert Musmacker - Repeat Sex Offender - A Public Health Menace

2010-06-08T19:51:00.000-07:00

An HIV-positive Oceanside man faces 18 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to having unprotected sex with young men and boys as young as 16 years of age.

Robert Musmacker, 38, pleaded guilty to a 25-count indictment in Suffolk County court in Riverhead on Monday, June 7, which included multiple charges of first-degree reckless endangerment, third-degree criminal sexual acts and endangering the welfare of a child. According to prosecutors, Musmacker — who has been described publicly by Suffolk County District Attorney Thomas Spota as a public health menace — admitted in court that he had sexual contact with nine males between the ages of 16 to 20 between the summer of 2007 and late 2008.

In a statement, Spota said that Musmacker was a high-risk, level three sex offender when he was arrested by New York state police on Dec. 28, 2008, for having sex with a male teenager. Musmacker had a prior sodomy conviction in Nassau County at the time of his arrest.

Prosecutors said that Musmacker had known since October 2005 that he was HIV positive and did not inform his victims; did not use condoms or ask his victims to use condoms. Prosecutors said that none of the victims has contracted AIDS.

Suffolk County Judge Barbara Kahn promised to sentence Musmacker to 14 years in prison, along with 15 years of post-release supervision. Spota said that Musmacker is scheduled to be sentenced on July 13, at which point the people will recommend a prison sentence of 18 years.

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

David Lacey - Repeat Sex Offender - Internet Predator

2010-06-08T19:00:00.000-07:00

"Lacey, already a convicted sex offender, had clearly and deliberately set out to entice vulnerable and impressionable young girls into his web of on-line sex."

A convicted sex offender from West Sussex who posed as a student to incite teenage girls to take part in cybersex has been jailed for four years.

David Lacey, 43, of Selsey Road, Chichester, made online contact with girls via social networking websites.

He was caught following a police check to ensure he complied with a 10-year sex offences order for downloading obscene pictures of children in 2004.

Chichester Crown Court heard he had indecent images of several girls.

Lacey pleaded guilty to 10 counts of making indecent pictures of children, all girls under 16, two of causing or inciting a girl aged 13 to 15 to engage in sexual activity, and two of causing or inciting a child aged 13 to 15 to look at an image of sexual activity.

In addition, the farm worker admitted possessing ammunition for a shotgun when banned for five years and possessing an air rifle, again while banned for five years.
'Vulnerable and impressionable'

He was sentenced following a two-year investigation by Sussex Police's Paedophile On-line Investigation Team.

Det Con Helen Cook said: "Lacey, already a convicted sex offender, had clearly and deliberately set out to entice vulnerable and impressionable young girls into his web of on-line sex.

"Had it not been for our vigilance, he might still be out there now."

Lacey was made the subject of a Sexual Offences Prevention Order (SOPO) for life, and will be placed on the Sexual Offenders Register for life.

On his release from prison, he will also be made to comply with licence supervision requirements for a further five years.

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

Richard J. Cloutier Jr. - Repeat Sex Offender

2010-06-08T17:29:00.000-07:00

The Massachusetts Sex Offender Registry lists Cloutier as having been convicted twice on multiple charges of open and gross lewdness and lascivious behavior in 1994 and 1995. He was also listed as being convicted in 1991 on charges of indecent assault and battery of a person 14 years of age or older.

A Salisbury man is being charged with failure to register as a sex offender, as Salisbury police also investigate whether he is behind a rash of incidents related to a man exposing himself on Salisbury Beach.

Richard J. Cloutier Jr., 46, of 131 North End Blvd., was arrested on Friday at his home in Salisbury for failing to register as a convicted level 3 sex offender — a ranking by the state for those considered to be the most likely to re-offend. He was arraigned yesterday at Newburyport District Court and ordered held on $5,000 cash bail as he awaits his next scheduled pretrial hearing on July 1.

Salisbury police Chief David L'Esperance said Cloutier was discovered and arrested for failing to register while police were investigating several reports of a man exposing himself on Salisbury Beach in the 130s block of North End Boulevard.

L'Esperance said police received about nine complaints during the past two weeks from beachgoers about a Caucasian male, described as appearing to be in his 40s, wearing khaki shorts and a dark shirt, exposing himself to beachgoers, primarily women, then running away. In some cases, victims reported the perpetrator was about 20 feet from his victims, and other times he was farther away, L'Esperance said.

Police began surveillance along the beach in the area where the complaints were generated when they found Cloutier at the North End Boulevard home. Salisbury police have previously prosecuted Cloutier and knew of the outstanding warrant, L'Esperance said.

"Detective Sgt. Anthony King was in an unmarked car when he noticed a man walking over to a home on North End Boulevard," L'Esperance said. "He then noticed Cloutier when he opened the door of the house to let the man in. Sgt. King recognized him and knew there was an outstanding felony warrant for him for failing to register as a sex offender."

The Massachusetts Sex Offender Registry lists Cloutier as having been convicted twice on multiple charges of open and gross lewdness and lascivious behavior in 1994 and 1995. He was also listed as being convicted in 1991 on charges of indecent assault and battery of a person 14 years of age or older.

In 2007, Cloutier was arrested on a charge of failing to register as a sex offender. He eventually pleaded guilty to that charge and was sentenced to two years in prison, said Stephen O'Connell, spokesman from the office of Essex County District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett. He was released from Middleton Jail in October 2009, O'Connell said.

In October, Cloutier registered as a sex offender at the Salisbury police station, listing his address as "homeless," according the police report included in court documents. According to the state Sex Offender Registry Board regulations, his homeless status required Cloutier to update his registration every 45 days.

However, according to the Salisbury police report included in court documents, after reregistering on Dec. 1, 2009, Cloutier failed to do so again. On March 24, 2010, realizing Cloutier had failed to update his registration notification as required, a warrant was issued for his arrest for failing to register as a sex offender, according to the police report.

After King discovered his whereabouts on Friday, Cloutier was detained and arrested on the outstanding warrant, L'Esperance said. Police are also investigating whether Cloutier could be involved in the exposure cases.

L'Esperance is asking victims of these incidents to contact the Police Department to see if they can identify Cloutier as the alleged man who took part in the exposure incidents on the beach over the past two weeks.

Those with information can call Detective Sgt. Anthony King at 978-465-3121.

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

William A. Below - Repeat Sex Offender - Child Molester

2010-06-08T10:09:00.000-07:00

A McHenry County man was arrested Monday for allegedly sexually abusing a member of his family.

William A. Below, 23, a registered sexual predator of unincorporated Wonder Lake, was arrested on a charge of aggravated criminal sexual abuse stemming from an incident on or about May 21 in Wonder Lake, McHenry County Sheriff Keith Nygren said Monday.

Below was arrested as a result of information obtained during the investigation of a sexual abuse of a juvenile household family member, Nygren said. Below is in the McHenry County Jail on $750,000 bond.

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

Daniel Edwards - Repeat Sex Offender - Victims Still Coming Forward

2010-06-08T09:36:00.000-07:00

Police have arrested a registered sex offender for allegedly abusing a girl for several years.

Daniel Edwards, 40, of Brooklyn, has been charged with risk of injury to a minor and first degree sexual assault.

Police say the victim was sexually assaulted repeatedly between 2001 and 2004 when she was between the ages of six and 9 years old.

Edwards was convicted in 2008 for risk of injury to a minor and was released from prison in 2009, according to the CT Sex Offender Registry.

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

Derek Leon Ellwood - Repeat Sex Offender - Reoffends 20 years Later

2010-06-07T15:26:00.000-07:00

A registered sex offender awaiting trial in Douglas County is facing additional charges involving a 14-year-old girl.

Oregon State Police detectives based in Roseburg arrested 43-year-old Derek Leon Ellwood of Bay City on Friday as part of an investigation that began last November.

Ellwood was charged with rape, sodomy, sex abuse, encouraging child sexual abuse and using a child in the display of sexually explicit conduct.

In January, Ellwood was indicted by a Douglas County grand jury on charges of luring a minor and online sexual corruption of a child. He had been held at the Douglas County Jail until he posted bail in April and was released pending trial on those previous charges.

Police said Ellwood was registered as a sex offender in Oregon following a 1989 rape conviction.

"Continued investigation into this case and the discovery of additional evidence through forensic analysis, investigators were able to obtain probable cause to arrest Ellwood on additional charges," according to an Oregon State Police press release.

On June 4, state troopers along with the Tillamook County Sheriff's Office executed the search warrant. Ellwood was arrested and charged with the following additional charges:

Rape III
Sodomy II
Sex abuse III
Encouraging child sexual abuse II
Using a child in the display of sexually explicit conduct

Ellwood was transported by Oregon State detectives to Roseburg, where they believe the crimes occurred. He was lodged in the Douglas County Jail.

"This case is still ongoing as there are potential victims in other areas of the state," according to the state police release.

Those with related information are asked to contact Sergeant Teresa Bowersox at the Oregon State Police Office in Roseburg 541-440-3349.

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

Mason Stewart - Repeat Sex Offender - Restroom Predator

2010-06-07T09:16:00.000-07:00

A convicted sex offender was arraigned today for allegedly molesting and taking inappropriate photos of a young boy at a residence and in a Burger King rest room.

Mason Stewart, 38, of 202 Pembroke St., Apartment B, Pembroke, was arrested yesterday morning and charged with felonious sexual assault. Hooksett District Court Judge Robert LaPointe ordered that Stewart be held on $50,000 cash bail.

The boy's mother informed Pembroke police of the allegations immediately after learning of them May 28. She said her son had told an adult neighbor that Stewart had touched the boy's penis inside a Burger King rest room in Concord, and the neighbor told her, court papers said.

The boy's mother told police she was an acquaintance of Stewart's and had seen his photograph on the state's sex offender website, court documents show.

Stewart was convicted in 1990 of sexually assaulting a child younger than 13 in Concord, Mass., according to police.

In a videotaped interview, the boy reiterated to a child victim advocate the allegation about the incident in the restaurant, police said. During the interview, the boy also said that a similar incident had occurred inside Stewart's apartment, also inside the bathroom.

In an interview with Pembroke Detective Dawn Shea, Stewart said the two urinated together but that no molestation occurred.

"I feel it is reasonable to believe that Mason (Stewart) is likely minimizing his actions based on his knowledge of the possible consequences of this type of behavior," Shea wrote in court papers.

Police seized a laptop computer, cameras, flash drives, CDs and cell phones while carrying out a search warrant of Stewart's home last Wednesday, documents said. In a statement, police said more charges could be filed once the items are examined. Stewart allegedly told police he erased photos from his cell phone before police searched his home.

A judge sealed from public view a more detailed affidavit for the search warrant.

Pembroke police said Stewart had been registering as a sex offender with the department four times a year, as required.

In April, Police Chief Scott Lane held a seminar for parents on how to prevent child sex abuse after neighbors had grown concerned about a convicted offender moving to Donna Lane. Pembroke has 22 registered sex offenders living in town.

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

John Calvin McLean AKA Robert Isaac Weedon - Repeat Sex Offender - Child Molester

2010-06-06T22:41:00.000-07:00

A convicted sex offender who was released from prison last fall has been charged with molesting a child, according to court records made public Saturday.

Raleigh police charged John Calvin McLean, 53, of 1202 S. East St. with two felony counts of first-degree sex offense with a child, court records show.

McLean was convicted in December 2007 for failing to register as a sex offender and was released Sept. 23, 2009, according to the N.C. Department of Correction.

Raleigh police think the latest offenses occurred April 28, arrest warrants show. He was arrested Thursday.

The warrants indicate the child told on McLean but do not say how they knew each other.

McLean, who also goes by the name Robert Isaac Weedon, was convicted in 2004 of multiple sex offenses involving a minor, according to the N.C. Sex Offender Registry. The offenses, which took place in 2002 and 2003, included two felony counts of indecent liberties with a minor and five felony counts of sexual exploitation of a minor.

A Wake County judge sentenced McLean to one year and six months in prison. He was released after serving three months, state records show.

A Wake County magistrate jailed McLean on Friday in lieu of $1 million bail for the latest charges, court records show.

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

Kirk Alan Richardson - Repeat Sex Offender - Captured by US Marshalls

2010-06-06T21:20:00.000-07:00

Police in Oregon arrested a convicted sex offender Friday accused of sexually assaulting a woman in April at an Aurora home.

Kirk Alan Richardson, 56, was taken into custody outside Portland by a fugitive taskforce with the United States Marshall’s Service, Aurora police said in a statement.

Richardson is accused of threatening the woman, whom police say he knew, with a knife before sexually assaulting her and fleeing. The attack happened the evening of April 4 at a home near East Sixth Avenue and Dawson Street, police said.

Richardson is registered as a sex offender with the city of Aurora after a sexual assault conviction in California.

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

Joshua Conte - Repeat Sex Offender - Just Didn't Get It

2010-06-05T22:34:00.000-07:00

His attorney, Mark S. Solak, said Conte cooperated with police and that he "does have the ability to do the right thing under the right circumstances."

A 25-year-old New London man convicted twice of sexually assaulting young girls was sentenced Friday to an eight-year prison sentence, 20 years of strict probation and lifetime registry as a sex offender.

The victim in the first case was 12 years old and pregnant. Joshua Conte was sentenced to three years for that crime in 2003 and was still on special parole when he was charged in December 2008 with forcefully raping a 15-year-old girl he knew while she was baby-sitting in Norwich.

In both cases, Conte claimed the sex was consensual.

Both times, his case went before Judge Susan B. Handy in New London Superior Court.

"I don't know what part of this you don't get," Handy said at Conte's sentencing Friday. "It is illegal to have sex with a child under 16, and now you're 25."

In the latest case, Conte pleaded guilty to risk of injury to a minor.

Prosecutor Theresa Anne Ferryman said Conte does not appear to have made any progress since his first conviction, but his attorney, Mark S. Solak, said Conte cooperated with police and that he "does have the ability to do the right thing under the right circumstances."

Conte opted not to address the court. Before he headed back to the lockup, the judge reminded him that he will have eight years of prison "hanging over his head" if he violates the terms of his release. His full sentence is 20 years in prison, suspended after eight years served and 20 years probation.

Brian Corringham - Repeat Sex Offender - Escaped the Registry and Struck Again

2010-06-05T22:16:00.000-07:00

Corringham was convicted in the late 1970s and early 1980s of a series of offenses involving kidnapping and molesting young boys, police said. In 1979, he was convicted of molesting a young boy at gunpoint in Nassau County, N.Y.

A 55-year-old convicted sex offender was charged on a warrant with multiple sex crimes involving minors Wednesday at Norwalk Superior Court.

Brian Corringham, a former Norwalk man who is currently serving an 18-month prison sentence for violating the conditions of his probation, was charged with three counts of fourth-degree sexual assault and three counts of risk of injury to a minor. His next court date is June 22.

Information on Corringham's recent arrest was scant because his warrant is sealed for 14 days to protect the identity of the victim.

According to court files, the charges against Corringham stem from a series of incidents that occurred from May through June in 2009.

The incident dates for the Norwalk charges reveal the incident occurred within roughly the same time-frame as charges filed by Shelton Police against Corringham.

Corringham was arrested by Shelton Police in August 2009 for trying to touch a 15-year-old boy in a sexual manner, police said. The teen's parents had alerted police to the inappropriate relationship because they found it odd that their son was hanging out with an older man -- sometimes at the man's apartment, police said. The teen later told police that Corringham had tried to touch him, police said.

Although he had a series of convictions for sex offenses prior to his August 2009 arrest, Corringham never had to register as a sex offender.

Corringham had been arrested in 2006 by Shelton Police for accosting a group of teenagers at a local park, police said. He told the teens that he would pay them if they jumped into the water and allowed him to photograph them, according to police.

For that offense, Corringham was convicted of risk of injury to a minor and given three years of probation and a five-year suspended prison sentence, court records show.

He was arrested in June 2009 for violating his probation after police found thousands of images of adult pornography on his computer.

Corringham was convicted in the late 1970s and early 1980s of a series of offenses involving kidnapping and molesting young boys, police said. In 1979, he was convicted of molesting a young boy at gunpoint in Nassau County, N.Y.

Because Corringham committed the offenses prior to the creation of the sex offender registry in 1994, he does not appear on the registry.

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

William G. Hierholzer - Repeat Sex Offender - Pedophile

2010-06-04T22:30:00.000-07:00

A convicted sex offender is back in court in Midland County, once again facing allegations that he sexually assaulted young girls.

William G. Hierholzer, 56, of Midland, is charged with three counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct and four counts of second-degree criminal sexual conduct, the Midland Daily News reports.

Prosecutors allege that Hierholzer molested one girl, now 6, between September and Nov. 21, 2008, in a Lee Township mobile park home he lived at with the girl’s father. The second girl, now 10, was allegedly assaulted by Hierholzer multiple times between 2003 and 2007.

Hierholzer’s bond is set at $250,000. He is represented by Bay City attorney Robert J. Dunn.

In September 2008, Hierholzer was convicted of two counts of fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct with a victim between the ages of 13 and 16, the Michigan Public Sex Offender Registry shows.

Hierholzer is scheduled for a preliminary examination before Midland County Circuit Judge Jonathan E. Lauderbach on July 19.

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

Jerry Lewis - Repeat Sex Offender - Victim Could have been saved by Sex Offender Registry - Had he been registered

2010-06-04T20:37:00.000-07:00

Lewis was convicted May 8, 1986, on a count of lewd molestation in Garfield County but was not required to register as a convicted sex offender because the conviction pre-dated Oklahoma’s Sex Offender Registry Act.

A 66-year-old Enid man is being held in lieu of $100,000 bond after being charged with two counts of lewd molestation.

Jerry Lewis, also known as Jerry Lee Lewis, was arraigned Thursday on the felony charges alleging he touched a 9-year-old girl.

The girl, who is a neighbor of Lewis’, reported to Enid police May 25 Lewis had touched her inappropriately, according to an affidavit filed in the case. The girl told her mother this had happened at Lewis’ house May 16.

Detectives interviewed the girl, who said Lewis had touched her multiple times, both over and under her clothes. She also said Lewis told her to keep the touching a secret and to not tell anyone.

Police interviewed Lewis May 28 at his home and questioned him about touching the 9-year-old girl.

Lewis admitted to touching her and told police he knew he should not have done it but could not resist the temptation, according to the affidavit. Lewis admitted to touching the girl on multiple occasions.

Lewis was convicted May 8, 1986, on a count of lewd molestation in Garfield County but was not required to register as a convicted sex offender because the conviction pre-dated Oklahoma’s Sex Offender Registry Act.

According to the law, people who were convicted of a sex offense after Nov. 1, 1989, must register as a sex offender.

Lewis was ordered to return to court July 12 for a bond appearance. A condition of the bond is that he remain away from the alleged victim in the case.

Jerry Lester Wiley - Repeat Sex Offender - Molested Boys at Disney World

2010-06-04T20:15:00.000-07:00

A registered sex offender and an Internet acquaintance from England were sentenced to prison after they were found guilty of molesting three young brothers.

Jerry Lester Wiley, 45, of Lady Lake and Miles Esterson, 28, of London pleaded no contest to lewd and lascivious conduct, second-degree felonies that had been reduced from capital sex battery of the boys.

Wiley, a registered sex offender, was sentenced to 10 years in prison, Esterson to five.

Both men had faced possible life sentences if they had been convicted as originally charged.

Their trials had been scheduled to begin this weekwith Circuit Judge Mark Hill presiding, according to court records.

Assistant State Attorney Lori Lockshin said the boys' mother wanted to spare her children the ordeal of a criminal trial, which would likely have forced them to detail the sexual encounters with the men in Florida hotels.

The charges in Lake County involved sex abuse that occurred at a Days Inn in Leesburg.

The boys, who range in age from 5 to 11, told Lake County investigators that they had been molested several times during the course of two summers while on vacations with the men, friends of their father.

The boys' father often slept in an adjoining room.

Lockshin said investigators had no evidence that the boys' father knew of the abuse, pointing out that he had passed lie-detector tests. Authorities also could not say if the father knew Wiley was a registered sex offender.

Wiley, then 22, was sentenced in 1986 to 20 years in prison for sexual assaulting Mount Dora children.

Lake County sheriff's detectives said Wiley and Esterson apparently met online as Wiley ran a computer business from his home in Lady Lake and Esterson was a computer expert who worked at a girls' school in London.

Wiley and Esterson were arrested last summer at Wiley's home.

According to a search-warrant drafted by Detective Chris Loyko, the youngest brother said Wiley had threatened to "whoop" him if he told anyone about what happened in the hotels between them and their father's friends.

But one of the boys broke his silence when he returned home from visiting his father.

The brothers lived in Georgia with their mother but spent summers with their father in Leesburg.

They told investigators they were molested numerous times by the men, who took turns. At hotels, the boys shared a room and beds with Wiley and Esterson, while their father and a sister had a separate room.

Wiley refused to speak with detectives.

But according to the search warrant, Esterson admitted that he paid for their admission, travel, hotel rooms and other theme-park accommodations for the boys and their father, and had taken them shopping.

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

Bernard "Pete" McGee - Repeat Sex Offender

2010-06-03T22:25:00.000-07:00

Mobile Police arrested a convicted sex offender and charged him with making child porn. Investigators say Bernard “Pete” McGee was arrested on June 1, after he attempted to develop pornographic photographs of a child. An alert clerk at a local store notified police after finding pictures left on a processing machine.

While searching his residence, officers found a substantial collection of pornographic material, children’s videos and young girl’s clothing.

McGee is a convicted sex offender from approximately thirty years ago. An investigation is continuing and additional charges are expected.

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

Carlos Delfin Maes - Repeat Sex Offender - Gets 32 years

2010-06-03T20:21:00.000-07:00

A registered sex offender who was already on supervised parole has been sentenced to 32 years in prison for kidnapping and sexually assaulting a woman he met on a telephone chat line, prosecutors said.

Carlos Delfin Maes, 32, of Denver, was sentenced Wednesday after pleading guilty in the case in March, according to a media release from the Jefferson County District Attorney's Office.

Maes, who was a registered sex offender, conversed with a 36-year-old Arvada woman on Livelinks in July of 2009, prosecutors said.

The pair talked for a while and Maes asked to meet the woman. She told him to call back, which he did, and they agreed to meet at a Wheat Ridge restaurant near West 45th Avenue and Kipling Street.

The two talked for a while outside the business before Maes "physically picked the woman up and forced her into his truck," the district attorney's office said.

Maes drove to a nearby apartment complex, dragged the victim behind trees and "sexually assaulted her."

Maes was on "intensive supervision parole" at the time he assaulted the Wheat Ridge woman, the DA's office said, for raping a 14-year-old girl in Denver in 2005.

On March 30, Maes pleaded guilty to kidnapping and attempted sexual assault in a plea agreement in the Wheat Ridge case.

Jefferson County District Judge Stephen Munsinger sentenced Maes to the maximum term - 32 years.

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

Willie Dennis - Repeat Sex Offender - 72 years old

2010-06-03T20:04:00.000-07:00

A registered sex offender has been in the attempted abduction of a 13-year-old Fort Myers girl.

Willie Dennis, 72, was charged with kidnapping-inflict bodily harm or terrorize victim and battery- touch or strike Wednesday after Fort Myers police received a tip as to where a vehicle matching the description of that used in the attempt could be found.

Fort Myers police began their investigation Friday after receiving a call concerning the attempted abduction. The 13-year old girl told investigators she was walking in the 3400 block of Fowler Street when a man pulled up in a vehicle and told her to get in the car. The child refused and the man got out of his car and grabbed her. A witness yelled at the would-be kidnapped to let her go. The man then fled in his vehicle without the girl.

The victim provided police with a detailed description of the suspect and his car.

On Wednesday, the Fort Myers Police Department received information that the vehicle involved in the crime was in front of a house at 2154 Highland Ave. Detectives responded to the home and the 2004 white Saturn matched the victim's description, including the Obama bumper sticker.

Police identified the owner of the car as Dennis, who is a registered sex offender who had been convicted of sexual battery on a child under 12 years of age, officials said.

After further investigation police arrested Dennis who was transported to the Lee County Jail.

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

Kenneth Lamont Taylor - Repeat Sex Offender - Now Charged with First-Degree Murder

2010-06-02T15:57:00.000-07:00

A convicted sex offender with an extensive criminal history has been charged with fatally shooting a man at a Cary apartment complex last month.

Investigators on Wednesday charged Kenneth Lamont Taylor, 33, of Durham with the first-degree murder of Jibrael Menelik.

Menelik, 28, was shot April 10 at The Grove at Cary Park on Pony Club Circle in northwestern Cary.

Taylor was still at large late Friday.

"We have been working around the clock with local, state and federal officials to locate him," Pat Bazemore, Cary's police chief, said in a statement. "We look forward to bringing resolution to this case, our community and, most importantly, Jibrael's family."

Police have not said whether they think Taylor fled the Triangle. But they think he has connections to New Jersey and New York.

Taylor is approximately 5-foot-7, 155 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes.

He is considered armed and dangerous, police said.

News of the charges brought mixed emotions to Menelik's family.

"I'm glad they've got a name," said Doris Dunn, Menelik's mother. "But this is just like living it all over again.

"I'm just praying justice will be done."

In 2000, police charged Taylor with second-degree rape in Durham County.

He was convicted of first-degree kidnapping and sentenced to three years probation, state records show.

Taylor is a registered sex offender who was charged in 2005 with first-degree rape of a child.

He eventually pled guilty to the lesser offense of taking indecent liberties with a minor and was sentenced to two years in prison.

Taylor was released in 2007, one month short of two years behind bars, state records show.

Taylor also has criminal convictions for trespassing, public disturbance, fictitious information to an officer, reckless driving, driving while impaired, failing to register as a sex offender, financial card fraud and felony possession with the intent to manufacture, sell and deliver drugs, court records show.

Cary police received several calls about gun shots at The Grove at Cary Park on the morning of April 10.

When they arrived, officers found Menelik in the breezeway of the 700 building, shot but conscious.

He was pronounced dead at Duke University Medical Center.

It was the first homicide in Cary since 2008.

The fear lingers

The case has shaken residents at the Grove, one of the town's few affordable housing communities.

Keesia McLain lives in the building adjacent to where the shooting took place.

"There's some relief knowing that they've identified somebody, even though they still have to catch him," she said Thursday.

McLain has seen the mug shot of Taylor, but she doesn't remember seeing him at the complex.

"There's so many strangers coming in here," McLain said. "We wouldn't have known the difference, if he came in day or night."

McLain said her request for an extra lock on her front door went unheeded. That in part has her thinking that she'll move out once her lease expires in February.

Police ask anyone with information about Taylor's whereabouts to call their local law enforcement office, the Cary Police Department at 919-469-4012 or Cary Crime Stoppers at 919-226-2746.

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

Matthew Wheeler - Repeat Sex Offender - Enabling Mother Believes it's "Unfair"

2010-06-02T15:01:00.000-07:00

Sexual Abuse-1st Degree
Conviction Date: 5/11/2007
Age at conviction: 34
Victim's Age: 5

A level three sex offender who violated his probation four times is now going to state prison. Matthew Wheeler will spend the next six years in prison. Judge Joseph Valentino ruled he violated his probation after erotic images of little girls were found on his computer and after he failed to try to get a job.

"He's a level three sex offender which is the highest risk offender. And now he's going to be in state prison so I think the community can feel safe tonight that he's not on the streets of Rochester," said Kristina Karle, Assistant District Attorney.

Wheeler's mother called News 10NBC and said her son is getting railroaded. She also said her son's sentence is unfair.

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