Anderson County man to serve 99 years,
sexual abuse of a child
Gabriela Garcia , KYTX
ANDERSON COUNTY - Stephyn Prine, a 64-year-old Slocum native, will now serve a 99-year prison sentence for the Continuous Sexual Abuse of a Child and Sexual Abuse of a child.
Prine's trial ended on Friday afternoon, and during that time, the jury heard evidence about how he repeatedly sexually abused one of his family members.
Witness testimony revealed how the victim was treated special by Prine by gifts and excessive attention, a behavior they deemed not normal.
Court proceedings also revealed that the victim confided in a family member as well as a friend that Prine was assaulting her.
The jury also heard the victim's testimony, that included her statement that Prine began abusing her at night after she turned 13.
The abuse continued until just after she turned 14.
Prine will serve his sentence at the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.
Child Porn Charges Filed against Nanticoke Man
BY CAROLYN BLACKBURNE,
WILKES-BARRE -- A man from Luzerne County, once arrested on child sex charges, now faces child porn charges.
Jayson Montanez, 31, was charged Friday with 19 counts of child pornography.
This is not the first time he has faced similar charges.
Montanez was arraigned in Wilkes-Barre Friday afternoon.
Investigators say he knowingly had 19 images of child pornography, some showing kids as young as 2 in prohibited sexual acts.
Law enforcement says the defendant's mother found the pictures on her son's cell phone and brought it to the attention of police back in February of this year.
Officers received a search warrant for his phone in June and found dozens of pictures of nude underage children.
Montanez has also faced other child sex abuse charges in 2014 and 2015, including involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with a child, and aggravated and indecent assault of a child less than 13.
Montanez is currently locked up with bail set at $150,000.
Bristol man enters guilty plea in child sex abuse case
BLOUNTVILLE, Tenn.—A Bristol, Tennessee man has entered a guilty plea to 23 counts of various child sex abuse crimes.
Gary Lynn Wood, 69, appeared in Sullivan County Criminal Court on Friday and among the charges, he pleaded guilty to four counts of attempt to commit rape of a child and 11 counts of attempt to commit aggravated sexual battery.
Under the plea agreement, Wood will receive a 10-year sentence, Sullivan County Assistant District Attorney Emily Smith said. A sentencing hearing was set for Nov. 21 at 1:30 p.m., at which time Judge William Rogers will decide whether he will be ordered to serve his sentence in prison or receive alternative sentencing. He was ordered to register as a sex offender.
"We will certainly be arguing that Mr. Wood be ordered to serve his entire sentence," Smith said. "He repeatedly victimized the three minor victims, who were all under the age of 10. Many instances of the abuse occurred at Observation Knob Park in Bristol, where he would bring the children to stay in his camper."
The victims were all step-grandchildren, Smith said.
'You became a villain,' judge says as ex-Bishop McDevitt teacher gets prison in student-sex case
By Matt Miller pennlive.com
The father of one of the two female students Zurenko admitted preying upon was blunt. He called the 33-year-old Zurenko, a married mother of five who once was hailed as one of Bishop McDevitt's most inspiring teachers, a "predator."
Randi Zurenko now has a new identity as an inmate at the county prison, where she will be spending the next 11 1/2 to 23 months.
Lewis chose that punishment, to be followed by 4 years of probation and 500 hours of community service after Zurenko, who lives in Millerstown, Perry County, begged for leniency for the sake of her children, ages 11 to 3. She had pleaded guilty to multiple charges including institutional sexual assault, unlawful contact with minors, corruption of minors, possessing child pornography and disseminating obscene materials to minors.
Her lawyer, Lee Cohen, insisted that Zurenko is a good person who was truly in love with her victims. He asked Lewis to sentence Zurenko to house arrest.
"I am ashamed to be here," Zurenko told Lewis. "I have never coerced anyone. I have never taken advantage of anyone."
"I'm asking you today for grace and mercy and to take my children into consideration when you determine my sentence," she added.
Lewis said he did factor her kids into his equation. Yet he also cited the pain one victim and her parents voiced so emotionally during the 2 1/2-hour sentencing hearing.
One victim described how the abuse she endured as Zurenko manipulated her psychologically for years had led her into a pit of emotional darkness. Investigators said Zurenko once massaged that girl's back and undid her bra and also had repeatedly given her alcohol. The young woman told Lewis she fell into deep depression, became isolated from family and friends, cut herself and thought of suicide.
"You stunted my growth because I depended on you," she told Zurenko, who looked small and nervous standing before the judge. She said Zurenko's acts "slowly shattered every belief I held."
"I felt so confused and abandoned and trapped," she added. "I trusted nobody...You took everything that was mine."
"I'm still feeling the impact. I don't think it's close to over," the woman continued. "You took my innocence. You used my love."
Yet, she said, "I have no ounce of hate for you in my body."
The second victim asked Lewis to show leniency for the sake of Zurenko's children. "I kept it together. I was OK. I'm still OK," she said.
Harrisburg police said Zurenko had a sexual relationship with that victim.
The first victim's father spent 45 minutes describing his family's trauma. He called the crime "surreal" and said, "My daughter lost three years of her life" because of Zurenko's "psychological manipulation."
"You will always be a molester, a predator," he told Zurenko. "You deserve no grace, no chance at rehabilitation. You deserve no success."
"She preyed on her...being kind," his wife added. She called Zurenko "evil." Yet both parents praised their daughter for going to police and for fighting to overcome the abuse.
"A long sentence isn't a victory. A short sentence isn't a loss for us," the mother told Lewis. "For my family, we've already won. The light has overcome the darkness."
Zurenko didn't lack supporters. Lewis noted that 15 people, including former students, wrote letters supporting her. Two of her backers spoke in court.
"No one will benefit, no one will have their pain lessened by a prison sentence," said a former colleague of Zurenko who said she too was the victim of sexual abuse.
"She did this because she was in love," said a college friend of Zurenko. "She never does anything with malice."
Cohen expanded on that theme. "This is not somebody who took advantage of somebody else. My client had real feelings for this person. She loved her," he said.
"She has been severely punished," Cohen said. "She will never teach again. She has lost that passion." She also will have to register with state police as a sex offender for 25 years, he noted.
"The reason we're here today is because she has caused tragedy," Deputy Attorney General Megan Madaffari shot back. "When she engaged in sex acts with a 16-, 17-year-old girl perhaps she wasn't thinking of her family."
"She was supposed to be a mentor. She was an abuser," Madaffari said. "She is responsible for (leading the victims down) a path no young woman should ever have to follow."
Lewis said the case left him "troubled and puzzled." "Your conduct can only be described as incomprehensible," the judge said. "I can only liken it to a Jekyll and Hyde situation." "Instead of serving as a role model, ma'am, you became a villain," he said.
Ex-Ash Grove teacher gets prison time
for sex with student
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. - A former Ash Grove High School history teacher received a four-year prison sentence on Friday for having sexual relations with a student in 2014. Nathan Herrington, 37, of Springfield, pleaded guilty last March 9 for second-degree statutory sodomy and sexual contact by a teacher with a student.
Investigators said Herrington began a sexual relationship with a 16-year-old girl in the fall of 2014. The sexual contact occurred at Herrington's home and at school.
Prosecutors say the abuse came to light when the victim’s mother, who was actively involved in her child’s life, noticed a change in her behavior and was able to uncover the abuse. She then alerted Ash Grove school administrators, who quickly notified police. He was charged on Dec. 15, 2014.
At the sentencing hearing, prosecutors asked for a prison sentence, but Herrington requested probation. Greene County Circuit Judge Tom Mountjoy followed prosecutors' recommendation and sentenced Herrington to four years in prison for each conviction and denied probation. In sentencing him to prison, Mountjoy noted Herrington was in a position of trust, that he had a responsibility to both teach and safeguard the children entrusted to him, that he had taken advantage of that trust, and no amount of good deeds could reverse the damage that had been done.
I'm a little confused. The story says he was sentenced to 4 years, which struck me as pretty light. But then, in the paragraph above, it says 4 years for each charge. There seem to be two charges which would make it an 8 year sentence unless they were to run concurrently. The reporter doesn't mention that either.
Additional information from the Greene County Prosecuting Attorney's Office:
If you would like to talk to your kids about abuse, there are many resources to help you have that difficult conversation. The Rape, Abuse, & Incest National Network (RAINN) has online resources to help you talk about sexual abuse (www.rainn.org). In addition, the U.S. Department of Justice’s National Sex Offender Public Website has resources about education and prevention (www.nsopw.gov). Finally, if you suspect that a child is being abused or neglected, please call the Child Abuse and Neglect Hotline at 1-800-392-3738.
Man jailed 10 months for sexual abuse of young child
By Neil Bowen, Sarnia Observer
A former city-council candidate was jailed for 10 months following his conviction for the sexual abuse of a child.
Jared Denis Fedora, 30, formerly of Sarnia had previously been convicted of sexual assault and sexual interference with a young girl under 16 but sentencing was delayed until Friday in Sarnia court.
In 2014 Fedora was defeated in the Sarnia municipal election when he was a council candidate.
The offence date was sometime between September 2013 and October 2015 in Sarnia.
A publication ban prevents the release of information that could identify the victim.
Following a trial when the girl testified Fedora was convicted of the offences involving a single incident in a home when he rubbed the girl’s pubic area. The girl testified he had touched her.
No violence or threat of violence was used, said defence lawyer Nick Cake during Friday’s sentencing submissions.
Sexual abuse of a child is a crime of violence, said assistant Crown attorney Suzanne LaSha during her submissions.
The incident was discovered when Fedora’s social media messages to a woman were presented to police.
In the messages he referred to having a six. Although Fedora testified the message had a meaning other than an age, Justice Michael O’Dea took the plain text meaning in convicting Fedora.
LaSha, who sought a 17-month sentence, said Fedora was bragging about his sexual exploits in the messages.
The mandatory minimum for each offence is 90 days.
People consulted for a pre-sentence report were surprised and shocked by Fedora’s offences. The report considered him a low risk to reoffend.
Fedora’s comment in the pre-sentence report that he does not accept the facts leading to his conviction speaks to his lack of remorse and the report contains no psychological assessment supporting the assertion he presents a low risk, said LaSha.
In a statement to the court Fedora said he is remorseful for the damage caused by the situation and the impact the process had on the victim’s family.
Community members may believe the sentence should be harsher than the range set by higher courts but there can be no imposition of frontier justice, said O’Dea citing the range as between nine and 18 months.
The social media exchanges that led to Fedora’s arrest were disturbing and vile and are a sentencing consideration, said O’Dea.
The 10 month-sentence will be followed by three years probation when Fedora can have no contact with the victim or her family.
Fedora’s bail conditions had excluded him from being in Sarnia and he plans to permanently move to the northern Ontario community where he was living pending completion of the case.
Fedora will be on the sexual offender registry for life and he must give police a DNA sample.
During probation Fedora cannot have any employment or volunteer work that puts him in a position of trust with those under 16. He must also stay away from playgrounds and schoolgrounds except in the company of a responsible adult and take recommended counseling.
Yoakum sex abuse case ends in mistrial
By Amber Aldaco
The trial of a 45-year-old Yoakum man accused of multiple sex crimes ended in a mistrial Friday.
Shane Neil Cliffe was on trial this week in Hallettsville for one crime, continuous sexual abuse of a child, a first-degree felony that carried a maximum sentence of life in prison with no parole.
A jury of seven women and five men deliberated for nearly 10 hours Thursday and Friday morning, but were unable to reach a final verdict. At 10:40 a.m. presiding Judge William D. Old III declared a mistrial.
"We are disappointed in the mistrial but we also respect the jury's decision and we respect the process," special prosecutor Jennifer Smith said. "We look forward to trying Mr. Cliffe again in December."
Smith would not say whether Cliffe would be tried again on the same charge, but said all 65 counts in his indictment are pending and are still active. Cliffe was indicted last year on the charges.
Defense attorney James Reeves, of San Antonio, declined to comment about the mistrial.
Jurors spent Tuesday and Wednesday listening to testimony, and on Thursday, lawyers gave their closing arguments.
Prosecutors allege the abuse occurred between September 2007 and January 2008. The case involved one victim, a female, who was under the age of 14 at the time the abuse started.
Special prosecutors Heather Hines Wright and Smith, both of Guadalupe County, told jurors in their closing argument that the victim was sexually abused several times a month for several months. The victim, Wright said, was abused from the time she was 11 and continued until she was 20.
Smith also told the jurors that the victim could recall details about the place and circumstances of the abuse.
In his closing argument, Reeves told the jurors that although the victim said she reported the abuse to police, Child Protective Services and a junior high counselor, no such reports can be found. Reeves also emphasized how the victim, who described the abuse as "the same every time," could not recall the details of the last abusive episode.
Salem man arrested on child porn, online corruption of a child charges
Whitney M. Woodworth , Statesman Journal
A Salem man is being held on $140,000 bail on child porn and online sexual corruption of a child charges Thursday.
Patrick Ryan Johnson, 36, was arrested on two counts of second-degree online sexual corruption of a child and six counts of first-degree encouraging child sexual abuse.
According to a secret indictment filed in Marion County, Johnson allegedly used online communication to solicit a child to engage in sexual contact and to physically meet with the child. He is also accused of duplicating multiple photos of sexually explicit conduct involving a child.
Johnson was previously convicted of reckless burning in 2012 and sentenced to two years probation.
Following his arrest Thursday, he was taken to Marion County jail and ordered to have no contact with his young female victim.
Former Penn State administrators Tim Curley and Gary Schultz to start prison terms
By Charles Thompson
BELLEFONTE - More than five years after former football coach Jerry Sandusky's conviction as a serial sexual predator, two former Penn State administrators are following him to prison.
Former Athletic Director Tim Curley and former Senior Vice President for Business and Finance Gary Schultz are scheduled to report Saturday to begin short terms in the Centre County Correctional Facility outside of this county seat town.
Both men pleaded guilty in early March to one count of child endangerment for admitted mishandling of an eyewitness account of potential misconduct by Sandusky in a Penn State shower in 2001.
Former Penn State President Graham Spanier was convicted of a similar count later that month, but his sentence has been stayed pending appeals.
Centre County Warden Christopher Schell said Curley, 63, and Schultz, 67, will spend their first two days in the county prison in a high-security single-cell lockdown while they await a medical clearance.
That's protocol for every incoming inmate.
On Monday, Schell said, they will complete their intake assessment with prison staff and be assigned to a permanent housing unit.
Ordinarily, the warden noted, inmates like Curley and Schultz would be considered for the facility's minimum security area, described as a dorm-like facility where four men share the same "cube."
Ligonier man blames girl, 7, for sexual contact
RICH CHOLODOFSKY
The Ligonier man accused of paying for sexual contact with a 7-year-old Greensburg girl told police on Friday it was the child who enticed him to act.
“He told us the victim came on to him when he was drunk. He was drinking, and she came on to him,” Greensburg Sgt. John Swank said of remarks provided by Brian Keith Spillar.
Officers arrested Spillar, 49, Friday and charged him with patronizing a victim of sexual servitude, aggravated indecent assault of a child and corruption of minors.
He was arraigned by Greensburg District Justice James Albert. In the courtroom, Spillar said he will vigorously fight the allegations.
“There is nothing here that I see that the detectives gleaned that I did anything. It is just hearsay stuff,” he said. “I am not guilty.”
At times during the brief hearing, Spillar seemed defiant and when told by Albert the serious nature of the crimes alleged, he responded, “You think?”
Police contend Spillar previously paid for sex with Rebecca Shadle (or is it Shandle) in her Eastmont Street apartment and then paid her $60 to have sexual contact with the girl, who was in her care. It is unclear in court documents when the alleged activity occurred.
Spillar at one time lived near Shadle in another apartment building.
The child told police Spillar touched her genitals and had sexual contact with her while in the apartment, according to a police report.
The girl revealed details about the alleged sexual abuse to people at a Memorial Day party and later to police, who received a Child Line report June 21, according to court documents.
When questioned by investigators, Shadle told police that she was aware of the allegation and said it happened “several years ago,” according to an affidavit of probable cause.
"Several years ago!" That would be when she was what, 2 or 3?
The girl underwent a forensic interview Monday with a specialist at a Pittsburgh child advocacy center.
On Wednesday, investigators searched Shadle's apartment and interviewed her at the police station, where she identified Spillar and described his alleged sexual activity with the girl, according to the affidavit.
Police on Thursday arrested Shadle, 38, and charged her with sex crimes, including a human trafficking offense. Spillar turned himself in to police Friday.
Albert set a $75,000 straight cash bond for Spillar, who was taken to Westmoreland County Prison pending a preliminary hearing scheduled for Thursday.
Swank said police are looking for several other men suspected of having sexual contact with the young girl, including one named “Greg.”
Shadle remained jailed on $100,000 bond.
Police contend she worked as a prostitute and advertised online for clients in addition to charging men to have sexual contact with the child.
‘Pimp’ sentenced to 293 months for
child sex trafficking
LUBBOCK — Dimitrise Lyghts, 23, of Lubbock, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Sam R. Cummings to 293 months in federal prison following his guilty plea in March 2017 to one count of sex trafficking of a child related to his pimping a 15-year-old girl in Lubbock, announced U.S. Attorney John Parker of the Northern District of Texas.
In addition, at Friday’s sentencing hearing, Judge Cummings ordered that following his custody sentence, Lyghts must serve a 10-year term of supervised release. He must also register as a lifetime sex offender.
Co-defendant Marcelia Sanchez pleaded guilty in November 2016 to one count of conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking of a minor. Judge Cummings sentenced Sanchez in February 2017 to 60 months in federal prison.
“Make no mistake, the horrific crime of trafficking young girls for sex resides in the dark underbellies of even our best communities,” said U.S. Attorney Parker. “Together, we can get survivors the help they deserve, and ensure that traffickers who prey on the most vulnerable among us get the sentences they deserve.”
According to documents filed in the case, in late May 2016, Lyghts contacted a 15-year-old female, “K.M.,” by phone and by Facebook, suggesting that they could “hang out.” On June 3, 2016, Lyghts and a friend of his picked up K.M. and another girl at an apartment in Lubbock. Lyghts provided drugs to K.M., and asked her if she would run an ad on Backpage so they could get a hotel room. She agreed to do it once, and Lyghts ran an ad on K.M. in Backpage. Shortly after the ad was run in Backpage, Lyghts arranged with a man who called in response to the ad, for the man to pick up K.M. and take her to a motel in Lubbock. K.M. was picked up, as had been agreed, and went to the motel with the man, where they engaged in sexual intercourse for the payment of a fee.
Between June 3 and June 7, 2016, K.M., with the assistance and direction of Lyghts and Sanchez, was transported and provided for several male “customers” to engage in commercial sex acts. On several occasions, Lyghts received the payment made for the sex acts performed by K.M. Lyghts also personally drove K.M. to various meetings with men for the purpose of K.M. engaging in commercial sex acts with the men.
Project Safe Childhood (PSC) is a Department of Justice initiative that aims to combat the proliferation of technology-facilitated sexual exploitation crimes against children. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, PSC marshals federal, state, tribal and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. These cases include prosecutions of child sex trafficking; sexual abuse of a minor or ward; child pornography offenses; obscene visual representation of the sexual abuse of children; selling or buying of children; and many more statutes. To learn more about PSC’s work, visit: https://www.justice.gov/psc.
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