Maryland teacher sentenced to 105 years
for child sex abuse, more to come
By Chantalle Edmunds | @chantallenews
WASHINGTON — Former Charles County School’s coach, Carlos Bell, was sentenced Tuesday to a 105-year jail sentence for 10 counts of production of child pornography.
Bell was also indicted on 206 charges in the sex abuse of 42 victims, ranging in ages from 11 to 17-years-old. He was ordered to undergo rehabilitation during his sentence.
Bell, of Waldorf, appeared at the federal courthouse in Greenbelt on Tuesday morning for sentencing.
He entered a guilty plea in federal court on Jan. 23 in front of U.S. District Judge Paul W. Grimm.
He admitted to coercing 10 children to take part in illicit acts for the purpose of creating child pornography over a two-year period, federal prosecutors said.
Prosecutors said they were asking that he be sentenced to 150 years for creating child pornography.
Bell was a coach at various Charles County schools between October 2014 and December 2016. He was also a teaching assistant at Benjamin Stoddert Middle School, where many of the alleged crimes took place.
He would record attacks on children over a nearly two-year period. Some of the assaults took place on school grounds, others at his home, according to court records. Sheriff Troy Berry called it one of the most horrendous crimes he’d seen in his 25-years working in the county.
Bell is also facing a possible sentence of 190 years in the state case against him for the sexual exploitation of 42 children.
The 30-year-old took a plea deal on Jan. 5 in the state case, accepting guilt on 27 charges, including the sexual abuse of a minor and sex offenses, among others. The plea deal meant he would spend no more than 190 years behind bars.
The computer and cellphone seized from Bell’s home in the initial warrant materialized evidence to support 206 charges involving 42 child victims.
Texas man sentenced to 30 years for
5 yrs of sexual abuse of child
By TOMMY WITHERSPOON twitherspoon@wacotrib.com
A Waco man was sentenced to 30 years in prison Tuesday for sexually assaulting a young girl over a five-year period.
Judge Matt Johnson of Waco's 54th State District court sentenced Juan Jose Tapia, 52, to 30 years in prison after Tapia pleaded guilty last month to continuous sexual abuse of a child. Tapia also was sentenced to 20 years in prison after his guilty plea to indecency with a child by contact.
Tapia must serve a minimum of 30 years in prison, because people convicted of continuous sexual abuse of a young child are not eligible for parole.
According to records filed in the case, Tapia sexually abused a young family member starting in January 2008, when she was 11, and the abuse continued through December 2013.
Tapia rejected a plea offer of 40 years in prison from prosecutors, electing instead to plead guilty with no benefit of a plea bargain and leave his sentence up to Johnson. The judge considered a presentence report from probation officers before assessing punishment.
Tapia was implicated after police received information from a forensic interview with the girl conducted in another case in September 2015, records indicate. The girl said Tapia sexually assaulted her when she went to visit him at a North Waco home.
Waco police arrested Augustine Rene Castillo, 20, on an indecency with a child charge after the girl reported he abused her, too. Castillo is accused of abusing the child in a South Waco home and asking the girl to take nude photos of herself, according to court documents.
Officers investigating the allegations against Castillo learned of Tapia's involvement with the girl, police said. Castillo's case remains pending in 54th State District Court.
Teacher Reassured Boy's Parents She Can't Get Pregnant
By Daniel Hampton, Patch Staff
GOODYEAR, AZ — A sixth-grade Goodyear teacher accused of sexually assaulting a 13-year-old boy told him in a message exchange that she wanted him "every day with no time limit" and would quit her job to abuse him all day, court documents allege.
Brittany Zamora, a 27-year-old teacher at Las Brisas Academy Elementary School, was arrested last week and remains jailed on suspicion of sexual misconduct with a minor, KNXV-TV reported.
Court documents obtained by the Star-Telegram say the principal of the school called police on the night of March 21 to report that a child had been molested by a teacher. That teacher was identified as Zamora, a sixth-grade teacher who had worked there for less than a year.
The boy's parents found sexually explicit text messages on his phone that showed he was having a "sexual relationship" with the teacher, court documents said. The two exchanged the messages via the social media app Instagram. Zamora's messages to the boy included the words "baby" and "ily," an acronym for "I love you."
After finding the messages, the boy told his parents he and his teacher performed sex acts on each other in the classroom and Zamora's car, the documents allege. The boy's father told him to message her the way he normally does. The conversation went as follows:
Boy: "I want to [expletive] so bad bby those time weren't enough for me"
Zamora: "I know baby! I want you every day with no time limit"
"If I could quit my job and [expletive] you all day I would"
Boy: "I need more [expletive] from u"
Zamora: "I'll give you whatever you want baby."
On March 22, the parents agreed to call the teacher. Court documents say she apologized and agreed to quit her job. She also said she'd ruined her life and marriage, and that it wouldn't happen again.
"She never actually said she had sex with the victim, but rather assured the parents that she was not pregnant and could not go into details over the phone," the documents allege. "When asked how she knew she was not pregnant, she said she was on birth control."
The Liberty Elementary School District said in a statement that the teacher was arrested and will not return. The incident was reported to the State Board of Education, which will determine what to do about the teacher's certification.
Post-Nassar Sex-Assault Probe Snares
Michigan State Dean
by Associated Press
EAST LANSING, Mich. – A sexual abuse scandal at Michigan State University widened Tuesday as authorities charged a medical school official with failing to keep former sports doctor Larry Nassar in line and accused him of groping female students and storing nude student selfies on his campus computer.
William Strampel, 70, is the first person charged since a broad investigation was launched in January into how Michigan State handled complaints against Nassar, who for years sexually abused girls and young women, especially gymnasts.
Strampel was dean of the College of Osteopathic Medicine until December. He was Nassar’s boss, yet he failed to enforce restrictions on him after a female patient in 2014 complained about sexual contact, authorities alleged.
Strampel spent Monday night in jail ahead of an arraignment Tuesday afternoon. His attorney, John Dakmak, declined to comment.
The complaint, which alleges Strampel solicited nude photos from at least one female medical student, said he used his office to “harass, discriminate, demean, sexually proposition and sexually assault female students in violation of his statutory duty as a public officer.”
His computer contained approximately 50 photos of female genitalia, nude and semi-nude women, sex toys and pornography. “Many of these photos are of what appear to be ‘selfies’ of female MSU students, as evidence by the MSU clothing and piercings featured in multiple photos,” according to the complaint.
He is also accused of grabbing students’ buttocks at the college’s annual ball and a scholarship dinner.
The maximum penalty for the charges ranges from one year in jail to five years in prison.
Nassar, 54, pleaded guilty to molesting patients and possessing child pornography and is expected to spend the rest of his life in prison. Strampel is accused of letting Nassar continue to treat patients unchecked by protocols that were supposedly put in place — thus allowing Nassar to “commit a host of sexual assaults against new victims until, following news reports of additional allegations against Nassar, MSU finally terminated his employment over two years later,” the complaint says.
Strampel announced his leave of absence as college dean — for medical reasons — in December.
Strampel told police last year that he never followed up after ordering Nassar in 2014 to have a third person present when providing treatment to “anything close to a sensitive area,” and that any skin-to-skin contact should be minimal and explained in detail.
Nassar was fired in 2016 for violating that rule. His dismissal came less than a month after former gymnast Rachael Denhollander filed a criminal complaint saying Nassar had sexually assaulted her with his hands while treating her for back pain years earlier.
Strampel told a campus detective and FBI agent in 2017 that he did not check to see if Nassar was following the guidance because Nassar had been “exonerated” in an investigation of a patient’s complaint and that the imposed guidelines were “health care 101.” At least 12 reported assaults occurred after the probe ended, including many during which Nassar made ungloved skin-to-skin contact when no chaperone was present, according to a university police report.
The school has also come under scrutiny for not sharing the full conclusions of the Title IX investigation with Amanda Thomashow, the woman who complained. A simultaneous campus police probe of Nassar resulted in no charges being filed. And a teen’s 2004 complaint to Meridian Township police also led to no charges after Nassar offered an aggressive defense and insisted he was using a legitimate medical technique.
In February, interim Michigan State President John Engler announced plans to fire Strampel, who still has tenure that protects his employment as a faculty member.
More than 250 girls and women have sued Michigan State, Strampel and other current and former university officials, USA Gymnastics — where Nassar also worked — and others. Roughly 200 women gave statements in two courtrooms over 10 days of proceedings.
John Manly, a lawyer for many of the victims, said his clients were encouraged by the development.
“It demonstrates that (Schuette) is serious about investigating the systemic misconduct at MSU that led to the largest child sex-abuse scandal in history and holding the responsible parties accountable,” he said.
A Michigan State spokeswoman said the university would continue cooperating with any investigations and pointed to Engler’s past statements.
“William Strampel did not act with the level of professionalism we expect from individuals who hold senior leadership positions, particularly in a position that involves student and patient safety,” Engler said last month.
$200,000 Bail For California Man Accused
In Child Sex Case
Tori James, MML News Reporter
Sonora, CA — A local man under investigation for the past six months has been arrested on felony charges of sex with a minor under the age of 14.
According to Tuolumne County Sheriff’s spokesperson Sgt. Deborah Moss, 44-year-old Anthony Vidal Carrillo, Jr. of Sonora was taken into custody in front of his residence on Monday. Following an interview with investigators he was booked into the Tuolumne County Jail on a $200,000 bail in conjunction with a case involving a now 16-year-old female victim. As Sgt. Moss recounts, the investigation began after the victim disclosed that she had been sexually abused by Carrillo numerous times over a period of several years; specifically while she was between ages of eight to 12 years old.
According to the custody report, Carrillo has been charged with continuous sexual abuse of a child under the age of 14 and sexual penetration with a foreign object of a victim incapable of consent. Sgt. Moss adds that her office is not releasing any more information due to the sensitivity of the ongoing case except to note that at this time they have no indication that there are any other victims.
Teacher Accused Of Child Sex Abuse With
Three Girls Under 15 in North Dakota
TJ Nelson
WILLISTON, N.D. — Bond has been set at $50,000 for a Williston teacher accused of child sex abuse.
28-year-old Everest Moore was placed on administrative leave last month by St. Joseph’s Catholic School due to alleged employee misconduct.
Moore was arrested Friday on charges of gross sexual imposition.
He is accused of sexual misconduct with three girls under the age of 15 between April 2016 and February 2018.
Sixteen sex crime charges filed against
child abuse suspect in Indiana
Tori Fater, Courier & Press
EVANSVILLE, Ind. — Sixteen sex crime charges have been filed against a man formerly of Evansville, now living in Texas and wanted on a warrant in Vanderburgh County.
Clifford Crowe, 46, is accused of repeatedly abusing a child he knew for about five years while that child was younger than 14.
Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office started investigating Crowe after the alleged victim spoke to investigators at Holly’s House earlier this month.
Crowe allegedly raped the child multiple times as well as inappropriately touching her. According to a probable cause affidavit, he was also accused of threatening to hurt a family member of the child if the child did not do what he said.
A warrant for his arrest was issued in Vanderburgh Circuit Court on Wednesday.
Crowe is charged with eight counts of child molesting as a Class A felony and eight counts of incest as a Class B felony. The charges are classified this way as investigators believe the alleged abuse happened before July 2014.
According to court records, an attorney has appeared in court on Crowe’s behalf, but the warrant issued for his arrest had not been served on Crowe as of Tuesday afternoon.
When in custody, Crowe’s bond will be $30,000 cash, and he will not be released until he can be put on electric home detention, according to court documents. The court also ordered him not to have contact with the alleged victim.
Former Oregon police officer pleads guilty
to sexually abusing girl
Whitney Woodworth, Statesman Journal
A former Woodburn police officer is scheduled to be sentenced in May after he admitted to having sex with an underage girl and soliciting sexual contact from the child online.
Daniel Kerbs, 29, of Salem pleaded guilty March 20 to second-degree sexual abuse and first-degree online sexual corruption of a child under the age of 16.
In July, Kerbs was arrested (9th story on link) by Tigard detectives at the Woodburn Police Department on 13 charges, including six counts of third-degree sodomy, six counts of second-degree sexual abuse and one count of first-degree online sexual corruption of a child.
According to Tigard police, Kerbs' arrest stemmed from a three-week long investigation.
Kerbs, who was acquainted with the victim's family, was accused of repeatedly sexually abusing and sodomizing a minor female from 2013 to 2014 in Tigard.
Kerbs was hired by the Woodburn Police Department in January 2015 as a patrol officer.
The day before his arrest, he was placed on administrative leave and remained on unpaid leave pending an internal investigation. Kerbs resigned from the police force on Thursday.
Woodburn Police Chief Jim Ferraris said the department conducted an internal affairs investigation, reached a conclusion and was readying to move forward with proposed disciplinary action.
"He chose to resign before it got to that point," Ferraris said. Ferraris said the department took action when they learned of the Tigard police investigation. We cooperated with them when we were made aware of it," he said. "(Kerbs) is no longer part of our department."
Following his arrest, Kerbs was taken to Washington County jail and held on $140,000 bail. He was released a week later after posting a $14,000 bond. As part of his release agreement, Kerbs was ordered to not have any contact with minor children.
A Washington County judge allowed Kerbs to have supervised visits with his girlfriend's three minor children, whom he claimed were living in Washington state with their grandparents. A warrant was issued for Kerbs' arrest in January after he was accused of lying about his address and his paternity status.
According to an attorney for the children's legal father, the three children were not in Washington and Kerbs not living at his listed address in Salem. Instead, Kerbs was allegedly living with the children and their mother. The attorney expressed concern that Kerbs was spending the night at the home and sometimes sharing a bed with the children.
"We know next to nothing about Mr. Kerbs' criminal behavior. We don't know the extent to which the children may be at risk of abuse," the attorney wrote in a letter to the court.
Kerbs was taken into custody after the warrant was issued. He later was released after posting bail.
During a March 20 hearing, Kerbs pleaded guilty to two of the 13 counts. He is scheduled to be sentenced in Washington County Circuit Court on May 23.
North Carolina man charged with taking
indecent liberties with child
ASHEBORO, N.C. — A 51-year-old Asheboro man has been charged after an alleged sexual assault on a child, according to a press release.
Tony Eugene Hogan has been charged with indecent liberties with a child.
In January 2018, the Randolph County Sheriff’s Office received a report of possible sex abuse. An investigation revealed that Hogan was living with the child at the time of the assault.
He was arrested on March 24 and charged with indecent liberties with a child.
He was taken to the Randolph County Jail on a $500,000 secured bond.
California Sheriff's Deputy accused of
child sex abuse in Nuevo case
By BEATRIZ E. VALENZUELA | bvalenzuela@scng.com | San Bernardino Sun
A Santee man and reported San Diego County Sheriff’s Department deputy is awaiting arraignment in a Nuevo child sexual abuse case, according to court records and media reports.
Sam Thomas Knight, 40, was arrested March 20 on suspicion of lewd acts with a child under the age of 14, after Riverside County sheriff’s detectives obtained an arrest warrant for Knight March 7, court records show.
The arrest was the culmination of a year and a half of detective work into the case, Riverside County sheriff’s officials said. Detectives at the Perris sheriff’s station were first alerted to the sexual assault in July of 2016, said Deputy Michael Vasquez, spokesman for the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department.
The reported attacks took place in Nuevo, however, Vasquez would not release information on the relationship between Knight and the victim to protect the child’s privacy.
“The investigation identified the suspect as, Sam Thomas Knight, a 40-year-old resident of Santee,” he said. Thomas was arrested in San Diego, March 20, without incident, Vasquez said, and booked to the Cois Byrd Detention Center in the city of Murrieta. He’s since been released on $67,000 bail.
Media reports from San Diego have identified Knight as a San Diego County sheriff’s deputy. When asked about Knight’s vocation, Vasquez referred all questions to the San Diego Sheriff’s Department. Calls to the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department weren’t immediately returned.
Court records indicate Knight is scheduled to be arraigned May 16. The case is still ongoing and authorities ask anyone with information regarding the investigation should contact the Perris sheriff’s station at 951-210-1000.
Santee, CA
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