Man wanted to scout Ocoee elementary school
for 'sexy boys,' police say
By Adrienne Cutway - Web Editor
OCOEE, Fla. - A Central Florida man was arrested after posting on social media that he planned to target a local elementary school because he had seen "sexy boys" there, according to the Ocoee Police Department.
Police said 19-year-old Kristopher Martin Oswald II was arrested Monday when authorities found him in his parked car with teddy bears at a local park.
The investigation began the day before when an anonymous tipster said he'd been chatting with Oswald on Grindr, a gay dating app, then when the conversation moved to Snapchat, Oswald began sending images that appeared to be child pornography, the arrest affidavit said.
Oswald also claimed during those messages that he had raped children in the past, according to authorities.
Oswald also said that he planned to target Thornebrooke Elementary School on Monday because he had seen "sexy boys" there and he wanted to "choose one," according to a news release.
The tipster agreed to meet with police and message Oswald as they supervised, the report said. During that conversation, Oswald shared his location, which helped authorities track him down to Central Park in Ocoee, police said.
Oswald was found sitting in his gray Ford Taurus with his pants unbuttoned and opened, according to the affidavit. He had coloring books, teddy bears, pacifiers, and both used and unused condoms and diapers in his car, the report said.
Police said they have reason to believe Oswald -- who has ties to Davenport, Clermont, Kissimmee, Gotha and Ocoee -- has targeted juveniles in the past.
A judge on Tuesday set Oswald's bond at $100,000. The judge ordered that he have no contact with anyone under 18, that he cannot visit any schools and that he is prohibited from having access to the internet or social media.
Police said additional charges are forthcoming pending the results of a search on Oswald's cellphone.
Two men face charges of sexual abuse of a child
in Alabama
HENAGAR, Alabama (WDEF) — Two men from Henagar, Alabama face charges of sexual abuse of a child.
The DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office began an investigation last week.
James Perego was arrested at his home on County Road 723.
He’s facing 4 counts of sexual abuse of a child under 12.
He’s also accused of sodomy in the 2nd degree.
James Lee Britton, Jr. was arrested at his residence on Mississippi Street.
He is charged with three counts of sexual abuse of a child under 12, and resisting arrest.
In a release, Dekalb County Sheriff Jimmy Harris says, “It is always tough working a case when children are involved. I am proud of our investigators in their hard work and the level of integrity is takes dealing with cases like this.”
Jury convicts Illinois man of sex abuse,
assault involving two girls
By Matt Hopf Herald-Whig
QUINCY -- A Quincy man accused of having sexual contact with two girls (6th story on link) will face up to 74 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections after an Adams County jury found him guilty Tuesday of two sex abuse charges.
Johnathan E. Rajner, 43, was convicted of predatory criminal sexual assault of a child and aggravated criminal sexual abuse after the jury deliberated for less than an hour.
Testifying on Tuesday was Quincy police Officer Bill Calkins, who interviewed Rajner.
Adams County Assistant State's Attorney Anita Rodriguez said the statements that Rajner made to Calkins showed he was at the home where the abuse occurred.
"He denied doing anything to (the girls), but what little he did admit to Officer Calkins corroborated the children's statements as far as when and where this happened," Rodriguez said.
Also testifying was Brooke Baldwin, director of forensic interviewing for the Advocacy Network for Children, who presented to interviews conducted with the two accusers in 2017.
The two girls testified Monday that Rajner touched them inappropriately on the same night as they were getting ready for bed in an upstairs bedroom at a Quincy residence. The encounter allegedly occurred in 2015 or 2016, but it didn't come to light until Jan. 29, 2018, when one of the girls told her guardian.
Rajner faces between six and 60 years for the predatory criminal sexual assault of a child and between three and 14 years for aggravated criminal sexual abuse. The sentences must be served consecutively because they involve separate accusers.
Sentencing was set for July 20.
Rajner was convicted of aggravated criminal sexual abuse in 2003 and of failure to register as a sex offender in 2013.
Daughter's sexual abuse began at 14 by Warren dad
who fathered her child
WARREN (WJBK) - Police revealed new disturbing details against a Warren man accused of fathering a child with his own daughter.
"People like this are master manipulators," said Det. David Huffman, Warren police. "They can sit next to you, have a coffee and smile, have a decent conversation and you wouldn't know anything about it."
That's how police describe Gregory St. Andre, charged with three counts of incest and getting his daughter, who is now 20 years old, pregnant. And on Tuesday more disturbing details emerged about St. Andre, 37, as police believe he began having sex with his daughter when she was only 14.
"She tried to appease him," Huffman said. "She would agree with him that she was his wife."
St. Andre's estranged wife and family was suspicious for years. They contacted Child Protective Services and police, but did not have proof. And his daughter was unwilling to discuss it - until January of 2018, a year after the young woman had given birth to a baby boy. The mother found text messages between St. Andre and his daughter.
"The daughter had the attention of another boy about her age and dad was not happy with it," Huffman said. "And he was saying things like you can't kiss him, you're my wife."
Warren police then got a search warrant for St. Andre's DNA. He denied all of it and accused his daughter of impregnating herself with his sperm.
"What he said was that, he was donating sperm to a lesbian couple out of Flint," Huffman said. "And that there were samples in the refrigerator."
Detective David Huffman says eventually St. Andre admitted he may have had sex with his daughter saying "I can't believe I'm going to say this..." then telling police he woke up to his daughter in bed with him.
"At first he thought it was his wife, but there was a tattoo that wasn't there, and it was a confession of one time," Huffman said.
Police did not believe his story. Then DNA came back last month, confirming that St. Andre was indeed the baby's father. "She has a son, by the defendant," said Michelle Truszkowski, the victim's aunt. "What is she supposed to do."
The woman's mother told FOX 2 not only has St. Andre been contacting his traumatized daughter, but also calling her boyfriend and even sending him explicit photos of his own daughter.
St. Andre's bond increased Monday as the no-contact order remains and while police say there's no indication St. Andre has abused any of his other children, additional charges are likely in this case.
Sexual abuse allegations made against a volleyball coach in Illinois Senate hearing
Bill Lukitsch
Chicago Tribune
Women who have accused suburban volleyball coach Rick Butler of sexually abusing them testified before an Illinois Senate panel Tuesday, asking state lawmakers to create additional protections for victims.
Among the reforms they asked lawmakers to consider is extending the statute of limitations in sexual abuse cases when the accused person threatens to sue victims for defamation to try to keep them from coming forward.
“I’m not here today because I want to relive all of the horrible things that Rick Butler did to me when I was a child entrusted to his care,” Julie Romias said in a hushed Capitol hearing room. “I’m here because I feel that I have to be because change needs to happen.”
At the hearing, Romias accused Butler of abusing her while the team went on international trips and threatening her with violence if she spoke out. She accused him of abusing the power he had over her as a renowned coach to force himself on her and keep her from raising complaints against him.
In February, Laura Mullen, the mother of a female volleyball player coached by Butler, filed a $10 million federal class-action lawsuit against Butler and his Aurora-based youth sports club, Performance Volleyball Club. Mullen attorney Jay Edelson told lawmakers Butler’s case is part of a larger “epidemic in youth sports,” suggesting sexual abuse in the leagues are widespread across the country.
It is indeed and not just America, but every country
Butler’s attorney Danielle D’Ambrose declined to comment directly on the testimony given in Tuesday’s hearing until she sees a transcript.
“We will not fight this in the court of public opinion,” she wrote in an emailed statement. “We will continue to vigorously defend against any allegations which have been stated against Rick Butler, both now and in the past, in the context of the lawsuit.”
Butler has never been criminally charged.
In 1995, he was banned from USA Volleyball events amid abuse allegations, according to Tribune stories. But he was allowed to return to the organization five years later with certain restrictions after a Cook County judge found USA Volleyball erred in its reasoning for punishing him. In January, Butler was once again banned from USA Volleyball for life.
Butler’s case returned to the fore following the highly publicized trial and conviction of Larry Nassar, a former American gymnastics doctor who was sentenced to a maximum 125 years in prison for abusing more than 150 women and girls over the course of his career. That trial renewed conversations about abuse within youth sports in the wake of the #MeToo movement, which has encouraged women and men across the nation to speak out about personal experiences with sexual misconduct.
Among the other reforms being sought in Illinois are clear mandated reporting requirements to government agencies when youth clubs become aware of sexual abuse allegations and higher penalties for lying on the witness stand in sexual abuse cases involving children.
The Senate panel was created in response to the national outcry to reform practices in government and the private sector concerning sexual abuse, harassment and discrimination in the wake of the #MeToo movement. The panel, made up of lawmakers and community members, has taken up issues such as finding ways to change state laws to better accommodate victims and streamlining the process for filing ethics complaints.
Also testifying before the committee was Sarah Powers-Barnhard, another former player who claims Butler sexually abused her. He has denied her allegations.
Texas sex offender sentenced to 40 years in prison after appealing life sentence
By: Erica Garner
TAYLOR COUNTY, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) - A sex offender who has appealed his life sentence has now been sentenced to 40 years in prison.
Ronald Edgar Lee, Jr., 37, initially sentenced to life for Continuous Sexual Abuse of a Child in 2014, was sentenced to 40 years in prison for Aggravated Sexual Assault of a Child, a lesser charge which can carry a sentence of 5 to 99 years in prison.
Court documents state Lee was accused of sexually assaulting a child under the age of 14.
A jury for his punishment trial was selected Monday and testimony concluded Tuesday afternoon.
Former Texas school bus driver charged with
multiple counts of child sex abuse
by KGBT Staff
EDINBURG, Texas - A former IDEA bus driver has been charged with multiple counts of continuous sexual abuse of a young child, according to a news release from the Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office.
An investigation began on April 20 when a complainant reported that several students attending an IDEA Public School in Hidalgo County made outcries of inappropriate touching by their former bus driver, identified as 59-year-old Jose Luis Garza.
During an interview at the Children’s Advocacy Center in Edinburg, the students - a five-year-old girl and two eight-year-old girls— said Garza inappropriately touched them on multiple occasions while riding the school bus.
The alleged sexual contact spanned from August 2017 through May 2018.
Throughout the course of an investigation, the Sheriff’s Office obtained sufficient probable cause to show that Garza had committed the sexual abuse, according to the news release.
Garza was arrested on Friday and has been charged with three counts of continuous sexual abuse of a young child, all first-degree felonies. He was transported to the Hidalgo County jail on a $320,000 bond.
Garza has since been fired from the district, according to the following statement from IDEA Public Schools:
"IDEA Public Schools is committed to ensuring the safety of our students on the road to and through college. Jose Luis Garza has been terminated from IDEA Public Schools. We cooperated fully with the investigation, and we have taken all appropriate actions in accordance with the law and network policy. As this is an ongoing investigation, we cannot comment any further. All questions should be directed to Hidalgo County."
Investigators say additional charges may follow in the ongoing investigation. Anyone with information about the case is asked to call the Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division at (956)383-8114.
Edinburg, TX
Utah man suspected of sex abuse of a child found incompetent to stand trial
LOGAN — A 20-year-old Lewiston man, suspected of sexually abusing a child, has been found incompetent to stand trial.
Christopher R. Vandam appeared in 1st District Court Tuesday morning. He was previously charged with forcible sexual abuse, a second-degree felony.
Cache County Sheriff’s deputies arrested Vandam in February on suspicion of sodomy on a child, sex abuse of a child, sexual battery and bestiality. Investigators claimed at least five victims were abused, ranging in age from four-to-13-years-old. The abuse allegedly occurred in August 2017 and was ongoing for several years.
In March, a judge ordered a competency evaluation for Vandam, to determine whether he understood the court proceedings against him and could defend himself. Two independent therapists interviewed him at the Cache County Jail.
During Tuesday’s hearing, state attorney Jacob Gordon said both evaluations found Vandam was incompetent. He asked the court to transfer the defendant to the Utah State Hospital for treatment.
Judge Brian Cannell asked Vandam’s public defender to file the transfer request. He expressed hope that doctors will be able to restore the defendant’s competency, so they can proceed with the case.
Vandam will remain in jail until being transferred. He faces up to 15-years in prison if convicted. He is scheduled to appear again in court July 10.
Ohio Pastor Sexually Abused Underage Girls,
Including a Foster Child, in Church
BY DAVID G. MCAFEE
A Toledo pastor is likely to spend 17 ½ years in prison after pleading guilty to sex trafficking of minors.
Kenneth Butler, 38, pleaded guilty Monday to one count of conspiracy to sex traffic children, two counts of sex trafficking of children and one count of obstruction of a sex trafficking investigation.
Butler is scheduled to be sentenced in September. Under the terms of his plea agreement, both sides will ask for a sentence of 210 months in prison.
“This defendant has admitted to crimes that include preying on a foster child who was previously the victim of sexual abuse, and he committed these crimes in a house of worship,” U.S. Attorney Justin E. Herdman said. “Butler may hold himself out to the community as a pastor, but in the eyes of the law he is a criminal who pays money to sexually assault children.”
17.5 years doesn’t sound like enough time behind bars given his actions. Three pastors, all with churches in the same region of Ohio, sexually assaulted children, sometimes committing the crime together. They also performed most of the abusive actions in their various churches, adding further insult to injury.
The other two men, Anthony Haynes and Cordell Jenkins, pleaded not guilty and are awaiting trial. The plea agreement makes it clear just how bad things really were.
In late 2015, Haynes picked up Butler with Juvenile #1 already in the car. The three of them went to the Greater Life Christian Center to Haynes’s office. Juvenile #1 began to undress. Haynes looked at Butler and stated, “You owe me” and laughed.
Haynes and Butler performed several sex acts on Juvenile #1 taking turns having unprotected intercourse. Butler knew Juvenile #1 was under the age of 18 years. The next day, Haynes and Butler discussed the encounter and how it was fun…
Butler also had sex with another minor, Juvenile #2, who attend church at Greater Life Christian Center. The two met at the church in 2016. Shortly after meeting, Butler started his own church in the Detroit area.
Butler routinely took Juvenile #2 with him to his church in Michigan. Juvenile #2 watched [Butler’s] children during the church service. In 2017, while driving back from his Detroit church, Butler pulled off the road and had intercourse with Juvenile #2. Butler knew Juvenile #2 had not attained the age of 18 years. Butler routinely provided Juvenile #2 rides to various places in the Toledo area, and on at least one occasion, gave her $20.
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