Attorney seeking more victims in Ohio mental health
worker child sex abuse case
by Steve Levine(WSYX/WTTE)
Columbus — Matthew Gatton, 33, is now out on bond and awaiting trial, after being accused last month of sexually abusing an 11-year-old boy while giving him baths.
The mental health worker was employed with Ohio Guidestone, an agency that provides residential health services to clients, when police say he touched a young boy's penis 20-to-50 times while he was in the child's home.
Franklin County Municipal County Court records state Gatton admitted to police he committed the crimes while working with the youngster who has behavioral problems.
The day, Gatton was jailed, the alleged victim's mom told ABC 6/FOX 28, she did not believe her son was the only victim. "They need to speak up and come out, we need to get him away from our kids," she said.
An attorney hired by the victim's family, tells us, he is now hearing from other parents who believe their children were targeted, including a young boy who came into contact with Gatton at church.
"Same things," said attorney Michael Rourke, "inappropriate touching, giving him a bath, that was something they did not permit him to do."
It's not the only report of possible abuse ABC 6/FOX 28 has uncovered involving Gatton.
In 2016 Columbus Police were asked to investigate a case of alleged molestation involving Gatton and a seven-year-old. The case did not go forward after prosecutors determined there was not evidence to charge Gatton.
Rourke is now reviewing Gatton's employment history to uncover any additional cases of inappropriate behavior. "He's been at a number of places, and they all have one thing in common, there's kids there, that are particularly vulnerable," said Rourke.
Last month, officials with Ohio Guidestone told us in a prepared written statement:
"We hold all of our employees to strict standards of behavior. All employees are required to be trained on our Abuse and Neglect policy and our extensive Client Rights policy based on Ohio law. Any staff member who violates those policies is subject to immediate dismissal and subsequent prosecution under Ohio law."
"We do everything in our power to ensure that every person who comes into contact with the people we serve is safe, trustworthy and beyond reproach. Prior to employment, every employee is thoroughly vetted and screened through extensive background checks in accordance with Ohio state law. If there is a finding on the background check, we do not hire them."
Well, that sounds pretty impressive, except one got through!
Gatton's attorney told us, his client has plead not guilty to the charges, and has not heard of any new victims that have come forward. Rourke says his clients now preparing to take legal action
"We need to figure out why the system failed, honestly," said Rourke.
$100K bond set for KY magistrate candidate
accused in sex abuse, child porn case
BY CHRIS ANDERSON
A Letcher County Circuit Judge set bond Wednesday for a magistrate candidate arrested Tuesday on sex abuse and child pornography charges.
Letcher Circuit Judge Jimmy Craft ordered 61-year-old Emory Lee “Fudge” Mullins be held on a $100,000 cash bond in relation to the indictment against Mullins that was issued this week. A Letcher Grand Jury indicted Mullins on one count of first-degree sexual abuse, two counts of retaliation against a participant in the legal process, and eight counts of possession of a matter portraying a sexual performance by a minor.
Letcher Commonwealth’s Attorney Edison Banks said the child pornography allegedly found on electronics owned by Mullins included numerous images of young children engaging in sexual performances. Banks said the evidence recovered from Mullins’ electronics, which he said were seized in February, was in video form. Banks did not discuss the sex abuse charge against Mullins.
In addition to his cash bond, Mullins was also placed on bond conditions prohibiting him from having contact with the alleged victims in the case, as well as avoiding their property and school grounds and facilities. Mullins remains lodged in the Letcher County Jail.
An arraignment has been set for June 27th.
Mullins remains the Democratic nominee for the District 3 Letcher County Magistrate race, and is set to face Republican and write-in challengers in November.
Letcher Co., KY
OSU employees failed to report sexual assault, called survivors ‘delusional’
By: Max Filby
Ohio State University shuttered a campus sexual assault response center this week and fired four employees after a review revealed they failed to properly report sexual assault complaints filed by students.
The Sexual Civility and Empowerment unit, referred to as the SCE by OSU, was suspended in February after concerns came to light that it was “not properly supporting victims and was mismanaged,” according to Ohio State.
The concerns prompted a review completed on May 28, which showed the unit failed to comply with university policy in several incidents, including some that occurred off campus, in other cities and before a sexual assault survivor enrolled at the school, according to OSU. Some incidents were not reported and others were not reported to police or the university in a timely manner, the review found.
“Ohio State will do all that we can to be a national leader in preventing and responding to sexual misconduct,” said president Michael Drake in a prepared statement. “Our campuses must be safe places for all members of our community to learn, work and grow.”
About 200 documents released to the Dayton Daily News by Ohio State this week show that several complaints were lodged against the SCE’s leadership and show that there was an internal struggle for power of the organization. Among those criticized was assistant director Natalie Spiert, who earned her master’s degree in social work from Wright State University in 2015.
Natalie Spiert, former associate director of Ohio State’s SCE.
Spiert compared sexual assault survivors to drug addicts and told some that they were “not ready to heal,” according to a complaint.
Jill Davis, a former coordinator at the SCE, reported in November 2016 that she had been bullied by Spiert, who at one point told her she “‘better not screw her over’ in a very assertive, threatening tone.”
Spiert told Davis that she once gave a presentation to a group of Ohio State’s coaches and kicked it off by saying that they “will not care what she says because they all will go home and beat their wives anyway.” After that incident, the athletics department told Spiert’s boss she would not be welcomed back to present again.
Along with the accusations against Spiert, some students reported being told by SCE staff that they were “lying,” “delusional” were “suffering from a mental illness” and did not “understand their own experience,” according to complaints. Others were told they would not receive help from the SCE because they were “not deemed credible” or “would not disclose the identity of the perpetrator,” according to another complaint.
The Sexual Civility and Empowerment unit at Ohio State was opened in 2015. The unit’s closure comes just months after Gov. John Kasich asked the Ohio Department of Higher Education to re-evaluate Title IX enforcement on college campuses, a request first reported by this news organization.
To address issues stemming from the unit’s possible failures, Ohio State has hired the law firm Cozen O’Connor to create a new “best-in-class model to support victims of sexual assault.,” according to the university.
Ohio State requires all employees to report sexual assault and state and federal laws require the reporting of sexual assault on or near college campuses. OSU officials are still investigating the unit’s issues and plans to reach out to students who contacted the unit to ensure that they have received necessary support.
“This is an immensely important issue, and Ohio State is committed to having the very best systems in place to support and protect our students, faculty and staff,” OSU provost Bruce McPheron said in a prepared statement.
Man gets 12-40 years for PA child sex assault
By James O’Malley
A Bucks County man will spend up to four decades behind bars for sexually abusing a girl in Lower Southampton when she was 5 or 6.
Jason Duane Dutkiewicz-Hughes, 32, pleaded guilty Wednesday in Bucks County Court to involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with a child, aggravated indecent assault and indecent assault in an agreement to serve 12 to 40 years in state prison.
The girl, now 11, reported the abuse in November, police say. The incidents occurred at an apartment in Lower Southampton where Dutkiewicz-Hughes lived from 2012 to 2013.
Having kept her abuse a secret for years, the victim has struggled with depression, her mother said in a statement read in court by NOVA advocate Joyce Vernon.
“I wish she had not been scared to talk to me and I had found out sooner. My heart breaks how she struggled with this for a long time,” the woman wrote. “That was a huge burden to carry alone for a long time.”
Deputy District Attorney Kate Kohler said in court that Dutkiewicz-Hughes admitted to the abuse when confronted by police earlier this year.
“The defendant in this case was banking on his victim’s silence. Despite the pressures he exerted over her, this little girl was so brave for coming forward and because of her bravery, her abuser was brought to justice,” she said after the hearing.
Kohler also prosecuted the man in 2014 when he was placed on probation for possessing and distributing child pornography.
His attorney at the time said despite his dark side he was “basically a decent guy.”
Court records show that in the ensuing years he has been in and out of jail for various violations of his court-ordered supervision.
Dutkiewicz-Hughes’ current attorney Brian Schuster said in this most recent case, he has cooperated with police to avoid inflicting further trauma upon the victim.
“I’ve been carrying this guilt for a while,” Dutkiewicz-Hughes said Wednesday. “When I found out she said something, I couldn’t deny it.”
He told Judge Wallace H. Bateman Jr. he feels “horrible” for abusing the child, calling the act a “terrible mistake.”
Before ordering the man to prison, Bateman reminded Dutkiewicz-Hughes that even if his victim some day recovers from what he did, she will never forget it.
“You’re going to go off to jail and she’s going to lie with the scars you put on her,” the judge said.
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| Lwr Southampton, PA |
Girl went along with sexual abuse by Indiana man
because she feared losing her friend
Bob Kasarda bob.kasarda@nwi.com
VALPARAISO — A girl told police she complied with a South Haven man's demands for sexual acts, in part, because she feared she would no longer be allowed to be friends with a relative of the man if not.
Robert Santiago, 52, is charged with a felony count of rape and two felony counts of child molestation.
The girl revealed the abuse to an aunt while out of state earlier this year, according to police.
She told police Santiago began touching her inappropriately during hugs when she would visit his home in the 700 block of Juniper Road, according to court records.
While spending the night at his house in the summer of 2015, she said he began to fondle her and perform a sex act, at which time she "blacked out" because of the stress, police said.
The girl's aunt reportedly told police the girl was 12 when the abuse began.
Santiago is then accused of forcing sex on the girl later that same summer at his house, according to court records.
The girl said Santiago tricked her to come to his house in 2016 by saying her friend would be there, police said. He then performed a sex act on her.
"Although she consented, she did not feel that she had a choice," according to charging documents.
Sex charge involving child is just first stemming from churches in Indiana and Michigan
Bob Kasarda bob.kasarda@nwi.com
VALPARAISO — A 29-year-old South Haven, Indiana, woman has been charged with having sex with a 15-year-old boy in what is expected to be a growing case linked to churches in South Haven and Michigan.
Valerie Clabaugh is charged with a felony count of sexual misconduct with a minor, according to court records.
The boy reportedly told police he and Clabaugh had sex multiple times at her home on Capitol Road in South Haven last summer when she was 28.
The incidents came to light when the boy's mother reported it to police and said her former husband had been dating Clabaugh until their son became involved with her, according to charging information.
Police said when they approached Clabaugh about the allegations, she said she wanted her attorney, Gary Germann, present. Germann did not return a telephone call from an investigator. Germann told The Times on Friday he will not meet with his client until next week and thus any comment at this time would be premature.
The investigation into the case revealed allegations of other wrongdoings among members of a church in South Haven and another in Michigan, according to court records.
Court documents state Clabaugh was a member of the South Haven church; the boy's father attended the Michigan church. Allegations include attempts to cover up the case involving Clabaugh and at least one further inappropriate sexual situation, records state.
Porter County Deputy Prosecutor Cheryl Polarek said she intends to file more charges.
The boy's father reportedly told investigators he started a "talking" relationship with Clabaugh, but that it did not work out because Clabaugh began "having feelings for his son."
He said the churches in South Haven, Indiana, and Michigan have fellowship with each other, and he is "trying to protect everyone" involved, according to the charging information. "I think you know what I'm saying," he reportedly told investigators.
He said "a sin is a sin," and his son was supposed to wait to have sex until he got married, police said.
Leaders at the churches reportedly told police they were advised of some type of relationship between Clabaugh and the boy, and responded by telling them to "knock it off" and washed their hands of the incident, according to court documents.
Good grief! Like Pilate washing his hands after sentencing Jesus to death.
An investigator said the claim is contrary to text messages he read from Clabaugh's cellphone, which said a leader at the Michigan church was attempting to persuade the boy's mother not to go to police.
Clabaugh's phone also contained messages from others in the church who allegedly knew about the sexual relationship and who were encouraging Clabaugh "not to speak with the police and that investigations such as this one are hard to prove," according to charging information.
The phone also contained text messages alleging another coverup in the church of an adult sending nude photographs to an underage boy, according to charging information.
Indiana man accused of raping highly intoxicated
woman who said she just wanted to talk
Bob Kasarda bob.kasarda@nwi.com
VALPARAISO — A 34-year-old Valparaiso man is accused of raping a woman he knew while she was drifting in and out of consciousness after drinking alcohol, according to court documents.
Christopher Sullivan is charged with a single felony count of rape, according to charging information.
The woman said she was alone at a local bar on the night of Feb. 22 and had consumed five alcoholic beverages when she was contacted on her phone by Sullivan, who said he would pick her up and take her home, police said.
The woman said she was periodically passing out in his car due to the alcohol and awoke to discover Sullivan had taken her to his home instead of her own, police said. She said she told him she was not interested in sex, but was willing to talk.
Sullivan is accused of raping her at the apartment before driving her home.
Police said Sullivan told them the woman had contacted him multiple times on the night in question asking for help. He told police the calls and text messages would no longer appear on his phone because he blocked her number.
Police said the woman's phone showed that Sullivan contacted her twice on the night in question as she claimed.
Woman says she was raped, abused for hours by Indiana man she met on dating app
Bob Kasarda bob.kasarda@nwi.com
VALPARAISO — A local woman told police that her first date with a man she met on a dating app turned ugly when he raped her and subjected her to hours of physical and verbal abuse.
Nathaniel Flagg, 22, of the Shorewood Forest subdivision in Union Township, is charged with felony counts of rape, intimidation and possession of cocaine, and two misdemeanor counts of battery.
Preliminary pleas of not guilty were entered during an initial hearing this week before Porter Superior Court Judge Roger Bradford, and Flagg said he intends to hire a private attorney.
The woman said she agreed to be picked up by Flagg at her home on Feb. 26 after communicating with him on the Meet Me dating app each day for the two weeks prior, according to charging information.
She said Flagg took her to his home where he quickly began touching her in a sexual manner, removing her clothing, restraining her and eventually forcing her to have sex, police said. While she did not want to have sex with him, the woman told police she did not voice that to Flagg or physically try to stop him.
"She was too surprised and frightened to speak or physically move," according to court documents.
What followed was hours of physical and verbal abuse, much of it filmed by Flagg on the woman's cell phone, police said.
He is accused of forcing her to take part in various sexual acts, calling her derogatory names, offering her sexually to others by phone, asking her if she had ever been raped and spitting at her, police said.
"Nathaniel told (the woman) that he 'owned' her and she had to do whatever he told her," according to court records. "He stated her family was no longer a part of her life and she would not be going home."
Flagg ordered the woman to give him her next five paychecks in cash and said she would be required to cash fraudulent checks for him and abstain from identifying him when she was arrested, police said.
When the woman began panicking, Flagg attempted to calm her down, but went on to force her to have more sex, according to police. He alluded to having a gun at one point during the encounter.
After telling the woman she could only leave the house without her possessions, including her clothing, he dropped her off at a fast food restaurant where she had arranged to be met by her mother, police said. He reportedly told her not to tell anyone about what happened.
Flagg is being held without bond. A trial was set for Sept. 10, with preliminary court dates of July 9 and Aug. 13.
NY man admits making child pornography
NEWARK, N.J. – A Pearl River, New York, man today admitted photographing and filming a child engaged in sexually explicit conduct and sharing those images online, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced.
Richard Murphy, 32, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge John Michael Vazquez in Newark federal court to an information charging him with sexual exploitation of a minor.
According to documents filed in the case and statements made in court:
Murphy admitted that in December 2016, he persuaded a child to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of taking photos and videos of that conduct. Murphy also admitted that he took video of the child performing a sex act on him. In addition, Murphy admitted that he shared the sexually explicit images with another individual online.
The sexual exploitation charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison, a maximum potential penalty of 30 years in prison, and a $250,000 fine. Sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 25, 2018.
U.S. Attorney Carpenito credited special agents of Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Brian Michael, with the investigation.
Man arrested for child sexual assault at South Lake Tahoe daycare center
by News 4 & Fox 11 Digital Team
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. — South Lake Tahoe Police Department is reporting on an on-going possible child sexual assault that had occurred at the Pequenos Rascals Learning Center located at 3336 Sandy Way.
Multiple victims came forward and reported a pattern of abuse dating back at least two years.
SLTPD has arrested David Rodriguez-Flores, who is one of the licensees of Pequenos Rascals Learning Center.
Rodriguez-Flores’ bail was set at $500,000.
Anyone with information related to this case can contact the South Lake Tahoe Police Department at (530) 542-6100.
Ex-employee at Florida immigration center
under scrutiny admitted to sex abuse
Immigrant children walk in a line outside the Homestead Temporary Shelter for Unaccompanied Children, a former Job Corps site that now houses them, on Wednesday, June 20, 2018, in Homestead. (Brynn Anderson/AP)
Skyler Swisher, South Florida Sun Sentinel
A Homestead shelter holding migrant teenagers was subject less than two years ago to an investigation that resulted in a youth care worker admitting to sending nude video of herself to a 15-year-old boy and asking him to have sex with her.
The care worker, who was employed by a contractor, is now serving a federal prison sentence in Tallahassee for swapping explicit images with a child she met while working in the facility.
The Homestead Temporary Shelter for Unaccompanied Children, where more than 1,000 migrant teenagers are kept, has come under renewed scrutiny after it barred Democratic U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson and U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz from entering Tuesday.
The lawmakers wanted access to check on the welfare of children being kept there amid outrage over a Trump administration crackdown that resulted in families being separated at the southern U.S. border.
Nelson said at least 94 children at the center were separated from their parents. An additional 174 are being held elsewhere in Florida, but it’s unclear where they are being held.
A spokesman with Health and Human Services, the agency that oversees the center, didn’t respond to questions about the incident or steps the agency has taken to keep children safe. It also has offered few details on Florida’s role in Trump’s immigration crackdown, declining to reveal exactly how many children separated from their parents are being held in Florida.
Merice Perez Colon, then 35, pleaded guilty in August 2017 to attempted coercion and enticement of a minor and was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison, according to court records.
Perez Colon admitted that she sent nude photos and videos of herself to an unaccompanied immigrant minor and requested and received video of him masturbating. Her attorney did not return a phone call seeking comment.
The boy was at the facility in the summer of 2016. He was released and resettled in South Carolina in October of that year
Perez Colon struck up an online relationship with the boy after he left the facility, according to court documents. “You have to come to Miami to have sex with me,” she wrote in one message.
Perez Colon was “contracted by an outside agency to work as a youth care worker,” but court records did not specify which company employed her.
Comprehensive Health Systems, a Cape Canaveral-based company, had an active contract to staff the center when Perez Colon worked there. The center closed in March 2017 but was reopened in February.
The federal government signed another contract worth nearly $31 million with Comprehensive Health Systems when the center was reopened. A Comprehensive Health Systems spokeswoman said she’s barred from commenting because of a Health and Human Services policy. She referred questions to the government agency.
Texas man convicted of child sexual abuse
sentenced to 645 years in prison
By Bianca Quilantan
A man from Granite Shoals was sentenced Tuesday to 645 years in prison for 13 separate child sexual abuse offenses, the 33rd and 424th District Attorney’s office said Wednesday.
Bryant Edward Dulin, 46, was sentenced following a jury trial that lasted seven days, the district attorney’s office said in a news release. Three separate cases against Dulin that involved three victims were consolidated into one trial.
In one case, Dulin was charged with one count of indecency with a child, nine counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child and one count of continuous sexual abuse of a young child. He also was charged in a second case with one count of sexual performance by a child, and aggravated sexual assault of a child under the age of 6 in the third case.
Evidence during the trial revealed that Dulin had sexually abused children since 2003, the release said, and the last charge against Dulin in the third case occurred in 2016.
The jury found Dulin guilty on all counts except for sexual performance by a child. Of his 645-year sentence, Dulin is to serve a total of 225 years consecutively, Judge Evan Stubbs said. Dulin’s convictions of continuous sexual abuse of a young child and aggravated sexual assault of a child under 6 do not allow for the possibility of parole.
Outcry raised on social media about child
predator's role with Texas city
Trish Choate, For the Times Record News
A lifetime registered sex offender working for the city of Wichita Falls is at the center of an outcry on social media.
Worried parents contend Joseph “Benny” Benjamin Butler, 60, shouldn’t have a job involving parks frequented by children and has been living in a city building.
Butler was convicted of indecency with a child-sexual contact after abusing two girls in the 1980s. He is a horticulturist in the Maintenance Division of the Parks and Recreation Department.
An official said the city is aware of the sex offender status of Butler, who was hired in 1994. “Those involved in this hiring decision are no longer employed by the City,” Christi Klyn, Human Resources/Civil Service director, said in an emailed statement.
“The City's hiring practices no longer allow applicants with a registered sex offender status to be hired into a position with the City,” Klyn added. She said city officials have looked into reports on social media that Butler has been living in the Parks Maintenance Building.
They questioned Butler and the parks superintendent, she said. “We did not find proof that these statements are true,” Klyn said.
Wichitan Craig Montaño raised issues about Butler on Facebook this week, saying he has been sleeping and showering in a city building with an outside area where children play.
He and his wife Jessica want Butler to "at least have to change departments. … With the Power of the People we can fix this." The building in the 3300 block of Ninth Street has playground equipment in a play area on its grounds. Westover Hills Park on East Wenonah Boulevard is a few blocks away.
Butler was convicted of indecency with a child-sexual contact with an 8-year-old girl and a 10-year-old girl, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety’s Sex Offender Registry.
He was sentenced to 10 years of probation/mandatory supervision for each count on July 1, 1985.
A search this week of criminal databases on PublicData.com did not turn up recent charges of child sexual abuse. Attempts to reach Butler Wednesday afternoon were not immediately successful.
In any case, a city ordinance approved more than 12 years ago aims to keep registered sex offenders from living in certain areas of the city – 80 to 85 percent as it turns out. The City Council unanimously approved the measure April 4, 2006.
The ordinance applies to all sex offenders – except those already living in a prohibited area before the measure passed, according to a previous Times Record News story. Under the ordinance, sex offenders who abused victims younger than 17 can’t live within 1,000 feet of schools, public parks, youth centers and child-care facilities.
Registered sex offenders are also prohibited by law from certain jobs such as becoming a bus driver, providing taxicab and limousine services, operating an amusement park ride or providing any type of service in someone else’s residence unless supervised.
The city Parks Maintenance Division where Butler works is responsible for upkeep in a large chunk of public lands. Division workers care for 37 parks on almost 1,100 acres, according to the city’s website.
Upkeep includes weekly maintenance of more than 50 miles of street medians and triangles, 11 ornamental median structures, nine highway interchange areas, the grounds of 12 public buildings and a five-acre recreational vehicle park, the website stated.
Along the Wichita River, the division takes care of more than 13 miles of hiking and biking trails, and trail amenities, according to the website.
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