Caution: Disturbing stories below may trigger PTSD
68 y/o North Carolina Man Sentenced For
Incest with Grandchildren
The Transylvania Times
Charles Clayton Moore, a 68-year-old Sapphire resident, was sentenced Tuesday to nearly 50 years in prison after pleading guilty to eight felony counts of indecent liberties with a child and three felony counts of first-degree sex offense with a child.
During Transylvania County Superior Court, Judge R. Gregory Horne sentenced Moore to 594 months (49 years and six months) in N.C. Department of Corrections.
According to Assistant District Attorney Beth Dierauf, charges were filed against Moore when one of the victims disclosed to the Transylvania County Sheriff's Office that she had been abused at Moore's home.
"It was the bravery and the courage of this one little girl who came forward that got this whole investigation going," Dierauf said
Dierauf said Moore disclosed to investigators that he had not only abused her but "multiple children over the past 20 years. The detectives followed up and interviewed the victims he named when he came in, in addition to the one who came forward initially," she said.
According to a press release from District Attorney Greg Newman, Moore committed various sex acts with at least five of his grandchildren from 1999 through 2011.
The children ranged in ages from 3 to 8. Most of the crimes occurred in Moore's home when the grandchildren spent time there, according to the press release. Several people from the community, as well as Moore's family, read prepared statements to the court. Some advocated mercy for Moore, while others asked for stringent penalties. Moore apologized to his family and made a short plea to the court for leniency, the release said.
"Mr. Moore hurt a lot of people, and I fear that much of the harm to his grandchildren may leave permanent scars," said Newman in the press release. "We are satisfied with the sentence imposed by Judge Horne. Certainly, the community and, definitely, the defendant's family are safer now. Mr. Moore will spend the rest of his life in a North Carolina prison. I hope his family, and in particular the child victims, can find a way to cope with what they have experienced."
After an initial disclosure was made by one of the grandchildren during the summer of 2017, Moore contacted the Sheriff's Office and disclosed, in general terms, that he had committed crimes against members of his family.
He agreed to meet at the Sheriff's Office with his pastor where he confessed to his crimes. Detectives Geoff Bishop and Wade Abram conducted the interviews of the defendant, the victims and their parents. The Superior Court term in Transylvania County continues through the end of this week.
DACA Recipient Sentenced to 35 Years for
Child Sex Abuse of 3 y/o Arizona Girl
Breitbart
Robert Arce
A Maricopa County Superior Court judge in Phoenix sentenced an illegal immigrant previously protected by the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program (DACA) to 35 years in prison followed by lifetime probation for the kidnapping and attempted abuse of a 3-year-old girl.
The victim was discovered duct-taped and covered in feces in a closet in 2016, according to local reporting. A tipster called police and said he was offered the girl for sale as a sexual plaything by Francisco Javier Rios-Covarrubias, 30, an illegal immigrant DACA recipient from Mexico.
The charges stem from a January 2016 case described by investigators as one that “shocks the soul.”
Rios-Covarrubias, 30, allegedly offered the 3-year-old malnourished victim for sex as he was left to babysit the child by the mother, Mayra Solis, 22, who was also arrested and currently faces numerous related charges. Solis’s original charges were recently dismissed by the country prosecutor, but she was re-indicted and served new charges while in custody. Solis faces a preliminary hearing scheduled for November 26, 2018, in Maricopa County Superior Court.
Police found the child with her legs and arms bound and duct tape over her mouth. She was covered in feces inside a black trash bag with nothing but her shaved head exposed. Law enforcement at the time said the level of neglect was so harsh; the girl could not stand as police initially indicated the girl was sexually abused.
The 22-year-old mother Solis and Rios-Covarrubias pleaded not guilty to multiple felony abuse charges in February 2016. Rios-Covarrubias later pled guilty on August 28 and was sentenced on Tuesday. Solis was also arrested for fraud because she allegedly shaved her daughter’s head to fool people into giving money on the basis that she was suffering from cancer. Medical exams reportedly showed sexual abuse signs and officials claim the girl was thrown into a closet and left for hours–and even days–as the adults went to work or hosted visitors for paid sex.
At the time of his arrest, Rios-Covarrubias was being shielded from repatriation by the DACA program, according to the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Mother in Idaho child sex abuse case
takes Alford plea
by EMILY LOWE elowe@idahopress.com
CALDWELL — A mother has taken an Alford plea, admitting that a jury would likely find her guilty of failing to report her husband’s alleged sexual abuse on their daughters for years.
Sarah Kester, 50, took the Alford plea in 3rd District Court Wednesday. An Alford plea maintains the defendant’s innocence but acknowledges prosecutors have enough evidence a jury would likely find them guilty of the charge.
Kester was charged in July with felony injury to a child for failing to report her husband's alleged ongoing sexual abuse on their daughters for years. Lester Kester Jr. is charged with five counts of lewd conduct with a minor, one count for each daughter and another count for a fifth female relative.
Sarah Kester faces up to 10 years in prison for the felony injury to a child charge. However, Canyon County Deputy Prosecutor Erica Kallin said the state is asking for one year fixed, nine years indeterminate, and is also recommending retained jurisdiction, a rider treatment program.
Sarah Kester’s defense attorney, Bethany L. Haase, also argued for Kester’s bond to be lowered, stating that Kester “is a rule follower” and is “remorseful for the pain her children went through.”
Kallin thought the previously set $25,000 bond was appropriate due to the nature of the crime and the lifelong consequences it has.
Without hesitating, Judge Christopher Nye denied the motion to reduce her bond. Kester's sentencing is set for Jan. 16, 2019.
Former Teacher Arrested for Sexual Assault
Of Texas Child 20 Years Ago
ARLINGTON (CBSDFW.COM) – U.S. Marshals arrested a former teacher in connection to the alleged sexual assault of a child that happened 20 years ago.
The suspect, Gregory Peters is in custody at the Arlington City Jail.
The Arlington Police Department notified the AISD of the allegations against Greg Peters on Oct. 15. The district immediately began an internal investigation, removed him from campus and placed him on leave. He was reported to the Texas Education Agency after the AISD was made aware of his arrest. The AISD has cooperated with law enforcement fully.
Peters was not an AISD employee when the alleged crime happened. When Peters was hired in 2012, there were no issues in his background that would have indicated any concerns.
The alleged offense happened while he was tutoring the victim in a private home in Arlington in 1999. At the time of the offense, Peters worked at Kennedale Independent School District.
Additionally, Peters was previously employed with the Burleson Independent School District and is currently an employee of the Arlington Independent School District (AISD).
The district sent CBS 11 News the following statement:
AISD administration was notified by investigators about Peters’ alleged crime. Based on the information, it is not believed that criminal conduct happened in a school setting or at a school premises.
But due to the nature and scope of this type of offense, the department has not ruled out the possibility that there may be additional victims in the community, and therefore, is requesting anyone with information to contact the Arlington Police Department.
Idaho child sex abuse case dismissed as children's testimony too inconsistent
By Amy Macavinta Herald Journal
A 50-year-old Weston man accused of sexually assaulting five children under the age of 12 and leaving one child with a sexually transmitted disease will be released from jail after charges against him were dismissed Tuesday.
“The girls kept giving contradictory statements and never were consistent regarding the allegations, so the state had to dismiss,” defense attorney Bryan Galloway said.
Juan Amezcua-Cisneros was arrested in August after a local doctor reported that a patient, a 9-year-old girl, tested positive for chlamydia in mid-August, court records say.
Investigators said the girl was interviewed, and she reportedly implicated Amezcua-Cisneros in the sexual assault of her and four siblings who range in age from 4 to 11.
The other children were also interviewed before detectives spoke with Amezcua-Cisneros, who “used soft denials with several attempts to redirect the blame for the accusations,” according to the probable cause statement.
Amezcua-Cisneros was charged with five counts of aggravated sexual abuse of a child and one count of sodomy on a child, all first-degree felony offenses.
On Tuesday he appeared at a preliminary hearing in 1st District Court, where each of the alleged victims were supposed to be made available for possible testimony.
Instead, Cache County prosecutor Jake Gordon made a motion to dismiss the case, with the option to refile in the future, based upon “material inconsistencies in the alleged victims’ statements.”
“With the evidence I had, I didn’t think I was able to meet my burden of proof beyond a reasonable doubt,” Gordon said.
I have to wonder how the children were deposed? Were they in a safe place with trained child psychologists? Do they have access to counselors now?
What happens now? Does Amexcua-Cisneros have access to the children? Will he run?
Illinois man sentenced to life in prison
for child sex abuse conviction
PITTSFIELD, Ill. -- A Pearl man has been sentenced to life in the Illinois Department of Corrections after he was convicted of multiple sex abuse charges in April.
Court records show John A. Pope, 48, was sentenced on Monday to life in prison for five counts of predatory criminal sexual assault of a child.
Because Pope was convicted of multiple counts of predatory criminal sexual assault of a child involving two victims, Illinois sentencing provisions call for a life sentence.
He was also sentenced by Judge Diane Lagoski to four years in prison for three counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse and one count of indecent solicitation of a child, and a six-year sentence for indecent solicitation of a child. Those sentences will run concurrently.
A Pike County jury needed more than three hours on April 18 to return the verdict. The jury also found Pope not guilty of four counts of predatory criminal sexual assault of a child.
Pope was arrested Jan. 30, 2017, on the charges in connection with incidents in 2016 and 2017.
Restaurant magician who pleaded guilty earlier this year to sex offender violation indicted on similar charges in North Carolina
By Michael Hewlett Winston-Salem Journal
A registered sex offender performed as a magician during Family Night at Mario’s Pizza on Cloverdale Avenue while children were in the restaurant, according to indictments and allegations from authorities.
That would be a violation of a state law that prohibits such offenders from living near or going to places frequented by children.
Kevin Daniel Pegram, 35, of Kimrake Lane in Madison in Rockingham County, was indicted by a Forsyth County grand jury on 10 counts of being a sex offender unlawfully on premises.
Pegram pleaded guilty to a similar crime in Guilford County earlier this year.
And after Pegram’s 2004 conviction of second-degree rape, the parents of a 12-year-old said in a lawsuit that Pegram assaulted their daughter after meeting her while performing at a restaurant family night.
According to the N.C. Sex Offender Registry website, Pegram has been convicted of 21 charges, including second-degree rape, sexual exploitation of a minor and indecent liberties with a minor. He is listed as a recidivist, which means that he was convicted of an aggravated offense or has been determined to be a sexually violent predator. Pegram was released from prison in November 2015 after serving a 12-year sentence.
Indictments allege that Pegram was “knowingly present” at Mario’s Pizza at 2205 Cloverdale Ave., during the restaurant’s Family Night. The indictments described the restaurant as a “place where minors gather for a regularly scheduled recreational program.”
Christina Howell, a spokeswoman for the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office, said Pegram advertised his services for children’s events.
Pegram was not an employee of Mario’s Pizza, and employees there did not know Pegram was a registered sex offender, she said. A manager at Mario’s Pizza could not be reached by press time.
The Guilford County Sheriff’s Office arrested Pegram in March after a similar incident. He was eventually charged with 52 counts of being a sex offender at or near child premises.
Pegram was working as a magician at events attended by children, the sheriff’s office told the News & Record. The sheriff’s office said Pegram was also using the alias “Angelo Colletie.” A Guilford County prosecutor voluntarily dismissed all but one of those charges in a plea deal July 30.
Maury Hubbard III, Pegram’s attorney on the Guilford County charges, said that Pegram pleaded guilty to one count of being a sex offender at or near child premises. The other charges were dismissed because video showed that he performed at restaurants in the main dining room that was not exclusive to children.
Hubbard said Pegram would perform at individual tables, which typically included adults and children.
The charge he pleaded guilty to involved allegations that he performed as a magician at a children’s tent for an event thrown by a law firm, Hubbard said.
In 2005, a Guilford County couple sued Ham’s Restaurant, alleging that restaurant officials did not screen Pegram. The couple said Pegram sexually assaulted their 12-year-old daughter repeatedly in his vehicle.
The lawsuit said Pegram performed as a magician at a Ham’s restaurant. The girl’s parents attended the family nights at the restaurant with their children in 2002 and 2003.
Pegram was 19 at the time, and the lawsuit alleges that Pegram manipulated the girl into a relationship that included rape, abuse and assault. Pegram was criminally charged and later convicted. That conviction helped lead to his status as a registered sex offender.
The lawsuit against Ham’s was voluntarily dismissed by the plaintiffs on Oct. 25, 2006.
Former suburban Chicago teacher arrested on sexual assault, child pornography charges
BY TONYA FRANCISCO
GLENVIEW, Ill. -- A former north suburban teacher was charged with sexual assault and child pornography.
Matthew Laird, 32, first came to the attention of Glenview Police through of a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. The child protection agency said someone uploaded child pornographic images to an adult pornographic sharing website.
Glenview police said they traced the upload to Laird. Last month, they searched his home where they said they found several electronic devices containing hundreds of child pornographic images and videos. Detectives also reportedly found hundreds of images of current and former female high school students in both pornographic and non-pornographic poses. Police are still trying to identify the girls.
Detectives said a deeper investigation found Laird committed two criminal sexual assaults, one of the victims was a juvenile at the time.
Tuesday Laird was charged with possession of child pornography, criminal sexual assault and dissemination of private sexual images.
At the time of the investigation, Laird was a teacher at North Shore Academy in Highland Park. He was let go from the school earlier this month, according to a statement from the superintendent.
“Upon first learning that Mr. Laird was under investigation for what was initially characterized by police on September 18th as ‘internet crimes against children,’ we immediately banned him from our campus and placed him on administrative leave. Due to the fact that he chose not to participate in our internal investigation of this matter, his employment was terminated at the October 10, 2018,” the statement said.
Laird previously taught at Loyola Academy in Wilmette from 2011 to 2014 and was a scholastic bowl moderator from 2004 to 2008 and 2010 to 2014. The school released a statement said, “At this point, it is unknown to us whether or to what extent any former Loyola student has been impacted, but we are continuing to cooperate fully with the Glenview Police Department in its ongoing investigation of this matter.
Laird was also involved with the scholastic bowl team at Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire during the 2016-2017 school year and officiated a competition at Stevenson during the 2017-2018 school year.
The schools are asking anyone with information relevant to the investigation to contact the Glenview Police Dept at 847-901-6145.
NY State man pleads guilty to sexual abuse of 2 boys
Will Cleveland, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
A Henrietta man admitted Wednesday to sexually abusing two boys, according to the Monroe County District Attorney's Office.
Mark Buechler, 45, pleaded guilty in Monroe County Court to first-degree course of sexual conduct against a child. Prosecutors said he will be sentenced to 20 years in state prison and 20 years of post-release supervision.
He is scheduled to be sentenced Jan. 3 by Monroe County Court Judge Sam L. Valleriani.
In June, Buechler was charged by criminal complaint in federal court with production of child pornography and possession of child pornography. The charges allegedly involve minors younger than 12, authorities said.
According to Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle P. Rossi, on May 3, 2018, an 11-year-old boy told his school counselor that "the defendant performed various sexual acts on him on an ongoing basis at the defendant's home on Stone Road in Henrietta."
The counselor contacted Monroe County Child Protective Services. A Monroe County Sheriff's Office investigator and a CPS investigator interviewed Buechler and the alleged victim later that same day.
Buechler admitted to watching pornography and sharing a bed with that child, but denied sexually abusing either of the alleged victims, court paperwork said. A search warrant was executed at Buechler's home that day and multiple digital and storage devices were seized.
The federal criminal complaint alleges Buechler committed the abuse between Jan. 1, 2012, and May 3, 2018.
On May 7, Sheriff's Office investigators interviewed an 18-year-old man who had visited Buechler's home when he was younger and said Buechler had sexually abused him over an extended period. A second search warrant was executed and more digital devices were seized.
On May 24, FBI agents obtained a federal search warrant to review the items seized as a result of the two state search warrants. Authorities unearthed 8,700 images and "two videos of child pornography produced by Buechler, some of which depicted him abusing the minor victims," authorities said.
Assistant District Attorney Sara VanStrydonck prosecuted the case.
“Mark Buechler is behind bars today because of the strength of the victims during this investigation,” VanStrydonck said in a release. “Thanks to the investigation conducted by the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office with help from the Bivona Child Advocacy Center, the victims and the community are safe from Mark Buechler’s evil. It is the hope of the Monroe County District Attorney’s Office that the victims can heal and continue to move on from the years of abuse.”
No comments:
Post a Comment