Judge says 'violation of trust' merits long sentence in Springfield child sex abuse/incest case
Harrison Keegan, Springfield News-Leader
Police and prosecutors believed a teenage girl when she reported that Dylan Turner had sexually abused her. In September, so did a jury. And on Thursday, Judge David Jones affirmed that he did, too.
While Turner, 27, maintains his innocence on two statutory sodomy convictions, Judge Jones said he listened to the victim testify twice (there was also a mistrial) and he found her "very credible."
"I have no doubts that what she said happened, happened," Jones said. Jones, a Greene County Circuit Court judge, was tasked Thursday with sentencing Turner for the crimes — forcing a 14-year-old relative to perform sex acts on him.
“She has been given a life sentence.”
Stephanie Wan, Greene County Assistant Prosecutor
On one side, Turner's attorney asked for probation, saying that's a common outcome in second-degree statutory sodomy cases and Turner has been a model citizen while out on bond.
On the other side, Greene County Assistant Prosecutor Stephanie Wan asked for seven years in prison, the maximum for a Class C felony committed in 2016. Wan said the victim in this case will have to live with the abuse for the rest of her life. "She has been given a life sentence," Wan said.
Wan also pointed to evidence of "premeditation," saying Turner had watched incest-related pornography leading up to the incident.
Jones said sentencing Turner was "very difficult," as he acknowledged that Turner has not had an easy life. In the end, however, the judge said he felt like the "violation of trust" between Turner and the victim needed to be punished.
Jones went with the prosecutor's recommendation and sentenced Turner to seven years in prison.
A jury found Turner guilty of two counts of statutory sodomy following a trial in September. That was after Turner's first trial ended with a hung jury. Before Thursday's sentencing, Turner's attorney asked for a new trial, but the judge denied that motion.
At least the child will no longer be a child when this creep gets out of prison.
Georgia man sentenced to four consecutive life terms
in child sex abuse case
By Jan Skutch, Savannah Morning News
A Savannah man on Thursday was sentenced to four consecutive life prison terms for his convictions for repeatedly sexually abusing children over a period of years.
Raymont Becton, 44, was convicted by a Chatham County Superior Court on 15 charges for conduct that occurred beginning in 2104 and lasting through 2017.
Those charges included aggravated child molestation, statutory rape and aggravated sexual battery.
Judge James F. Bass Jr. directed a verdict of acquittal on a rape charge at the close of evidence in the case.
During the sentencing hearing, Chatham County Assistant District Attorney Tim Dean urged Bass to impose the maximum sentence of seven life prison terms on each count and make each consecutive to the others.
He said the crimes were “absolutely horrific” involving four victims, including two who lived together and a third whom Becton met on the streets.
Evidence showed the victims were physically abused and that Becton threatened two that he would kill their mother if they told.
“It was a total horror show in there,” Dean told Bass.
But defense attorney Richard Darden argued he could understand a possible sentence of life for each of the victims, but said seven consecutive life terms was “just over the top and uncalled for.”
He urged Bass to make as many sentences as possible concurrent.
As part of his sentencing order, Bass added prison terms on a number of counts but made them concurrent with the life sentences.
Jury convicts West Virginia man of child sex abuse
of 3 y/o in less than a half-hour
BY ASSOCIATED PRESS
PRINCETON, W.Va. — A jury took less than 30 minutes to convict a West Virginia man who told police he sexually abused a 3-year-old girl by accident.
Mercer County prosecutor George Sitler tells news outlets that 26-year-old Henry Vincent Bennett was found guilty Thursday of first-degree sexual assault and other charges.
Prosecutors say Bennett told detectives that he twice mistook the toddler for his wife after she climbed into his bed.
Bennett’s lawyers said his admission to Bluefield police in February was coerced.
The prosecutor says Bennett faces 80 to 270 years in prison at his sentencing in March.
His wife, April Bennett, pleaded guilty to child neglect, provided testimony and will be sentenced this month.
‘Carpathian’ Sentenced to 16 Years for Child Sex Abuse
in California
Children’s storyteller John Robert “Carpathian” Beideman was sentenced today to 16 years in prison for crimes he swears he didn’t commit.
Beideman, 58, pleaded no contest last month (13th story on link) to continuous sexual abuse of Jane Doe, who was molested beginning when she was 5 years old. But despite his plea, Beideman read a statement this morning professing his innocence and refusing to admit responsibility.
“I am an innocent man,” Beideman said, reading from a written statement. “I’m not guilty of anything.”
Yeah! It was Carpathian; he did it! Good grief!
He said he accepted the 16-year deal despite his innocence, because if he went to trial and the jury believed his accuser, “I would be sentenced to life and left to die in prison.”
He described himself as a “law-abiding citizen and a devout Christian” who has been wrongly accused of being a pedophile. “None of these things ever happened,” Beideman said. “The molestation never happened.”
As his victim and her family listened from the courtroom audience, Beideman suggested another person molested the girl. “Someone she can’t name, so she has to blame me.”
Judge Kaleb Cockrum stopped Beideman after he said “This is a cautionary tale to everyone. Just as it happened to me it could happen to you.”
“That’s enough,” the judge ordered, telling Beideman that “Mr. Beideman, I don’t think I’ve seen a more disgusting display.”
During the hearing Jane Doe, her mother and stepfather all read statements saying Beideman had done irreparable harm to their family. Doe’s mother said Beideman was obsessed with her daughter, preying upon her for 10 years by sending constant gifts, cards and letters. He was asked repeatedly to stop contacting the girl, but he continued.
When law enforcement searched Beideman’s apartment after his arrest, they found more than 500 cards and letters addressed to the child. Doe’s mother said Beideman told people he was waiting for the girl to turn 18 “so he could tell his side of the story.”
In fact, she said, Beideman was “a monster out there lying in wait. The father-daughter porn found on his computer was what he had in store for my daughter,” she said.
The mother said she hopes prison “helps him feel just a modicum of the fear he’s caused my daughter.”
Jane Doe, wearing a badge reading “Brave, Loved, Strong,” referred to Beideman as the person “who at the age of 5 ripped away my childhood.” The molestation, she recalled, was “accompanied by lullabies and him telling me he loved me.”
Over the years she suffered silently, she said, her self-worth destroyed. She developed an eating disorder, cut herself, endured panic attacks and had suicidal thoughts.
“I will need therapy for the foreseeable future,” she said. The girl, now 18, said she would have preferred a longer sentence for Beideman but “settled for less” so she could get on with her life and begin to heal.
Both Jane Doe’s mother and stepfather said Beideman needs to apologize, but they received no apology. Instead, Beideman said he refused “to stand before God and this community” and admit something he didn’t do.
Deputy District Attorney Stacey Eads says Beideman accepts no responsibility because “he has a warped sense of reality. He has held Jane Doe hostage for years.”
“Sixteen years in prison doesn’t compensate,” Eads said, “but rather than put Jane Doe through further trauma we entered into this agreement with Mr. Beideman.”
In addition to his role as storyteller Carpathian, who dressed in a scary costume and told children not to fear monsters, Beideman worked for years as a clerk for Humboldt County Superior Court.
The hearing today was packed with Jane Doe’s supporters, including about 15 members of the Humboldt chapter of Bikers Against Child Abuse. One of the slogans printed on their jackets is “No Child Deserves to Live in Fear.”
Beideman was given credit for 501 days in custody at Humboldt County Correctional Facility. He must serve 85 percent of the remainder of the 16-year sentence. He also must register as a sex offender and is banned from owning firearms for life.
Reno man gets life for assault leading to
11-y/o's pregnancy
By Staff/WCDA
RENO, Nev. (KOLO) - A Reno man has been sentenced to six consecutive life terms in prison for multiple counts of sexual assault and lewdness against a child.
31-year-old Jose Borja-Ruiz 31 was found guilty of four counts of Sexual Assault of a Child Under 14 Years of Age and two counts of Lewdness with a Child Under 14 Years of Age. As a result of his sentencing, Borja-Ruiz must serve a minimum of 160 years in prison before being eligible for parole.
Somehow, I doubt that he will make it.
The case began in November 2016, when Reno Police detectives responded to a report of a pregnant 11-year-old girl who said Borja-Ruiz had been sexually abusing her since she was eight.
The victim was taken at the time to the Washoe County Child Advocacy Center (CAC), where a multi-disciplinary team responded to the sexual abuse case. This team included a Washoe County District Attorney prosecutor who specializes in child abuse cases, RPD Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Unit detectives, Reno Police Department victim advocate, Washoe County Human Services Agency social workers, CAC medical staff, and mental health professionals affiliated with the CAC.
Excellent! Wish we had these centers everywhere. Whoever is responsible for this center, God bless you!
During the trial, Chief Deputy District Attorney Nicole Hicks presented evidence confirming Borja-Ruiz was the biological father of the victim’s child, and in a Victim Impact Statement to the court, the victim spoke to her abuser, saying, “Just like you stole my childhood, I hope you never get your adulthood.”
Suspect's home filled with child sex assault victims' belongings: Texas Police
By Marla Carter, ABC13
LA PORTE, Texas (KTRK) -- A La Porte man accused of sexually assaulting a 10-year-old remains in jail after an alleged second victim came forward.
The allegations against Buford Lloyd Crowell are disturbing.
"He's a monster, as far as I'm concerned," neighbor Robert Davidoski said. "I am thankful he was caught now for his actions before he could do anything to anyone else."
A judge set his bond at $30,000 in a new case, something the district attorney and police want to see increased. "We feel there is a public safety issue, which is why we would request a high bond," said La Porte Police Sgt. Bennie Boles. "The fact that we believe there will be more victims, we have two at this time, we believe there will be more to come forward."
But they are less likely to, if he is out in the community!
Crowell posted $90,000 in bond on three other allegations, including two sexual abuse of a child cases and one pornography case.
Days later, Crowell was arrested again for a charge concerning a victim who came forward about abuse from a 1997 case.
Court records reveal items from possible victims were found inside of his home.
"It's really been kind of a whirlwind," Davidoski said. "Every day, there's someone coming to comb through his house."
As for now, Crowell remains in jail, where his attorney says the bond that was set is fair.
"Courts are required to set reasonable bonds, that's exactly what they've done in each of these cases. Despite the nature of the allegations, everyone is presumed innocent to include Mr. Crowell," his attorney said.
Apparently, his attorney has no problem with Crowell having access to more children. If everyone is presumed innocent, than there should be no bail whatsoever. But a judge has to weigh the possibility of the accused being guilty and the danger that could result from his being in the community. Some judges are better at that than others.
Texas Man Sentenced to Life In Prison For
Child Sex Abuse of 5 y/o
By Hannah Everman, NBC 5
A Collin County jury ruled a Plano man guilty on Friday of continuous sexual abuse of a child and sentenced him to life in prison.
Jon Woodland, 43, was found guilty of abusing a child he lived with over the course of a year until she turned 6-years-old, according to the Collin County District Attorney's office.
The child only felt safe coming forward to report the abuse after Woodland was arrested by Homeland Security on a separate charge for trying to entice a minor to have sex with him in South Texas, according to officials.
He is currently serving a 15-year sentence for that federal crime.
After being found guilty Friday, Woodland will spend the rest of his life in prison and will not be eligible for parole.
Wisconsin Girl Scout troop leader accused of
child sexual assault
SUN PRAIRIE, Wis. - A Girl Scout troop leader in Sun Prairie was arrested Friday on suspicion of sexually assaulting a child, police said.
Sun Prairie police said on Friday Steven C. Faust, 49, was taken into custody on charges of engaging in repeated acts of child sexual assault of the same child.
The police department said officers have been investigating Faust for several weeks over reports of multiple acts of sexual assault of a child, which allegedly took place between 2010 and 2015.
The investigation also uncovered that Faust has been communicating through social media with multiple girls, officials said. Faust was volunteering as a Girl Scout troop leader during the incidents.
Anyone with information regarding the case can call the Sun Prairie Police at 608-837-7336 or anonymously at 608-837-6300.
In a statement Friday, the Girl Scouts of Wisconsin Badgerland Council said Faust was fired from his volunteer position.
According to the release, Girl Scout protocol requires every troop to have two unrelated adults, one of whom must be female, to lead the troop.
The Girl Scouts group also said Faust had passed a mandatory background check when he became a volunteer.
Former Maryland youth minister charged
in 2009 child sexual assault
By Adam Wagner, Star News
BRUNSWICK COUNTY -- A man was arrested Friday in Maryland and charged with sex crimes involving a minor that allegedly happened in Leland in 2009, according to a Leland Police Department release.
Merle Darnell Davis, 65, was arrested Friday morning and charged with a statutory sex offense involving a young teenager and three counts of indecent liberties with a child, according to the release. He is being held by the Dorchester County Sheriff’s Office pending extradition.
Reported in March 2017, the crimes allegedly happened between June 2009 and August 2009 at The Parks at Village Oaks Apartment in Leland, according to the release.
Lt. Jeremy Humphries, a Leland police spokesman, said Davis knew the victim through his work as a youth pastor at Johnson Chapel AME Zion Church. Davis stayed in that position until sometime in 2010, he added.
Davis is now a resident of Dorchester County, where he was arrested.
“The case is ongoing and we encourage anyone with additional information to contact the police department,” Humphries wrote.
Anyone with additional information can contact Detective McCabe at 910-332-5005.
Alabama man, 70, sentenced for child sex abuse
By Neal Wagner, Alabaster Reporter
COLUMBIANA – A 70-year-old Birmingham man will spend the next few years in prison after he pleaded guilty to a felony first-degree sodomy charge involving an underage Maylene victim.
Morgan Blackerby, who lists an address on 28th Street North in Birmingham, pleaded guilty to first-degree sodomy involving a victim younger than 12 during a late-October hearing in front of Shelby County Circuit Court Judge Lara Alvis.
Alvis originally sentenced Blackerby to 20 years in prison, but split the sentence to five years in prison followed by two years of supervised probation. Blackerby, who must also register as a sex offender for the rest of his life, received 1,079 days of jail credit for time already served in the Shelby County Jail.
I may be a little slow, but how do you split 20 years and get 5 and 2?
If Blackerby violates the conditions of his sentence, his entire 20-year prison term could be reinstated.
The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office arrested Blackerby on the charge in November 2015, and said the charges stemmed from an incident involving one of Blackerby’s child relatives at a Maylene residence in 2013.
Texas couple pleads guilty to sexual assault,
child pornography charges involving a 1-y/o
Hannaba Munn Welch, For the Times Record News
A Seymour couple, Bill and Laura Day -- wearing matching prison stripes -- agreed Thursday in 50th District Court in Seymour to the terms of plea bargain, pleading guilty to child pornography and sexual assault charges.
Although the legal descriptions of the offenses would suggest two different children were involved, all charges refer to incidents involving the same child — a 1-year-old.
Bill Monroe Day, 39, pleaded guilty to "sexual performance of a child" under age 14 and "super aggravated sexual assault of a child" younger than 6.
The indictment for sexual performance, handed down by a Baylor County grand jury, described the offense by saying that Day intentionally and knowingly produced a photograph that "included sexual conduct by … a child who was then and there younger than 14 years of age," an offense alleged to have happened on or about May 4, 2015, in Baylor County.
Bill Day's grand jury indictment for sexual assault said that on or about the same date he "caused the penetration of the sexual organ of … a child who was ... younger than six years of age, with the sexual organ of Bill Monroe Day."
Why don't you just say rape?
Following the terms of the plea bargain, District Judge Bobby Burnett sentenced Bill Day to 20 years for the sexual performance offense and 40 years for the assault, with the provision that the two terms will run concurrently. Also, both sentences will run concurrently with a 30-year sentence given Day in October in federal court in Wichita Falls for child sexual exploitation in regard to the same incidents.
The official charges against Laura Day matched her husband's. Her indictment for sexual performance of a child read the same as her husband's indictment. Regarding the sexual assault charge, the indictment said she acted "in concert with Billy Monroe Day by encouraging, directing, or aiding Bill Monroe Day to cause the penetration of the sexual organ of the child … younger than six years of age, with the sexual organ of Bill Monroe Day."
For her offenses, Day will serve two 30-year concurrent terms that will run concurrently with a 30-year-sentence she received in federal court in October for child sexual exploitation.
Colorado man pleads not guilty to child sexual assault,
set for May trial
By Madeline St. Amour, Times-Call
A Longmont man accused of sexually assaulting three children over four years pleaded not guilty on Friday to the charges and is set for a jury trial in May.
Douglas Kent Hartman, 60, is charged with seven counts of sexual assault on a child, two counts of attempted sexual assault on a child, and one count each of enticement of a child, second-degree kidnapping and indecent exposure.
He pleaded not guilty to all of the charges at an arraignment Friday morning in Boulder County District Court.
The two-week jury trial for Hartman is scheduled to begin May 6.
Hartman was released from Boulder County Jail on a $25,000 bond on July 8. The bond was later raised to $50,000 after more charges were added to the case, according to Boulder County District Attorney's Office spokeswoman Shannon Carbone.
According to an arrest affidavit, Longmont police received the first report of sexual assault in September 2014. A child had said that Hartman sexually assaulted her from September 2013 through February 2014 multiple times while baby-sitting her, the affidavit said.
Male babysitters! Arrrrgh!
In March 2017, police received another report of Hartman "being in suspicious situations" with a 3-year-old girl in his Longmont home.
In October 2017, an 11-year-old told a school counselor that her housemate, Hartman, made her feel uncomfortable.
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