Investigation Finds Hundreds Of Sex Abuse Cases Reported At US Children's Camps
And very little in the way of standards or regulations
NEW YORK (WCBS 880/CBS News) — CBS News has found reports of at least 578 children who were sexually abused at children camps over the past 55 years and it's likely many more cases were never reported.
“We’ve spoken to a number of experts who say this is possibly just in the beginning, the tip of the iceberg, so to speak, a lot of times, as you probably know, in sexual assault cases people do not report that this has happened to them also this is an area that we've been looking into,” CBS News reporter Jericka Duncan said.
Duncan notes that she spoke to a woman whose son was allegedly sexually assaulted by a summer camp counselor in 2009. The person who molested him, according to Duncan, plead guilty to injuring a child but only went to prison when he violated probation.
“The woman that we spoke to didn't want to be identified said you know for her it wasn't about scaring people away from camps,” Duncan said, “it's about having the education, having the conversations, and knowing what to do and really it comes down to research and checking to see some of these places are accredited.”
The investigation found that part of the problem in camps is that there is no national standard for hiring counselors and supervisors.
Duncan explained that their investigation found there's no national regulation for camps to follow.
She notes eight states have no requirements for overnight camps to be licensed, 18 states do not require background checks for employees and more than 20,000 camp counselors came from foreign countries on visas in 2017, which experts say complicates things further when trying to obtain records from foreign countries.
For parents searching for camps for their children, Duncan explained that there are organizations, such as American Camp Association and Praesidium, which monitor camps and issue accreditations based on safety.
“In general, whenever you have sort of the situations where children, in particular, are more vulnerable, the parents aren't there, you have to be aware and also just do your due diligence, I think, as a parent to try and investigate before you say yes,” Duncan said.
She notes that the woman she spoke to thought her son’s camp was accredited but never checked to make sure.
Alabama man accused in sex abuse,
sodomy of young girl
By Carol Robinson | crobinson@al.com
A Pelham man is behind bars on accusations that he sexually abused a young girl on at least two occasions.
Wilmer Mancera Ramirez, 38, was arrested by the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office on Friday, according to court records made public Monday. He is charged with two counts of sex abuse of a child under the age of 12 and one count of first-degree sodomy.
According to charging documents, one of the incidents happened in October and at least one more happened in June.
Ramirez is accused of grabbing the girl’s hand and placing it on his genitals. Records state he also went into her bedroom, woke her up and performed oral sex on her.
Ramirez is being held in the Shelby County Jail on bonds totaling $60,000.
Former Portland pharmacist accused of secretly recording people facing 33 new charges
FOX 12 Staff
PORTLAND, OR (KPTV) - A former pharmacist accused of secretly recording people in a bathroom at his place of work is now facing more charges.
The Multnomah County District Attorney's Office said they have identified an additional 27 victims who were allegedly recorded without their knowledge or consent at their place of work by Johnny Tuck Chee Chan, 34.
Chan was arrested on Nov. 26 following a year-long investigation. A 71-count indictment was filed (3rd story on link), which alleged that Chan used secret cameras to record 51 people, including a child, at Kaiser Permanente's Airport Way Center pharmacy supply and lab.
Chan pleaded not guilty to those 71 charges last month.
Now, Chan is facing new charges of three counts of first-degree encouraging child sexual abuse, three counts of second-degree encouraging child sexual abuse, 25 counts of first-degree invasion of personal privacy, and two counts of second-degree invasion of personal privacy.
The district attorney's office said when Chan was arrested on Nov. 26 at his new job at the Banana Republic store at Cascade Station, law enforcement found a camera that had been concealed in the employee-only bathroom.
According to the district attorney's office, law enforcement found 173 recorded videos of 27 different victims. All of the victims were Banana Republic employees, and three of the victims were minors at the time of the recordings.
The district attorney's office said no customers or members of the public were recorded.
After the new charges were filed, Chan was arrested on Dec. 7 by U.S. Marshals and booked into the Multnomah County Detention Center. His bail was set at $2 million.
Chan appeared in court on Monday. His next scheduled court date is for Dec. 18.
So. Carolina church volunteer caught molesting children; previously removed from No. Carolina church daycare
Cudos to Lake Norman's Elevation Church
By Leah MarieAnn Klett, CP Contributor
A NewSpring Church volunteer who was recently arrested after he was caught on camera sexually assaulting a 3-year-old child was previously removed from working with children at Elevation Church’s Lake Norman location. | (Photo: NewSpring Church)
A NewSpring Church volunteer charged with molesting a three-year-old child was previously removed from working with children at Elevation Church due to an “uneasy feeling” about his interactions with kids, the megachurch has revealed.
Elevation Church, a multi-site congregation led by Steven Furtick, said in a statement shared by Baptist News that Jacop “Jake” Hazlett volunteered to watch children at the church’s Lake Norman location in late 2014.
There were “no incidents” stemming from Hazlett’s interactions with the children, the statement said. However, he was moved to an administrative volunteer role after just a few months because campus leadership began to have an “uneasy feeling” about his interactions with children.
“There were no incidents or events at the campus that led to him being moved in 2015, however, the campus leadership did have an uneasy feeling with how he interacted with supervised kids prompting a discussion with him and we made the decision to move him,” the statement said.
Wow! Could it be a church that actually listens to God? I often complain that church leaders should know when a pedophile is among them, if they are listening to God. Far too often, it seems obvious that some are not. This is the first story in 5.5 years of doing this blog where it seems obvious that a church is indeed open to the Spirit.
Hazlett, 28, remained in that role until he moved to Charleston, South Carolina, in January 2018. He’s now facing multiple felony charges after allegedly molesting numerous preschool boys over a period of 90 days inside a bathroom at the Charleston campus of NewSpring Church.
Initially, Hazlett was charged with criminal sexual conduct with a minor first degree after he was accused of performing a sex act on a 3-year-old boy while serving NewSpring Church as a volunteer in the 3 to 5-year-old room, called “The Tree House.” Police later added eight counts of child sexual abuse against Hazlett after he reportedly admitted to “inappropriately touching numerous children” while volunteering at the megachurch.
A lawsuit filed last week accuses the NewSpring volunteer of attacking at least 13 other children as well.
The lawsuit alleges a lack of oversight at NewSpring, as the live feed from church security cameras is supposed to be monitored by a volunteer. However, footage wasn't checked until a parent came forward with concerns.
In the footage, Hazlett "can be seen keeping a lookout for approaching adults and looking toward the security camera," the lawsuit explains. "He was aware of the extraordinary risk he was taking had NewSpring Church simply been monitoring the video feed."
"There could be countless victims out there. We only know of 14 from the last 90 days," lawyer Joshua Slavin said, adding that church surveillance footage showed “stomach-turning” and “grotesque” evidence.
Suzanne Swift, NewSpring’s communications director, previously said in a statement that the church has an extensive screening process for all adults before they are allowed to volunteer with children. Hazlett “successfully completed” the volunteer screening process before he was allowed to volunteer, she said.
But was anybody listening to God?
She later told The Christian Post that the church had not yet been served with any “papers regarding a lawsuit” and provided a statement from the church’s leaders that was shared with the congregation.
“We want our NewSpring family to know that as the leaders of this church we are gutted by these events,” she said. “We know this happened on our watch, and though we have taken great measures over the years to protect our children, evil found a way to breach our best efforts. This devastates us to the core. We are heartbroken for the families directly impacted, our volunteers who serve with KidSpring, and for all of the families who trust us each week to care for their children.”
New Mexico man arrested for taking child porn photos in Albuquerque, Phoenix
Joe Enea
PHOENIX - A New Mexico man was arrested last week after taking child porn photos in Phoenix and Albuquerque.
On December 5, detectives from the Phoenix and Albuquerque police departments arrested 50-year-old Pascal Pierre Nemmar at his home in Albuquerque.
Phoenix police investigators were alerted by Yahoo that child porn images were uploaded to Nemmar's account.
Embedded data on some of the photos showed that they were taken in August at an address in North Phoenix near 16th Street and Union Hills Drive.
Police say 18 photos of the child were pornographic in nature.
Police also reportedly found an open sexual abuse investigation at that address involving a 2-year-old girl. At the time, Nemmar was at the home told police that he was from Albuquerque and was visiting friends.
When investigators looked further into Nemmar's accounts, they allegedly found more pornographic photos of the child taken with the same phone. Police say Nemmar was babysitting the child at his Albuquerque home at that time.
Nemmar is being held without bond in a jail in Bernalillo County New Mexico.
2 men arrested in Alabama on Child Sex Abuse
related charges
related charges
WENDY SACK
Justin Anthony Jeffries, Jr., left; Jason Lynn Cloud, right (Cullman County Sheriff’s Office)
CULLMAN - Two men were arrested recently by the Cullman County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) for sex crimes; the two cases are separate and not related.
Justin Anthony Jeffries Jr., 25, of Arab, has been charged with sexual abuse of a child under the age of 12.
A spokesperson for the CCSO said investigators worked the Child Advocacy Center (CAC) during the investigation after a minor child came forward with the allegation.
Due to the victim’s age and graphic nature of the crime, no details will be released.
Jeffries has made bond.
In a separate case, CCSO deputies arrested Jason Lynn Cloud, 40, of Hanceville, charging him with several violations of the SORNA Act (Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act), as well other charges.
Charges include failure to provide registration information SORNA, failure to register/establish termination address SORNA, sexual offender failure to register termination employment SORNA, first-degree theft of property, failure to obtain travel document SORNA.
“I would like to thank the deputies, investigators and the CAC who all worked to see these suspects were arrested. The sheriff’s office will always stay vigilant keeping track of sex offenders and arresting those who don’t follow the law,” said Cullman County Sheriff Matt Gentry. “Also, as I have stated many times, I don’t see how anyone can harm a child, and when they do we will also arrest those suspects as well.”
Cloud is a registered sex offender. He is being held in the Cullman County Detention Center on an $80,000 bond.
NY man pleads guilty in rape, sex abuse case
after cellphone video found
Andrew Beam @beam_gazette |
SCHENECTADY -- A Schenectady man who pleaded guilty Friday to raping a woman and sexually abusing a child while they slept now faces up to 14 years in prison.
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| timesunion |
Clarence Alexander, 37, entered his guilty plea in Schenectady County Court to one count of felony first-degree rape and one count of felony first-degree sexual abuse, according to the district attorney's office. Alexander admitted his guilt before Judge Matthew Sypniewski.
Prosecutor Michael Nobles said the victims did not know each other, but that Alexander knew the both of them before the assaults, which occurred a month apart.
Authorities became aware of Alexander’s crimes in June, after the child, who Nobles said is younger than 13, found video of him abusing her while she was sleeping. Nobles said the girl was using Alexander’s phone as an internet hot-spot because she didn’t have access to WiFi and came across the video.
Nobles said the child woke up when Alexander was abusing her, but she didn’t understand what was happening. He said she realized what occurred only after seeing the video.
The child then showed the video to her mom, who brought the phone to police.
When police arrested Alexander, he at first denied abusing the child. Nobles said police did not question Alexander about the rape at that time, because they were not aware of the second assault. It was not until Schenectady police obtained a warrant to search the phone that they found video of Alexander raping a woman on May 12.
Nobles said the woman was not aware she had been raped until she spoke with police as part of their investigation.
Alexander is expected to receive a 10-year prison sentence for the rape and four years for the sexual abuse charge when he is sentenced on Feb. 1. The terms will run consecutively, giving him a 14-year prison term. He is also expected to be sentenced to 20 years of post-release supervision.
34-year-old Upstate NY man convicted
of sexually assaulting child
A 34-year-old Rochester man has been convicted of several charges involving the sexual assault of a child.
According to the Monroe County District Attorney's office, Ray Jones III was convicted on Monday of seven counts, including Predatory Sexual Assault Against a Child, Criminal Sex Act in the 3rd Degree, Rape in the 3rd Degree and use of a Child in a Sexual Performance.
Jones will be sentenced on January 10 and faces a maximum jail sentence between 25 years to life in the New York State Department of Corrections. He will also be required to register as a sex offender.
Idaho Falls man sentenced for child sex abuse,
child porn
By JOHNATHAN HOGAN jhogan@postregister.com
An Idaho Falls man who was arrested in March was sentenced Wednesday to up to 15 years in prison for his relationship with a 16-year-old girl.
Jerry Ewell, 37, was charged with sexual abuse of a minor after the abuse was reported to the Bonneville County Sheriff's Office. Ewell admitted to the abuse, saying he and the victim had sex several times at his home and at a storage unit.
Both attorneys said Ewell had tried to withdraw his confession and was considering going to trial to argue the confession was coerced. Ewell sought a plea deal after five additional charges were filed for possession of child pornography based on photos and videos the victim sent to his phone.
Defense attorney Jason Gustaves said Ewell never forced the victim into sex and had no criminal history.
Bonneville County Chief Deputy Prosecutor John Dewey said the abuse lasted for months. He argued Ewell needed a longer indeterminate sentence because of the impact on the victim and his deceptive behavior.
District Judge Bruce Pickett sentenced Ewell to two-and-a-half years in prison as a minimum for both the sexual abuse and child pornography charges, to be served concurrently. Ewell was given a maximum of five years for the child porn charge and up to 15 years for the sexual abuse charge. Four other charges of possession of child sexually exploitative material were dismissed as part of the plea agreement.
The no-contact order between Ewell and the victim was extended an additional 20 years. Ewell will be required to register as a sex offender when released.
Maine man indicted on 23 counts of
sex crimes against a child
BY DOUG HARLOW
SKOWHEGAN — A Pittsfield man has been indicted by a Somerset County grand jury on a total of 23 counts including sexual assault of a child, sexual abuse of a minor and possession of child pornography.
Kent Lary, 59, of Beans Corner Road, faces six counts of gross sexual assault, or rape, of someone under the age of 16; six separate counts of sexual abuse of a minor; and 11 counts of possession of sexually explicit material depicting sexual conduct of children under 16, according to the indictment.
The sexual assaults are alleged to have taken place in Pittsfield between Dec. 1, 2017, and Sept. 1, 2018. They are classified as class B felonies, punishable by up to 10 years in prison on each count. The sexual abuse of a minor charges are class C felonies, punishable by up to five years in prison on each charge and are alleged to have taken place in Pittsfield between the same dates as the assault charges.
The possession of child pornography charges all are dated Oct. 24, 2018, in Pittsfield.
Lary was arrested Oct. 26 after a police investigation revealed that he allegedly had been sexually abusing a 15-year-old girl in Pittsfield for nearly a year.
According to a news release from the Somerset County Sheriff’s Office in October, “the 15 year old female has allegedly been the victim of an ongoing sexual relationship since the age of 14.” Lary reportedly admitted this to Detective Jeremy Leal.
Lary remains held at the Somerset County Jail in East Madison on $250,000 cash bail.
An indictment by a grand jury is not a finding of guilt, but is an indication that enough evidence is present to proceed with a trial.
PA man charged with child sexual abuse
By: Myles Snyder
ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. (WHTM) - An Elizabethtown man is headed to court on charges he sexually assaulting an 11-year-old girl.
Austin D. Keller, 19, waived a preliminary hearing last week. He is charged with felony counts of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with a child, indecent assault of a person less than 13 years old, corruption of minors, and unlawful contact with a minor.
Keller was arrested in September after Northwest Regional police responded to a report of suspicious
persons in a wooded area of the Shady Oak Drive development in Mount Joy Township and found Keller with the girl.
During the investigation, police said it was discovered Keller had sexual contact with the girl on
several occasions previously during the previous month.
Arkansas man gets life plus 20 years
for child sex abuse
for child sex abuse
By Field Walsh
A Miller County jury of six men and six women sentenced a man to life in prison plus 20 years Friday for sexually abusing a 6-year-old girl in 2004 and 2005.
Gerald Herbert Lowery, 58, was sentenced by the jury to life in prison for rape and to 20 years for second-degree sexual assault. Circuit Judge Carlton Jones followed the jury’s recommendation and ordered the terms to run consecutively.
Lowery has an active warrant in Pulaski County, Ark., also for child sexual abuse. The alleged victim in that case, an 11-year-old relative of Lowery’s, testified in the Miller County case Tuesday.
Lowery was sentenced in Miller County for misconduct with the daughter of a former girlfriend’s roommate. In 2004, Lowery and his girlfriend shared an apartment with the victim and her mother at the Links in Texarkana, Ark. The girl never told anyone about the abuse and was living in California when at 19, her mother handed her the phone. Lowery was on the other end of the line and the contact with him after 13 years led her to experience migraines, panic attacks and relive her childhood trauma in nightmares.
The victim disclosed the abuse to her mother late last year and contacted law enforcement. After the victim in Miller County came forward, the girl in Pulaski County made an outcry of sexual abuse.
Deputy Prosecuting Attorneys Connie Mitchell and Kristian Robertson argued that Lowery is a pedophile who manipulates women and children to serve his own perverted desires. There is no parole from a life sentence in the state of Arkansas.
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