Thousands of migrant children allegedly sexually abused in US custody
Allegations ranged from adult staff members having relationships with minors to forcible touching, HHS documents show
Caution: There is definitely a political bias in this report
Hazar Kilani in New York and agencies, The Guardian
Children and workers at a tent encampment near the Tornillo port of entry in Tornillo, Texas, on 19 June 2018.
Photograph: Joe Raedle/Getty Images
Almost 5,000 complaints of sexual abuse and harassment of migrant children in US custody have been filed over the past four years, according to government documents released this week. The allegations range from adult staff members having relationships with minors, and the showing of pornographic videos, to forcible touching.
According to Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) documents released on Tuesday on Capitol Hill by the Florida Democratic representative Ted Deutch’s office, the reports date back to October 2015, during the Obama administration. However, most of the sexual abuse and harassment reported occurred since Donald Trump took office.
Of course, that's when most of the kids were in these camps.
During a House judiciary committee hearing on Tuesday, Deutch addressed the documents and linked them to the Trump administration’s “zero-tolerance” policy on immigration, regarding unlawful incursions of the US-Mexico border. The policy, widely regarded as a strong-arm attempt by the government to discourage immigration, resulted in almost 3,000 migrant children being forcibly separated from their families.
“These documents tell us that there is a problem with adults, employees of HHS, sexually abusing children,” Deutch said at the hearing.
The total number of sexual abuse complaints in 2018 was 1,261, an increase of 192 compared with 2017. While the majority of the sexual assaults were allegedly committed by other minors in custody, 178 out of the thousands of complaints filed were accusations against staff. The number of reported sexual abuse incidents involving staff against migrant children increased in 2018, with a total of 12 complaints filed in July compared with four in February.
“This works out, on average, to one sexual assault by HHS staff on an unaccompanied minor per week,” Deutch said. The point was angrily disputed by Jonathan White, a testifying official who has overseen child migrant detention matters at HHS.
He questioned whether the staff members involved in the allegations were members of HHS staff or affiliated to outside contractors.
“Those are not HHS staff in any of those allegations,” White said.
White also stated that when a sexual assault is reported, it is fully investigated. Reports deemed legitimate are then sent to the Department of Justice for prosecution, he said.
The Department of Justice received 29% out of the total of 4,556 reports initially filed, according to the data released by Deutch’s office.
HHS manages the care of tens of thousands of migrant children, most of whom had crossed the border alone. However, in August 2017, 3.6% of the children had been separated from a parent or a guardian. After they are detained at the US border by Customs and Border Protection (CBP), they are placed in privately run shelters contracted by the government.
Officials say most of the allegations haven’t been substantiated and are defending the care they provide to immigrant children.
However, reports of sexual assault against minors are not the only tragedies coming out of the US detention facilities. Two Guatemalan children have recently died under US custody, shining light on the treatment of immigrants detained by authorities.
Oklahoma man wanted for child sexual abuse
found dead from gunshot wound
BY KFOR-TV AND K. QUERRY
NORMAN, Okla. – Authorities say a wanted fugitive has been found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
On Tuesday, U.S. Marshals began searching for Dawone White, who was wanted for multiple counts of child sexual abuse and one count of lewd or indecent acts to a child under 16.
Investigators learned that White was at a home in the 1900 block of E. Lindsey St. in Norman.
As marshals made their way to the residence, they found White dead from what appears to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
I suspect the poor fool thought he could escape justice for his evils. He won't!
Virginia ex-school counselor gets sweet plea deal
for child sex abuse
Nolan Stout, Daily Progress
A former Albemarle County Public Schools employee has pleaded guilty to two charges of sex crimes against children.
Richard Sidebottom, 74, pleaded guilty to aggravated sexual battery of a child under 13 and one count of indecent liberties with a child in Charlottesville Circuit Court on Wednesday morning. The agreement calls for a maximum active sentence of 2 years.
The bespectacled Sidebottom, clad in a suit, sat quietly throughout the hearing, speaking only to answer affirmatively to routine courtroom questions about the plea agreement.
In 2018, Sidebottom was charged with four counts of felony indecent liberties with children and object sexual penetration and aggravated sexual battery of a victim under 13 years old.
Commonwealth’s Attorney Joe Platania said the remaining charges will be dropped. After entering the plea agreement, Platania presented what would have been argued at trial.
Platania said the charges stemmed from encounters with Sidebottom’s then 4-year-old granddaughter in 2009 and an 11-year-old neighbor girl in 2018.
In 2009, Platania said, the granddaughter was visiting the Sidebottoms when the she privately told her mother that her grandfather had inappropriately touched her. A few days later, the girl revealed more information in a conversation with her mother, who took her to a family doctor.
In later counseling, the granddaughter said that Sidebottom would inappropriately touch her and make her touch him.
She vividly remembered, according to Platania, one time that she was watching television and Sidebottom said “let’s hop into bed and do this.” When Platania presented that evidence, Sidebottom closed his eyes and shook his head.
The case was referred to the Department of Social Services, which found merit to the claims. Platania said Sidebottom exhausted his appeals with the department by 2012 and it was referred to the Virginia State Police.
Sidebottom, who worked as psychologist and counselor for the county schools for more than three decades, had his teaching license revoked by the Virginia Board of Education on April 26, 2012, one year after his retirement. Platania said the license was revoked after the Department of Social Services appeals were complete.
Later that year, the case was presented to the city Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office, which Platania said declined to prosecute “for a variety of reasons.” He declined to elaborate after the hearing.
The case was revived last year when a neighbor called Charlottesville officers to report inappropriate contact with their daughter.
Platania said Sidebottom would wait for the neighbor to get off the bus and say “I love you” and “you’re beautiful.” He said Sidebottom would invite her to the house to talk and would sit in a way that his genitals were purposefully exposed through the leg of his shorts. Sidebottom repeatedly shook his head as Platania detailed the incidents in court on Tuesday.
A city detective decided to pay Sidebottom a visit to discuss the allegations and arrived at the time the neighbor would typically be getting off the bus, Platania said. The detective noted that Sidebottom was sitting on his truck and visibly adjusted his shorts as the detective approached.
Platania said neighbors would have testified that he had been seen nude and masturbating at the windows of his home in clear view of children at other times.
As part of the agreement, Sidebottom’s attorney, Rhonda Quagliana, said that he would agree to a permanent protective order for the neighbor and register as a sex offender.
The plea agreement didn’t make the victims’ families happy, Platania said, but would bring some closure and avoid putting the children on trial.
“It’s a horrific set of allegations,” Platania said. “There’s really no agreement that can undo what’s been done.”
Perhaps not. But there is the possibility of preventing him from doing more. It's clear the man has a major problem and I don't think a year in jail is going to fix it.
Platania made a motion to revoke Sidebottom’s bond, but Judge Humes Franklin denied it. Franklin said allowing Sidebottom to remain on bond would allow the judicial process to move quicker.
“It’s not going to stop what’s coming at the end,” Franklin said.
OMG! Does the judge have absolutely no concern for the community and the kids who will be exposed to him?
After the hearing, the victims’ families were escorted from the courtroom. Shortly after, Sidebottom grabbed a cane in his right hand and departed the courthouse. He is free on bond until his sentencing hearing on June 20 at 1 p.m.
2 Alabama men plead guilty in child sex abuse crimes
Defendants in unrelated sex offenses against minors recently pleaded guilty, according to a press release from the Covington County District Attorney’s office.
Benjamin Ellis White, 32, of Opp, pleaded guilty to Rape I, a Class A felony, before Circuit Judge Lex Short. Judge Short sentenced White to 25 years. Chief Assistant District Attorney Grace Jeter prosecuted the case for the State. White was defended by Diana Mock.
White was charged after Covington County E-911 received a dispatch call from a minor child reporting her own recent rape. Opp Police Department responded and Sgt. Heather Koerner led the investigation of the incident. Through that investigation, White eventually confessed to officers that he had been having sexual intercourse with a young child multiple times over a number of years.
In the second case, George N. Scroggins, 87, of Florala, pleaded guilty before Judge Short to Sexual Abuse of a Child Under 12, which is a Class B felony. Scroggins’ plea followed his indictment by a Covington County grand jury in 2016. The case was set for trial in January and was continued at that time. Scroggins subsequently decided to enter a plea of guilty and was sentenced to 12 years. Bill Alverson represented Scroggins and the case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Nikki Stephens.
In the Scroggins case, the Florala Police Department received a complaint of an inappropriate incident with Scroggins and a minor child, and that investigation led to further charges for incidents that happened over 20 years ago with other children. Police Chief Sonny Bedsole led the Florala investigation in conjunction with the Department of Human Resources.
District Attorney Walt Merrell noted that child sex crimes are among the hardest to deal with for multiple reasons.
“They are difficult to prove and successfully prosecute, but they also come with the most innocent of victims, many of whom have had their innocence forever stripped from them,” he said. “The physical damage may heal, but the emotional scars may last forever.”
The Covington County Child Advocacy Center conducted forensic interviews of the children, and in one case the child victim received counseling through the CAC.
Merrell said the men will be registered sex offenders for the remainder of their lives.
“Their communities will be aware of their misdeeds,” he said. “White will remain in prison for many years to come, and it is likely that Scroggins will die in prison.”
Merrell complimented Stephens, Jeter, the Department of Human Resources staff, the CAC staff, and all the law enforcement officers involved in the two cases.
Covington Co., AL
Oklahoma couple facing child sex abuse charges
By Jackson Boland, KTEN News
THACKERVILLE, Okla. -- A Love County couple has been jailed, facing multiple counts of child abuse and neglect.
One of the five children of Chester and Cynthia Voyles notified Thackerville schools about the alleged sexual abuse, and that's when the police were called.
The children were taken out of school and placed in protective custody.
The parents refused to take part in any interviews and police then filed a child abuse and neglect charge for their 31-year-old mother. Chester Voyles, 48, faces multiple charges of rape, sodomy and lewd molestation.
Ardmore police were able to locate the couple, and that's when the arrests were made.
"Carter County and Ardmore PD affected the arrest and were a big part in getting the parents into custody," Thackerville police Chief Kevin Collman said.
The Voyles went to court on Tuesday. Both were denied bail.
