Note: The once 3rd most powerful man in the Vatican has been sentenced
to 6 years in prison for child sex abuse - article is here
New Hampshire man wanted for possession of child porn, concerns for 5 y/o boy with him
By Sentinel Staff
HINSDALE — Police say they are looking for help finding a Hinsdale resident they believe to be on the run from charges of possessing child sexual abuse images.
Gary Coonrod, 46, is likely in the company of Tiffany Weeks, 26, of Hinsdale and her 5-year-old son, according to a news release from Hinsdale police. Police say there is "significant concern" for the boy's safety.
An arrest warrant for Coonrod was granted Tuesday on five counts of possession of child sexual abuse images.
Coonrod, who may be fleeing to Ohio or West Virginia, is believed to be driving a 2003 Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck with NH registration 4244681, the news release says.
Anyone with information on Coonrod or Weeks is asked to call Hinsdale police at 603-336-7766 or 911.
Former Bountiful doctor sentenced to prison
for child sex abuse
BY DAVID WELLS
FARMINGTON, Utah — A former OB/GYN was given his sentence Tuesday after he pleaded guilty to aggravated sexual abuse of a child.
A judge sentenced 57-year-old Nathan Clark Ward to 15 years to life in prison.
Ward has already been sentenced to nearly 22 years in federal prison for a child pornography case, and the sentences are to be served consecutively.
In January, Ward reached a plea deal with prosecutors just days before he was to face a trial in Utah’s 2nd District Court. Four other charges were dropped. Since Ward and prosecutors reached a plea deal, a victim did not have to testify.
Registered sex offender on trial in Alabama
on child sex charges
Marty Roney, Montgomery Advertiser
WETUMPKA — A registered sex offender is on trial for a trio of child-sex charges in Elmore County.
James Randall “Randy” Acker, 56, of the 800 block of Lewis Road, Elmore, faces charges of sexual abuse of a child under the age of 12, sexual abuse and sodomy, court records show. His trial began Tuesday morning in Wetumpka with Circuit Judge Bill Lewis presiding. The alleged victim in the case is a girl who is now a teenager.
Acker allegedly abused the victim over a three-year period, Assistant District Attorney Jillian Jordan Evans told the jury in her opening statements.
“He violated her body. He violated her trust. He violated the law,” Evans told the panel of 12 jurors and two alternates.
In her opening, she told the jury Acker had pleaded guilty in 2000 to a charge of sexual misconduct in an unrelated case involving a young girl. The original charge in the case was rape, courthouse records show. Outside of the courtroom, Capt. Chris Ogden of the Elmore County Sheriff’s Office confirmed Acker is registered as a sex offender with the office. The current case is being investigated by the sheriff’s office and Ogden handled the investigation.
The abuse with the current alleged victim began with improper touching before moving to oral sex, Evans told the jury. She also warned them that they would hear graphic, disturbing testimony as the trial moved forward.
When it came time for the defense to address the jury in opening statements, Acker’s attorney, Sherri Mazur, acknowledged the past conviction.
“His attorney told him you plea to a misdemeanor and you don’t go to jail,” she said. “It is in your best interests to plea. All the evidence in this case, from every person involved, has its roots in the 1999 investigation. He was involved in something like this before, so he has to be guilty.
“In our system we don’t get to say ‘Well, you did it before, you did it now.”
Acker, who has been in the Elmore County Jail since his July indictment, sat at the defense table a few feet from the jury box. He wiped tears from his eyes several times during opening statements.
Mazur presented the argument that the current case has its base in the actions of the alleged victim’s mother. Acker and the mother were involved in court action when the sexual abuse allegations came to light.
She told the jury that there is no direct evidence that any abuse ever occurred.
The case took a curious path to get to trial. The allegations came to light in Mississippi, when the alleged victim’s mother contacted law enforcement there with concerns she had been abused. The initial investigation showed the alleged abuse occurred in Elmore County, and the case was taken over by the sheriff’s office.
Testimony is set to resume at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday. The alleged victim is expected to take the stand and testify. The trial could last two more days depending on when the state rests.
Sodomy is a Class A felony with a punishment range of 10 to 99 years to life in prison. Sexual abuse of a child under the age of 12 is a class B felony with a punishment range of two to 20 years in prison. Sexual abuse is a Class C felony with a punishment range of one to 10 years in prison.
Illegal immigrant accused of rape,
child sexual abuse in Alabama
An illegal immigrant was arrested for the alleged rape and sexual abuse of a 12-year-old female in Marshall County.
Marshall County Sheriff’s Office Assistant Chief Deputy Steve Guthrie said on Sunday, David Ramirez Gonzalez, 29, was charged with first-degree rape, first-degree sexual abuse and resisting arrest. He said the bond has been set at $1 million. He said deputies and investigators responded to a sexual assault of a 12-year-old female in the Pleasant Grove area. He said after the alleged incident, Gonzalez left the scene before deputies arrived.
Guthrie said further investigation resulted in a warrant being issued for the arrest of Gonzalez. He said Gonzalez was found later that night hiding in a closet at a residence in Arab.
Guthrie said after Gonzalez was arrested, a background check showed he was in the United States illegally, was deported in 2008 and deported again in 2009 for illegal re-entry. He said Gonzalez has been known to use several aliases including a Facebook page under the name “Noel Ramirez.”
Guthrie said assisting agencies were Arab Police Department, Marshall County District Attorney’s Office, Marshall County Child Advocacy Center and DHR.
New Mexico man accused of raping children
indicted on 20 counts, faces possible 345 years
Nicole Maxwell, Alamogordo Daily News
An Otero County man has been charged with multiple counts of rape and sexual contact of a minor.
Between August 2017 and February 2019, James Scharmack, 38, allegedly had inappropriate sexual relationships with three minors between the ages of 8 and 12.
On Monday, Twelfth Judicial District Attorney John P. Sugg announced Scharmack has been charged with 15 counts of criminal sexual penetration of a minor under 13, two counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor under 13 in the second degree, and three counts of attempted criminal sexual penetration of a minor under 13.
If convicted of all charges, Scharmack faces 345 years in prison.
Scharmack is being held in detention until trial and there's an arraignment in the case scheduled for 9:30 a.m. March 25.
This case is being prosecuted by Chief Deputy District Attorney Scot Key and was investigated by the Alamogordo Police Department.
Piano teacher's arrest comes during national discussion on child sex abuse
Author: Nina Mehlhaf
PORTLAND, Ore. — The arrest of a Sherwood piano teacher on child sex abuse charges comes at a time when the recent documentaries on Michael Jackson and R. Kelly have brought the crimes into the spotlight.
There's been a lot of focus recently on child sex abuse; how a predator grooms a child, and even their family. Experts say the heightened awareness will make parents better at spotting abuse.
Chris Griffin, 29, was bailed out of jail on charges of sodomy, sexual penetration and sex abuse of a child. Sherwood Police say the alleged abuse happened at his parent's business called Let's Make Music And Dance. It's a private home where he taught piano and guitar.
Police said a longtime student of Griffin's came forward and search warrants found enough evidence to make an arrest. Griffin wasn't at home when KGW stopped by Monday, but his wife's family says she's understandably in shock over the allegations against her husband.
Griffin's mother, the owner of the music school, wrote on the website, "While we feel terrible for anything that happened to this child, Christopher is innocent, and he will be exonerated in court. Just to make everyone comfortable... Christopher will not be working here while the charges are pending."
Griffin has no criminal past.
The arrest comes at a time when America is debating the documentary "Leaving Neverland" about Michael Jackson's alleged child sex abuse; along with "Surviving R. Kelly," with accounts from underage girls who said that the singer abused them; and the popular Netflix documentary "Abducted In Plain Sight," which shows in graphic detail how a predator grooms a whole family in order to have sex with a young girl.
"The more information out there and the more it's brought out into the light, the better," said Brian Longworth, a licensed professional counselor in Tigard. He's counseled both sex offenders and victims for 15 years. He says most predators have practiced grooming techniques for years.
"Most offenders I worked with, I'm not sure they consciously thought through how they were grooming because they were lying to themselves as much as they were lying to the kids. A lot of them would think of this as a loving relationship, it just happened to be with a 10-year-old," said Longworth.
That's why a lot of young kids don't recognize it as abuse, like the men interviewed in "Leaving Neverland."
Longworth says young kids don't know anything about sex, but they trust the person and feel loved, so they think it must be okay. But he says, unless there's a custody dispute where a parent has put a kid up to lying, they're usually always telling the truth about abuse, because they wouldn't risk the embarrassment.
"Trust what your kids are saying about adults. One of most harmful things is kids tell the parents and it'll be about this trusted person that's either a friend or a family member and the parents don't want to believe it. The parents should trust the kids and talk about what they're doing with adults around and if a parent doesn't know the adult really well, I would suggest not having your kid around an adult alone."
Other tips:
Longworth says don't cut to the chase and just ask a child if they've been touched. They'll just clam up. Longworth says you've got to get them talking. So instead, start generally, asking how do they feel about "so and so"? What kinds of things do they talk about? Do they ever make you feel uncomfortable?
He says the child will start to open up and talk, then slowly reveal anything that happened. In addition to never leaving your child alone with an adult you don't know very well, he says if it's a one-on-one situation, like a math tutor or music teacher, parents should stop by unexpectedly to their lesson or ask to sit-in on a lesson. If you get excuses or push back, you know there's a reason and you should start asking questions.
Another Oregon man charged with child sex abuse
Jayati Ramakrishnan
A Hermiston man was arrested on Tuesday and charged with child sexual abuse.
Emerson Espinoza Alvarenga, 20, was indicted on March 8, and arraigned Tuesday on two counts of sexual abuse in the first degree, abusing a child under the age of 12 in November of 2018.
He entered not guilty pleas on both counts. His bail was set at $150,000, and he has a pre-trial hearing on April 2.
No comments:
Post a Comment