'A living hell': Central Pa. man guilty of sex abuse of intellectually disabled kids
Candy Woodall, York Daily Record
A 63-year-old central Pennsylvania man was found guilty Friday of 25 charges related to the rape, beatings and imprisonment of four intellectually disabled children.
The victims, who were between 6 and 12 years old, suffered in a "living hell," Assistant District Attorney Fritz Haverstick told a Lancaster County jury.
The jury deliberated for about two and a half hours before delivering guilty verdicts to the charges facing Donald A. Moyer, who will be sentenced by Lancaster County President Judge Dennis Reinaker after a background investigation is complete, according to a news release from the Lancaster County District Attorney's office.
Moyer, of Lancaster Township, locked the children in a room for extended periods of time and raped them, Haverstick told the jury. The children were beaten, sometimes with objects, according to the news release.
The crimes were "acts of torture," Haverstick said to the jury.
A principal testified that the children often arrived at school dirty and starving, and other witnesses said the refrigerator at home had a lock on it. There were numerous locks throughout the home, the witnesses said.
No explanation of the relationship between the monster and his victims, unfortunately.
Families speak out against WVa Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints over sex abuse allegations
By CHO PARK, ERIN BRADY, JUJU CHANGandEAMON MCNIFF
The Church told ABC News in a statement, "These allegations are false, offensive, and unsubstantiated. As soon as Church leaders learned of abuse by this individual, they encouraged the parents of the abused children to report to West Virginia police and confirmed the report."
The lawsuit was settled for an undisclosed payment in 2018.
The Jensens
Martinsburg, West Virginia 2005
Michael Jensen, the plaintiffs said, was part of a prominent family in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
In 2005, the Jensen family moved to Martinsburg, West Virginia. In West Virginia, according to plaintiff testimony, members of the family quickly advanced to high positions within the local church. Michael's father, Christopher Jensen, became a high priest, while his mother, Sandralee Jensen, as president of the Relief Society, was in charge of administering to the needs of the women in her local church. Meanwhile, back in Utah, Michael's grandfather was said to have held various leadership roles in the church's national infrastructure.
"That was always the Jensens. They always held very high callings," said Spring, one of the plaintiffs who filed a lawsuit against the church. ABC News has omitted the names of the alleged minor victims and the last names of their parents at the parents' request.
"They seemed to be people of good character, integrity. I mean, usually in higher positions like that, they do call people more of a higher status in the church," she said.
On the surface, the plaintiffs say that Michael Jensen appeared no different. He was regularly seen at church, volunteering in various roles. As with his family members, he appeared well-adjusted, and was well-liked by his peers.
"He was a boy that put himself out there as a very selfless, giving person, and the family portrayed that image as well," Helen said, another plaintiff in the lawsuit. "They just were considered a very well-respected, worthy, righteous family within the church."
For members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, commonly known as the Mormon Church, the plaintiffs say that the church isn't simply a center of faith. It's an all-encompassing way of life with fellow members commonly referred to as "brothers" and "sisters." On a local level, members are assigned to "wards," akin to congregations, depending on where they live. The plaintiffs said that local church leaders, such as bishops, are held in high esteem, and play active roles in members' lives.
"Within the church, there is a belief that leaders are called of God and they operate under the inspiration of God while they are holding that leadership position," said Dave Campbell, the Packey J. Dee Professor of American Democracy at the University of Notre Dame. "The idea is that the Lord would speak for the bishop or to the bishop through the Holy Spirit. And that would help the bishop and those who are working with him make decisions over who should profile which role within the congregation."
According to Spring and Helen, the Jensens were integral to church life in Martinsburg. They say that Sandralee was especially active in her role -- as Relief Society president, she addressed the needs of the women and family in their ward, including welfare issues that could arise.
"I think, to many members of the Church their ward is really like an extended family," said Campbell. "Typically the woman serving as the Relief Society President is someone in the ward who is widely respected."
Families sued local church officials in Martinsburg, West Virginia as part of their civil lawsuit against the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ABC
In 2007, two years after the Jensens moved to West Virginia, Spring says that she confided in Sandralee about marital issues she was facing.
"She approached me and said, 'You know -- if you ever need to get away or you guys want to go out on a date night, Michael's available to babysit. He's a great babysitter and he needs to earn money for college," Spring said Sandralee told her.
Spring says she eventually decided to take Sandralee up on her offer for Michael to babysit her two sons on Nov. 10 of that year. Her husband, who was a marine, was going out to celebrate the Marine Corps birthday. Spring wanted to go out with the other wives to have dinner.
"I fully trusted Sandralee," Spring said. "She was a person that I did look up to, she was a person that I cared for a lot and I trusted her judgement."
When Spring returned home, she said besides a messy house, nothing seemed amiss at first. Her two boys were still awake, watching television. Michael even told Spring, she says, that he thought her boys were cool when she drove him back to his home.
But over the next few years, Spring says that she started noticing some small, but troubling changes in her children. According to Spring, her oldest son, who had been an active 4-year-old boy, now seemed to suffer from severe separation anxiety. Both boys, who had been potty trained, had started wetting the bed and experiencing night terrors.
It would be a little after four years when Spring says she would find out what had happened to cause the changes in her children. One night in January 2012, Spring's then-husband called her into their living room, where he had been playing video games with their younger son. He asked their son to repeat to Spring what he had just said. Their son proceeded to tell Spring that on the night in 2007 when Michael had babysat him, Michael sexually molested him (3rd story on Link).
There is much more to this story. It can be found on ABCNews.
Virginia man faces child sexual abuse,
child porn charges in NY
Chenango County Sheriff Ernest Cutting Jr. reported that a Virginia man was arrested Friday and charged with third-degree criminal sexual act, possessing a sexual performance by a child, possessing an obscene sexual performance by a child, and endangering the welfare of a child.
According to a media release, detectives arrested Randolph L. Browning Jr. following a complaint made by a concerned citizen. The reporting person described an older man looking for a room at a local motel to bring a female younger than 16. Detectives said they found that Browning had sexual contact with a child younger than 16 years old and also possessed child pornography.
Browning was held at the Chenango County Correctional Facility on other charges and is awaiting his court date.
Rochester, NH man charged with soliciting child for sex
By Kyle Stucker
Fosters.com
DOVER — A registered sex offender could face 3½ to 7 years in prison if found guilty of soliciting a child to have sex with him earlier this year.
Vincent Burke, 52, who has a last known address on Old Dover Road in Rochester, has been indicted on one Class B felony count of endangering the welfare of a child or incompetent.
The indictment, handed down by a Strafford County grand jury in June, alleges Burke knowingly solicited a child under the age of 16 to have sex with him in Rochester on March 12.
An indictment is not an indication of guilt; rather, it means a jury found sufficient evidence to warrant a trial. Burke was scheduled to be arraigned on the indictments in Strafford County Superior Court at 9 a.m. on Friday, June 28.
Burke has been a registered sex offender since he was found guilty in Norfolk County (Massachusetts) Superior Court in 1987 of two counts of aggravated felonious sexual assault, one count of attempted aggravated felonious sexual assault, two counts of sexual assault and one count of kidnapping, according to the state’s sex offender database.
FBI Documents Show Alleged Child Sex Abuse,
Drug Trafficking at Twelve Tribes
BY BOWEN XIAO
The FBI released redacted documents this week on the cult community known as “Twelve Tribes,” revealing numerous allegations against the group including child sexual abuse, drug trafficking, ritual abuse, and forced labor.
The 61-page document—released by the bureau’s Vault library on June 25—included separate complaints detailing the alleged crimes, mostly against children. The cult has communes all over the United States including Vermont, New York, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Florida, California, Tennessee, and more.
Twelve Tribes, file photo
In 2013, a preliminary investigation was conducted by the FBI based on a complaint the bureau received from the Alexander County Sheriff’s Office that children were being “sexually exploited” at a Twelve Tribes compound at Hiddenite, North Carolina. The case was closed in the same year.
Twelve Tribes has communes around the world, with the Hiddenite location being one of its training centers.
Documents showed that drugs were used at the commune and placed into “ritual” bread—usually LSD and hallucinogenic plants as well as heroin and meth. There were also ritual ceremonies once a month that involved the bread being broken and gang rapes.
Punishment within the cult involved being beaten with a rod and having the wife or children of the accused being sexually assaulted by other cult members. The sheriff’s office had been aware of the Hiddenite location since 2006 and that much of the land in the area was owned by the cult since families who joined had to turn over their property.
Members of the Hiddenite compound also allegedly were forced to go to a location and work all night and day for “three straight days” in what was known as a “push” that involved three or six members. Those working were allowed to drink coffee that may have had something added to it to keep them awake.
In a prior complaint included in the released documents, a name that was redacted called the public access line to report child sexual abuse in a Twelve Tribes commune located in Manitou Springs, Colorado. The person, whose name was redacted, had said the children were threatened not to tell the police or anyone else about the beatings or sexual abuse and that the cult ran a restaurant in the area.
Yet another document, this one in 2010, detailed how a former member was allegedly sexually and physically abused by cult members as a child but had repressed the memories. In 2009 the former member had seen a psychologist who reported the abuse to local authorities and had also contacted national leaders of the cult to inform them of her abuse. She also started personal meetings with the cult leaders.
After a meeting with the former member and cult leaders on a date that was redacted, the woman was killed in a car crash that “was not accidental” and was allegedly “orchestrated” by cult members to prevent the woman from “propagating the claims of abuse.”
In the Twelve Tribe cult, members were also “allowed to punish any child belonging to the community.” The FBI document detailed how members would take their children to be “wooped,” meaning beaten, if they smiled at another child during a gathering, of if they were “horsing” around.
“Bigger children have missed ‘gathering’ for a couple of days at a time because they were beaten so badly and left in a condition where they could not attend,” the documents said, based on an interview with an FBI agent.
One former member said that they were once “locked in a cellar, beaten, and deprived of food.”
Maryland man and woman indicted on charges
related to alleged sex abuse of minor
Mary Grace Keller
Carroll County Times
A Taneytown woman and a Westminster man were each indicted in the Circuit Court of Carroll County for charges related to alleged sexual abuse of a minor.
Jeremy E. Blizzard, 21, was charged June 13 with alleged sexual abuse of a minor while being a household or family member to the victim, third-degree sex offense, second-degree child abuse while being a household or family member, and second-degree assault between Nov. 1, 2018, and Jan. 30, 2019, in Taneytown, according to the indictment.
If convicted, Blizzard could face up to 25 years incarceration for sexual abuse of a minor, up to 10 years for third-degree sex offense, up to 15 years for second-degree child abuse, and up to 10 years and/or fines up to $2,500 for second-degree assault, the indictment read. The first three charges are classified as felonies, while the fourth is a misdemeanor.
Blizzard was being held without bond as of Friday afternoon, according to online court records. A hearing is scheduled for July 19 in Carroll County Circuit Court.
April L. White, 39, was charged June 13 for conspiring with Blizzard to cause sexual abuse to a minor — with Blizzard being a household or family member to the victim, according to the indictment. Additionally, White was charged with conspiring with Blizzard to commit a third-degree sex offense upon the victim and contributing to, encouraging, causing, or tending to cause an act that rendered a minor in need of supervision, the indictment read. All of the alleged offenses occurred between Nov. 1, 2018, and Jan. 30, 2019, in Taneytown, police say.
If convicted, White could face up to 25 years incarceration for conspiring to cause sexual abuse to a minor, up to 10 years for conspiring to commit a third-degree sexual offense, and up to three years and/or fines up to $2,500 for contributing to the condition of a child, according to the indictment. The charges are classified as misdemeanors.
White’s warrant was served Monday, and she was initially held without bond until a Thursday bail review, after which she was released on her own recognizance, according to online court records.
A trial is scheduled for Aug. 27 in Carroll County Circuit Court.
Hilton Head, SC, man indicted on child rape charges. Police found video of the crimes
BY MANDY MATNEY
The Island Packet
A Hilton Head Island man who is accused of raping multiple children and videotaping the acts has been indicted by a grand jury and denied bond twice since his arrest in March.
Timothy Lamar Herndon, 42, was indicted June 13 by a Beaufort County grand jury on one count of first degree sexual exploitation of a minor, first degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor, and second degree criminal sexual conduct, according to court documents.
According to the affidavit, Beaufort County Sheriff’s deputies found video and photo evidence of Herndon raping two children between the ages of 8 and 11. Herndon is not related to the victims.
The child sex crimes took place between Aug. 1, 2018, and March 26, 2019 at Herndon’s home on Bluebell Lane, according to the affidavit.
On March 28, a complainant who is not named in the police report, told deputies he had digital evidence that Herndon “had been sexually assaulting young children.”
After investigating, detectives obtained a search warrant around 10:30 p.m. March 28 and arrested Herndon. He was initially denied bond after his arrest, according to court records.
On May 9, Herndon was denied bond because it was determined by the court that his release “will result in an unreasonable danger to the community.” According to court records, the court may “re-visit” Herndon’s bond on Aug. 9 (90 days after it was decided).
The investigation is still ongoing, according to Maj. Bob Bromage, spokesperson for the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office. “Investigators are still evaluating evidence to determine whether other incidents occurred,” Bromage said.
Conviction of first degree sexual exploitation of a minor carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, according to South Carolina law.
“One in four girls and one in six boys will be sexually abused before they turn 18 years old,” according to the National Sexual Violence Resource Center. The Center reports that only 12 percent of child sexual abuse is reported.
Pediatrician who sexually abused Blackfeet children
could lose retirement benefits
By TOM LUTEY tlutey@billingsgazette.com
An Indian Health Service pediatrician convicted of molesting children on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation could lose retirement benefits as federal officials weigh revoking the doctor’s honorable discharge.
The U.S. Public Health Commission Corps disclosed on Wednesday that it is launching a board inquiry into Stanley Patrick Weber.
In January, Weber was convicted by a U.S. District Court in Great Falls of aggravated sexual abuse of a child and two counts of attempted aggravated sexual abuse of a child, all felonies. The charges stem from his 1993 to 1995 employment as an IHS pediatrician on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation. He faces a trial on separate child sexual abuse charges at Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota.
IHS doctor sexually abused boy after checking him out of a South Dakota juvie (6th story on link)
Doctor sentenced for child sexual abuse in 1st of 2 more Reservations (16th story on link)
Weber was honorably discharged by the IHS and receives more than $100,000 a year in retirement benefits. The honorable discharge has become a sticking point with U.S. Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., who earlier wrote Health Secretary Alex Azar asking that Weber’s retirement with honors be changed.
The board inquiry into Weber is the response to that request, according to Brett P. Giroir, U.S. Assistant Secretary of Health, who wrote Daines about the inquiry.
“I’m glad to see HHS (Health and Human Services) respond to my demand and take action in finding a way to prevent this convicted child pedophile from receiving a dime of his government pension,” Daines said in a prepared statement. “This disgusting situation should never have happened in the first place.”
The senator also has a bill to deny pensions to government employees convicted in the future of child sexual abuse.
U.S. District Judge Brian Morris sentenced Weber earlier this year to 18 years and four months in prison, and fined the pediatrician $200,000. The case has been appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit. Weber faces 10 more charges stemming from alleged child sexual encounters on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. The Pine Ridge accusations span 13 years occurring after Weber’s time in Montana.
Working in Browning, Weber performed sex acts on a boy younger than 12 and attempted to have sex with another boy younger than 16, according to prosecutors.
Yorkville, Ill, man arrested on sexual abuse,
exploitation of a child charges
By KENDALL COUNTY RECORD
A Yorkville man has been arrested in connection with a case involving the alleged sexual abuse, exploitation and battery of a child.
In a statement issued Friday, June 28, Yorkville police identified the suspect as Brian J. Sicilia, 43, of the 2800 block of Old Glory Drive.
Police said Sicilia has been charged with attempted aggravated criminal sexual abuse, battery and sexual exploitation of a child.
According to police, the charges stem from an incident that occurred at a residence in the 2800 block of Old Glory Drive on June 20.
Police said Sicilia surrendered to police at 9:36 am. June 28 at the Kendall County Courthouse in Yorkville. He is being held at the Kendall County Jail on $75,000 bond.
Second former Boulder, CO, Shambhala member accused of sexual assault on a child
By MITCHELL BYARS | The Boulder Daily Camera
For the second time in five months (5th story on link), police have arrested a former member of Boulder’s Shambhala Center on allegations of sexually assaulting a child he was introduced to through the Buddhist community.
Michael Smith, 54, was arrested Friday morning on suspicion of sexual assault on a child by a person in a position of trust.
According to a news release, the named was sexually assaulted by Smith multiple times beginning in 1997 when she was 13 years old. Smith was introduced to the girl through his membership in the Boulder Shambhala.
Boulder police said a second woman came forward and said she was victimized by Smith when she was 11 years old at a Buddhist retreat center in Barnet, Vermont. Because the assault reportedly took place outside of Boulder, that case will be investigated by law enforcement in Vermont.
There is no statute of limitations on sex offenses involving children under the age of 15.
Farmington, ME, man arrested on sex abuse charges
Posted by Ben Hanstein
FARMINGTON - A local man was arrested Wednesday, having been charged with sexually abusing a child under the age of 14 years old.
Nathan Wing, 42 of Farmington, has been charged with unlawful sexual contact, a Class C felony, as well as misdemeanor unlawful sexual touching. The charges stem from an incident that allegedly occurred last summer.
According to an email from Farmington police Sgt. Michael Lyman, the investigation began with a referral from the Department of Health and Human Services. It is alleged that the abuse occurred when the juvenile was under the age of 14 years old.
Lyman arrested Wing Wednesday and he was transported to Franklin County Detention Center. He was released on $250 cash bail later that evening.
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