U.S. Marshals Most Wanted Sought For
Child Sexual Abuse in OK
By: NewsOn6.com
TULSA, Oklahoma - The Monday Most Wanted Fugitive from the U.S. Marshals Northern Oklahoma Violent Crimes Task Force is Juan F. Garcia-Garcia. The 21-year-old man is 5’11” and weighs about 225 lbs, with black hair and brown eyes.
Garcia-Garcia is wanted in Tulsa County for rape of a girl under the age of 16 and possession of drugs.
Authorities say his mother still lives in the Tulsa area, but he may have fled to Mexico.
If you have any information about his whereabouts, call 1-866-4WANTED or USMS Tips at www.usmarshals.gov/tips.
Charges dismissed for man in SC
child sexual abuse case
Plea deals for co-accused negate need for a trial
that might have implicated the suspect
MYRTLE BEACH AREA, SC (WBTW) – Charges have been dismissed for a man in an Horry County child sexual abuse case.
All pending charges for Anthony L. Strickland have been dismissed, Assistant Solicitor Leigh Andrew said in a letter to the Horry County Police Department.
“Prosecution of the co-defendants and their guilty pleas was made possible by the cooperation and anticipated testimony of co-defendant Lindsay Honeycutt,” the letter said. “Ms. Honeycutt has been either unwilling or unable to implicate Mr. Strickland in the commission of these crimes.”
“A jury trial for co-defendant Edward Ambrose Heavener was scheduled for July 2019. Ms. Honeycutt was expected to testify at that trial and I was interested to hear if her testimony would implicate Mr. Strickland in anyway,” the letter also said. “I have had communications from jail house informants who indicate Mr. Heavener has made statement while incarcerated suggesting Mr. Strickland’s involvement. Now that all of the co-defendants have pleaded guilty, no further information can be gleaned from a trial on any of the co-defendants charges in the near future.”
“I have also interviewed a couple of individuals in the last few months who stated they had information regarding Mr. Strickland. However, nothing these witnesses provide was helpful to the prosecution of these particular charges,” the letter added. “Based on the foregoing, I do not believe there is sufficient evident to proceed with prosecution of the charges against Mr. Strickland at this time. Therefore, I made the decision to dismiss all of the pending charges against him.”
Officials confirm claims of sexual abuse at DC synagogue
by Mike Brest
Washington Examiner
Officials have confirmed multiple instances of sexual abuse that took place at a Washington, D.C., synagogue following a cease-and-desist letter sent last month by the D.C. superintendent of education.
The superintendent's letter reportedly reveals that the district's Child and Family Services Agency found that "more than one child was a victim of sexual abuse by the alleged maltreator" at Washington Hebrew Congregation's preschool, CNN reported Monday. CNN also reported that this letter is the first public finding of an investigation into the alleged abuse.
The allegations of sexual abuse surfaced nearly a year ago, in August 2018. The alleged abuser, Jordan Silverman, who has denied the allegations, was supposedly permitted to lead groups of children alone to wooded areas outside the synagogue and took children to the bathroom alone.
The preschool's former director D.J. Jensen reportedly dismissed complaints and questions from staff members. They also allegedly did not enforce a policy preventing staff members from using their phones.
"We are gratified to know that the steps already implemented were correct, and that we are fully licensed to operate our child care programs year-round," the congregation said in a statement to CNN on Monday. "We will continue to work cooperatively with [Office of the State Superintendent of Education] in achieving best practices in child safety."
Eight families have filed lawsuits against the synagogue alleging that they ignored warnings for more than two years.
Brooklyn teacher charged with sexual assault of a minor in New Jersey
BROOKLYN, New York (WABC) -- A second grade teacher in New York City has been arrested on charges of aggravated sexual assault and endangering the welfare of a minor in New Jersey.
Gilbert D. Rimple, 63, of Sayreville, was charged during an investigation by the Sayreville Police Department. The investigation began after police were alerted of the sexual assault of a child less than 13 years of age.
Rimple is currently employed at P.S. 92 in Brooklyn. He began as a substitute teacher in 1993 and became a teacher at P.S. 92 in 2005.
Rimple is being held at Middlesex County Adult Corrections Center in North Brunswick pending a hearing scheduled for Tuesday in New Brunswick Superior Court.
The Department of Education stated that Rimple will not be working at the school amidst the allegations.
"This deeply disturbing allegation is not school related, and Mr. Rimple will not work with any students while this criminal investigation is ongoing," the DOE said in a statement.
Anyone with information on this case is asked to call Detective Chris Engelbrecht at (732) 727-4444 or Detective Christopher Pennisi at (732) 745-4499.
Florence, AL, pastor accused of sexually abusing boys
BY WHNT NEWS 19
FLORENCE, Ala. – The lead pastor of a Florence church has been arrested, accused of sexually abusing young boys in his congregation.
John Martin was taken into custody Friday evening and booked into the Lauderdale County Detention Center on four counts of Sexual Abuse. Martin has been a pastor at Lighthouse Baptist Church on Sweetwater Avenue for nine years. He has since resigned from his position as pastor.
The arrest came less than a week after prosecutors say he confessed to his congregation at Lighthouse Baptist Church of inappropriate behavior. Prosecutors with the Lauderdale County District Attorney's Office say Martin felt compelled to confess his sins on June 23.
"It came to light he admitted to four counts of sexual abuse of a child," said Assistant District Attorney Coty Hand.
Members of the congregation immediately notified One Place of the Shoals, a family justice center. That organization launched an investigation immediately. Martin was taken into custody late last week.
Martin resigned immediately following the confession. But Hand believes, as a pastor, Martin took advantage of his congregation's trust. "It is somebody they think is supposed to be caring for them and something happens to them. It's probably a difficult process," says Hand.
He couldn't go into more detail of where the alleged abuse took place.
Prosecutors fully expect to discover more victims as the investigation unfolds. We're also being told some of the victims could be in other states.
If you have any information that could help investigators in the case, please contact One Place of the Shoals or the Lauderdale County District Attorney's Office.
Martin's being held on a $60,000 bond.
I wonder what happened to provoke him to confess? Did someone threaten to come forward? Did he suddenly realize there really is a God?
Death investigation uncovered child sexual abuse images in Concord, NH
By ALYSSA DANDREA
A father convicted in the methamphetamine death of his 2-month-old son is now accused of possessing multiple images of children being sexually assaulted by adults.
Bradford Ross, 26, previously of Penacook, faces 10 felony counts of possession of child sexual abuse images in September 2017. He was recently indicted by a Merrimack County grand jury while serving a 2½- to five-year state prison sentence for handling methamphetamine in close proximity to his son, Cayden Ross, who died in August 2016.
The new charges against Ross stem from a lengthy investigation by Concord police that began after Cayden’s death.
“When we were examining evidence pertaining to the original death investigation, we came across unrelated information that revealed evidence of child sexual abuse images on electronic devices,” Concord police Lt. Sean Ford said Monday. “We opened up a separate case against him, applied for a search warrant and expanded the scope of our searches to conduct two parallel investigations.”
Over the course of more than a year, detectives combed through storage devices to include cellphones and zip drives belonging to Ross, which form the basis for the 10 charges handed up late last month. Because Ross is incarcerated at the New Hampshire State Prison for Men in Concord, authorities decided to charge him through a direct indictment instead of executing a physical arrest.
More than a year ago, a judge sentenced Ross to prison on a felony prohibited conduct charge in addition to one count of possession of a controlled drug with intent to distribute. More serious charges of negligent homicide and manslaughter were dismissed as part of a plea agreement reached with Merrimack County prosecutors.
At the time of Cayden’s death, Ross was living in a 14- by 7¾-foot travel camper parked on property at 54 Penacook St. His then-partner, Kayla Austin, and a 2-year-old girl, the couple’s first child, also lived there.
In a sworn affidavit, Concord police Detective Bryan Croft wrote that investigators who responded to the travel camper on Aug. 1, 2016, described the living conditions as “deplorable.” Officers observed pipes; hypodermic needles; ledgers; digital scales; and drugs, including prescription pills and methamphetamine. Police said Ross was running a lucrative drug business out of the temporary home.
The state medical examiner determined that Cayden died of methamphetamine intoxication. Toxicology results revealed methamphetamine in the infant’s blood and liver.
Police also arrested Austin in the months after her son’s death. She ultimately pleaded guilty to two counts of endangering the welfare of a child for exposing her two children to methamphetamine. She was sentenced to 90 days in jail in January 2018. More serious charges were dismissed.
Ross is scheduled to be arraigned Aug. 1 in Merrimack County Superior Court in Concord on the 10 new charges.
Man Allegedly Impregnated Teen Stepdaughter,
Threatened To Kill Her Entire Family If She Told
BY GINA TRON
OxyGen
A Texas man is accused of impregnating his teenage stepdaughter and threatening to kill her entire family if she told on him.
Rolando Salas Fernandez, 30, is accused of sexually assaulting the 14-year-old girl for about six months until his arrest last week. The victim’s mother allegedly found disturbing text messages from her husband on her daughter's phone, KSAT 12 in San Antonio reports.
The messages were apparently "sexual in nature," according to an affidavit obtained by My San Antonio.
The concerned mother took her daughter to the hospital, where it was discovered that she was six months pregnant. She allegedly told investigators that Fernandez was the father and that he "threatened to kill her family if the police found out about their sexual relationship," according to the affidavit.
Fernandez lived in the same home as the teenager. However, he wasn't supposed to. He has been the subject of a Child Protective Services investigation and he was supposed to be barred from having contact with the girl, My San Antonio reports. It’s not clear what the nature of that investigation is.
The hospital determined that the last alleged sexual assault between Fernandez and the girl occurred on June 16, according to News 4 San Antonio.
Fernandez has been charged with sexual assault of a child. His bail has been set at $75,000. It’s not clear if he has a lawyer who can speak on his behalf at this time.
Lawsuit: Principal Heard Rumors, Could Have Prevented Teacher from Sexually Abusing 13-y/o Student
by Matt Naham
The fallout from an Arizona teacher’s sexual abuse of a 13-year-old continues, as a lawsuit filed by the victim’s parents against the school district and Zamora’s husband alleges that the school’s principal could have prevented the “actual sexual contact.”
The lawsuit filed against the Goodyear school district claims that Las Brisas Academy’s principal, Timothy Dickey, heard rumors that Brittany Zamora, 28, was engaging in inappropriate behavior with the victim but “spoke about the dangers of rumors” rather than reporting said rumors to authorities.
According to AZ Central, Michael Medina, an attorney for the victim’s family, said that three students warned Dickey about Zamora in early February — just weeks before the teacher and student had sex. Medina said that if Dickey “said something earlier, the actual sexual contact would have been prevented.”
Atorneys for the school district admit Dickey interviewed the students making the accusations, and admit that Dickey “didn’t immediately notify (the student’s parents) or law enforcement of the reported rumors.” The lawyer nonetheless maintain that Dickey was not required by law to report the allegations. Because Dickey didn’t have a reasonable belief that the abuse was actually occurring, he did not have to report the rumors to the Department of Child Safety, they argue.
The students said that Zamora was in a “relationship” with one of her students and that the student “[didn’t] do any work and gets straight A’s.” Dickey reportedly concluded that the evidence could only prove that Zamora favored the student. A few weeks later, Dickey went to the police after the boy’s parents discovered sexts their son had exchanged with Zamora (3rd story on link).
That sexual abuse occurred is no longer up for debate.
Zamora pleaded guilty in June to molestation of a child, sexual misconduct with a minor and public sexual indecency, admitting that she groomed the 13-year-old male student in lurid text messages and had sex with him on multiple occasions.
“I want you every day without limit,” Zamora said in a text. “If I could quit my job and [censored] you all day long, I would.” Police said at least four sexual encounters happened between February and March 2018. Two of those instances allegedly occurred in Zamora’s car after the teenager snuck out of his grandparents’ house after midnight–upon Zamora’s request. Cops even said there was an incident where the two fondled each other while unaware students watched a video.
The victim’s parents are also suing Zamora’s husband, Daniel Zamora. At one point, they confronted Brittany Zamora over the phone. It didn’t seem that her husband knew the extent of the sexual abuse that was happening behind his back. The parents, in a previous interview with KPHO, said that the illicit relationship between their son and his teacher began with flirting in a classroom group chat and escalated to sex.
“He told us they kissed and had sex,” the father said. “A big thing for us is that we want people to understand, just because it’s a boy makes no difference. It’s the same. It’s a 13-year-old child who got taken advantage by a monster.”
“You teach your kids there’s no such thing as monsters at all. But in the real world, there are monsters. Brittany Zamora is a monster,” he added. “I want her to spend the rest of her life in prison.”
He also called on the school to change rules so this never happens again. They are accusing the school of ignoring warning signs and a cover-up. The boy’s stepmother echoed her husband’s thoughts, saying Zamora used her stepson “for her own grotesque benefits.” She also said that she noticed changes in the boy’s emotions and habits after the sex encounters that allegedly took place in both the classroom and Zamora’s car.
“He’s started to express different emotions. He’s sad, and slept all day,” she said. “It’s starting to hit him, the reality of what actually happened.”
Zamora hadn’t even worked as a sixth-grade teacher at Las Brisas Academy Elementary School for a year before facing two counts of child molestation, one count of furnishing harmful material, and nine counts of sexual conduct with a minor after disturbing sexual texts, nude photos, and eyewitness accounts of illicit sexual activity emerged. When Zamora’s husband became aware of the allegations, he tried to convince the victim’s parents not to call the cops, The Republic reported. The student’s parents discovered sexual texts on their son’s phone and took screenshots. They claimed that they were then “harassed” by Zamora’s husband during a phone call.
They said Daniel Zamora said his wife “made a big mistake, but that she loved the kids,” and tried to settle the situation without going to authorities. Per AZ Central:
Zamora’s husband pleaded with the boy’s parents to settle this without calling the police. He begged them to forgive her. He tried to defend her, saying she was a good teacher who would do anything to help her students. The boy’s father urged Daniel Zamora not to incriminate himself — to leave her.
“She had another 13-year-old in there watching the whole ***** thing,” the father said to Daniel Zamora. “Do you understand?”
Daniel Zamora pledged to stay with his wife, though.
Brittany Zamora now faces three decades behind bars. She is scheduled to be sentenced on July 12.
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