Former Tenn. pastor faces 47 counts of child sexual abuse
By Janice Broach
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC/Gray News) - Ronnie Gorton, the former pastor of Awakening Church in Atoka, sat in a Tipton County courtroom showing no emotion as prosecutor, Walt Freeland, laid out his case in opening statements.
Jurors were cautioned they would be hearing some “extremely graphic” testimony relating to child sexual abuse. Gorton’s defense attorney, Blake Ballin, told jurors to use their common sense, there is no DNA, nothing that directly connects Gorton to the crimes.
Three teens, one younger than 13 at the time of the crimes, have accused the former pastor of rape. Two of them testified Monday, coming face to face with Gorton.
He is being tried on 47 counts of child sexual abuse, including 16 counts of statutory rape.
The victim who was younger than the age of 13 at the time of the alleged crimes came from a broken home and lived for several months in the Gorton home with Gorton, his youth pastor and Gorton’s wife.
One teen, who said he was 14 at the time, was invited to the Gorton home along with another teen in 2017. That teenager said Gorton gave them alcohol and showed them pornography.
Another witness said the youngest victim told him what was happening and they went to police.
Another witness testified Gorton threatened suicide after that and admitted to his friend that he did what he is accused of and he didn’t want to go to jail.
Authorities started investigating Gorton in February 2018, which led to indictments.
This is the first of three separate trials for each of the alleged victims.
On Tuesday, Gorton’s wife at the time is expected to testify, as well as the victim who was younger than the age of 13 at the time of the crimes.
The case is expected to wrap up Tuesday.
Murfreesboro, Tenn, man arrested in FBI
child sex abuse sting in Georgia
Mariah Timms, Nashville Tennessean
A Murfreesboro man is facing federal sex crime charges after an FBI sting led to his arrest outside of Atlanta earlier this month.
James Bradley Davis, born in 1983, was arrested Aug. 9 in Georgia and released on bond Aug. 16, according to court documents.
Davis, who goes by Brad, was arrested in DeKalb County, Georgia, after police said he coordinated with an undercover FBI employee to meet a man and his fictitious daughter over the messaging platform Kik.
An account on that platform, later tied to Davis by authorities, engaged in weeks of conversation with the undercover agent setting up an opportunity to sexually assault the fictitious child, who he believed to be 10 years old, in graphic terms.
After arranging to meet the fictitious father and daughter and go to a hotel together, FBI said, Davis drove from Tennessee to Marietta, Georgia, with the intent of attempting to coerce the child into sexual activity.
He was arrested as he walked towards a fast food restaurant where authorities said the meeting was to take place. According to court documents, the messaging platform provided the FBI with subscriber data on the account.
Several tablets and other electronic devices were seized from Davis and his car after his arrest, and others were found at his home. The FBI applied this week for a search warrant to access the devices, looking for child pornography and related materials.
He faces charges related to traveling across state lines to engage in illicit sexual activity, specifically with a child under 12.
Davis was released on a $10,000 bond. Conditions of his release restrict him from contact with minors and require he be monitored with active GPS at all times.
Des Moines, IO, man had sexual contact with an 11 y/o girl
Andrea May Sahouri, Des Moines Register
A Des Moines man was arrested Monday afternoon at his home for allegedly sexually abusing an 11-year-old girl.
John Hayner Jr., 22, was charged with two counts of second-degree sexual abuse, court records show. Haynes admitted to requesting and receiving oral sex from the minor, who was 11 years old at the time, during an interview with investigators, police say. The alleged abuse took place between June and October of 2016.
Hayner is being held at Polk County Jail. His bond set at $50,000 cash. A Polk County judge approved a court order prohibiting Hayner from contacting the victim and other minors. Hayner is due in court for a preliminary hearing at 8 a.m. on Sept. 6.
Lamar County, Tx, jury finds child sex assault suspect guilty
By Mary Madewell mary.madewell@theparisnews.com
In less than an hour, a Lamar County jury found Lonnie O’Neal guilty of all thee counts of child sexual abuse (11th story on link) of a Lamar County girl who is now 16.
The punishment phase of the trial is to begin at 1:30 p.m. today.
To read about the first day of testimony, click here.
Another report I can't fully access says: A mother and daughter gave conflicting accounts of what went on in the bedroom of a Cunningham home during the first day of testimony Monday in the child sexual abuse trial of 40-year-old Lonnie O’Neal of Sumner.
Miller County, Tx, jury acquits man in
child sex abuse case
By Field Walsh, TXK Today
Miller County Courthouse
A man accused of sexually assaulting a 10-year-old girl was acquitted Tuesday by a Miller County jury.
Tarrell Parks, 35, testified that he often gave rides to the girl’s mother while he worked as a taxi driver in 2017. Parks said he never touched the alleged victim and had her in the back of his cab only once when she accompanied her mother.
Department of Child and Family Services case manager Rachel Speights testified that she became involved in the case after the girl’s mother called the Texarkana, Ark., Fire Department and told them she could no longer care for her daughter and wanted to give her up. The fire department contacted child welfare officials.
Speights said she contacted the Arkansas State Police child abuse hotline because the girl’s mother said the girl had been sexually abused by Parks. Speights testified that the girl’s mother was “erratic” and admitted to using meth and cocaine. The apartment where the girl was living with her mother in Texarkana, Ark., had no running water, Speights said.
Speights said the girl “begged” her to take her from the home. The girl was interviewed at the Children’s Advocacy Center in Texarkana and made an outcry of abuse against Parks. She claimed he pushed her up against the kitchen counter and then sexually assaulted her on the floor.
Because of the length of time between the alleged assault and the report made to law enforcement, there was no chance of collecting physical evidence, such as DNA, from the girl’s body or from clothing, Texarkana, Ark., Police Department Investigator David Parker testified.
Texarkana attorney Josh Potter argued that there was too much reasonable doubt in the case for a conviction. Deputy Prosecutors Kristian Robertson and Connie Mitchell argued that the testimony of the alleged victim alone is enough to convict under Arkansas law.
At the end of the trial, Circuit Judge Brent Haltom thanked the jury for their service and Parks walked out of the courthouse a free man.
Pembroke student accused of rape faces new charges,
ordered to undergo evaluation in N.H.
By ALYSSA DANDREA
Concord Monitor
A former Pembroke Academy student accused of raping, assaulting and threatening female classmates is facing new charges after the case went before a grand jury this month.
Griffin Furlotte, 18, was indicted in Merrimack County Superior Court in Concord on one count each of manufacturing child sexual abuse images and distribution of child sexual abuse images for filming a 14-year-old “engaging in sexually explicit conduct” and then sharing it on the social media application Snapchat, according to court documents. A grand jury also handed up indictments against Furlotte on four counts of aggravated felonious sexual assault, three counts of second-degree assault and one count of nonconsensual dissemination of private sexual images.
A dispositional conference in the case was scheduled on Aug. 19 but continued until Sept. 26 as Furlotte had not yet completed a psychosexual evaluation, which assesses a defendant’s risk for re-offending by examining one’s sexual interests, attitudes and behaviors.
Furlotte has been incarcerated at the Merrimack County jail in Boscawen since his arrest on June 2, just days before his high school graduation. He is accused of violently sexually assaulting three girls, ages 14 to 17, and attempting to strangle two of them.
One girl told police that Furlotte had chocked (choked?) her so hard during a rape that she was unable to speak. She said she lost consciousness and had to be revived by Furlotte, who slapped her in the face, Pembroke police Detective Michael Foster testified during an evidentiary hearing in June.
A second girl spoke of similar circumstances, reporting that Furlotte grabbed her by the neck one night before dinner with his parents. She said Furlotte told her to explain the red mark on her neck as a symptom of an allergic reaction to the family cat, Foster testified.
Police investigated the allegations against Furlotte for months prior to issuing a warrant for his arrest. While Furlotte has no prior criminal history, police said they were familiar with him in connection with other incidents they investigated at Pembroke Academy. Foster said Furlotte was suspended for approximately two weeks during his senior year after he made threats of violence on social media.
On one occasion Furlotte referenced the Columbine High School shooting in 1999. Another time, he sent an image of himself holding a firearm to another student on Snapchat and wrote something to the effect of, “I’m back. Don’t come to school tomorrow.”
During bail arguments at the June hearing, defense attorney Charles Keefe asked the court to release Furlotte under the supervision of the county’s pretrial services program, with the stipulation of home confinement. But county prosecutors said there is no combination of conditions that would ensure the public’s safety and Furlotte’s safety.
Ultimately, Judge John Kissinger Jr. ruled in prosecutors’ favor. A preventative detention order has remained in effect ever since. Good decision!
Eau Claire, Wis, man enters Alford plea in
child sexual of 8 y/o
Eau Claire County (WQOW) – An Eau Claire man accused of sexually assaulting a then-eight-year-old for nearly a year has agreed to a plea deal with prosecutors.
Glenn Germaney was charged with two counts of 1st degree child sexual assault in April of last year.
According to the criminal complaint, the girl said the assaults happened when Germaney was watching her at an Altoona apartment between 2015 and 2016.
Tuesday, Germaney entered an Alford plea to amended charges of 4th degree sexual assault of a child. An Alford plea means he doesn’t admit guilt but concedes there’s enough evidence to convict him.
Germaney also pleaded guilty to bail jumping in a separate case.
Judge John Manydeeds sentenced him to nine months in jail followed by two years of probation.
He is also ordered to register as a sex offender for 15 years after his probation ends.
9 months? 9 months! Are you serious? Wow!
Texas man convicted of continuous sexual abuse of a child sentenced to 40 years in prison
Author: KIII Staff
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — The Nueces County District Attorney's Office provided an update via Facebook Monday regarding the sentencing of a man convicted of continuous sexual abuse of a child.
On Friday, Joseph Tamez was found guilty on charges of continuous sexual abuse of a child. He was sentenced to 40 years in prison.
The DA's post said the case was tried by Assistant District Attorney Crystal Mathis of the Child Protection Unit.
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