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Killing of F.B.I. Agents Comes Amid Explosion
of Child Sex Abuse Reports
As tips about online child sexual abuse have spiked, the F.B.I. is investigating the case of a Florida technology contractor who the bureau said shot two agents executing a search warrant at his apartment.
Credit...Joe Cavaretta/South Florida Sun-Sentinel, via Associated Press
By Johnny Diaz, Patricia Mazzei, Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs and Michael H. Keller
Feb. 3, 2021
SUNRISE, Fla. — While investigating a tip late last year about a man suspected of possessing child sexual abuse imagery, deputies from the sheriff’s office in Walton County, Fla., worried that executing a search warrant might be dangerous: The man lived in an isolated area, kept strange hours and was thought to have a secret bunker.
So they showed up at 3 a.m. on a Wednesday in December with a SWAT team. When the man opened his front door, he greeted the deputies armed with a shotgun. Though no shots were fired, deputies found an underground repository hidden under a trap door in the shed.
F.B.I. agents executing a similar warrant on Tuesday in a sprawling apartment complex in Broward County, nearly 600 miles south, faced a much more violent scenario. A suspect that officials identified on Wednesday as David L. Huber, 55, who was under investigation in a case involving violent crimes against children, fatally shot two F.B.I. agents, the bureau said.
“You can be prepared and equipped and do everything right — and things can go horribly wrong,” Sheriff Michael A. Adkinson Jr. of Walton County said.
Tuesday’s fatal shooting has left the nation’s tight-knit law enforcement community reeling as officials continued to examine evidence on the scene to understand how the F.B.I.’s case in Broward County turned into a deadly gunfight.
The shooting broke out before dawn when a group of F.B.I. agents was executing a search warrant at Mr. Huber’s apartment in Sunrise, Fla., northwest of Fort Lauderdale. The suspect opened fire on members of the search team, federal officials said, and Mr. Huber was later found inside the apartment in an apparent suicide.
The shooting killed Special Agents Daniel Alfin and Laura Schwartzenberger and injured three other agents, all of whom had been released from the hospital as of Wednesday evening.
The Water Terrace apartment complex where the shooting took place was still teeming with law enforcement officers on Wednesday.
“To have somebody here the way this person was, makes it very difficult, because you don’t know who your neighbor is,” said Jorge Castillo, 76, who has lived at the complex for five years.
The shooting, which rivaled the worst in F.B.I. history, returned the spotlight to the global scourge of online sex abuse — and to the dangers that law enforcement officers face when doing their frequent work of showing up at the doors of people under investigation to conduct searches or arrest them.
Florida has seen a spate of high-profile arrests involving online child exploitation recently, including a pediatrician in Broward County, a fourth-grade teacher in Boca Raton and a pastor in Central Florida. Fourteen men were arrested in Manatee County in January. A December case resulted in the arrests of 13 men in Polk County.
There is nothing unusual about Florida or Broward County. Similar things are happening in every county in America. A UK study revealed that only 4% of child abuses ever get reported. News media only report the more sensational cases. Children have no voice.
There is more to this story in the NY Times.
Broward Co., Fla
Tucson inmate convicted of child sex abuse dies of COVID-19 complications
February 3, 2021, 11:37 am
Anthony Victor Reyes
TUCSON (KVOA) - The United States Penitentiary in Tucson saw another inmate death related to COVID-19 after a man convicted for aggravated sexual abuse with a minor died on Tuesday.
According to USP officials, 70-year-old Theodore Kootswatewa tested positive for COVID-19 on Jan. 8. After being placed in medical isolation, the inmate was provided treatment and closely monitored.
Kootswatewa's condition reportedly worsened, prompting him to be transported to the hospital for further treatment related to respiratory distress. He was pronounced deceased on Tuesday.
USP said the 70-year-old had long-term, pre-existing medical conditions which is believed to have posted as a factor for him developing a more severe case of the new coronavirus.
Kootswatewa was placed into the penitentiary on Aug. 3, 2016 for a four-year sentence related to his conviction of aggravated sexual abuse with a minor, abusive sexual contact and penalties for registered sex offenders.
Curious! If he was jailed for 4 years in Aug 2016, why was he still in prison in January 2021, 4.5 years later?
The USP in Tucson reported three deaths related to the COVID-19 virus in December.
Those cases involved 71-year-old Murry Bailey, 51-year-old Derrick Howard and 66-year-old Stanley Carr. Officials say the three inmates also had long-term, pre-existing medical conditions.
East Salem, Ore man charged with encouraging
child sex abuse over internet
Virginia Barreda
Salem Statesman Journal
An east Salem man was charged with encouraging child sex abuse online following a three-month investigation.
Marion County Sheriff's Office detectives arrested Refugio Cruz-Juarez, 26, Tuesday while executing a search warrant at his apartment on Stafford Lane NE in the Four Corners area. Cruz-Juarez faces first- and second-degree encouraging child sex abuse charges.
Investigators started looking into Cruz-Juarez after the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children was tipped off to images of suspected child sex abuse content being shared online.
With help from the regional Internet Crimes Against Children task force, which works to investigate, prosecute and prevent the sexual exploitation of children on the internet, sheriff's detectives were able to trace the suspect to the Salem area.
Cruz-Juarez was taken to Marion County Jail and arraigned Wednesday at the Marion County Circuit Court Annex. His plea hearing is scheduled at 1:30 p.m. March 17.
Authorities are asking the public to report suspected child sexual abuse materials online to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at https://report.cybertip.org.
Former Concord High teacher charged with solicitation, manufacture of
child sexual abuse images
Mike Cronin
News Reporter
CONCORD, N.H. —
After a two-month investigation, a former Concord High School teacher has been arrested in connection with a child sexual exploitation case.
Concord police said someone reported in December that Harwood was trying to solicit sex online. Harwood is accused of receiving child sexual abuse images in exchange for money.
Police said he had physical sexual activity with someone under the age of 18 for money and also twice solicited sexual activity.
It's not clear if the alleged victim is a student, but police said Harwood was a Concord High teacher at the time of the solicitation. Police said some of the other allegations date back years.
School officials said he was hired in July. Superintendent Kathleen Murphy said Harwood was immediately put on administrative leave in December when the allegations were made. He no longer works for the district.
"A lot of people feel betrayed when something like this happens and they've given that trust to take care of our children, and to hear these type of crimes, it obviously raises an eyebrow," said Deputy Police Chief John Thomas.
Harwood will remain in jail until his arraignment Friday.
Salem, Ore man arrested and charged with encouraging child sex abuse
FOX 12
FEB 10, 2021
Officers say they started the investigation into Clark based on a report by concerned citizens. Detectives later determined he was in possession of and viewing child pornography. When officers searched Clark’s home after a warrant was obtained, they found computers, hardware and mobile phones totaling 26 devices.
If you are aware of any information related to the sexual exploitation of children, including information possibly related to the investigation, please contact the police department at 503-588-8477, or the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children CyberTipline online or by calling 1-800-843-5678.
Ponte Vedra Beach Radiology Technician Arrested And Charged With Distributing Child Sex Abuse Videos Over The Internet
Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez announced today that George Thomas Griffiths, Jr. (41, Ponte Vedra Beach) has been arrested and charged by federal criminal complaint with distributing child pornography. Griffiths faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 5 years, and up to 20 years, in federal prison, and a potential life term of supervised release. Griffiths was arrested on February 10, 2021, and is detained pending a hearing on February 12, 2021 at 11:00 a.m., in Jacksonville.
According to the criminal complaint, an FBI task force officer in Wisconsin began an undercover investigation using a particular social media application (“app”) to identify individuals attempting to sexually exploit children using the internet. From February 3, 2020 through February 20, 2020, an individual user named “ban_me_again” uploaded several videos featuring children being sexually abused to a chat room on the app. Meanwhile, the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office (SJSO) received information from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) that the same app had reported that the user (“ban_me_again”) had uploaded videos containing possible child-exploitative material during this same time period. Further investigation traced the internet protocol addresses used to distribute these videos to Griffiths’s residence in Ponte Vedra Beach, and to his place of employment in Jacksonville, where Griffiths worked as a radiology technician.
On November 19, 2020, SJSO detectives, together with agents from Homeland Security Investigations, executed a search warrant at Griffiths’s residence and seized an Apple iPhone belonging to Griffiths. During an interview with law enforcement, Griffiths stated that he used this particular app to talk to people and that it was “possible” that he had exchanged pictures and videos on the app. An examination of Griffiths’s iPhone revealed that it contained at least 2,000 images, and at least 10 videos, depicting child sexual abuse. Many of these images and videos depicted infants, toddlers, and prepubescent children engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
This is another case brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Man who killed twins now sentenced for possessing child pornography
By Saumya Dixit, meaww
Published on : 19:30 PST, Feb 13, 2021
WILLISTON, NORTH DAKOTA: Williston man, Damian Breding, sentenced for killing twin girls when he was 16 years old, and also for downloading sexually explicit images of children during his prison time when he was 28, He has again been accused of receiving and possessing child pornography.
The report further states, "Breding has entered not guilty plea to matters alleged in the Indictment and a trial has been scheduled for April 19, 2021. Breding has a prior conviction and as a result of the conviction, Breding could receive a 10-year minimum to 40-year maximum federal prison sentence."
The case is now being investigated by the Williston Police Department, North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation, and the Department of Homeland Security Investigation and will be prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s office, with Assistant United States Attorney Gary Delorme assigned to the case.
In March 1991, Breding, who was 16-year-old at the time, was found guilty of killing six-year-old twins Jennifer and Jessica Peterson while babysitting them. The pedophile set their Powers Lakehouse on fire as they slept, reportedly because he was angry with the twins' parents for not paying him enough. In 1992, when he turned 18, he was sentenced to 30 years in prison. In 2002, he was exposed with 13 printed pages that he possessed, filled with child sexual abuse material in his cell, adding another 27 months to his sentence. A trial is set for April 19.
"Sexual predators exploit technology to victimize children, and often share the photographic evidence of their heinous crimes," said the United States Attorney Drew Wrigley. "These allegations will be pursued vigorously so that justice can be secured for these victims," he added.
Man who sexually abused children, baby sentenced to 55 years
A man who sexually abused multiple children, including a baby, was sentenced Friday to 55 years in prison as part of a plea bargain in Bowie County.
by Lynn LaRowe, Texarkana Gazette
Feb. 12 2021 @ 11:01am
TEXARKANA, Texas — A man who sexually abused multiple children, including a baby, was sentenced Friday to 55 years in prison as part of a plea bargain in Bowie County.
The quiet was broken by the court reporter who said, "I didn't hear anything."
"Guilty," Jones said.
Jones went on to utter the word "guilty" twice more as Addison formally questioned Jones about his plea to counts of sexual assault of a child.
District Attorney Jerry Rochelle, Assistant District Attorney Randle Smolarz and Assistant Public Defender Deborah Moore told Addison that all laws and rules concerning the exchange of and access to evidence had been followed. Rochelle submitted for the record a packet of the state's evidence against Jones, including a DVD of Jones' interview with law enforcement during which he confessed to molesting children.
Jones was seated in the courtroom's witness chair as two statements prepared by victims and their family members were given from a lectern facing him.
"He is nothing but a monster. He didn't have to hurt us, but he chose to," a mother said, describing Jones as the "incarnation of a villian."
Another statement noted the nightmares and other ill mental health effects Jones' abuse has left his victims suffering.
"He preys on the young and innocent and weak," the victim said.
Jones was first interviewed by an investigator with Nash police Feb. 23, 2020, according to a probable cause affidavit. Asked if he had inappropriately touched a 1-year-old girl born in May 2018, Jones allegedly wrote the word, "Yes," on a piece of paper.
Jones confessed to molesting the baby, to whom he is related, on repeated occasions when left alone with her from the time of the girl's birth. And in a phone interview the following month, Jones admitted to having sexual encounters for about a year with a 14-year-old girl multiple times over a months-long period beginning in the fall of 2019 and ending in January 2020.
"Jones stated that he knew what he was doing was wrong but couldn't comprehend how something that felt so good was wrong," the affidavit states.
Investigators found nude photos of the girl on Jones' phone as well as an audio file that demonstrated illegal sexual contact with the girl. Additionally, Jones confessed to having one inappropriate sexual encounter with a different teen girl in 2014 when he was 19 or 20 and she was 15.
Jones received maximum, 20-year terms on each of two counts of sexual assault of a child and was sentenced to 55 years for continuous sexual abuse of a child under 14. As part of his plea arrangement, Addison ordered all the terms to run concurrently.
Jones will serve 55 years flat as there is no parole possible from any sentence imposed for continuous sexual abuse of a child. Jones will be approximately 80 before he is released and must register as a sex offender.
"My heart breaks for the families and what they've been forced to endure," Rochelle said, noting that Jones "used love against them."
"I hope this plea in some way grants them peace and allows them to start the healing process. It is little consolation that this unassuming individual will most likely spend the rest of his life in prison where he can no longer be a threat to his victims or the outside world. The most disturbing aspect of this case is that he looks so harmless."
Rochelle described Jones as a "proverbial wolf in sheep's clothing."
"But underneath lies a dark heart and an empty place where a soul should be," Rochelle said. "I cannot thank the victims enough for their courage in coming forward and would like to request that anyone who has been abused or is aware of abuse, to contact law enforcement or my office."
Jones has been in jail since his arrest last year. He will be held in the Bowie County jail until he is transported to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.
Good plea deal! Too few of these.
Louisiana AG’s office announces child pornography,
animal sex abuse arrests
by: KTAL/KMSS Staff
Posted: Feb 12, 2021 / 02:03 PM CST
The Louisiana Attorney General’s Office says its Cyber Crime Unit has arrested two men accused of possessing child pornography, one of whom is also facing multiple charges of sexual abuse of an animal. (Source: Louisiana Attorney General’s Office)
BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) – The Louisiana Attorney General’s Office says its Cyber Crime Unit has arrested two men accused of possessing child pornography, one of whom is also facing multiple charges of sexual abuse of an animal.
Nicholas Robinson, 18, of Belle Chasse and Michael Kocke, 19, of Gonzales, were arrested Friday, according to the attorney general’s office.
Kocke is obviously 49, not 19.
Robinson is currently in the Plaquemines Parish Detention Center, charged with ten counts of possessing pornography involving juveniles under the age of thirteen. The AG’s office says Robinson’s arrest was a result of a joint investigation with the Louisiana Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, Naval Criminal Investigative Service, and Plaquemines Parish Sheriff’s Office.
Kocke is being held in the Ascension Parish Jail, charged with ten counts of sexual abuse of an animal and one county 10 counts of Sexual Abuse of an Animal and one count of possessing pornography involving juveniles under the age of thirteen.
The AG’s office says Kocke’s arrest was a result of a joint investigation with the Louisiana Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, Louisiana State Police, and Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Office.
“My Cyber Crime Unit works day in and day out to protect Louisiana’s children,” Landry said in a statement. “We will continue working with our law enforcement partners to find and arrest child predators.”
South Alabama man charged with rape, sex abuse of child
Posted Feb 12, 2021
By Carol Robinson | crobinson@al.com
A 32-year-old south Alabama man has been arrested on child sex charges.
The Dale County Sheriff’s Office on Friday announced felony warrants against Joseph Edward Cross. The Skipperville man is charged with two counts of first-degree rape and two counts of sex abuse of a child under the age of 12, said Chief Deputy Mason Bynum. All of the charges so far pertain to one victim.
Authorities said they aren’t releasing details of the alleged crimes because of the age of the victims, but Bynum said the abuse took place over a period of several years. He said they do anticipate additional charges.
Punishment demanded: Lambert sentenced to 10-50 years
for child sexual abuse
By SAMANTHA PERRY Bluefield Daily Telegraph
Feb 13, 2021
PRINCETON — A former Mercer County man who pleaded guilty to molesting three young girls was sentenced to 10 to 50 years in prison Friday in Mercer County Circuit Court.
During testimony Friday, the mother of the victims remarked on Lambert’s smug and arrogant attitude regarding the charges. She noted that her girls would have to live with what Lambert did to them for the rest of their lives.
According to a criminal complaint filed at the time of Lambert’s arrest in 2018, the sexual assault and abuse included oral sex, anal sex and vaginal sex. The victims were between 5 and 10 years of age.
Detective Sgt./Special Investigator K.L. Adams, with the Bluefield Police Department and Mercer County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, investigated the case. Prosecution in the case was handled by Summers County Prosecuting Attorney Kristen Cook.
Cook was named a special prosecutor on the case after the defense filed a motion in June 2020 seeking to have then-Mercer County Prosecuting Attorney George Sitler disqualified.
At the sentencing hearing, attorney for the defense Ryan Donovan touted his client’s innocence despite the guilty plea. Donovan called a polygraph expert to testify, who said Lambert had answered “no” to questions regarding sexual abuse of the victims.
“This is a sad day — it’s a sad day for these kids,” Donovan said. “These kids have lived a traumatic life.” Donovan said the children had been “manipulated by their own mother to lie to the police.”
The defense attorney then presented cards sent by the children to Lambert when he was previously incarcerated on a larceny charge. He also played a recording of a call to Lambert by the children. The recording brought an outburst from the gallery by the children’s mother, who said, “That was before we found out what he had done!”
Donovan continued his accusation against the children’s mother, saying, “When you’re a little kid and your mom asks you to lie, you do … It’s easy to understand why the kids’ testimony in this case is what it is.”
Donovan then attacked former prosecutor Sitler, who was in office at the time the case was initiated against Lambert. Donovan said Sitler ignored the polygraph examinations and was “willing to put on false grand jury testimony.”
“His primary concern was that Samantha Perry with the Bluefield Daily Telegraph wouldn’t write a bad column about him,” Donovan said.
Donovan said juries believe victims of child sexual abuse, but that prosecutors have a duty to provide “solid, credible evidence.”
Donovan said the mother of the victims had the children give and write false testimony. “This statement in cute little red handwriting is fabricated,” Donovan said .
Donovan called evidence in the case unreliable, and said Sitler “lied to this court.” “These are the most difficult of cases,” Donovan said. “It has been made harder by Mr. Sitler.”
Donovan then asked Judge Sadler to sentence Lambert to probation, noting he had already been incarcerated for two years.
Lambert then testified before the court, saying, “this situation is not my legacy.”
He said he has been bettering himself during his incarceration, having read 250 novels and “getting closer to God.”
Hmmm, not too many novels get you closer to God!
Lambert apologized to his family, and then addressed Judge Sadler saying, “I respectfully ask that you give me a chance to be with my family again.” Lambert said this experience has made him “stronger and more appreciative. I will leave a positive legacy,” he said.
Prior to handing down judgement, Sadler said, “This has been a hotly contested case — a highly emotional case,” and that probation was not appropriate.
“These are sexual offenses involving children of a young age,” Sadler said. “They demand punishment for the loss of innocence of young children.”
Sadler then sentenced Lambert to 10 to 50 years on the four counts. Upon release from prison, he will also have to register as a sex offender.
After proceedings concluded, and officials and the defendant began exiting the courtroom, Lambert paused by the prosecuting attorney, smiled, and said, “You have a good day Ms. Cook.”
Creepy!
Assistant principal in San Bernardino County arrested
on child sex abuse charges
By ADAM ELMAHREK
FEB. 14, 2021 10:35 AM PT
An assistant principal at a high school in San Bernardino County has been arrested on charges of repeatedly sexually abusing a girl who was 7 and 8 years old at the time of the alleged crimes, authorities said.
Matthew Lin Johnson, a 42-year-old assistant principal at Oak Hills High School, was charged last week with continuous sexual abuse of a minor, including lewd and lascivious acts with a child under 14, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department. Johnson was booked at the county jail and was being held without bail.
There is no evidence at this time Johnson has had any “inappropriate contact with students at the school,” authorities said.
The girl, who is now 10 years old, alerted sheriff’s officials that she had been sexually abused, prompting an investigation, authorities said. Johnson, a resident of Apple Valley, was identified as the suspect, according to officials.
Officials said anyone with additional information was encouraged to contact Deputy Vanayes Quezada with the crimes against children detail of the specialized investigations division at (909) 387-3615. Anyone who wants to remain anonymous can call the WeTip Hotline at (800) 782-7463 or visit the WeTip website.
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