Springfield man allegedly told police he has 'sick mind' after arrest for child sex abuse
A Springfield man allegedly told police he wants help for his "sick mind" after he was arrested on suspicion of child sexual abuse.
Frank Poston, 23, was charged Tuesday with two counts of statutory sodomy after authorities say he twice made a young girl perform a sex act on him.
According to a probable cause statement, the victim's mother became concerned earlier this week when she heard the girl (who is younger than 12) spontaneously mention a sex act.
The girl then told her mother that she had learned the term from Poston, according to the statement.
When confronted, the statement says Poston told the mother — and later police — that he had sexually abused the girl twice over the last month.
Poston told police he wanted help to control the urges he'd been having for the last seven years, according to the statement.
During his interview with police, Poston brought up an incident from when he was 16 years old and he tried to rape a 4-year-old relative in Arkansas, according to the statement. That incident had not previously been reported to authorities.
Poston is being held in the Greene County Jail without bond and does not have an attorney listed for this case. He faces a possible life sentence if convicted.
Prosecutors say the investigation into Poston's conduct with the girl in Springfield is ongoing and additional charges could be added.
Hopefully, they will look into the attempted rape of the 4 y/o in Arkansas. This man needs to be put away for a long time. Mind you, prison may not be exactly the right place to cure a sick mind.
Mission, Tx, man convicted of child sexual abuse
(Photo by Delcia Lopez | dlopez@themonitor.com)
A Mission man was convicted Monday of sexually assaulting two children, Hidalgo County Criminal District Attorney Ricardo Rodriguez Jr. announced in a news release Wednesday.
Luis Nava Jr., 53, will serve a total of 45 years for two counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child, a first degree felony, that occurred in August 1997 and two counts of indecency with a child by sexual contact, a second degree felony, that occurred in February 2001.
The victims, at the time, were 9 and 7 years old.
“Our office will continue to work with all law enforcement agencies to bring sexual predators to justice,” Rodriguez said. “There is nothing more precious than the life of a child.”
Suspicions of child abuse can be reported to (800) 252-5400 — a 24 hour hotline.
Wilton, NY, man jailed on child sex abuse charges
Don Lehman
The Post-Star
WILTON — A Wilton man faces several criminal charges for allegedly sexually abusing a young child, records show.
Kevin A. Burton, 37, was charged with first-degree criminal sexual act and first-degree sexual abuse, both felonies, and misdemeanor endangering the welfare of a child after an investigation by State Police, according to the agency's public information website.
The charges allege he had sexual contact with a child under the age of 11. He was arrested Thursday after an investigation that began Feb. 11, the website showed.
Burton was arraigned and sent to Saratoga County Jail for lack of bail.
First-degree criminal sexual act is punishable by up to 25 years in state prison.
Delaware man sentenced to 17 years in federal prison
for child sexual exploitation
Esteban Parra, The News Journal
A 72-year-old Wilmington man has been sentenced to 17½ years in prison for transporting a child across state lines to engage in sexual activity.
William Hayes' indictment did not specify what the sexual activity was, but it claims he repeatedly took one girl from Pennsylvania to Florida and Tennessee and another girl just to Tennessee. The incidents occurred between 2013 and 2016.
Delaware crime:
Hayes was indicted in January 2018 on six counts of transportation of a minor to engage in sexual activity. He pleaded guilty in May to one of those counts and was sentenced last week in Scranton, Pennsylvania.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Middle District of Pennsylvania.
Couple arrested in child sexual assault case in Guam
Daily Post Staff
A husband and his wife have been arrested and charged after a girl told school officials she had been sexually assaulted by a man known to her on two separate occasions, according to the Guam Police Department.
The incidents allegedly took place in 2018 in Santa Rita and 2019 in Barrigada.
Police officers allegedly were told that the girl had talked to her older sibling, who then informed their mother. However, police said, the victim's mother told them not to talk to anyone else.
The defendants were transported to the Central Precinct Command for further interviews.
Officers later arrested:
Gilbert Florendo Kusterbeck, 45, on suspicion of second-degree criminal sexual conduct; child abuse and family violence; and
Monalisa Cabrera Kusterbeck, 47, on suspicion of child abuse and family violence.
The two were booked and confined at the Department of Corrections. Their case has been sent to the Office of the Attorney General of Guam for prosecution, police said.
Greenwood, S.C., man pleads following allegations
of child sex abuse
Index-Journal
A Greenwood man was sentenced to two decades behind bars after pleading guilty to charges stemming from an investigation into the sexual abuse of two girls younger than 11.
Joshua J. Jennings, 40, pleaded guilty Tuesday to two counts of third-degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor and two counts of first-degree sexual exploitation of a minor. Jennings originally pleaded not guilty but changed his plea while the court was selecting a jury.
Circuit Judge Eugene C. Griffith sentenced Jennings to 20 years in prison, and he will not be eligible for parole. At the end of his prison sentence, Jennings will be evaluated under the Sexually Violent Predator Act, which could result in his being involuntarily, indefinitely committed.
In March 2018, a woman came to Greenwood County deputies with two girls under the age of 11 who said Jennings touched them inappropriately multiple times since January 2017, according to a news release from the 8th Circuit Solicitor’s Office. Prosecutors said a search of Jennings’ phone found child pornography, with some of the images seemingly taken by him.
Assistant Solicitor Anna Sumner and Deputy Solicitor Yates Brown handled the state’s case, with help from 8th Circuit Investigator Windy Chappell and Victim Advocate Mary Ann Stroup. Jennings was represented by 8th Circuit Public Defender Janna Gregory and attorney Tristan Shaffer.
Eighth Circuit Solicitor David Stumbo praised investigators in securing the conviction while sparing the girls from having to testify in court.
“Joshua Jennings is just the sort of predator that must be removed from our community to prevent future victims,” Stumbo said in a released statement. “There are two young ladies whose lives will never be the same because this man had no regard for anything apart from his own twisted, sexual gratification. It is my hope and prayer that the survivors of this abuse can heal and be empowered by the knowledge that they confronted their abuser, and by doing so made sure that he was brought to justice for what he has done.”
Mine too!
Corbin, Ky, man facing charges of child sexual abuse
By Cody Adams WTVQ
Corbin, Ky.– A trial date is set for a man facing nine counts of sexual abuse charges towards a minor.
Accoring to the Times Tribune newspaper, Carl Weddle’s trial is scheduled for April, 28th at 9 in the morning.
The paper says he’s accused of raping a child under 12 years old on multiple counts back in 2017.
Who are the 22 'most wanted' men in America,
accused of sexually assaulting and exploiting children?
By Hollie McKay | Fox News
They are school teachers and pastors, computer professionals and truck drivers. Some are in their 30's, and others are well into their 70's.
But these 22 men have one thing in common: all are fugitives accused of unspeakable violence against children.
The FBI has put them on their "most wanted" list.
A push by federal investigators across the country has put a renewed spotlight on the FBI's Crimes Against Children Most Wanted offenders page, of which there are 22 men at-large.
"The page is an awareness tool the FBI uses to ensure that the victims are not forgotten, and the perpetrators know the FBI continues their efforts to find and arrest them, so they are accountable for their criminal actions," an FBI spokesperson told Fox News. "Each of our 56 field offices uses this site to focus public attention on specific cases in their area."
(Left): Gustavo Cruz, 54, a Mexican national and a migrant worker, is wanted for allegedly repeatedly molesting an 11-year-old and recording the attacks on his cell phone in Indianapolis. (Right): Franz Dieudonne, 50, a chemist and nursing assistant from Haiti, is sought for his alleged involvement in sex crimes with a minor, after being indicted in Illinois and Utah. (FBI)
Individuals depicted on the site are all criminals who have committed "some of the worst crimes against a most vulnerable population."
"Each of the criminals was federally charged with various crimes against children and chose to flee before appearing in court to answer their charges or violations," the FBI representative said. "As such, each is now wanted for unlawful flight to avoid prosecution, as well as their original charges of violence against a child."
The bureau currently leads 85 Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Forces throughout the United States with representation from over 400 state and local law enforcement agencies, as well as over 850 task force Officers. Their mission is to provide a "rapid, proactive, and intelligence-driven investigative response to the sexual victimization of children and other crimes against children."
"Law enforcement spends a lot of effort in this area. In some states, up to 40 percent of those incarcerated are in prison for sex crimes against children," said David Finkelhor of the Crimes Against Children Research Center in the Department of Sociology, University of Hampshire. "There are a lot of special units in local and federal law enforcement that work specifically on child sexual exploitation. This is important work."
But despite all the resources, including the Violent Crimes Against Children International Task Force – which enables the real-time transfer of information between the FBI and task force members from other countries – many alleged perpetrators have escaped justice.
So who are the 22 "most wanted"?
1 - Erik Kristian Moller, 52: The convicted child molester failed to appear for sentencing in San Luis Obispo in 2003. Between 1997 and 2000, he gave alcohol and drugs to a young relative prior to molesting the victim. Moller worked in the aviation fuel business.
2 - Elby Jessie Hars, 76: The convicted child sex offender is wanted for his alleged involvement in sexually abusing a girl. The crime occurred in Richland County, S.C., in 2000. Hars was a licensed commercial truck driver.
(Left): Gerard Boguslaw Zalewski, 35, is wanted for failing to appear at his March 29, 2006, sentencing hearing for committing involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with a 13-year-old girl in June 2004, in Bucks County, Penn. (Right): Erik Kristian Moller, 52, is a convicted child molester who failed to appear for sentencing in San Luis Obispo in 2003. (FBI)
3 - Franz Dieudonne, 50: Dieudonne, a chemist and nursing assistant from Haiti, is sought for his alleged involvement in sex crimes with a minor, after being indicted in Illinois and Utah. From November 2001 through May 2002, he allegedly traveled across state lines from Pennsylvania to Utah to engage in sex with a 15-year-old.
4 - Roger Dale Parham, 73: The computer industry employee was arrested for an alleged rape involving a minor in November 1998. After being released on bond in Fort Smith, Arkansas, he failed to appear in court.
5 - Bruce Emerson Sawhill, 69: A convicted sex offender, the construction worker is wanted for having sex with a minor. In about 2001, Sawhill allegedly sexually assaulted a female child on more than one occasion, in Jefferson County, Mo.
6 - Rex C. Reichert, 74: Reichert, who operated an arcade, is wanted for the alleged sexual abuse of two boys, ages 14 and 10, over a two-year period at his apartment in Collegeville, Penn. He was caring for the boys while a relative was receiving medical treatment. The boys also visited him on weekends and accompanied him on camping trips. He was charged in 1990.
(Left) Anthony Kendall Dewater, 61 was a teacher's aide at a Salem, Ore., elementary school who was charged in 1992 with nine counts of first-degree sexual abuse for allegedly fondling multiple students over a six-month period. (Right) Curtis Lee Brovold, 67, a computer technician, is wanted for his alleged sexual activities with a 14-year-old Minnesota girl he met on the internet in February 2000. (FBI)
7 - Rene F. Ramirez, 38: The Mexican national is wanted for his alleged involvement in the possession and receipt of child pornography. From approximately June of 2007 through December of 2009, it is alleged that Ramirez was involved in the trafficking of child pornography, via computers, in the New York City area. A federal arrest warrant was issued for Ramirez in the United States District Court, Southern District of New York, on March 7, 2011, after he was charged with possession and receipt of child pornography.
8 - Gerardo Cruz-Hernandez, 32 or 36: In 2014, the Mexican national was charged in Norristown, Pennsylvania, with multiple counts of forcible rape, rape of a child, statutory sexual assault, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, unlawful contact with a minor, indecent assault, simple assault, recklessly endangering another person, terroristic threats and corruption of minors.
9 - Gerardo Beltran, 64: The Mexican national is wanted for alleged lewd and lascivious conduct in 1991 with four female victims under the age of 14 during 1991. Beltran held a position as a Catholic priest in two Sacramento, Calif., parishes, which he used to gain the trust of the families of the victims.
10 - Jeffrey Deal McDaniel, 52: He is wanted in Placer County, Calif., for alleged repeated sexual contact with a minor female relative. The girl was 13 at the time of the abuse. In September 1998, McDaniel left the area with the girl, and her whereabouts remained unknown until she was located in Mexico in September 2000.
11 - Jerold Dunning, 60: He is wanted for his alleged involvement in lewd activities with a child under the age of 16, in St. Petersburg, Fla., from 1996 to 1998. Dunning was charged with lewd and lascivious behavior. He worked as a boat builder.
(Left) Jose Ruben Salinas-Rangal, 28, is wanted for the alleged rape of a 12-year-old girl in Gallatin, Tennessee, in 2014. (Right) Bruce Emerson Sawhill, 69, is a convicted sex offender, who is wanted for having sex with a minor. In about 2001, Sawhill allegedly sexually assaulted a female child on more than one occasion, in Jefferson County, Mo. (FBI)
12 - Gustavo Cruz, 54: The Mexican national, a migrant worker, is wanted for allegedly repeatedly molesting an 11-year old and recording the attacks on his cell phone in Indianapolis, from Jan. 1, 2016, to March 29, 2017.
13 - Jose Ruben Salinas-Rangal: wanted for the alleged rape of a 12-year-old girl in Gallatin, Tennessee, in 2014. Aged 28.
14 - Gregory Robert Whitehead, 59: allegedly lured two teenage girls to his home under the ruse of using them for housecleaning services. It was reported to the Colorado Springs Police Department that the girls were sexually assaulted by Whitehead. While at his Denver home, Whitehead allegedly served the girls alcohol, took nude and graphic photos of them, and paid them for sex.
15 - Luis Tejada, 43: The U.S. and Salvadoran citizen was indicted on Oct. 29, 2010, in Greenbelt, Md., for distribution of child pornography, and a federal warrant was issued for his arrest. Tejada allegedly distributed child pornography images and videos via the internet.
16 - Anthony Kendall Dewater, 61: The teacher's aide at a Salem, Ore., elementary school was charged in 1992 with nine counts of first-degree sexual abuse for allegedly fondling multiple students over a six-month period.
(Left) Gerardo Cruz-Hernandez, 32 or 36, a Mexican national, was charged in Norristown, Penn., in 2014, with multiple counts of forcible rape, rape of a child, statutory sexual assault, among others. (Right) Kent Douglas Eaton, 75, a photographer and youth group volunteer, is wanted for allegedly molesting a minor and making child pornography. (FBI)
17 - Juan Najera Quezada, 61: The Mexican national who worked in landscaping is sought for his alleged involvement in the sexual abuse of a 6-year-old girl in Chicago in June 2007.
18 - Jose Antonio Barroso, 45: The Mexican national is wanted for his alleged involvement in the rape of a young girl in Fort Smith, Arkansas. The rape allegedly occurred from the time the victim was 5 until she was 11, when it was reported.
19 - Kent Douglas Eaton, 75: The photographer and youth group volunteer is wanted for allegedly molesting a minor and making child pornography. From approximately June to September 1985, Eaton allegedly molested multiple children in Santa Cruz County, Calif.
20 - William Willingham, 58: He is wanted for kidnapping and rape in Tate County, Miss. On Dec. 22, 1998, Willingham allegedly tied up his girlfriend in her room and proceeded to the next room to rape her daughter. He worked as a tractor driver.
21 - Curtis Lee Brovold, 67: The computer technician is wanted for his alleged sexual activities with a 14-year-old Minnesota girl he met on the internet in February 2000.
22 - Gerard Boguslaw Zalewski, 35: He is wanted for failing to appear at his March 29, 2006, sentencing hearing for committing involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with a 13-year-old girl in June 2004, in Bucks County, Penn.
Statistically speaking, there has been a dramatic trend downwards of violent crimes against children over the past decade, according to Child Trends, the nation's leading research organization focused on improving the lives of children and youth, especially those who are most vulnerable. By 2016, the rate of victimization from violent crimes (which include rape, robbery, and aggravated and simple assaults) for adolescents ages 12 to 20 had fallen to a little over one-sixth of the rate in the mid-1990s—from a high of 181 victimizations per 1,000 population to 28 victimizations per 1,000.
"Sexual abuse has declined since the 1990s," Finkelhor said. "Although it is still a widespread problem that affects as many as one in 10 kids. The decline may be linked to more aggressive law enforcement, and more awareness and education."
However, in 2018 an estimated 1,770 children died of abuse and neglect at a rate of 2.39 per 100,000 children in the national population – underscoring that the problem is still a potent one. And as Francey Hakes – a former DOJ official and the first national coordinator for Child Exploitation Prevention and Interdiction pointed out – many such crimes continue to go unreported.
"Children are uniquely vulnerable to abuse by trusted adults. The vast majority of children who are sexually abused are abused by someone inside their ''circle of trust.'' This often means a delay or a complete lack of disclosure to authorities," she said.
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