Seattle Mayor accused historic sexual abuse of boy - Washington
Frederick woman found not guilty of CSA charges - Maryland
Popular Shelby Co. teacher to pay $1.5m to CSA victims - Alabama
HVAC tech charged with horrific CSA against girls under 5 - Maryland
Man facing 76 CSA charges in Alaska arrested - Arkansas
Ex-Amish couple plead guilty for gifting daughters to benefactor - Pennsylvania
Man accuses Seattle Mayor Ed Murray of
child sexual abuse
by Jennifer Sullivan & KOMO Staff
SEATTLE -- A man is accusing Seattle Mayor Ed Murray of child sexual abuse from nearly 30 years ago.
Murray strongly denies the allegations.
The man is accusing Murray of sexual misconduct over a several-year span in the 1980s.
He filed a lawsuit in King County Superior Court Thursday.
The plaintiff’s attorney claims he was a child prostitute at age 15 who carried on a sexual relationship with Murray.
The suit claims the plaintiff had dropped out of high school as a freshman in 1986 and frequently rode a Metro bus on Capitol Hill. It's on the bus that he met Murray, the suit claims.
The plaintiff says they two developed a friendly interaction and Murray propositioned the plaintiff for private visits to his Capitol Hill apartment. According to the suit, the interaction turned sexual and the teen, admittedly addicted to drugs at the time, would do whatever Murray asked for as little as $10-$20. Details in the filing papers include a description of birthmarks, the layout of Murray's old apartment, and other specific descriptions.
The suit says it was only recently after the plaintiff's father died that he underwent counseling and decided to come forward.
"These moments of reflection, and awareness that Mr. Murray maintains a position of authority, prompted the filing of this lawsuit in an attempt at accountability," the plaintiff's lawyer wrote in the suit, "and to hopefully give courage for other potential victims to come forward and speak out."
Murray's attorney Bob Sulkin held a press conference Thursday afternoon to refute the accusations.
"Unfortunately, defending these types of lawsuits is now the cost of being a public figure..." Sulkin said. "The allegations are false. He has not engaged in any inappropriate conduct with a minor, and I don't think it's a coincidence that these allegations have occurred in the midst of a mayoral campaign... At the end of the day, we're going to defend this lawsuit vigorously, the mayor is going to do his job for the city of Seattle, and this accuser is going to have to explain himself."
Murray's spokesperson, Jeff Reading, also issued a statement in regards to the accusations:
“These false accusations are intended to damage a prominent elected official who has been a defender of vulnerable populations for decades. It is not a coincidence that this shakedown effort comes within weeks of the campaign filing deadline. These unsubstantiated assertions, dating back three decades, are categorically false. Mayor Murray has never engaged in an inappropriate relationship with any minor. The two older accusations were promoted by extreme right-wing antigay activists in the midst of the marriage equality campaign, and were thoroughly investigated and dismissed by both law enforcement authorities and the media. Mayor Murray will vigorously fight these allegations in court."
Mayor Murray is gay
Murray, 61, has been the Mayor since 2014 and is running for reelection. Prior to being Seattle’s Mayor he was in the state Legislature, as both a Senator and a Representative. He is married, his husband works for the City of Seattle.
Frederick woman found not guilty of
child sexual abuse charges
Don Aines
A Washington County Circuit Court jury deliberated about two hours Thursday before finding a Frederick woman not guilty of charges that she sexually abused two girls over a period of about three years.
Reina Portillo, 48, was found not guilty of two counts of sexual abuse of a minor, and single counts of sexual abuse of a minor as a continuing course of conduct and third-degree sex offense.
Portillo had been indicted by a grand jury in July 2015. The indictments alleged she improperly touched the girls' genitals on several occasions while living with them in Washington County. Both girls were under the age of 14 when the alleged abuse began around 2011.
The girls both testified and their video statements during 2015 interviews at the Safe Place Child Advocacy Center were played for the jury. The girl's father and another sibling also testified, saying they heard one of the girls objecting to being touched by Portillo, but did not witness what happened.
Portillo's attorney Alexander Cordier in his closing argument said the testimony of the state's witnesses was suspect because the girls' father wanted Portillo out of the house, once offering her $10,000 to give up her share of the property.
"Look for a motive," Cordier told the jury. "This case is not at all about sexual abuse of a minor."
Cordier told the jury the state's witnesses were lying, noting the younger of the two victims made no claim of sexual abuse in an April 2015 interview at the Child Advocacy Center, but did so when interviewed again in May.
On Tuesday, Portillo, a native of El Salvador, testified through an interpreter that her May 2015 statements during a Maryland State Police interview were misunderstood. The interpreter the police used misinterpreted the phrase "to wash" as "to touch," according to Portillo's testimony.
Portillo testified she told police she washed the younger of the two girls on one occasion because of a personal hygiene matter.
Senior Trooper James Bowers, who was present for the interview, testified on Monday that the interview was not recorded.
Assistant State's Attorney Sarah Mollett-Gaumer told the jury that the $10,000 offer the girls' father made to Portillo, with whom he had been in a long-term relationship, came well before the allegations of sexual abuse. Inconsistencies in what the children testified to was not surprising, she said, given the passage of time and their reluctance to speak on the stand about the abuse.
Portillo's abuse was not for sexual gratification, said Mollett-Gaumer, but as a way of manipulating and controlling the girls.
Former Shelby County teacher, convicted of child sex abuse, to pay $1.5 million to 7 victims
By Kent Faulk
Daniel M. Acker Jr., a former Shelby County teacher and bus driver who is serving time for sexual abuse of students, will pay $1.5 million to seven students who say he molested them, according to a recent court settlement.
The Shelby County School system also has reached a settlement with the students, federal court records show. But details of that settlement are not available.
Acker admitted to abusing 20 students during his tenure with the Shelby County school system. Acker, who retired from teaching in 2009, was sentenced in 2012 to serve 17 years in prison for eight counts of child sexual abuse.
As of Wednesday, Acker had served five years and three months of his sentence and his scheduled release date is Jan. 1, 2029, according to the Alabama Department of Corrections.
Under the terms of the March 16 settlement agreement with Acker, he will pay $1.5 million to the seven girls, including two who are still minors. One of the girls, who was a passenger on Acker's bus, will get 25 percent of the money, while the other six will each get 12.5 percent under the terms of the settlement.
A trial regarding the remaining claims against the Shelby County Board of Education had been scheduled to begin this week in federal court, but on March 21 a lawyer for the girls notified U.S. District Court Judge Virginia Hopkins that the claims had been settled. The judge then dismissed the case.
Some say the current reluctance by residents and teachers to talk is out of respect for the Acker family.
The lawsuit against Acker and the school system was filed in 2013.
Among the plaintiffs was Kristin Hurt, who in 1992 faced ridicule from the community after she made a complaint against Acker. Hurt is among those who will get a 12.5 percent share of the Acker settlement.
Despite a 1992 finding by the Alabama Department of Human Resources that Acker had touched a minor (Hurt) for sexual gratification, the Shelby County Board of Education "failed to take any steps to remove Acker or to monitor his interaction with students to ensure that he did not sexually molest minor students in his custody," according to the 40-page lawsuit.
Acker last year admitted that he had sexually abused the student, Kristin Hurt, whose complaint had triggered the 1992 DHR investigation.
Acker sexually abused Hurt in a classroom when she was a fourth grade student in Acker's science and reading classes in 1989-90 at Creekwood Elementary School, the lawsuit stated. At one point, he asked on a test "what color are Kristin's panties," the lawsuit states.
Hurt also had told her mother that on Aug. 6, 1991 Acker visited her at her house, which at the time was across the street from his home in Montevallo. He brought his baby daughter, the lawsuit stated. Acker fondled Hurt and tried to get Hurt to play with his baby's foot when it was resting against his penis, the lawsuit stated.
Acker had told investigators at the time that he and Hurt were playing with the baby and he began tickling Hurt and had placed his arm across her chest to keep her from falling off the couch. When he was interviewed by investigators five years ago, however, Acker admitted he had fondled Hurt for sexual gratification, the lawsuit states.
Hurt's mother pushed the Shelby County District Attorney's Office and Sheriff's Office to investigate and meanwhile public sentiment was in Acker's favor "resulting in peer ridicule and rejection of Hurt," according to the lawsuit.
An investigation by DHR found that the preponderance off the evidence showed Hurt was abused by Acker on Aug. 6, 1991. The school board in October 1992 then issued a letter of intent to fire Acker.
In November 1992 the case was presented to a grand jury, which declined to indict Acker. "As a result of the publicity generated by Acker's smear campaign, Kristin was asked by one grand juror if she realized that she was ruining a man's life," the lawsuit states.
Despite a recommendation by then superintendent Norma Rogers to fire Acker, the Shelby County Board of Education voted in February 1993 to reinstate Acker.
Shelby County, AL
HVAC man charged with ‘horrific’ sex crimes involving girls under 5
By Megan Cloherty
WASHINGTON — A Maryland man is facing multiple sex abuse charges in a case prosecutors are calling “horrific.” Court documents outline the man’s abuse of girls younger than 5 years old, including a relative.
By day, 31-year-old Kyle Stephen Thompson was a commercial HVAC technician out of Sterling, Virginia.
But for years in a wooded area near his apartment in Burtonsville, Maryland, court documents outline Thompson’s alleged rampant sexual abuse of three young girls dating back to October 2015.
Thompson showed videos he’d recorded of the abuse to another person who then reported it to Montgomery County police, the documents said. One of the videos shows Thompson raping a 4-year-old relative “who was crying and yelled, ‘I want my mommy,'” the documents said.
Police served a search warrant at the home March 17 to find computers and storage devices that contained photos and videos of child pornography. Police also found 15 registered weapons, the documents said. Evidence shows Thompson bound the girls and held them at gunpoint, documents said.
The mother of two of the young victims told investigators she had been trying to get away from Thompson for years, and that he who would threaten to kill her and her children, documents said. Thompson had a history of abusing minors related to the women he was dating, according to the court documents.
“Due to the violence demonstrated by Thompson and him having access to 15 firearms, the writer would like to request bond be denied to him,” the investigator said in the documents.
Investigators found Thompson was under investigation by the Baltimore County Police Department following a sexual abuse report in October 2015 involving one of the victims in this case.
Thompson faces three counts of sex abuse of a minor, two counts of first-degree sex offense and two counts of third degree sex offense. He’s being held without bond. He will go to trial later this month.
Federal charges will likely be filed on Thompson related to the child pornography found in his possession.
Man facing 76 counts of child sex abuse in Alaska
arrested in Arkansas
Author: Chris Klint
A fugitive facing dozens of child sex-abuse charges in Alaska was arrested by U.S. marshals Monday in Arkansas after Alaska State Troopers sought federal help in arresting him.
Jeffrey Jackson, 51, was arrested in Searcy, Arkansas, on a warrant for 76 counts of sexual abuse and sexual assault of a minor, according to Kevin Sanders, a supervisory deputy U.S. marshal in the Eastern District of Arkansas.
Rochelle Liedike, with the U.S. Marshals Service in Anchorage, said Jackson originally was wanted by troopers, who contacted marshals for help tracking him down.
After investigating Jackson, Sanders said, marshals learned he had a family contact in Searcy and was driving in the area Monday.
"As we were headed toward the house of the family member, we actually saw him driving and followed him in his vehicle," Sanders said.
Sanders said Jackson drove to Yancey Park, a local recreation area. Jackson was kept under observation; marshals moved in at about noon Alaska time.
Jackson was already aware of the warrant against him, Sanders said.
"He said, 'I didn't think y'all would arrest me for that,'" Sanders said.
Marshals took Jackson to the White County Jail, where he was being held pending extradition to Alaska.
The arrest warrant for Jackson was still sealed Tuesday, troopers spokeswoman Megan Peters said, and nothing further on the case would be available until initial extradition proceedings occurred in Arkansas.
Quarryville parents plead to child endangerment charges in Bucks County sex abuse case
JONAS FORTUNE | Staff Writer
The Quarryville parents whose children are at the center of a Bucks County sexual abuse case entered pleas on child endangerment charges Thursday at Bucks County Courthouse.
Savilla Stoltzfus, 43, originally of 10 Locust Lane in Quarryville, pleaded guilty to third-degree felony endangerment of the welfare of a child, while her husband, Daniel Stoltzfus, 44, of the same address, pleaded no contest to the same charge, according to the Bucks County district attorney's office.
Daniel and Savilla Stoltzfus and Lee Kaplan
An ex-Amish couple from Lancaster County “gifted” their teenage daughter to a 51-year-old Bucks County man who helped them get out of financial ruin, police said Thursday. Read more
Sentencing has been deferred until after the trial of Lee Kaplan, who police say sexually abused six of the couple's daughters.
Eleven underage girls — nine of the Stoltzfuses daughters and two girls fathered by Kaplan — were found by police June 16 at Kaplan's Feasterville property at 428 Old Street Road. Kaplan and Savilla Stoltzfus were also residing there at the time.
Daniel Stoltzfus told police he “gifted” the oldest child, then 14, to Kaplan after he helped the family out of financial ruin. Kaplan then fathered two children with the girl, authorities said.
Authorities have since alleged that Kaplan sexually abused five other siblings as well.
Thursday's hearings revealed Savilla Stoltzfus was also given to Kaplan by her husband in hopes to bear more children and "strengthen" the Stoltzfus bloodlines, according to the Bucks County district attorney's office.
Strengthen the Stoltzfus' bloodlines by having someone else father his children? I'm guessing he wasn't a rocket scientist.
Savilla Stoltzfus told detectives that Kaplan referred to her and five of the children as his wives.
According to the facts of the case entered into the record by prosecutors Thursday, her definition of a wife is "to listen to and follow her husband and bear children."
According to those facts, Daniel Stoltzfus gave his wife to Kaplan four months after his 14-year-old daughter gave birth to Kaplan's child.
Savilla Stoltzfus described Kaplan as the family's teacher to detectives and told them Kaplan attempted to teach the girls what it meant to be a woman.
He would speak openly to Savilla Stoltzfus and the girls about sex, with the conversations helping define a sense of purpose for women, prosecutors said.
Although she had input in the gifting of the oldest child to Kaplan, it was the final decision of her husband, she told authorities. It was her understanding that a number of her daughters would be with Kaplan, prosecutors said.
At Thursday's hearing, Daniel Stoltzfus said he gave Savilla Stoltzfus and two of his daughters to Kaplan to be his wives, according to a Philly.com report.
Savilla Stoltzfus told authorities she witnessed her daughters sitting on Kaplan's lap, getting kissed by him and leaving to spend alone time in his bed individually.
Kaplan, 52, who is held at Bucks County Prison on more than $2 million bail, faces more than 20 charges in the case, including three counts of rape of child, three counts of statutory sexual assault, two counts of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse and six counts of indecent assault.
Daniel Stoltzfus is also charged with first-degree felony conspiracy to commit statutory sexual assault, court records show. Information on the status of that charge was not available Thursday. Attempts to reach his attorney, Timothy Barton, were unsuccessful.
Prosecutors say the families became friends in 2003 and Kaplan began helping the family transition from an Amish lifestyle soon after.
The third-degree felony charge of endangering the welfare of a child carries a maximum sentence of seven years in prison and a $15,000 fine. Both pleas were accepted by President Judge Jeffrey L. Finley.
Kaplan's trial is currently scheduled for May 30 before Finley at Bucks County Courthouse.
However, Finley is considering a change of venue and juror pool following a pretrial hearing Thursday.
In a pretrial motion, Kaplan's attorney Ryan Hyde cited pretrial publicity, prejudicial and inflammatory statements by Bucks County District Attorney Matt Wientraub and "sustained and pervasive negative coverage," among other issues, as reasons to move the trial away from Bucks, Montgomery, Chester or Delaware counties.
Weintraub has referred to Kaplan as a "cult leader" in the past, according to the filing.
Finley is expected to rule on change of venue and jurors by early next week, the district attorney's office said.
No comments:
Post a Comment