64 y/o librarian charged with CSA of young girl - Illinois
3 men from small town sentenced for separate CSAs - Kansas
Mormon bishop accused of abusing 2 boys dozens of times - Utah
8 y/o girl admits being molested after school CSA program - Kentucky
22 y/o gets 45 years w/o parole for CSA of 8 y/o - Texas
Catholic Diocese of Syracuse buries CSA reports for 3 years - New York
US Olympic team doctor to go to trial on 17 CSA charges - Illinois
Child Sexual Abuse Charges For Former
Elk Grove Library Employee
By Lisa Marie Farver (Patch Staff)
WHEATON, IL — A former Elk Grove Library employee has been charged with sexually abusing a child. Robert Thulin, 64, of 110 Cherry Street in Roselle, was charged with two counts of criminal sexual abuse and one count of indecent solicitation of a child, according to a statement from the DuPage County State's Attorney's Office.
Thulin allegedly befriended a young girl and her family after meeting them at the library. Police say that Thulin texted the victim and gave her money during visits to the library. Two weeks ago, Thulin is accused of taking the victim shopping and sexually assaulting her during the car trip. When he got to his home, Thulin invited the victim inside the residence for sex.
State's Attorney Robert Berlin said the following about Thulin's case, "The allegations against Mr. Thulin particularly disturbing in this case. His young victim and her family had placed their trust in him only to be repaid by Mr. Thulin allegedly sexually abusing his victim.
Thulin is set to appear in court on July 10.
Three Baxter Springs men draw prison terms
for child sexual abuse
Jeff Lehr
COLUMBUS, Kan. — Three defendants received prison sentences this month in Cherokee County District Court on convictions for child sexual abuse, including a Baxter Springs man sentenced as a persistent sex offender.
Elijah LeGrand, 40, of Baxter Springs, was sentenced Monday to 96 months in prison on a conviction for indecent liberties with a child. LeGrand pleaded no contest in May to the charge, which pertains to lewd fondling of someone age 14 to 16.
Because he has a prior conviction for a sexually violent crime, LeGrand received twice the length of sentence for his conviction. In addition to the eight-year term, he will be required to register as a sex offender the remainder of his life once he is released, according to County Attorney Jacob Conard.
Also sentenced Monday for aggravated indecent liberties with a child was Andrew T. Smith, 19, of Baxter Springs. He received 59 months in prison for lewd fondling of a child younger than 14 in September of last year. He pleaded guilty to the charge in May and also will be required to register as a sex offender for the remainder of his life once he is released from prison.
Cory M. Craig, 31, of Baxter Springs, was sentenced June 12 to concurrent terms of 61 months on each of three counts of aggravated indecent liberties with a child. He pleaded no contest to the counts in April. The convictions pertain to acts with someone 14 to 16 years of age on three occasions in the summer of 2015.
Craig will be required to register as a sex offender for 15 years following his release from prison.
Baxter Springs has a population of little more than 4,000. To have 3 men sentenced for CSA within one week is pretty alarming.
Former LDS bishop arrested for alleged
child sex abuse
BY BROCK DAMJANOVICH
MAPLETON, Utah — Officers with the Mapleton Police Department arrested a man Wednesday on reports of sexually abusing two underage boys.
Erik Hughes, a former bishop for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, was taken into custody after a now 18-year-old man came forward and reported past sexual abuse.
The abuse was alleged to have taken place around three years ago while Hughes was the young man’s bishop.
According to the man, Hughes seemed very friendly at first and provided him with what he thought was melatonin to help him sleep.
However, the victim said the pills left him feeling disoriented and Hughes told him he must have given him the wrong medication.
On another occasion, Hughes reportedly gave the victim a bitter-tasting smoothie.
After drinking it he said he felt woozy and disoriented, the same way he did after taking the pills.
The victim reported Hughes helped him to bed, where he remembers Hughes touching him inappropriately.
The victim described waking up and discovering his underwear had been removed and Hughes was again inappropriately touching him.
A second victim has also come forward with an account from five years ago when he was around 17 years old.
The second victim stated Hughes touched him inappropriately between 30 and 50 times.
Hughes would allegedly demand nude photos of him and would send him nude photos in exchange.
Whether or not photos were exchanged is still unknown.
Hughes also drugged the second man and sexually abused him in a hotel room, police reports state.
According to the second man, Hughes contacted him within the last month and told him he was being “falsely accused” of a crime by the first victim.
Hughes allegedly asked the second victim several questions related to the sexual abuse and asked how he would respond if police asked those same questions.
The LDS church has been in contact with the Utah County Attorney’s office.
NKY man charged with child sex abuse
Fox 19
An 8-year-old girl came forward about sexual abuse after she watched a school-based program about recognizing and reporting abuse.
Anthony Hale, 23, of Covington is accused of sexually abusing the girl in the overnight hours of March 15-16 at a friend's home in Hebron, Investigators said.
CSA school program credited
The victim reported the offense following a performance of “Kids on the block” performed by the Family Nurturing Center the next day. The program provides school-based prevention services that equip children with the skills to recognize, resist and report such abuse, according to FamilyNuture.org.
Hale is charged with first-degree sex abuse. He's being held at the Boone County Detention Center on $5,000 bond.
Collin County man sentenced to 45 years for
sexual abuse of child
A Farmersville man has been sentenced to 45 years for sexually abusing a child.
Nahun Gutierrez, 22, had repeated sexual contact with an 8-year-old child he knew, Collin County District Attorney Greg Willis said Friday in announcing the prison term.
Gutierrez was arrested by the Collin County Sheriff's Office in July 2016 after the child told classmates about the abuse, according to court records.
The sheriff's office collected items during a forensic interview with the child and submitted them for DNA testing. The evidence was confirmed to be a DNA match with Gutierrez.
Judge Richard Davis sentenced Gutierrez to 35 years in prison for continuous sexual abuse of a child and 10 years in prison for indecency with a child.
He will have no opportunity for parole, the district attorney said.
Why did diocese wait 3 years to make abuse allegations public?
By GREG MASON
Three years ago, when the Roman Catholic Diocese of Syracuse found credibility to allegations that a Utica priest committed acts of child sexual abuse, it was not Bishop Robert Cunningham’s policy to make public those matters, said Danielle Cummings, the diocese’s chancellor and director of communications.
The diocese quietly removed the Rev. Felix Colosimo from priestly ministry in 2014 in response to claims from California man Matthew Strzepak that the priest molested him as a child. Colosimo served at several Utica-area churches, including St. Leo’s Church in Holland Patent, St. Peter’s Church in North Utica and — most recently — Our Lady of the Rosary in New Hartford.
Strzepak filed a lawsuit earlier this month against Colosimo and the diocese in federal court in Connecticut. Declining to speak in further detail, Cummings said Strzepak going public is why the diocese chose to address the allegations publicly, though she reiterated that the past claims were markedly different than those in the June 2 lawsuit.
In past years, Cunningham has rejected requests to release the names of 11 diocese priests connected to credible sexual abuse allegations. That stance has not changed, said Cummings, who noted a challenge in balancing disclosure and respecting the wishes of victims.
“We have made a change in how we do things that when there is an allegation, we will make those things known,” Cummings said on public disclosure. “We have those (victims) that don’t want it — that beg us not to — and that’s their right.”
What about the victims you don't know about? Many victims come forth only after someone has had the courage to file charges. It's the nature of child sex abuse victimhood.
What you are really doing is covering up and hiding criminal activities for the short-term benefit of the church. Being in New York, you only have to delay publication of this criminal activity by pedophile priests for a few years and then you don't have to worry because the NY statute of limitations will protect you from facing the consequences of the evil and criminal behaviour of your priests.
But they, and you, will have to stand before Jesus Christ one day...
Though Strzepak’s allegations were found credible, Cummings said that means it is possible that the acts occurred — not that there is actual proof.
Colosimo has declined to comment in detail about the allegations against him. On June 3 he told the O-D, “Again, same what I said from the very beginning, it’s not true. The allegations are false.” He also said he has been advised by his attorney not to comment.
The diocese’s victim assistance office and a Diocesan Review Board reviews allegations that can date back decades. The Board was established in 2003 along with several youth protection programs as part of the nationwide passage of the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People.
Nevetheless, Strzepak said he believes diocese leaders need to be held accountable for how Colosimo allegedly treated him — and for how he believes they mishandled his situation.
So does Alison Foster, the sister of Kyle Foster — an individual left unnamed in Strzepak’s lawsuit as another child who allegedly was abused by Colosimo more than 30 years ago.
‘A way of helping my brother’
Alison Foster said she did not know about Colosimo’s alleged involvement with her brother until after he died.
Strzepak’s lawsuit accuses Colosimo of raping and molesting him from 1987 to 1990 when he was 12 to 15 years old. Part of the lawsuit mentions a John Doe that also was sexually abused by Colosimo — often at the same time. Alison Foster said her brother is that John Doe.
She and Kyle Foster were raised in Marcy and attended St. Peter’s Church in Utica with their family.
From what she can remember, Foster said her brother must have been between 9 to 12 years old when Colosimo occasionally would pick him up to spend the night at St. Leo’s rectory. She said she was 5 years older than her brother.
“Kyle never talked about him in adulthood at all,” Foster said.
As an adult, Kyle Foster was a member of the Marines, completing three tours of duty in Afghanistan, Alison Foster said. She said her brother worked as a UPS delivery driver, was married with two children and had a huge personality. He also dealt with depression, she said, as friends and family encouraged him to get help.
Kyle Foster killed himself in 2010. He was 35 years old.
Strzepak said the Syracuse diocese hired an investigator to investigate his claims in 2014. Alison Foster said her family was contacted by an investigator at about this time, which is when they became aware of how her brother was linked.
“It’s just unconscionable to me that there are families in the Utica area that will not come forward and talk about this,” she said. “The focus needs to be to get other people to come out ... and make it something that the church addresses in a more systematic way.”
‘They don’t practice what they preach’
Ever since Strzepak brought forth his allegations, more victims have come forward with their own allegations of abuse by Colosimo, said Steve Estey, one of Strzepak’s legal representatives.
A Utica native, Strzepak was raised in Marcy and said he remembers Colosimo became friends with his family and visited often.
The priest, he said, often would pick him up for trips to different locations: While the alleged abuse occurred most often at St. Leo’s, he remembers occurrences locally — including Colosimo’s residence in Utica, he claims — and out of state. This includes a Connecticut hotel where Strzepak said Colisimo filmed him and Kyle Foster shirtless.
Strzepak alleges that the abuse started in 1979 when he was 4 years old and continued until around 1990. The lawsuit pertains only to a three-year period due to the statute of limitations for child sexual abuse claims in New York state, which is why the lawsuit was filed in Connecticut. The Child Victim’s Act — which was passed by the state Assembly on June 7 — looks to change the age limit for reporting allegations of child abuse from 23 to 50.
Strzepak said he was 15 when the alleged abuse stopped and Colosimo “abruptly abandoned” him and his family. After moving to California, Strzepak could not find work and claims he struggled with flashbacks and panic attacks while dealing with homelessness.
He said he brought the abuse to the diocese’s attention in December 2013, claiming he often was ignored by diocesan staffers. Strzepak said an example of this was when the diocese did not come forward to provide therapy sessions until more than two years later in 2016.
As part of the lawsuit, Strzepak is seeking $25 million in damages each from Colosimo and the Syracuse diocese related to charges of abuse and fraud. Large verdicts, Estey said, are the only ways to expect real change and catch the attention of organizations like the diocese.
“It’s to protect other victims and hold not only the church but Colosimo accountable for failing to protect children in their care,” he said of the lawsuit.
Beyond the monetary reparations, Strzepak said he is seeking the resignation of both bishops, Cunningham and retired Bishop Thomas Costello, claiming they are unfit to lead the diocese.
“These folks claim to uphold the gospels of Jesus, but they don’t practice what they preach,” he said.
US Olympic doctor faces trial for
sexual abuse of athletes
A Michigan court on Friday said Larry Nassar will face 17 counts of criminal sexual conduct, a ruling that followed three days of hearings during which six of his accusers testified.
AFP
A former doctor to gymnasts from successive US Olympic teams is to stand trial on charges that he sexually assaulted female athletes, one of whom was only 11, over almost two decades.
A Michigan court on Friday said Larry Nassar will face 17 counts of criminal sexual conduct, a ruling that followed three days of hearings during which six of his accusers testified.
The 53-year-old, a member of USA Gymnastics from 1996 to 2015, maintained a practice at Michigan State University before he was fired last year.
He denied abusing his position to assault young girls.
At Friday's final hearing, Judge Donald Allen Jr watched video of a police interview in which Nassar claimed the acts that one alleged victim considered assault were in fact medical treatment. The recording helped corroborate some statements made by Nassar's accusers, and that the doctor's words helped establish enough cause to take the case to trial, the judge said.
Prosecutor Angela Povilaitis had recounted victims' testimony in graphic detail, saying Nassar would digitally penetrate the women's vaginas, without gloves, under the guise of medical care.
One girl, identified only as Victim A, was 11 years old at the time of the alleged abuse and is now 16, the prosecutor said, adding that at least two victims claimed Nassar displayed signs of arousal during the abuse.
One of those who testified was Rachael Denhollander, 32, who has publicly revealed her identity in accusing Nassar of sexually abusing her when she was 15 years old.
- Complaining could end dreams -
"She described that the defendant had a visible erection during those appointments," Povilaitis said of Denhollander's testimony. "He convinced these girls that this was some type of legitimate treatment," the prosecutor said of the accused. Why would they question this gymnastics god?"
Nassar served as the US gymnastics team's doctor through four Olympic Games.
Law enforcement officials have accused him of using his position with the governing body that sets rules and selects US Olympic gymnasts to sexually assault dozens of athletes and other patients over decades.
Ex-athletes accusing Nassar of crimes say he was empowered by an environment in elite gymnastics where complaints or signs of injury could jeopardize Olympic dreams.
The president of USA Gymnastics, Steve Penny, resigned in March after repeatedly being urged to quit for allegedly being slow to notify authorities about sexual abuse allegations in the organization.
Nassar has pleaded not guilty to the charges against him, including child pornography, and remains in jail pending trial. A federal trial on the child pornography charges is scheduled for August, with state trials following later in the year.
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