Military-style Christian sect leaders
charged in child abuse case
By Associated Press
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — A leader of a New Mexico military-style Christian sect is facing dozens of child sexual abuse charges in a case that authorities say is connected to widespread abuse by the religious commune.
Peter Green of the Aggressive Christianity Missions Training Corps in the remote community of Fence Lake faces 100 counts of criminal sexual penetration of a child, according to a criminal complaint filed August 15. Sect members Deborah Green, Joshua Green and Stacey Miller also face various charges ranging from child abuse, bribery and not reporting a birth.
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| Deborah Green (UTube) |
KOAT-TV reports (https://goo.gl/Qtcsnr) that all four were arrested Sunday. Sheriff Tony Mace told the station that his office began investigating the group last year after two members claimed they had escaped the commune in the sparsely populated area of mostly ranchland. Those who escaped told deputies that Deborah Green and Stacey Miller allowed Miller’s 12-year-old son to die of the flu in 2014, Mace said.
Miller faces one count each of intentional abuse of a child age 12-18, bribery of a witness and not reporting a birth.
In a statement, the group said the allegations “are totally false” and similar to others the group has faced over the years.
“We don’t know who all the accusers are, but the accusations are just re-runs of old lies that have been investigated and shown to be malicious attacks against a legitimate ministry, time and again,” the statement said.
Deborah Green, and her husband, James, are the “generals” who command their army to spread Christian ideals throughout the world, the group’s website said. She faces one count of intentional child abuse resulting in death. Deborah Green also goes by the name Lila.
Joshua Green is charged with not reporting the birth of his son to the state.
The Aggressive Christianity Missions Training Corps describes itself as a group that is “aggressive and revolutionary for Jesus” and provides a free spiritual “ammo pack” to anyone who writes. Photos of members show them in military-style clothing and on missions in Africa.
Its website is laced with anti-Semitic language and anti-gay tirades about same sex marriage.
The Southern Poverty Law Center lists the Aggressive Christianity Missions Training Corps as a hate group.
The group has its origins in Sacramento, California, after Deborah and James Green founded “Free Love Ministries” but garnered media attention for its unique beliefs and its communal houses.
Former sect member Maura Alana Schmierer told The Associated Press on Monday by the group’s latest troubles and had been interview by investigators recently. “I’ve been trying to expose them for years,” said Schmierer, who left the sect in the late 1980s.
A 2012 National Geographic Television show “Escaped a Cult” documented Schmierer’s experience with the sect. She said Deborah Green ordered her to live in a shed with no toilet and with little food.
Schmierer sued the sect for mistreatment and forcing her to give up legal custody of three of her children. A judge in 1989 awarded her $1.08 million dollars but the group fled California and later resurfaced near El Paso, Texas, and then in western New Mexico.
In 1986, a sect member died of malaria while on a mission in Malawi, sparking criticism of the sect from his family.
New Mexico Children, Youth and Families Department spokesman Henry Varela confirmed Monday that state officials are investigating a case involving the Aggressive Christianity Missions Training Corps in Fence Lake.
But Varela said he couldn’t discuss the details.
Man charged with raping child escapes jail time
By Frank Stanfield
TAVARES – A man charged with raping a child younger than 12 pleaded no contest Monday to a greatly reduced charge, was given credit for time he has already spent in jail and was placed on probation.
Richard E. Frieszell Jr., 35, would have been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole if he had been convicted of the original charge and two lesser sex charges. Instead, he was allowed to enter the plea on the charge of aggravated child abuse. The State Attorney’s Office dropped the two lewd and lascivious charges.
He was given credit for 748 days he spent in jail, was placed on regular probation, given an 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew, ordered to have no contact with the victim or her family and agree to filters being placed on his computer and phone.
He is not classified as a sex offender. Circuit Judge Don Briggs did order a psychosexual evaluation and treatment, however.
Plea negotiations in sex cases are not that unusual, especially in cases involving young children. One of the major factors in this case, said Assistant State Attorney Walter Forgie, was the child’s family saying they didn’t want the child to have to testify. Her young sister would also have had to testify as a witness.
Forgie said prosecutors gave that consideration “great weight.”
Why hasn't someone done a study to determine the effects of a child who testified of her own sex abuse on her recovery? There is a lot of emotion involved in that decision, but very little science as to whether or not it is damaging, or possibly even helpful.
There are always other factors, like the gap in time between an alleged act and when it is reported. That has major consequences on evidence.
Then, there is the age of the victim. The child was 6 when her mother reported the allegations.
Attorneys in Frieszell’s case battled over whether her statements were allowable under child abuse hearsay law. The issue is whether a child can tell the difference between the truth and a lie.
The court ruled she could testify. Jurors can be skeptical, however.
In a forensic interview at the Children’s Advocacy Center, the child talked about being raped, molested and solicited to do an act at her home in Montverde while her mother was not in the house.
She said Frieszell also showed her pornographic videos on his phone. The acts started in 2013, according to the charges leveled by the state. She said he made her promise to keep everything a secret.
Frieszell denied the allegations. He said he moved in with the girl’s mother, the child and her sister before Christmas 2013 and they separated in the summer of 2014.
He said the only time he was with the child was five or 10 minutes when she went to the store for cigarettes. He conceded he did watch porn.
Frieszell brought up something interesting about his own family, according to court documents. “Mr. Frieszell talked about his father being arrested in the past for sexual abuse allegations in which he ... was a key witness in his father’s trial.”
His father was 56 in 1999 when he was convicted of lewd and lascivious acts on a child younger than 16. He was sentenced to six years in prison, though he was given credit for almost a year he spent in jail awaiting trial.
Like father; like son!
Hampton man charged with felony
sex assault of child
ANGELO HERNANDEZ
HAMPTON, NH — A local man is charged with felony sexual assault of a child under 13 years old, police said Monday.
Angelo Hernandez, 54, was scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday in 10th Circuit Court, Seabrook, on charges of sexual penetration involving a child under the age of 13 and engaging in a pattern of sexual abuse against the same victim. He is currently being held in lieu of $100,000 cash bail.
The victim and a witness reported the alleged incident leading to the Hampton investigation and charges against Hernandez.
Police said Hernandez was taken into custody about noon Friday on Lafayette Road in Seabrook with the assistance of Seabrook police.
Anyone with information can call Hampton police at 929-4444. Anonymous tips can be made at www.tipsubmit.com by selecting Hamptons as the region or by texting crimes (274637) with Hampton as the keyword.
Crawford man sentenced to prison for
abusing, videoing child
By TOMMY WITHERSPOON
A former Crawford High School student who took videos and photos while he sexually abused two young children was sentenced to 20 years in prison Monday.
Donnie Wayne Howard, 18, pleaded guilty to two counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child and two counts of possession of child pornography.
Judge Ralph Strother of Waco's 19th State District Court accepted the plea bargain in Howard's case and sentenced him to two concurrent 20-year prison terms on the sexual assault charges. The judge sentenced Howard to felony probation for 10 years on the pornography charges, which Howard will serve after he is released from prison.
He must serve at least 10 years in prison before he can seek parole, court officials said.
"It was a very tragic incident," said Howard's attorney, Guy Cox. "That is really about all I can say."
Crawford police arrested Howard, then a Crawford High School student, in May 2016 after one of the children reported the sexual abuse.
Documents filed in the case said Howard took videos and photos of a 6-year-old girl and an 8-year-old boy performing sex acts with him and then displayed the images on Kik, a social media instant messaging app.
Howard was arrested in May 2016 and initially charged with continuous sexual abuse of a child. Officials alleged he had sexual contact with a child for a period of 30 days or more and committed at least two acts of sexual abuse against the child.
As part of the plea bargain with Howard, prosecutors reduced the charge, which carried a potential sentence of life in prison without parole.
Crawford police arrested Howard's mother, Shauna Hope Gerrish, 38, a week after her son was arrested. Police charged her with two counts of tampering with evidence and allege she was aware of the sexual abuse and tried to delete the images from her son's phone "to keep Howard from getting into trouble," court records state.
Gerrish's trial is set for Sept. 19 in 19th State District Court.
Crawford, TX
Princeton man sentenced on sexual assault,
child abuse charges
PRINCETON – A 46-year-old man found guilty last June of first-degree sexual assault, and child abuse by a parent, guardian or custodian was told Monday that he will be 76 years old before he becomes eligible for parole.
Charles R. Barie Jr. of Princeton was brought Monday before Circuit Court Judge Derek Swope for a motions hearing and sentencing. After denying a motion for a new trial, Swope sentenced Barie to a term of 15 to 20 years for first-degree sexual assault; 10 to 20 years for sexual abuse by a parent, guardian or custodian; and five to 15 years for incest.
The sentences will run consecutively. Prosecuting Attorney George Sitler said afterward that Barie must serve 30 years before he is eligible for parole. With good behavior, he could discharge his sentence by the time he’s 81 years old. Assistant Prosecutor Holly Flanigan represented the state at the hearing.
Barie was tried in January, but the jury was unable to reach a verdict. A jury convicted him last June.
In Tazewell County, Va., Barie faces a 10-count indictment for conspiracy to deliver drugs. Swope said Barie must complete his West Virginia sentence before he can be extradited.
“We’re going to finish with him before he goes to Virginia,” Swope said.
The charges resulted from allegations made by a female individual, now an adult, who told investigators with the Mercer County Sheriff’s Department that Barie began to sexually abuse her when she was 3 years old and continued until she was 6 or 7. The abuse occurred from 2000 to 2003.
The victim, addressed the court before Barie was sentenced. She said despite being threatened and called a liar, she was doing her best to move ahead with her life.
“The only positive in this is my voice is finally heard,” she said.
Barie told his attorney, Thomas Czarnik, that he didn’t want to address the court.
When pronouncing sentence, Swope told Barie “nothing will replace the devastation you’ve done to this girl. How can a 3 year old sin? She can’t. She didn’t sin. She’s a victim, a 100 percent pure victim.”
Barie was remanded to the Southern Regional Jail in Beaver. Swope told Barie he could appeal to the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals.
Woman ‘drugged a 10-year-old boy’s slushy so she could film herself sexually abusing him and sell the footage to paedos online’
By Lauren Fruen and Chris Murphy
Tara Gotovnik is said to have spiked his favourite frozen soft drink before assaulting the helpless schoolboy.
The boy’s dad is reported to have gone to police with the allegations against Gotovnik.
Police in Milwaukee are piecing together what happened, but are already said to have charged the 35-year-old woman.
Included in the charges are one count of first-degree sexual assault of a child sexual intercourse, child under 12 years of age.
Another is the delivery of controlled substance, which the police say is the contaminated slushy.
Fox News reports the child was later able to tell investigators Gotovnik put sleeping pills in his slushy, causing him to have double vision and slurred speech.
It was then that the child disclosed to investigators that Gotovnik then sexually assaulted him.
Fox said the boy stated Gotovnik said they could “go online and make money for doing it”.
Gotovnik was quickly taken into custody and quizzed by detectives as they built a case against her.
It is claimed that during questioning she responded: “I don’t remember anything from that night.”
She could face up to 43 years behind bars if convicted.
3 brothers aged 78, 79, 82 charged with
possession of child porn
SEATTLE — Three brothers aged 78, 79 and 82 were arrested at a North Seattle home and charged with possession of child pornography, the Seattle Police Department said Monday.
Those charged were identified as Edwin Emery, Thomas Emery and Charles Emery, who police said had lived in the same home in north Seattle for about 50 years.
“The defendants have no known conviction history, but are charged with collecting images depicting the misery of sexually abused children to satiate their deeply rooted deviant interests,” the King County Prosecutor’s Office said in court documents.
Seattle police said a family member was cleaning the suspects’ home and discovered what she believed to be materials depicting the sexual abuse of a child. She called 911 and North Precinct officers responded. Officers arrived and confirmed the nature of the material.
"Among the items in evidence are numerous children’s clothing, including shoes, socks and underwear, all with indications of prior use; images of child sexual abuse and graphic written descriptions of extreme harm to children," a police statement said.
The family member explained that she has legal guardianship over Charles Emery, who current lives in a senior residential home for dementia, and that's why she was going through the material at the brothers' home in north Seattle.
The family member said she had been abused by two of the three brothers when she was a child. A Seattle police detective said the allegation was being investigated, but said he doubted charges would result from that because it had reportedly occurred too many years ago.
Weber County man arrested for child abuse
By Gephardt Daily Staff
OGDEN, Utah, — A 37-year-old Weber County man has been arrested on charges including aggravated sexual abuse of a child.
James Thomas Millus was taken into custody last week after the Weber County Sheriff’s Office responded to a call in an unincorporated area of the county.
According to a probable cause statement, the mother of a 14-year-old girl contacted officers after the teen wrote her a letter detailing sexual abuse alleged to have happened hours earlier.
The mother told officers she called to confront Millus, and he said he was going to commit suicide.
“While speaking with the mother, who provided the letter to deputies, the arrestee called her,” the probable cause statement says. “While on the phone, and recorded by body camera, he agreed to speak to a deputy about the situation.
“While on the phone, he admitted that he had done terrible things and did not deserve to live.”
The deputy talking with the suspect was able to calm him, and Millus agreed to turn himself in, the statement says.
The child subsequently told officers Millus had abused her multiple times over a period of a year and a half.
Millus faces charges of first-degree felony forceable sodomy, first-degree felony aggravated sexual abuse of a child, and second-degree felony forcible sexual abuse.
Millus is scheduled to appear Aug. 24 in Ogden’s Second District Court. If convicted, he faces up to life in prison.
Alabama police charge man with
sexual abuse of child under 12
BY LARRY GIERER
Police in Phenix City have arrested 35-year-old Travis V. McGraw and charged him with sexual abuse of a child under 12.
According to an official report, police were called to a residence on Pine Hill Court Saturday in reference to a sexual offense involving a minor.
McGraw is also facing charges of domestic violence sodomy 1st degree and interfering with a domestic violence emergency 911 call.
Ex-El Paso priest accused of child sex abuse
served at 8 parishes
By: Daniel Marin
EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) - A former El Paso priest accused of committing sexual abuse decades ago served at eight local parishes, the Catholic Diocese of El Paso said Monday.
At a news conference, El Paso Bishop Mark Seitz said the ex-priest, Miguel Luna, 67, admitted to sexual misconduct with a 'young female adolescent' in the 1980s. Luna has since been removed from the ministry.
The allegation came to light last November, according to Seitz who declined to say which parish was involved to protect the identity of the accuser.
The diocese said it has contacted El Paso police but the victim, now a grown woman, wishes to remain anonymous and no criminal charges have been filed.
The state of Texas has no statute of limitations for felony criminal cases involving sexual assault of a minor or indecency with a child. There is a limitation of 15 years from the victim's eighteenth birthday for civil cases.
According to the diocese, Luna served at the following local parishes:
Blessed Sacrament
Corpus Christi
Our Lady of Assumption
San Antonio de Padua
San Lorenzo
St. Matthew
St. Pius X
St. Thomas Aquinas
The diocese said Luna, who was ordained in El Paso in 1982, also served at other Texas parishes in the towns of Alpine, Fort Davis, Marathon and Kermit.
Bishop Seitz said he had already removed Luna from the ministry in December of 2013 upon the recommendation of the Diocesan Review Board.
"When I arrived in the diocese, I started learning about situations and became familiar with his case," Seitz said. "There had been some accusations against him that would probably be labeled as sexual harassment."
The bishop was unable to recall when those harassment allegations were made but called them 'relatively recent.' "We determined after an investigation by the review board that he needed to be removed from the ministry, and that's what I did," Seitz said.
Seitz took over the El Paso Diocese in July of 2013. He was preceded as bishop by Armando Ochoa who oversaw the diocese from 1996 to 2012, and Raymundo Peña who was bishop from 1980 to 1995.
In a written statement, Seitz apologized for pain caused by Luna's actions and encouraged any other victims to come forward. Those with allegations can contact the diocese here or the El Paso Police Department's Victim's Assistance Program.
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