Teen girl’s ‘sexting’ prosecuted as felony child porn,
ACLU fights charges
© Maxim Shemetov / Reuters
A 14-year-old Minnesota girl who sent her boyfriend an explicit photo she took of herself may face up to 10 years in jail and be registered as a sex offender. The ACLU calls this a perversion of the state’s child porn laws.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota (ACLU-MN) is calling on Rice County juvenile court to throw out felony child pornography charges against a 14-year-old girl known only as “Jane Doe,” according to KSTP-TV.
Doe admits to sending a sexually explicit selfie to a boy she met at school. She used the social media app Snapchat, but the boy shared the photo more widely, according to court documents cited by KSTP. The boy is also being charged.
“Sexting is common among teens at my school,” Doe said in a statement released by ACLU-MN, “and we shouldn’t face charges for doing it. I don’t want anyone else to go through what I’m going through.”
Of course, the best way to avoid that is to not sext! I agree the felony charge is like taking a hammer to kill a mosquito, but I also think there should be consequences other than the embarrassment of having your private parts sent around your school and being laughed at for your stupidity. Jail, however, is out of the question.
ACLU legal director Teresa Nelson, who’s defending Doe, says the girl’s family is “upset,” as “this could have a devastating effect on her life,” KSTP reported.
“The purpose of the law is to protect people who are victimized, to protect children who are victimized,” Nelson said. “We don't have a victim in this case. She was not coerced. She was not creating child pornography of someone else.”
State law, however, does not seem to recognize the difference between a child or minor photographing themselves sexually for private use, versus, being used by someone else for pornographic purposes.
Rice County Attorney John Fossum, who is prosecuting the case, said she will not comment on cases involving juveniles.
The ACLU-MN claims Doe “cannot criminally use or victimize herself” by sending a selfie. In other words, they’re trying a no victim, no crime defense.
“I think this is a teachable moment for educators, for parents, to talk to her about the consequences,” Nelson said. “It's a cautionary tale, and probably a call to action for the legislature to update our law to make it clear that, in this situation, kids shouldn't be charged with felonies for creating material of themselves that they share.”
Kentucky man sentenced for child sexual abuse
Commonwealth Journal A Pulaski County man has been sentenced to 20 years in Tennessee after pleading guilty to four counts related to the molestation of two girls from the town of Oneida.
WBNT Radio out of Scott County, Tennessee, reports that Jonathan Wesley Bolin, 22, of Burnside, pleaded guilty to four counts of aggravated sexual battery — two for each victim — in Scott County Criminal Court last Monday.
He had been initially indicted in October 2016 on a total of 34 counts stemming from allegations of inappropriate sexual contact with two girls between June 2013 (when the younger victim was nine) and August 2016, when the abuse was reported to authorities. Those charges included 11 counts of child rape, five counts of sexual battery, nine counts of solicitation of a minor, four counts of trafficking for commercial sex acts, three counts of continuous sexual abuse of a child and two counts of attempted aggravated sexual battery.
In accordance with the plea agreement, Bolin was sentenced to 10 years for each of the four counts though two of counts will be served currently with the others. He will also be required to register as a sex offender.
Good grief! It must be a Christmas present! Did I mention I hate plead deals?
Seven men out of 20 arrested in Washington State sex sting arraigned, trials set
BY DENVER PRATTSeven of the 20 men arrested in the undercover Washington State Patrol sting operation that targeted internet predators attempting to solicit sexual contact with minors last week pleaded not guilty Friday.
The remaining 13 men have arraignments scheduled for Dec. 29.
All 20 men were arrested in operation “Net Nanny,” which was conducted by the State Patrol’s Missing and Exploited Children Task Force. Three of the men had access to 13 children who were at risk of being abused, State Patrol said.
Some of the men are also being investigated on allegations of sexual misconduct with children. State Patrol will work closely with local law enforcement, who also assisted with the sting operation, to follow up on the allegations, WSP Lt. James Mjor said.
This is the 10th sting the State Patrol has conducted. A similar operation in the Tri-Cities last summer resulted in 26 arrests. In the last two years, there have been 159 arrests and 22 identified rescued child victims statewide. The agency has a 100 percent conviction rate on the cases that have gone to trial, according to the State Patrol.
That's just awesome! Way to go guys!
Some of the men arrested in this sting had convictions for assault or lengthy criminal histories; others had no criminal history. Many of them had access to an assortment of weapons and showed up with them when they went to the meet-up – a new development for the State Patrol’s operations, Mjor said. Several also brought gifts for the children, court and police records show.
Undercover detectives posted or responded to Craigslist ads online advertising for meet-ups of a sexual nature, according to Mjor. Once the men responded, the detectives would either pose as young teenage children, or as parents offering up their young children for sexual contact – some as young as 6 years old.
Mjor said the operation targeted open-source pages, such as Craigslist, or websites that any kids could access.
Many of the men arrested used graphic descriptions of sex acts they wanted to perform with the children, or what they wanted the children to do to them, according to court papers filed in the case. Many also sent nude photos of themselves, according to the State Patrol.
Probable cause statements for all of those arrested detailed graphic sexual conversations between the men and undercover detectives. Once the conversations progressed, the undercover officer would give the men a location to drive to, and then a separate address. Once the men entered the house, they were arrested, court and police records show.
These men answered ads for child sex. They got arrested instead.
Twenty men in Whatcom and Skagit counties were caught in a sting operation this month that targeted internet predators attempting to solicit sexual contact with minors - part of the Washington State Patrol's ongoing "Net Nanny" operation.
The operation generated hundreds of responses, some from Canada, but the men who were arrested traveled to meet the undercover detectives with the intent to engage in sexual activity with the children, the State Patrol said.
Jaime Roberto Anderson: Anderson, 33, of Bellingham, is charged with two counts of attempted second-degree rape of a child and communicating with a minor for immoral purposes. Anderson pleaded not guilty. His trial has been set for Feb. 12. Anderson remains in Whatcom County Jail in lieu of $20,000 bail.
Jaime Anderson, center, Marc Archer, left, and Steven Johnson, right, are pictured at their arraignment on Friday, Dec. 22, at Whatcom County Courthouse in Bellingham. Anderson, Archer, and Johnson are three of 20 men arrested in a sting operation targeting people attempting to solicit sexual contact with minors. Evan Abell eabell@bhamherald.com
Chadwin Alexander Hagens: Hagens, 24, of Bellingham, is charged with attempted first-degree child rape and attempted second-degree child rape. Hagens pleaded not guilty. His trial has been set for April 23. Hagens was also allowed to leave Whatcom County to live with his parents in King or Pierce counties. Hagens bonded out Friday morning.
Steven William Johnson: Johnson, 45, of Bellingham, is charged with two counts of attempted first-degree child rape and two counts of communicating with a minor for immoral purposes. Johnson pleaded not guilty. His trial has been set for Feb. 12. Johnson remains in jail on $70,000 bail.
Aaron Lee Kinley: Kinley, 26, of Bellingham, is charged with attempted second-degree child rape and communicating with a minor for immoral purposes. Kinley pleaded not guilty. His trial has been set for March 5. Kinley is free on $10,000 bail.
Dillon Russell Lawson: Lawson, 20, of Mount Vernon, is charged with one count of attempted first-degree child rape, one count of attempted second-degree child rape and two counts of attempted commercial sexual abuse of a minor. Lawson pleaded not guilty. His trial has been set for March 5. Lawson is free on $10,000 bail.
Dillon Lawson pleads not guilty at his arraignment on Friday, Dec. 22, at Whatcom County Courthouse in Bellingham. Lawson is charged with attempted first-degree rape of a child, attempted second-degree rape of a child and attempted communication with a minor for immoral purposes.
Evan Abell eabell@bhamherald.com
James Danny Ortiz Jr.: Ortiz, 24, of Everson, is charged with attempted second-degree child rape and communicating with a minor for immoral purposes. Ortiz pleaded not guilty. His trial has been set for Feb. 12. Ortiz remains in jail on $10,000 bail.
Most of the remaining 13 men are charged with attempted child rape, attempted commercial sexual abuse of a minor and communicating with a minor for immoral purposes. A few also have drug charges. They are expected to be arraigned Dec. 29 at 9 a.m.:
▪ Gilberto Chino Acatitlan, 28, of Bow.
▪ Jason Justin Lundberg, 43, of Ferndale.
▪ Matthew Allen Severson, 51, of Bellingham.
▪ Tanner Matthew Ness, 21, of Woodinville.
▪ Aaron A. Aguilar, 26, of Bellingham.
▪ Simson Duane Assink, 23, of Bellingham.
▪ Christopher M Brown, 39, of Bellingham.
▪ Mark Allen Fagin, 43, of Bellingham.
▪ David Lee Fissori Jr., 40, of Bellingham.
▪ Mark E. Garst, 57, of Deming.
▪ George Vincent Rickle Jr., 66, of Poulsbo.
▪ Jeffrey Adam Weinstein, 41, of Bellingham.
▪ George Milton Welch IV, 26, of Bellingham.
Whatcom Co., WA
Iowa boarding school director convicted
of child abuse charges
Associated PressKEOKUK, Ia. — A southeast Iowa jury on Friday found a former boarding school director guilty of abusing students, days after he tearfully testified that he hadn't hurt any children.
The nine-man, three-woman jury began deliberating Thursday afternoon.
Trane will be sentenced early next year and could face up to nine years in prison.
Earlier in the trial, Trane had at times tearfully rejected charges he sexually and physically abused children at the school. Asked about testimony that he'd abused students, Trane told jurors Wednesday, "It's absolutely not the truth."
On Friday, Trane, 39, remained stoic as District Judge Mark Kruse read the verdict. Several supporters of Trane in the courtroom choked back tears.
Last month, a Lee County judge awarded a default judgment to several former Midwest students and their parents in a separate civil lawsuit. A hearing to establish damages has yet to be held.
The former students alleged widespread abuse and mistreatment at the expensive former facility for troubled teens, including beatings, sex between students and staff, sex among students, forced silence and ignored pleas for medical attention.
The school routinely kept teens in isolation in 6-foot-by-8-foot rooms for weeks, requiring them to sit for hours on end in specific postures with little food.
The civil lawsuit also accused Trane of ordering girls to undress in front of two mirrors and to come out and tell him their body type.
Licensed counselor arrested on child porn charges in Alabama
BY PRESTON BENSONMADISON COUNTY, Ala. - A licensed counselor in Madison is facing charges of child pornography.
Authorities with the Department of Homeland Security and the Madison County Sheriff's Office executed search warrants at Slocumb's home and business.
The sheriff's office says a forensic search of electronic devices has led investigators to charge Slocumb with possession and dissemination of child pornography.
A look into Slocumb's background gives no indication what led to the search and arrest. Slocumb has been a licensed professional counselor in Alabama since 1995. The Alabama Board of Counseling showed he`s never had a disciplinary action taken against him and his license wasn't set to expire until July 2019.
He was a therapist in private practice and worked with the Alabama Psychological Services center which has offices in Huntsville and Madison. The center responded to the arrest today, saying quote:
"We at Alabama Psychological Services center are shocked to learn of the charges against Wayde Zane Slocumb. APSC has provided practice management services to Mr. Slocumb for many years without incident or complaint."
Slocumb's social media profiles for Facebook and Linked In shows he's worked with families, adults, and adolescents. Court documents show that he's had a few speeding tickets, but no other charges against him. And, no lawsuits related to his work in state or federal court.
In fact, a sheriff's office spokesman told WHNT News 19 that he was training to work as a chaplain for the Madison County Sheriff`s Office. Slocumb was taken out of the training program after he was served with the child pornography search warrant. The spokesman also said Slocumb passed the necessary background checks before being accepted into the program.
This arrest is the second time someone associated with the sheriff`s office chaplain program has been arrested in recent months. Chaplain Michael Walker was arrested in September and charged with failing to report an allegation of sex abuse made by a child against a then-sheriff's office investigator, who was later arrested.
Slocumb is currently out of jail on $60,0000 bond and no court date has been set at this time.
The Madison County Sheriff's Office asks that anyone who has received treatment or counseling from Slocumb contact Cathy Davis at (256) 533-8831 or by email at cwdavis@madisoncountyal.gov
Ex City councilman arrested for child sexual abuse in Iowa
A former city council member in Sac City has been accused of sexually abusing a child.
Gary Lee Hansen, age 75, is charged with Sexual Abuse 2nd Degree. Court documents indicate that Hansen admitted to sexual contact with the victim.
Hansen was arrested Friday and made an initial appearance in Sac County District Court earlier this week.
His attorney has requested a bail reduction. Hansen was defeated in a city council re-election bid in 2015.
Suit accuses Honolulu church of not doing enough
to prevent child sex assaults
By Rick DaysogHONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) -
A new lawsuit filed by a former member of the Calvary Chapel of Honolulu accuses the church of not doing enough to protect young girls from being molested more than a decade ago.
3rd degree sexual assault of several girls and he got a year?
"The church knew or should have known that he posed a danger to these kids,” said attorney Mark Gallagher, who filed the lawsuit.
"It's not just my client who had a problem with him. So the church should have screened him, supervised him, trained him and prevented him from having unfettered access to young girls.”
"It was a potluck. Members of the church were there. Employees of the church were there. And he was successful in removing her from the group and isolating her in an adjacent area (where he) abused her,” said Gallagher.
Barnes -- now 55 -- lives in Kaneohe, according to the state's registry of sex offenders. He declined comment. Supporters said he has not re-offended since.
Gallagher says the ordeal left his client distrustful of others and has shaken her confidence in church organizations.
Calvary Chapel had no immediate comment.
Montana man pleads not guilty to seven counts
of child sex abuse
Seaborn Larson, slarson@greatfallstribune.com A Great Falls man on Thursday pleaded not guilty to seven counts of sexual abuse of children.
According to the charging documents filed Dec. 12, allegations against Komeotis came to light about a year ago when the victim's mother contacted police. The victim, a 9-year-old boy, said Komeotis had molested him about two years ago.
Interviews conducted later on with the victim reportedly revealed more incidents of abuse, of both the initial victim and an a pre-teen girl. The girl reportedly told police the abuse had happened from ages 6 to 11.
If convicted, Komeotis could be sentenced 100 years in prison per charge. His trial date is not yet set.
South Dakota police arrest 75-year-old man
for sexual contact with child
Trevor Mitchell, tmitchell@argusleader.com for sexual contact with child
Police say they've arrested a 75-year-old Sioux Falls man on charges of sexual contact with a child, which documents say occurred while he operated an in-home daycare.
Men have no business in a day-care!
David Hirsch, 75, was taken into custody on Thursday following an investigation that began on Dec. 5, after police responded to a local middle school to talk with the victim and her parents.
The victim's mother told police that her daughter would regularly spend time with Hirsch, both in his workshop and interacting with the children at an in-home daycare that Hirsch and his wife ran.
The victim had told her mother that in 2012, she had been with Hirsch in his workshop when he put his hand down her pants.
During a later interview with police, the victim said the abuse happened sometime between June and October 2012, when she would have been 9 years old.
She would visit Hirsch in his workshop every three weeks or so, she told police, and one day he began to massage her shoulders. Feeling that this was weird, she got up to leave, but said Hirsch pulled her back and put his hand inside her underwear.
When she asked what he was doing, Hirsch said he was "playing," documents said. When he eventually removed his hand and she left, she told police she looked back to see that Hirsch "had a big grin on his face."
The victim also told police that she had only planned to tell her mother about the molestation once Hirsch had died, but had changed her mind upon seeing all the recent media attention around sexual abuse.
Police interviewed Hirsch on Tuesday, and when asked about his contact with the victim, he said he "gave her a hug."
When asked specifically about the sexual abuse, Hirsch told police that his hand was not inside her pants, but nodded yes when asked if he touched her.
Police also asked Hirsch what he'd like them to tell the victim's mother – to which Hirsch said, "Tell her I was just giving her a hug and she likes hugs. She was a real nice girl, a real lovable girl."
He added that he thought the victim had a right to come forward, but that he didn't think at the time he had done anything wrong, because she had not pulled away from him.
Why would she if you were just giving her a hug?
Hirsch's bond was set at $50,000.
New Jersey man guilty of having 12K images
of child porn
Mike Deak
HIGH BRIDGE - A borough man is facing 10 years in federal prison after he pleaded guilty Thursday in federal court to having nearly 1,000 videos and more 12,000 images of child sexual abuse on his computer.
Darrel Underhill, 73, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Kevin McNulty in Newark.
Under terms of the plea agreement, Underhill will be sentenced to 121 months in prison. He remains in custody pending his March 28, 2018 sentencing.
According to court papers, Underhill used a peer-to-peer file sharing program on his computer to download videos and images of child sexual abuse.
In October 2016, law-enforcement officers downloaded more than three dozen such videos from Underhill’s computer.
After executing a search warrant at Underhill’s home in March 2017, agents discovered nearly 1,000 videos and more than 12,000 images of child sexual abuse on Underhill’s computers.
Underhill admitted in federal court that he was making videos available for others to download.
The distribution of child pornography charge to which Underhill pleaded guilty carries a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Underhill will also be required to register as a sex offender.
figured since the info here isn't accurate first i would like to state it was an adult that answered the door and invited me in i asked if she was over the age and state if not i was leaving she said yes and invited me in unfortunatly since law enforcement doesn't care that conversation was not recorded so they could falsely charge and accuse me
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, I cannot address your accusations since you don't identify yourself and I have no idea which of the several stories above you are referring to. The majority of my posts are written by local news media which I have to trust to be honest. If they are not, I will be happy to look at your situation again.
ReplyDeleteJaime Anderson
DeleteThe above comments are in relation to the third story on this post. I have some empathy for you, Jaime, but not much! You knew she was a child and you were willing to gamble that she was old enough. Taking the word of the person who took your money is not very wise. I hope the truth comes out in your trial next month, that it is fair. And I hope if you get a custodial sentence, that when you get out, you will pursue adult women, not children, or just barely adults.
ReplyDelete