Former Massechusetts priest settles allegations
of child sexual assault
of child sexual assault
By Keith Eddings keddings@eagletribune
A priest who retired to a rectory at All Saints Roman Catholic Church in Haverhill and then to a Lawrence nursing home has reached a five-figure settlement with a man who said the priest sexually assaulted him at a Jamaica Plain parish over a three-year period, beginning when the boy was 10 years old in 1973.
Kelley denied Brown's allegations in a response he filed in superior court. He asked Judge Thomas Drechsler to dismiss the complaint, mostly on technical grounds. Drechsler denied the motion in September.
Brown was represented by Boston lawyer Mitchell Garabedian, whose allegations in 2002 that former priest John Geoghan was sexually assaulting children led to revelations that similar abuses were widespread in the Boston Archdiocese and that Cardinal Bernard Law was doing little to stop them while he was archbishop.
Brown's suit alleged that Kelley's attacks caused him significant emotional distress, leading to his drug abuse and alcoholism. He now collects Social Security Disability payments because of a disability that Garabedian said is caused at least in part by Kelley's memory of the alleged sexual attacks more than 40 years ago.
Garabedian declined a request to interview Brown on Tuesday. He said Brown asked that the amount of the settlement be described only as in the five figures, meaning it is between $10,000 and $99,000.
Garabedian is scheduled to announce the settlement at a press conference Wednesday morning outside St. Rita Church in Lowell, where Kelley was assigned in the 1980s and where Garabedian says he sexually assaulted another child.
Robert Hoatson, president of Road to Recovery, a nonprofit that assists victims of sexual abuse, will join Garabedian at the press conference. “The courage of this man to come forward to expose his abuser is important for his recovery from this abuse,” Hoatson said about Brown. “He will hopefully empower others to do the same.”
Brown was able to sue Kelley but not the church because the statute of limitations – which limits the time plaintiffs have for filing lawsuits – for churches and church supervisors expires seven years after alleged victims realize they were harmed, Garabedian said. Individuals have until they reach age of 53 to file a suit.
Kelley is now in his 80s and lives in Mary Immaculate nursing home in Lawrence.
Oregon traffic stop leads to
child pornography arrest
Whitney Woodworth, Statesman Journal
A Polk County traffic stop on Friday led to the arrest of a Mill City man on child pornography and DUI charges.
Justin Challender, 42, was driving along Uglow Street in Dallas when an Independence police officer spotted him slowing down and braking randomly, according to a Polk County probable cause statement.
When Challender continued driving slowly along Monmouth Cutoff Road, the officer pulled him over.
The officer noted that Challender had "bloodshot, glassy eyes with droopy eyelids." When the officer asked to see his license, Challender handed him a business card for a local mechanic.
At first, he said he smoked marijuana an hour before driving but then admitted to smoking 10 minutes before getting behind the wheel.
The officer arrested Challender after he showed signs of impairment during a field sobriety test. While searching the vehicle, the officer found a glass pipe full of partially burnt marijuana.
Challender's phone, which was on his dashboard, flashed on when the officer grabbed it. According to the police report, there was a paused video on the screen with an explicit title depicting an underage-looking girl.
A sex toy fell out of Challender's pant leg while he was being searched at Polk County jail. When the officer asked him about the child pornography on his phone, Challender said there was no pornography on his phone. If there was, he said, it belonged to the phone's previous owner — his deceased father.
The officer found several photos and videos on the phone depicting young girls and babies.
Challender said he did not know the victims featured in the videos but admitted to watching one of the videos earlier in the day.
He was arrested on charges of second-degree encouraging child sexual abuse and DUI and held on $25,000 bail.
His next court hearing is scheduled for Thursday in Polk County Circuit Court.
Pennsylvania man sentenced to 40 years
in federal prison for making child porn
Amber South, asouth@publicopinionnews.comHARRISBURG - A Waynesboro man who was convicted of sexually assaulting a young boy and girl then distributing video of one of those assaults was sentenced Wednesday to 40 years in federal prison.
According to U.S. Attorney David J. Freed, per the release, Lawbaugh sexually assaulted a toddler boy and a 4-year-old girl and recorded the assaults. He then distributed videos online depicting the assault on the boy.
He also possessed thousands of images and hundreds of videos of child pornography, including images depicting the sexual abuse of infants and toddlers, the release said.
Lawbaugh is already serving three to seven years in state prison on similar charges.
Back in 2014, Lawbaugh pleaded guilty to seven counts of sexual abuse of children-possession of child pornography. At sentencing in early 2015, Franklin County Judge Carol Van Horn gave him probation and a time-served jail sentence after Lawbaugh's lawyer, Eric Weisbrod, argued vehemently on his client's behalf.
"I would have absolutely no reservations to having Evan move into my neighborhood," Weisbrod said at the time, adding he didn't want to vouch for Lawbaugh, but he knew him well and knew he meant to take responsibility.
But come July of last year, Lawbaugh was before the judge again, for violating his probation by catching the federal charges. Van Horn expressed in court that she felt she had failed the community before by sentencing Lawbaugh just to probation.
And she did! But it's encouraging to see that she has acknowledged that.
Another source says that Lawbaugh is autistic.
Lawbaugh said he had not been lying when he was in her court a few years earlier, and that he had started to change immensely but found the therapy to which he was assigned was not as helpful as he needed. He said he was preparing to go to more serious counseling when he was arrested on the federal charges.
The federal 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. Led by the U.S. Attorney's Office and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, the program marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims.
City council leader disqualified from representing
plaintiff in Kentucky CSA case against city
By: Tom KennyLOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) – A Kentucky city council president has been disqualified as a plaintiff’s attorney in a child sex abuse lawsuit against the city and two former police officers.
News outlets report a judge issued an order Tuesday removing Louisville Metro Council President David Yates from the case, citing conflict of interest.
Are you kidding? He had to be removed by a judge? He didn't realize he was in a conflict of interest situation? Good grief!
Co-counsel Tad Thomas will continue to represent the former member of the Louisville Metro Police Department’s Youth Explorers program in the lawsuit against the city and ex-police officers Kenneth Betts and Brandon Wood, who are accused of sexual abuse.
County Attorney Mike O’Connell had pushed for Yates’ removal, arguing that Yates could personally profit from any settlement paid out by the city.
Yates says he won’t appeal the ruling. He will continue to represent the other plaintiffs alleging sexual abuse in the program.
Ex-airman at Dover Air Force Base sentenced
for child sex abuse
By Associated Press
A former Dover Air Force Base airman been sentenced to 30 months in prison for sexually abusing a teenage runaway.Twenty-one-year-old Akeem Beazer of Pompano Beach, Florida, had faced up to 15 years in prison at Wednesday’s sentencing, but sentencing guidelines called for 24 to 30 months behind bars. Beazer pleaded guilty in September to sexual abuse of a minor.
Another former airman, 25-year-old Dalian Washington of Philadelphia, will be sentenced Feb. 21. He faces at least 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to child sex trafficking.
The two were arrested in April (2nd story on link) after a young teen, who officials say had a troubled home life and often lived on the street, told a social worker that she had stayed on the military base and had sex with service members.
Man suspected of child sex abuse indicted in Oregon
By Jim Ryan jryan@oregonian.comThe Oregonian/OregonLive
A 32-year-old man suspected of sexually abusing four girls between 10 and 15 years old in Washington County was indicted Tuesday.
Beaverton police said Lugo-Gongora sought opportunities to be around young girls and sexually assault them. The alleged abuse happened on multiple occasions between May 2014 and August 2016, according to his indictment.
Beaverton detectives arrested him Dec. 22. He's being held in the Washington County Jail.
The agency asks anyone who knows of more alleged victims or has information that would help investigators to call police at 503-629-0111. Tipsters should reference case No. 17-880456.
Washington Co., Ore
Judge refuses to lower bail for Oregon sex offender, coach
DA's Office: Additional charges could be coming after additional victims identified
By Brent Weisberg and KOIN 6 News staffPORTLAND, Ore. – Prosecutors revealed that police have identified additional victims of a registered sex offender who is already charged with abusing seven people, including one minor.
He already had his bail reduced (2nd story on link) from $1.2m to $50k in August. Apparently, it was increased again with the latest charges.
Walker ruled he would not lower Tybom’s bail, citing the fact that he could be a flight risk after it was revealed in court that additional charges could be coming down. If convicted of all charges he currently faces, Tybom could face a sentence greater than a sentence in some homicide cases.
Trybom was the director of the Portland Soccer Academy in June 2017 when he was arrested.
Trybom’s criminal defense attorney, Michael Wise, argued in court that his client has local family who support him. Trybom has lived locally for over 34 years, and if granted release, would be living with his parents, who have no minor children living with them.
Deputy District Attorney BJ Park told Walker that the investigation into Trybom is still on-going and said that police have recently identified two new victims who claim they were abused by Trybom. Park did not go into details of the allegations. Instead, he told the court that the DA’s Office was considering taking the case back before a grand jury.
Trybom was arrested by the Portland Police Bureau’s Sex Crimes Unit on June 28, 2017 following an extended investigation. In July 2017, a grand jury handed down a 5-page, 21-count indictment against him. He pled not guilty. On December 7, 2017, the grand jury handed down 8-page indictment with a total of 26-counts.
The new indictment charges Tybom with luring a minor, online sexual corruption of a child, encouraging child sexual abuse, sexual abuse, failing to report as a sex offender, and first-degree rape.
The next court hearing will be on January 22, 2018 to determine motions hearing and trial dates.
Missouri man has 90-year sentence affirmed
The judge gave Durham the maximum sentence on each and all of the counts, then ran each of the rape, sodomy and enticement counts to 30 years each, consecutive to each other for a total of 90 years. The endangering and molestation counts were run concurrent.
“This case tore a family apart and is particularly tragic and sad because the child’s own grandmother called her a liar and her family told her they didn’t believe her.” Shellabarger said.
Child sex abuse victims are generally voiceless. So when one finds the courage to speak up and her own family turns on her as though she's the criminal, it is particularly tragic. The grandmother will answer to a higher court for her betrayal of the victim.
“Dayton Durham’s actions violated a family’s trust, hurt a little girl and have caused pain to our community beyond just this girl’s personal, private pain. The brave young girl told about the horrible things Dayton Durham did, in spite of great challenges, and law enforcement did a thorough and complete investigation to ensure this precious child didn’t stand alone in holding her abuser accountable. These years of abuse, prosecuted years later, have still left their scars, but a jury did the right thing and saw the truth and power in her testimony and experience. The Appellate Court’s mandate affirming the conviction means that an Audrain County jury, found Dayton Durham guilty of these crimes, in a full, fair trial. The jury saw and heard of the trauma, psychological and physical, that child sexual abuse has on its victims. They were focused, attentive, and were exposed to things we all hope no one ever has to see or experience – child sexual abuse and abuse of children. The jurors stayed focused on the state’s evidence, including some sensitive testimony from this little girl, and are to be commended for their toughness and diligence in holding this abuser accountable through their guilty verdicts in each of these counts.”
Shellabarger continued to discuss his thoughts in the official press release on the sentencing.
“Today’s sentence is a firm, powerful message against the terrible things Dayton Durham committed against this beautiful, vibrant and amazingly brave little girl,” Shellabarger said. “The courage she had to tell the truth, to confront their abuser, to tell him what he did to her was real, it hurt her, and he should be punished for what Dayton did was empowering to her and to our community. Together, our law enforcement partners and the multi-disciplinary team investigated a thorough, complete case and told the jury clearly of his depraved torture and sexual abuse. This case is a testament to the power of the multi-disciplinary team approach in working cases. Each involved agency: the Mexico Public Safety Department, the Audrain County Juvenile Office, Missouri Children’s Division, the Rainbow House Regional Child Advocacy Center, and the Missouri Attorney General’s Office was invaluable in seeing this case through from charging to the appellate process. This jury and the courts have validated this team-based, research-backed, best-practices following multidisciplinary approach as one that informs jurors about the insidious problem of child sexual abuse and the related cover-up, secrecy and shame that can come with disclosure. Our victim’s advocate, Leigh Thomas, and our community victims’ advocacy groups, including the Audrain County Crisis Intervention Services, and the Mid-Mo Chapter of Bikers Against Child Abuse (BACA), have been patient beyond measure and supportive through the entire criminal justice process, and will continue to provide that wrap-around support that is crucial for young victims, that they are supported, safe and protected. Our community must make sure the victim-blaming mentality is put to rest, as these victims faced vicious treatment from others in the community–calling names, physical abuse–for telling the truth about Dayton Durham, their abuser. Some of that came from Durham’s family members, but others were from community members. I hope this case serves as a wake-up call that the private storm inside our victims may be more unspeakable than what’s known about the case, and survivors of abuse deserve to be taken seriously, understood, and not harassed about things they had no control over – crimes that a criminal did to them, that only he is responsible for.”
34 y/o Texas man pleads not guilty to
sexual abuse of teen co-worker
By Field Walsh A Hooks, Texas, man accused of sexual misconduct with a teen girl he met while both worked at Steak ‘n Shake in Texarkana, Texas, pleaded not guilty Tuesday at a hearing in Bowie County.
During a meeting July 18 with a forensic interviewer at CAC, the girl said she would give White rides to and from work because he didn’t have a car but denied there had been sexual contact between them. The girl admitted she spent time with White in a Texarkana motel room but claimed they only watched television together.
The girl was shown print outs of text messages downloaded from her cell phone during a second interview July 25 at Children’s Advocacy Center. Messages between the alleged victim and a friend appeared to confirm that sexual activity with White and his teen Steak ‘n Shake co-worker had occurred.
“The suspect’s phone number was saved under ‘BOO,'” the affidavit states. “The messages showed that he asked her to be with him after she became of age and she tells him that it will be a long time. Throughout the messages you can see the gradual grooming from the suspect to the victim to talk her into having sex with him. The texts talk about renting a motel room at Motel 6 but does not give any indication where the sexual intercourse occurred or how many times it occurred.”
During an interview with a Texarkana, Texas, Police Department detective July 25, White allegedly admitted to having sex with the girl three times at his home in the 100 block of Barkman Creek Road in Hooks, Texas. Texarkana, Texas, police gave their investigative file to the Bowie County Sheriff’s Office because the conduct to which White allegedly admitted occurred outside the city limits of Texarkana but within the jurisdiction of Bowie County Sheriff’s Office.
White appeared Tuesday before 102nd District Judge Bobby Lockhart for arraignment on three counts of sexual assault of a child. If found guilty, White faces two to 20 years in prison on each of the three counts. White is currently being held in the Bowie County jail. He is scheduled to appear before Lockhart for a pretrial hearing Feb. 9.
Hooks, TX
Texas man sentenced to life for graphic
child sex crime denied new trial
By: Erica Garner ABILENE, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) - An Abilene man sentenced to serve life behind bars for a graphic sexual assault of a child case has been denied a new trial.
Sturgis' codefendant, Chelsea Diaz, 29, pleaded guilty to Continuous Sexual Abuse of a Child and was sentenced to serve 25-years behind bars.
The couple is accused of subjecting two young girls to various acts of sexual abuse for years.
Court documents claim one victim told detectives the couple would make the children sniff "spray" from a rag during some of these incidents.
Additional details on the allegations surrounding this case, which are explicit and should be read with discretion, can be found in a previous article published on BigCountryHomepage.com.
Another charge was issued after a victim came forward and claimed Sturgis sexually assaulted her several times a year for three years beginning in May of 2007, and a third charge was issued (3rd story on link) after an additional victim told detectives Sturgis had inappropriate sexual contact with her for years beginning when she was 8-years-old in 1993.
New Jersey man gets 3 years in prison for child porn plea
By Corey W. McDonald The Jersey Journal
JERSEY CITY -- A city man was sentenced to three years in prison for possession of more than 100 files of child pornography, state Attorney General Christopher S. Porrino announced.
He was charged with the second count for an arrest in Ocean County, authorities said.
Bann, who was sentenced by Hudson County Superior Court Judge Mirtha Ospina on Jan. 2, will now be required to register as a sex offender under Megan's Law and will face parole supervision for life.
"These offenders go to great lengths to satisfy their deviant desires, but we will go to much greater lengths to arrest them and seek justice for the children who are tortured and exploited in the creation and distribution of these abhorrent materials," Porrino said in a statement.
Bann was arrested by detectives of the State Police Digital Technology Investigations Unit on Oct. 28, 2014 in Toms River, after detectives received a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) about an individual who was uploading child pornography to his email account, authorities said.
Two years later, Bann was arrested again in Bayonne as a result of a second NCMEC tip regarding a user who was uploading child pornography to a file-sharing and storage account, again traced to Bann.
At the time of his second arrest, Bann had more than 100 files of child pornography on a tablet computer and electronic storage device, authorities said.
Officials urge anyone with information about the distribution of child pornography on the Internet, or about suspected improper contact with with children online or possible exploitation or sexual abuse of children, to please contact the New Jersey Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force tip line at 888-648-6007.
Jersey City, NJ
Accused child sexual predator arrested in Illinois
BLOOMINGTON, Ill. (WAND) - Following a months long investigation, a Bloomington man has been arrested and charged with predatory criminal sexual assault involving a child.
The Bloomington Police Department, Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, and McClean County Children's Advocacy Center began investigating the alleged abuse and assault back in mid-November.
Police said they believe there could be more victims in the Bloomington-Normal area.
Anyone with information is asked to contact BPD Detective Mike Burns at (309) 43402457 or by e-mailing mburns@cityblm.org.
Anonymous tips cam be left by calling McClean County Crime Stoppers at (309) 828-1111.
Pennsylvania Man Sentenced For Child Pornography
By Justin Heinze, Patch Staff WILLOW GROVE, PA — A Willow Grove man has been sentenced to prison for possessing hundreds of photos and videos of young children engaged in sex acts.
Liebman was arrested in May, although an investigation into his activities dates back to Oct. 2016, according to the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office.
Undercover investigators online detected Liebman's computer, according to the DA. It had been specifically designed to share files anonymously, authorities said.
When detectives connected to Liebman, Liebman sent them 366 images and 24 videos of children engaged in sex acts, the DA said.
Shortly thereafter, authorities executed a search warrant at Liebman's home, confiscated his computer, and found more child pornography, according to the DA.
The sentence was handed down by Judge William R. Carpenter.
Sex assault case involving illegal immigrant
headed to trial in NY State
DON LEHMAN dlehman@poststar.comFORT EDWARD — A farm worker who is in the U.S. illegally has rejected a plea offer in a child sex assault case and appears headed to trial in Washington County Court in the coming weeks.
He has pleaded not guilty, and refused a plea deal that includes a five-year state prison term to be followed by 10 years on parole.
Washington County District Attorney Tony Jordan said no resolution to the charges had been reached as of this week.
Barajas-Suarez' lawyer, Washington County Public Defender Michael Mercure, said his staff was awaiting rulings on pretrial motions, but a trial appeared likely.
"At this point, we are certainly preparing for trial," Mercure said.
Washington County Judge Kelly McKeighan has scheduled the case for trial starting Feb. 5, with pretrial hearings set for Jan. 26.
Barajas-Suarez was working at a farm in southern Washington County and was accused of forcing the teen to have sexual contact at a home off the farm property where he had been staying, police said.
State Police were called after the girl, with whom the defendant was acquainted, ran from her room screaming about the attack, authorities said. She suffered no apparent physical injuries, police said.
Police said Barajas-Suarez is a native of Mexico who had been arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in Washington County in November 2016 when he was found to have overstayed a work visa, but he was released a short time later because he “did not meet the (federal) administration requirements” for deportation at the time, officials said at the time of his arrest.
State Police did not identify the farm where Barajas-Suarez had been working, but they said at least one other illegal immigrant was detained for immigration violations during the investigation.
The charges are punishable by up to 32 years in state prison, and Barajas-Suarez faces deportation after his release from jail.
He is being held in Washington County Jail, pending further court action.
Alabama police took 2 years to investigate
child rape/torture of 4 y/o girl
By WALA WebstaffMOBILE COUNTY, AL
A Grand Bay man was arrested Tuesday and charged with sexually abusing a child and producing child pornography. The charges come more than two years after the state said it received a tip that the abuse was happening.
According to the Child Advocacy Center of Mobile, ALEA received a tip from Thompson's internet provider in November 2015 that child porn was being uploaded from his home. But due to what they called "a backup in the system," agents didn't get around to investigating the tip until recently.
ALEA searched Thompson's home on Sunday and officers said they found images on his computer that were being uploaded to a child porn site. The victim in the case is a 6-year-old girl.
Nicki Patterson with the Child Advocacy Center said she's frustrated because the state had evidence that they couldn't analyze back in 2015, and the delay left a child in a vulnerable situation for two years.
That is completely not acceptable. There must be an investigation to ensure this doesn't happen again. If the victim is 6 years old and the case has been going on for at least 2 years, it means she was 4 years old or younger when it started. There is no possible excuse for allowing that to go on for 2 years longer than necessary.
Last story for today. Have to stop here, I'll be awhile recovering from this one.
No comments:
Post a Comment