Former 'Glee' actor Mark Salling found dead,
hanging in riverbed area
The Stars are Falling
LOS ANGELES, California -- Mark Salling, who played bad-boy Noah "Puck" Puckerman in the hit musical-comedy "Glee," died of an apparent suicide Tuesday, weeks after pleading guilty to possessing child pornography. He was 35.
Salling pleaded guilty in December after authorities said a search of his computer and a thumb drive found more than 50,000 images of child porn. He was scheduled to be sentenced March 7, and prosecutors planned to ask a judge to send him to prison for four to seven years.
A law enforcement official not authorized to speak publicly said Salling was found hanging in a riverbed area in the Tujunga neighborhood of Los Angeles. Ed Winter, assistant chief investigator for the Los Angeles County coroner's office, said the death is being investigated as a suicide.
Winter said Salling was pronounced dead at 9 a.m. Tuesday, six hours after police received a report that he was missing.
"Mark was a gentle and loving person, a person of great creativity, who was doing his best to atone for some serious mistakes and errors of judgment," Salling's attorney, Michael J. Proctor, said in an email to The Associated Press.
Proctor didn't discuss the cause of death, but said the actor's family appreciated the support it is receiving and asked that a request for privacy be respected.
The darkly handsome actor had appeared in only a handful of projects before his breakout role in "Glee," the popular Fox TV series about students in a high school glee club and their circle of family and friends. It aired from 2009-15.
Earlier credits included 1996's "Children of the Corn IV: The Gathering," a 1999 guest role on the Chuck Norris series "Walker, Texas Ranger" and a part in the 2014 TV movie "Rocky Road."
A singer-songwriter as well as actor, he released two albums: "Smoke Signals" in 2008 and "Pipe Dreams" in 2010. Following "Pipe Dreams'," release, Salling told The Associated Press he had been a singer-songwriter long before he became an actor.
"I put out a record before. It went triple cardboard," he joked. "I was very excited about selling 125 units for that but you know this is something I've been doing my whole life. It's not something that I just decided to randomly do now. This is not the first. It won't be the last. And I hope people enjoy it and have something to look forward to for the next round."
Salling's character on "Glee" was a member of the school's football team who ends up joining the glee club. One of his character's friends was another jock-turned-singer, Finn Hudson, who was played by Cory Monteith.
Monteith died in 2013 from a toxic mix of alcohol and heroin, according to a coroner's finding.
Mark Wayne Salling was born Aug. 17, 1982, in Dallas, the youngest child of John Salling, an accountant, and his wife, Condy, a school secretary.
Like his character on "Glee," Salling was a jock, taking part in wrestling, rugby, basketball and other school sports when he wasn't playing guitar or piano. By high school he was playing gigs in local bars.
Soon after finishing school he moved to California to pursue an acting and music career and to study guitar at the Los Angeles Music Academy.
After seven years of failing to land any substantial roles, and having released just one album, Salling was ready to give up when his older brother, Matt, exhorted him to keep trying. Soon after he landed the role on "Glee," where he quickly captivated audiences. His performance of Neil Diamond's "Sweet Caroline" even won praise from Diamond himself.
Salling said his own musical preferences covered a wide range from jazz to country to rock, pop and hip-hop. He cited Radiohead's Thom Yorke and Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails as among his musical influences.
He is survived by his parents and brother.
Trial begins in Alabama child sex abuse case from 2011
By Stephen McLambMARSHALL COUNTY, AL (WAFF) -
A Marshall County man is going on trial for the sexual abuse of a toddler.
Jury selection began Monday for Frost, who was indicted on the charges just over five years ago.
Prosecutors say Frost had sexual contact with a 2-year-old girl on numerous occasions in 2011.
The child later disclosed what happened when she was 3 years old.
Opening statements begin at 10 a.m. Wednesday.
Marshall Co., AL
Butte man pleads guilty to child sex abuse,
secretly filming 11-year-old girl
MIKE SMITH mike.smith@mtstandard.com
A man accused of secretly filming an 11-year-old girl while she showered at a home in Butte pleaded guilty Thursday to felony sexual abuse of children.
Some stories have his name as Patrick William Shea.
Details of the plea deal were not immediately available, but regardless of any sentencing recommendations in it, judges do not have to follow them. The maximum penalty for the charge is life in prison.
Newman ordered a pre-sentence investigation and will set sentencing after receiving it. Shea remains jailed with bond set at $75,000.
Shea was arrested last March 29 after police said an 11-year-old girl told them she believed she was being secretly filmed while showering. Police interviewed Shea and got a search warrant for his phone.
According to prosecutors, Shea admitted to police that he took a short video of the girl in the shower but said he did not know why. “Shea said that he watched the video and looked at the picture but then erased it because he knew it was wrong,” the charging document says.
It says he also admitted downloading videos of children with other children and flushing the memory card to his phone down the toilet.
Judges usually follow recommended sentences in plea deals, but Newman — as he does with any defendants about to change pleas — cautioned Shea that he was not “legally bound” to do so. Regardless, he said, the voluntary guilty plea would stand.
“I understand your honor,” said Shea, standing in cuffs and an orange jail jumpsuit.
Newman said the pre-sentence investigation should include a “psycho-sexual” evaluation, but Victor Bunitsky — Shea’s public defender — said one had already been completed.
Alaska man charged with sexual abuse of minor
Dorothy Chomicz dchomicz@newsminer.com FAIRBANKS — A 25-year-old Fairbanks man has been charged with felony first-degree sexual abuse of a minor for reportedly molesting a young girl temporarily in his care.
The child’s parents told Fairbanks police that Warren Andrew Nichols had been staying with them for about a month and the abuse happened Sunday evening when they left the child with Nichols for about 30 minutes.
Nichols is also charged with misdemeanor fifth-degree criminal mischief for allegedly ripping a kitchen cabinet off the wall when the parents confronted him about the abuse.
According to a criminal complaint filed in Fairbanks court Tuesday, police responded to the home at 8:04 p.m. Sunday after Nichols called them to report the people there were accusing him of being a pedophile.
The child’s mother told police the child said Nichols kissed her on the mouth and grabbed her buttocks. The child also told one of the responding officers Nichols had exposed himself to her and performed a sex act on her.
Nichols denied any sexual contact with the child and told officers the child is “very smart and honest,” according to the complaint.
Court records show Nichols was earlier charged with first-degree burglary, third- and fourth-degree assault, driving under the influence and three counts of fourth-degree criminal mischief for an Oct. 25, 2017, incident in Kenai. Nichols failed to appear for a hearing there on Jan. 22 and a warrant was issued for his arrest.
West Virginia man pleads guilty to child abuse
resulting in serious injury
By GREG JORDAN Bluefield Daily Telegraph PRINCETON - After being reminded of his constitutional rights including a jury trial, a Bluefield man charged with beating and sexually abusing a 3-year-old child pleaded guilty Wednesday to first-degree sexual abuse and child abuse resulting in serious injury.
Seal entered into a best interest plea in which he recognized that he would face even more serious penalties if a jury found him guilty, Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Holly Flanigan said later. Seal will be required to register as a sex offender for life.
The case began in early June 2017 when Detective K.L. Adams, working with the Mercer County Prosecuting Attorney’s Offie, was told about the alleged abuse of a 3-year-old child, according to court records. The child had severe bruises on the left ear, the front of the face and the forehead. A nurse examined the child and determined that other injuries were the result of possible sexual abuse.
Wills ordered a presentencing investigation and a sex offender evaluation. Sentencing was scheduled early April. Seal is being held at the Southern Regional Jail in Beaver.
Flanigan said the child was now “doing really well.”
Former Delaware Catholic priest charged in
25-year-old child rape case
Xerxes Wilson, The News Journal In a first for Delaware, prosecutors have brought criminal charges against a former Catholic priest for raping a child more than 25 years ago.
Sarro was a priest in Bear and Bellefonte through much of the '80s and '90s. He was identified by diocese officials in 2006 as one of 20 local priests with "admitted, corroborated or otherwise substantiated" allegations of sexual abuse of minors against them.
But the conduct that landed Sarro in that group is said to be separate from the current charge.
His Monday indictment accuses him in the early 1990s of having "sexual intercourse" with a girl under the age of 16. Those crimes would have taken place when Sarro was serving at St. Helena Parish in Bellefonte.
The report came after Sarro had already been removed from the ministry and the victim had declined permission for diocese officials to report the issue to police at the time, said Robert Krebs, a spokesman for the Wilmington Diocese, in a written statement.
Specifics of his relationship with the alleged victim or her identity are not detailed in court documents.
"I can't recall all the circumstances, but it was simply a misunderstanding," said Sarro in a brief telephone interview Tuesday from his residence at an assisted living facility near Elkton, Maryland.
Sarro declined to go into detail about the accusations.
Sarro's indictment states he "intentionally" had unlawful sexual contact with the girl by touching her breasts between September 1991 and August 1992. A separate charge states he "intentionally" engaged in "sexual intercourse, oral sex" with the girl between July 1993 and July 1994.
In 1998, the Delaware General Assembly revised the state's criminal code to replace the crime of unlawful sexual intercourse with the present criminal charge of rape. Sarro was charged with unlawful sexual intercourse because that was the law at the time.
The indictment also describes the victim as "not the defendant's voluntary social companion."
No. Carolina man faces more child sex abuse charges
by WLOS staff
MCDOWELL COUNTY, N.C. (WLOS) — A Marion man accused of molesting an 11-year-old acquaintance faces more charges.
John Conner, who was originally charged with four counts of taking indecent liberties with a child and one count each of statutory rape, statutory sex offense with a child by an adult and altering, stealing or destroying criminal evidence, now faces more charges for allegedly molesting an 11-year-old girl.The investigation of Conner, 50, began Jan. 16, when Conner’s family members reported him missing. A search for Conner turned up allegations that he had inappropriate sexual contact with the 11-year-old girl on multiple occasions.
After further investigation, authorities have charged Conner with another count each of statutory sex offense with a child by an adult and taking indecent liberties with a child.
Conner is also charged with possession of methamphetamine and possession of drug paraphernalia stemming from the day he was arrested (Jan. 19).
Utah teacher allegedly groped elementary
student in classroom multiple times
Emily Havens, ehavens@thespectrum.com A Sunrise Ridge Intermediate School teacher was arrested by St. George Police officers Tuesday for reportedly sexually abusing a former student of his.
SGPD officers were made aware of the allegations from the victim on Dec. 18.
Payne, residing on Windmill Drive in Santa Clara, is still an employee of Washington County School District. He was teaching class up until Tuesday when SGPD detectives pulled him out to interview him.
Steve Dunham, WCSD's director of communication and public relations, said administrators have "very little information" about the incidents because they were only made aware of the allegations just prior to Payne's arrest.
According to the probable cause statement, the victim was interviewed on Dec. 21. During the interview, she disclosed three instances she could remember during which she alleges Payne groped her.
She told police this type of touching occurred three to four times, according to the statement.
The victim also alleged additional touching would occur while Payne would have a movie playing for the class. He would allow students to sit on the counter or the floor, according to the student's disclosure, and Payne would sit next to her when the classroom's lights were off.
Payne reportedly groped the student's chest underneath her shirt and also directly groped her vagina multiple times during classroom movies, according to the probable cause.
The last incident the student described to police reportedly occurred at a pool party at an undisclosed residence, during which Payne grabbed her and engaged in more groping of the victim's vagina beneath her swimsuit.
While Payne was being interviewed at the police department, he disclosed that he remembered the student from years ago but denied the allegations, according to the statement.
The three counts of child sex abuse Payne is charged with were advanced to aggravated abuse due to the position of trust he had over the victim. SGPD Officer Lona Trombley said the investigation is ongoing.
Dunham said WCSD is cooperating with SGPD "every step of the way."
"We're horrified to think that this could have happened," Dunham said. "We will help [the investigation] in any way possible. Obviously, we want to find out the facts and make sure any potential victims get peace in this matter. It's horrific to think that a victim has been tortured over this for years and years, and you don't ever want that, ever."
Payne is in custody of the Washington County Jail, and his bail is set at $75,000. Court records indicate he has no prior criminal history in Washington County.
Illinois man sentenced to 4 years probation
on child sex abuse charge
CLAIRE HETTINGER Herald & Review DECATUR — William Van Scyoc, 32, was sentenced to four years of probation Wednesday in Macon County Circuit Court after he pleaded guilty to aggravated criminal sexual abuse of a child, a Class 2 felony.
The crime was reported to police in July and involved children younger than 14. Charges stemmed from multiple incidents that took place at a residence in Decatur, police said.As part of a plea agreement, a second charge of aggravated criminal sexual abuse was dismissed. Van Scyoc is required to submit to a DNA test and register for life as a sex offender.
Circuit Judge Thomas E. Griffith authorized the probation to be transferred to Coles County, where Van Scyoc will be living. He was released from the Macon County Jail on Wednesday afternoon.
Missouri man pleads guilty to child sexual abuse
BY KRISTOFFER TIGUE An Audrain County man was sentenced to 30 years in the Missouri Department of Corrections Wednesday after pleading guilty to sexually abusing a minor.
According to an Audrain County press release, between 2014 and 2015, Kelly repeatedly sexually assaulted a then 9-year-old Audrain County girl and forced her to perform sexual acts.
“Although Mr. Kelly took responsibility for his actions through today’s plea, serving a thirty-year sentence in prison for these crimes, the victim, her family and community continue to live with the after-effects of his actions,” said Audrain County Prosecuting Attorney Jacob Shellabarger in the release.
The county worked with Rainbow House Child Advocacy Center and other community organizations to ensure that the case was handled in “a professional and thorough manner,” Shellabarger said.
Texas man turns himself in for alleged child sex crime
PARIS, Tex. (KXII) -- A Sumner man is in the Lamar County Jail accused of child sex crimes.
The abuse was reported a week ago and O'Neal turned himself in on Monday.
Arrest affidavits say the abuse allegedly happened over four years.
He was previously convicted of aggravated robbery in 1999 and was out on parole at the time.
Sumner, TX
Sexual abuse charges dismissed for Iowa man
Hannah Hilyard NEWTON, Iowa —
Charges have been dismissed for a Newton man facing 16 counts of sexual abuse of a 10-year-old girl.
Cooper was ruled incompetent to stand trial Monday. His charges were dismissed and he was released from jail.
Family members of the victim told KCCI that they are furious with the decision.
"I don't want him around anybody's child, let alone, you know, one of my other grandkids or anybody's period,” said Harry Jordan, who is a relative of the victim.
"I just can't believe that somebody can get away with such a horrible thing and still be let out to walk the streets without even getting on the sex offender list,” said Sarah Bradbury, who is also related to the victim.
Bradbury said the county attorney's office can pursue a civil case to have Cooper hospitalized, but that has not happened yet.
"There's a loophole in the system, and it needs to be fixed,” Bradbury said.
Legal expert Bob Rigg the county might not pursue a civil case at all. “For whatever reason, for legal reasons or financial reasons, a county attorney may decide not to pursue a civil commitment proceeding,” Rigg said. “And if they don't do that, the individual is released from custody."
So much for protecting our children!!!???
KCCI reached out to both the county attorney and Cooper's attorney Wednesday but did not hear back.
Cooper’s brother, Dustin Cooper, has also been arrested. Court documents show he pleaded guilty to five counts of sexual abuse related to the same victim.
Dustin Cooper is still in jail. His sentencing is scheduled for Feb. 12.
No comments:
Post a Comment