Six Oregon men file suit against Albany First Assembly church for sex abuse
LILLIAN SCHROCK Corvallis Gazette-Times 
The Albany First Assembly church in a 2016 file photo. The church rebranded last year as
Hope Church of the Assemblies of God.
Six Oregon men filed a lawsuit Friday against the Albany First Assembly church, and the state and national organizations that operate the church, for sexual abuse they say they suffered as children in the 1980s, according to the Portland law firm representing the plaintiffs.
The lawsuit alleges that the church and its governing organizations failed to investigate and forward to police reports that a youth leader in the church had sexually abused a boy. Two leaders of a church youth program were later criminally convicted for sexually abusing several boys.
According to the complaint, Ralph Wade Gantt and Todd Clark were leaders in the church-sponsored Royal Rangers, an educational and recreational program for boys similar to Boy Scouts. The lawsuit alleges Gantt and Clark abused their position of leadership, trust and respect to repeatedly sexually abuse the six plaintiffs when they were as young as 10 years old.
Five of the plaintiffs are represented by their initials in the lawsuit. The sixth plaintiff is listed Anthony Burwell.
The complaint asserts Gantt and Clark frequently had the plaintiffs and other Royal Rangers members stay overnight at their houses for sleepovers, took members on overnight camping trips and hosted members at their houses for Bible studies.
The plaintiffs assert the abuse happened during the sleepovers and after Bible study sessions, according to the lawsuit. One plaintiff states the abuse happened during a districtwide Royal Rangers event sponsored by the Oregon District of the Assemblies of God. The plaintiffs allege the abuse happened between 1980 and 1986.
The lawsuit states one of the plaintiffs, identified as R.T., reported the abuse to his father in 1984 and his father reported the abuse to the Albany First Assembly church. According to the complaint, the church did not report Clark to the police or remove him from his position as a Royal Ranger leader at that time. The church terminated Gantt and Clark from the Royal Rangers program sometime after 1986, the lawsuit states.
Three of the six plaintiffs allege claims for abuse committed by Clark after the church learned of Clark’s alleged abuse of R.T., said Gilion Dumas, one of the attorneys representing the plaintiffs.
Clark and Gantt were convicted in 1988 for child sexual abuse. Gantt was convicted of abusing R.T. and other victims associated with the Albany First Assembly church, Dumas said. Clark was convicted for abusing other members of the Royal Rangers, she said.
Dumas' firm, the Dumas Law Group, filed a lawsuit against the Albany First Assembly church in 2016 on behalf of a separate plaintiff who alleged abuse by Clark and Gantt. That lawsuit was recently resolved with a confidential settlement, Dumas said.
The six men in the current lawsuit were identified as victims of Gantt and Clark when the Dumas Law Group was investigating claims in the 2016 suit, Dumas said. She said the delay in pursuing a civil lawsuit is common with abuse victims.
Both lawsuits were filed in Multnomah County. Dumas said this is because the state and national church organizations do business there and that many of the witnesses who would testify at trial are in Multnomah County.
The lawsuit asks for $42 million in damages.
The Albany First Assembly church rebranded last year as Hope Church of the Assemblies of God. Church Pastor Stan Baker said Friday church officials had not received any information notifying them of the lawsuit.
California Mother Sentenced For Facilitating
Sexual Abuse Of Daughter
Mother sacrifices daughters for drugs
SANTA ROSA (CBS SF) — A Petaluma woman was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison Friday morning in Sonoma County Superior Court for aiding and facilitating the sexual abuse of her nine-year-old daughter.
Tawnya Hopper, 44, was charged with 13 felony counts involving men molesting both her younger daughter and her 20-year old developmentally-delayed daughter, now 22, at her home on Wilson Street in Petaluma in 2015.
She pleaded no contest to one count of aiding and facilitating the sexual abuse of her 9-year-old daughter and the remaining counts were dismissed.
Hopper was arrested in November 2015 when the FBI was investigating a Bay Area child pornography ring that implicated Hopper.
The FBI and Petaluma police found child pornography and drug paraphernalia when they searched Hopper’s home. Hopper’s younger daughter told authorities an adult male had abused her several times while Hopper was present, the Sonoma County District Attorney’s Office said.
“This was really an atrocious crime. This defendant engaged in conduct that was totally reprehensible with her own child,” Sonoma County District Attorney Jill Ravitch said in statement.
So many stories of Mothers and Fathers who sacrifice their children for drugs. How pathetic!
NY sex offender found guilty of federal child porn charges, faces up to 40 years in prison
Anthony Borrelli, aborrelli@pressconnects.com
A federal jury found a Binghamton sex offender guilty Friday of child pornography charges that could send him to prison for at least 15 years, or a maximum of four decades.
The three-day trial for Roland Kyzer, 48, was the second time he faced federal prosecution for sex crimes — he had been under supervised release from a 2003 federal child porn conviction when, in November 2016, he violated conditions of probation.
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, evidence at trial established that on Nov. 15, 2016, U.S. Probation Officers searched Kyzer’s residence in Binghamton, then discovered a laptop computer, an iPod, mobile phone, compact discs, other electronic media, and thumb drives. Those were all prohibited by the terms of his supervised release.
When questioned by authorities, Kyzer admitted those devices contained child pornography. A search of those electronic devices revealed over 25,000 images and videos of children engaged in sexual conduct, prosecutors said.
The images and videos depicted children who had not yet attained 12 years of age, according to a grand jury indictment handed up Nov. 8, 2017.
Prosecutors based the federal charges on accusations of Kyzer engaging in the criminal conduct by a "means and facility of interstate and foreign commerce," such as a computer and the internet. Kyzer is scheduled to be sentenced June 22 in Binghamton's federal courthouse. The prison term will be decided by a judge and Kyzer must continue to be a registered sex offender.
Prosecutors said Kyzer is also charged separately with violating the conditions of his supervised release based upon his receipt and possession of child pornography, and could face an additional term of at least 5 years imprisonment if he is found to have violated those conditions.
According to court records, Kyzer had been released from state prison Nov. 2, 2011, after serving seven years behind bars for a felony first-degree sexual abuse conviction in Tioga County Court. He had been accused of sexually molesting two girls who were ages 3 and 14 in June 1999.
During the course of that investigation, Tioga County Sheriff's deputies said they found child porn images on Kyzer's computer and a videotape depicting similar acts.
Iowa man accused of sexually abusing a child
FOREST CITY, Iowa – A Fort Dodge man is facing a sex abuse charge in Winnebago County.
38-year-old Williams Eugene Whytus, who used to live in Buffalo Center, is accused of committing a sex act on a child between October 2014 and May 2015. Authorities say the child was between 12 and 13 years old at the time.
Whytus was arrested in Fort Dodge on Wednesday and booked into the Winnebago County Jail on $10,000 bond.
Winnebago Co., Iowa
Two women charged with child neglect in Oklahoma
By Ryan Miller
CHEROKEE — Two Alfalfa County women were charged Thursday with child neglect felonies for reportedly failing to protect a child from sexual abuse.
Robin Renea Hoffer, 52, and Nicole Hough, 31, each face a felony charge of child neglect, according to court documents filed in Alfalfa County. The felony is punishable by up to life in prison, up to one year in county jail and/or a fine of $500 to $5,000.
Court documents also show Hough previously was convicted of three counts of grand larceny. Online court records show Hoffer also was charged with two misdemeanor counts of possession of a controlled dangerous substance.
On Dec. 1, Alfalfa County Sheriff Rick Wallace was contacted by a Department of Human Services worker who said she had opened an investigation of child sexual abuse, according to a probable cause affidavit filed in the case. The worker told Wallace a forensic interview needed to be conducted on four children, ages 10, 9, 7 and 5, and she had concerns the abuse was ongoing.
DHS reported to law enforcement that it had attempted to contact Hough at a residence in Cherokee, but no one answered the door, according to the affidavit. Law enforcement later went to the residence and made contact with Hough, and reported when Hough opened the door, a strong odor of marijuana was detected.
Police asked Hough for consent to search the residence due to the odor of marijuana, but Hough said the home was in her mother’s name and that Hoffer would need to give consent, according to the affidavit. After Hough got Hoffer from her bedroom in the home, Hoffer refused consent. Officials told the two women that due to an ongoing investigation, the children would need to be interviewed, and the women agreed to bring them to the sheriff’s office.
Wallace contacted Hough’s parole officer, who told Wallace that Hough had asked permission to move from a man's residence to her mother’s home, due to the man having “inappropriate actions,” with one of the children, according to the affidavit. The parole officer told Wallace he’d told Hough yes, but that she could not move for the first 90 days of her parole, unless she filed a police report about the suspected sexual abuse of the child.
Police reported Hough never made a report, but asked for a counselor for the girl, according to the affidavit. In a later interview, Hough stated the girl “all of a sudden” did not want to go to the the man's house. She told officials the situation first came to her attention in October 2017 after she got out of prison.
Hough told interviewers she was walking out with the girl and asked her what happened when the girl went into a panic attack, and Hough didn’t ask anymore, according to the affidavit. Hough told officials she asked the girl again a couple of weeks later and the girl started having a “full blown panic attack laying on the floor,” and when asked why Hough didn’t report this to law enforcement, Hough told officials the girl did not want her to and that she didn’t want to get anyone in trouble.
Hough also admitted to police she was aware of the man having a previous arrest for a sex offense in Kansas, according to the affidavit. Wallace performed a preliminary background check on the man and determined he had a prior conviction for sexual battery in Kansas.
Law enforcement asked Hough about the odor of marijuana in the home, and Hough stated there was nothing in the house, according to the affidavit, but that she had gone outside about two weeks prior to smoke marijuana.
In a handwritten statement to police, Hough admitted she had not taken proper care of her children, according to the affidavit. “I am writing this letter to apologize for not following thru with doing taking the right & correct precaution to try to make sure (the children) were safe and protected … my heart is truly broken and I now know I should have followed thru in a report,” Hough wrote in the statement, according to the affidavit.
Hough also admitted to law enforcement to allowing other adult men to come to the home to stay with the children, including a “recovering addict,” according to the affidavit. “Again, I’m truly very sorry for the poor decision making on my part,” Hough wrote in the statement, according to the affidavit.
In an interview with Hoffer and law enforcement, Hoffer told officials about two days prior she had smoked meth at the residence, according to the affidavit. She also told interviewers “a friend” came to the residence and they stepped outside to smoke meth from a glass pipe. Hoffer told law enforcement that in fall 2017 she had been arrested in Oklahoma for illegal drug charges that are pending.
After the interview, law enforcement officials executed a search warrant on the home and stated they found marijuana and methamphetamine in Hoffer’s bedroom, according to the affidavit.
Warrants for both Hoffer's and Hough's arrests were issued Thursday, according to online court records.
Another mother sacrificing her children for drugs!
NY Man Faces New Child Sex Abuse Charges
By Lanning Taliaferro, Patch Staff
PEEKSKILL, NY — Elisha D. Henry, a Peekskill resident arrested Monday, now faces new charges for Sexual Abuse in the First Degree, a class D felony.
On Feb. 19, New York State Police arrested the 23-year-old for sexual conduct with a victim under the age of 11 in the town of Wappinger.
On Feb. 23 Henry was arrested for two additional felonies after investigation determined he also sexually abused the child in the city of Peekskill.
Police said Henry was arraigned before the city of Peekskill Court and sent to the Westchester County Jail without bail. Henry is next scheduled to appear before the court on Feb. 26.
Mississippi man sentenced to 15 years
for sexual abuse of teenager
JACKSON COUNTY, MS (WLOX) -
A Vancleave man will spend the next 15 years in prison, day for day, after pleading guilty to sexually abusing a 14-year old.
Sterling Randolph Davidson, 28, admitted to two counts of sexual battery against the child, who was a friend of the family. Judge Dale Harkey sentenced Davidson to 30 years in prison with 15 to serve without the possibility of parole, followed by 15 years on post-release supervision.
“The victim and her family were relieved after hearing the court sentence the defendant to fifteen years without parole," said Assistant District Attorney Cherie Wade. "I am proud that she came forward to report the abuse and was able to see justice served today. I commend the investigation by the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department, who helped to resolve this case without the victim having to endure the trauma of a trial.”
“The family trusted this defendant with the most precious thing they treasured. He violated their trust and sexually abused the victim," said District Attorney Tony Lawrence in a written statement. "I hope fifteen years day-for-day will deter others from violating a family’s trust and help protect other children.”
Davidson was also fined $3,000 plus court costs, another $1,000 to be given to the Mississippi Children's Trust Fund, and $250 to the Crime Victim's Compensation Fund. He will also be required to register a sex offender for the rest of his life.
‘Monster’ sent to prison for child sex abuse
By David Panian
Daily Telegram News Editor
ADRIAN, MI — A man described as a “monster” by a boy’s grandmother will spend the next 171⁄2 to 50 years in prison.
Lenawee County Circuit Judge Margaret M.S. Noe sentenced Joel Dean Kurowicki, 34, of Adrian on Thursday to 210 to 600 months in prison on each of the three counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct with a person younger than 13 that he was convicted of last month (10th story on link). The sentences will run concurrently.
A jury found him guilty of sexually abusing a boy who was between the ages of 4 and 6 between February 2006 and December 2008 in Madison Township and Tecumseh. The boy is now 15. He reported the abuse in December 2014 to a Lenawee County Probate Court employee.
In one of three victim’s statements Thursday, the boy’s grandmother told the court she’s been with the boy all of his life and saw him go through the trauma of fear and anger.
“This monster over here stole my grandson’s trust, stole his innocence by the heinous things he did to him,” she said, with Kurowicki seated to her left at the defense counsel table as she stood at the courtroom podium. When her grandson told her what had happened, she said, “it took everything for me not to puke.”
“You’re a monster. I can’t even say that you’re an animal,” she said while facing Kurowicki. “You’re a monster. A monster. He’s a pedophile, he’s a sociopath, he’s a monster,” she said to Noe. “He doesn’t need to be out on the streets to hurt any more children.”
The boy’s parents briefly addressed the court, each asking Noe to sentence him to the maximum allowed. The circuit court probation office calculated the minimum sentence guidelines to be between 126 and 210 months. The charges allowed a maximum sentence of life in prison.
The boy’s mother said her son had been through a lot of trauma because of the abuse. “It’s not only hurt him, it’s hurt the whole family,” she said.
The boy’s father said he’s angry about the three years of daily abuse his son suffered. “The things I’ve seen him go through is heartbreaking,” he said. “For the next 126 months and the rest of his life I’ll have to deal with a child who is broken,” the boy’s father said.
The boy testified that he’s “had a pretty rough life” and came to court from a residential treatment facility. His mother testified he had counseling at school and with therapists or caseworkers with home or office visits since he was 5. The counseling began after he started having outbursts at school.
Monroe County Assistant Prosecutor Jennifer Ewen said Kurowicki deserved no mercy, saying the victim “is a good boy. He’s a very sweet boy,” she said. “Maybe that’s why Mr. Kurowicki targeted him.”
Ewen was assigned the case after the Lenawee County Prosecutor’s Office agreed to disqualify itself after Kurowicki’s defense attorney, Bill McCririe of Brighton, raised a conflict of interest concern over a 2006 drunken-driving case.
Ewen asked Noe to sentence him to 600 months in prison, saying Kurowicki had “ruined a child’s life” and he would probably reoffend if let out of prison. “I have hope for (the boy) that his life will be something,” she said, but that doing so will take many years.
McCririe asked Noe to sentence Kurowicki to the low end of the guidelines, citing his age; the progress he made to gain sobriety, earn an associate degree and hold a good job; and his family support. “Joel is not the kind of person that needs to be thrown away,” McCririe said.
He said the lifetime registration as a sex offender and GPS monitoring and no-contact order with minors would protect society. He said Kurowicki has shown an ability to get beyond his substance abuse and criminal problems and has a good prognosis for staying out of trouble once out of prison.
“This is not the kind of person who is going to perpetuate a life of crime,” he said.
Kurowicki declined to make a comment to the court.
Noe said she appreciated that Kurowicki had gained sobriety and furthered his education. “Those are things that (the victim) could not, may not and probably will not ever have an opportunity to accomplish,” she said.
Noe said she found the boy to be “insightful and caring.” She said the abuse by someone the boy should have been able to trust left him unable to tell someone what was happening until he built trust with them.
“I hope his family will tell (the boy) how much I admired him for his ability to withstand inquiries and cling to the truth,” Noe said.
Along with the prison time with credit for 51 days already served in jail, the lifetime sex offender registration and GPS monitoring and no contact with minors or the victim, Noe ordered Kurowicki pay $334 in court costs.
Kansas man awaits extradition for child
sexual abuse charge in Oklahoma
by Austin Prickett
ANTLERS, Okla. (KOKH) — Authorities await the extradition of a Kansas man accused of sexually abusing a girl in Oklahoma.
The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation reports that Jefferson Boyd McAhren, 22, has been charged with two counts of causing, aiding, and/or abetting a minor in drug crime, one count of child abuse, and one count of lewd molestation.
The OSBI reports that McAhren lived with his girlfriend and her three children in Antlers in 2016. During this time, McAhren allegedly allowed one of the children to sleep with him and kissed and inappropriately touched the girl.
He also allegedly allowed the children to smoke marijuana. McAhren moved to Lawrence, Kansas after breaking up with the children's mother. An investigation into the sexual abuse allegations was then opened.
McAhren will be extradited to face the charges in Pushmataha County.
Ann Arbor-area man charged in sex assaults
gets 30 years in child porn case
By Darcie Moran dmoran@mlive.com
ANN ARBOR, MI - A Pittsfield Township man will serve 30 years in federal prison for taking lewd photographs of young girls.
Terry Leclerc, 47, was sentenced Wednesday, Feb. 21 in federal court for producing and receiving child pornography, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
He also faces sentencing Feb. 27 in two local sexual assault cases stemming from the same investigation.
Leclerc first came under investigation when he was accused of forcing oral sex on a 57-year-old developmentally disabled man in April 2016, according to a sentencing memorandum filed in court by federal prosecutors. The incident took place in Ann Arbor, according to Washtenaw County court records.
During the investigation into that assault, police found sexually explicit images of two girls taken on Leclerc's phone while babysitting them in June 2016 in his basement in the 3000 block of Golfside Road, according to prosecutors.
Terry Leclerc pleaded guilty to criminal sexual conduct and production of child pornography.
One of the girls appeared to be sleeping or unconscious in the explicit photos, investigators said.
Leclerc later admitted in Washtenaw County Trial Court to forcing sexual contact on the child.
Missouri man arrested in Florida on
Texas County child sex case
Houston Herald • news@houstonherald.com
A Success, MO man was arrested Feb. 6 in Florida on an outstanding warrant charging him with sexual abuse of a child.
William E. Lucas, 72, of 10913 Bell Road, was indicted Feb. 1 by a Texas County grand jury on charges of statutory sodomy or attempted sodomy, as well as child molestation resulting from an incident on Aug. 6, 2017.
Bond was set at $500,000.
He is held in the Marion County, Fla., jail awaiting extradition.
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