Austerlitz, NY, man faces 365 counts of child sex abuse
Amanda Purcell Columbia-Greene Media
HUDSON — A Columbia County man is facing 365 counts of child sex abuse charges after allegedly assaulting three children over a period of four years, the Columbia County District Attorney’s Office and state police said Monday.
Michael Lawrence, 71, of Austerlitz, was arraigned in Columbia County Court on Monday on a range of child sex charges that allegedly occurred from 2009-2013, authorities said.
The Columbia County District Attorney’s Office and New York State Police are accusing Lawrence of abusing three children in that time period, the youngest of whom was 11 at the time of the abuse.
Columbia County Judge Jonathan Nichols sent Lawrence to Columbia County Jail without bail pending his next court appearance.
Lawrence was charged with first-degree course of sexual conduct, a class B felony; course of sexual conduct in the second degree, a class D felony; criminal sex act in the first degree, a class B felony; 103 counts of predatory sexual assault, a class A-II felony; 103 counts of first-degree rape, a class B felony; 130 counts of first-degree sexual abuse, a class D felony; 23 counts of first-degree sexual abuse, a class D felony; and three counts of second-degree sexual abuse, a class A misdemeanor.
The identities of the victims and details of their relationship to Lawrence are being withheld to protect the children, according to the DA’s office.
Lawrence said he wants to share his story as he was escorted in handcuffs out of the courthouse Monday by state police. Lawrence added he was in the hospital when some of the acts were alleged to have occurred as he was led down the stairs by authorities.
Ardmore, OK, mother facing child neglect charge
for not reporting sexual abuse to protect boyfriend
By Shelby Dowler
ARDMORE, Okla. (KXII) - Ardmore police said they arrested an Ardmore woman at the Mercy ER on Sept. 25 for not reporting sexual abuse of her own child to law enforcement or the Department of Human Services.
A relative took 24-year-old Taylor Michelle Bashore's six-year-old child to the hospital last Wednesday.
Capt. Keith Ingle with Ardmore Police Department said the small child told the relative about an assault that happened two weeks prior. "Throughout [the detective's] investigation, it was determined that the mother had knowledge that this had occurred but yet failed to report it," Ingle said.
Police said Bashore and her child were living with 37-year-old Justin Irvine, Bashore's boyfriend, at the Pecan Creek Apartments off Holiday Drive.
Court records show Irvine pleaded guilty to rape in Carter County in 2007 and had been charged with failure to register as a sex offender two times after that.
Police said Bashore allowed her child to be sexually abused by Irvine and used meth in front of her child too.
It's astonishing what a drug addict will do to their own children for a hit.
Police said it does not matter who the suspect is, child abuse needs to be reported. "Whether it's a family member, a spouse or a stranger, it still needs to be reported if you have knowledge of it," Ingle said. "That is your job as a parent to protect your children and we take that very seriously here."
Bashore is charged with child neglect and first appeared in court on Friday.
She faces up to life in prison for that charge. Police said she could be charged with more once their investigation is over.
Officers said they are working on an arrest warrant for Irvine. Bashore has a preliminary hearing conference set for Oct. 31 at 9 a.m.
Relatives said the child is in the care of family.
Hardwick, VT, man gets 3 to 20 years
for child sexual abuse
By ERIC BLAISDELL
BARRE – A Hardwick man has been sentenced to three to 20 years to serve for sexually abusing two people with disabilities.
Dustin Ray Cota, 22, was sentenced Monday in Washington County criminal court in Barre on felony counts of sexual assault, lewd and lascivious conduct with a child and lewd and lascivious conduct. Cota pleaded guilty to the crimes in June. The state agreed to drop two felony counts of sexual assault and a felony count of sexual abuse of a vulnerable adult, per the plea agreement.
Cota will get credit for time served and has been held on $100,000 bail at Northeast Correctional Complex in St. Johnsbury since his arraignment in August 2018.
Detective Trooper Amber Pouliot, of the Vermont State Police, said in her affidavit a mother contacted police in August 2018 to report her 12-year-old son had been sexually assaulted by Cota. Pouliot said she spoke with the mother who reported she had taken Cota and her children swimming at Nichol’s Pond in Woodbury. Before they left she told Pouliot she overheard one of her children tell Cota he promised not to tell a family member something.
Pouliot said the mother reported she asked the child later what he and Cota were talking about and the child broke down crying saying Cota had molested him.
Pouliot said she spoke with the victim, but he did not say anything about Cota molesting him. After the interview, Pouliot said another family member came forward to report Cota had sexually assaulted her as well. The mother told Pouliot she had spoken to the second victim, an 18-year-old family member, who reported Cota had sexually assaulted her.
Pouliot said she spoke with the second victim who reported she was at the pond with her family and was walking with a family member when she noticed Cota was following her and acting drunk. After the family member left, the second victim told Pouliot that Cota came up behind her and sexually assaulted her.
Pouliot said she later learned both victims had cognitive and physical disabilities.
Pawling, NY, Man Charged With Sex Abuse Of Child
Kathy Reakes
A 27-year-old area man has been charged with allegedly having sex with an underage child.
Alex Ramos-Hernandez, of Pawling, was arrested following an investigation by the Dutchess County Sheriff's Office in connection along with the Child Advocacy Center, said Capt. John Watterson.
Ramos-Hernandez was arrested on Friday, Sept. 27, and is accused of having inappropriate sexual contact with the victim who he knows, Watterson said.
"At this time there doesn’t appear to be a threat to public safety," he said.
Ramos-Hernandez was charged with one count of sexual abuse and is being held at the Dutchess County Jail on $2,500 cash bail/$5,000 bond.
If anyone has any information related to this case or similar incidents associated with Ramos-Hernandez they are urged to contact Deputy David Meyer at 845-486-3778 or dmmeyer@dutchessny.gov .
Information can also be provided via the Sheriff’s Office tipline at 845-605-CLUE (2583) or dcsotips@gmail.com , and all information will be kept confidential.
Former CA High School Wrestling Coach
Sentenced For Sexually Abusing 9 Youth
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — A man who coached wrestling teams at a Sun Valley high school and a San Fernando Boys and Girls Club was sentenced Tuesday to 71 years in state prison for the sexual assaults of nine young athletes.
Terry Terrell Gillard, 58, of Sylmar was found guilty on May 7 of 28 felony counts of procuring a child to engage in a lewd act as well as three counts each of lewd act upon a child, lewd act upon a child age 14 or 15 and oral copulation of a person under 18.
Deputy Los Angeles County District Attorney Cathy Lee said the jury also found Gillard guilty of 10 misdemeanor counts of child molestation for a total of 47 counts.
According to evidence presented at the seven-week-long trial, the conduct occurred between 1991 and 2017 and involved minors the defendant met through the wrestling teams. Gillard was a coach at John H. Francis Polytechnic High School in Sun Valley and the Boys and Girls Club of San Fernando.
The victims included seven boys and two girls between the ages of 11 and 17, the prosecutor said.
Gillard’s attorney said they plan to appeal on grounds of prosecutorial misconduct.
An attorney who represents all but one victim said they plan to sue the LAUSD and the Boys and Girls Club of San Fernando. The victims’ attorney claims there were several red flags about Gillard’s behavior, including a suspension, that should have kept him away from those children.
The case was investigated by the Los Angeles Police Department, Juvenile Division.
Aurora, MO, man arrested on child sex abuse charges
by: Katrina Hine, fourstates.com
Clayton, of Aurora, has been charged with three counts of First Degree Sexual Abuse, four counts of Sodomy or Attempted Sodomy of a victim less than 12-years-old, and three counts of Child Molestation dating back to at least 2014.
Clayton is scheduled to appear at Division 1 Court in Mt. Vernon, Mo. on October 15, 2019 at 9 a.m.
Rigby, ID, man sentenced for hiring
child prostitute on Craigslist
By JOHNATHAN HOGANPost Register
A Rigby man who hired a child prostitute online has been sentenced to prison.
District Judge Dane Watkins Jr. sentenced Randy Russell Sargent, 68, to a minimum of one-and-a-half years in prison and up to 13-and-a-half years in prison.
Watkins acknowledged Sargent had made every effort to take responsibility for his crimes and that the sex acts were limited to touching, but said the crime was too serious for a probation sentence. "Let me be clear; you molested a child and the court cannot escape those facts," Watkins said.
Charges for sexual battery of a minor and enticing a minor through the internet were filed in December. The sexual battery charge was dropped as part of a plea agreement.
According to court records, Sargent met the 16-year-old boy on Craigslist, believing he was an adult. When they met, the child claimed he had a disease that stopped him from growing. Sargent told police he asked for the boy's driver's license and birth certificate, but was refused. Sargent exchanged explicit photos with the boy.
Defense Attorney Stephen Meikle said his client had no history of child sexual abuse. He cited the psychosexual evaluation that found Sargent was a low risk to reoffend. A presentence investigator recommended probation.
Meikle argued there was no risk to the community if Sargent was supervised, though he noted the public would want to "throw the book at people who fall from grace in this way."
Bonneville County Chief Deputy Prosecutor John Dewey agreed Sargent had acknowledged his crimes and appeared to be of low risk to the community. However, he said sex crimes against children should not be considered for probation sentences.
Dewey pointed out Sargent had exchanged photos with four other underage boys, and that his crime was more than a mistake. "Based upon these facts, I don't think it's appropriate for the court to place the defendant on probation, despite all the mitigation Mr. Meikle aptly pointed out," Dewey said.
Sargent apologized to the court and victim in his statements to Watkins.
"I am ashamed and humiliated," Sargent said. "I have disrespected myself and my family and my friends and the community. I'm so disgusted with myself that I have a hard time looking at myself." Watkins said he believed Sargent was sincere in his regret.
"So many of these cases result in just a great and significant degree of sadness for everyone involved," Watkins said.
In addition to prison time, Sargent was ordered to pay a $1,000 fine. He will be required to register as a sex offender upon his release.
Barrington, NH, man pleads guilty to
child sex abuse image production
CONCORD — Thomas Whitney, 39, of Barrington, pleaded guilty in federal court Tuesday to production of child pornography.
U.S. Attorney Scott W. Murray said in a release that Whitney produced visual depictions of a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct using a cell phone between a date unknown and Sept. 19, 2018.
Whitney is scheduled to be sentenced Jan. 13.
The FBI investigated the case. “Mr. Whitney is finally accepting responsibility for his heinous actions — coercing a 5-year-old child into sexually explicit conduct,” said Joseph R. Bonavolonta, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Boston Division. “The FBI will continue to do everything in its power to stop children from being exploited and bring to justice those responsible for terrorizing them.”
“Protection of children is a high priority for the U.S. attorney’s office,” said Murray. “We will continue to work closely with the FBI and all of our law enforcement partners to safeguard young people.”
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Anna Krasinski.
Man Accused of Sexual Misconduct
Kept DC Child Care Job
By Scott MacFarlane, Rick Yarborough and Jeff Piper - NBC4
A teaching assistant who was arrested for sexually abusing an 8-year-old student had a history of misconduct allegations yet managed to keep his job for years, according to a News4 I-Team investigation.
Those allegations were not properly reported to authorities, according to an internal D.C. government inspection.
Juan Arturo Perez, a longtime instructor at Northwest Washington, D.C.’s CentroNía child care program, pleaded guilty to sexual assault against a young girl in 2018. An I-Team review of Perez’s case and D.C. child care inspections show a track record of prior allegations against Perez and a series of failures by CentroNia to properly notify authorities about Perez and several other cases of employee misconduct at its facilities.
CentroNía, which serves hundreds of students at its sites in D.C. and Maryland, admitted errors that could have prevented the 2018 abuse case, in an interview with the I-Team.
“The bottom line is that we failed in that instance,” CentroNía President Myrna Peralta said.
A July 2018 inspection of CentroNía by the D.C. Office of State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) said Perez was cited for “inappropriate conduct” by the center in 2004, when a corrective action form was placed in his employee file. On the form, it was noted Perez would be terminated if another incident occurred, according to the inspection. That inspection also found Perez later was accused of sexually abusing a child in 2015 and was suspended. According to the inspection, Perez was accused of touching a young girl’s breast, being overly affectionate and “begging the (girl’s) parent to let the child spend the weekend alone with him at the employee’s house,” during the alleged 2015 incident. He was later allowed to return to work at the child care center.
The OSSE inspection said there are no records indicating CentroNía notified authorities about the prior misconduct cases in 2004 or 2015.
“Because the facility’s leadership did not fully consider prior incidents in a manner that ensures the protection of the safety, health and welfare of all children within their care, this abuser has had access to children for more than 14 years,” the inspection said.
Peralta said CentroNía conducted an internal investigation of the 2015 allegations and said it found “no reason it was an intentional act.” But Peralta acknowledges Perez returned to his job and the organization did not notify authorities, as required by law in 2015.
CentroNía notified parents about Perez’s arrest in 2018 by letter. Details of the pattern of misconduct by Perez and CentroNía’s response to it were not released until the I-Team obtained a copy of OSSE’s inspection.
I smell a law suit smoldering.
Suffolk, VA, man arrested for child sexual abuse
SUFFOLK, Va. (13ABC) — Suffolk police arrested a man on multiple charges of sexual abuse involving two girls.
According to police, there were two victims, both young girls, who knew Ortiz.
Police did not say how Ortiz knew the victims. Other than that he was their custodian. People, never leave men in charge of your children, please.
Lawsuit accuses downtown Auburn, NY, music shop owner of childhood sex abuse
Mary Catalfamo, Auburnpub.comA woman who grew up in Auburn is suing a longtime downtown business owner, alleging that he sexually abused her during her childhood.
The lawsuit was filed on Rabinovich's behalf by Hillary M. Nappi of the New York City law firm of Hach Rose Schirripa & Cheverie LLP. The Child Victims Act, which Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed into law on Feb. 14, extended the statute of limitations so people can file civil claims of child sexual abuse until they turn 55 years old. The statute of limitations for felony child sex abuse crimes was also extended so alleged victims have until age 28 to press charges.
28 is half of what it should be.
Man sentenced in Outagamie County, Wis,
for child sex abuse crimes
By: NBC26 StaffOUTAGAMIE COUNTY (NBC 26) -- A man in Outagamie County received a 38 year prison sentence Monday, followed by 30 years extended supervision, for charges involving child pornography and child sexual assault.
According to the Outagamie County Sheriff's Office, authorities began investigating Velasco-Campechano after receiving a cyber tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. The tip indicated that Velasco-Campechano uploaded child pornography to his Dropbox account.
The Sheriff's Office said investigators found more than 500 images of child pornography on Velasco-Campechano’s account. Some of the images depicted children as young as toddlers being sexually assaulted by adults.
Investigators arrested Velasco-Campechano and searched his cellphone. The Sheriff's Office said videos on Velasco-Campechano phone show him sexually assaulting three young children between the ages of approximately 7 and 14 years old. Two victims appeared to be sleeping during the repeated assaults.
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