Baby shaken until he went limp; Indio parents say infant's death is 'God's will,' records say
Investigators haven't said how long it took the parents of an unresponsive 3-month-old boy to decide to take the child to John F. Kennedy Memorial Hospital in Indio but, they believe, on Jan. 15 the boy's mother watched as his father shook him until he stopped breathing and went limp.
The parents then waited 30 minutes before checking on the child, according to documents filed with the court this week. By the time they walked through the emergency room doors at JFK, any hope of saving their child was gone.
The tiny boy, named Marcos, was pronounced dead on arrival, officials said, adding that he had suffered a visible cut to his right eye, a black eye and bruises to his back, chest, face, legs and feet.
Leonardo Daniel Alvarado Fernandez (Photo: Submitted by Indio Police Department)
"The child had severe trauma," Indio police spokesman Ben Guitron said.
It was about 4:30 a.m. Jan. 16 when Indio police officers were called to the hospital and determined they were investigating the city's second homicide just three weeks into 2020.
The mother, Zue Itzayanna Flores Urias, 26, along with the child's father, Leonardo Daniel Alvarado Fernandez, 33, both of Indio, have since been charged with killing their son.
Fernandez is also accused of torturing Marcos.
Urias, according to court documents filed prior to the couple's arraignment Tuesday, told officers she did not try to stop the abuse Marcos suffered.
Riverside County District Attorney's Office spokesman John Hall said the charges against Fernandez carry a possible sentence of death, but prosecutors have yet to decide if that sentence will be pursued.
Authorities say Urias and Fernandez, who have each pleaded not guilty, have three other children together who are now in the care of the Riverside County Department of Public Social Services.
Zue Itzayanna Flores Urias
(Photo: Submitted by Indio Police Department)
Guitron said none of the couple's other children had visible injuries. He added that additional investigation will determine if the family has a history of violence involving those children.
Investigators also say they captured a conversation between Fernandez and Urias in which they contend Fernandez is not responsible for their child's death. Instead, they are heard saying it was "God's will."
The conversation, according to court documents, occurred as Fernandez and Urias were being shuttled to jail in a "transport vehicle" that contained a recording device.
Urias was heard saying she would stay with Fernandez and that she told their other children not to talk to investigators — which she later denied when pressed by authorities.
Fernandez was heard saying they would go to Mexico after bailing out of jail. The couple, however, is being held without bail. Fernandez is detained at the Riverside County Jail in Indio and Urias is at the Robert Presley Detention Center in Riverside.
Court records show Fernandez and Urias have histories of misdemeanor arrests and traffic violations over the past two years. Last year, Fernandez was arrested March 21 on suspicion of stealing $77 worth of liquor from Smart & Final on Highway 111 in Palm Desert.
Records show the couple listed different addresses and post office boxes in multiple cities, including Cathedral City, Indio and Santa Ana. Guitron said they were living at Martha's Village and Kitchen homeless shelter in Indio just before their arrests.
Denison, Tx, couple sentenced for child sex assault,
child porn charges
DENISON, Tex. (KXII) - A Grayson County judge sentenced a Denison couple who pleaded guilty to child sex assault charges.
Laura Sloan, 44, was sentenced to life in prison for aggravated sexual assault of a child. Her husband, Steve Sloan, 56, was sentenced to 50 years in prison for aggravated sexual assault of a child and three counts of possession of child porn. Both will be required to register as sex offenders for life.
An investigation by the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force led to a search of a Denison home.
Steve confessed to downloading and frequently viewing child pornography and taking a limited role in sexually abusing a child.
Laura confessed to having sexual relations with a minor for about five or six years.
“This is a very disturbing case, and the victim will have a long road to recovery from the abuse suffered at their hands. Laura and Steve Sloan deserve every day they will serve in prison for the atrocities they committed. Our hope is that the plea agreement will ensure they never harm another child again.” said District Attorney Brett Smith.
Wow! Another good plea deal; the second in two days. So, it can be done well, but far too many DA's give away the farm for a deal. This one didn't! Good for you.
Tallahassee man sentenced to life in prison for
sexual abuse of young child
According to court documents, Johnson began to sexually abuse a female child when she was around 5 years old. Investigators say he threatened to kill the child if she told and used the child's fear to continually sexually abuse the child over the course of four years.
The child recounted at least four incidents where Johnson sexually abused her.
A jury returned a guilty verdict on all counts for Johnson on Wednesday.
Deputies Arrest Fourth Defendant In Northern
California Child Sex Abuse Case
Edward Bert SteeleWild Rivers Outpost
Deputies arrested the fourth defendant connected with a child sexual assault case (5th story on link) involving two Del Norte County School District employees and a Pelican Bay State Prison inmate.
Steele was wanted on charges of aggravated sexual assault of a child and is the fourth defendant in a case involving Jody Allen Nole, Katlin Janice Marie Nole and Kathleen Fuson, who appeared before a Del Norte County judge earlier Thursday morning.
Steele is also charged with kidnapping to commit a crime, according to Steven. Steele also has warrants out for his arrest for drugs and property-related crimes in Mendocino County, Steven told the Wild Rivers Outpost.
Steele’s bail is currently set at $1 million.
Jody Allen Nole, 49, pleaded not guilty on Thursday to seven charges that include sexual intercourse or sodomy with a child 10 years old or younger, continuous sexual abuse and aggravated sexual assault of a child.
Jody Nole, who was transferred from High Desert State Prison in Susanville to Pelican Bay State Prison, has been incarcerated since June 2019 and is eligible for parole in June 2021, according to the California Department of Corrections.
Katlin Nole, 43, a DNUSD instructional aide, is charged alongside her husband for three counts of sexual intercourse or sodomy with a child 10 years or younger, aggravated sexual assault of a child and continuous sexual abuse of a child.
Fuson, a second-grade teacher at Pine Grove Elementary School, is named alongside Katlin and Jody Nole in one charge of continuous sexual abuse of a child.
The alleged crimes took place in Humboldt and Del Norte counties between Jan. 1, 2011 and Dec. 31, 2017, according to court documents. The victim was born in 2006, visiting judge Leonard Lacasse said on Tuesday.
That makes the child between 4 and 11 years old while it endured this continuous child sex abuse.
Del Norte County, CA
Woman sues Monroe Co, NY, alleges abuse
at Children's Center in 1980s
by Seth Palmerat Children's Center in 1980s
Rochester, N.Y. (WHAM) - A woman living in Monroe County is suing the county and two former county child care workers, alleging that she was abused while at the Monroe County Children's Center in the 1980s.
In the lawsuit, the survivor claims that she was at the center, which was located on Westfall Road at the time. Alonzo Fagan and James Knapp are named as being former employees at the center - Fagan a child care worker and Knapp a senior child care worker who was Fagan's supervisor.
Fagan, who the lawsuit alleges was a convicted felon, worked at the center from November 1978 to December 1980. The lawsuit claims Fagan was hired while out on parole.
Monroe County had a policy, according to the lawsuit, that prevented male child care workers from being alone with female residents, or even going to their side of the facility.
The survivor, who was 15 years old at the time, claims that Fagan then sexually abused her and convinced her to meet him on her scheduled furlough outside the Children's Center, where the abuse continued. The woman said she reported "certain sexual offenses committed against her...to female child care workers" at the center. Three days after the report, Fagan was let go from the center, according to the lawsuit.
Fagan was convicted on promoting prostitution and child endangerment charges in November 1981 based on the allegations brought up by the survivor. He was sentenced in February 1982 to serve 3 1/2 to 7 years in prison.
The survivor is suing Monroe County and Knapp for negligence; negligent hiring, retention and supervision; negligent infliction of emotional distress. She is also suing Fagan for assault and battery; intentional infliction of emotional distress; and negligent infliction of emotional distress.
Monroe County issued a statement, saying it does not discuss ongoing litigation.
Both Fagan and Knapp live in New York, according to the lawsuit.
Man wanted in child sexual abuse case
arrested at Laredo bridge
By César Rodriguez, LMTonline.com / Laredo Morning Times
A man wanted for sexual offenses against a child in Dallas County has been arrested at the Juarez-Lincoln International Bridge, authorities said.
A CBP officer referred Gonzalez-Lopez, a Mexican citizen, to secondary examination.
Biometric verification through law enforcement databases confirmed that he had an outstanding felony state warrant for continuous sexual abuse of a child younger than 14 years old out of Dallas County Sheriff’s Office.
Webb County Jail records show he was also served with two warrants for indecency with a child by sexual contact out of Dallas County. He remains behind bars awaiting extradition.
“Our CBP officers are committed to the CBP mission and one of their responsibilities is to identify fugitives at our ports of entry and returning them to face justice for the crimes they have committed,” said Port Director Albert Flores, Laredo Port of Entry. “When we encounter persons wanted by other law enforcement agencies, we verify the warrant and then carry out the appropriate law enforcement action.”
Orofino, Id, man accused of child sex abuse
set fires in the Ahsahka area
by KLEW News OROFINO, ID — Police confirm that an Orofino man accused of sexual child abuse is the same person who admittedly set fires in the Ahsahka area years ago.
Authorities confirmed that he is the same person who plead guilty to arson for four grass and timber fires in the Ahsahka area in 1995.
Court documents show that Call had been a temporary seasonal wildland firefighter. Before that he was a volunteer firefighter for the Orofino Fire Department.
Suppression costs for the fires totaled more than $13,000. He has since served his time for that crime but now he’s back behind bars.
“We actually initiated a case on December first, 2019 of into the possible sexual abuse of a minor child,” Orofino Police Chief Jeff Wilson said. “After about a month and a half long investigation, Daryn Call who is 54 years old of Orofino, was arrested on a charge of Sexual Abuse of a Child Under 16.”
Chief Jeff Wilson said investigators believe there could be more victims who haven’t come forward.
If you believe you or someone you know is a possible victim of sexual child abuse allegedly concerning Daryn Call contact police at (208) 476-5551
Call is being held at the Clearwater County Jail on a $75,000 bond.
Broome County, NY, man pleads guilty to
sexual conduct with girl during 3 months in 2014
A Town of Chenango man faces up to 17½ years in prison after admitting Friday to sexual conduct with a child, who was less than 11 years old when it happened in 2014.
Larry Birt, 70, pleaded guilty in Broome County Court to a felony count of first-degree course of sexual conduct against a child. The District Attorney's Office agreed to cap his prison exposure at 17½ years, although the crime carries a 25-year maximum sentence, and leave the final decision up to Judge Kevin Dooley.
The sexual conduct happened during a three-month period, sometime between January and December of 2014, in the Town of Chenango. Birt admitted he engaged in two or more acts with an underage girl.
Dooley said Friday he could decide a sentence of at least five years in prison, but he won't have a fuller picture of the facts behind this case until he reviews the probation department's pre-sentence report.
Birt, who remains jailed, is scheduled to be sentenced March 27.
The Broome County Sheriff's Office arrested in Birt in August. Their investigation began after detectives received a complaint from an out-of-state agency, and initially, the allegations were that two victims were involved and that the suspected abuse spanned several years.
Birt's guilty plea satisfies other charges he initially faced, which included felony counts of first-degree sexual abuse, second-degree criminal sexual act and a misdemeanor count of endangering the welfare of a child.
Yeah, 17.5 years I can live with; 5 years would be a travesty of justice.
Ocean Gate Superintendent Sued For Alleged
Child Sex Abuse - To Retire
By Josh Bakan, Patch Staff 
Ocean Gate School District Superintendent Frank Vanalesti will go on sick leave and retire. (Google Earth)
OCEAN GATE, NJ — The Ocean Gate superintendent accused of sexual misconduct in a lawsuit will go on sick leave and then retire, the school district announced. Vanalesti's sick leave will run until his July 1 retirement.
Two people in the past filed lawsuits against Vanalesti for alleged sexual misconduct. One lawsuit claims he sexually abused a child over a four-year period after moving in with her mother.
A former student also alleges that Vanalesti made her lift up her shirt and expose her breasts so he could inspect a cut, a second lawsuit says. The student was 9 years old during the incident, according to the documents. Read more: Ocean Gate Superintendent Accused Of Child Sex Abuse: Lawsuit
Vanalesti will also finish his time as Ocean Gate Public School principal. An attorney for the school district, Christopher Supsie, denied both accusations of sexual misconduct to the Asbury Park Press.
District Business Administrator John Failla announced Vanalesti's leave and retirement in a note Wednesday to parents. The note does not mention the accusations.
"We wish him a speedy recovery and a wonderful retirement in the next phase of his life," Failla said.
Cullman, Ala, man arrested for child sexual abuse
WAAY31
A man is in the Morgan County Jail for sex abuse of a child.
The department arrested Thomas Flint, 38, of Cullman (formerly of Danville) on Thursday on a felony warrant for sexual abuse of a child under 12.
Flint is being held on a $25,000 bond.
Utah man with prior sex offender history
charged with possessing sickening child porn
By Pat Reavy, KSLSALT LAKE CITY — A man with a prior criminal history of child sex abuse faces new charges after prosecutors say thousands of child porn images were found on his computer.
On Jan. 19, members of the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force served a search warrant on Fritchen’s computer and “located thousands of images of child pornography and thousands of search terms related to child pornography,” according to charging documents.
A police affidavit further stated that investigators found “over 13,000 images of child pornography.
“The child pornography located on Michael’s computer was of infant, toddler and prepubescent rape,” the affidavit states.
In 1998, Fritchen was convicted of sodomy of a child, and in 2011 an amended charge of attempted failure to register as a sex offender.
“On or about April 13, 1993 (Fritchen) was sentenced to 10 years confinement. (He) was also discharged from the military. (Fritchen) was later incarcerated at Leavenworth, Kansas, and the Federal Correctional Institution in Sandstone, Minnesota. (He) was released from confinement in 2000,” the affidavit states.
An initial court appearance was scheduled for Jan. 29.
Old Amish man sentenced to 38-76 years
for sexual assault of 4 girls in Pa.
HURUBIE MEKO | Staff Writer Lancaster Online
A Caernarvon Township man who in December pleaded no contest to the sexual assault of four young girls was sentenced Friday to 38 to 76 years in prison.
The courtroom was at maximum capacity, and the crowd included Smucker’s wife of 50 years, family and community members. Victim advocates were seated in the jury box.
Brett Hambright
@BrettHambright
A caseworker provided heart-breaking testimony of how the victims now live in isolation, because the years of sexual abuse causes them to act out sexually w/ other kids.
'They don't want to be doing this... They don’t know how to stop.'
Brett Hambright
@BrettHambright
David Smucker showed no remorse and issued no apology for the crimes, which he still denies.
Sentencing judge said Smucker is the first Amish defendant in his courtroom who has denied responsibility. That denial has inflicted additional trauma on the victims, judge said.
Assistant District Attorney Fritz Haverstick called Lancaster County Children and Youth caseworker Lauren Grimm as a witness. Grimm, who became the victim’s caseworker in April, detailed the impact of the abuse and the ramifications they experience today.
“They don’t want to act out, but it’s almost an instinct for them,” she said.
Several advocates in the jury box were wiping away tears and some of Smucker’s supporters had their heads down as Grimm testified.
Haverstick said the injuries to the victims may not be visible marks, but their trauma will be with them “every day for the rest of their lives.” And the impact is not limited to the four victims, he said.
The victims and their families just want to be able to fully forgive Smucker, Haverstick said. They want him to show remorse. When Reinaker asked if he had any comments, Smucker said “no” in a hoarse voice and shook his head.
In his 14 years on the bench, Reinaker said, this was the first case where an Amish defendant did not admit guilt or ask for forgiveness.
“It’s hard for me to imagine anything more egregious or evil than what you have perpetrated,” Reinaker said. Reinaker said he recognized the sentencing was in large part symbolic due to Smucker’s age, before he read through each of the 24 counts individually.
Smucker sat with his eyes closed and head bent to the right, with a grimace on his face as his sentencing was read. Smucker was charged in March with two dozen felonies. In December, prosecutors dropped four counts of aggravated assault as part of plea resolutions.
Whispering Hope
Police interviewed the four victims in December 2018, following a report of suspected child abuse from Lancaster County Children and Youth, court documents show.
The girls told police Smucker had assaulted them when they were between 4 and 9 years old. Three of the girls said Smucker told them to keep the incidents a secret.
Following his arrest, Smucker was briefly in Lancaster County Prison before he was transferred to Whispering Hope, a Cumberland County rehabilitation facility for Plain sect men.
Smucker had a stroke three months before his arrest and injured his hip in prison from two separate falls, said Christopher Sarno, Smucker's defense attorney.
After his sentencing, Smucker was immediately taken to Lancaster County Prison. Smucker looked back at the courtroom crowd as he was wheeled away.
Caernarvon Township, Pa
Warren County, NY, man gets 2-year sentence for
child sexual abuse
Post-Star QUEENSBURY — A Johnsburg man who had sexual contact with a child was sentenced Wednesday to 2 years in state prison.
He was arrested several weeks later by the Warren County Sheriff's Office after the child disclosed the abuse.
Frasier's case was postponed for months as he underwent psychological exams to determine whether he understood the case against him, and, last October, Warren County Judge John Hall determined the prosecution of him could continue.
Frasier agreed to a plea deal that included the 2-year prison term to be followed by 10 years on parole. He will have to register as a sex offender when he is released.
Thurman, NY
Wa. child abuse suspect set for trial on 14 charges
By Jefferson Robbins, ncwlife.com
WENATCHEE — First it was four charges, then nine, then 11. Now, 53-year-old Theron Heideman faces 14 counts of child sexual abuse, involving four victims over more than a dozen years.
Chelan County prosecutors filed amended charges Wednesday against the Peshastin man, who’s been jailed awaiting trial since spring 2017. Heideman has been suspected of abusing youngsters in multiple child welfare investigations throughout the early 2000s, but sheriff’s deputies said they lacked evidence to seek charges until alleged victims began coming forward three years ago.Investigators said in investigations by police and social workers that started in 1999, children in Heideman’s family would sometimes disclose claims of abuse, then withdraw the allegations or contradict each other.
But three of his adult children sued the state Department of Social and Health Services, saying investigations into their own abuse by Heideman were mishandled. They won a $2.5 million settlement from the agency in 2018. DSHS did not admit wrongdoing in the settlement.
Heideman has remained incarcerated on $100,000 bond in the Chelan County Regional Justice Center while attorneys feuded over evidence, including medical records. He is now scheduled for trial in late February.
Former Fort Worth, Tx, gymnastics coach sentenced to
50 years for sexual abuse of girls
BY DOMINGO RAMIREZ JR.Fort Worth Star-Telegram
FORT WORTH
A former Sokol Gymnastics coach was sentenced on Friday to 50 years in prison for sexually assaulting young gymnasts.
Once charges were filed in August 2018, Crawley fled Texas and was arrested in Indiana (3rd story on link).
On Friday, many of Crawley’s past victims shared emotional statements of what the coach put them through.
“They were all children who dreamed of being Olympians, and believed the defendant would help them get there,” said Tarrant County Assistant District Attorney Darren DeLaCruz in a news release. “He used his position of authority to isolate them, and used their dreams against them.”
Crawley was an instructor at Sokol Gymnastics in Fort Worth when reports surfaced he had sexually assaulted three young girls during practices.
After his arrest, several adult victims also came forward and reported being sexually abused by Crawley when they were young gymnasts when he was a coach in Norman and Tulsa, Oklahoma (6th story on link), in the 1990s, prosecutors said.
He still faces charges in Oklahoma, said Sam Jordan, a spokeswoman with the Tarrant County criminal district attorney’s office, in a Friday email.
“The defendant preyed on his victims from the start,” DeLaCruz said. “Instead of being a trusted coach and mentor, he sexually abused them.”
In all, Crawley was accused of abusing 11 girls in Texas and Oklahoma, prosecutors said Friday.
In Fort Worth, Crawley, also known as “Skip,” sexually abused several young gymnasts who were members of the same team in 2017 and 2018.
Tulsa County prosecutors were able to file charges in the Tulsa cases in 2018 because Oklahoma law allows victims to come forward with molestation allegations until they reach age 45, according to KOTV-TV in Tulsa.
Each of the women told Tulsa detectives they had been sexually abused by Crawley from the summer of 1993 until 1997, according to an arrest warrant obtained in 2018 by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
Crawley was fired from Tulsa World Gymnastics in 1997 after parents alerted the owners of the gym about allegations of “inappropriate touching.”
The women told Tulsa detectives that the sex abuse occurred during stretching time either during practice or at the end of practice, according to the warrant. Some of the women said Crawley touched their breasts while stretching at various gymnastics meets around Oklahoma.
The youngest was 8 years old and the oldest was 10 years old when they were coached by Crawley in the 1990s, the warrant says.
Disgraced pastor loses retrial over his sex abuse
of young girl in Southeast Portland
A 12-person jury once again found the pastor of a tiny Portland area congregation guilty Friday of sexually abusing a former member when she was a young child.
Six other women also accused Sperou of sexually abusing them when they were children, but Sperou couldn’t be prosecuted in those cases because the statute of limitations has passed.
Sperou was tried only for sexually abusing Shannon (Clark?).
Clark, now 33, who testified that he abused her from about ages 3 to 10. Clark, who lives far from the downtown Portland courtroom, wasn’t present for the verdict.
He likely faces between about eight and 14 years in prison when he’s sentenced next Friday. That’s less than the 20 years he received in 2015 because he had been tried and convicted on three counts, not two.
One of Sperou’s defense attorneys, Michael De Muniz, told the judge that he expected to be back in the courtroom soon asking for a new trial. That’s because the jury found Sperou guilty 11-1 of the crimes. And De Muniz is anticipating that the U.S. Supreme Court in the next several months will declare non-unanimous jury verdicts in criminal cases in state courts unconstitutional and make that change retroactive in cases such as Sperou’s.
Oregon is the only state in the nation that doesn’t require unanimous jury verdicts in all felony criminal trials.
“It’d not surprise me if we’d be talking about new trial dates,” De Muniz said.
Court adjourned and a crowd of Sperou’s supporters immediately surrounded him, whispered into his ears, hugged him and wept. They backed off as soon as sheriff’s deputies arrived in the courtroom with handcuffs to escort him to jail.
After Sperou was gone, the six women who had accused him of abuse hugged their supporters, FaceTimed with loved ones and took photos of themselves, arms around each other, in front of the judge’s bench.
“In general, I just feel relieved that the court and the jury came to the right conclusion,” said Bryn Garrett. “I’m thankful to be able to move forward.” Added her sister, Rachel Schackart: “Like they said in court, something was stolen from us.”
Schackart said it was “devastating” to see Sperou released from prison pending his second trial. But now that he’s back in jail, she can be in Portland without having to worry about bumping into him on the streets.
The Oregonian/OregonLive generally does not disclose the names of alleged sexual abuse victims. But the women connected with the case have come forward over the course of the state’s prosecution of the case, asking that their stories be told.
That includes Clark. During her testimony, she described aggressive hugs and kissing that made her uncomfortable as well as Sperou penetrating her with his finger.
Sperou led the nondenominational congregation, first known as Southeast Bible Church in 1980, out of several rental homes in Southeast Portland where members lived and gathered. The congregation now resides in homes in Happy Valley, according to the prosecution.
Sperou’s defense lawyers argued that Clark’s memory was bad and that her account was inconsistent. Lawyer Steve Sherlag said Clark wasn’t credible, that her memories of sexual abuse were “contaminated” by conversations with the other women who alleged abuse and that she was motivated by revenge or money that she may seek in a civil case.
Still, Sherlag acknowledged that Sperou engaged in disturbing behavior with Clark, including what he called “sexualized touching.”
Prosecutors Melissa Marrero and Chuck Mickley, meanwhile, offered a grim depiction of Sperou, describing him as a serial child predator who exerted extraordinary control over day-to-day aspects of his followers’ lives. They told jurors that he seized on a young and vulnerable Clark, grooming her with kindness and affection as others adults in the household turned against her.
They said Clark’s recall of key elements of the abuse – she alleges that Sperou abused her countless times over a period of years – was consistent over time.
The prosecution, as is common in child sexual abuse cases, lacked physical evidence and rested largely on Clark’s own account.
After the verdict was read, Sharon Garrett, the mother of two of the adult women who have accused Sperou of sexually abusing them, said she is hugely relieved. She said when Sperou targeted her daughters, the congregation had about 50 members in it and she now looks back on it as a “cult.”
Garrett and her husband, Ken, run a monthly group called Spiritual Abuse Forum for Education, which meets monthly to support anyone who has been “mistreated, disrespected, ripped off, deceived, shames, or taken advantage of” in a spiritual setting, Garrett said.
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