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Man sentenced to 20 years in sexual assault of child case in Lubbock, Tx
Gabriel Monte
Lubbock Avalanche-Journal
A 59-year-old Bryan man on Tuesday was sentenced to 20-years in prison after he admitted in court to sexually abusing a family member for years.
Martinez entered his plea via teleconference from a room in the Lubbock County Detention Center, where he has been held since Dec. 13.
He was initially charged with a count of continuous sexual abuse of a child, which carries a punishment of 25 years to life without parole.
His charge stems from a Lubbock County Sheriff's office investigation that began in August 2019, when a woman came to the Lubbock County Sheriff's Office saying her daughter, who was 10 at the time, told her Martinez has been touching her inappropriately for years.
The girl's outcry came after a family caught Martinez inappropriately touching another girl, according to an arrest warrant.
The woman said Martinez's other family members suspect he has done this to other girls but did not report their suspicions to the police, which is how she believed Martinez continued to do this, the warrant states.
The girl told a forensic interviewer that she believed Martinez began inappropriately touching her since she was 4 years old, though she didn't know exactly what he did, only saying that she "thinks it was bad." She said she has seen Martinez inappropriately touch other girls as well.
She said Martinez touched her inappropriately whenever he can by grabbing her and pulling her to him, the warrant states. She said Martinez also made her perform a sexual act on him. She said that happened 12 times, the warrant states.
The last time Martinez abused her was in July 2019 when her family visited him in Bryan, she told the interviewer according to the warrant states.
She said he last abused her in Lubbock in May 2019 when he came to visit. She was asleep and was awoken by Martinez touching her genitals. She said he stopped when he heard her mother approaching, the warrant states.
The girl said she was afraid to tell anyone about the abuse because she felt no one would believe her and didn't want to upset her family.
Meanwhile, a girl in Bryan made an outcry accusing Martinez of sexually abusing her.
In October 2019, Martinez failed a lie-detector test with police in Bryan and admitted to sexual abuse that the Lubbock girl accused him of committing.
Martinez will have to register as a sex offender for life.
Ex-Cub Scout leader sentenced to life for child sex abuse in Mo
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS 3 hrs ago
ST. CHARLES — A former Cub Scout leader has been sentenced to life in prison for sexually abusing five children over the past decade.
Baker admitted sexually abusing the five children, who were all under the age of 12 and included two of his relatives, at his home in O’Fallon, Missouri, from 2010 to 2018. The witness tampering charges were brought earlier this year after police say he tried to arrange from jail to have someone attack two of the children to keep them from testifying against him.
Prosecutors said Baker also asked a fellow inmate to send a letter he had written to the parents of a 10-year-old victim, asking them to have their child recant the accusations of abuse.
Baker's sentence came on the same day as the deadline for abuse survivors to submit claims against the Boy Scouts of America in the organization’s bankruptcy case. About 90,000 sexual abuse claims have been filed in that case. The 110-year-old organization filed for bankruptcy protection in February in the face of hundreds of lawsuits alleging decades-old sex abuse by Scout leaders.
50 Years Behind Bars For Ore Child Sex Abuser
NOV 17, 2020 @ 3:35PM
The Oregonian/OregonLive reports the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office first began investigating Michael Champagne in June 2019.
Investigators found that Champagne had been abusing two girls under the age of 10 over a period of three years.
Champagne was previously convicted of attempted sexual abuse of a young child in 2008. He served just over one year in prison for that case.
'Operation Stolen Innocence': 170-plus people charged in Florida child sex trafficking network
Jeff Burlew
Tallahassee Democrat
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – A two-year investigation by the Tallahassee Police Department into the horrific sexual exploitation of a young teenage girl netted a staggering amount of arrests – with more than 170 people charged over recent months.
On Tuesday, TPD Chief Lawrence Revell and state and federal officials announced results of Operation Stolen Innocence, a highly secretive investigation into the commercial sex trafficking of the girl, who was 13 and 14 when the alleged offenses occurred.
The investigation, which police officials declined to even acknowledge for months, was likely the biggest of its kind in Tallahassee’s history, Revell said.
Some 106 people were charged with felonies, including human trafficking, lewd and lascivious battery on a child under 16 and production and possession of child pornography. Another 72 people were charged with misdemeanors, including solicitation of prostitution.
Those swept up in the investigation include a former write-in candidate for local office, a P.E. teacher and a former chairman of the Seminole Boosters, Inc., a fundraising arm for Florida State University athletics. Several of the defendants are women, charged with helping to arrange paid “plays” with the girl in exchange for cash.
"I know it's hard to believe that something like this happens here in our community," said Lorena Vollrath-Bueno, felony chief for the State Attorney's Office. "But it does."
The investigation began in late 2018 after investigators spotted the girl in an online sex-for-pay listing.
TPD’s Special Victims Unit set out to rescue the child, who cooperated in efforts to bring charges against the people who exploited her. Revell praised the police work that yielded the arrests.
"The arrests in this operation are the culmination of the diligent work from our dedicated investigators, who have worked tirelessly to bring justice to the victims in this case," he said. "I cannot say enough about the work that you all did and how proud I am of each of you.”
Numerous agencies worked with TPD in the investigation: the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida, the U.S. Marshals Service, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the State Attorney’s Office and the Leon County Sheriff’s Office.
U.S. Attorney Larry Keefe vowed to continue going after child sex traffickers. Nearly 20 of the defendants, including some from out of state, face federal charges.
“We in local, state and federal law enforcement are all working together as a team to dismantle their networks and to pursue, prosecute and punish those who are involved,” he said. “Operation Stolen Innocence is an excellent example of how all levels of law enforcement can put it all together and get it done, to take down a child trafficking network right here in our community.”
Victim's existence was 'horrific'
Police would not discuss details that could identify the victim – including whether her mother was involved or charged in the sex trafficking ring.
A number of defendants told investigators during sworn interviews that the girl’s mother wouldn’t allow anyone to have sex with her unless they brought money or drugs, according to police reports. Others described encounters that happened inside a filthy apartment and hotels and motels across town.
The meetings were arranged over text messages, Facebook and other social media and apps, leaving a vast electronic trail of evidence that took investigators months to unravel.
Elizabeth Bascom of TPD, one of the lead investigators, called the girl’s exploitation “horrific.” She said the abuse likely began even before her 13th birthday.
Chief Revell said the girl is “on the road to recovery, and she’s doing well given the situation.” Bascom said she plans to testify in court, though it’s unclear at this point how many of the cases will go to trial.
“She does have things to say,” Bascom said. “She was able to say that this has seriously impacted her life, and it is very difficult at times. But she is working to get her life back.”
Mothers on drugs. What a dreadful fate for a child!
Houston man accused of sexually assaulting teenagers and children, some as young as three years old, in various incidents that police say date back to the 1970s
Jose Luis Pena was charged with three counts of aggravated assault of a child under the age of 14.
According to the Houston Police Department, the assaults occurred between June 1999 and 2003 across the state, but most were based in northwest Houston. Police said they've also received reports that Pena committed sexual assaults in the 1970s and 1980s.
700 Villarreal Drive in Corpus Christi, Texas, in the 1970s or 1980s
900 South Adams in Dallas, Texas, in 1981 or 1982
Near 3900 Ridge Canyon Road in Baytown, Texas - Date unknown
9600 Hannon Drive from June 20, 1999 to January 9, 2003
Investigators have spoken with several victims who claim Pena sexually assaulted them or someone they knew. The ages of the victims range from 3 to 14 years old.
The HPD Special Victims Division opened the investigation into Pena in Nov. 2019 when two women said he sexually assaulted them when they were children.
In August, police officially named Pena as the suspect in those assaults based on witness statements and interviews from more alleged victims.
Pena was charged in October and was arrested on Friday, Nov. 6. Police believe there may be more victims.
Hazlet, NJ man, a registered sex offender, accused of sending
child sex abuse images
Andrew J. Goudsward
Asbury Park Press
HAZLET - A township man is facing charges after he allegedly possessed and sent materials showing the sexual abuse of a child, authorities said.
An investigation by the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force revealed Hoagland had used a messaging application to send "an item depicting the sexual abuse of a child to another person, according to the news release.
Charles Hoagland, 56, of Hazlet was charged Nov. 18 with endangering the welfare of a child.
He also possessed other images depicting child sex abuse, authorities said.
Hoagland was ordered released pending trial by Superior Court Judge Paul X. Escandon at a hearing Wednesday. He was ordered to stay off the internet, except for matters related to his employment, and to have no unsupervised contact with anyone under age 18, according to the news release.
Hoagland was already registered as a sex offender due to a 1998 conviction in California for sexual exploitation of a child and receiving visual depictions of minors engaged in sexual activity, according to New Jersey's sex offender registry.
A child's outcry for help lands Texas man in jail for alleged sexual abuse
Christopher Walker
Wichita Falls Times Record News
Wichita Falls Police arrested a suspect for sexual assault of a child after victim made an outcry to a school counselor.
A 12-year-old female victim made an outcry to her school counselor on Nov. 11 about sexual abuse.
The victim told the counselor a man raped her from the time she was seven until she turned 11. The counselor contacted the Wichita Falls Police Department.
During a forensic interview conducted at Patsy’s House, the girl told investigators that when she stayed at a female relative's home on the weekends, the relative's boyfriend, Pedro Rojas-Antonio, would come into her bedroom, remove her clothes and sexually assault her. The victim said he would stop when he thought he heard the victim’s female relative wake up in the other room.
A warrant was issued and police arrested Rojas-Antonio. He was charged with two counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child and was placed on an ICE detainer.
His bond was set at $500,000 by a judge.
Step-grandfather charged with child sex crimes in Wichita Falls
Christopher Walker
Wichita Falls Times Record News
A Wichita Falls man has been arrested for Continuous Sexual Abuse of A Child and online solicitation of a minor.
The parents of a 10-year-old girl saw inappropriate text messages between their daughter and her step-grandfather.
In the texts, the suspect asked the victim to send him pictures of her private parts and asked her to play with her breasts while she was taking a shower. He told the 10-year-old he would show her his privates if she came over to his house.
When the victim’s parents confronted him, the man apologized and asked for forgiveness. He said he messaged her because she is not his biological granddaughter.
During a forensic interview conducted at Patsy’s House Child Advocacy Center, the victim said she had been sexually abused by the man since she was 8 years old. She said the abuse happened more than five times when he would have her alone at his house.
Wichita County deputies arrested Teofilo Contreras Saturday. He was taken to jail where he was charged with Continuous Sexual Abuse of a Child and Online Solicitation of a Minor.
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