Wolves Among the Sheep > SBC Leader Resigns; Presby Minister Named in CSAM Case; NYC Hillsong Pastor's Wife's Struggle

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Southern Baptist leader resigns amid abuse review division

By HOLLY MEYER

today

FILE - In this June 15, 2021, file photo, Ronnie Floyd, president and CEO of the Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention, delivers the executive committee report during the annual denomination's annual meeting in Nashville, Tenn. Floyd is resigning after weeks of internal division over how best to handle an investigation into the denomination’s response to sexual abuse reports. Floyd announced his departure Thursday, Oct. 14, in a statement critical of recent decisions related to the third-party review that is getting underway. He said he will leave the post at the end of the month. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey, File)

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A top Southern Baptist Convention administrator is resigning after weeks of internal division over how best to handle an investigation into the denomination’s response to sexual abuse reports.

Ronnie Floyd, president and CEO of the SBC’s Executive Committee, announced his departure Thursday in a statement critical of recent decisions related to the third-party review that is getting underway. He said he will leave the post at the end of the month.

“Due to my personal integrity and the leadership responsibility entrusted to me, I will not and cannot any longer fulfill the duties placed upon me as the leader of the executive, fiscal, and fiduciary entity of the SBC,” Floyd said.

"My personal integrity!" Is it just me or does that sound like pride? 

An investigative firm funded by the Executive Committee is conducting the review of allegations that the committee mishandled abuse reports and mistreated survivors. Following multiple meetings and mounting pressure from across the convention, a divided Executive Committee voted Oct. 5 to waive its attorney-client privilege for the probe, agreeing to turn over legally protected records to investigators.

Supporters of the waiver said it fulfilled a key demand of thousands of Southern Baptist delegates who set the third-party review into motion. Opponents said it could jeopardize the convention’s insurance policies and was financially risky.

In his statement, Floyd said the Executive Committee has been committed to the review, but it could have been done “without creating these potential risks relating to the Convention’s liability.”

This is disgraceful! Worrying about the Convention's fiscal liability rather than their responsibility to sexually abused children and surviving adults. They should also be worried about their responsibilities to God and be planning a major convention-wide mass repentance for these failures. Floyd is right to step down, but not for the right reasons.

For years, the largest Protestant denomination in the U.S. has been grappling with a sex abuse scandal. It came under heightened scrutiny following a 2019 report by the Houston Chronicle and the San Antonio Express-News, documenting hundreds of cases of abuse in Southern Baptist churches, including several in which alleged perpetrators remained in ministry.

How is their response to child sexual abuse significantly different from the Catholic Church?

Former Presbyterian minister who admitted child sexual image

charges loses court bid for anonymity

Staff Reporter

November 08 2021 06:21 PM

Belfast Telegraph

A former Presbyterian minister has lost his court bid for anonymity in respect of child sexual image charges, which he has admitted.

He can now be named as Matthew Simpson (69), whose address continues to show on court papers as his former manse, although he has moved to Antrim.

In September, his lawyers applied for anonymity at Dungannon Magistrates Court on the basis he could self-harm if publicly named.

Wife of Former Hillsong NYC Pastor Carl Lentz Details

Struggle with PTSD, Depression following Husband's Affair

Milton Quintanilla | 

Contributor for ChristianHeadlines.com | 

Monday, November 15, 2021

The wife of former Hillsong NYC pastor Carl Lentz recently revealed that she had struggled with anxiety and depression following her husband’s firing for moral issues and infidelity last year.

“It may not mean much to you, but this past year was a doozy for our family. I have dealt with so much personally, I have never experienced anxiety or PTSD until this year!” Laura Lentz wrote on Instagram. “I have struggled with a mild depression for many years, but this year it got to be so bad that there were days I didn’t want to get out of bed... although I wouldn’t wish my journey on my worst enemy (I apparently have a few), I would not change my story!!

“I know as I continue on my journey of healing, learning to put myself first, focus on my family and grow in my marriage, I can use my story so far to help someone else! Don’t get me wrong, it’s not easy, every day I feel the trauma, the thoughts and memories. And geez am I grateful for my therapists!” she added.

Laura Lentz sitting in front of an art piece, Lentz describes her mental health issues following her husbands affair

Do you suppose her taste in men is anything like her taste in art?

Carl Lentz, who led Hillsong campuses across the East Coast, was best known as a celebrity pastor due to his friendships with celebrities, including Justin Bieber, whom he once mentored.

Last November, he was fired from the global evangelical megachurch due to moral failures and leadership issues. Lentz, who led Hillsong NYC from 2010 to 2020, later revealed he cheated on his wife.

Ranin Karim, a designer in NY, alleged that she had been involved in a months-long affair with the former pastor. Lentz reportedly only broke it off with Karim after his wife discovered his infidelity.

Following Lentz’s firing, Hillsong launched an investigation into the “inner workings” of Hillsong NYC.

In May of this year, Laura Lentz broke her silence on social media for the first time since the scandal broke. Using a picture of palm trees, she described what she had been facing during this challenging season of her life.

“They are strong, can weather the biggest storms, they always grow upwards. Freedom, righteousness, reward, resurrection just to name a few,” she wrote at the time.

In her post, Laura shared that she had to step away from social media because it “was not good for my soul.” Additionally, Lentz noted that she blocked and deleted more people “than I can count,” including comments, from her account because of the backlash.

“Trolls are cowards, SOME ‘Christians’ are anything but kind, gracious, or loving … but that won’t stop me from growing upwards & getting stronger.” she asserted.

The things we are going through are either making us sweeter, better, and nobler men and women, or they are making us more critical and fault-finding, and more insistent on our own way. My Utmost for His Highest - May 22nd.

The Consequences of Child Sexual Abuse on Adult Survivors

If We Don’t End Child Sexual Abuse, 

This Is How It Can Affect A Person’s Adult Life

Shayani Sarkar, YKA

The 1999 World Health Consultation on child sexual abuse stated that “Child sexual abuse is the involvement of a child in sexual activity that he or she does not fully comprehend, is unable to give informed consent to, or for which the child is not developmentally prepared and cannot give consent, or that violates the laws or social taboos of society. Child sexual abuse is evidenced by this activity between a child and an adult or another child who by age or development is in a relationship of responsibility, trust or power, the activity being intended to gratify or satisfy the needs of the other person. This may include but is not limited to: — the inducement or coercion of a child to engage in any unlawful sexual activity; — the exploitative use of a child in prostitution or other unlawful sexual practices; — the exploitative use of children in pornographic performance and materials.”

Victims of sex crimes often develop behavioral problems, tendencies towards physical aggression, non-compliance, and/or self-destructive behavior which might lead to delinquency. Running away, vandalism, and even going into sex work (without any real understanding of it) are common outcomes too. Further evidence suggests that adult survivors are twice as likely to be arrested for crimes like violent abuse than the their non-abused counterparts.

What The Numbers Show

Children who experience child sexual abuse are nine times more likely to commit crimes than non-victims, research finds. And 50-70% of all women and a substantial number of men treated in psychiatric settings have histories of sexual or physical abuse or both (Carmen et al, 1984; Bryer et al., 1987; Craine et al., 1988).

Over 95% of perpetrators who sexually abuse female children and over 80% of those who abuse male children, are men. Most of these men went through childhood abuse themselves (Fergusson & Mullen, 1999). Numerous-studies have documented that the most violent criminals were physically or sexually abused as children (Groth, 1979; Seghorn et al, 1987).

A study of convicted killers reports 83.8% suffered severe physical and emotional abuse and 32.2% were sexually violated as children (Blake, 1995). Many survivors of child sexual abuse are counted among the orphaned, abandoned, and the destitute. They are counted among children of those compelled to do sex work. They are counted among migrants and refugees too.

Victims of child sexual abuse often face psychotic disorders, drug and alcohol dependency, or depression. They also suffer from post-traumatic symptoms which may turn into often criminal behaviours, as well as substance abuse, attempt to suicide, and aggression, among other things. Research shows that male survivors face the same symptoms as female survivors but act out in different ways. Where boys prefer to act out the trauma, girls tend to show symptoms of self-destructiveness and rage.

Abuse And Victimization

Research has shown that women with a history of child sexual abuse are more likely to experience trauma and victimization in adulthood. Many will suffer from sexual victimization as they tend to acquire a greater number of sexual partners.

A Cause For Female Delinquency

Survivors have a tendency to run away from home, particularly females. By running away, a girl may take to various kinds of deliquency, like stealing, and even snap decisions about going into sex work, which can lead to arrest and incarceration. Research suggests that at least half of all female delinquents have been sexually abused in childhood.

A Highway To Substance Abuse And Violent Crime

Victims of child abuse often become drug abusers. Research has shown that children who have experienced sexual assault, often fall prey to cigarettes, alcohol, or drugs to vent out their frustration. They show a greater probability–compared to non-abused children—to use intravenous drugs later in life.

A Way Forward

Children survivors of sexual assault often suffer from symptoms of physical aggression and may get arrested for committing crimes which are violent in nature.

They must also deal with feelings of shame and self-blame, and, as a result, they are hesitant to speak out about it, they do not receive counseling and are never able to recover from it .

It is important that child sexual abuse is recognized as a serious ailment in our society. It is important that various non-governmental organizations begin conducting various outreach programs in schools so that children know that child sexual abuse is a crime. 

It is important that all the states develop a National Child Traumatic Stress Network which will provide services for children who are traumatized by child sexual abuse so that they can heal and can reconcile back to the community. It is important that therapy is made available for survivors of child sexual abuse.

Each of these interventions destroys the internalized negative messages in the minds of the survivors, guardians and society at large.

As a part of the healing process victims of child sexual abuse, abused children should be introduced to the art of Writing Therapy. This kind of intervention helps them to vent out their frustrations through writing.

We have also seen on this blog that CSA often results in a child abandoning their education - see 11th story on link - "Indian survivors of sexual abuse drop out of school due to social stigma and finances, says study In Focus".

Also read: Project Baalrakshak: An Endeavour To Eradicate Child Sexual Abuse

References

Jeremy Travis, 1995,”Victims of Childhood Sexual Abuse later criminal consequences by national institute of justice”, National Institute of Justice.

Joseph H Beitchman, Kenneth J Zucker, 1992, “A review of the long term effects of child sexual abuse”, Child Abuse and Neglect, Volume 16, Issue 1 .

Judith Cashmore , Rita Shackel, 2013 “The long term effect of child sexual abuse”. Child Family Community Australia, (CFCA) Paper no 11.

Kathleen Kendall Tackett, 2011, “The Long Shadow Adult Survivors of Childhood Abuse”, “The hidden feelings of motherhood coping with mothering stress, depression and burnout”.

Anna Foundation, 2001, “What can happen to abused children when they grow up if no one notices, listens or helps?”

World Health Organization, 2007, “The cycles of violence, The relationship between childhood maltreatment and the risk of later becoming a perpetrator of violence”.

Understanding Child Sex Abuse and Its Effects - 50% of Prisoners Abused as Kids

Half of Canada's prisoners were abused as children, McMaster study suggests

Samantha Craggs · CBC News 

A new McMaster University study suggests half of Canada's 41,000 inmates were abused as children, including sexual abuse and neglect. (Frank Gunn/Canadian Press)

About half of Canada's inmates were abused as children, suggests a new study out of McMaster University.

Medical student Claire Bodkin led a team that studied data from 30 years of research into Canadian inmates. Their work was published in the March issue of the American Journal of Public Health (AJPH).  

The researchers found 65 per cent of female inmates experienced abuse in general, and half of them were sexually abused.

Bodkin said only one study in the data evaluated reported the prevalence of abuse among men. The researchers found abuse rates involving male inmates were at 35.5 per cent, with 21.9 per cent of them having experienced sexual abuse.

If we had more resources at the preventative level, before people

got in conflict with the law, that would be really amazing.

- Ruth Greenspan, John Howard Society

The team did a statistical analysis of the results to reach the conclusion that half of inmates had been abused, Bodkin said.

"That's an alarmingly high number."

These are the other researchers involved in the work, which included going over 34 studies from territorial, federal and provincial prisons and jails:

Fiona Kouyoumdjian and Lucie Pivnick, both McMaster.

Susan Bondy of the University of Toronto.

Carolyn Ziegler of Toronto's St. Michael's Hospital.

Ruth Elwood Martin of the University of British Columbia.

Claire Bodkin, lead author of the article in the March issue of the American Journal of Public Health, says one purpose of the research is to help determine: 'How do we prevent childhood abuse from happening in the first place?' (Sara Alavian)

Bodkin said understanding people who have been incarcerated — including reoffenders — will go a long way in helping prevent crime. 

Prisons need to take trauma into account in how they deal with inmates, Bodkin said.

"Regardless of where you stand politically, I think everyone can agree that prison is not a healthy place for people, and that it's a symptom of multiple other things that have gone wrong."

So "how do we need to think about the impact of childhood trauma? How do we prevent childhood abuse from happening in the first place?"

It would seem intuitive that understanding common backgrounds of prisoners would lead to an understanding of methods to reduce the number of prisoners by addressing those common experiences and their psychological consequences that contribute to their criminal behaviour. If this study is a beginning in that direction, great! But it's a crying shame that we are nearly 2 decades into the 21st century, and we are not really even started on this.

The findings aren't surprising to Ruth Greenspan, executive director of the John Howard Society of Hamilton, Burlington and area in Ontario.

"Many resort to their own abuse of themselves," she said. "There's a lot of addiction, self-mutilation, self-harm, and suicide, which again, are all indications of having suffered a lot of trauma. PTSD is something you see when you work with this population."

There have been some great programs over the years to address trauma among people who commit crimes, she said. But the funding comes and goes.

On the whole, there aren't enough free resources for individuals — before, during or after prison, said Greenspan.

Prevention 'would just save so much money'

"If we had more resources at the preventative level, before people got in conflict with the law, that would be really amazing," she said.

"If we prevented it, we would just save so much money in the criminal justice system. And I don't think we're there yet."

For her part, Bodkin has done some clinical training with men during and after prison. Some have "really expansive trauma histories," including severe abuse as children, she said.

"We suspected it was high, but there wasn't good research out there that led to a national perspective in Canada."

As for what constitutes abuse, Bodkin and her team used a World Health Organization definition, which means attendance at a residential school wasn't considered, although that research would be useful too, Bodkin said.

At any given time, 41,000 people are incarcerated in Canada, and a disproportionate number are Indigenous.

And, I believe there is a disproportionate amount of child abuse and child sex abuse among Indigenous peoples; much of the fault lies at the doorsteps of residential schools. Most remote communities are a couple generations removed from residential school attendance, but the effects are inter-generational, and after decades of awareness of the abuse suffered at residential schools, there is no program running in indigenous communities to address the psychological effects that still plague them. This is criminally irresponsible, IMHO.

Outrage After Twitter Allows Paid-for Ad Promoting Female Genital Mutilation to Appear on Platform

If Twitter had a soul it sold it this week for a few dollars, and,

of course, little girls will pay for their evil.

© Yasuyoshi CHIBA / AFP

Twitter is facing outrage after a sponsored ad promoting a form of female genital mutilation (FGM) for young girls appeared on the social media platform and was viewed more than 30,000 times.

A Muslim women’s activist group called Dawoodi Bohra posted the tweet promoting “khafz” for young girls, which is a kind of female circumcision. One of the group’s members, Arwa Sohangpurwala, is seen in the video saying that her own daughters have undergone the procedure. Her daughters, she says, are “growing up as perfectly as other children of their age” and that as a mother, she would “never do anything to harm them”.

That's because you believe that FGM is 'good' for them. It is not! They will likely grow up to be like you, thinking that butchering your children is a good thing. As a Muslim, do you believe that God erred when he made girls? Do you believe that you can improve on His design? Are you mad? Don't answer that last question.

Twitter immediately faced backlash for allowing the practice to be promoted on its platform. The social media giant responded by taking down the promoted post, saying that it had been removed for “violation of our policies” —  but the original non-promoted tweet was not removed and can still be viewed on Twitter.

The Dawoodi Bohra group has since claimed on their website that the Khafz procedure, which they said involves removing a “speck of superficial skin” in a “gentle process” has been “wrongly classified” as female genital mutilation. But that stands in contrast to the opinion of the World Health Organization, which classifies this procedure as a form of FGM.

It is peeling skin off the clitoris, to be blunt, and that is FGM - the M standing for Mutilation. It's psychological effects are similar to survivors of child sex abuse. These may include PTSD, mood disorders and anxiety. Studies reveal that in some African communities where FGM is practiced, 80% of women suffer from these conditions. That may seem normal to Arwa Sohangpurwala and her Muslim cohorts, but it is very far from normal in the civilized world.

Many on Twitter were outraged that the platform had initially allowed the video to be promoted, which resulted in people who do not even follow the religious group seeing it in their feeds.

Unicef has estimated that more than 200 million women across the world have undergone FGM procedures.

Perpetrators Still Subjecting British Girls to Genital Mutilation with Impunity

At Least 3 CSA Survivors Grow to Become Pedophiles or Murderers on Today's USA PnP List

Iowa Christian School teacher pleads guilty to

child sexual exploitation

NICK HYTREK nhytrek@siouxcityjournal.com 

SIOUX CITY -- Inside a courtroom overflowing with onlookers Monday, a former Sioux Center, Iowa, private school teacher pleaded guilty to having sexual contact with at least one young boy.

Curtis Van Dam pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Sioux City to one count of sexual exploitation of a child and, as part of a plea agreement with federal prosecutors, agreed to be sentenced to a 15-year prison term, the mandatory minimum required by federal sentencing statutes.

A sentencing date will be set once the U.S. Probation Office has completed the final presentence investigation report, a process that can take up to two months or more. Van Dam will remain in federal custody.

Van Dam, 36, admitted to conduct spelled out in a stipulation of facts contained in the plea agreement, which has yet to be filed in the court system's electronic public access system. U.S. Magistrate Judge Kelly Mahoney did not question Van Dam on specific details of his crime, but, using the generic legal description of the exploitation charge, asked if he was guilty.

"Is it true that on the dates charged, you used a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct?" Mahoney asked him.

"Yes, your honor," Van Dam said.

A crowd of at least 125 people packed the courtroom, filling every bench and forcing those who could still get inside the room to stand against the walls. The crowd spilled into the lobby outside the courtroom. Few of those inside showed any visible reaction when Van Dam entered his guilty plea.

Tim Duax, chief of the U.S. Attorney's Sioux City bureau, said both sides had engaged in plea negotiations, but he had been prepared to go to trial next month. "In this case, it was the defendant's decision to enter a plea agreement rather than go to trial," Duax said.

Once Van Dam is sentenced, a charge of possession of child pornography will be dismissed.

15 boys reported contact

Sioux Center police arrested Van Dam on Oct. 23 after the parents of an 11-year-old boy reported that Van Dam had had sexual contact with their son. At least 15 boys have reported incidents, five of them alleging that Van Dam had physical contact with them, police have said.

Sioux County Attorney Thomas Kunstle ultimately charged Van Dam with 146 charges related to inappropriate sexual contact with at least 13 children between August 2014 and this past October.

Van Dam was indicted in federal court on Jan. 25. The federal charges accused Van Dam of having one or more minors engage in sexual conduct for the purpose of producing videos or photos from Nov. 12, 2013, through this past October. Sioux Center police officer Mike Halma testified at an earlier hearing that investigators found two videos showing minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct on Van Dam's laptop computer.

Yet to face state prosecution

Though he has now pleaded guilty in federal court, he still may be prosecuted under Iowa statutes for the numerous sexual abuse and lascivious acts charges he faces. He is scheduled to stand trial July 17 in Sioux County District Court in Orange City.

According to court documents filed in Sioux County, some or all of the children were under age 12 or 13, and the incidents took place at various locations, including Sioux Center Christian School, where Van Dam taught for nine years. He also coached seventh- and eighth-grade boys basketball. Van Dam is accused of sexually abusing or having inappropriate contact with some of the children on at least 24 separate occasions over several months.

School administrators removed Van Dam, who taught fifth grade, from the school after the initial complaint was filed. They fired him after additional charges related to incidents with other children were filed.

Texas man sentenced to 35 years in prison for continuous sexual abuse of a child

KBMT

A Groves man has been sentenced to 35 years in prison after pleading guilty to continuous sexual abuse of a child.

Brandon Devillier, 35, of Groves, Texas was accused by a 12-year-old girl of sexual abuse spanning several years.

The girl confided in a friend about her abuse and the friend encouraged her to talk to her parents.

The family of the victim immediately contacted the police upon learning of the abuse and the girl was given a sexual assault forensic exam in which Devillier's DNA was found.

There is no parole for continuous sexual abuse of a child, so Devillier must serve every single day of his 35-year sentence and he must register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.

Continuous Sexual Abuse of a Child requires two or more instances of sexual abuse over a period that is longer than 30 days in duration. It is an enhanced first-degree felony that carries a minimum of 25 years up to 99 years or life in prison. 

There is no parole for Continuous Sexual Abuse of a Child. Devillier must serve every, single day of his 35-year sentence. He must also register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.

New Mexico abuser of 4 and 5 y/o girls claims
he was sexually abused as a child

By:  Kate Bieri 

LAS CRUCES, New Mexico - Two young siblings asked a Las Cruces judge for the maximum sentence on Monday against the man who admitted to sexually abusing them years ago.

"I understand that I need to go to prison for what I've done," 28-year-old Bobby Christopher Mendoza told the judge. "I just need treatment and I don't feel like life in prison is that treatment."

The two children, less than ten years old, described the abuse they suffered to the court. Mendoza admitted to performing sexual acts on the children when they were only four and five years old.

"What Chris did to me was terrible," the female child said. "It wasn't a little bit of stuff, if was a lot of stuff. I don't think Chris should be around any kids or grown-ups because he hurt me."

"The sexual abuse makes me feel angry, sad, confused, embarrassed, lonely, ashamed and frightened," the male child said. "I don't know how the sexual abuse will affect me when I grow up, but I will never forget about it."

Judge Douglas Driggers sentenced Mendoza to 33 years in prison with five years minimum parole. The maximum Mendoza could have served was 93 years in prison, Deputy District Attorney Heather Chavez told ABC-7.

"By far, this case has been the most horrifying case of its type that I've ever personally handled," Chavez told the judge. 

Mendoza was ultimately convicted on one count of criminal sexual penetration in the first degree (18 years) and five additional counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor in the second degree, run concurrently (totalling 15 years).

There should be no 'concurrent' sentencing when child sex abuse is involved.

"The sexual abuse of our children is not acceptable," said Sueann Kenney-Noziska, a licensed clinical social worker. "When it happens, there is serious consequences for that. I think that message needs to come from the top down, from the bench to the community."

Mendoza told the judge he was a victim of abuse as a child, but acknowledged that it does not excuse his actions against the two young children.

"I'm truly sorry," Mendoza said, before exiting the courtroom for prison.

I'll bet you are now! I sincerely hope you will get help in prison, and that you will turn your life around. But, for now, I'm glad you are off the streets for the next few decades.

NY man accused of child sex abuse

pleads in federal case

DON LEHMAN dlehman@poststar.com

A former amusement park worker from Queensbury who has been accused of repeatedly sexually abusing a young child pleaded guilty Monday to three federal felonies for possessing child pornography.

Chad R. Knowlton, 24, pleaded guilty to counts for distributing, receiving and possessing child pornography in U.S. District Court.

The charges stemmed from his arrest in May 2017 as part of a FBI and State Police investigation, and investigators determined he had used a computer and smartphone to download at least six video files and 1,309 image files depicting child pornography, involving children as young as 3.

During that investigation, investigators learned of evidence that Knowlton may have sexually abused as many as four children, dating back to 2009.

Police located two alleged victims, and the "two minors acknowledged that the defendant engaged in sexual contact with them at the defendant’s request,” an order of detention filed in the case in U.S. District Court reads.

The investigation led to felony counts of sexual abuse and counts of sexual conduct against a child filed last October in Queensbury Town Court, which accuse Knowlton of repeatedly having sexual contact with a child younger than the age of 12.

He has pleaded not guilty to those charges, which are still pending in Warren County Court.

Knowlton worked at Great Escape amusement park for several months in 2012, but police said there have been no allegations raised about any improper contact with children there.

Knowlton is being held in Renssealer County Jail pending sentencing Oct. 9 in U.S. District Court. He faces a minimum of 5 years and maximum of 20 years, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Barnett said there was no agreed-upon sentence as part of a plea deal.

Ohio child rapist says he was abused.

'No compassion for you, whatsoever,' judge replies

Kevin Grasha, Cincinnati Enquirer

In an extremely unusual moment, a man who raped and sexually abused three young girls over multiple years blamed his crimes on abuse he said he suffered as a child.

But at a hearing Monday, Hamilton County Common Pleas Judge Patrick Dinkelacker discounted Nicholas White’s remarks, telling him there is evil in the world, “and right now, I’m looking at it.”

“I have no compassion for you, whatsoever,” Dinkelacker said, before imposing a sentence of 30 years to life in prison.

White, who is 29 and now has a full beard, spoke in a soft voice. Several times, he had to be reminded to speak louder. He initially tried to read from a statement he had written, but then broke down crying. One of his attorneys then read the rest of it for him.

White said he always knew “deep down” that the sexual abuse he said he suffered was wrong, but came to assume “it was a normal thing that happened.”

Eventually, he said he became “confused, embarrassed and ashamed” by the memories. “Out of shame,” he wrote, “I suppressed those memories.” Over time, he began to forget and “eventually those memories just became bad dreams.”

Because of the embarrassment and shame, he said he never spoke about his experiences and “never sought mental help” as a teenager or adult.

This, of course, is the worst possible thing you can do. You must tell someone and keep telling someone until someone listens to you. You cannot keep it inside; it will destroy you, and probably others as well.

He said he tried to hide his “symptoms.” He said he “continually call(ed) off work” and “ignor(ed) invites.”

White also apologized to the girls, who prosecutors said were around the ages of 7 and 9 when the abuse happened. A fourth victim was 15 when court documents say White solicited her to engage in sex acts with him.

The charges date back at least to 2013. Hamilton County Assistant Prosecutor Robert Schrimpf said it was the worst case of its kind he has seen in nearly eight years as a prosecutor.

“These are monstrous actions,” Schrimpf said. “Unspeakable evil.” He called White’s child pornography collection “extremely disturbing.”

White’s girlfriend, 32-year-old Elizabeth Smith, is accused of giving him “permission to engage in this activity and set parameters on the scope of the abuse” involving some of the children.

Elizabeth Smith (Photo: Provided/Hamilton County Sheriff's Office)

Prosecutors also say Smith took photos of one of the girls’ genitals.

Smith is awaiting trial on charges including complicity and endangering children. They lived in Cheviot.

Court documents say that in the summer of 2017 White sent Smith a text message, asking her to solicit the 15-year-old girl “to engage in sexual activity with both defendants.” Smith then showed the teen the text message, the documents say.

In January of this year, according to the documents, White sent the teen a Snapchat message “requesting that she engage in sexual activity with him.”

White pleaded guilty to rape, a child pornography charge, gross sexual imposition and soliciting a minor for sex.

Schrimpf said the state offered White a plea deal to spare the girls the trauma of having to testify in court about what happened.

Cape Cod murderer blames his evil on being sexually abused as a child

Man who sent photos of slain wife to friends gets life in prison

 CBS BOSTON

BARNSTABLE, Mass. — A Massachusetts man who fatally stabbed his wife then sent photos of her body to friends saying he had killed her and needed someone to care for their children has been sentenced to life in prison. The Cape Cod Times reports that Christopher Fratantonio received the mandatory sentence of life without parole following his first-degree murder conviction Friday in the February 2017 killing of 35-year-old Mary Fratantonio inside their Barnstable home.

Prosecutors say the couple's 6-year-old daughter and 2-year-old son were at home at the time and the boy was in one of the photos.

Mary Fratantonio, who also went by "Molly," was a special education teacher at Barnstable High School. Joy Pineo, a student's mother, told CBS Boston in an interview soon after the murder that Mary Fratantonio was known for celebrating students' kindness over academic achievements.

"She wanted to help. She was kind. Loving and so supportive. She was a great neighbor. Great mom," Pineo said.

The victim's family says Christopher Fratantonio was controlling. He told police his wife was cruel, demanding and belittling.

His lawyer says her client has mental health issues and post-traumatic stress stemming from child sex abuse.

NY Man arrested for sexually abusing child

GLENVILLE, N.Y. (NEWS10) - A local man is facing sex abuse charges after police say he had sexual contact with a child who was under 10 years old.

Glenville Police charged Jahelijah Davis with three counts of sex abuse and one count of endangering the welfare of a child after the alleged crime back in February 2016.

He's being held on $20,000 cash bail.

Davis is due back in court on Tuesday.

South Dakota Man Indicted for Aggravated

Sexual Abuse of a Child

By: Dakota Radio Group News & Farm

A 24-year-old White River, South Dakota, man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for Aggravated Sexual Abuse of a Child.

Roy Brushbreaker III pled not guilty to the Indictment.

The Indictment alleges that on January 28, 2017, Brushbreaker knowingly engaged in, and attempted to engage in, a sexual act with a minor female. 

The maximum penalty upon conviction is up to life in federal prison and/or a $250-thousand fine and five years to life of supervised release.

Brushbreaker was released on bond pending trial. A trial date has not been set.

North Dakota man facing charges of

child sex exploitation & child porn

DOUG BARRETT 

A Mandan man is facing allegations of child sex abuse involving boys younger than 15 dating back a decade.

33-year-old Kyle Kennedy is facing charges in federal court relating to attempted sexual exploitation and child pornography.

He also faces sex crime and indecent exposure charges in state court.

Kennedy is in federal custody pending trial. He's scheduled to enter pleas Tuesday.

Wisconsin man gets five years in prison for

child sex assault

Kent Tempus, Green Bay Press Gazette

An Oconto man who is accused of repeatedly exposed himself to a child while he was driving and who he allegedly also sexually touched, has been sentenced to five years in prison.

Blaze Agen, 55, will serve five years of extended supervision after the prison term, followed by three years of probation.

Agen was arrested Sept. 19 on five child sexual abuse charges, one day after a warrant was issued for his arrest. The victim, who also said Agen touched her on several occasions, was between the ages of 10 and 13 when the incidents occurred between April 2013 through the end of 2016.

She told an Oconto Police detective that Agen masturbated several times while he took her for rides. On one occasion, the victim said he started driving on back roads, then asked her to take the wheel. She ended up driving for about 1.5 miles while he masturbated.

“(The victim) stated she was so used to it by then, she just kept looking forward,” the complaint says.

As part of a plea agreement, Agen pleaded no contest to third-degree sexual assault, reduced from repeated sexual assault of a child, and exposing genitals to a child.

Oconto County District attorney Edward Burke recommended the maximum sentence of five years in prison and five years of extended supervision on the first charge, and two years of probation on the second charge, with the maximum sentence on of 18 months in prison and two years of extended supervision stayed.

Burke said Agen’s conduct escalated after prior convictions from exposing himself in Waukesha County two decades ago. Burke said Agen touched the girl's breast or buttocks three times.

Did I mention, sin is progressive?

“He’s got to learn (that) if he can’t control himself, then he’s got to be confined,” he said. Public defender Bradley Schraven joined in the recommendation, saying it was a fair resolution to the case.

Because of his age, Agen’s risk to reoffend will decrease while he’s in prison, where he will be able to receive treatment. The probation time will “give him additional supervision and prison hanging over his head if he violates it,” Schraven said.

Agen declined to make a statement to the court.

At the April 4 sentencing, Judge Michael T. Judge noted he received five letters of support for Agen, which praised his kindness and helpfulness, and added that Agen has been on disability since 2001 for depression and anxiety.

Hmmm. Depression and anxiety medication tends to make a person less sexually active.

However, Judge noted that in the pre-sentence investigation, Agen “denies that anything he plead to happened, therefore, he’s unable to show any remorse or repentance of any kind.” Judge that when Agen entered his no contest pleas, he acknowledged the facts in the criminal complaint were reasonably true.

Judge also recounted allegations against Agen from Waukesha County in the summer and fall of 1996, when he exposed himself to five different people, including a young bicyclist, jogger, a neighbor in her car and a pedestrian walking by his home. Agen received 90 days in jail and seven years of probation in that case.

The victim in Oconto County said Agen exposed himself on rides 10 times, Judge said. “Obviously, this defendant needs some help,” he said.

Judge sentenced Agen to the maximum sentence on the sexual assault charge, and added a consecutive term of three years probation on the exposing charge after staying the maximum sentence. He ordered that Agen have no contact with the victim or her family without DOC approval, have no contact with any minor without DOC approval, not possess of pornographic materials, have access to the internet, undergo sex offender treatment and after care, and pay $268 court costs, $250 DNA surcharge and DOC fees.

Counts of child enticement, two counts of causing child less than age 13 to view/listen to sexual activity, and  exposing genitals or pubic area were considered at sentencing and dismissed.

One Girl's Struggle with Child Sex Abuse

Staunton teen couldn't tell her painful secret

so she left a note on the counter

Patrick Hite The News Leader

STAUNTON - She spent a week in the behavioral health unit of the hospital, trying to come to grips with what had happened, trying to deal with her emotions.

There were rumors among her classmates at Robert E. Lee High School, stories spreading about why Alyx Steitz was absent. One rumor, she said, was that she was pregnant. Nobody knew what she was really going through.

It was in the hospital where, on her right arm, she first drew the design, the one that eventually became a tattoo. She asked for a pen and, at first, the nurse was reluctant to give her one, but finally gave in. With that pen Steitz wrote, “With pain comes strength."

And there was plenty of pain in Steitz's life.

The tattoo on her right arm is one of six on the body of the 17-year-old high school senior. They all have meaning.

There’s a volleyball, representing her love for the sport that she plays nearly year round. The 6-foot-1 Steitz started playing seven or eight years ago in a recreational league in Virginia Beach. Last year she helped lead Lee High to the state championship match. She’d like to play in college next year.

Alyx Steitz, 17, smiles while waiting for the serve and facing off against teammates during varsity team volleyball practice at Robert E. Lee High School on Aug. 30, 2017. Alyx was assaulted at age 12 by a neighbor while still living in Virginia Beach. (Photo: Mike Tripp/The News Leader)

There’s another tattoo of a mountain transforming into a wave. It stands for the two places she considers home — Staunton, where she’s lived since her freshman year in high school, and Virginia Beach, where she lived the first 13 years of her life.

She has one with her birthday and zodiac sign.

And then there are the final two that help keep Steitz connected with her late grandmother. One, the first one she ever got when she was 13, is on her foot. It’s her grandmother’s initials. The other is on her side. She used a note her grandmother wrote in her yearbook — Nana loves you, XOXO — as the design.

She considered her grandmother, who died Sept. 24, 2013, her best friend. The death hit her hard, but it was far from the only thing troubling Steitz at the time.

A month after her grandmother’s death, Steitz moved to Staunton because of her stepfather’s work. In a new city, attending a new school, Steitz had few friends. She felt the distance from her dad, who still lived in Virginia Beach, and was dealing with health problems.

And there was the secret she had kept since before she moved.

Alyx Steitz, now 17, recounts how she was sexually assaulted at age 12 by a neighbor while living in Virginia Beach as well as how hard it was to finally tell her family. MIke Tripp/The News Leader

“It was a lot,” she said. “And I really didn’t have anybody I really trusted to tell all of that, so it was inside of me all the time. I felt like I couldn’t talk to my mom about it. Every victim feels like if they tell someone they’re not going to believe them. That’s how we naturally feel.”

When Steitz was 12 and still living in Virginia Beach, her family lived next door to Marcus Lee Allen. The 53-year-old Allen was a family friend with two children about five years younger than Steitz. His wife had been friends with Steitz’s mom since the two went to elementary school together.

A photo from 2012 of Alyx Steitz when she was age 12 with her mother, Mary Thornton. Alyx was assaulted at age 12 by a neighbor while living in Virginia Beach. (Photo: Submitted)

Steitz spent a lot of time at Allen’s house, watching his kids, swimming in their pool and sitting in the hot tub.

“I treated him like my dad and my mom trusted him and everything,” Steitz said.

She said Allen was always a “touchy person,” one who liked to hug her, but she never found that too strange. Then he started making some odd comments. She remembers he once asked her if she shaved her legs.

“It made me uncomfortable,” she said, “but I didn’t understand.”

Then, once while Steitz was in the hot tub with Allen and his children, he put her on his lap and placed his hand on her thigh. When his wife came outside, Allen pushed Steitz off his lap. The 12-year-old was confused, but knew something wasn’t right.

It's a feeling she still has a hard time describing. “I just felt like really weird, like, the rest of that day,” Steitz said. “I don’t know, I felt like nothing, really, basically. I don’t even know how I felt. I just felt like someone took me … I just felt like crap, I guess.”

Later that night, Allen told Steitz he was sorry, that it was an accident and wouldn’t happen again. But it did.

A few days after the hot tub incident, Steitz was getting ice out of Allen’s freezer. He pulled out the pants of her bathing suit and put his hand and some ice down them. Then he pulled the front of his swim trunks out and told Steitz to put ice in his pants.

Alyx Steitz, 17, has "With The Pain Comes Strength" tattooed on her right arm.  (Photo: Mike Tripp/The News Leader)

And when he would tell his own children good night, giving them a kiss on the cheek, he would kiss Steitz on the mouth.

At the time, she didn’t tell anyone.

Eventually Steitz and her family moved away and left Allen in Virginia Beach, but she couldn’t leave what happened behind.

Relocating to Staunton wasn’t easy. She left friends, people she had grown up with, to come to a city where she knew no one.

Volleyball helped. She started playing on a travel team with Jennifer Williams and the two would eventually be teammates on the high school team. Still, she didn’t feel like she had any close friends at Lee High.

Alyx Steitz, 17, stands with teammates at the end of varsity team volleyball practice at Robert E. Lee High School on Aug. 30, 2017. (Photo: Mike Tripp/The News Leader)

And she was struggling with how to deal with what happened in Virginia Beach. She felt constantly stressed. She suffered anxiety attacks at school and on the bus. She’d wake up in the middle of the night, drenched in sweat after a nightmare.

Her mom, Mary Thornton, realized something was happening to her daughter, but it was unclear just what.

“Personality-wise she just became a little more introverted and didn’t want to have a lot of group activities,” Thornton said. “And she used to be ‘Let’s go find everybody and do stuff.’”

Steitz was missing a lot of school. Her mom did her best to get to her class and keep her daughter focused. There were plenty of emotional breakdowns, also, but Thornton wasn’t sure if this was because Steitz was a teenager or if there was a larger problem.

Steitz continued to keep the secret.

“I didn’t think that she wouldn’t believe me,” Steitz said, “but I was just like ‘I don’t want to tell you because that’s our family friend.’ I just didn’t want to tell her.”

Finally, though, almost two years after the incident and nearly 200 miles away from where it happened, Steitz decided to tell her mom what was happening, but she couldn’t find the words to vocalize it.

So she wrote it down.

Alyx Steitz, now 17, holds up the two-sided note she wrote to her mother when she finally was able to tell her parents about an incident of sexual assault that happened to her, committed by a neighbor, when she was 12 years old and they were living in Virginia Beach. Photo taken in her family's Staunton home on Aug. 30, 2017. (Photo: Mike Tripp/The News Leader)

On a 3”x 3” piece of note paper, using both the front and back, Steitz wrote, “We were in the pool and he put me on his lap & wouldn’t let me go and I tried to go but he wouldn’t let me. He just made me feel uncomfortable and he put his hand in my bathing suit bottoms, he pulled down his pants after that but I ran away. He just makes me not be able to say no. It’s just hard. It just makes me hate myself sometimes. I’m sorry mommy. I love you.”

Before going back to her bedroom, Steitz left the note on the kitchen counter where her mom read it.

“How could this go on right under everyone’s nose?” Thornton said. “It floored me.”

Investigation: Prey

After absorbing what she had just read, and calling her husband to tell him, Thornton contacted law enforcement who referred the family to the Valley Children’s Advocacy Center in Staunton. That started the process of getting Steitz the help she needed, both emotionally and legally.

Since then, Steitz has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression. She is seeing a therapist and a psychiatrist. She’s taking medication that helps. And she’s less concerned about what others think or say about her.

Alyx Steitz, 17, looks with her mother, Mary Thornton, over letters and other papers related to her sexual assault, during an interview in their family home in Staunton on Aug. 30, 2017. (Photo: Mike Tripp/The News Leader)

“People always want something to talk about,” Steitz said, “but I’ve gotten to the point where I really don’t care what people think.”

Legally, Steitz and her family began working with a detective in the special victims unit in Virginia Beach. An investigator on the case wanted her to call Allen in an attempt to get him to talk about what happened.

Steitz couldn’t make the call, but agreed to text him.

Steitz: “I do miss you, miss the summer when we were in the pool and the hottub (sic)”

Allen: “Me too beautiful”

Steitz: you do?? I though you would think I’m weird”

Allen: No you are very sexy and fun always. Are you in school

Steitz said Allen then sent her an explicit photograph, but she has since deleted the photo. “Eww, gross,” was all she said about that photo.

One other girl eventually came forward with accusations against Allen. In May, 2016 he was charged with several crimes, including object sexual penetration by force, threat or intimidation or use of the complaining witness’s mental incapacity; aggravated sexual battery; and indecent liberties with a child under the age of 15.

When Allen was arrested, Steitz had mixed emotions.

“I didn’t want to get him in trouble, that’s the thing,” she said. “I didn’t want his kids to be without their father.”

Steitz had to go back to Virginia Beach on several occasions to testify. It wasn’t easy.

“I don’t think I could have done half as good as she did,” her mom said.

Then, in May, 2017, a year after he was arrested, Allen was due to be tried on the charges. Steitz was back in Virginia Beach and ready to testify, but Allen pleaded guilty to aggravated sexual battery.

He received a 10-year sentence, with all but six months suspended, time he served while awaiting trial. He also is now a registered sex offender, will have to undergo therapy and substance abuse screening, and is on indefinite probation. He also can't have any contact with either victim, and his DNA is on file with a state database.

“I was pretty pissed off, honestly,” said Steitz, who felt she endured a lot to just see Allen get most of his sentence suspended.

Trying a sexual abuse case, especially one involving juveniles, presents challenges to the prosecution.

"With any sex assault case, even ones involving adults, it's always best when there's physical evidence, but a lot of times we don't have that in these cases, especially if it's an inappropriate touching instead of a rape,"  said Macie Allen, the Public Information Officer with the Commonwealth's Attorney's office in Virginia Beach.

Cases like this also become a case of the defendant's word against that of the victim.

"Can a judge or a jury believe a child over an adult?" Macie Allen said.

Her office also has to take into consideration the emotional toll on the victim if they take the stand. In Steitz's case, she did have to testify at bond hearings, but, because the defendant eventually pleaded guilty, Steitz avoided having to take the stand this past May.

Macie Allen was asked if she thought the sentence was harsh enough. She said she was prohibited from commenting too specifically on Steitz's case, but reiterated that the impact on victims is an important consideration.

"The defendant pled guilty, accepted responsibility, will have to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life, is now a convicted felon, will be on probation indefinitely, and did serve time in jail," Macie Allen said.

But is that enough? Thornton, like her daughter, doesn’t think so.

“I would have liked to have seen him go back for a least another year in jail,” Thornton said.

Macie Allen did point out that there are state sentencing guidelines, which are the court's recommended sentences.

"In this case the guidelines recommended a sentence of one day to three months in jail," she said. "He was sentenced to serve six months, which greatly exceeds the guidelines."

Alyx Steitz's workbook she used to help her express and handle her feelings following an incident of sexual assault that happened when she was 12-years-old. (Photo: Mike Tripp/The News Leader)

Now that the legal part of the case is behind her, Steitz continues to deal with the emotional part. She believes she is doing better, but also knows she’s a different person than she was before this happened.

“I’m a lot less trusting of people,” she said. “I don’t trust anyone, really. Anyone can do anything. Anything can happen. People can change so quickly, so I don’t trust people very easily anymore. It’s definitely affected my relationship with people, a lot.”

And she still struggles with PTSD and depression.

Follow

Alyx Steitz @alyxcs

depression just sucks. and that's it.

7:51 AM - Aug 29, 2017 · Staunton, VA

 Replies   1 1 Retweet   1 1 like

She wants to one day go into law enforcement so she can help those who feel victimized. And she wants to tell her story to other kids in the same situation she found herself.

Her biggest piece of advice is to tell someone.

“It’s definitely hard,” Steitz said, “but they need to tell someone. That’s the only way to feel better about yourself and get it out. Like, it doesn’t matter who it is, just tell someone, like some adult or whoever you trust. Obviously, telling your parents is best.”

She’s glad she finally did.

“Talking about it does help sometimes,” she said. “I feel like I just need to get it out. Keeping it in for so long, from when I was 12, it was driving me crazy. Nobody knew.”

One of the things we can take away from this story, and cudos to Alyx for having the courage to share it, is that severe consequences are felt by the child even though the sexual abuse may not be violent or extensive. You don't have to be raped to have your life messed up big time. 

Another thing is that you can survive child sex abuse and eventually, even thrive. The starting place to recovery is when you tell someone, someone who will listen and believe. Fortunately, Alyx was blessed with a Mother who believed her. Some children are abused by a boyfriend or step-father whom the Mother is so dependent on, that she will refuse to believe her own child. If you are in that position, you must find someone who will believe you and advocate for you, whether it's a police officer, a teacher, a pastor, or whomever. Find the strength and courage to speak. 

Victim silence is the pedophile's most valuable asset.