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2001 Updates

June 27, 2001 Judge releases teacher from jail.

Lawyer calls witness contact "innocent mistake"

By Scott North, Herald Writer

A teacher accused of having sex with two teen-age boys was ordered freed on reduced bail Monday after a Snohomish County judge was told she made an innocent mistake last week in talking with two young witnesses in the case.

Susan G. Lemery, 37, was jailed Friday in lieu of $250,000 bail after prosecutors alleged she viloated a no-contact order.

Lemery's new attorney, David Allen of Seattle, told Judge Joseph Thibodeau that the teens showed up at Lemery's home Wednesday to deliver a yearbook to her son. Lemery didn't know the boys are witnesses in her case and that she is barred from speaking with them, and neither did the boys parents, one of whom actually drove them to the home, Allen said.

The lawyer called the situation "at worst an innocent mistake."

Prior to her arrest Friday evening, Lemery had been free on $75,000 bail.

Thibodeau on Monday reinstated the original bail and also issued a new court order barring her from having any contact with boys ages 9 and older, except for teenage son.

"There is a presumption of innocence in this state still" the judge said.

Lemery, who teaches second grade, was released from jail a few hours later.

She is charged with two counts of third-degree child rape and one count of third-degree child molestation. The charges involve allegation of imporper contact with two 14-year old boys, neither of whom are her students.

Lemery has pleaded innocent to all charges.

Deputy prosecutor Lisa Paul told the judge Monday that her office last week gave Lemery's former attorney, Brian Duce, a list of state witnesses, with all juveniles identified by their initials. Duce also was given witness statements, which listed the teens' full names.

Duce had documents showing that the teens who visited the Lemery home were witness, the prosecutor said, and Lemery told detectives when arrested that she'd been keeping in touch with her lawyer.

In an affidavit filed in support of Friday's arrest, deputy prosecutor John Stansell said Lemery's son had spoken with the witnesses about the case in front of his mother, telling them they probably wouldn't testify.

Paul told Thibodeau she could only speculate on where Lemery's son learned about who would be a witness in his mother's case.

Allen told the judge that Lemery had not learned that the boys were witnesses until after their visit , when she reviewed the roughly 300 pages of police reports and witness statements at her lawyer's office. After the hearing, Allen said Lemery's son denies telling any witness they may not have to testify "and if there was some discussion it was very minimal and outside Susan's presence up in her son's room."

Thibodeau on Monday let stand a court order that bars Lemery from having contact with any child without the supervision of a "responsible adult," who is not her husband, because he is a potential witness in the case. Lemery's father-in-law was in court Monday to let the judge know he has been filling that role, which allows Lemery to continue to live in the same home as her son and her two young daughters.

Dan Lemery, the defendant's husband, also was in court Monday. He declined to speak with reporters on the advice of his wife's new attorney.

Allen is a seasoned defense attorney and no stranger to cases involving teachers accused of sexual misconduct. In 2000, for example, he represented a former teacher who was sent to jail for repeatedly fondling young girls' breasts in his classroom.

Police and prosecutors have stressed there is no evidence that Lemery engaged in misconduct with her students. The sexual contact allegedly occurred at her home, when the boys, who are friends of her son, were visiting.

Lemery had been the focus of repeated complaints of law officers, the courts and others since November, when the mother of on of the boys she is now charged with raping went to court for an order barring contact. The woman took the step after catching her son slipping out a window to meet with Lemery early one morning, court papers show.

Duce represented Lemery in that case, and filed court papers denying that anything improper had occured.

June 26, 2001 Children's Privacy.

Congress passed COPPA to protect children's personal information from its collection and misuse by commercial Web sites. On October 20, 1999, the Federal Trade Commission issued a Final Rule [.pdf] implementing the Act, which went into effect on April 21, 2000. COPPA requires commercial Web sites and other online services directed at children 12 and under, or which collect information regarding users' age, to provide parents with notice of their information practices and obtain parental consent prior to the collection of personal information from children. The Act further requires such sites to provide parents with the ability to review and correct information about their children collected by such services. COPPA was designed to ensure that children's ability to speak, seek out information, and publish would not be adversely affected.

Headlines:

FTC Releases Children's Privacy Rules - The Federal Trade Commission issued its Final Rule [pdf] on the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act. CDT believes that the final Rule, unlike the proposed Rule issued in April (see CDT's comments and supplementary comments), is likely to allow kids to continue to interact on the Internet, while limiting collection of personal information for commercial purposes. The final Rule clarifies issues of coverage and liability, and hopefully will result in a predictable and understandable environment for the protection of children's privacy. October 20, 1999

-CDT's Analysis of the FTC rule
-Text of the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA)
-Federal Trade Commission Kid's Privacy site

Children's Web Sites Continue to Undermine Kids Privacy - A Federal Trade Commission (FTC) survey of children's Web sites found most sites continue to collect personally identifiable information from underage computer users despite repeated warnings. Deirdre Mulligan, CDT staff counsel, who specializes in online privacy issues stated that, "The public is deeply concerned with children's privacy and safety online. The ongoing collection of personally identifiable information from children undermines children's privacy and is likely to scare parents into keeping their children off the Internet. The Internet community stands to lose out if it fails to respect individual, and especially children's privacy." December 16, 1997

-Summary of Findings

Hearing Held on 'Children's Privacy' Legislation - The increasing use of the Internet by children, combined with the ease of collecting personal information online, raise serious privacy issues. Over the past several months, concerns about the availability and use of personal information in the online world, particularly with respect to the collection and use of information about children, have prompted Congress to seriously consider this important issue.

Legislation designed to restrict the collection and use of personal information about children without parental consent was introduced by Rep. Bob Franks (R-NJ) on May 22, 1996. While the bill (H.R. 3508) is supported by various groups, including Enough is Enough and Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC), it has sparked concerns from cyber-rights advocates that it may end up increasing the collection of personal information online and result in restrictions on the free flow of information.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), People for the American Way (PFAW) Action Fund, Voters Telecommunications Watch (VTW), and CDT sent Rep. Franks a letter regarding his legislation on June 4, 1996. In the letter, the groups expressed concern that the bill, in its current form, raises some of the same privacy and free flow of information concerns raised by the Exon/Coats 'Communications Decency Act' to the extent that it is extremely difficult to know whether or not a person visiting a web site is or is not a child without requiring all visitors to identify themselves.

On September 12, 1996, the Crime Subcommittee of the House Judiciary Committee held a hearing on the bill. CDT sent a letter to subcommittee members reiterating its concerns about the bill. September 13, 1996

-Text of H.R. 3508 as introduced by Rep. Franks
-Text of the June 4 letter signed by CDT, EFF, PFAW Action Fund, and VTW
-Text of CDT's September 11 letter to members of the Crime Subcommittee
-CDT Policy Post 2.23 - Congress and FTC Focus on Online Privacy Issues

FTC Focuses on Children's Privacy on the Internet - Among the several topics discussed at FTC hearings held on June 4-5, 1996 was the issue of children's privacy on the Internet. These hearings highlighted the current and future availability of technologies which empower users and parents to exercise more control over the collection and use of personal information. June 5, 1996

-CDT Policy Post 2.23 - Congress and FTC Focus on Online Privacy Issues -Statement by Rep. Edward Markey (D-MA) at the FTC hearings regarding children's privacy and the Internet

June 26, 2001 Readers Digest Story.

This is from the July 2001 issue of Readers Digest in the That's Outrageous section.

BAD APPLE

Florida - In 1998, according to a Broward school district investigative file, middle-school teacher Harry Peter Dellas touched the thighs of a student and told her that 13-year old girls turned him on. He also mimicked masturbation in front of his class. Dellas was suspended for ten days.

In 1999 the district gave Dellas a new job at Hollywood Hills High. "The thinking by former administrators was, maybe he'd be better off in high school," said Joe Melita, who heads the district's investigative unit.

Dellas was arrested later that year for soliciting an undercover agent for prostitution. He got another ten-day suspension.

This year Dellas was arrested for allegedly offering a 15-year old high school student $250 to engage in sex. Dellas has denied the charge.

June 25, 2001 Pedophile listing.

This is taken from the America's Most Wanted website at www.amw.com. A picture is available under the heading "this weeks show".

MICHAEL BLISS: 4 cts. of Sexual Assault on a Minor, Crossing a state line to have sex with a minor under 12, Production of child pornography, Crossing a state line to engage in an illegal sex act, Crossing a state line to engage in sex with a minor. Data From: Vernon Police Department, FBI Burlington (AMW: June 23, 2001)

Additional Quirks:

May be blond-haired; Good with the Internet and computers; May wear glasses; Alternate Social Security Numbers: 009-56-1945 & 009-36-1948

Police say that Michael Bliss repeatedly molested his nine-year-old niece and videotaped the molestations. In some of the videos, both Bliss and his victim's face are clearly visible.

The assaults allegedly began in September 2000, shortly after Bliss was released from prison after serving nine years for three counts of attempted murder. Authorities say that Bliss rented a video camera from a local rental company and that those dates match the dates that Bliss molested her in hotels in Vermont and Massachusetts. Bliss took advantage of the fact that his niece lives with her mother in New Hampshire but spends time with her grandmother (Bliss' mother) in Vermont.

June 25, 2001 GangAwarenessSuppressionPrevention(GASP)-Re:my friend.

Dear Family, friends, neighbors and fellow Americans,

This letter is written to you with the greatest respect for the work that you do to make yours a better family, a better neighborhood, and a better country in which to live.

This letter is to tell you about a friend of mine, who lived in Long Island, NY. She is a wife, a Mother of four children, and a woman who has just lost one of her four children to murder.

Her son, Damian, a pre-med student, was caught in a gang warfare crossfire, and killed with a gunshot to the head. He was not a gang member, but a victim of two gangs, the MS 13'S from El Salvador and another gang from Puerto Rico.

Her name is Pam Corrente, and she has started an organ ization called GASP, Gang Awareness Suppression and Prevention.

She has the support of the Screen Actors Guild of America(she is a member), the Rotary Group of her area, the Freeport, NY POLICE, and the Veterans of the Viet Nam War.

She is attempting to earn $200,000 to do a documentary on gangs and gang suppression which she plans to bring to all of the schools in America.

There are 720,000 gang members in the United States, and the numbers are growing. Pam said that she never knew that there were so many gangs in existence, and never dreamed that her own son would be murdered in a crossfire!

This happened two and one-half years ago.

The REASON FOR MY NOTE:

A local boat dealer in Long Island, and a member of the ROTARY CLUB in that area, has donated a $23,000 boat to Pam Corrente for her cause. She is selling raffle tickets for someone to win this boat. The drawing will be in October, 2001 in Long Island at a boat show.

The tickets are one for $1.00 or 6 for $5.00.

Would you be interested in buying a ticket or buying a block of tickets for this cause? Would you be interested in selling some of these tickets?

If so, if you would kindly send your $$$ to the following address, the money will be given to Pam Corrente, and she will send you the raffle tickets.

Please send your name, address, telephone number, the number of tickets that you want, and your check for that amount to Mrs. Pam Corrente, P.O.Box 2240, Edison, N.J. 08818.

You can also contact Pam at her Email address of pamel13@aol.com for more information on this national project. GASP is a part of the non-profit organization, the Damian Corrente Memorial Foundation.

Please send me your comments on this attempt to bring about awareness on the part of Americans that crime and violence prevention is everyone's problem.

Among many local and national organizations, this GASP program is being endorsed by the Renee Olubunmi Rondeau Peace Foundation, a non -profit, 501c3 organization.

Thank you very much for your support.

Sincerely yours,

Elaine M.Rondeau
Executive Director
The Renee Olubunmi Rondeau Peace Foundation

June 25, 2001 Megans Law in jeopardy w/ changes.

Megan's Law Revisited by New Jersey Voters

By JOHN P. McALPIN Associated Press Writer

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) _ The murder of 7-year-old Megan Kanka by a neighbor with a record of sex crimes drove her mother to promote an idea that seemed simple at the time: If parents knew sex offenders lived nearby, they could better protect their children.

Megan's Law, enacted in 1994, required convicted sex offenders to register with local police and provided that the community be notified of their presence. There's now a version in every state and in federal law.

But in the six years since Megan's death, court rulings have altered New Jersey's original measure so much that Maureen Kanka says the law must be changed to make it work.

"Our judges have gone from what was a basic concept, to putting procedures in place that have really strangled the law," she said.

New Jersey and federal courts have sharply restricted public notices of sex offenders' presence to protect the offenders' right to confidentiality.

If voters agree Nov. 7, the state that passed the original Megan's Law will become the first to amend its Constitution to allow the Legislature to create a state registry of molesters and pedophiles and make it available on the Internet, the state attorney general's office says. The registry could include convicted sex offenders' names, addresses, physical descriptions and criminal histories.

Some other states already post information on the Internet and allow searches by name or address, but they didn't need to change their constitutions.

While there's no organized support or opposition, odds favor passage of Public Question 2; New Jersey voters rejected only seven of 84 ballot questions in the past 20 years.

However, the amendment does not specifically address the court guidelines on confidentiality.

Megan was raped and murdered in July 1994 by a convicted sex offender who lived across the street from her home. Her parents didn't know he was a pedophile. Prosecutors said Jesse Timmendequas lured Megan into his house to see his new puppy, then beat her, raped her and strangled her with a belt. A day later, he led police to the body in a park nearby. His death sentence is under review.

Under the law New Jersey enacted three months after Megan's murder, all released offenders still must register with police once out of prison.

But as a result of the various court rules, those offenders now are sorted into three categories.

Residents of areas specified by the courts are notified only of sex offenders with the highest danger of repeat sex crimes. They find out only from prosecutors or their agents who go door to door and give the offender's name, address and photograph. And the notified residents can't share that information with anyone.

For offenders in the middle level, community groups such as Boy Scouts or day care centers are informed, but that information cannot be shared with any residents. Lowest level offenders are not revealed to anyone other than police.

As of Aug. 31, New Jersey was home to 5,408 registered sex offenders. Since notification began in January 1998, and because of the court rulings, residents have learned the near location of only 118 offenders.

Defense lawyers object to the proposed constitutional amendment because it would allow the government to broadcast information courts have already ruled is confidential.

And once sex offender details are allowed online, that will likely force the state to post all criminal records as well, said Jack Furlong, an attorney who has challenged Megan's Law since it was first proposed.

"Ultimately, the Internet will be the vehicle for public access for all criminal convictions. Six years of judicial review, it will all be moot," Furlong said.

On the Net:

NJ Attorney General

Illinois sex offender registry

Florida registry

Texas registry

June 23, 2001 EU law protects porn ring - police.

BRUSSELS, Belgium -- European Union privacay laws have protected 500 members of a child porn ring from being tracked down, a police officer has said.

Click here for full story.

June 23, 2001 Russia, U.S arrested in child pornography ring.

Washington - Four U.S. citizens and five Russians have been arrested in an ongoing investigation into a Moscow-based Web site that sold and distributed pornographic videotapes featuring children, the U.S. Customs Service announced Monday.

Click here for full story.

June 17, 2001 Several Children's Interest Stories.

REWARD OFFERED IN BOYS DEATH
Jacksonville police are offering a thousand-dollar reward to anyone who can help them catch the gunman who shot a 12-year-old. The senseless north side shooting left Ashley Hicks paralyzed from the shoulders down. With few leads to follow, investigators are hoping someone steps forward with information before the case hits a dead end. The shooter is described as a slender black male in his mid-20's with dread locks and a thin mustache. Investigators have been canvassing the West 18th street neighborhood for days, searching for clues and talking to residents. Chief Frank Mackesy is frustrated with the case. He wants anyone who may have been asked to dispose of a firearm, or hide the suspect's bicycle to give police a call.

INVESTIGATION CONTINUES INTO BOYS DEATH
2 hours, 2 cases: a public defender at work
Minneapolis police are still looking for the person who fired a gunshot Aug. 3 that killed 11-year-old Kevin Brewer as he was standing on the edge of a vacant lot across from a children's park in North Minneapolis. Crime Stoppers is offering a reward of up to $32,000 for information leading to Kevin's killer. Anyone with information should call (651) 452-7463.

HARLEY DAVIDSON SPONSORING KIDS DAY
Milwaukee Harley Davidson will sponsor the first Annual Kids Day tomorrow. The one-day event is free and open to the public and is hosted by the Southeastern Wisconsin Chapter of Bikers Against Child Abuse. Founder and President Tony Uravich says the main objective is to show abused children and their families how strong they can be. Families will be able to participate in hands on activities, learn about summer community family programs, and learn about child safety. The event will take place at the Harley Davidson-Buell dealership on Silver Spring Drive and Highway 100.

26 UNREGISTERED SEX OFFENDERS ARRESTED
A local round-up of unregistered sex offenders started on Thursday by local law enforcement units. The law requires convicted sex offenders to register with the county by notifying authorities of their home address. San Antonio Police and the Bexar County Sheriff's Office report the arrests of 26-individuals accused of non-compliance with that law. District Attorney Susan Reed says the law is meant to protect children and neighborhoods and Bexar County will not tolerate sexual offenders who do not abide by it.

SAN ANTONIO

ANESTHESIOLOGIST CONVICTED FOR SEXUAL EXPLOITATION OF A CHILD
(Littleton, CO) -- A former anesthesiologist accused of falling asleep during an operation where an eight-year-old boy died, but whose conviction for negligence was later overturned, is in trouble again. Joseph Verbrugge now faces 200 counts of sexual exploitation of a child. He was arrested yesterday and is being held on one-Million-dollars bail according to Michael Knight, spokesman for the Arapahoe County District Attorney. Verbrugge will be in court Monday.

June 17, 2001 Two Sought in Alleged Molestation.

Albuquerque authorities are looking for two people in connection with an alleged molestation of a five-year-old girl. Police say the mother of the alleged victim, 25-year-old Mayra Rivera, recently fled the state with her daughter. The girl had told police that her mother's boyfriend, 27-year-old Victor Martinez, molested her over a long period of time. Rivera's family in California later convinced her to turn over the daughter to them. Investigators believe Rivera may have linked up with Martinez somewhere in California. The daughter is now safe and staying with relatives.

June 17, 2001 Teacher for rape.

By David Fisher, Seattle Post-Intelligencer Reporter

EVERETT -- Susan Lemery, a popular second-grade teacher, spent so much time with a 14-year-old friend of her son's that other friends, and even her husband, joked that they could be girlfriend and boyfriend, prosecutors say.

The way she acted with another 14-year-old caused the boy's mother enough concern to ask a court for protection. And teachers in Marysville were concerned enough about the way she touched a boy at a middle school basketball game they filed a report that was forwarded to Child Protective Services. Nothing much happened, court papers say, until a group of teenagers told a school counselor that someone needed to look into Lemery.

Prosecutors charged Lemery, 37, yesterday with two counts of third-degree child rape and one count of child molestation, alleging that she had sexual intercourse several times with one 14-year-old boy and sexually fondled another.

Both were friends of her son. Neither was a student of hers.

Arrested Tuesday near her Marysville home, she is free after posting $75,000 bail Thursday.

The case could cost her prison time and her teaching certificate if she is convicted on all three counts.

Lemery denied any wrongdoing yesterday. "Our whole world has been turned upside down," she told KING-TV. "It has been very trying. I have been so worried about my second-graders at school. I miss them so much."

According to papers filed in court yesterday, one of the 14-year-olds told detectives that he grew to trust Lemery after Lemery's husband caught him smoking marijuana and Lemery talked to him about it without getting him into more trouble.

About a month later, in October, the boy said Lemery drove by him in the street at about 11 p.m. after he had been drinking and smoking pot. She offered to give him a ride home, but took him to her house instead and put him to bed. The boy said he awakened to find her touching him inappropriately. He is currently the focus of the molestation charge.

A few weeks after that, in November, the boy's mother requested a protection order in Superior Court to keep Lemery away from him. The boy's father, Lemery's husband, and her son all filed affidavits in her support claiming that nothing inappropriate had happened.

The request for protection was denied. Lemery, prosecutors said, then began to have long talks with another boy, starting in December.

The talks became daily phone calls and frequent e-mails, sometimes from Lemery's home computer and sometimes from her classroom in the Mukilteo School District's Olivia Park Elementary School, the boy told detectives.

Then there were three incidences of sexual intercourse in April in Lemery's home, the court papers allege.
The allegations against Lemery didn't unfold without drawing attention from the schools.

On Jan. 16, attorney Christine Hook mailed a letter to the Mukilteo School District that outlined the November protection request and the mother's suspicions.

According to the district's synopsis of its investigation, school attorney Doug Ferguson called Hook and fetched court documents from the protection case, including the affidavits that proclaimed her innocence.

The court papers included a transcript of her husband Dan Lemery's Jan. 10 call to a Marysville police dispatcher, saying that "my wife I, I believe is having an affair with a, an, an eighth grader." But he later told a detective that he only came to ask about the allegations against his wife in the protection case, and no police investigation was launched.

Lemery's principal at Olivia Park, where she has taught for 10 years, said no complaints of inappropriate physical contact had ever been filed against her there, and nothing inappropriate was found in a check of her school e-mail account.

On Jan. 19, the district held an "investigatory conference" with the teacher and her union representatives. She denied that she had had any inappropriate contact with the boy or any other teenagers. The district took no action.

In May, teachers at Marysville's Cedarcrest Middle School told their principal that they felt uncomfortable about the way Lemery touched a student in the bleachers during a school basketball game, Marysville School District spokeswoman Mary Fears said. The principal forwarded the complaint to the school's resource officer, who forwarded it to Child Protective Services.

Nothing came of the investigations until a group of Cedarcrest students told a counselor later in the month that Lemery had given several students "energy pills" at her house, according to charging documents. One of the students told the school's resource officer in a follow-up interview that he had had sex with her.

Mukilteo school officials were informed of the criminal investigation last Friday. They put her on administrative leave Monday.

Someone erased the e-mail records and recycle bin on Lemery's home computer the same day, the charging documents say.

If she is convicted, Lemery's teaching certificate will be permanently revoked. If she is not convicted, or charges are dropped, the state will do its own investigation.

June 16, 2001 The Search is On for Offender.

Central Lake man wanted on multiple counts of criminal sexual conduct.

CENTRAL LAKE - The Michigan State Police post in Kalkaska is investigating Edward Duane Fileds who is wanted on charges of criminal sexual conduct. According to State Police, he engaged in inappropriate sexual behavior with two children under the age of eight.

He fled the state May 14 from the Detroit Metro Airport possibly under an alias. Antrim County Prosecutor Charles Koop said the police found his car at the airport, but refused to comment where Fileds might have escaped to.

"The police have leads they're following," he said.

Fileds gained access to the children by working as a martial arts instructor in the Central Lake area. According to Koop, the fugitive befriended the family of one of his victims and had been living in a trailer on their property since the fall of last year.

According to the prosecutor, the victims parents reported the crime when they discovered sexually explicit pictures of their child on a digital camera, apparently used by Fileds.

He has been charged with five counts of second degree criminal sexual conduct, which is a 15-year felony; one count of first degree CSC, which is a life sentence; and four counts of child sexual abuse activity, a 20-year felony.

"Child sexual abuse activity involves the material we found showing children in suggestive sexual poses," Koop said.

Koop said his office requested a Federal Flight to Avoid Prosecution warrant from the FBI.

"This warrant allows the feds to start looking for him in coordination with our efforts here in Michigan," he said.

In a strange twist of events, after Fileds fled, he mailed letters from an unknown destination to his friends in the area and also to the family of one of his victims.

"The letters gave an explanation as to why he had to leave, which was not the real reason for his leaving," said Michigan State Trooper Tom George.

According to both Koop and George, Fields acted alone.

The police and the prosecutor's office have coordinated their efforts to find Fields. Anyone who has information regarding this case should contact the state police post in Kalkaska at 258-4122.

June 7, 2001 Tom Teepen "Uneven death Penalty Statistics" Sac Bee 6-12-01.

Re. "Uneven death penalty statistics" June 12, 2001 by Tom Teepen of Cox Newspapers, Alanta. Mr. Teepen's last paragraph stated.

To what good end? McVeigh said he had to kill to make a point. We have now said something of the same. McVeigh's crime left 168 grieving families.

"YOU AND I HAVE JUST MADE THAT 169"

I feel that Mr. Teepen owes "YOU AND I" an apology for calling us murderers. This seems to be the norm in America.."No Responsibility for BAD CHOICES. Why is it okay for a perpertrator to take anothers life, but it is not okay for him to be punished for the life he took?

I'm Sorry Mr. Teepen, but McVeigh made a CHOICE and the CHOICE he made was a BAD one. I and the rest of the citizens had no part of the CHOICE that he made. When you make a BAD CHOICE, only YOU have to suffer the consequences of punishment.

As SURVIVORS of Crime, we have to live with the BAD CHOICE made by others until the day we die. I will not let Mr. Teepen make me a MURDERER of those who make BAD CHOICES.

A Homicide Victim Survivor

June 7, 2001 News - California: Police arrest suspect in 1994 killing.

News from Ontario in the Times Community Newspapers

By GENE MADDAUS

ONTARIO -- Police announced Wednesday that they have arrested a 24-year-old Santa Rosa man last month in connection with a seven-year-old slaying.

Jose Morales was charged in 1994 with fatally shooting Raymond Garcia Jr., 28, in an alley near 1421 N. Virginia Ave. Morales was 16 at the time.

Ontario Det. Al Parra said Morales shot Garcia because a member of Garcia's family had falsely accused one of Morales' relatives of molesting Garcia's goddaughter.

Morales was identified and charged with the March 12, 1994, shooting, but was never arrested. Police believed he had fled to Mexico.

Click here for full story.

June 6, 2001 News - Florida: Sexual offender gets 20-year term.

A 24-year-old rural Decatur man convicted in a second case involving sexual contact with underage girls - and facing two more counts in Miami, Florida - was sent into the Indiana prison system for 20 years Tuesday in Adams Superior Court. Judge James A. Heimann gave the 20-year sentence to David L. Brower, who received credit for having spent 310 days in the Adams County Jail. Court costs were waived.

Brower pleaded guilty on May 16 to child molesting by engaging in sexual intercourse with a 13-year-old girl on May 12, 1998.

He was convicted in Adams Circuit Court on December 19, 1996 of sexual misconduct with a minor and was on probation for that crime when he committed the molestation 18 months later.

Click here for full story.

June 6, 2001 News - New York: Priest arraigned on indecency charge.

By Eve Sullivan, Staff Writer

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. - The Stamford priest accused of engaging in sexually explicit conversations with someone he believed to be a 14-year-old boy was arraigned yesterday in court.

The Rev. John Castaldo, 42, had his case continued until Oct. 1 and transferred from City Court to County Court in White Plains, N.Y., which handles felony cases.

Castaldo, who was charged with attempted dissemination of indecent material to a minor in the first degree, did not enter a plea. Castaldo was the spiritual director of Trinity Catholic High School on Newfield Avenue in Stamford and the resident priest at St. Maurice Parish in the Glenbrook section of Stamford until his May 24 arrest.

The Westchester County, N.Y., district attorney's office has been conducting an Internet pedophile sting operation since 1999, which has resulted in 42 arrests.

According to the criminal complaint, Investigator Pascal Starino Jr. posed as a 14-year-old boy and engaged in a series of e-mail conversations initiated by Castaldo. The priest allegedly responded to a posting from the investigator.

Click here for full story.

June 6, 2001 Informational - Pediatricians urged to ask patients about rape.

CHICAGO (AP) ó Citing disturbing statistics showing adolescents have the nation's highest rate of rape, the American Academy of Pediatrics says doctors should ask patients at their annual checkups if they have ever been sexually assaulted.

Pediatricians may be the first professionals these victims encounter, and they are in a position to offer psychological support or refer such patients for counseling and other services, the academy said.
Nationwide data from 1998 show that 330,088 rapes and sexual assaults were reported in victims ages 12 and up. Rates for those ages 12 through 19 were the highest of all age groups and more than double those of victims 25 and older.

"It can be uncomfortable for some physicians to bring up sexually related questions," said Dr. David Kaplan, a Denver pediatrician and chairman of the academy's committee on adolescence. But he said including such questioning as part of regular checkups may help make it become more routine.

The recommendations were published in the June issue of the academy's journal, Pediatrics. They strengthen the academy's 1994 policy statement in light of increases in the use of date-rape drugs and changes in legal procedures.

Click here for full story.

June 6, 2001 Hong Kong: Teenager 'let ex-cop test her for virginity'.

A FORMER auxiliary police officer told a schoolgirl he was a serving officer who could clear her from a bogus vice case by checking her virginity, the District Court heard yesterday.

Wu Chi-wai, 33, told the 16-year-old she had three other options - sleep with a police officer, become an officer's girlfriend or pay $3,000 to $4,000 - the court was told. Otherwise, Wu threatened the girl that she would be arrested in a widely-publicised case and would be dismissed from school.

The court heard the student was so scared that she eventually followed Wu to a place and let him indecently assault her. She also gave him $2,000.

Wu denies a total of seven counts, including kidnapping, indecent assault, procuring another person for an unlawful sexual act by false pretences, obtaining property by deception and falsely pretending to be a public officer.

Click here for full story.

June 2, 2001 California: Teacher Sent to Prison in Child Porn Case.

A Canyon Country teacher facing trial on 30 molestation-related offenses was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison Friday on separate charges that he possessed child pornography, according to the U.S. attorney's office.

Paul Alphonse Kreutzer, 62, a former teacher at Liggett Street Elementary School in Panorama City, was arrested in March 2000 during a federal investigation into a child pornography Web site.

Kreutzer faces a pretrial hearing June 15 in Van Nuys Superior Court on the molestation charges involving former students.

Click here for full story.

June 1, 2001 MA: Rape suspect had custody of girl despite allegations.

A Northbridge cabbie accused of drugging his daughter's slumber party friends and filming himself raping them was given custody of his daughter by a Mississippi court, despite allegations by his ex-wife of "violent" abuse, records show.

Peter M. Gagnon, a 48-year-old retired Marine who was still on the lam last night, won custody in 1996 of his then-10-year-old daughter, even though his ex-wife, Concepcion Gagnon, had a restraining order against him and claimed he abused her and the girl.

"(Concepcion Gagnon) was forced to leave the marital domicile because of the violent and dangerous actions of (Peter Gagnon) toward her and (their daughter)," Mississippi court papers obtained by the Herald allege.

Northbridge police say Gagnon slipped drugs to his daughter's friends at sleepovers and then raped them. The victims, ages 10-14, were assaulted multiple times over the past six months but had no recollection of the attacks, police said. Police suspect Gagnon may have used so-called "date rape" drugs.

Click here for full story.

June 1, 2001 California: Man commits suicide after being arrested for alleged molestation.

LONG BEACH, Calif. (AP) -- A former real estate agent arrested for allegedly molesting a child in the 1970s committed suicide Thursday at his home, authorities said.

Donald Schwenn's wife found her 69-year-old husband's body in their garage shortly after 6 a.m., said Officer Jana Blair. Authorities believe he died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. No suicide note was left but foul play wasn't suspected.

"It's possible he was very despondent and didn't want to face the charges," Blair said.

Schwenn was arrested Wednesday for allegedly molesting a girl during the 1970s, beginning when she was 3 years old. He was charged with 12 felony counts of lewd conduct with a child under the age of 14.

Schwenn, a former president of the Long Beach District Board of Realtors, posted the 10 percent minimum of $1.2 million bail Wednesday, police said.

Click here for full story.

May 30, 2001 California: Police Officer Is Flight Risk, D.A. Contends.

Crime: Prosecutors seek bail increase to $250,000 for Huntington Beach lawman accused of molesting girl, 14.

By JACK LEONARD, CHRISTINE HANLEY, Times Staff Writers

Orange County prosecutors asked a Superior Court judge Tuesday to increase bail for a Huntington Beach police officer accused of molestation, calling the officer a flight risk.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Matt Murphy suggested that Officer Mark Trachman's bail be set at $250,000--an amount that is standard for murder suspects.

Judge Andrew P. Banks postponed ruling on the request until June 6 and instead ordered that Trachman surrender his passport and wear an electronic monitoring device if he posts his existing bail, $150,000.

Trachman, 36, appeared in court Tuesday for the first time since he was charged last week with fondling a 14-year-old girl during a police interview at her home.

Click here for full story.

May 24, 2001 Florida: Minister's Son Accused Of Child Molestation.

An 18-year-old is in jail, accused of molesting a 5-year-old girl at a church daycare center.

About a hundred children go to the Englewood daycare every day to be watched over, and protected while their parents are at work. But for a 5-year-old girl, that shield may have slipped one day, two weeks ago. She said that a daycare worker molested her.

"We have one suspect arrested for capital sexual battery," Jacksonville Sheriffs Office Sgt. Susan Bowen said.

That fact that a child could be molested at the center was devastating news for the church. What's more, the accused is the minister's son, 18-year-old Mark Jackson.

Click here for full story.

May 22, 2001 California: Transcript details teen's sex allegations.

FONTANA -- A San Bernardino County sheriff's deputy on trial for sexual misconduct with a 16-year-old boy had sex with him at least 25 times, in each of their homes and in the deputy's vehicle, according to a transcript of the boy's private testimony.

The unidentified boy testified last week. The transcript was released Monday as Gustavo Ulloa's defense attorney presented his final witnesses in the trial in San Bernardino County Superior Court.

The boy testified that he met Ulloa, who worked at the Chino Hills station, through the Internet. He said he kissed Ulloa the first day they met in person. Within a week, they were having sex, the boy testified.

The boy said he met Ulloa in mid-1999, when he was 15 years old. When Deputy Dist. Atty. Briye McCann asked him to identify Ulloa, he hesitated, then said, "He was once my friend."

The boy lived two streets away from Ulloa In Rialto. Ulloa testified last week that he met the boy when the youngster was riding his bike in the neighborhood. Ulloa said he did not meet the boy "trolling on the Internet," although he acknowledged they did exchange computer messages.
Click here for full story.

May 20, 2001 Texas: Sex Offenders Ordered To Post Warning Signs.

CORPUS CHRISTI, Tex. -- A judge has ordered 21 convicted sex offenders to place signs in their front yards saying, "Danger! Registered Sex Offender Lives Here."

The signs were given to offenders Friday along with bumper stickers saying, "Danger! Registered Sex Offender in Vehicle." State District Judge J. Manuel Banales ordered them posted immediately.

Authorities will conduct spot checks on offenders' homes and vehicles, said Iris D. Davila, supervisor of the probation department's specialized services for Nueces County.

Click here for full story.

May 17, 2001 Maryland: Sex Offender Charged With Rape Of Girl, 11.

A Leonardtown man, who is a registered sex offender and had been released from prison earlier this year, was arrested and charged with raping the 11-year-old daughter of friends who had offered him a place to stay, the Maryland State Police said this week.

James Junior Stewart, 39, was charged with second-degree rape, second-degree sex offense, third-degree sex offense, child abuse and possession of marijuana after the alleged attack Saturday night, according to Maryland State Police Sgt. Ronald T. Best. Stewart was charged under one of his aliases, James Edward Carter, according to police.

Best said Stewart had been staying with a couple he had met through his new job at a Great Mills construction site for the past month after returning to the county. He was released from the Maryland Department of Corrections in January after serving more than three years for a previous child abuse conviction, authorities said.

Stewart had registered as a sex offender -- including being fingerprinted and photographed -- at the St. Mary's County sheriff's office in February, officials said.

Click here for full story.

May 11, 2001 Legislative Alert: CT:HB 5654 (Extend Criminal Statute of Limitations).

CT members to call their state senators today!! Check the blue pages of you phone book for the number of the Senator from your district or go to and you can email them all!

http://www.cga.state.ct.us/asp/CGARootSupport/Abandon.asp

The key senate people to contact are the leaders, Kevin Sullivan, Eric Coleman, George Jepsen

Also members of your list outside of the state who have national reputations, please feel free to help us here in CT. Things are moving fast now on House Bill 5654 which is the bill designed to extend the criminal statute of limitations for the prosecution of child sexual abuse cases until 30 years beyond the age of majority, or age 48. The bill has passed the committee level, just passed the House of Representative yesterday by a a 118 yea to 25 nay vote and is now going to come up on the state Senate floor.

The big area of controversy has been whether the bill should have retroactive application to crimes of child sexual abuse which have already been committed or whether it should have only prospective effect for crimes committed after its passage. The House voted down retroactive application. Still, nevertheless, even without retroactive application, passage of this bill is a major step forward.

Helen McGonigle

May 10, 2001 Parole Block Petition.

Dear Friends,

Your help is desperately needed to keep this murderer incarcerated. No parole for this brutal murderer! If you cannot obtain additional signatures, just sign the petition and mail it to the address given before the Parole Hearing on June 13, 2001! It is very important for us all to work together to keep America safe!

Sincerely,

Elaine from the ROR PEACE FOUNDATION

Click here to view and print out petition., or to download the petition as a Word Document, click here.

May 4, 2001 News - Indiana: Principal Charged With Sexual Abuse.

LAKE STATION, Ind. (AP) - The FBI was searching for a former Baptist school principal who allegedly sexually abused and abducted an 11-year-old girl who has been missing for three days.

William A. Beith, 28, was charged Thursday with coercing and enticing a minor into sexual acts and transporting a minor across state lines for sexual purposes in connection with the disappearance of the girl.

Special Agent Doug Garrison of the FBI's Indianapolis office said Friday that documents related to the warrant were sealed to protect the privacy of those interviewed and to keep certain information secret until Beith is captured.

But in explaining why the charges were filed, Garrison said, "We became aware of a relationship between the two and the charges have come forth from that."

The sixth-grader from Gary was reported missing Tuesday after she had a spat with her parents at a Wal-Mart store.

Click here for full story.

May 4, 2001 News - Oregon: First-Grade Girl Molested by Classmate, Suit Alleges.

PORTLAND, Ore. (Reuters) - A Portland mother has filed a $2 million federal lawsuit against the city school system charging it failed to protect her first-grade daughter from months of sexual abuse by a second-grade classmate.

"There is an obligation of school to protect the children," one of the woman's attorneys, Randall J. Wolfe, said on Friday.

Asked to characterize the alleged abuse, Wolfe said: "There was oral sex, hands in pants, rubbing on top of one another." But City officials voiced confidence that they would prevail in court. "We will be dealing with these issues in court," school district spokesman Lew Frederick said. "We have a very strong case."

Click here for full story.

May 3, 2001 News - NY: HIV-Positive Teacher Raped Boy 9.

May 3, 2001 -- A Bronx elementary-school teacher who says he has HIV was charged yesterday with sodomizing a 9-year-old student in what a cop called one of the most horrifying child-sex cases he's ever investigated.

Milton McFarlane, 38, a Poughkeepsie resident who teaches at PS 78 in the Bronx's Williamsbridge section, was also accused of repeatedly sexually abusing a second boy, an 8-year-old. Both youngsters were attacked in school, cops said.

McFarlane was investigated previously for sexual conduct with students, and may have attacked others, authorities said.

"You expect our teachers to ensure the safety of our children," said a detective on the case. "This is one of the worst cases I've heard of."

McFarlane continued teaching despite allegations in 1998 that he exposed himself to one student and unzipped the pants of another, Schools Chancellor Harold Levy said last night.

Officials dropped the case because conflicting student stories made the charges unprovable, Levy said. Asked why McFarlane wasn't transferred to an administrative job after the investigation, Levy spokeswoman Karen Finnerty said:

"Certainly, on the surface, it raises very serious questions about judgment. That is why the chancellor will refer this for investigation."

Levy said McFarlane will be fired.

The teacher is accused of asking the 9-year-old to stay after school Tuesday under the guise that the youngster needed extra help.

Click here for full story.

May 3, 2001 News - Washington DC: Coaches Face More Scrutiny Under Background Checks.

By Matthew Mosk, Washington Post Staff Writer

Jeff Shackelford heard about the Little League baseball coach in San Bernardino, Calif., who molested dozens of preteen boys in lurid, abusive affairs that he nursed along during practices, tutorials and team outings.

The Crofton father heard of the Las Vegas baseball coach, described as a master manipulator of vulnerable children, who was sentenced to life in prison last month after being convicted of 39 sex-related charges involving his players.

"What threw the fear of God into me," Shackelford said, "was that in every community where it happened, people never suspected a thing. Well, I just didn't feel like we should be caught off guard and then lament at a later date [that] 'I didn't think it could happen here. I didn't think it could happen to my kid.' "

Shackelford helped institute a program of background checks in the Crofton Athletic Council's youth sports leagues that is now being adopted on a wide scale by Anne Arundel County. County Executive Janet S. Owens (D) has included $30,000 in her 2002 budget to pay for checks on about 6,000 volunteer coaches, most of them parents, who oversee 60,000 children in both publicly and privately sponsored youth sports programs.

Click here for full story.

May 1, 2001 John Gillis nomination is WONDERFUL news for Victims of Crime!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE- AG
TUESDAY, MAY 1, 2001
WWW.USDOJ.GOV
(202) 514-2008
ATTORNEY GENERAL ASHCROFT WELCOMES WHITE HOUSE NOMINEE
FOR THE OFFICE OF VICTIMS OF CRIME

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Attorney General John Ashcroft today welcomed President George W. Bush's nomination of John W. Gillis to be Director of the Office for Victims of Crime, a Department bureau that administers grants, trains professionals and provides public education regarding victim rights.

"John Gillis' job is a crucial one," Ashcroft said. "How we respond to and assist victims of crime says much about our society, and I am confident John will approach his role with the utmost dignity and compassion. I look forward to working with him to ensure the Department is sensitive to the needs of crime victims."

Previously, Gillis served as Commissioner of the California Board of Prison Terms, acting as Chairman from 1991 to 1993. From 1962-1988 he worked various assignments at the Los Angeles Police Department, retiring with the rank of lieutenant.

Following the 1979 murder of his daughter Louarna, he helped found Justice for Homicide Victims and the Coalition of Victims Equal Rights. He is also the founder of Victims & Friends United and an active member of Memory of Victims Everywhere and Parents of Murdered Children.

Gillis spent four years as a member of the California State Bar Association's Crime Victims and Corrections Committee and four years on the American Legislative Exchange Council's Victim Committee. He also helped secure passage of California's Crime Victims Initiative.

He received undergraduate degrees from the University of Southern California and the University of California at Los Angeles. He is a member of the American Police Hall of Fame. In 1993, former Attorney General William Barr recognized Gillis with a Special Commendation Award for his service to victims.

###

01-198

Katie Biber
Office of Public Affairs
US Department of Justice
950 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington DC 20530
Phone: 202/616-0908
Fax: 202/514-7971

April 28, 2001 UK: Net Perv Lured Girl.

BUS driver Andrew Hall was jailed for 18 months yesterday after having sex with a 14-year-old girl he trapped on the internet.

Hall, 34, had posed as a 14-year-old boy to flirt on a teenage chat room.

The schoolgirl went missing for five days after "creepy" Hall arranged a date near her home in Walsall, West Midlands.

Click here for full story.

April 27, 2001 Nevada: Daycare worker indicted on 15 counts of abuse.

© 2001 Associated Press

RENO, Nev. (AP) -- A former worker at a Reno child care center has been indicted on 15 counts of child sexual abuse and child pornography for allegedly molesting nine children under his care.

Gary Hanneman, who worked as the toddler coordinator at Children City Learning Center, has admitted to molesting as many as 27 children at his Stead home and at the center during the past 18 months.

Washoe County Deputy District Attorney Cheryl Hier-Johnson said she has enough evidence to charge him in connection with nine incidents involving the 2- and 3-year-olds.

Click here for full story.

April 27, 2001 CA: Child in incest is always the victim.

Child in incest is always the victim, state high court says Minor can't be held complicit even if sex act consensual.

Harriet Chiang, Chronicle Legal Affairs Writer, © 2001 San Francisco Chronicle

A minor who has consensual sex with a parent is not guilty of incest and cannot be an accomplice to the crime, the California Supreme Court ruled yesterday.

The court overturned a controversial state appeals court ruling that had found a San Jose teenager an accomplice to the crime when she had a sexual relationship with her father. The lower court said the jury should have considered her testimony against her father in that context.

But in yesterday's decision, the high court said the burden is on the adult to refrain from having sex with the minor.

Click here for full story.

April 27, 2001 Mass: Mother Sentenced in Sex Assaults.

By TRUDY TYNAN, Associated Press Writer

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (AP) - A mother was sentenced Friday to at least 35 years in prison for forcing her daughters to have sex with her boyfriend.

The oldest girl, now 16, tearfully told the judge that she loved her mother but wanted her in prison for life.

"What she did was wrong," the sobbing girl said. "I hope she gets all the help she needs."

Click here for full story.

April 27, 2001 SC: Police Looking for Child Find Body; Mother Arrested.

RIDGEVILLE, S.C. (AP) _ Authorities arrested the mother of a 6-month-old boy whose body was found Thursday in heavy brush and were preparing to charge her with murder, authorities said.

Norma Patrick-Hall, 38, was taken into custody hours after searchers found the body of a child near where she said her son had been abducted at gunpoint, killed and thrown into a drainage canal.

The discovery came on the fourth day of a search for the child, Harley Benjamin Hall. Authorities are ``reasonably certain'' the body is that of the missing child, Dorchester County Sheriff Ray Nash said.

Click here for full story.

April 25, 2001 PA: Former Boy Scout Leader Sentenced to One to Two Years in Jail.

A 12-year-old boy testified that Levendosky forced three boys to strip naked, scraped them with a knife, and tied them up. GREENSBURG, Pa. (AP) _ A former assistant Boy Scout leader was sentenced Tuesday to a maximum of two years in jail for making boys strip, tying them to a tree and cutting them.

A county judge also ordered John T. Levendosky II of Derry, about 35 miles southeast of Pittsburgh, to undergo counseling before he is released.
Levendosky, a 20-year scouting volunteer, pleaded guilty in February to endangering the welfare of children, simple assault and related charges.

Click here for full story.

April 22, 2001 US: Violators of child online privacy law face fines.

By Linda Rosencrance

(IDG) -- Almost a year to the day after a law limiting the ability of Web sites to collect personal data from children took effect, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Thursday announced the first fines that it has levied against companies for violating the measure.

And the commission warned that the fines being paid by the operators of three Web sites aimed at children won't be the last ones. FTC spokeswoman Toby Levin said more civil penalty cases related to violations of the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) are due to be announced in the next several months.

Click here for full story.

April 21, 2001 International: Police Say 80 People in Global Child Porn Ring.

Spanish police believe around 80 people were involved in an international child pornography ring which sent more than 20,000 images of naked children around the world via the Internet, officials said on Saturday.

Police in Spain working with Interpol broke up the 21-country child pornography network on Friday, arresting 7 people in Spain and with one more detention due.

"This is perhaps one of the most important (investigations of its kind) because of its international implications and the fact that it appeared to operate among Spanish speakers," the police's technical advisor Marceliano Gutierrez told reporters.

Further arrests abroad are expected soon.

Click here for full story.

April 17, 2001 UK Study Calls For Checks on Church.

By Robert Barr, Associated Press Writer

LONDON All clergy, staff and volunteers in the Roman Catholic Church should be subject to police checks to stamp out sexual abuse of children, a report commissioned by the church said Tuesday.

The church must also not hush up allegations of abuse, added the report of a commission headed by Lord Nolan, a former appeals judge.

"We believe that the Catholic Church in England and Wales should become an example of best practice in the prevention of child abuse and in responding to it," Nolan said.

Between 1995 and 1999, 21 of the 5,600 Catholic priests in England and Wales were convicted of offenses against children, and two archbishops have been embroiled in controversies about their handling of pedophile priests.

The report said the church should set up a national child protection unit and that every parish should have a designated child protection representative. It said bishops and religious superiors should not overrule selections boards where there are questions about the suitability of a candidate for ordination or appointment.

Anyone who refuses to consent to a records check should not be appointed, the report said.

Any allegation of abuse should be investigated swiftly, the report said, and the person making the allegation should be encouraged to tell police, social services agencies and the child protection officer appointed by the diocese or religious order.

"Our hope is that this report will help to bring about a culture of vigilance where every single adult member of the church consciously and proactively takes responsibility for creating a safe environment for children and young people," the report said.

In a BBC television interview before the report's release, Archbishop Vincent Nichols of Birmingham said the church has learned a great deal in recent decades.

"I think 20 years ago, it was just a puzzle, it was such a shock and such a surprise," Nichols said. "It was very much a hidden phenomenon and a hidden crime. But I think nowadays these things are much more understood. We obviously have been on a steep learning curve along with the rest of society."

The church in England and Wales published its first report on child abuse in 1994, emphasizing that the church should work closely with child protection teams, government authorities and other professionals.

Click here for full story.

April 14, 2001 Paris/US/UK: Schoolgirl murder: DNA results soon.

"Officials are likely to announce the test results in Rennes shortly after they arrive home."

French investigators are expected to return home soon from Florida where they have been gathering DNA samples of a man suspected of raping and killing schoolgirl, Caroline Dickinson

Police at laboratories in Paris and Bordeaux are to test the DNA of Francisco Arce Montez, said Yves Boivin, a prosecutor in Rennes.

The 50-year-old Spaniard is suspected of killing Caroline, the 13-year-old British girl, from Bodmin, Ccornwall, was murdered in a hostel dormitory in Brittany five years ago while on a school trip.

Officials are likely to announce the test results in Rennes shortly after they arrive home, said Mr Boivin.

American authorities have announced a link between Arce's DNA and Dickinson's death.

Click here for full story.

April 14, 2001 Ireland: Victims of child abuse reject 'insulting' offer.

By Nuala Haughey, Social and Racial Affairs Correspondent

A coalition of victims of child abuse in institutions says the Government's proposals for a compensatory scheme are insulting and discriminatory.

The group, representing some 1,200 victims, wants changes in the proposals to compensate people who suffered physical, emotional and sexual abuse as children while resident in State and religious-run schools and institutions since the 1940s.

The Federation of Independent Survivors Group will meet Department of Education officials next Wednesday to discuss the proposed scheme, which some officials estimate could cost up to £100 million. The scheme is due to be operational by next summer.

Under the Government's proposals, it would be based on Canadian programmes, with a sliding scale of awards paid for various types of abuse, ranging from severe sexual to minor physical abuse and non-physical mistreatment. An expert group is proposed to determine criteria for the awards.

However, in its counterproposals submitted to the Department, the federation says the Canadian model is not appropriate. It instead calls for the establishment of a compensation tribunal similar to the hepatitis C tribunal which, it says, would have substantially better safeguards and allow more wide-ranging damages.

Click here for full story.

April 13, 2001 WY: Soccer coach gets 50-plus years.

CASPER, Wyo. (AP) - A former soccer coach serving time for possessing and distributing child pornography over the Internet has been sentenced to 50 to 55 years in prison for sexually molesting at least seven boys.

Lindsey Reaves apologized to his victims and said he regretted his actions.

"While I accept the consequences, I certainly don't enjoy them. I hope and pray for the boys that the consequences won't haunt them for the rest of their lives," Reaves said Wednesday during his sentencing hearing.

District Attorney Kevin Meenan labeled Reaves "a predator of young children" and said that Reaves enticed them with items specific to their age, like crayons and coloring books, Walt Disney videos, video games, computers and sports.

"They were all boys when they were first molested and assaulted. Now as teen-agers and young men, they have to live with the consequences," Meenan said.

Click here for full story.

April 13, 2001 US: U.S. Marine Is Convicted of Sexual Misconduct.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. Marine sergeant has been sentenced to a year in prison for possession of child pornography, sexual harassment of a student, and theft of money from students while serving as an instructor at a Missouri base, the Marine Corps said Friday.

Staff Sgt. Howard Ross, 34, pleaded guilty at a court-martial Friday at the Marine Corps Base in Quantico, Virginia. His sentence on the misconduct charges included a pay cut and a bad-conduct discharge, the Marine Corps said in a statement.

Before his arrest Nov. 29, Ross had served as an instructor in the Marine Corps Motor Transport Training school at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri.

Three other instructors in the Marine detachment at the base have been charged with sexually harassing students and committing other offenses, the service said. Some 20 Marines at the facility are under investigation for alleged misconduct, according to the statement.

Click here for full story.

April 13, 2001 Pomona, California: Teacher pleads not guilty to teen's sex allegations.

By GENE MADDAUS

POMONA -- A 57-year-old teacher accused of having sex with a 15-year-old boy he allegedly met on the Internet pleaded not guilty Thursday.

Russell Melching of Claremont made his first court appearance since being arrested Tuesday by Claremont police at Camp Glenn Rocky, a juvenile probation camp where he taught political science.

His attorney, Douglas Allen of Claremont, objected to a prosecution motion to increase bail to $3 million, and suggested that bail be lowered. Bail remained at $1 million.

Allen said his client has no criminal record and argued that he is not a flight risk.

The Los Angeles County Office of Education placed Melching on leave.

Melching was arrested after the 15-year-old Montclair boy and his mother made the allegations to police.

Click here for full story.

April 13, 2001 Ontario: First Provincial Sex Offender Registry In Canada.

OPPA Applauds Province For Establishing First Provincial Sex Offender Registry In Canada.

The Ontario Provincial Police Association (OPPA) today thanked Premier Mike Harris, Solicitor General David Turnbull, former Solicitor General David Tsubouchi, now Chair of Management Board, and their government for demonstrating vision and leadership in establishing Canada's first provincial Sex Offender Registry.

"The OPPA applauds this government's commitment to the fight against crime, particularly crime which affects vulnerable members of our society," said OPPA President Brian Adkin. "The Registry is an important tool for police and will play a vital role in tracking sex offenders and preventing them from re-offending."

Christopher's Law (Sex Offender Registry 2000) will come into force April 23, 2001. The law was named in memory of 11-year-old Christopher Stephenson who was brutally murdered in 1988 by a convicted pedophile on federal statutory release. The inquest jury into Christopher's death recommended the creation of a national registry.

"We are committed to using every means at our disposal to protect the public from sexual predators," said Adkin. "The Registry is available to every police force in every community in the province. We are now using 21st century investigative techniques."

The OPP operates and maintains the Central Sex Offender Registry on behalf of the Ministry of the Solicitor General.

The OPP manages the Registry's main database and provides 24-hour support for police services throughout Ontario.

"We commend Premier Mike Harris, Solicitor General David Turnbull, and former Solicitor General David Tsubouchi, now Chair of Management Board, for their leadership and encourage the federal government and other provinces to follow Ontario's lead," said Adkin.

The OPPA represents over 5,000 Ontario Provincial Police officers who provide community-based policing and specialized policing services to residents in over 460 municipalities across Ontario.

For more information, please contact Brian Adkin.

April 12, 2001 Alexandria, LA: Athlete Charged With Rapes, Kidnappings.

Associated Press, via NewsEdge Corporation.

ALEXANDRIA, La. (AP) _ A minor league football player has been accused of attacking, raping and robbing strangers at the Red River levee for almost a year.

Darell Dewayne White, 28, of Alexandria, was arrested late Monday night near the levee, where police had been conducting 24-hour surveillance.

White was booked on multiple charges ranging from aggravated rape to armed robbery.

Pineville police said they also might charge White in connection with a March attack of two Louisiana College students at Lake Buhlow.

White, a running back with the Louisiana Rangers of the National Indoor Football League, is a former starting pitcher for the Alexandria Aces minor league baseball team and was a star athlete at Bolton High School.

Click here for full story.

April 11, 2001 News - Canada: Alta. group seeks support on pedophile laws.

CALGARY (CP) - A fledgling Alberta lobby group is taking its campaign for tougher laws against sexual predators to Ontario.

Carrie Kohan, president of Mad Mothers Against Pedophiles, said her group has received hundreds of phone calls of support from Canadians across the country and is quickly becoming the vehicle for an undercurrent of anger and concern about sexual crimes against children.

''It's grown so fast that it's hard to keep up with, frankly,'' Kohan said Wednesday before boarding a flight for Toronto. ''It's time, I think, for this movement.''

The group, which started a month ago at a small Calgary rally, is looking to add signatures to a 30,000-name petition calling for stiffer federal laws. Kohan said more than 100 volunteers from Halifax to Victoria are working to collect 100,000 signatures before the petition is to be read in the House of Commons.

Click here for full story.

April 9, 2001 News - CHARLESTON, W.Va: Father Says He Raped Girl to Teach Her About Sex.

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) _ A man who says he repeatedly raped his 13-year-old daughter to teach her about sex and birth control insists he acted "from a parent's point of view and not a pervert's."

Kanawha County Circuit Judge Jim Stucky ruled otherwise Thursday, ordering James Dale Duncan to serve two consecutive prison terms of 10 to 20 years.

"It simply boggles my mind that you would stand up and say the only way you could prevent your daughter from getting pregnant is having sex with her," Stucky told Duncan, 38, of Dunbar.

"There is no explanation for the actions that you took," the judge said. "You betrayed the trust of a parent. If you can't feel safe at home, where can you feel safe? If you can't trust your own father, who can you trust?"

Stucky, a former prosecutor and a judge since 1997, called the case one of the most disturbing he's seen.

Duncan's sister, Mary Sullivan, defended her brother in court, telling the judge, "He didn't do this for pleasure."

Sullivan said she trusts her brother around her own children and has known him to volunteer at elementary schools without incident.

"At the time, I thought I was doing the right thing," Duncan told the judge. "I feel that if I didn't do it, I'd be looking at a mother right now."

Click here for full story.

April 7, 2001 News - UK: Girls tell of hostel rape and murder.

Inquest on 13-year-old killed in Brittany in 1996 hears how roommates thought cries and sounds of struggle were girl having nightmare.

Sarah Hall, The Guardian

An inquest heard yesterday how two schoolgirls awoke when Caroline Dickinson, 13, was raped and smothered to death in their dormitory of a French youth hostel in 1996 - but though they heard her cry out and struggle, they thought she was having a nightmare.

One heard the zip of her sleeping bag being opened, while the other heard groaning. The first saw the murderer get up from Caroline's mattress but, presuming it was the girl herself, took no further notice and fell back to sleep. Two other girls in the room slept throughout.

The extent of the girls' unwitting witness of the rape and murder emerged in statements read out at Bodmin coroner's court. The East Cornwall coroner, Edward Carlyon, ruled Caroline had been unlawfully killed, calling her death "the nightmare every parent dreads".

She and 40 other children had been on a school activity week at Pleine Fougeres in Brittany. An intruder entered their unlocked hostel in the early hours of July 18, 1996.

Click here for full story.

April 7, 2001 News - California: Man Denies Guilt in Pornography Case.

South Bay political consultant Tom Shortridge appeared in court Thursday, pleading not guilty to a felony charge of using a minor for sexual acts and misdemeanor charges of contributing to the delinquency of a minor and child molestation.

Click here for full story.

April 7, 2001 News - California: Police Seek Victims in Sex Case.

Crime: Youth pastor for Westlake Village church already faces lewd conduct charges.

By Karima A. Haynes, Times Staff Writer

Los Angeles County sheriff's investigators are seeking possible victims of sexual crimes that may have occurred in the Westlake Village and Thousand Oaks area from 1990 to this year, authorities said Friday.

The search broadens the scope of an investigation into allegations that a Westlake Village youth pastor engaged in lewd conduct with three teenage boys ages 13 to 14 from 1986 to 2001.

Timothy Bayne Bernstein, 40, of Thousand Oaks, has already been charged with 10 counts of lewd conduct between 1987 and 1991, according to the Los Angeles County district attorney's office.

Bernstein surrendered to sheriff's deputies in Calabasas on March 30 after a warrant was issued for his arrest. He pleaded not guilty Tuesday and is being held in lieu of $500,000 bond.

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April 7, 2001 News - Cincinnati: Cincinnati Police Investigate School Sex Reports.

CINCINNATI, (Reuters) - Police on Saturday were investigating reports that pupils at a Cincinnati elementary school were swapping sexual favors for soda and candy.

The allegations surfaced this week when a fifth-grade girl at Mount Airy Elementary School told the principal at least five other girls and 15 boys were involved in sexual activity in school closets and other secluded places, according to school district spokeswoman Janet Walsh.

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April 6, 2001 News - Peel Regional Police - Ontario sex offender registry.

TORONTO, April 6 /CNW/ - Peel Regional Police are pleased to announce that they are ready for implementation of the Ontario Sex Offender Registry. This law has come about as a result of Bill 31, more commonly known as 'Christopher's Law'. This new legislation allows for tracking the movements of convicted and paroled sex offenders within Ontario. This Bill is expected to be passed into law later this month.

Christopher Stephenson, an eleven-year-old Brampton youth was abducted, sexually assaulted, and murdered by Joseph FREDERICKS, a convicted pedophile, while on parole in 1988. "Our Police Service has taken a very active role in lobbying both the Provincial and Federal Governments for this piece of legislation and have worked very closely with Jim and Ann Stephenson, Christopher's parents," stated Inspector Ken Cull, Officer-In-Charge of Crimes Against Persons.

A designated full time sex offender registrar will work closely with federal and provincial institutions, as well as probation and parole to ensure that convicted sex offenders released into our Region are registered on the Provincial Database.

The Central Registry is located at O.P.P. Headquarters in Orillia and can be accessed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week by Peel Regional Police.

Deputy Chief Ron Bain, who was the Officer-In-Charge of the Christopher Stephenson investigation stated, "This is an excellent investigative tool, but more importantly it will allow Police to proactively monitor the movements of sex offenders in our area."

Click here for Press Release.

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