CA - Ex-county official (Carlos Bustamante) arrested on sex charges

Carlos Bustamante

Original Article

07/03/2012

By VIK JOLLY

Prosecutors will detail the criminal charges Tuesday against Carlos Bustamante, a current Santa Ana city councilman who last year resigned from his county post.

SANTA ANA – A Santa Ana city councilman and a former Orange County executive was arrested Monday and charged with more than a dozen counts, including false imprisonment and assault with the intent to commit a sexual offense, the Orange County District Attorney's Office said.

District Attorney Tony Rackauckas will detail the criminal charges Tuesday against Carlos Bustamante, who resigned from his post as director of administrative services for O.C. Public Works in October after an internal investigation into accusations he had sexual encounters with employees who reported to him.

Bustamante, a one-time rising county Republican star who has denied wrongdoing, was put on paid administrative leave Sept. 12 after the county received an anonymous letter detailing allegations of a sexual nature against him.

The charges against Bustamante are "a real black eye for the county," said John Moorlach, chairman of the county's board of supervisors. "We will do our best to make sure that management identifies this type of behavior sooner and deals with it, because it's not fair to the female employees of the county. We have to make sure it never happens again."

Specifically, prosecutors have charged Bustamante, who was arrested at 4:30 p.m. Monday by D.A. investigators, with 12 felonies and four misdemeanors, including:

Six felony counts of false imprisonment, three of assault with the intent to commit a sexual offense, and one count each of stalking, attempted sexual battery by restraint, and grand theft by false pretense, and one misdemeanor count each of battery, assault, sexual battery, and attempted sexual battery with a sentencing enhancement allegation for committing the offenses as a result of sexual compulsion and for the purpose of sexual gratification, according to a District Attorney's Office news release.

Prosecutors received an investigative report from the county counsel's office regarding allegations of sexual misconduct against Bustamante in March, after the county's internal audit department looked into how county executives handled the allegations and delivered a confidential report to the county's Board of Supervisors.

Bustamante, a Santa Ana councilman since 2004 and a county employee since 2000, told The Orange County Register in an emailed statement Sept. 15:

"I am not at liberty to discuss an ongoing investigation; however, I strongly deny the vicious and hurtful rumors surrounding my employment with the county of Orange. My family and I are confident that the investigation will disprove them, and I am looking forward to returning to work."

A second anonymous letter sent to the county and obtained by the Register gave the names of four current and former female O.C. Public Works employees with whom Bustamante allegedly had sexual encounters in his office over the past several years and provided more graphic detail of the allegations.

All four were subordinate to Bustamante, according to the letter.

Bustamante and one of the women "met more than a dozen times a month for more than a year either in his office or her palatial quarters he built for her," the letter said. The letter writer also promised "steamy, erotic pictures" of the sexual encounters would soon be posted on social media.

"If the truth be told, 100 percent of the planning staff is silently aware of this and more than 60 percent of the OCPW staff is aware and, yes, most OCPW executive management chose to cast a blind eye. Everyone is afraid of retribution in the current difficult job environment," the letter read.

Other women named in the letter were promoted in the department in exchange for sexual favors for Bustamante, the letter alleged.

Of the four women accused of having sexual encounters with Bustamante, one told the Register's OC Watchdog that the allegations were false and a second sent a five-page letter to county supervisors denying having any kind inappropriate relationship with another county official and explaining she couldn't have had sex in her office with Bustamante because one of her office walls was made entirely of glass and sat next to a well-traveled public sidewalk.

After his resignation, the councilman again issued a statement denying any inappropriate sexual encounters with his employees.

"The allegations in the anonymous letters were unsubstantiated because they are not true, however, I have decided to never put my family or me through this horrible experience again, therefore I have decided to resign my position with the county and pursue a career in the private sector," Bustamante wrote to the OC Watchdog. "I am very proud of my twelve years of distinguished county service and will miss working with my friends and colleagues at the county."

In his resignation letter, he said he was not entitled to a 90-day severance package because he is voluntarily resigning but said he had agreed to accept a 90-day severance package in exchange for not suing the county.

"It's tragic," said county Supervisor Bill Campbell on Monday. "It's sad to see somebody with what was a great career having faults that are now causing him to be in a criminal investigation."

The county paid Bustamante $178,277 in 2010, according to county pay data.

WA - Accused double-murderer (Patrick Drum) who allegedly targeted sex offenders attacks inmate offender in Clallam County jail

Patrick Drum

Original Article
Please sign this petition

There is no "allegedly" about it, he murdered two ex-sex offenders, and now he's attacked again!

07/01/2012

By Paul Gottlieb

PORT ANGELES — A Sequim man accused of double murder, who allegedly told police he was targeting sex offenders, was placed in a segregated cell last week in the Clallam County jail after he stabbed a man serving time for failing to register as a sex offender, said jail Superintendent Ron Sukert.

Patrick Drum (Facebook), 34, stabbed [name withheld #1], 19, of Port Angeles with the sharpened handle of a plastic utensil, Sukert said last week.

[name withheld #1] received minor puncture wounds from the combination fork-spoon allegedly wielded by Drum and was not hospitalized, Sukert said.

Drum is awaiting an Aug. 6 trial on two counts of aggravated first-degree murder in the deaths of [name withheld #2], 56, of Port Angeles and [name withheld #3], 28, of Sequim, Drum's housemate.

The bodies of [name withheld #2] and [name withheld #3] were found inside their homes June 3, the same day Drum was arrested.

Drum told authorities he shot [name withheld #3] and [name withheld #2] multiple times “because they were sex offenders” and that he was planning to drive to Quilcene to kill another convicted sex offender.

The fight in which [name withheld #1] was hurt occurred Monday morning in the recreation area in the presence of jail staff, Sukert said.

Another prisoner discovered [name withheld #1]'s offense and pointed him out to Drum, Sukert said.

“[Drum] had help in figuring out what this kid was about and chose to attack him,” Sukert said. “Staff were immediately able to intervene and stop the attack.”

Drum, who is being held without bail, was placed in a segregated cell, where he must stay for 23 hours a day, Sukert said.

A charging referral against Drum for the alleged attack was forwarded to the county Prosecuting Attorney's Office, Sukert said.

[name withheld #1] is serving nine months for two counts of failing to register as a sex offender and for bail jumping for failure to appear in court, according to court records.

He was 13 when he pleaded guilty Oct. 11, 2006, to first-degree child molestation.

A convicted felon, Drum also is charged with first-degree burglary and unlawful possession of a firearm.

Superior Court Judge Ken Williams on Thursday granted Drum's request to act as his own lawyer in defending himself against the charges.

Drum had a plea of not guilty to the charges entered for him June 13 by Port Angeles lawyer Karen Unger after Williams would not allow him to enter a guilty plea.

Prosecuting Attorney Deb Kelly has until a July 13 status hearing to decide whether to seek the death penalty.

The alternative would be to seek life in prison.

She said in a June 13 interview that in cases in which the death penalty is a possibility, a defendant cannot plead guilty until the prosecution has had the chance to fully decide if “there are not sufficient mitigating circumstances to merit leniency.”

Drum had done research on a computer to find out the names of convicted sex offenders, Detective Sgt. Lyman Moores said in an earlier interview.

[name withheld #2] and [name withheld #3] were listed, with photographs, as sex offenders on a Clallam County Sheriff's Office website.

Drum was in and out of jail and prison between July 1998 to March 2009 for charges generated in ­Clallam, Jefferson and Kitsap counties that included residential burglary, second-degree burglary, tampering with a witness, drug possession, possession of stolen property and unlawful issuance of checks, according to the state Department of Corrections.

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FL - Police captain (Juan de los Rios) accused of making girl, 15, take off clothes for sex check

Juan de los Rios

Original Article

And what do you know, it's from Florida!

06/29/2012

By Louis Casiano

A Florida police captain was arrested Friday after authorities said he made a 15-year-old girl remove her clothes to prove she wasn't having sex in the back seat of a car, NBCMiami.com reported.

Juan de los Rios, 46, is charged with two counts of lewd and lascivious conduct on a child under the age of 16 by someone over the of age 18. The charge is a second-degree felony punishable by up to 15 years in prison and up to a $10,000 fine, the station reported.

The Sun Sentinel reports that de los Rios is an 18-year veteran of the Miramar Police Department. The paper reported that he's been suspended without pay.

According to the arrest affidavit, de los Rios found the girl talking with a 19-year-old boy in the back seat of the car on Jan. 18.

The station reported he asked her if they had been having sex. She told investigators she and the boy were just talking.

Authorities told NBCMiami.com that de los Rios then told the girl to remove her pants and underwear so he could see if she was telling the truth. The girl told investigators de los Rios "inspected" her with a flashlight and told her to pull down her blouse so he could check for bruising.

The girl's older sister persuaded her to tell their parents, who then reported the incident to Miramar police, the station reported.

It's not clear if de los Rios knew the girl prior to the incident.

He was being held in lieu of $30,000 bail, the Sentinel reported.

Video Link

UK - Revealed: the scale of sexual abuse by police officers

Original Article

And I wonder, how many of these corrupt police officers are on a public registry so when a cop moves in next to you, you can use the information to "protect" yourself?

06/29/2012

By Sandra Laville

Guardian investigation finds sexual predators in police are abusing their power to target victims of crime

Sexual predators in the police are abusing their power to target victims of crime they are supposed to be helping, as well as fellow officers and female staff, the Guardian can reveal.

An investigation into the scale and extent of the problem suggests sexual misconduct could be more widespread than previously believed.

The situation raises questions about the efficacy of the police complaints system, the police's internal whistleblowing procedures, the vetting of officers and a failure to monitor disciplinary offences.

Police officers have been convicted or disciplined for a range of offences from rape and sexual assault to misconduct in public office relating to inappropriate sexual behaviour with vulnerable women they have met on duty. Others are awaiting trial for alleged offences, though many are never charged with a criminal offence and are dealt with via internal disciplinary procedures.

The problem is to a large extent hidden, as no official statistics are kept and few details are released about internal disciplinary action in such cases.

By analysing the data available – including court cases and misconduct proceedings – the Guardian has attempted to document the scale of the corruption for the first time.

In the past four years, there were 56 cases involving police officers and a handful of community support officers who either were found to have abused their position to rape, sexually assault or harass women and young people or were investigated over such allegations.
- I think we've documented more than 56 in the state of Florida alone, yet alone the entire US.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) and the Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo) are so concerned they are carrying out a rare joint inquiry into the scale of the problem, which will be published in September, the Guardian can reveal.

Their work was prompted by the case of the Northumbria police constable Stephen Mitchell, 43, who was jailed for life in January 2011 for carrying out sex attacks on vulnerable women, including prostitutes and heroin addicts, while he was on duty.

Despite being the subject of previous disciplinary offences, involving one inappropriate relationship with a woman and the accessing of the force computer to find private details of an individual, Mitchell had not been subjected to extra supervision or dismissed by the force.

Those targeted by the officers are predominantly women, but in some cases are children and young people, many of them vulnerable victims of crime.

The Guardian's investigation has uncovered evidence of:

• Vetting failures, including a concern that vetting procedures may have been relaxed post-2001 during a surge in police recruitment.
• Concerns over the recording and monitoring of disciplinary offences as officers progress through their career.
• A tendency for women who complain they have been sexually attacked by a policeman not to be believed.
• A pervasive culture of sexism within the police service, which some claim allows abusive behaviour to go unchecked.

Debaleena Dasgupta, a lawyer who has represented women sexually assaulted and raped by police officers, said: "I don't think any [victims] are quite as damaged as those who are victims of police officers."

"The damage is far deeper because they trusted the police and … believed that the police were supposed to protect them from harm and help catch and punish those who perpetrate it."

"The breach of that trust has an enormous effect: they feel that if they can't trust a police officer, who can they trust? They lose their confidence in everyone, even those in authority. It is one of the worst crimes that can be committed and when committed by an officer, becomes one of the greatest abuses of power."

The officers involved come from all ranks within the service: the most senior officer accused of serious sexual harassment was a deputy chief constable, who was subject to 26 complaints by 13 female police staff.

David Ainsworth, deputy chief constable of Wiltshire police, killed himself last year, an inquest heard this month, during an inquiry into his behaviour. He is one of two officers accused of sexual misconduct to have taken their own lives over the past four years.

In one of the worst cases in the past four years, Trevor Gray, a detective sergeant with Nottinghamshire police, broke into the home of a woman he met on a date and raped her while her young child slept in the house. Gray was jailed for eight years in May for rape, attempted rape and sexual assault.

Many of the cases documented involve police officers accessing the police national computer to gain access to the details of vulnerable women and young people in order to bombard them with texts and phone calls and initiate sexual contact.

Deputy Chief Constable Bernard Lawson of Merseyside police, the Acpo lead on counter-corruption, who is working with the IPCC on the joint report, said: "Police officers who abuse their position of trust have an incredibly damaging impact on community confidence in the service."

"There is a determination throughout policing to identify and remove those who betray the reputation of the overwhelming majority of officers."

In its report on corruption within the police service published last month, the IPCC identified abuse of authority by officers for their own personal gain, including to engage in sexual intercourse with a vulnerable female while on duty, and the misuse of computer systems to access details of vulnerable females, as two of the five key corruption threats to the service.

IPCC figures show that 15% of the 837 corruption cases referred by forces to the watchdog between 2008 and 2011 involved abuse of authority by a police officer, and 9% involved misuse of systems.

Clare Phillipson, director of Wearside Women in Need, who supported some of Mitchell's victims, said: "What you have here is the untouched tip of an iceberg in terms of sexually questionable behaviour and attitudes. The police service, in my experience, has an incredibly macho culture and women are seen as sexual objects."
- Come on, I'm sure women are doing this as well.

"Police officers have a duty to steer away from vulnerable women in distress, some of whom see these police officers as their saviours. It is an abuse of their power to exploit that."

One area to be examined by the IPCC is whether there might have been vetting failures from 2001 onwards during a massive recruitment drive in the police.

Between 2001 and 2007, the overall strength of the service grew by more than 16,000, with around 2,666 officers recruited each year on average.

Six years ago, a study of vetting within the police service by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary revealed "disturbing" failures that had allowed suspect individuals to join the service. The report, Raising the Standard, exposed more than 40 vetting failures among police officers and support staff. The report concluded: "The potential damage that can be caused by just one failure should not be underestimated."

NY - Top cop (Matthew Taggard) in Town of Ulster arrested, suspended on suspicion of sexual misconduct involving underage individuals

Matthew Taggard

Original Article

06/29/2012

By Jeremiah Horrigan

LAKE KATRINE — Town of Ulster police Chief Matthew Taggard has been arrested on a charge of official misconduct and relieved of his duties as a police officer by the Town Board.

Taggard was arrested Thursday after a three-month investigation by the Ulster County District Attorney's Office.

District Attorney Holley Carnright said Taggard failed to report a criminal, nonconsensual sexual act involving an underage male in the Village of Saugerties in mid-March.

"He was aware of criminal conduct as a police officer, and he took no action," Carnright said.

Carnright emphasized that while Taggard is not accused of sexual misconduct, he was the target of a state police investigation several years ago, before he was appointed chief, into sexual misconduct involving underage individuals.

Although that investigation did not result in Taggard's arrest, Carnright said he felt the previous investigation was "germane" to Thursday's charge but declined to specify why.

Carnright also said that the alleged sexual crime in Saugerties did not involve another police officer.

Taggard was arraigned before Saugerties Justice Robert Rightmyer and freed on $1,000 bail. Rightmyer ordered Taggard to surrender his firearms and to remain in Ulster County.

Carnright said he met with the Town Board to explain the charge against Taggard. The board voted unanimously to place Taggard on administrative leave with pay at a special meeting Thursday evening. The exact amount of his salary was not available.

Supervisor Jim Quigley said shortly before the meeting that Taggard "is held in high esteem" by other officers in the department. Reading from a prepared statement, he said it had been "a difficult day" for the town, but assured residents he and the board are "closely monitoring this fluid situation" and will take any "appropriate steps" once the investigation is completed.

Town police Lt. Anthony Cruise was named the officer in charge of the department at that same special meeting. Quigley said the town's police contract is still being researched to see if Cruise is entitled to additional pay while he is running the department.

A request for comment left on Taggard's voice mail went unanswered Thursday.

NV - Ex-officer (John Norman) may avoid sex offender listing for groping women during traffic stops

John Norman

Original Article

06/28/2012

By Lawrence Mower

John Norman won't be sentenced before October, but whatever punishment the ex-Las Vegas police officer receives, he probably won't have to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.

That's even though he pleaded guilty to one count of open and gross lewdness for groping a woman during a traffic stop.

Was Norman given favorable treatment?

It depends on whom you ask.

Who gets entered into sex offender registries, and why, has been a source of debate nationally and in Nevada. Here, someone is entered into the database if they are convicted of sex crimes ranging from sexual assault to lewdness to indecent exposure.

Maggie McLetchie

Maggie McLetchie, a lawyer who has worked to reform the registry and classification system, calls the state laws "a huge mess." Somebody could be in the database for urinating in public, but some sexual predators could escape registration.

She said Norman is one such example.

"If anybody should be subject to the registry, it's somebody like this," McLetchie said. "This is somebody who was systematically assaulting women in public."

Norman was charged with two counts of open and gross lewdness and three counts each of coercion and oppression under color of office for a series of traffic stops between June and December last year.

On two of those stops, he was accused of groping female motorists' breasts. He told them he was checking to see whether the women were hiding anything under their bras.

Under the terms of the plea deal, announced Monday, Norman will plead guilty to one count of lewdness and one count of oppression under color of office. He will register as a sex offender, but if he completes his sentencing - probation or two years in jail - the lewdness charge will change to oppression, expunging Norman from the sex offender database. Both charges are gross misdemeanors.

Norman has resigned from the Metropolitan Police Department, and he faces sentencing Oct. 30.

A lawyer for the American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada said this week that the sentence seemed light. Clark County Public Defender Phil Kohn would not say that. But he did have an issue with Norman being given the option to be removed from the database.

"Because this police officer was acting under the color of his authority ... for them to work out where it does not stay on his record, to me, is very troubling," he said.

Other lawyers the Las Vegas Review-Journal spoke to said that the terms were reasonable, however.

Robert Langford

Attorney Robert Langford has worked with McLetchie to reform offender registration laws. But Langford, who also defends sex offenders in criminal cases, said Norman's sentencing wasn't unusual for a first-time offender.

"Assuming he showed the district attorney's office that there was a low risk to reoffend and some other things, I wouldn't necessarily say that it was an unusual plea bargain," said Langford, a former prosecutor.

There could be other factors at play, too, he said. The victims could prefer to settle the case instead of having to go through what could be an emotionally grueling trial.

Chief Deputy District Attorney Giancarlo Pesci said prosecutors asked the victims about the deal before making the offer to Norman. The option to be removed from the offender database was not unique, he said.

"We discussed it with the victims and felt this was the appropriate offer," he said.

Defense attorney Joel Mann he wasn't surprised by the deal, and he has seen other cases in which defendants were offered the option to be removed from the registry.

"My eyes didn't pop out of my head saying, 'Oh my God, how did he get that?'  " he said.

He added, "Obviously, the more grave the sexual encounter is, the less likely you are to get something like that."

Attorney Robert Draskovich said he "regularly" sees deals similar to Norman's.

He agrees with McLetchie's view of the sex offender registry, which he described as a one-size-fits-all system that doesn't serve much purpose.

"A guy who urinates in public could have the same reporting requirements as a guy who rapes a 5-year-old girl," he said. "It's not very common-sensical. Does it protect the community? Not really."

NJ - Stillwater murder suspect (Clark T. Fredericks and Robert Reynolds) told police that victim was a child molester

Original Article

06/27/2012

By Daniel Fitzsimmons

STILLWATER — Clark T. Fredericks, who was arrested on June 13 for the murder of Stillwater resident [name withheld], told police that [name withheld] "got what was coming to him" and that he was a "child molester for years," according to his arrest affidavit obtained by The Sparta Independent.

According to the affidavit, Fredericks, 46, of Stillwater, and Robert Reynolds, 47, of Mansfield, drove to [name withheld]'s house in Stillwater armed with knives on the night of June 12. Reynolds said that the two entered [name withheld]'s house and that Fredericks "immediately began stabbing [name withheld] with a knife." Reynolds said he ran out of the house and began backing his vehicle down the driveway before it got stuck. Fredericks came out of the house and helped free the vehicle, after which the two drove to Fredericks' house in Stillwater. Reynolds told police that Fredericks removed his clothing and hid both knives. Reynolds then drove to his house in Mansfield where he power-washed the car they used.

Police also spoke with Fredericks' mother, Joan, who told them that her son came home around 2 a.m. on June 13 with cuts on his hands and blood on his clothes. She said she tried to get him to go to a hospital but he refused, took some sleeping pills, and went to bed.

Police were alerted when Joan Fredericks called Franklin counselor Diane Howe and told her that she believed her son may have hurt or killed someone the night before. Howe then called State Police and asked them to do a well-being check on [name withheld]. She later spoke with Fredericks' sister, who said she believed her brother may have hurt or killed [name withheld].

When troopers arrived at the residence they found [name withheld] dead, with a slash wound to his neck and several stab wounds to his torso.

According to the affidavit, Joan Fredericks told police that Reynolds was also involved.

Fredericks was charged with first-degree homicide and is being represented by Newton attorney Daniel M. Perez.

Reynolds was charged with first-degree complicity/murder, first-degree conspiracy/murder and fourth-degree evidence tampering. He is being represented by John Vazquez of Critchley, Kinum and Vazquez in Roseland.

According to [name withheld]'s obituary, he was a lifelong resident of Sussex County and graduated from Newton High School in 1962. He was an Army veteran and worked for the Sussex County Sheriff's Office for 28 years, retiring as a senior lieutenant.

IL - You can have sex with a 17 year old legally, but photograph them naked and it's child porn?

Original Article

06/21/2012

SPRINGFIELD (CBS) – In a case that highlights one of the unusual incongruities of state laws, the Illinois Supreme Court ruled Thursday that a downstate man didn’t commit a crime when he had sex with his 17-year-old girlfriend, but he did break the law when he took pictures of them in the act.

[name withheld] was arrested in downstate Freeport in March 2009, and charged with three counts of child pornography after photographing himself having sex with his 17-year-old girlfriend, but he was not charged with statutory rape, since the age of consent for sex in Illinois is 17. But, in Illinois, it is illegal to photograph anyone under the age of 18 engaged in a sexual act.

After a bench trial later that year, [name withheld] — who was 32 at the time — was convicted and sentenced to 8 years in prison, but he appealed his conviction.

In a 5-2 ruling on Thursday, the high court upheld his conviction and sentence.

Police began investigating [name withheld] after the girl’s mother complained about [name withheld] having sex with the girl. [name withheld] was 32 at the time and already a registered sex offender. She also showed police four or five pictures that [name withheld] had emailed to her daughter, showing them having sex.

[name withheld] admitted taking the pictures of himself having sex with the girl, using his cell phone, and acknowledged he knew the girl was 17 when they had sex.

[name withheld]’ attorneys argued the state’s child pornography statute is unconstitutional, claiming that applying the law to someone old enough to legally consent to sex does nothing to protect them from exploitation or abuse.

But prosecutors argued the child pornography statute was designed to protect children from the psychological and emotional harm that could result from distributing photos of their sexual activity.

Writing for the majority, Justice Rita Garman said the majority of the high court agreed with prosecutors, holding “there are rational, reasonable arguments in support of having a higher age threshold for appearance in pornography than for consent to sexual activity.”

They further argued that the consequences for sex are more concrete and apparent to teenagers than the dangers of appearing in pornographic photos or videos.

“Memorialization of the sexual act makes permanent an intimate encounter that can then be distributed to third parties. These concerns are exacerbated in the modern digital age, where once a picture or video is uploaded to the Internet, it can never be completely erased or eradicated,” the court wrote. “It will always be out there, hanging over the head of the person depicted performing the sexual act.”

[name withheld] had argued the photos were meant to be kept private, but the court noted that there is no guarantee the photos would always remain private.

Two justices – Anne Burke and Charles Freeman – dissented, arguing that, since the sex itself was consensual and legal, the photographs [name withheld] took were also legal.

MS - Ex-MDOC employee (Sanchez Turner) sentenced to probation for sex with a probationer

Sanchez Turner

Original Article

05/21/2012

By MARGARET BAKER

PASCAGOULA - A former employee of the Mississippi Department of Corrections has been placed on five years probation for engaging in sex with a prisoner he once supervised, court records show.

Sanchez Turner, 39, pleaded guilty to two counts of unlawful sexual activity earlier this year.

Circuit Court Judge Kathy King Jackson later imposed the sentence and ordered Turner to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.

According to court records, Turner admitted to having “sex with a probationer” who was under house arrest at the time as part of MDOC’s Intensive Supervision Program.

The incidents occurred, records show, on two separate occasions in June 2009.

NC - Former CMPD officer (Marcus Jackson) convicted of sex assaults released from prison

Original Article

Click the link above to see the video attached to the news article.

05/25/2012

By Jason Stoogenke

CHARLOTTE - The former Charlotte-Mecklenburg officer who sexually assaulted several women was released from prison Friday.

Marcus Jackson stepped out of prison shortly before noon.

Jackson sexually assaulted six women while he was on duty and in uniform. He pleaded guilty in 2010, got credit for the nearly 21 months he spent behind bars leading up to his guilty plea, and was sentenced to an extra 18 months in state prison.

He spent that time in Pamlico Correctional Institution, a medium-security prison east of New Bern.

Within 20 minutes of his release, he appeared on the state’s sex offender registry. It listed everything from his tattoos to his address on Tuckaseegee Road.

No one was at home Friday afternoon. The next-door neighbor opened the door, but did not speak.

A few doors down, Danielle Boyd said she is worried about any sex offender living in the neighborhood.

“I’m a female. As me being a female, that kind of concerns me a lot,” she said.

According to the state’s sex offender handbook, offenders have to check in regularly and deputies with periodically check in on them. Jackson is not allowed to live near a school or day care center.

He is also barred from having a commercial driver’s license and may not start a Facebook page.

While he starts the new chapter in his life, some of his victims are still working on closure in their lives. They sued the city of Charlotte.

Most of the women have settled their lawsuits. Two of the women split $225,000; one woman received $350,000.

Two of the women have not settled, saying the city’s offer was too low. If an agreement is not reached, they are set to go to trial next year.

See Also:

• More Charges Filed Against Jackson
• Officer Charged With On-Duty Sex Crimes

Older Video:

Video Link

CA - Former Sheriff's Sergeant (Mark Fitzpatrick) Convicted of Sexual Assault

Original Article

05/25/2012

Former Sheriff's sergeant Mark Fitzpatrick must register as a sex offender for the rest of his life. The Department provide police services to Diamond Bar, Walnut and Industry.

A former Los Angeles County sheriff's sergeant convicted of sexually assaulting a woman and inappropriately searching two others while on duty was sentenced today to nine years and four months in state prison.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Sam Ohta also ordered Mark Fitzpatrick to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.

Fitzpatrick, 42, was convicted last Oct. 7 of one count each of penetration under threat to arrest, sexual battery by restraint and sexual penetration by a foreign object by force, violence, duress or menace, and three counts of false imprisonment by violence.

The charges stemmed from three traffic stops in May 2008 while he was working out of the Compton sheriff's station. The department also patrols the cities of Diamond Bar, Walnut and Industry.

Fitzpatrick's wife, father and father-in-law spoke on his behalf.

"My husband is a good man," his wife, Shelly, told the judge. "He is an extremely hard worker ... He treats his family like we are gold. We are everything to him ... Everything this case has been -- he is so opposite of this."

His father, Tom, said his son was a "tremendous kid" who never presented any problems to his parents.

"The trauma on our family's been tremendous," he said.

Deputy District Attorney Natalie Adomian read a statement from a woman who testified during the trial about an April 1999 incident in which Fitzpatrick allegedly had her lift her top and expose her breasts and then digitally penetrated her in an apparent search for drugs. He was not charged with any crime involving that traffic stop.

The woman urged the judge to "impose on this person the maximum sentence for all the damage he has done as much to me as other women victims," but said she also wanted to "convey a message of hope and gratefulness that our voices have been heard and this person will be punished for what he has done."

"It is a shame how a respected and exemplary member of the community would break all moral and ethical rules and leave so much damage behind," the woman said in her written statement.

The judge -- who denied the defense's request for a new trial -- said he had observed "a lot of pain" on both sides in the case.

NY - Ex-chief (Thomas Levandowski) listed as sex offender for raping a 10-year-old girl, and child porn

Original Article

05/24/2012

By Bob Gardinier

Cambridge's ex-top cop on sex crimes list after ouster of rape conviction

TROY — A former Washington County town police chief whose 50-year prison term for rape was thrown out by a higher court because of prosecutorial misconduct is now a Level 1 sex offender.

Thomas Levandowski appeared before Judge Robert Jacon for a hearing Wednesday on what sex offender level he will be assigned and was given the lowest level for those deemed least likely to re-offend. He is eligible for parole in February 2014.

Assistant District Attorney Michele Poole argued that the former Cambridge police chief should be given the more stringent Level 2.

William Roberts, Levandowski's attorney, argued that Jacon's ruling should reflect a state review board determination that Levandowski should get Level 1 status. Level 1 offenders are not publicly listed.

Levandowski was convicted by a jury Aug. 23, 2002, of raping a girl between September 1996 and June 2001 when she was between the ages of 10 and 15.

The Appellate Division of state Supreme Court threw out 38 of 43 counts and the sentence and ordered a new trial on the remaining charges. The appellate justices cited several trial errors by the prosecutor, Patricia DeAngelis. DeAngelis prosecuted the case before she became Rensselaer County district attorney.

Levandowski, who also worked as a Hoosick Falls police officer and Washington County sheriff's deputy, pleaded guilty in May 2004 as the new trial date approached. He is serving a four- to 12-year sentence on three counts of possessing Internet photos of a sexual performance of a child under the age of 16. The photos were not of his original victim but came to light during the investigation of that case. He also pleaded guilty to endangering the welfare of a child and four counts of criminal contempt regarding his original victim, charges the higher court left intact. Those counts deal with Levandowski grabbing the girl by the arm and going to her school four times in violation of an order of protection to stay away from her.

The appellate justices faulted DeAngelis for repeatedly questioning a witness after the judge sustained objections by Levandowski's lawyer.

The justices also found improper that family members and friends of the victim as well as employees of the district attorney's office had seated themselves up front by the jury wearing ribbons of support during summations. The justices noted an instance in which DeAngelis had cross-examined the girl's mother, who testified the girl fabricated her accusations. DeAngelis said, ''The grand jury thought otherwise, didn't they?'' With the jury out of the courtroom, the judge ''severely reprimanded the prosecutor for pursuing such a line of questioning,'' the justices wrote.

Levandowski's wife, Sharon Levandowski, was charged with endangering for knowing about her husband's alleged abuse but doing nothing to stop it. She also faced additional charges for threatening the girl to keep her quiet and later pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of endangering and got three years probation.

NV - Police officer (Garrett Vandereecken) arrested on charge of lewdness with minor

Garrett Vandereecken

Original Article

05/22/2012

By Antonio Planas

A Las Vegas police officer was arrested Tuesday afternoon on a recommended felony charge of lewdness with a minor under 14.

Police said Garrett Vandereecken, 43, turned himself in to the Clark County Detention Center at 3 p.m. He remained in custody at 4:30 p.m. Vandereecken was being investigated by his own department's Juvenile Sexual Abuse Detail.

Vandereecken was assigned to the Northwest Area Command. He has been with the department for four years. He has been relieved of duty without pay pending both internal and criminal investigations.

Vandereecken's arrest marks the second time this year Las Vegas police arrested one of their own.

On Feb. 1, 33-year-old John Norman was arrested on felony charges of co­ercion and oppression under the color of office and misdemeanor open or gross lewdness.

He was accused of pulling over two women last year and coercing them into exposing their breasts.

Norman is also accused of groping one of the women.

Two additional women also came forward to the Metropolitan Police Department and alleged misconduct against Norman.

Police said those allegations did not rise to the level of crimes, but Norman might have violated department policies along the lines of conduct unbecoming of an officer.

See Also:

• Girl tells police abuse by officer began in 2008 (05/23/2012)

AR - Vigilante (Andrew James Cody) commits cold blooded murder over suspicion of sexual abuse

Andrew James Cody

Original Article

05/22/2012

By Lauren Trager

A murder suspect admitted to deputies he pulled the trigger, all because he believed the murder victim had molested his five-year-old daughter.

Andrew James Cody appeared before a judge for the first time Monday, charged with first degree murder.

Deputies say he told them he waited for 65 year-old [name withheld] in [name withheld]'s home off Shadow Lane in London in Pope County and then shot him once in the head.

Cody's supporters believe his actions were justified.
- Really?  It has never been proven the man molested anybody, so you are supporting random killings?  Careful what you wish for, someone may accuse you of molesting their child and shoot you in the head as well.

"He did me a favor, my little girl could have been the next victim," said Heather Shrives-Dornan.

Before a judge, a deputy recounted his interview with Cody just hours after the murder.

"He stated he went into the residence to confront Mr. [name withheld] about molesting his daughter," said deputy Sgt. Stephen Pack.

Pope County Sheriff Aaron Duvall confirmed to KARK, Thursday they received allegations [name withheld] sexually abused a child.
- So allegations don't give anybody the right to kill someone in cold blood!

But deputies say Friday, Cody put trash bags over his shoes to conceal evidence and put one shot into [name withheld]'s head.

"There's nothing I can say," Cody said in court, regarding his bond.

He was handed a half million dollar bond.

But outside the courtroom, his supporters were very vocal, saying they don't blame Cody one bit.
- I do, I blame him 100%!

"I wish more daddies would stand up for their children like this, they should," said supporter Tara Laffoon.
- Just wait until someone accuses you or your husband of sexual abuse and then kills them in cold blood without a court date, then I'm sure you will see it differently.

Supporters of [name withheld] declined an on-camera interview, but soon, began a shouting match, calling out to Cody's supporters to prove the allegations of sexual abuse.

Deputies forced the crowd to break it up.

But people say as the case proceeds in court, they'll be back.

"This is what daddies have to do," Laffoon said.
- No it's not!  If they suspect abuse, they should go to the police and let the justice system do it's job!  We don't need vigilante justice, it's not the Wild, Wild West!

While Cody's wife was originally arrested for being an accomplice to murder, the prosecutor says he won't be pursuing charges on her for now.

As of 4:00 p.m. Monday, Cody had not yet posted bond. His next court appearance is scheduled for July.

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WV - Comedian Andy Dick agrees to program that if completed fully would erase sex abuse charges

Andy Dick

Original Article

You can watch a related video here. Of course he agrees to it, who wouldn't? But, how many other non-celebrities would get this chance?

05/21/2012

CHARLESTON - Comedian Andy Dick has agreed to enter a pretrial diversion program that, if completed successfully, would absolve him of sex abuse charges arising from a 2010 nightclub incident, authorities said.

Corky Hammers, an assistant prosecutor in West Virginia’s Cabell County, said Monday that the program requires Dick to stay out of legal trouble for the next six months under the agreement. It allows for no drug use and no arrests during that time.

If Dick fails to comply, Hammers says Dick could be tried on felony charges stemming from the club incident in which he was accused of grabbing a bouncer’s crotch and groping and kissing a male patron at a Huntington bar. At the time, Dick was in town for a comedy club performance.

Dick wasn’t present for a status hearing Monday in the county circuit court. His attorney, Marc Williams, didn’t immediately return a phone message.

Hammers said that under the agreement, Dick also could be summoned for random drug screenings and must report to the county prosecutor’s office if he is arrested or has a run-in with police anywhere. He also must remain employed.

Two previous trial dates were postponed.

Hammers said Monday the case isn’t over, adding Dick must comply with the agreement’s terms and conditions. “If he doesn’t do that ... we get to start from scratch and we get to try the case,” Hammers said.

Dick had a long-running stint in the 1990s on NBC’s “NewsRadio.” He briefly had his own program on MTV called “The Andy Dick Show.” He also has had roles in several movies, including “Dude, Where’s My Car?” and “Old School.”

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OH - Former officer (David Krego) sentenced for child porn images

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CA - Trial postponed for former officer (Daniel Dana) accused of sexual assault

Video Link | Original Article

KY - Former trooper (Michael Fred Pennington) convicted of using gun while soliciting sex during drug crime

Original Article

I see nothing about charging him with a sex crime and placing him on the sex offender registry for life like everyone else who has done what he has done.

05/21/2012

By Bill Estep

A former state trooper accused of using his gun while soliciting a woman for sex during a drug crime has been convicted.

A jury in federal court in London convicted Michael Fred Pennington Friday, but documents confirming the verdict were not available on the court Web site until Monday.

Pennington, 35, will face at least five years in prison on the gun charge.

He also pleaded guilty to two drug charges in the case. He faces up to 10 years in prison on each, charge according to a news release from U.S. Attorney Kerry B. Harvey.

The incident that led to Pennington's conviction happened last September.

A Corbin woman said that when Pennington came to her home with a social worker as part of an investigation, the trooper found pain pills that she abused.

Pennington said he would ignore the evidence of a drug crime if she would have sex with him, 28-year-old Regina West testified last week.

Pennington wanted to return to her home early the next morning, while her husband was at work.

At her sister's urging, West told state police about the solicitation. State police installed hidden video equipment at her house and two officers hid in a back room to wait for Pennington.

When Pennington came back and repeated his request that West perform oral sex on him, officers emerged and disarmed him.

Pennington, who had been a trooper 10 years, resigned.

He was charged in federal court this year with possessing and distributing drugs. The charges related to pills he took from West, but planned to give back as part of his sexual solicitation.

Police found the pills in Pennington's cruiser after catching him at West's house.

Pennington also was charged with using his 40-caliber Glock pistol in furtherance of a drug crime. That charged was based on an argument that Pennington's gun helped him intimidate West into going along with his request for sex.

Pennington pleaded guilty on the drug charges but fought the gun charge, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence.

Pennington is to be sentenced September 6.

"This case illustrates that the Kentucky State Police continues to react quickly regarding allegations of misconduct involving an employee," Rodney Brewer, Kentucky State Police commissioner, said in a statement issued through Harvey's office.

"Although this is a rare occurrence, it underscores the public oath we have taken to protect the citizens of the Commonwealth from all criminals," Brewer said.

IN - Former FBI Agent (Donald John Sachtleben) Arrested On Child Porn Charges

Donald John Sachtleben

Original Article

05/14/2012

Man Accused Of Possession, Distribution Of Child Porn

INDIANAPOLIS - A former Indianapolis FBI agent has been arrested on federal child pornography charges.

Donald John Sachtleben, 54, of Carmel, who retired from the FBI's Indianapolis office, was arrested Friday on preliminary charges of possession of child pornography and distribution of child pornography, RTV6's Jack Rinehart reported.

In September 2010, authorities began investigating a person they believed was trading images of child pornography online, leading to an arrest earlier this year.

According to the criminal complaint, some of the images in that case were traced to Sachtleben's computer at his Carmel home.

Authorities searched Sachtleben's home earlier this month and found 30 image and video files of child pornography, investigators said.

Sachtleben appeared in federal court Monday morning.

If convicted, he could face up to 20 years in prison on the distribution charge and 10 years on the possession charge.

Sachtleben worked as a bomb expert during his career with the FBI.

According to his LinkedIn page, he managed investigative teams at several major terrorist attack scenes, including the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, the Oklahoma City bombing, the bombing of the USS Cole and the crash of United Flight 93 on Sept. 11, 2011.

Sachtleben was also the lead agent on the search of Ted Kaczynski's cabin in Montana, according to published reports.

"The mission of our Project Safe Childhood initiative is to investigate and prosecute anyone found to engaged in the sexual exploitation of children," U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Hogsett said in a news release. "Today's announcement underscores this serious commitment and should make clear that, no matter who you are, you will be brought to justice if you are found guilty of such criminal behavior."

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