Former Talk Host Aaron Aldridge Pleads Guilty to Sexual Assault

Former WNTK-FM/New London, NH, talk host Aaron Aldridge pleaded guilty to charges that he sexually assaulted a young girl, photographed the act, and possessed child pornography. 42-year-old Aldridge received 10-20 years in prison for the sexual assault charge, and a suspended sentence for possession of child pornography.

Aldridge disappeared from Newport, NH, in April with his 19-year-old daughter, who was later found abandoned at Walt Disney World. He was arrested in California and also faces charges there on being a fugitive from justice.

Police allege that Aldridge had sex with a girl as young as 13 over a six-year period, photographing the acts for distribution.

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http://www.unionleader.com/article.aspx?headline=Ex-radio+host+sent+to+prison+for+child+porn&articleId=cf08af95-089b-4546-a240-c79a0b0baed1

Help Prevent Child Abuse

In 2007, 1,760 American children died as a result of abuse or neglect -- an increase of 15.5 percent from 2006. Since late 2008, increases in reports of child abuse and neglect have been linked to the weakened economy.

In 1974, Congress passed what was, and still is, the preeminent federal legislation addressing child abuse and neglect -- the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA). CAPTA grants allow states to focus on preventing child abuse and neglect.

President Obama's recent budget request to Congress would freeze funding for CAPTA at just over $100 million -- where it has been for several years. But according to the Department of Health and Human Services, funding CAPTA at $200 million would fund prevention services for tens of thousands more children and families.

Fully funding CAPTA at $200 million would enable states to:

- direct funding toward preventing child abuse and providing needed services and treatment to families and children victimized by abuse or neglect,

- support proven, cost-effective approaches to preventing child abuse and neglect, and

-expand post-investigative services for child victims, shorten the service delivery time and increase services to other at-risk families.

For every federal dollar spent on foster care and adoption subsidies, the federal government spends less than 13 cents on preventing and treating child abuse and neglect. When you take into account funding for these programs over the last four years and consider inflation, that represents a cut of more than $10 million. That translates into a loss of support for services to abused children and their families, and a cut in funds for the number of caseworkers available to investigate cases of abuse and protect children from further harm.

It is time to invest additional resources in child abuse prevention and give our nation's children the protection they deserve by fully funding CAPTA at $200 million.

The House and Senate Appropriations Committees are drafting the fiscal year 2010 funding bill for the Department of Health and Human Services, including CAPTA.

Please ask your senator and your representative to fully fund CAPTA today.

Thank you for taking action!!

Father Aaron Joseph Cote Convicted of Sexual Abuse

The family of a victim of a former Somerset priest convicted of sexual abuse says they are grateful the priest will be on the national sex offender registry for life.

Father Aaron Joseph Cote, 57, of New York, was convicted of one count of custodian child abuse by a judge earlier this week in Maryland. Cote served in the Holy Trinity Church in Somerset in the late 1980s.

Cote entered a not guilty plea to the charge, but did not object to a statement of facts that was given by the prosecution and was found guilty of the charge by Judge Louis G. Scrivener.

Cote was indicted last year on the charge in Maryland after victim Brandon Rains, at the time of the abuse 14-years-old, accused Cote of molesting him on a regular basis. Cote was serving part-time as the youth minister at the Mother of Seton Parish in Germantown.

The abuse took place between 2001 and 2002, court records show.

"While no other victims from the Somerset area have stepped forward, we are grateful to two witnesses from that area who previously worked with Cote and who were willing to testify on behalf of the prosecution at Cote's trial if needed," said Michael Morrow, Rains' stepfather.

Morrow said Rains and the family was disappointed Cote would probably not spend any time in prison - court records show Cote and the prosecution have reached a plea agreement of 10 years on probation, five of those supervised. However, he said they are thrilled that Cote will have to spend the rest of his life as a registered sex offender.

"He'll never get to be around children again," Morrow said. "I hope this means that the church won't be able to reassign him anywhere near children, either."

In 2005, Rains, who now lives in Florida, filed a civil lawsuit against Cote and the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Washington, D.C., and in 2007 was awarded a $1.2 million settlement, court records show.

Morrow said at that time that the main goal of his family was to protect children.

"This person has been concealed and protected by the church for so long," Morrow said at the time. "Now there are consequences and Brandon feels vindicated. The charges he brought were true and this man has been convicted."

Morrow also wants any other victims to know they are not alone and if they should ever need to step forward and talk, there are people waiting and who care.

Cote is expected to be sentenced in October.

Anthony Jiron Charged with Sexual Abuse on 7-year-old

An attorney for Anthony Gene Jiron said Wednesday in 5th District Court that his client is ready to proceed to a trial by jury on charges he sexually abused a child in his care.

Jiron entered not guilty pleas to three charges of aggravated sexual abuse of a child, sodomy on a child and rape of a child on Sept. 16, 2008, and is scheduled for a five-day trial beginning July 27.

Jiron's attorney, Douglas Terry, told Judge James Shumate the case could be given priority for trial but that there is a possibility of negotiating a settlement with the prosecution before the trial date.

Washington County Attorney Brian Filter confirmed that Terry had mentioned the possibility of a resolution but said the case remains on the trial calendar for now.

Shumate gave attorneys until Wednesday to decide if they will be able to resolve the case without a trial.

Jiron is accused of sexually abusing a 7-year-old girl in his care during a week in July 2008.

According to the arrest narrative filed by St. George Police Detective Chris Trani, police were called following an argument between Jiron and another adult about the alleged abuse.

According to the state-ment, Jiron threatened to harm himself with a knife and initially refused police summons to exit the building until he had finished drinking a beer, at which point he allowed himself to be taken into custody.

During an interview with Trani, Jiron admitted sexual behavior with the partially clothed child, the statement said.

However, in an October 2008 letter to the judge, Jiron declared his innocence and said he was intoxicated at the time of his arrest and should not have been questioned in that state and that the alleged victim was already in therapy for sexual abuse at the time of his arrest and that her motives were suspect.

Bryan Johnson Charged with Possession of Child Porn

An East Chicago man who took his computer in for repairs has been charged with possession of child pornography.

Bryan S. Johnson, 47, of the 4000 block of Butternut Street, had about 1,000 photos of children having sex and engaging in sexual activity with adults, records state.

Johnson dropped off his computer May 1 at Computer Bay Store in Schererville. A technician working on the computer discovered a folder called "had sex with a 12-year-old."

Nothing that appeared to be child pornography was inside the folder, but police then confiscated the hard drive as evidence, obtained a search warrant and discovered the questionable files.

The charge is punishable by a maximum three-year sentence.
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http://cbs2chicago.com/local/child.porn.computer.2.1088152.html

Milton Hendrix Charged with Sexual Assault

A Crawford County constable is set to be arraigned today in Fort Smith District Court on a misdemeanor charge of fourth-degree sexual assault.

Milton R. Hendrix, 60, of Mountainburg, who was elected constable for District 11 in June 2008, was charged on a warrant Friday after police received an Arkansas State Police Child Abuse Hotline report that he abused a 15-year-old girl in Fort Smith.

Fourth-degree sexual assault is a Class A misdemeanor. A conviction is punishable by up to one year in the county jail and/or a fine of up to $1,000.

The girl told Fort Smith police detective Tammy De-Mier that Hendrix touched her breasts and genitals and had been touching her inappropriately whenever they were together since she was 5 years old.

Hendrix surrendered to Fort Smith police Monday and was freed from the Sebastian County jail after posting a $5,000 bond.

Contacted Wednesday, Hendrix declined to comment on the charges and whether he was continuing to serve as a constable.

He referred questions to his attorney, Joel Price of Fort Smith, who did not return a call Wednesday evening.

A police report on the Hendrix case said Price contacted investigators before Hendrix surrendered and denied the allegations on Hendrix's behalf.

The Crawford County sheriff 's office received word of Hendrix's arrest from Fort Smith police, Chief Deputy Ron Brown said Wednesday.

Brown said since Hendrix is an elected official, the sheriff's office does not have authority over whether he can continue to serve.

He said he was not sure who, if anyone, had the authority to stop Hendrix from carrying on with his constable duties after being charged.

Crawford County election officials said last year was Hendrix's first run for public office. Election records show Hendrix, a Democrat, finished second in a three-man primary for District 11 constable, which covers a part of the county mainly north of Alma.

In a runoff June 10, 2008, between Hendrix and incumbent Constable Robert Strouss, Hendrix won by one vote, 13 to 12, the records show.

He was unopposed in the general election.

Robert Curtiss Sentenced to 7 Years for Transporting Child Porn

JACKSONVILLE, FL

A man from Baker County is going to prison for seven years for transporting child pornography.

According to documents, Robert Michael Curtiss, 54, chatted online with an undercover FBI agent on August 2, 2007. Investigators say he sent the agent two videos of child pornography.

The first video showed a man sexually assaulting a young female, according to court documents. The second video contained approximately 30 video clips of adult males sexually assaulting young females. Some of the minors in the videos appeared to be three years old or younger, and several of the videos portrayed sadistic conduct involving children.

Curtiss must register under federal and state law as a sex offender and forfeit his computer equipment. Curtiss pleaded guilty on March 26, 2009.

Jeremy Hendrex Found Guilty of Child Abuse

A Sandusky man, who formerly lived in Weathersfield, cried Wednesday evening as he was found guilty of seriously injuring his infant daughter in 2007.

Jeremy Hendrex, 29, had his bond revoked and was taken to Trumbull County Jail to await sentencing Aug. 24. He faces between two and eight years behind bars for his conviction on felonious assault and child endangering charges, both second-degree felonies.

The felonious assault alleged that Hendrex caused ''serious physical harm'' to his daughter, 10-week-old Alyssa Jarome, on Sept. 22, 2007. The endangering charge alleged that Hendrex was reckless in causing injuries to the child.

The jury decided Hendrex intentionally caused the injuries.

Assistant prosecutor Diane Barber said Hendrex and members of his family cried after the verdicts were read.

The jury of four men and eight women was forced to stay after hours Wednesday after one member of the panel told the court they were unable to return to deliberate today. Barber said deliberations lasted about five hours.

"I think the jury weighed the evidence and came to the right decision," Barber said.

Defense attorney Patrick Donlin told the jury that there was clearly reasonable doubt after conflicting testimony from his medical expert and several experts from Cleveland Clinic offering reports or called to the witness stand by Barber.

The doctors testifying for the prosecution said they detected two skull fractures that could have only come from deliberate blows.

A physician from Washington, D.C., testifying for the defense said he found no fractures and that initial seizures suffered by the infant were most likely from a condition developed at birth.

Donlin tried to convince jurors that Hendrex may have only accidentally caused some injuries; or other family members could have caused the injuries; or the child was born with external hydrocephalus, a collection of fluid on the brain.

In arguing for guilt, Barber pointed out the circumstantial evidence she produced and the fact that Hendrex and the baby's mother, Shari Jarome, were the only ones with the baby in the last 24 hours before she was taken to St. Joseph Health Center and then flown to the Cleveland hospital.

Alyssa, now 2, only speaks about 10 words and is considered developmentally delayed and blind in one eye, caused by retinal bleeding.

In early statements, the defendant admitted nothing. But in final statements captured on tape, he admits the baby hit her head on a bathtub faucet, slipped off his lap on to the floor and tripped over an electrical cord under a rug. He also said the baby fell from his arms onto wooden trim on a sofa in the Weathersfield trailer he shared with the child's mother.

Common Pleas Judge Peter Kontos heard the case.

Howard Goldstein Arrested on Child Sex Charges

A police medical technician on Long Island has been accused of transmitting sexual material online to an undercover officer posing as a 13-year-old.

Howard Goldstein, who's 38, was charged with attempted dissemination of indecent material to a minor and attempted endangering the welfare of a child. The advanced medical technician with the Nassau County police department was arrested Wednesday.

Police say he also attempted to induce the minor to move in with him. The 'minor" was an investigator for state police in Albany.

Goldstein pleaded not guilty at his arraignment in First District Court in Hempstead on Thursday. Bail was set at $82,500. He was represented by an attorney for Legal Aid, which has a policy of not commenting on pending cases.
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http://www.newsday.com/news/local/nassau/ny-licop1712978469jul16,0,6766362.story

Robert Sullivan Arrested for Sexual Assault

A Fremont man was indicted by a Sullivan County grand jury on a number of sex charges relating to the alleged abuse of a child.

Robert Sullivan, Sr., 62, was charged with predatory sexual assault of a child, criminal sexual act in the first degree, rape in the first degree, and three counts of sexual abuse in the first degree. The indictment alleges that Sullivan had sexual contact with the child when she was six year old.

Sullivan was arrested after an investigation by the Sullivan County Family Violence Response Team and the State Police.

Under state law, on the predatory sexual assault charges, Sullivan faces 10 to 25 years to life in prison if convicted.

Patrick Brewington Arrested for Sexual Assault

A 22-year-old Killeen man was charged with the aggravated sexual assault of a child he was hired to baby-sit while the victim's mother supposedly knew the assaults were taking place.

A Bell County grand jury indicted Patrick Orlando Brewington Wednesday for allegedly sexually assaulting the child about May 1.

"He had been living there an extended period of time," First Assistant District Attorney Murff Bledsoe said. "The transgressions were happening for more than a year, while he was working as a live-in baby sitter."

The victim reported to police that she told her mother about the assaults.

Her mother responded by saying the child would not be able to prove Brewington had assaulted her, and she was not going to kick him out of the house, according to the arrest affidavit.

One of the victim's friends told police about the assaults, according to the affidavit. The victim told police the assaults occurred about 30 times and the last was on May 1.

Results from the victim's sexual assault nurse exam showed evidence consistent with a sexual assault, according to the affidavit. Brewington faces between five and 99 years in prison if convicted.

Dennis Lemke Sentenced to 360 Months for Producing Child Porn

A 43-year-old Sartell man has been sentenced to 360 months in prison for producing child pornography at the home where his wife runs a day care.

Dennis Michael Lemke was also sentenced to supervised release or life after a judge found him guilty of taking numerous photographs and videos of young children.

St. Cloud Police received a complaint in October that Lemke had inappropriately touched a girl, and a search warrant was granted to search Lemke's home.

FBI agents arrested Lemke just during a traffic stop in St. Cloud.

According to court documents, a camera seized from his home contained about 300 images of child pornography, and Lemke appeared in some of the photos.

David Anders Sentenced to 12 Years for Child Porn

DAVENPORT, Iowa

David Robert Anders, 45 of Davenport learned Thursday he will spend the next 12 and a half years in federal prison for receiving and child pornography.

Anders must also serve a term of 10 years supervised release following his incarceration and pay $100 to the Crime Victim Fund.

The U.S. District Attorney's office says Anders received and distributed the child pornography through the use of the peer to peer file sharing software Limewire.

Investigators were able to connect an IP address that was known to have downloaded child pornographic images to Anders. Davenport police searched Anders home and found images on his computer. Several of the images were that of known child victims.

Alvin Reed Pleads Guilty to Sexual Assault on 7-year-old

After pleading guilty Wednesday to sexually assaulting a 7-year-old girl, a School Street man is likely to spend the rest of his life in jail, his lawyer said.

Alvin J. Reed, 74, of Bennington, changed his plea in Bennington District Court to aggravated sexual assault on a victim younger than 13 years old, one of three charges for which he had been arraigned in December.

As part of the plea agreement the state will ask for no more than a 10-year minimum for his prison sentence and dropped the other two charges of aggravated repeated sexual assault and lewd and lascivious conduct with a child.

Reed has a history of sexual crimes against minors. He was convicted of the statutory rape of a 15-year-old girl in 1974.

Bennington County Chief Deputy State's Attorney Christina Rainville told Judge John Wesley that the situation had been very difficult for the girl and her family who had a "very, very difficult time" but said the family was "comfortable" with the plea agreement and supported the resolution.

Rainville said with the plea agreement in place, the girl would not have to be deposed or testify in a courtroom, which was important to her family.

"That is their absolute focus, your honor, that this will help their child start getting this behind her and not go through that trauma (of a trial)," she said.

While the state is capped to 10 years as a minimum sentence, there is no agreement about the maximum amount of time for which they can argue. The charge carries a maximum penalty of life in prison.

Bennington County Public Defender Frederick Bragdon, who represents Reed, is not restricted by the plea agreement on what minimum sentence he can request.

During the hearing on Wednesday, Bragdon said he had advised Reed that because of his age, any sentence was likely to be a sentence of life imprisonment.

According to Bragdon, Reed had decided to change his plea "because he doesn't want to put the child through any more."

Bennington Police Detective Lawrence Cole said in an affidavit that he had begun investigating the case in December based on a report from a woman who knew the girl.

In an interview with Cole and Vermont Department of Children and Families Investigator Melissa Shea, the girl said Reed had touched her many times from the time she was 5, with the most recent incident, Cole was able to determine, at the end of November.

Reed was interviewed on Dec. 15 and while he initially said he had accidentally touched the girl on one occasion and claimed that she asked him to touch her again later, he later confessed.

"When asked what he thought about what he had done to (the girl), Reed told us, 'It was a nasty, sickening thing that I did,'" Cole wrote.

Reed's sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the Vermont Department of Corrections prepares a pre-sentence investigation.

Terrance Tompson Wanted for Child Abuse

Durham police investigators are trying to locate a man wanted on a felony child abuse charge.

Terrance Rayon Thompson, 25, and Tameika Sade Richardson, 23, both of 4001 Meriwether Drive are both charged with felony child abuse in a case involving a 5-month-old girl. The infant suffered a fractured arm in April 2009 and was treated at Duke University Hospital.

Richardson was arrested Tuesday and placed in Durham County Jail under a $30,000 bond.

Anyone with information on Thompson's whereabouts is asked to call Investigator Tuck at 560-4440, ext. 29340 or CrimeStoppers at 683-1200. CrimeStoppers pays cash rewards for information leading to arrests in felony cases and callers never have to identify themselves.

Ricky Blackwell in Court for Shooting 8-year-old Girl in Head

Ricky Blackwell is due in court on Thursday morning for his arraignment. A judge will read the charges against Blackwell to make sure he understands them and how the criminal justice system will handle his case.

Blackwell’s estranged wife is dating Brooke Center’s father. Investigators said Blackwell grabbed the girl and shot her four times right in front of his wife.

Angela Blackwell did not want to go on camera but gave a statement about her husband being taken to jail. “I hope they keep him there for the rest of his life. He killed an innocent little girl. brooke was the sweetest girl in the world. And he smiled at me when he did it”, she wrote.

**Wednesday 1:35pm Update**

Angela Blackwell, the estranged wife of the suspect spoke with News Channel 7 Wednesday in an interview and said “I hope they keep him there for the rest of his life. He killed an innocent little girl. Brooke was the sweetest girl in the world. And he smiled at me when he did it.“

**Wednesday 1:15pm Update**

Ricky Lee Blackwell said nothing as he was taken into the Spartanburg County Jail. Blackwell was wearing a bullet proof vest. The Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office says he wore the vest because of the nature of the crime. Blackwell is scheduled to be arraigned 11:00 a.m. Thursday morning.

**Wednesday 9:40am Update**

The Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office expects Ricky Lee Blackwell will be released from Spartanburg Regional Medical Center Wednesday.

Public Information Officer Tony Ivey expects Blackwell will have his arraignment Wednesday afternoon.

Reporting by Chris Cato, Rob Landreth

**Monday 10:30am Update**

Ricky Lee Blackwell is still a patient at Spartanburg Regional Medical Center on Monday.

Tony Ivey, Public Information Officer for the Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office, says doctors feel it may be later in the week before Blackwell may be released from the hospital.

Funeral services for a eight year old girl tragically shot and killed Wednesday was held Sunday afternoon in Duncan.

More than 500 bikers showed up to the funeral for Heather Brooke Center. “You look around look at the bikes that are here the love and passion of motorcyclists,“ Ira Barrett with Black Stallion Motorcycle Hearse said.

Rolling Thunder will be escorting the Black Stallion Motorcycle Hearse, which will be carrying Center’s body “The little girl loved riding bikes,“ Mike Dalton with Rolling Thunder said. “To give her one last going away present, her last ride, what better way to do it?“ “She is looking down and smiling from ear to ear,“ Ira Barrett said.

Investigators with the Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office arrested and charged Rickey Lee Blackwell with first-degree murder after they say he went to a home on Ridings Road and shot Center four times during a domestic dispute. Blackwell then shot himself and is currently hospitalized and expected to survive. Solicitor Trey Gowdy says they will seek the death penalty against Blackwell.

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Video: http://www.counton2.com/cbd/news/local/article/man_accused_of_killing_eight-year-old_during_domestic_expected_in_court/45316/

Other Information: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,532847,00.html

Superintendent Bruce Shelley Arrested for Rape of 5-year-old

A local school superintendent has been suspended with pay after his arrest for the alleged rape of a 5-year-old girl. Bruce Lynn Shelley of Pocola Public Schools turned himself into authorities Monday.

Bruce Shelley started as the new superintendent of Pocola Public Schools on July 1st but was suspended after only two weeks on the job. Shelley turned himself into the Okfuskee County Jail in Okemah, Oklahoma yesterday and was released on $25,000 bond. He has an Okemah address.

Court papers charge Shelley with rape by instrumentation in the first degree. He's accused of sexually assaulting a 5-year-old girl. The victim's mother told police her husband, the child's father, found the little girl engaged in an inappropriate act with her younger brother. When they asked her why, she replied that the same thing had been done to her by Shelley. The little girl also accused him of touching her private parts at bath time.

The victim's mother told an investigator on May 11th that her daughter had made a previous allegation against Shelley in October of 2007.

Last night the Pocola School Board, in Pocola, Oklahoma, voted to suspend Shelley with pay, saying only that it was in the best interest of the children to relieve him of his duties. He was ordered to turn in his keys and all school property. Members chose Randy Ragland to temporarily take over the position.

The school's attorney, Bryan Drummond, said this is a personnel matter, and all he could say is that the board will have to decide at some point whether to put Shelley back to work or take further employment action. We contacted the office of who we believe to be Bruce Shelley's attorney, but our call was not returned.

Interim superintendent Randy Ragland told us Tuesday that the safety of students is the school district's priority.
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You tube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ogWOb9wYOuI

Neil Bucchino Charged with Child Porn

MILFORD, Conn.

Connecticut police have charged a Milford man with child pornography as part of a two-year federal investigation.

Thirty-three-year-old Neil Bucchino was arraigned Wednesday on charges of possession of child pornography in the first degree and importing child pornography.

According to an arrest warrant, Bucchino allegedly admitted he has a problem with child porn. He's also quoted as saying the hundreds of images on portable computer drives in his home were downloaded from the Internet.

Police say hundred of images and videos found in Bucchino's home were of infants and of boys and girls between the ages of 5 and 14.

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Information from: Connecticut Post, http://www.connpost.com

Crackdown on Child Porn in South Carolina

Law enforcement officials across South Carolina continue to announce arrests of people charged with crimes related to child pornography.

In June, authorities arrested an elementary school teacher, accusing him of possessing child pornography. The 46-year-old man was released from Union County Jail on $30,000 bond after being charged with second-degree sexual exploitation of a minor, a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

Law enforcement officials stated that he used a file-sharing network on his home computer. Using that network, he allegedly received, sold or purchased materials depicting minors in sexual activities.

Sheriff’s deputy charged
Earlier this year, a Spartanburg County deputy was fired from his job after admitting he viewed child pornography. The man’s estranged wife gave authorities a computer disk with 40 pornographic images of children taken from his computer.

The deputy had worked for the sheriff’s office for seven years. The sheriff turned the materials over to state agents for possible criminal charges.

Sass Drive man faces felony charge
A 61-year-old Sass Drive man is also charged with second-degree sexual exploitation of a minor.

Authorities seized a computer disk containing images of children engaged in sexual activity from his residence. Investigators said he was also suspected of uploading pornography to the Internet.

South Carolina man arrested in Arkansas
A South Carolina man was arrested in Fayetteville, Arkansas, for allegedly viewing images of a nude 15-year-old girl on his cell phone.

The 22-year-old Greenville resident faces felony charges of distributing, possessing and viewing child pornography.

The girl’s mother contacted police after she said her daughter received sexually explicit messages on her phone. After investigators inspected the suspect’s MySpace account, they subpoenaed his Internet service provider and determined his identity.

According to the arrest warrant, he had sent the minor girl photos of his genitals via text messaging. She then sent the photos of herself to him.

South Carolina law
Second-degree sexual exploitation of a minor occurs when an adult “records, photographs, films, develops, duplicates, produces, or creates digital electronic file material that contains a visual representation of a minor engaged in sexual activity; or distributes, transports, exhibits, receives, sells, purchases, exchanges or solicits material that contains a visual representation of a minor engaged in sexual activity.”

A conviction of this felony charge carries a sentence of not less than two years and not more than 10 years in prison. The minimum sentence must be served in its entirety before the prisoner can be released.

Deputy Christopher Pierce Arrested for Sexual Conversations

A former Onondaga County Sheriff's Deputy has been arrested in Ulster County. Police there say Christopher Pierce had numerous sexual online conversations over the last few months with someone he thought was a 14-year-old girl. That person was actually an undercover sheriff's deputy.

Pierce is now charged with one count of attempted disseminating indecent materials to a minor. The Onondaga County Sheriff's Department helping in the investigation by seizing three computers and other computer related evidence from Pierce's home in Clay.

The Onondaga County Sheriff's Department tells Action News Pierce resigned from his job on Wednesday, before he was arrested. Pierce worked in the Jail Division.

Rev. Michael Freymuth Accused of Sexual Abuse

A lawsuit filed in St. Louis accuses a Roman Catholic priest of sexually abusing a young parishioner in the early 1980s.

The unnamed plaintiff filed suit Wednesday against Rev. Michael Freymuth, the Archdiocese of St. Louis and its new Archbishop Robert Carlson, who arrived in St. Louis this June.

The lawsuit says in 2005 the victim informed the archdiocese about Freymuth's alleged sexual misconduct, and was told Freymuth would be removed from active ministry. The suit says that was false.

The archdiocese says a panel of lay people determined the 2005 allegation did not constitute sexual abuse. When it learned of a potential lawsuit alleging abuse in January, St. Louis church officials removed Freymuth from active ministry.

It's unclear where Freymuth lives.
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http://www.bnd.com/336/story/845668.html