Monday, July 20, 2009

Richard Hatterman Arrested for Possession of Child Porn

COLUMBUS, Ohio

A Hilliard man admitted to possession of child pornography Monday.

Richard Hatterman, 39, of Hilliard, pleaded guilty in United States District Court to one count of possession of child pornography for having almost 300 pictures and movies containing child pornography on his personal computer, according to authorities.

He faces a minimum 10-year sentence and up to 20 years imprisonment.

Hatterman will be required to be under court supervision for at least five years after he serves any prison time. Federal law also will require him to register as a sex offender.

According to court documents, German federal police identified a subscriber to an Internet account who used a Peer-2-Peer file-sharing computer software program to disseminate child pornography via the Internet late in 2008. They turned the evidence over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). ICE identified the subscriber as Hatterman.

ICE agents and Hilliard police officers executed a search warrant at Hatterman’s home in January 2009 and seized a computer and related equipment.

A forensic examination revealed one 163 digital images and 132 digital movies containing child pornography on Hatterman’s computer

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.

For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit http://www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

District Judge Gregory L. Frost was to set a date for sentencing.
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http://www.columbusdispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2009/07/20/hatterman.html?sid=101

Recognizing Sexual Abuse in Your Child

How to Tell if Your Child is Being Sexually Abused

One of the worst fears that a parent has is that their child will be sexually abused. It doesn't matter how careful you are; you cannot protect your child 24 hours a day. It is a very scary world. If your child rides a school bus or is in daycare or just plays with other children, he or she is at risk. As much as we want to protect our children, we are still limited as to how much we can do.

It is important to let your child know about appropriate touch. It is important to let them know that they can always come to you if anyone is making them feel uncomfortable or scared. It is important that they know that you will not get angry with them if something happens to them. It is also important to know that if they can tell you that something horrible has happened to them, such as sexual abuse, and that you won't lose control. You need to remain calm even though you may want to kill the person who has hurt and molested them.

You may want to kill the person that has hurt your child, but remember that sometimes your child may love the person that has hurt them. If they hear you talking about how you would want to kill or beat up someone who has hurt them, they may not want to talk to you about being abused. I know that I would personally want to kill someone who sexually abused my child. I have been a survivor of sexual abuse and it is something that you can survive but it is very damaging. The idea of someone hurting my child is horrifying.

You may not have any reason to be concerned but if you ever notice these signs you may have a problem. I have listed some of the things that you may consider warning signs that your child has been sexually abused.

Signs of sexual abuse in your child.

1. Your child starts to withdraw and is not the happy child that they once were.

2. Your child starts to wet the bed or becomes compulsive and fearful.

3. Your child starts to cry and becomes extremely emotional for no apparent reason.

4. Your child begans to display inappropriate sexual behavior.

5. Your child starts having trouble in school, such as failing grades.

6. Your child's eating habits change. They may gain or lose weight unexpectedly.

7. Your child starts having nightmares and irrational fears. Fear of the dark or being alone.

8. Your child will not let you out of their sight.

9. Your child doesn't want to take baths or showers.

10. Your child loses interests in taking care of their personal hygiene.

11. Your child doesn't want to be hugged or kissed.

12. Your child starts avoiding certain people.

13. Your child loses interests in hobbies or sports.

14. Your child may become rebellious and angry.

These are just a few things that can be symptoms of sexual abuse by anyone. It doesn't have to be a family member or an adult. Children that have been sexually abused often abuse other children. This can often be more chilling because it is harder to detect. Many children have been sexually abused on school buses and in school playgrounds. It is a very scary world and even though we don't like to think about it, it still happens.

It is very important to talk to your child in a calm way about sexual abuse. It is also important to know that no matter how careful you are and how much you try to protect your child, that sexual abuse can still happen. I hope and pray that your child isn't a victim, but if you have any reason to suspect it maybe this article will help you detect it. Please find a counselor immediately for your child if you have any suspicions of sexual abuse.
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Written by: Shana Dines, she is an Examiner from Indianapolis. You can see Shana's articles on Shana's Home Page.

David Pottenger Convicted of Having Child Porn

A former Vandalia-Butler schools’ teacher’s aide convicted of having child pornography on a personal computer told a Miami County judge Monday, July 20, he’s never been “more sorry for the wrong choices” he made.

David Pottenger, 46, of Troy, was charged earlier this year with felony pandering obscenity after child pornography was found on a computer he formerly owned. He was sentenced to two years of community control and given 120 days to pay court costs.

Pottenger also was ordered not to use the Internet unless access is needed for employment. If he violates conditions of the community control, he faces 17 months in prison.

Police said Pottenger sold the computer to a man who put it in a garage sale. A Tipp City woman who bought the computer found the child pornography, and notified authorities.

Pottenger waived a grand jury’s consideration of the allegations against him, pleaded no contest and was found guilty June 1 in county Common Pleas Court.

He returned Monday for sentencing by Judge Robert Lindeman.

Pottenger apologized to family and friends for embarrassing them. “I would like to say that there hasn’t been any other time in my life where I’ve been more sorry for the wrong choices,” he said.

Defense lawyer Andy Pratt said Pottenger was a “decent person who has made a mistake. It’s a serious mistake, and I think he acknowledges that,” Pratt said.

Pratt said Pottenger told him he began visiting primarily adult-oriented web sites, with some sites of children interspersed, while he facing a troubled time in his marriage. Pratt said Pottenger later sold the computer and hasn’t used a computer for some time.

Lindeman said Pottenger had no prior criminal convictions. The judge said he received 18 to 20 letters from counselors, school administrators and others in positions of trust who said they don’t believe Pottenger poses a danger. Those people, Lindeman said, “feel this was a mistake and won’t be repeated.”

Pottenger worked at the Vandalia schools under a contract for aide services with the Miami County Educational Services Center. He worked as a teacher’s aide for the center since November 2005.

John Decker, superintendent of the educational services center, said Monday that Pottenger, who had been on unpaid administrative leave, resigned in June.

Pottenger also was classified as a Tier II sex offender, requiring him to register his address with the sheriff in the county where he lives or works for every six months for 25 years.
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Other Information: http://newstalkradiowhio.com/localnews/2009/07/former-teachers-aide-gets-prob.html

Officer Philip Spaman Arrested for Forcible Touching Child


An Ilion police officer Monday became the fifth law enforcement officer this year to face criminal charges in the Mohawk Valley.

Ilion Officer Philip Spaman, 47, of Herkimer, was arraigned in Herkimer County Court on Monday on misdemeanor charges involving the touching of a child.

He faces one count each of forcible touching and endangering the welfare of a child, prosecutors said.

Assistant District Attorney Jeff Carpenter said the two misdemeanor charges against Spaman were handed up in a sealed indictment from a grand jury.

The charges stem from alleged events involving a child under the age of 17 that occurred between September 2007 and October 2008, Carpenter said.

Because of the nature of the case, no information on the victim or his or her relationship to Spaman is being released, prosecutors said.

Ilion police Chief Timothy Parisi said Monday evening that Spaman had been suspended from duty with pay while internal and criminal proceedings against him move forward. Spaman has been a member of the department for almost 8 years.

“The criminal justice system must now take its course,” Parisi said in released statement that directed additional questions to the District Attorney’s Office. “I ask that you respect the judicial process and seek no further comment from the Ilion Police Department.”

Spaman was processed by the Herkimer village police department Monday morning prior to his arraignment, Herkimer police said.

He was represented at the arraignment by attorney George Aney and pleaded not guilty to both charges, Carpenter said. Aney did not return calls Monday.

A pre-trial hearing is scheduled for 9 a.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 5.

Earlier this year, two members of the state police and two other local police officers were charged with crimes. None of those cases has been resolved:

*State police Investigator Matthew Sullivan, who is suspended without pay, was indicted in April on 10 misdemeanor charges and traffic violations stemming from a Feb. 6 traffic stop in Trenton. The charges include driving while intoxicated, speeding, unlawfully fleeing a police officer, reckless endangerment, reckless driving, passing a red light, failure to keep right and failure to comply with a police officer.

*Trooper David Volz, who is assigned to the Herkimer state police barracks, was charged April 23 with misdemeanor petit larceny in connection with the alleged mulch theft in Rome. He was suspended without pay.

*Then-Dolgeville Officer Greg Malta Jr. was charged with misdemeanor fourth-degree criminal mischief, after police said he drove his patrol car around the school's baseball field. Malta was fired from the force.

*Herkimer Village Police Investigator Robert Risi, an 18-year veteran, stole $9,600 from an evidence locker, prosecutors. Risi faces a felony charge of third-degree larceny. He has been suspended without pay.

Donald Beebe Jr Arrested for Sexual Abuse on 5-year-old

A 26-year-old Herkimer man has been charged with felony sexual abuse after he allegedly subjected a 5-year-old female to sexual contact, according to a news release Monday from state police.

State police assigned to the Oneida County Child Advocacy Center charged Donald Beebe Jr. with first-degree sexual abuse, a Class D felony, according to the release.

Beebe was arraigned in Town of Marcy Court and sent to the county jail in lieu of $25,000 cash bond, according to the release. He is scheduled to return to the court at 4 p.m. Thursday.

The victim is seeking services through the Child Advocacy Center, according to the release.

Trial Begins for Former Deputy Milton Pruitt Accused of Having Child Porn

The Federal Court trial of a former Forsyth County sheriff’s deputy accused of receiving and possessing child pornography began Monday in U.S. District Court in Gainesville.

Prosecutor Brent Gray in his opening argument told the jury the reason they are in court is because former Deputy Sergeant Milton Scott Pruitt said he was 'just curious'; the problem is, he was just curious two years ago about child pornography.

Gray said Pruitt is accused of opening and viewing images of unclothed children from criminal investigative files he should not have opened using a sheriff’s laptop computer in his patrol car.

Investigators later found hundreds of child porn images on his home computer.
Gray invited the jury of eight women and six men to study the evidence, use their common sense and find Pruitt guilty.

Defense attorney Ann Fitz urged the jury to find Pruitt innocent, saying this is not the case of a pedophile with a fetish.

Fitz said there is no evidence that Pruitt purchased, solicited or produced child porn and that only 20 of the 328 images were clearly identified as child pornography. Fitz added that there is no evidence Pruitt made repeat visits to the porno sites and that he did not 'knowingly' receive the images.

The prosecution's first witness as the trial opened was Forsyth County's Information Technology Director John David Rusk.

Rusk testified he found child pornography images linked to Pruitt while investigating unusual activity on the county's computer system.

Charles Reynolds Arrested for Forcing 7-year-old to Perform Sex Acts

CAMBRIA COUNTY, Pa.

A Johnstown man forced a seven year old boy to give him oral sex, then threatened to shoot a witness if she told anyone, Johnstown police said.

62 year old Charles Reynolds faces a number of charges, including involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with a child, indecent assault, and corruption of minors.

Police said the assault took place Wednesday in Reynolds’ house in the city's Prospect Homes neighborhood. He reportedly made the victim give him oral sex. A woman was home at the time and saw what happened. She told police Reynolds threatened to shoot her if she told anyone.

Cambria county children and youth services learned of the case and contacted Johnstown police on Friday. Detectives went to Reynolds' home to question him about the assault.

Inside they found a handgun; several pellet guns and a taser. A resident at the home reported seeing Reynolds use the tazer on the 7 year old victim as well as his 5 year old brother.

Reynolds is a felon. In 1999 he was convicted on drug charges. As a result he's not allowed to have any firearms.

Reynolds was taken into custody early Saturday morning and arraigned on three felony and five misdemeanor charges.

Reynolds was lodged in the Cambria County jail on $100,000 bail.
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http://www.wjactv.com/news/20121011/detail.html

Melvin Dean Blanchard Arrested for Sexual Abuse

A Dothan man is arrested for a crime, investigators say, he committed 15 years ago.

Investigators with the Henry County - Abbeville Police Task Force say Melvin Dean Blanchard, 47, sodomized and sexually abused a child under the age of 12.

Detectives say Blanchard had the contact with the child in Headland during October 1994 and May 1998.

Investigators say the victim was eleven when the assaults began.

Blanchard is charged with felony first-degree sodomy and felony sex abuse of a child less than the age of 12.

Blanchard is currently being held in the Henry County Jail under a $40,000 bond.
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http://www.wtvynews4.com/news/headlines/51225232.html

Yosef Kolko Arrested for Sexually Assaulting 13-year-old

LAKEWOOD

A Lakewood private school camp counselor was arrested Sunday on charges he sexually assaulted a 13-year-old boy, according to a report by the Asbury Park Press.

Yosef A. Kolko, 33, of Lakewood, worked as a counselor at Yachad, the Bais Hatorah School's summer camp, and allegedly sexually assaulted the boy in the past year, the report said.

Kolko was charged with aggravated sexual assault, sexual assault and endangering the welfare of a child, the Asbury Park Press report said. Kolko was released on bail of $125,000 and is not allowed to have contact with the victim or anyone under 18, the report said.

Daniel Swanciger Arrested for Unlawful Sexual Contact with 3-year-old


A convicted sex offender is back in jail, accused of unlawful sexual contact with a 3-year-old child.

Daniel Swanciger, 43, who was known by the family of the alleged victim, was arrested by Westbrook police Sunday when a woman reported the crime against her 3-year-old.

By the time police got to the home in the Reed Street area, Swanciger had left. But police quickly found him and arrested him and charged him with unlawful sexual contact and, on a warrant out of Saco, for failure to comply with the Sex Offender Registry Act.

Swanciger has two out of state convictions for indecent liberties with a child. He was charged in December 2007 for failure to comply with Maine's Sex Offender Registry Act.

Swanciger is being held on $25,000 cash bail.

Dennis Michael Lemke Sentenced 30 Years for Making Child Porn

Sartell man Dennis Michael Lemke, was sentenced Thursday by District Court Judge for 30 years and a life of supervised release. Lembke, 43, pleaded guilty to one count of production of child pornography as in April of 2006 he knowingly engaged a child under the age of 12 in sexually explicit acts to create pornographic images.

Lembke was originally suspected when a six-year-old girl who attended the day care that Lemke’s wife ran told her mother that she had been molested in October of 2006. In February 2007 investigators took a computer, electronic storage media and digital camera from his St. Cloud home on which investigators found a large number of explicit images of children. Lembke was jailed in July of 2008.

Walter Taylor & Bryon Capaldi Arrested for Child Porn

Two Camden County men wanted as part of a child pornography investigation turned themselves into police today, authorities said.

Walter Taylor, 25, of the 1200 block of Lakeshore Drive in Camden, and Bryon Capaldi, 25, of the 500 block of Collings Avenue in Collingswood, were among 21 men targeted in a year-long investigation by the Camden County Prosecutor's Office into county residents possessing child pornography on their computers, said Jason Laughlin, spokesman for the prosecutor's office.

Taylor turned himself in this afternoon to Camden police, and Capaldi surrendered to Collingswood police, Laughlin said.

Both are charged with endangering the welfare of a child by possessing child pornography, Laughlin said.

The lengthy investigation -- dubbed Operation Sentinel -- came to a close last week in a series of early morning raids at 21 locations in 14 municipalities across the county.

By Friday, 18 men, ranging in age from 14 to 67-years-old, were arrested. At the time police said three additional suspects were wanted.

With the arrest of Taylor and Capaldi on Monday, Laughlin said one suspect, whose identity has not been released, remains at large.
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http://www.nj.com/gloucester/index.ssf?/base/news-13/124815210956900.xml&coll=8

Tyler Sanchez Arrested for Fondling 8-year-old


A man who allegedly fondled an 8-year-old girl in her bedroom on July 10 was arrested Saturday after a report of a prowler in the same subdivision where the assault occurred.

The suspect was identified as 19-year-old Tyler A. Sanchez.

Douglas County Sheriff David Weaver said deputies and detectives from the Parker Police Department responded to a report about a prowler in the Stonegate subdivision at about 12:40 p.m. Friday.

Two detectives from the Parker Police Department followed up on the license plate of a vehicle seen leaving the area. When they went to the address given for the vehicle, they found Sanchez sitting in it, according to Cocha Heyden, spokeswoman for the Douglas County Sheriff's Department.

Sanchez was booked into the Douglas County jail. He lives with his parents in the north end of unincorporated Douglas County.

During the course of the investigation, it was learned that Sanchez was suspected of being involved in the sexual assault of the girl a week earlier, investigators said.

Heyden would not give details about what linked Sanchez to the assault.

With the new information, Sanchez, who was still in custody, was booked for investigation of first-degree burglary, sexual assault on a child and unlawful sexual contact.

He is being held in lieu of $1 million bail.

The child who was sexually assaulted told investigators that she was woken up at about 5:08 a.m. on July 10 by a man in her bedroom who was touching her inappropriately.

"I hope that the residents of Stonegate feel a lot safer knowing that an arrest has been made and that someone will be held accountable for what occurred," Sheriff Weaver said.

Heather Koontz Bennet Arrested for Child Abuse

The Harnett County Sheriff's Office has charged a Bunnlevel woman for allegedly abusing her 4-month-old baby and a Broadway man for the alleged sexual assault of a Fayetteville woman.

Heather Koontz Bennet, 23, of Thompson Road in Bunnlevel was charged with child abuse inflicting serious physical injury.

The arrest report said the charges stem from an incident that occurred on Oct. 28, 2008, in which the child sustained head injuries and was taken to Betsy Johnson Regional Hospital in Dunn.

Ms. Bennet was held under $20,000 bond.

James Miller Arrested for Child Porn

James E. Miller, former town engineer for Stoughton, pleaded not guilty at his arraignment in superior court on July 14 to one count of felony possession of child pornography.

A hearing concerning non-evidentiary motions has been scheduled to take place on Oct. 29. A hearing regarding motions to suppress evidence will be held on Dec. 8, according to court records.

Miller, 62, of Seekonk, was Stoughton’s town engineer for 11 years until a routine diagnostic found inappropriate material on his computer at work in January 2008. He resigned a month later.

Miller was arraigned on the charge in Stoughton District Court. The case was later turned over to superior court for further action.

Henry Thompson Arrested for Sending Sexually Explicit Text Messages


Police arrested a 54-year-old Clovis man Sunday after intercepting sexually-explicit communication he is accused of having with a 13-year-old girl.

Officials said Henry Thompson met the girl through his work with a local church youth group.

Thompson was arrested around 8 p.m. at Hillcrest Park when he showed up for a meeting he thought he’d arranged with the girl, according to a news release from the Clovis Police Department.

Thompson is being held on a $50,000 bond on five felony counts of solicitation of a child by electronic device. He is accused of sending text messages to Clovis police detectives and Curry County Sheriff’s Office investigators who were posing as the 13-year-old, the release said.

The investigation was launched Thursday when the girl’s mother went to police with explicit text messages she found on her daughter’s cell phone, according to an arrest affidavit filed in Curry County Magistrate Court.

The mother identified Thompson as a man who was involved in their church and takes the church’s youth group to Castleland Park, a local recreation center.

The woman said she had also dropped her daughter off at Thompson’s home so he could take her with the youth group, the affidavit said.

The church is not identified in court records and Capt. Patrick Whitney declined to identify the church where Thompson and the girl met.

“The case could expand to other possible child victims,” Whitney wrote Monday in an e-mail.

Revealing activities in which Thompson was allegedly involved “could jeopardize the ongoing investigation and possible future investigations that may stem from this case,” Whitney wrote.

Records show police took custody of the girl’s cell phone and continued communicating with Thompson, arranging a meeting with him at the park.

Police discovered text messages on the girl’s phone that gave descriptions of sexual activities Thompson allegedly wanted to engage the girl in, a “very sexually explicit” voice message and at least one photo of male genitalia.

During an interview with detectives at the sheriff’s office, Thompson admitted to sending the text, voice and photo messages, telling officers he photographed his genitalia while in a portable bathroom at Cannon Air Force Base, the affidavit said.

Thompson has moved frequently. He was working as a pipe-fitter/welding contractor at Cannon Air Force Base and had plans to move to California next month, Whitney said.

“I think the lesson to parents is they do definitely need to be monitoring their kid’s cell phone activities, not just what Web sites they may be visiting,” Whitney said.

Investigators are in the process of notifying law enforcement in other areas Thompson has lived, he said, to determine if he has prior offenses or was suspected in similar cases.

Investigators have seized evidence from Thompson’s Norris Street residence and vehicle in addition to phone records, the release said.
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