Police Looking for Man Who Sexually Assaulted 7-year-old Girl

Police are looking for a man they believe sexually assaulted a 7-year-old girl.

The child was at Children’s Medical Center of Dayton for evaluation on Thursday evening, Oct. 15, Dayton Lt. Brian Johns said.

The suspect, an associate of the victim’s mother, is believed to have sexually assaulted the child several times over the course of several days, Johns said.

The victim’s mother got information that the assaults occurred and followed up with the victim, Johns said.

Nine Men Arrested in Internet Sting in Michigan

Nine men are behind bars accused of trying to have sex with a child after meeting them on the Internet.

Police said the men drove from all over Michigan and Ohio to meet with a cop who posed as a teenager for sex.

The Michigan Attorney General's office and Livingston County Sheriff's department teamed up with Perverted Justice for a three-day sting operation in Howell.

On Monday, Sheriff Robert Bezotte announced results of that sting that took place from Aug 14-16.

Police said more than 150 men attempted to engage in sexual activity with officers posing as children.

"It's very disturbing because we are only touch the tip of the ice berg," said Sheriff Bezotte.

Those arrested include a retired Detroit police officer, a grocery store clerk from Clarkston, a local security guard, a postal carrier and a software engineer from metro Detroit.

The men range from 24 to 53 years old.

The defendants were charged with child sexually abusive activity and using a computer to commit a crime, both felonies.

"The message for predators is loud and clear," said Attorney General Mike Cox. "We are watching. If you attempt to target a child, we will take you offline."

Those arrested are:

George William Allen, 53, of Detroit. Police said Allen is a retired City of Detroit police officer who counseled the undercover agent on how to avoid saving chat logs and threatened to kill himself if turned in.

Allen was arrested at a nearby fast food restaurant parking lot.

John Deleo Custer, 40, of Clawson. Clawson is a grocery store clerk who took a cab from Oakland County to the decoy location, later arriving at the home on foot.

He was arrested outside the home.

Jason Jerome Lombardo, 37, of Eastpointe. Lombardo is a music D.J., who was taken into custody at a nearby fast-food restaurant parking lot.

Michael Thomas Krauss, 49, of LaSalle in Monroe County. Krauss is a security guard who was taken into custody when he walked into the decoy home.

Dipankar Roy, 29, of Columbus, Ohio; reported that he is an Indian citizen in the United States for about a month as a software programmer.

Police said Roy took a cab to the decoy home after taking a bus from Columbus to Detroit.

Timothy John Fitzhugh, 47, of Grand Rapids; also arrested by authorities at a fast-food restaurant parking lot while carrying condoms, lubricant and pornographic videos.

Robert Joseph Smith, 24, of Flint.
Ashish Jain, 29, of Rochester Hills.
Ronald Alan Blake, 50, of Flint.

Police said in each case the men used chat rooms or Craig's List to find the teens.

Internet Crimes Detective Matthew Shutts sat down with Local 4 Monday to show how fast investigators can lure child predators online.

"I've just logged in and had 2 contacts within probably 20 seconds," said Shutts, who was posing as a child looking for sex in an internet chat room.

Cox said investigators will work to locate the men who responded to the online postings and were not arrested.

"This is a reminder for parents that the Internet is being used by predators to target our children," said Cox. "Parents must be monitoring what their kids are doing online and talk often with them about the dangers of communicating with people they don't know and trust."

Jeremy Cruz Sentenced to 3 Years for Having Child Porn

Jeremy Cruz, 24, of Seven Hills, was sentenced today to three years in prison for having child pornography.

The Ohio Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force said that Cruz had videos of child porn on his home computer between March 29 and Nov. 22, 2008. A search warrant was executed at his home Jan. 9. Investigators found 13 videos and several images he made available on the Internet.

He pleaded guilty to 17 counts of pandering sexually-oriented material involving a minor and possessing criminal tools, his computer.

Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Judge Eileen Gallagher also deemed Cruz a sexual offender who must register his home and work addresses with a sheriff's office every 180 days for 25 years.

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http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2009/08/seven_hills_man_gets_three_yea.html

Three People Accused of Letting Rats Bite 6-week-old Baby

Three people have been accused of letting rats bite a 6-week-old girl and chew off her toes at their cluttered Ohio mobile home.

Pike County prosecutor Rob Junk says the baby's toes on one foot were gone when sheriff's deputies went to the home Sunday after receiving an anonymous tip.

The baby is in fair condition at a Columbus hospital.

A married couple and the 18-year-old boyfriend of the baby's mother are charged with felony child endangering. They were in court for an initial hearing Tuesday. They're jailed pending a plea hearing in two weeks.

The prosecutor says they all lived in the mobile home west of Piketon, a village noted for its old uranium enrichment plant.

He says the baby's mother is a juvenile. He won't identify her or say if she'll be charged.

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

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

Judge Denies Bail for Jeremy Hendrex Arrested for Child Abuse

A judge is refusing to grant bail or house arrest for a man convicted last week of child abuse involving his infant daughter.

The request had been made by the attorney of Jeremy Hendrex, 29, of Sandusky and formerly of Weathersfield who was convicted Wednesday of seriously injuring his infant daughter. His attorney, Patrick Donlin, said in court documents he plans to file an appeal in the case.

Donlin's two separate motions filed Friday in Trumbull County Common Pleas Court seeking bail for his client were denied by Judge Peter Kontos.

The first motion asked the court to grant post-conviction bail or house arrest for Hendrex pending his sentencing Aug. 24. The second asked the court to grant post-conviction bail pending an appeal of Hendrex's conviction.

Hendrex had his bond revoked following his conviction Wednesday and remains at the Trumbull County Jail. He faces between two and eight years behind bars for felonious assault and child endangering, 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.

Donlin told the jury 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 the prosecution.

Doctors who testified for the prosecution said they detected two skull fractures that could have come only 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.

Alyssa, now 2, speaks about only 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.

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.

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.

Michael Moon Sentenced to 20 years for Possession of Child Porn at the Airport

Michael Moon, 40, of Medina, was sentenced today to 20 years in prison for trying to fly out of Cleveland Hopkins International Airport with 46 photographs of child pornography in his checked luggage.

Moon pleaded guilty to four counts of pandering sexually-oriented material involving a minor, 46 counts of illegal use of a minor in nudity-oriented material and two counts of possessing criminal tools. Moon was arrested July 29 at the airport, Assistant Prosecutor Jesse Canonico said.

Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Judge Kathleen Ann Sutula also labeled Moon a sexual offender who will have to register his home and work addresses with a sheriff's office every 180 days for 25 years.

Three Cleveland Men Charged with Having Child Porn

Three Cleveland men are charged with using the Internet to collect pornographic videos and photographs of children.

Christopher Jones, 34, was indicted on 100 counts. Prosecutors say he was sharing pornography from January through May 7, when officers with the Ohio Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force searched his East Side home. "Jones was downloading child pornography when officers arrived," prosecutor's spokesman Ryan Miday said.

David Lingenfelter, 21, was indicted on 41 counts. Prosecutors say he was sharing child pornography from his parents' house in Warrensville Heights from August through November 2008. March 6, the task force searched his house and confiscated his computer.

Sherief Ishac-Sorial, 27, of Cleveland, was indicted on 29 counts. Prosecutors say he was sharing child pornography from his West Side house from May through September 2008. His computer was confiscated Dec. 12.

The ICAC task force was created in 1999 by Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Bill Mason and includes members of local, state and federal law enforcement. It expanded statewide in 2003 to include 280 law enforcement agencies, at least one from each of Ohio's 88 counties.

William Shamblin Arrested for 25 Counts of Rape on 6-Year-Old

Sexual offender William Shamblin was arraigned this morning on 25 counts of rape, kidnapping and intimidation. Prosecutors say the 34-year-old Cleveland man anally raped a 6-year-old boy repeatedly in 2002 and 2003.

He knew the boy's mother and raped the first-grader when he got home from school, prosecutor's spokesman Ryan Miday said. "Shamblin told the victim if he told anyone about it he would burn him with his cigarette lighter," Miday said.

The boy talked to a social worker. He's living in a group home now, Miday said. The case was assigned to Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Judge John Russo. Shamblin was ordered to submit to an HIV test.

Shamblin, of Storer Avenue, was convicted of sexual assault in 1995 in Texas. His criminal history here includes drunken driving and aggravated vehicular assault in 2004. He was sentenced in January 2005 to two years in prison. His license was suspended until Jan. 13, 2008.

Timothy Holmes Arrested for Possession of Child Porn

FBI agents arrested a Medina Christian Academy teacher this week on a child pornography charge.

Timothy A. Holmes, 40, of 4262 Weymouth Road, Medina Township, has been employed by the Medina Township school for 16 years, the Cleveland division of the FBI reported.

Special Agent Scott T. Wilson of the FBI’s Cleveland office said Holmes allegedly began communicating over the Internet with members of an undercover FBI task force in October. Innocent Images — the New York City-based task force — works on cases of child pornography and child predators.

Wilson alleged Holmes sent the undercover agents images of child pornography. He could not say how many images were sent.

Innocent Images referred Holmes’ case to the Akron FBI office, which immediately began investigating.

Holmes could face five to 20 years in prison if convicted of possession, receipt and distribution of child pornography, a federal felony. He currently is in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.

Wilson said during Holmes’ appearance in U.S. District Court Thursday that a magistrate ordered Holmes be detained. He will have a hearing regarding his detention status next Thursday, the special agent said.

Wilson said “if there’s anything people feel our Akron office needs to know” regarding Holmes, they should contact the office at (330) 535-6156.

A message left with Medina Christian Academy was not immediately returned Friday. An answering machine greeting said the school was on summer break and its offices were closed Thursday and Friday.

The school, at 3646 Medina Road, offers classes in preschool through 12th grade. PrivateSchoolReview.com said the school was founded in 1981 by Medina First Baptist Church and serves Christian families from churches throughout Medina, Cuyahoga, Summit and Lorain counties.