Deputy Mike Chauvin Arrested for Having Sex with Minor

A 23-year veteran deputy of the Harrison County Sheriff’s Department was in custody Wednesday, accused of having sex with a minor who often baby-sat his adolescent son at the deputy’s Orange Grove home, Harrison County Sheriff Melvin Brisolara said.

The sheriff said 48-year-old Mike Chauvin, who’s been serving as a school resource deputy at North Woolmarket Elementary School for the past eight years, initially was suspended with pay Monday night as soon as the parents of the victim, now 17, came in to report their suspicions about Chauvin possibly engaging in sex acts with their daughter.

Brisolara said the Sheriff’s Department started conducting an internal investigation, but quickly realized that the case was turning criminal and turned over their findings to the Gulfport Police Department because the crime allegedly occurred in their jurisdiction at Chauvin’s home. Gulfport police made the arrest Wednesday, charging Chauvin with one count of sexual battery.

The investigation is continuing to determine if other charges would be filed, such as an enhanced charge of sexual battery while in a position of trust or authority. The maximum penalty for sexual battery is 20 years in prison.

The sheriff said Chauvin apparently began a sexual relationship with the girl sometime after she started baby-sitting for him in the past two years. “She was younger (than 17) when this happened,” Brisolara said.

On Wednesday, Harrison County sheriff’s investigators were continuing to work with Gulfport investigators to determine if additional charges will follow.

Brisolara said he hadn’t spoken to Chauvin since the investigation started, adding “I have no intention of talking to him.”

Brisolara was working at the Sheriff’s Department when Chauvin, whom he described as a quiet man, joined the force, first serving as a reserve officer before going full-time and working over the years in patrols and community relations before taking over as a school resource officer. Brisolara said the complaint this week was the first the Sheriff’s Department has received against him during his tenure.

Since Brisolara started serving his first term in office, he said he’s had to get rid of other sheriff’s deputies for violating departmental policies and procedures, and “this is the first criminal case I’ve worked (involving a deputy) since I’ve been in office.”

The sheriff said Chauvin was terminated Wednesday. After his arrest, he was taken to the Harrison County jail, where Brisolara said Chauvin was being placed in isolation for safety reasons.

As for the investigation that led to the arrest of one of Brisolara’s own deputies, he said he had no regrets.

Alyna Gutierrez Tries to Flush Her Baby Down the Toilet

A 19-year-old Lancaster woman who allegedly claimed to have suffered a miscarriage was arrested today on suspicion of attempted murder and child neglect.

Alyna Gutierrez showed up at an Antelope Valley hospital Sept. 30 saying that she had a miscarriage at her home and had flushed the remains down the toilet, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said.

While Gutierrez was at the hospital, her mother found a newborn girl in her daughter's apartment.

Gutierrez was hospitalized for an infection she received during child birth. She was released this morning and arrested by investigators, the department said.

The baby, who weighed 7 pounds, 10 ounces, was listed in good condition today and will be placed in protective custody.

Officer Douglas Paulsen Arrested for Trying to Meet Boy for Sex

A West Valley City police officer has been arrested for trying to meet a teenage boy for sex. That "boy" was really an undercover detective.

West Valley Police said there was nothing to indicate one of their own would be accused of a sex crime, but Officer Douglas Paulsen, a 19-year veteran with the West Valley City Police Department, is now on the other side of the law.

Tuesday afternoon, Layton police arrested the 41-year-old police officer at the Layton Hills Mall. Police say Paulsen went there to meet who he thought was a 15-year-old boy.

"Later, they were going to move to another location to engage in a sexual act," said Layton police Sgt. Jason Hinojosa.

The teen was actually an undercover officer assigned to the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) task force. The officer, posing as a teenager, responded to an Internet ad last month and began exchanging e-mails with Paulsen. Investigators said Paulsen sent the detective pornography.

"I'm sure the public would expect officers to be held to a higher standard," Hinojosa said.

Paulsen was a school resource officer at Hunter High School. West Valley Police said they don't think any students there were victimized.

"We don't have any reason to believe that there was any inappropriate activity that took place in relationship to his assignment as a school resource officer," said West Valley Assistant Police Chief Craig Black.

Paulsen is on paid administrative leave during this investigation. KSL News went to Paulsen's home Wednesday evening. A man who answered the door said neither he nor Paulsen had a comment on the investigation.

Trial Set for Lucy & Christopher Wilson Accused of Abusing their Baby

Jury trials have been set for the Terre Haute couple accused of abusing their baby.

Lucy Wilson, 19, is accused of neglecting her baby boy, while her husband Christopher Wilson allegedly broke the baby's bones.

The baby was already receiving medical care at home and hooked up to a feeding tube, since he was born prematurely.

According to court documents, Lucy Wilson admitted to police her husband beat the baby when the child would move his feeding tube. Both parents are facing felony charges of neglect of a dependent.

Christopher Wilson also faces a charge of battery. His trial date is set for Feb. 23.

Lucy Wilson is expected to head to trial March 16.

Officer Anthony Santo Arrested for Sexually Assaulting Minor

An 18-year veteran of the Norwalk Police Department has been placed on administrative leave after he was arrested Friday by Greenwich Police for allegedly sexually assaulting a minor.

Officer Anthony Santo, 42, turned himself into the Greenwich Police Department on a warrant for second-degree sexual assault and risk of injury to a minor.

Greenwich Police said the arrest stems from a three-month long investigation into the sexual assault of a minor and would not divulge further details about the arrest.

Norwalk Police Chief Harry Rilling said the arrest is related to an incident that occurred five or six years ago at a home in Greenwich. He could not give details of the arrest because the investigation is ongoing.

Rilling said the department will await the outcome of the criminal investigation before deciding whether to take further action in the matter.

"He's been a member of the department for quite some time," he said. "We've never had any complaints about him from the community or his fellow officers."

Sources close to The Hour said the sexual-assault victim may have only recently revealed the allegations to police. Under Connecticut state law, the statute of limitations to file a rape charge is 30 years after the incident occurred.

Friday's arrest marks the third time in three years that a Norwalk police officer has been charged with sex crimes.

Former Lieut. Thomas Cummings was arrested in January 2008 on multiple charges stemming from accusations of inappropriate sexual contact with two teenage boys.

Former officer Ray DeCamillo was recently released from prison after serving a nine-month sentence for sexually assaulting a 20-year-old Norwalk woman while on duty in 2006. He registered on the New Canaan sex-offender registry in September.

Coy Fields Sentenced 2 to 15 Years for Sexually Abusing 6-year-old

Coy Fields will serve 2 to 15 years in prison after he sexually abused a 6-year-old three times in May in Quincy Township.

The child’s mother tearfully told Branch County Circuit Court Judge Bill O’Grady that the family only “agreed to a plea bargain” to prevent the girl from reliving the incidents again at trial.

Fields, 43, had originally been charged with first- and second-degree criminal sexual conduct. Judge O’Grady said the sentence was according to the Michigan Sentencing Guidelines.

“Your crime is very disturbing,” O’Grady said. “I am incarcerating you not only to protect the children, but to protect the entire community from your predatory behavior.”

Five People Arrested for Child Abuse

Police say an anonymous tip lead to the arrest of five people charged with abusing a 4-year-old boy who remains in critical condition at a hospital.

Authorities removed nine other children from the same Hattiesburg home.

The home, which neighbors describe as filthy with graffiti on the walls, was leased by 53-year-old Sue Miller and her 34-year-old daughter, Nancy Miller. They were charged Tuesday with felony child abuse along with Patricia Aguilar, 30; Francys Albertson, 20; and Christopher Lee, 37, all of Hattiesburg.

Police spokesman Synarus Green said the "child's body was covered with new and old bruises."

A medical exam showed he had cuts on his head and body, broken teeth and internal abdominal injuries.
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Pictures & More Information: http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/article/20091003/NEWS01/910030328/5-face-child-abuse-charges

Polygamist Raymond Jessop in Court for Sexual Assault

A member of a polygamist sect, whose ranch state officials raided last year, is pleading not guilty to sexual assault of a child.

Raymond Jessop is one of 12 men of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints indicted after the April 2008 raid on their ranch. Jessop is the first to face trial.

The other eleven defendants from the raid on the will be tried seperately later this year.

Michael Barnes Accused of Sexual Abuse

A former Catholic priest from North Carolina has been accused of sexually abusing a child in Ocean City more than 30 years ago.

Ocean City police say 64-year-old Michael Barnes of Haywood, N.C., has been arrested in his home state and is being held there. Police say they got a complaint about the abuse this spring and that the incidents took place between 1977 and 1982.

A Baltimore County man in his 40s filed a lawsuit against Barnes in Delaware in June. David Lorenz, a spokesman for the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, says the criminal charges relate to the same alleged victim.

Lorenz says Barnes abused the victim during trips to Ocean City and beaches in Delaware. He says he believes there are other victims.

The Archdiocese of Baltimore says Barnes was the associate pastor of an Essex parish during the time of the alleged abuse and that he left the priesthood in 1988.

Oscar Expinosa Arrested for Sexual Assault on Child

A 75-year-old Riverside County man has been arrested on suspicion of sexually assaulting a child, authorities said today.

Oscar Enrique Espinosa of San Jacinto allegedly lured the victim into an alley, according to the Riverside County Sheriff's Department. The age and sex of the child were not disclosed.

Sheriff's deputies arrested Espinosa about 6 p.m. Wednesday after responding to a call about unknown trouble in an alley behind the 1400 block of South San Jacinto Street.

He was booked on suspicion of unlawful sexual acts with a child and aggravated sexual assault of a child.

Anyone with information about the crime is asked to call investigators at (951) 791-3423.

Allen Ford Charged with Sexual Battery on Child

A Bedford County man has been charged with the aggravated sexual battery of a child under 12 and may face more charges involving other victims, according to the Bedford County Sheriff's Office.

Forest resident Allen Lee Ford, who turns 63 today, is being held in the Blue Ridge Regional Jail.

The charge stems from a sexual assault that authorities allege occurred in Ford's Bedford home in 1999, shortly after Ford moved to the county, Maj. Ricky Gardner said.

Bedford investigators began looking at Ford after they were contacted by investigators from Ashland and Campbell County on Wednesday regarding a possible child sexual exploitation case.

Ashland investigators said an adult claimed he had been sexually assaulted by a man identified as Ford prior to 1999, when the adult was still a juvenile, according to the Bedford sheriff's office.

A subsequent investigation by Ashland, Bedford, Campbell and the Southern Virginia Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force found four more alleged victims of sexual assaults which may be linked to Ford. One of those assaults allegedly occurred in Ford's Bedford home in the spring of 1999.

Harold Whittle Arrested for Child Molestation

Maricopa County sheriff's detectives said they believe there may be more victims after a Queen Creek man was arrested Thursday on suspicion of molesting two girls, ages 3 and 6.

Harold Whittle, 61, was booked on two counts of child molestation. He is being held without bond at the Fourth Avenue Jail.

Detectives said the investigation began Monday when the suspected molestations were reported.

As the probe widened, another victim living out of state came forward with similar allegations.

Detectives said Whittle, who is a grandfather of 16, was arrested in Utah in 2005 on charges of lascivious acts against a child living next door.

"This is the worst act against an innocent child a person can make," said Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio. "I don't care if he's a millionaire or if he has a private jet, he belongs in jail," says Arpaio.

Sheriff's investigators said there could be more potential victims. People with information about Whittle are urged to contact the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office at 602-876-1011.

Howard Dotson Jr Arrested on 96 Counts of Sexual Abuse

A 60-year-old Grand Junction man was held Friday on a $260,000 bond following his arrest on 96 counts related to rape and sexual assault on children.

Howard Dotson Jr. was arrested Monday by the Colorado State Patrol on suspicion of drunken driving, driving without a valid license, criminal impersonation and child abuse.

The child sex assault allegations are contained in a 12-year-old warrant issued in Boone County, W.V.

According to a grand jury indictment issued in 1997 in West Virginia, Dotson was charged with 56 counts of rape, 21 counts of first-degree sexual assault, and 20 counts of third-degree sexual assault.

The alleged crimes involved four female victims and the alleged assaults go back as far as the early 1970s. One of the victims was under age 10 when the alleged assaults began and continued into her adulthood, according to the indictment.

Paul Bess Charged with Aggravated Sexual Battery

A Suffolk teacher's assistant is accused of sexually assaulting a 7-year-old child.

Police say Paul Andrew Bess, 59, turned himself following his indicment on charges of aggravated sexual battery and indecent liberties with a child.

Bess is alleged to have sexually assaulted the child at Nansemond Parkway Elementary School in June.

Bess is on admininstrative leave from his job there, according to officials.

He was hired by Suffolk Schools in August 2006 and a "successful background check was completed. He has since had exemplary evaluations,” according to spokeswoman Bethanne Bradshaw.

Bess is being held in Western Tidewater Regional Jail with no bond.

In a letter to parents Monday, principal Keith Hubbard said the Department of Social Services had conducted an investigation into this alleged incident in August and determined that the charges were unfounded.

He also made sure parents knew counselors are available if needed.

PRINCIPAL'S LETTER TO PARENTS:

October 5, 2009

Dear Parents & Guardians:

Student safety is a top priority in Suffolk Public Schools, and we want to keep families informed of situations as soon as we are able.

As you may be aware from media coverage, a teacher assistant here, Paul Bess, has been charged with aggravated sexual battery. The alleged incident was reported by a student to have happened in June during school hours. Because of the arrest, Bess has been placed on administrative leave until the allegations are resolved through the judicial system. At the time he was hired in August 2006, a successful background check was completed, and he has since had exemplary evaluations.

In August, the Department of Social Services conducted an investigation into this alleged incident and determined that the charges were unfounded.

I know as a parent such an allegation is troubling. The school works diligently to provide a quality education for all children, and to maintain a safe learning environment where students can trust the adults responsible for their care. In light of this incident, you might find an opportunity to talk with your child about these sensitive issues. If you feel your child would benefit from talking to a guidance counselor now or in the future, please call the school at 923-4167 and share your concerns.

Thank you for your concern and your efforts to keep Nansemond Parkway Elementary School a safe school.

Sincerely,

Keith Hubbard

Principal,

Nansemond Parkway Elementary School
--http://hamptonroads.com/2009/10/suffolk-teachers-aide-charged-sex-assault----------------------------

Charlene Stites Pleads No Contest to Sexual Assault of Child

Charlene Stites likely will be heading to jail when she is sentenced in December after pleading "no contest" Thursday to repeated sexual assault of a child.

Stites, 43, of Manitowoc, also pleaded no contest to two of the three counts of felony bail jumping with which she was charged. The third count was dismissed, though she acknowledged responsibility for that count and it may be considered during sentencing.

The county will complete a pre-sentence investigation and a psychological evaluation of Stites in preparation for the Dec. 22 sentencing hearing.

As part of Stites' plea agreement, Assistant District Attorney Jerilyn Dietz said she will recommend no more than five years' imprisonment for the repeated sexual assault of a child charge, followed by six to seven years' probation for the bail jumping felonies.

Stites is one of six in her family to be charged with a sex-related felony stemming from a police investigation earlier this year.

Her husband, Michael Stites, was sentenced earlier this month to 45 years in prison, which includes 20 years in Brown County after revocation of the probation he was on following a 1999 sexual assault of the then-14-year-old babysitter of his children, and 25 years in Manitowoc County after being convicted of sexually assaulting two more young female victims.

Judge Darryl Deets, reading the criminal complaint, indicated on Thursday that Charlene Stites took part in some of the sexual assaults committed by her husband, Michael Stites. The no-contest plea means she admits to having engaged in sexual contact with a now-17-year-old girl at least three times in 2008.

She also is convicted of writing letters to Michael Stites while he was in jail. Part of her bail agreement was that she not contact any known sex offender, which included Michael Stites.

Her attorney, Charles Wingrove, indicated during the hearing that Charlene Stites agreed to the maximum probation sentence for the felony bail jumping convictions because of the nature of the sexual assault charge.

"These are very serious charges, deeply disturbing," Wingrove said.

The sexual assault charge carries a maximum 25 years' initial imprisonment and 15 years' extended supervision, but Dietz said she will recommend no more than five years in jail.