Tag Archives: Values

Child Abuse, Child Exploitation, Child Predator, Child Sexual Abuse, Family Secrets, Physical Abuse, Sexual Assault

SANFORD FOSTER PARENT SENTENCED TO 170 YEARS IN PRISON FOR CHILD EXPLOITATION OFFENSES

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Middle District of Florida

Thursday, November 17, 2022

Orlando, Florida – U.S. District Judge Wendy W. Berger today sentenced Justin Dwayne Johnson, Sr. (48, Sanford) to 170 years in federal prison for four counts of production of child sexual abuse material, one count of production and attempted production of child sexual abuse material, and one count of possession of child sex abuse material. Johnson had pleaded guilty on July 7, 2022.

According to court documents, in January 2022, an investigation was initiated into Johnson after Child Protection Services was alerted that Johnson was secretly recording his foster children. Johnson disclosed to an acquaintance that he had cameras in his home to record the children in the nude and that he had videos of him touching the children. During the investigation, law enforcement officers seized several devices belonging to Johnson. Forensic examinations of Johnson’s cellphone and other electronic devices revealed numerous images and videos of child sex abuse material. Specifically, the evidence showed that Johnson used the children under his care to produce depictions of sexually explicit conduct. Johnson’s cellphone also contained numerous visual depictions of child sex abuse material depicting young children. So far, the FBI has identified at least 18 victims that were sexually exploited by Johnson.

“Protecting children from sexual abuse and exploitation is one of the highest priorities of my office,” said U.S. Attorney Roger Handberg. “This defendant victimized children who were especially vulnerable because they needed the protection of the foster care system. I am proud of the outstanding work by our local and federal law enforcement partners and my office that brought this predator to justice.”

“Instead of offering a haven for foster children, this predator betrayed the children with a home of horrific abuse,” said FBI Tampa Special Agent in Charge David Walker. “The FBI’s Child Exploitation Task Force is committed to identifying, locating, and recovering the innocent victims of sexual abuse and ensuring their abusers are brought to justice.

“Johnson’s crimes are particularly disturbing, in that he was in a position that is expected to provide protection and care to already vulnerable children, and he exploited that role and further victimized these young children,” said Chief Cecil Smith of the Sanford Police Department. “I hope his sentence brings some comfort to those who he has abused.”

“As you can imagine, investigations of this nature can present overwhelming challenges,” stated Seminole County Sheriff Dennis M. Lemma. “However, the dedication of our teams, their diligence, and the collaborative efforts of the law enforcement professionals assigned to this case resulted in a successful prosecution and a sentence that sends a strong message that there are severe consequences for those who prey upon and exploit the most precious members of our community.” 

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from the Sanford Police Department and the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Courtney Richardson-Jones and Ilianys Rivera Miranda.

This is another case 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. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc.

Child Abuse, Child Exploitation, Cruelty, Day Care, Indifference, Law Enforcement

Daycare workers facing charges of felony child abuse after scaring children with masks

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.jpg photo of Day Care workers fired for scaring Children
4 Day Care workers each face three counts of felony child abuse, a 5th worker faces charges of failure to report abuse by a mandatory reporter and simple assault against a minor.

Videos on Facebook show a day care worker wearing a Halloween mask and yelling at children

HAMILTON, MS  –  Four people linked to viral video footage of Mississippi daycare employees using a scary mask to frighten young children are facing charges of felony child abuse, and a fifth person faces two misdemeanor counts.

The daycare’s owner, Sheila Sanders, is not facing charges.  She has said that at least four of the employees were fired after the video came to light.

The videos, one filmed in September and another this month, were posted on social media.  They show a daycare worker at Lil’ Blessings Child Care & Learning Center in Hamilton, an unincorporated community in northeast Mississippi, wearing a Halloween mask similar to the one in the “Scream” movies and yelling at children who didn’t “clean up” or “act good.”

Children can be seen bawling, cowering in fear, and at times running from the masked employee.  Another employee gives directions, singling out which children have acted good or bad, The Associated Press reported.  The employee in the mask is shown screaming inches away from children’s faces, the video showed.

Monroe County Sheriff Kevin Crook said in a news release that four of the women each face three counts of felony child abuse.  A fifth woman, he says, faces charges of failure to report abuse by a mandatory reporter and simple assault against a minor — both misdemeanors.

“They can’t use corporal punishment, so we think they were using the mask to try to scare the kids into doing what they were supposed to be doing,” Crook said.

Administration Agenda, Child Sexual Abuse, Coverup, Drugs, Good Parenting, STDs

STD Cases Soar in the US

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Your Child Needs You, STD Cases Climbing Rapidly!

STD Coverup, Pandemic Since 2000, Cases Climbing Rapidly

TUESDAY, September 20, 2022  –  Soaring numbers of sexually transmitted disease (STD) cases have prompted U.S. public health experts to call for more prevention and treatment.

This includes rising rates of syphilis and gonorrhea and HIV

“It is imperative that we… work to rebuild, innovate, and expand [STD] prevention in the U.S.,” Dr. Leandro Mena, director of the Division of STD Prevention at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said in a speech Monday at a medical conference on sexually transmitted diseases, the Associated Press reported.

Solutions include home test kits for some STDs that will make it easier for people to learn they are infected and to take steps to prevent spreading it to others, said Mena.

But Dr. Mike Saag, an infectious disease expert at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, said a core part of efforts must be to increase condom use.

“It’s pretty simple.  More sexually transmitted infections occur when people are having more unprotected sex,” Saag said.

The monkeypox outbreak has added another layer of concern, because the virus has been spreading largely between men who have sex with men.

Public health organizations and the National Coalition of STD Directors are calling for more federal funding, including $500 million for STD clinics.

Mena suggested reducing stigma, broadening screening and treatment, and supporting the development of at-home testing.

“I envision one day where getting tested [for STDs] can be as simple and as affordable as doing a home pregnancy test,” Mena said.

While syphilis cases dropped sharply with the availability of antibiotics in the 1940s, rates of the infection last year reached their highest since 1991.  The total number of cases reached its highest level since 1948.

At one point, infection rates had been so low the CDC planned to work to eliminate the disease, but the agency discarded those plans in 2013 as case numbers continued to grow, the AP reported.

Cases have been rising since 2002, primarily in gay and bisexual men.  In 1998, there were only 7,000 new syphilis cases nationwide.  By 2021, that number was 52,000, the AP reported.

The rate of cases was 16 per 100,000 people last year, with the highest rates in men who have sex with men and in Black and Hispanic Americans and Native Americans, the AP reported.

Women have typically had a lower rate than men, but it rose 50% last year.

Syphilis causes genital sores.  The bacterial infection can lead to severe symptoms and death without treatment.

Congenital syphilis, which passes the infection between a pregnant woman and her baby, can lead to loss of sight, hearing and even death in a newborn.  Last year, congenital syphilis cases reached 2,700, including 211 infants who were stillborn or died.  That’s a sharp increase from 300 cases annually a decade ago, the AP reported.

Infection rates for gonorrhea have also been increasing for years, while HIV cases were up 16% in 2021, the AP reported.

It is “out of control,” David Harvey, executive director of the National Coalition of STD Directors, told the AP.

Reasons for the increase range from inadequate funding for testing and prevention to delayed diagnosis during the pandemic.  Condom use has also been declining, while drug and alcohol use may have reduced inhibitions.  Increases may also be linked to a surge in sexual activity after COVID-19 lockdowns.

“People are feeling liberated,” Saag told the AP.

Child Abuse, Child Pornography, Child Sexual Abuse, Indifference, Law Enforcement, Teacher

Former TN Elementary School Teacher Facing Two Dozen Child Sex Charges

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Rutherford County Jail, TN

Teacher charged with 24 sex crimes after posting TikToks of students, school says

A former Tennessee elementary school teacher is facing two dozen child sex charges including rape after police say she posted inappropriate videos of students to TikTok.

Taylor Cruze, 23, was indicted last week by a grand jury in Smyrna as a result of a police investigation in connection to the felony crimes, Rutherford County Schools spokesperson James Evans told USA TODAY.

Evans said that prior to her arrest last month, Cruze was a first-year fifth-grade teacher at John Colemon Elementary School in Smyrna, about 25 miles southeast of Nashville.

She was suspended without pay May 2, Evans said, and resigned from her job May 22.

Evans did not provide additional details about the case to USA TODAY, including what the TikTok videos contained or when they were posted.

On Aug. 3, court records show, officials issued a warrant for Cruze’s arrest and the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office arrested her Aug. 10.

Cruze is charged with multiple counts of exploitation of a minor under 13 by electronic means, exploitation of a minor by electronic means and especially aggravated sex exploitation of a minor.  She also faces charges of solicitation of a minor – rape of a child, and sexual battery by an authority figure.

Court documents show that at the time of her arrest, Cruze lived in Murfreesboro, about 14 miles south of the elementary school.

On Wednesday, Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Lisa Marchesoni told USA TODAY her current address was listed in Knoxville.

A jail spokesperson told USA TODAY Wednesday that Cruze posted a $100,000 bond the same day she was arrested.

Court records show she is due in court on Sept. 28 for a plea hearing.

Evans said the school district is “fully cooperating with law enforcement” as the investigation continues.

Better Laws, Child Innocence, Child Sexual Abuse, Law Enforcement, Sexual Assault, StopChildAbuse

Mistrial in Child Sexual Assault case against ex-Texas Rangers pitcher John Wetteland

 

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Former Texas Rangers pitcher John Wetteland appeared in a Denton County Court on Monday to respond to charges of three counts of aggravated assault against a child

Former Texas Rangers pitcher John Wetteland appeared in a Denton County Court on Monday to respond to charges

DENTON, TX  –  A Denton County judge on Friday declared a mistrial in the child sexual assault case against John Wetteland, a former Texas Rangers player who is accused of molesting a boy three times more than a decade ago.

The jury told the judge three times that it was split.  At one point, the judge said she heard loud arguing coming from the deliberation room.

Wetteland, who testified in his defense during the trial last week, faced three counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child.  He played for the Rangers from 1997 to 2000, as well as for the New York Yankees and Seattle Mariners, and is in the Rangers’ Hall of Fame.

At 4:40 p.m., the jury sent its third note to the judge.  It said it was deadlocked and some jurors were “unwilling to budge.”  The jurors asked how long they were expected to deliberate.  Some were concerned about child care.

Judge Lee Ann Breading had pressed the jury to keep trying to reach a verdict.  But after questioning the jury about 5 p.m., she declared a mistrial.

Wetteland, 56, faced 25 years to life in prison if convicted.  It was unclear Friday whether prosecutors would pursue a second trial.  Defense attorneys declined to comment.

Since Tuesday, jurors in 462nd District Court heard from the accuser, Wetteland and other witnesses.

According to authorities, Wetteland sexually assaulted the child three times between 2004 and 2006, starting when the child was 4 years old.  Wetteland pleaded not guilty and said the accuser’s account of sexual abuse is a lie.

According to the accuser’s mother, he first told her in 2016 — when he was 16 — that Wetteland raped him as a child.  She said she did not report the allegation to police.  In his testimony, the accuser said he did not want to report the abuse and wanted an apology from Wetteland, according to the Denton Record-Chronicle.

The accuser testified on Tuesday.  He said he looked up to Wetteland and wanted to please him.  The first time Wetteland sexually abused him, he said, he was confused.  The abuse impacted him deeply into his teenage years, he testified, causing incontinence, suicidal thoughts and self-harm.

When the boy was 18, his mother testified, she told him to write a letter about the abuse and planned to send it to people connected with Wetteland.

On Wednesday, Argyle school district’s former chief of police read the letter to the jury. The letter, which the accuser wrote in Google Docs, detailed allegations that Wetteland sexually assaulted him in a shower.

According to prosecutor Lindsey Sheguit, the document was saved on the Argygle school Google account, and the school district’s monitoring system flagged it.  Employees discovered the letter, the school district’s chief technology officer testified Wednesday, and reported it to the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services.

On cross examination from Derek Adame, one of Wetteland’s defense attorneys, the technology officer testified that the district could not know who wrote the letter, only that it was written on the accuser’s account.  Adame and defense attorney Caroline Simone argue the abuse allegations are not true and were possibly fabricated by a man named Chris.  Chris is not biologically related to the accuser but lived with him when the accuser was a teenager.

Three members of the Wetteland family testified that they also believe Chris instructed the accuser to write the letter, the Denton Record-Chronicle reported.  They described Chris as aggressive and jealous of Wetteland.

A grand jury indicted Wetteland, who lives in Trophy Club, in 2019. Bartonville police have said DFPS contacted the department about the case on Jan. 9, 2019.