|
| 23 Nobel Laureates Can't Be Wrong About Trump
|
| Heed the brightest minds in economics when they issue a
| dire warning about inflation, deficits and inequality if
| the former president is reelected.
| ...
<https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2024-10-31/23-nobel-laureates-can-t-be-wrong-about-trump-right>

--bks

https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/koamnewsnow.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/2/7a/27aaa75c-97f1-11ef-9039-83655312ba59/67242fac049f9.image.jpg?resize=890%2C500
Wooster Rancy

FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. — Formal charges have been filed against a U.S. Army specialist for his alleged role in the death of an Indiana sergeant who had been reported missing before she was found dead.

Wooster Rancy, 21, with the 5th Engineer Battalion, is facing charges of murder and obstruction of justice. He is currently being held in pretrial confinement awaiting a preliminary hearing.

Sgt. Sarah Roque, 23, from Ligionier, Indiana, was initially reported missing by the U.S. Army Fort Leonard Wood training installation in southern Missouri on Oct. 21.

Fort Leonard Wood announced she had been found dead in a dumpster on Oct. 22.

Roque was assigned to the 5th Engineer Battalion and was a bridge crewmember. She also served as a mine dog handler with the K-9 detachment. She enlisted in 2020 and attended basic combat training at Fort Leonard Wood, officials said.

Ligionier is roughly 40 miles northwest of Fort Wayne, in Noble County.

According to the U.S. Army, Rancy is originally from North Miami, Florida, and serves as a combat engineer with the 509th Clearance Company, 5th Engineer Battalion. the Army said Rancy joined in 2022 and attended Basic Combat Training at Fort Leonard Wood.

During her time in the military, Roque was awarded the Army Commendation Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Good Conduct Medal and the Army Service Ribbon.

“Sergeant Roque was a daughter, sister, friend and Soldier who chose to serve our country bravely and honorably," said Maj. Gen. Christopher Beck, MSCoE and Fort Leonard Wood commanding general. "Her passing has caused a tremendous void throughout our team, and while there are no words to ease the pain, we continue to provide care, resources and support to those who are affected during this difficult time.”

https://www.wthr.com/article/news/crime/army-specialist-charged-murder-indiana-soldier-missing-wooster-rancy-sarah-roque-sergeant-fort-leonard-wood-missouri/531-6a13a6d7-2f23-43c6-8b33-2da4ba71e858?ref=exit-recirc

https://tcd-images.akamaized.net/image/a1/16by9/2022/06/03/a1f5601c789049e094f39bb5d7d44ac1_md.jpg
Deonte Taylor

ST. LOUIS (TCD) -- A 39-year-old former teacher’s aide was sentenced this week to 50 years in prison for raping a young boy and knowingly exposing him to AIDS.

Court records show a judge handed Deonte Taylor a 45-year sentence for the three counts of statutory sodomy, then five years for recklessly risking infection of another with HIV when actor is knowingly infected. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports Taylor also entered the guilty plea for two counts of conspiracy to commit murder.

Taylor was convicted April 21. According to the St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, Taylor committed statutory sodomy on the 7-year-old boy at Lusher Elementary School. Taylor then reportedly worked with Michael Johnson to find someone "to murder his child victim and the boy’s mother and grandmother."

John White reportedly said Taylor and Johnson offered to pay him $20,000 to commit the crime. According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Johnson is reportedly Taylor’s boyfriend, and Taylor met White in jail.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports the boy testified Taylor removed him from music class on Nov. 13, 2015, and took him to a nearby bathroom. Taylor then reportedly brought the boy to a classroom and showed him pornographic videos on his phone. The boy was forced to perform oral sex on Taylor, then Taylor raped him.

The boy has reportedly tested negative for HIV.

Taylor was reportedly fired from Lusher Elementary School in 2015 for unrelated reasons, then hired to teach fifth grade in the Ferguson-Florissant School District.

KSDK-TV reports White went to the police after Taylor and Johnson offered him the $20,000 to kill the victim and his family members. White was reportedly in jail at the time for a probation violation. Taylor reportedly said to White in the rec yard of the jail, "I got something I need you to do for me. I want to know if you would take a hit."

White shared with the station, "He told me that it was a 10-year-old boy and his mother and grandmother and I kind of got interested like, 'Are you serious? You want to hurt a baby?'"

Taylor reportedly provided White with the victim’s address, phone number, Social Security number, and other personal information. He supposedly ordered White to make it look "like an accident," such as carbon monoxide poisoning or a fire while the family was sleeping, and to "try to put it on the kid playing with matches."

Johnson, Taylor’s boyfriend, reportedly worked as a choir director at the time at a Baptist church. Johnson even allegedly offered White diet tips while handing him the money to commit the hit.

White told KTRK he went to police because "if I didn’t do it, he would have gotten somebody else to do it."

https://truecrimenews.com/2022/06/03/st-louis-county-deonte-taylor-convicted-guilty-raping-second-grader-exposing-aids-hiring-hit-man/

https://kfor.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/06/richardmorris.jpg
Richard Morris sentencing, Cuyahoga County court, FOX 8 Photo

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WJW) – A man accused of knowingly exposing both teens and adults to HIV was sentenced Tuesday after pleading guilty to multiple counts of sexual battery and felonious assault.

Prosecutors say Richard Morris, 38, had sex with men and women — both teens and adults — while he knowingly carried the virus that causes AIDS, according to Cuyahoga County prosecutors. The prosecutor’s office said Morris did not tell the victims he was HIV positive.

He was charged with eight counts of rape, three counts of sexual battery, six counts of felonious assault and one count of possessing criminal tools.

However, as part of a plea deal, Morris pleaded to four felonious assault charges and three sexual battery charges.

Morris was previously arrested in 2018, when there were believed to be six victims.

“Part of taking advantage of them is not disclosing his status,” said the prosecution during the sentencing. “He still chose to get into the relationship and expose children to this disease that he suffers from.”

Two of the victims were relatives, according to prosecutors.

“These were consensual relationships,” argued his defense attorney.

Judge Nancy Fuerst, who presided over the sentencing, said Morris appeared to prey on people who were “down and out” or had limited mental capacity and who have suffered long-term psychological damage.

“The court finds that recidivism is more likely,” said Fuerst.

Morris, who apologized to his children and the victims, was sentenced to a total of 23 years.

He will be designated as a Tier 3 sex offender and will be under post-release supervision for eight years.

https://kfor.com/news/man-with-hiv-sentenced-for-using-sex-as-weapon-against-children-adults/

https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/hannapub.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/4/97/49702244-654d-11ef-8ba1-6f65c9cd03cb/66cf39e9129ec.image.jpg?resize=540%2C410

Ouachita Parish sheriff’s deputies arrested a Monroe man last week after he allegedly stole a vehicle, invaded a home and raped two women.

https://www.hannapub.com/ouachitacitizen/news/crime/monroe-man-arrested-for-alleged-carjacking-rape-after-lengthy-pursuit/article_e53fb4e6-654d-11ef-a43a-738eb54d91c6.html

https://www.nbc4i.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2022/06/jabari-ester.png?w=512&h=288&crop=1
Jabari Ester, 44, of Columbus, was found guilty Friday on three counts of rape and three counts of gross sexual imposition.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — A Franklin County jury found a Columbus man guilty on charges related to sexual misconduct, some of which involved a minor.

Jabari Ester, 44, was found guilty Friday of three counts of rape — two of which involved a child under the age of 10 — and three counts of gross sexual imposition, according to a news release from the Franklin County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.

Ester’s sentencing hearing, where he faces a mandatory life sentence, is scheduled for Tuesday, July 12, the release said.

https://www.nbc4i.com/news/local-news/columbus/jury-finds-columbus-man-guilty-of-rape-sexual-imposition/

https://hips.hearstapps.com/vidthumb/108e7e7f-526a-425b-acbc-55d624c15c01/108e7e7f-526a-425b-acbc-55d624c15c01_image.jpg?crop=1xw%3A1.0xh%3Bcenter%2Ctop&resize=810%3A*&quality=70
Darius T. Robinson

MILWAUKEE —
A Milwaukee County judge on Friday sentenced a man convicted of raping women he met online to more than 100 years in prison.

The judge called it one of the most heinous cases she's presided over.

Darius T. Robinson is convicted of raping three women. Prosecutors said he preyed on vulnerable women, and it all unraveled in April after he raped a woman he met on the escort website, Skipthegames.com.

According to court records, Robinson met her for a date, then forced himself on her and stole her phone.

She got away and ran to a police squad car.

Those officers took her go a hospital and the investigation began.

It didn’t take long for investigators to piece together other similar reports, track IP addresses and pinpoint them to Robinson.

"I'm glad you said you are sorry to the victims and your family, but I don’t think you understand or care about how your conduct has had such an effect on so many people," the judge said.

Robinson was convicted in November on three counts of first-degree sexual assault, three counts of armed robbery and one count of attempted second-degree.

The judge sentenced Robinson to 125 years in prison.

https://www.wisn.com/article/man-convicted-of-raping-women-he-met-onlline-sentenced-to-more-than-100-years-in-prison/30811443

Baltimore Police say investigators have arrested a 19-year-old in connection with an August shooting that left a teenage girl injured in the Callaway-Garrison neighborhood of West Baltimore.

Rashaad Wilson was arrested and charged with attempted first-degree murder on Oct. 28, police said, and is being held without bail at the Central Booking Intake Facility.

On Aug. 16, officers responded to the 3800 block of Chatham Road around 4:57 p.m. to investigate a report of a shooting, police said. A 17-year-old girl was found with an apparent gunshot wound to the upper body inside a residence and taken to area hospitals, where she was listed in stable condition at the time.

Have a news tip? Contact Kiersten Hacker at khacker@baltsun.com, 443-721-5109 or @KierstenHacker on X.

https://www.baltimoresun.com/2024/11/01/arrest-in-august-shooting-west-baltimore/

BALTIMORE -- The former Baltimore Police officer accused of molesting children at his then-wife's daycare in Baltimore County told his side of the story, testifying for several hours in his defense at his trial on Thursday.

James Weems Jr. told the jury life was good, that he frequently traveled and ate at fancy restaurants with his wife Shanteari until it all crumbled in July of 2022 when he was accused of molesting children at Lil Kidz Kastle, the successful daycare she owned in Owings Mills.

Weems categorically denied ever abusing children in his regular job driving the daycare's van.

His lead defense attorney, Thomas Pavlinic, declined to comment to WJZ Investigator Mike Hellgren when he left the court following Thursday's testimony.

Pavlinic said he would speak following the verdict.

Admits to watching porn in daycare van
Weems described the now 12-year-old victim who testified against him as "a nice little girl."

He admitted he regularly looked at pornography while driving the daycare van but testified he "leaned over" so the children could not see it.

Baltimore County Prosecutor Lisa Dever detailed Weems' searches for pornography, which the FBI obtained while analyzing his phone, and how he would search for graphic videos involving "teens" and "grandpa" while he was driving the van from elementary school to elementary school in Baltimore County.

"That's what you liked, you liked the teen, young look," Dever said.

"I just liked the porn," Weems replied.

At one point, the 59-year-old former Marine and Baltimore City Police officer conceded watching the videos was "inappropriate" under re-direct testimony from his lawyer.

Weems explained watching pornography was "just to pass time while I'm waiting" for children to leave school.

The prosecutor later asked, "Isn't it true most of the time you were looking at pornography is when you were with the kids?"

"Probably, yes," Weems answered.

Dever responded, "So your addiction was when you were with children?"

Weems answered, "No."

He also admitted it was possible the children accidentally saw the pornography—and that he would at times hand his phone to them so they could look at an app to identify airplanes.

"It became addictive"
Weems alleged his ex-wife, who later shot him during a confrontation about the allegations, introduced him to porn during their intimate relations.

"It became addictive so I would just go on it when we weren't together," he testified.

But he said he never looked at child porn—and testified he willingly handed over his phone and provided his passcode to police during the investigation.

Shanteari Weems is serving a four-year prison sentence for that shooting and earlier testified for the prosecution.

She divorced him and has since changed her name to Shanteari Young.

Her testimony was the first time the two have been in the same room since that shooting inside a Washington, D.C. hotel.

Investigation concerns
Weems' defense has questioned the thoroughness of the investigation into the allegations and claimed police never photographed the playground where an alleged sexual assault occurred and were unable to get the password to access the daycare's camera system.

The defense also claimed authorities never asked the other children on the bus whether they witnessed the sexual assault of the young victim who testified.

Devers asked, "Is it your testimony you had no supervisory responsibility over these children at all in that daycare?"

Weems responded, "Yes."

He said he was never paid and was trying to help his wife and told the jury, "I just drove the van."

Defense rests
Weems' defense rested its case Thursday afternoon.

Prosecutors said they would nol pros or drop several counts. The majority of the case is intact.

The counts jurors will decide when they begin deliberations on Friday:

3 counts of sexual abuse of a minor
2 counts of second-degree rape
1 count of displaying obscene material to a minor.
Closing arguments are expected to begin Friday at 9:30 a.m.

https://www.cbsnews.com/baltimore/news/batlimore-officer-james-weems-daycare-porn-molested-baltimore-county/

A Baltimore County jury found a day care van driver accused of sexually abusing a girl guilty of second-degree rape and other charges Friday evening.

Police arrested retired Baltimore Police officer James Weems Jr., 59, in July 2022, after his then-wife Shanteari Weems shot him in a Washington, D.C., hotel room when authorities shut down her Owings Mills daycare, Lil Kidz Kastle.

After five hours of deliberations Friday, jurors found Weems guilty on all six counts: two counts of second-degree rape, three counts of sexual abuse of a minor and one count of displaying obscene matter to a minor between March 2020 and July 2022.

He will return to the Baltimore County Detention Center until his Jan. 8 sentencing.

Prosecutors filed for enhanced penalties in the case because of the victim’s age, meaning he faces a minimum of 15 years without the possibility of parole.

The trial began Tuesday in Baltimore County Circuit Court.

Jurors didn’t hear that grand juries had indicted Weems on another 33 counts, including similar charges related to the alleged sexual abuse of three other children. This week’s trial dealt only with charges related to a single victim.

Attorneys for Weems could not be reached immediately for comment on the verdict.

Weems’ ex-wife, Shanteari, also testified earlier this week. Jurors weren’t told that she shot him in a D.C. hotel room in July 2022, shortly after the state closed her day care center, or that she is serving a prison sentence in a federal facility in Kentucky.

The investigation into James Weems began after relatives of a then-10-year-old girl noticed she was watching pornography on her aunt’s iPad on July 2, 2022, the girl’s mother and grandmother testified this week.

Alarmed, the adults loudly questioned her about who had shown her the videos. The girl told them that “Mr. James,” the van driver at Lil Kidz Kastle, had shown the pornography to her.

Now 12, the girl testified earlier this week that James Weems had also forced her to perform oral sex on him, both at the day care and in the van that dropped her off at school and picked her up in the afternoons.

The Baltimore Sun does not identify people who have been sexually abused without their consent.

In closing arguments, Deputy State’s Attorney Lisa Fox Dever described how she said James Weems took “slow, progressive steps” to gain the trust of a vulnerable girl and take advantage of her. Weems gave the girl snacks no one else received and gave her the coveted job of opening the van’s door, Weems’ ex-wife and family members testified.

In a rebuttal, Assistant State’s Attorney Zarena Sita said that Weems “groomed” the girl, the term experts use to describe how abusers form a relationship with a child before assaulting them.

“Many people warn their children to beware of strangers,” Dever said. “The reality is the person who is going to hurt your children isn’t going to be a stranger, it’s going to be someone they know, someone they like, someone they admire.”

Weems admitted on the stand Thursday that he watched pornography, including while children were inside the van, according to a clip prosecutors played Friday. He denied sexually abusing the girl.

“Why are you gonna show pornography to a child? Why are you gonna be watching it on a bus with kids?” Dever said.

She explained that even if jurors didn’t believe Weems had touched the girl, they could still find him guilty of sex abuse for having knowingly shown her the pornography and exploited her for his own benefit.

Dever argued that the girl had no reason to lie about the abuse. In a forensic interview on July 3, 2022, after she told her family Weems had abused her, the girl didn’t provide many details. But she did tell the interviewer that “Mr. James” had told her not to tell anyone and that she could go to jail, Dever said.

Dever said that while the girl wasn’t ready to talk during that early interview, after two years of therapy she was ready to share more details in court.

Thomas Pavlinic, one of Weems’ attorneys, argued that the girl had lied about the abuse when her family caught her watching pornography and that her accusations didn’t make logical sense.

“You can’t be swayed by emotions,” he told jurors.

Pavlinic said it didn’t make sense that Weems would sexually abuse the girl both in the van, where other children were nearby, and in the day care, with teachers present in the building. He acknowledged that the girl might have seen the pornography on Weems’ phone in the car, but argued that the state hadn’t proven that he showed it to her on purpose.

As an “honorably discharged Marine,” a former Baltimore Police officer and the father of two children who admitted to his addiction to pornography, jurors should believe Weems’ testimony, Pavlinic said.

He also criticized aspects of the police investigation, saying that investigators should have tried harder to access the day care’s camera system after an initial passcode Shanteari Weems provided didn’t work. Pavlinic also said police should’ve taken possession of the aunt’s tablet sooner.

He identified what he called “contradictions” in the girl’s testimony and suggested she was either repeating a 2-year-old lie or that her relatives or prosecutors had nudged her into telling a certain story.

“I have empathy for [the victim]. I think she’s a victim in this case, not of Mr. Weems, but of the system that put her through this,” Pavlinic said.

Have a news tip? Contact Cassidy Jensen at cjensen@baltsun.com, 443-515-2165 and x.com/@cassidymjensen.

Originally Published: November 1, 2024 at 4:41 PM EDT

https://www.baltimoresun.com/2024/11/01/james-weems-closings-sex-abuse-trial/

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An Abbeville man will spend the next 25 years in prison after being convicted Thursday afternoon of a violent 2017 sexual assault, 8th Circuit Solicitor David M. Stumbo announced Friday.

Lawrence Alando Postell, 35, was found guilty by an Abbeville County jury of first-degree burglary, second-degree criminal sexual conduct, first-degree assault and battery, and kidnapping following a three-day trial at the Abbeville County Courthouse. The jury deliberated about two hours before returning the guilty verdicts.

Circuit Judge Frank Addy Jr. then sentenced Postell to 25 years in prison on the charge of first-degree burglary as well as on the charge of kidnapping, 20 years in prison on the charge of second-degree criminal sexual conduct, and 10 years on the charge of first-degree assault and battery. Judge Addy ordered all sentences to run concurrently.

In the early morning hours of May 5, 2017, Postell forcibly entered the victim’s Calhoun Falls home. Postell brutally beat and raped the victim. The victim was able to escape following the assault and a neighbor called police. When police found her, she was badly beaten and completely naked. Officers took the victim to the hospital where a rape kit was completed by a doctor. The doctor, who was qualified as an expert witness, testified that it was the most brutal rape case he had ever seen.

Assistant Solicitor Micah Black and Deputy Solicitor Demetri Andrews handled the case for the state, along with 8th Circuit Investigator Chris Wilkie and Victim Advocate Sarah Parris.

Solicitor Stumbo praised the work of his staff along with Sgt. Jeffrey Hines, Victim Advocate Monique Bell and all the deputies of the Abbeville County Sheriff’s Office, as well as the medical professionals who treated the victim, in securing the conviction.

“Lawrence Postell is a dangerous, violent criminal,” Solicitor Stumbo said following the sentencing. “It is beyond the realm of comprehension to most citizens of our circuit that attacks this vicious can actually happen because it defies any sense of moral decency. My office will continue to be the voice of these victims in the courtroom and will fight tooth and nail to see justice done.”

https://www.scsolicitor8.org/abbeville-rapist-sentenced-25-years-prison/

TOWSON, Md. —
The Baltimore County jury in the sex abuse trial of James Weems Jr. reached a guilty verdict Friday on all six counts.

Jurors had six charges to consider, all involving sexual abuse of a minor, second-degree rape and displaying obscene matter to a minor. Weems was arrested on the charges in July 2022.

A preliminary sentencing date has been set for Jan. 8, during which time, Weems faces two life sentences.

The Marine veteran and retired Baltimore City police officer drove a van for his wife's daycare center in Owings Mills, Lil Kidz Castle Daycare Center. The abuse allegedly took place on the center's playground and inside the transport van, investigators said.

During closing arguments on Friday, prosecutors claimed Weems took small, slow, progressive steps to get a 10-year-old girl in his web by giving her favorable treatment and snacks and showing her pornography on his cellphone.

The Baltimore County assistant state's attorney told the jury: "The reality is the person who will hurt your child, it is somebody they know, it is somebody they like or admire ... the person who drives your children from daycare to school."

During the trial, Weems admitted to a porn addiction, watching it while in the daycare's van to pick up children from school. He said he would lean his body and turn the phone so no one could see it.

The prosecutor told the jury: "Was it risky? Yes, it was risky. But was there opportunity? There was. One would think he wouldn't be looking at porn on a van with schoolchildren on it."

Weems' defense attorney argued that while Weems was addicted to porn, he did not intentionally show any pornographic material to the girl, who is now 12, or sexually abuse her. The defense also said: "There is a possibility (the girl inadvertently) accessed porn on his device."

The defense said: "How does an innocent man come to court and try to prove a negative, that something didn't happen? He didn't intentionally give access to the (web) page with pornography on it. He denied all of the sexual allegations. Why wouldn't James be worthy of belief?"

In their final argument, prosecutors claimed Weems was grooming the child, saying: "These types of crimes thrive in secrecy and shame."

Weems' ex-wife, Shanteari Weems, the now-12-year-old alleged victim, relatives and an FBI special agent all testified in the trial over the past week. Shanteari Weems confronted her husband about the allegations and shot him in July 2022 in a Washington, D.C., hotel. She's currently serving a four-year prison sentence for the shooting.

https://www.wbaltv.com/article/james-weems-sex-abuse-trial-verdict/62787405

https://www.jsonline.com/gcdn/-mm-/5367a8ddcfb9c1f4d81b7884d83903b596f09e0d/c=15-0-465-600/local/-/media/2016/11/21/WIGroup/Milwaukee/636153192154274913-Jonathan-Brown.jpg?width=300&height=400&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp
Jonathan A. Brown, Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office

A 21-year-old Milwaukee man randomly attacked and raped three women earlier this month while each woman was going about her day — heading to polls, walking home from work or carrying roses and a card for her mother, according to a criminal complaint released Monday.

Jonathan A. Brown was charged Thursday with six counts of second-degree sexual assault — two counts for each victim — and remained in the Milwaukee County Jail Monday on $500,000 bail. All of the rapes occurred along N. 76th St.

According to the criminal complaint:

On election day, a woman hired as a poll worker was heading to the polling location that morning when Brown grabbed her hair, covered her mouth, dragged her to a more secluded location and raped her. Brown told her not to "get up until I'm gone." The woman ran to the polling location where police were called. She later identified Brown as her attacker through a photo lineup.

About 12 hours later, Brown attacked another woman on N. 76th St., just south of W. Good Hope Road and a few blocks from where the first assault occurred. The woman told police she was walking home from work when Brown grabbed her in a chokehold and dragged her to a nearby location where he raped her. He also kicked the woman and ordered her not to look at him. The woman ran to a nearby business where workers called police.

The next day, Milwaukee police released a sketch of the suspect based on the victims' descriptions.

Two days later, on a Friday, Brown attacked a 17-year-old girl who was walking home from work and had stopped to get her mother a card and roses. The woman told police she was walking on N. 76th St. near W. Good Hope Road when a man, later identified as Brown, grabbed her from behind and told her to shut up.

The teen was able to break free and ran, but Brown caught her, pointed a gun at her and then began to strangle her. He led the teen to a field and raped her, repeatedly punching her in the face and telling her not to look at him.

Brown was identified as the suspect in all three assaults and was arrested Nov. 14. He told police he raped the women and said he "did this to hurt females." He also wrote apology letters to the victims.

Brown has prior misdemeanor convictions for disorderly conduct and carrying a concealed weapon in 2014. Earlier that year, he was charged with misdemeanor battery, but the case was dismissed when a key witness did not show up to court, according to online records.

Brown is expected in court Nov. 28 for a preliminary hearing on the sexual assault charges.

https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/crime/2016/11/21/suspected-serial-rapist-charged-milwaukee/94211070/

One of the victims reportedly suffered 11 burns, and the other victim had two deep burns.

https://investigationdiscovery.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/investigationdiscovery/crimefeed/unsized/2019/03/jarmon-turner-antwan-alexander-wesley-brechlin_milwaukee-county-sheriff-3182019.jpg
Jarmon Turner, Antwan Alexander, Wesley Brechlin [Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office]

By: Catherine Townsend
MILWAUKEE, WI — The three Milwaukee men charged with sexually assaulting two teens in an abandoned house tortured them so severely that the victims were left disfigured, according to prosecutors.

Antwan Alexander, 28; Wesley Brechlin, 22; and Jarmon Turner, 21; have each been hit with a string of charges including mayhem, child abuse, and sexual intercourse with a child 16 or older by an actor 19 or older.

The two 16-year-old victims told investigators that the men sexually assaulted them in the early morning hours of January 25 at an abandoned house near 24th and Chambers in Milwaukee, FOX 6 reported.

The men then took the victims to a second location where they allegedly burned them with hot knives and threatened them at gunpoint.

One victim said that "Leon" (Alexander) burned them after "heating up a knife from the stove" and that "Country" (Brechlin) blocked the door, according to the complaint. She stated that “Leon” rubbed salt into the burns and "JT" (Turner) poured lemon juice into them.

The second victim said "Leon" burned her while "Country" held her down.

After inflicting the wounds, the second victim said that "Leon" poured salt into the burns and "JT" poured lemon juice into them.

According to the complaint, at one point, Alexander "pulled the skin off of their legs," and threatened them with the gun because "they were being too loud."

One of the victims reportedly suffered 11 burns, and the other victim had two deep burns.

According to prosecutors, Brechlin "admitted to hitting them upside the head” — but claimed that he had had “consensual sex” with them.

At Alexander’s initial court appearance in January, the court commissioner called the charges “very serious” and stated that Alexander faced a possible sentence of “over 100 years” in prison.

A preliminary sentence has been scheduled for March 26.

https://www.investigationdiscovery.com/crimefeed/sex-crimes/milwaukee-men-sexually-assault-and-torture-teen-girl-disfigured

The Baltimore County jury in the sex abuse trial of James Weems Jr. reached a guilty verdict Friday on all six counts. Jurors had six charges to consider, all involving sexual abuse of a minor, second-degree rape and displaying obscene matter to a minor. Weems was arrested on the charges in July 2022. A preliminary sentencing date has been set for Jan. 8, during which time, Weems faces two life sentences.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/jury-convicts-retired-officer-sex-030914732.html

https://www.1035kysm.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Forest-Jason.png
Jason Forest mugshot

(Faribault, MN) – An Owatonna man is facing criminal sex charges, accused of years of rape, molestation, and abuse of a boy with whom authorities say he had a significant relationship.

Jason Lamar Forest, 37, was charged Thursday in Steele County Court with first-degree criminal sexual conduct for the alleged abuse.

According to the complaint, a teen boy reported to Owatonna Police that he’d suffered years of emotional, physical, and sexual assaults at the hands of Forest. The teen reported that Forest began assaulting him when they lived in Amboy, where Forest would call him into the basement and force him to remove his clothing or physically assault him. The boy told police Forest would touch his private areas under his clothing, yell at him, and threaten to kill him. The boy said the acts had happened “thousands of times” over the course of four years.

According to the complaint, Forest’s behavior escalated in the two years after they’d moved to Owatonna. The boy told investigators Forest had raped him on multiple occasions and forced him to perform oral sex. Forest also allegedly videotaped himself orally molesting the teen on two recent occasions, according to the complaint.

Court documents say Forest locked the boy in his bedroom approximately 10 times and threatened to kill him if he told anyone of the molestations.

Forest denied the accusations in a police interview last week.

https://www.1035kysm.com/charges-steele-county-man-repeatedly-raped-and-abused-boy-for-years/

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A suspect has been arrested in connection with the rape of a 13-year-old girl in a Queens park last week, according to police.

Christian Geovanny Inga-Landi, a 25-year-old Ecuadorian migrant who entered the U.S. illegally in June 2021, was picked up overnight after community members recognized him from a photo and video released by police, according to the New York Police Department.

Police said they restrained him, possibly with a belt, and roughed him up after he fought with his captors. He was taken to the hospital for evaluation.

Inga-Landi waived his Miranda rights and told police he had a drug problem and had never done anything like this before, according to NYPD Chief of Detectives Joe Kenny.

He was previously arrested in Eagle Pass, Texas, for entering the country illegally. He also had three summonses in New York City and a domestic violence encounter with police that did not result in arrest.

Inga-Lani has been charged with first-degree rape, first-degree sex abuse, first-degree robbery, first-degree menacing, second-degree kidnapping, first-degree unlawful imprisonment and other crimes.

NYPD Commissioner of Operations Kaz Daughtry praised the community efforts that led to the suspect being taken into custody in an interview with New York ABC station WABC.

"The kids, children, principals and teachers can now go to school with a little more ease, and the family can have a sense of relief today," he said.

Reflecting on the investigation, Daughtry commended the bravery of the young victims and the community's support.

"The sketches from those brave kids were invaluable," he said. "Old-fashioned police work, combined with modern technology, helped us bring this case closer to resolution. The city's response was a resounding 'no' to this heinous crime."

The sexual assault took place at about 3:30 p.m. Thursday when two schoolmates, a 13-year-old male and a 13-year-old female, were approached by a man in Kissena Park. The man flashed what police described as a "large machete-style knife" and forced the 13-year-old victims to walk for several minutes into a wooded area.

The individual then forcibly removed the cellphones of both victims, tied the boy and girl's wrists together with a shoelace and sexually assaulted the female victim before fleeing the location on foot in an unknown direction.

The two 13-year-olds were taken to the hospital in stable condition after they returned to school to explain what happened.

Investigators recovered the shoelace used to tie the children's hands together, along with a water bottle the suspect left behind.

The individual being sought was described as a Hispanic male, approximately 5-foot-5, in his 20s, with curly hair and last seen wearing red sneakers and carrying a green backpack. He appeared to have dental braces and had a tattoo of a boar or a bull with red eyes on his chest.

"The entire police department is focused on getting justice for this young survivor," NYPD Chief of Detectives Joe Kenny said last week during a press conference.

The NYPD released photos of a person of interest late Monday and were offering a $10,000 reward for information in the case.

https://abcnews.go.com/US/migrant-custody-person-interest-rape-13-year-queens/story?id=111213630

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Darrell Jones (Stark County jail)

NORTH CANTON, Ohio (News Talk 1480 WHBC) – A 34-year-old North Canton faces rape charges in connection with the sexual assault of a 12-year-old child.

Bond for Darrell Jones was set at $500,000, though he is imprisoned for a parole violation on a separate conviction.

Jail and court records indicate the incidents occurred between May and December of last year.

https://www.whbc.com/north-canton-man-accused-of-child-rape/

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NYPD released photos of two men, who rapped a girl around 6:30 p.m. in a building at the Jefferson Houses near East 112th St. and First Ave. (NYPD)

A 12-year-old girl was dragged up a staircase and raped on the rooftop of her East Harlem NYCHA building, police and sources said Monday.

Two young men, who appear to be teenagers, attacked the girl around 6:30 p.m. Sunday in a building at the Jefferson Houses near East 112th St. and First Ave., cops said.

The teens pulled the girl up a set of stairs to the building’s roof landing and raped her. The victim did not know her attackers, who fled on foot after the terrifying assault, according to police.

The girl lives in the building she was attacked in.

“We don’t know those boys,” a male relative of the victim said. “We don’t know nothing.”

The preteen was taken to an area hospital after the attack and is recovering, according to a female relative.

“She’s going to be fine,” said a woman, who did not want to be identified.

Police on Monday released photos of the predators, and ask anyone with information to call Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-TIPS.

https://www.nydailynews.com/2024/07/22/12-year-old-girl-raped-on-roof-of-east-harlem-nycha-building/

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Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office Junior Edwards, of Lansdowne, was charged yesterday with two counts of Murder (First Degree), Home Invasion Burglary Armed with a Firearm (First Degree), Unlawful Possession of a Weapon (Second Degree), Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose (Second Degree) and Endangering the Welfare of a Child (Second Degree).

A Pennsylvania man has been charged with killing the mother of his young son and the woman’s mother after breaking into their New Jersey home, officials announced Saturday.

Junior Edwards, 37, of Lansdowne, is accused of fatally shooting 33-year-old Catherine Nunez and 54-year-old Marisol Nunez at their residence in the Hawthorne Park section of Willingboro, a township in Burlington County, N.J., just outside Philadelphia.

Edwards and Nunez share an 8-year-old son, who was in the home during the shootings, but was not injured, the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office said in a news release.

A neighbor who lives next to the Nunez family told local television station WPVI that Catherine had moved to the area from Brooklyn, N.Y. just a few years ago, describing the victim as a “very nice person.”

The shocking incident unfolded in the early hours of Wednesday, authorities said. Willingboro police responded to a residence in the first block of Harrington Circle for a report of a “burglary in progress.”

When first responders arrived at the residence they located the two women in an upstairs bedroom. They were pronounced dead at the scene.

Autopsies performed by the Burlington County Medical Examiner’s Office determined both women died from multiple gunshot wounds. Authorities have not said what may have caused the shooting.

Investigators believe Edwards smashed a first-floor window to gain entry to the house. A handgun believed to be used in the double homicide was also found outside of the residence, according to prosecutors.

Edwards was charged Friday in Philadelphia, where he had been arrested on charges unrelated to the alleged killings, officials said.

He was then charged with two counts of first-degree murder, home invasion burglary with a firearm, endangering the welfare of a child and related weapon charges.

https://www.nydailynews.com/2024/11/02/junior-edward-double-homicide-mother-son/

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Nassau County PD Handout Stephen Vickers-Griffiths, 35, sexually assaulted a 11-year-old female juvenile.

A man from Baldwin, Long Island has been arrested and charged for sexually assaulting an 11-year-old girl at a Westbury motel last month.

Stephen Vickers-Griffiths, 35, was located by authorities at the Pines Motor Lodge, at 101 Taylor Avenue, where the alleged incident occurred on Feb. 26. He was taken into custody without incident, according to a press release issued Friday by Nassau County Police.

Vickers-Griffiths has been charged with rape in the first degree, two counts of criminal sexual act, attempted criminal sexual act and endangering the welfare of a child.

It’s unclear if this was an isolated incident. An investigation is ongoing.

Detectives are requesting anyone with information on the suspect, or who may have been victimized by him, reach out to the Special Victims Squad Detectives (516-573-4022) or Nassau County Crime Stoppers (1-800-244-TIPS). All calls will remain anonymous, police said.

https://www.nydailynews.com/2024/03/23/long-island-suspect-charged-westbury-motel-rape/

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Photo courtesy Codington County Sheriff.

WATERTOWN, S.D.–A Connecticut man is jailed in Watertown on sex crime charges following his recent arrest.

Police were called to the 3800 block of 9th Avenue Southeast on the morning of December 26th on a report of an attempted sexual assault.

The suspect fled the scene before officers got there, but about four hours later, he was spotted and arrested during a traffic stop in the 800-block of Third Street Southwest in Watertown.

The suspect, 22 year-old Davon Brown (pictured) of New Haven, Connecticut, is charged with Third Degree Attempted Rape, False Imprisonment, Hiring for Sexual Activity, Indecent Exposure and Simple Assault. His bond was set at $10,000 cash.

Police say Brown is also alleged to have solicited a minor for sex in the 1200 block of 29th Street Southeast on December 26th, before he was arrested. His bond in that incident was set at $5,000 cash.

He’s being held in the Codington County Detention Center.

https://www.gowatertown.net/new-connecticut-man-arrested-in-watertown-on-sex-crime-charges/

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Booking photo of Paul Anthony Nichols, 23, of St. George, who was arrested in Washington County, Utah, Dec. 2, 2022 | Booking photo courtesy of the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, St. George News

ST. GEORGE — A former staff member accused of sexually abusing two teenage girls housed at a treatment center in Toquerville was sentenced on multiple felony charges during a recent hearing in 5th District Court.

Paul Anthony Nichols, 23, of St. George, appeared before District Judge Jay Winward on May 16 for sentencing on seven second-degree felony charges — five counts of forcible sexual abuse and two counts of sexual exploitation of a minor.

The defendant pleaded guilty to the charges on March 28, and under the terms of the plea agreement, one first-degree felony rape charge was dismissed in exchange for a guilty plea.

Defense attorney Nathan Reeve represented Nichols, while prosecutors Eric Gentry and Tyler Bonzo represented the state.

The investigation

Nichols worked as a counselor at the Falcon Ridge Ranch-Lava Heights Academy in Toquerville, a residential treatment center for teenage girls. He was arrested Dec. 2, 2022, after the Washington County Sheriff’s Office received a report in October alleging that two juvenile students at the facility were being abused by a counselor.

Detectives eventually identified the suspect as Nichols, who started with the company as a part-time staff member in September, the same month he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of unauthorized use of a motor vehicle after the offense was reduced from a felony.

According to charging documents filed with the court, three days into his employment at the youth treatment center, Nichols allegedly went into the girls’ restroom with one of the teens and molested the youth, police say. The incidents reportedly continued over five days and began with inappropriate touching and then escalated into a sexual assault that took place in the bathroom.

The report also included information regarding a second student who was molested, abuse that involved inappropriate touching in one of the facility’s restrooms on more than one occasion.

Both sides weigh in during sentencing

During the sentencing hearing, Gentry said the state’s position was that Nichols should serve a prison sentence — considering the severity of the charges combined with the special position of trust the defendant inherently had as a counselor at the facility.

The defendant took advantage of that position of trust, Gentry said, which is central to the case and was “most egregious,” combined with the fact the two underage victims were in a treatment facility at the time.

One victim provided a victim-impact statement to the court after Winward assured the girl they would get through the statement together when the teen was having difficulty speaking in open court.

“You’re just telling me your story, and we’re going to get through this,” the judge said.

The teen said Nichols knew she was in treatment and had access to information due to his position at the facility, and he took that information to manipulate the youth for his own satisfaction.

“You used my struggles against me,” she said, adding that it left her scared out of her mind.

She said Nichols picked “a little girl in treatment already struggling” to use as his victim, and his actions have left her with a sense of self-loathing and guilt she continues to deal with every day.

Winward told the juvenile she would use her strength and intelligence to heal and said it was not her fault.

“You are going to learn not to hate yourself and have a wonderful life — I promise you that.”

One of the youth’s guardians also addressed the court and said teens in treatment deserve to be protected and feel safe while they are working through the issues that brought them to the facility in the first place.

In this case, the guardian said, the girl was victimized in such a way that it added guilt upon layer of guilt to a juvenile already struggling.

The defendant, she said, came in “and within a short period of time of working there,” committed acts that resulted in “extra damage to these girls that they have to live with for the rest of their lives.”

The guardian also said that as a mother and a grandmother, “I can’t imagine anyone doing this to one — let alone any of them.”

She then asked that Nichols be sentenced to prison and said he should undergo extensive counseling once he is released.

The prosecutor said one element that made the defendant’s actions so damaging was that he used his role as a counselor to prey upon two juveniles when they were most vulnerable — in a facility where they should have been safe.

These actions caused conflicting emotions that left these youths “crumbling and in some ways still attached,” he said, adding that the defendant did so for his own satisfaction.

Gentry said he received several letters from the defendant’s family, and by all accounts, Nichols appeared to have come from a loving, supportive family.

Even so, the prosecutor said, “This is Nichols’ own doing — he had the upper hand and took advantage of others.”

In one of the letters, he said, the defendant’s family member expressed sincere concern for the victims as well and hoped the teens would know they are valuable and worthy of respect, protection and love.

“This letter was a heartfelt letter and her concern is genuine,” Gentry said. “This is a tragedy all the way around.”

The state requested that the court follow the recommendations as set forth in the presentence report and asked that at least some, if not all, of the sentences be run consecutively.

Reeve, Nichols’ defense attorney, opened by saying, “These are the hardest kinds of cases.”

Regardless of the sentence imposed upon his client, he said there are victims who have been left in the wake of the defendant’s actions and his hope was that those affected would be able to heal and move forward.

Reeve went over the matrix included in the report that provided a sentencing range that varied from a jail sentence followed by a period of conditional release to a prison sentence at the higher range.

That range was based on several factors, including the fact Nichols was on probation for a prior misdemeanor conviction, which penalized him even more than if he had a prior sex conviction or even a felony weapons conviction. Nichols scored low in all other risk factors.

As a mitigating factor, Reeve said his client is not only young in years but also young emotionally and has had some developmental disabilities, according to information provided by family members.

Reeve said his client’s supportive family relationships will be a critical factor in helping the defendant once he is released from custody.

“He’s got a family who will be very important in helping him to do everything the court requires him to do,” the defense attorney said.

He then asked the court to follow the guidelines on the low end of the matrix that recommended jail time and probation instead of sentencing Nichols to prison.

One of the defendant’s family members also spoke on behalf of Nichols, who was adopted as a young child from a mother who was suffering from addiction. As a result, the family member said, Nichols suffered from several learning disabilities due to his exposure to alcohol prior to his birth.

She said Nichols was always a “good, good, good guy” and asked the court to consider all of the factors that make up a person, including the good he has done.

“Each of us is more than the worst thing we’ve ever done,” the family member said, adding that Nichols should be placed into treatment instead of being sent to prison.

Another family member told the judge that despite the “many horrible things” said in court during the hearing, Nichols has done many good things as a teen, including church missions that involved building homes for the poor in Mexico and helping flood victims in Texas.

He also said the charges would follow the defendant for the rest of his life and change Nichols’ life forever.

He closed by saying, “We just ask that you would save this life.”

Nichols also made an emotional address to the court.

“I’m truly sorry about the situation,” he said, adding that he takes full responsibility for what he has done — actions that he regrets “every day.”

Nichols said he has a supportive family and asked the judge to consider sentencing him to enter a treatment center that is ready to accept him rather than send him to prison.

Reeve made a final plea for the judge to sentence his client to jail instead of prison, which would also allow the court to name the terms and the requirements he would need to complete, such as a psychosexual evaluation, mental health counseling and any needed treatment.

The ruling

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File photo for illustrative purposes only of District Judge Jay Winward presiding over hearing held in 5th District Court in St. George, Utah, March 21, 2023 | Photo by Cody Blowers, St. George News

The judge said the defendant’s mother provided one of the most poignant statements he had ever heard in court and said the love she has for her son “exudes the whole courtroom,” and that love was not only for her son, the judge said, but for all of those affected in the case.

The judge continued by saying that Nichols, by his own admission, not only sexually assaulted “two little girls — and you knew that,” but he also preyed upon and groomed the girls. Ultimately, the judge said, Nichols stole from them their “very essence.”

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Joseph Tati Haron.Contributed / Cottonwood County Sheriff's Office

WINDOM — Joseph Haron, 56, of Mountain Lake, is charged in Cottonwood County Fifth District Court with first-degree criminal sexual conduct, penetration of a victim mentally or physically impaired, following a July 7 incident.

A Windom Police Officer was requested at an area hospital following a report of sexual assault. Upon arrival, the officer met with the victim, who detailed the account. Earlier that morning, the victim was at a friend’s house watching a movie. They identified Haron, saying he was also present at that time. The victim stated they were given a ride home later that day, and that Haron went inside with them. When the victim went into their the bedroom, Haron reportedly pulled down his pants.

The victim reportedly told Haron to pull up his pants but, instead, he pushed them down on a bed and sexually assaulted them. The victim told the officer they didn’t want to have sex with him but he didn’t stop. Once done, he reportedly told the victim not to tell anyone about what had happened. The victim stated being very upset and crying during the incident. They also said Haron did not wear a condom.

Two days after the alleged incident took place, on July 9, an investigator with the Windom Police Department met with Haron. At the time, the investigator reported smelling alcohol coming from Haron. Haron stated nothing happened at the victim’s home. He said he didn’t take his clothes off and stated that a friend called him outside and he left.

The investigator reportedly told Haron that a rape kit of the victim was completed at the hospital. When asked if he thought they would find any of his DNA there, Haron reportedly said, “If they find it, I’m guilty.”

Haron is scheduled to appear July 24 in Cottonwood County Fifth District Court.

https://www.dglobe.com/news/local/mountain-lake-man-charged-with-criminal-sexual-conduct