AL - DA asks for emergency hearing in case of former officer (William Watson) charged with sex abuse

William Watson

Original Article

07/03/2014

LIMESTONE (WAFF) - The Limestone County District Attorney filed a motion for an emergency hearing in the case against a former police officer charged with sex crimes against several victims.

William Watson, a former officer with the Madison Police Department, is charged with multiple counts of sexual abuse against victims under the age of 12.

District Attorney Brian Jones said it concerns conditions surrounding the terms of Watson’s release on bond as he awaits trial.

The Limestone County Sheriff’s Office charged Watson with one count of sexual abuse in the Summer of 2012 while he was still with the Madison Police Department. He resigned, then in January 2013, more charges came down.

The motion filed by the DA asks the court for the emergency hearing as soon as possible. It says, based on new information, prosecutors believe it is necessary to add additional conditions to Watson’s release.

Watson is free on $300,000 bond. His trial is scheduled to start August 25.

AL - Law banning sex offender camp might violate Alabama's constitution

Original Article

07/03/2014

By JAY REEVES

CLANTON - A new law used to shut down a church-affiliated camp for convicted sex offenders in rural Alabama violates a state constitutional amendment designed to protect religious liberty, the American Civil Liberties Union said Thursday.

Randall Marshall, legal director of the ACLU's Alabama office, said the law that went into effect this week is in apparent conflict with the Alabama Religious Freedom Amendment, passed in 1998 to make it tougher for government to infringe on religious rights.

Pastor Ricky Martin says he built a church in rural Chilton County and allowed convicted sex offenders to move to the property because the men had nowhere else to live. He said he was trying to follow biblical instructions to help the outcast.

The camp, which began accepting former inmates in 2010, closed when the new law took effect Tuesday.

Marshall said the amendment "raises serious questions" about the law, which was passed this year and affects Chilton County only. The amendment says laws can restrict religion narrowly only if there is a "compelling governmental interest."

Martin "has sincerely held religious beliefs that he's acting upon, and now you've got government prohibiting him from doing something that he considers part of his religion," Marshall said.

The sponsor of the bill, state Rep. Kurt Wallace, said the law is meant to protect the public from people convicted of rape, child molestation and other crimes.

Most of the more than 50 men who've lived in the camp through the years are from other counties and states, officials said.

"No religion is being disenfranchised," Wallace said. "He can practice any religion he wants, but he can't recruit sex offenders to our community. That's just crazy."

Martin hasn't sued to block the law, but he said he might. Some of the half-dozen men who were living in old campers behind his Triumph Church are now homeless, he said.

"I don't know what they're doing, just walking around trying to find a place to sleep," he said.

The law, which Wallace said was drafted with Martin's refuge in mind, prohibits two convicted sex offenders from living within 300 feet of each other on the same property in Chilton County unless they are married. It includes a provision to allow a state-approved counseling center or halfway house if one opened, Wallace said.

Martin, who serves as a volunteer prison chaplain, said the camp was needed because inmates serving time for sex-related offenses have a hard time finding suitable residences after release.

Like other states, Alabama restricts the areas where sex offenders are required to live, barring anyone convicted of certain crimes to reside within 2,000 feet of a school or day care. Laws are even stricter about where offenders can work or hang out, restricting them from being within 500 feet of parks, athletic fields or businesses where kids gather.

Inmates serving time for sex crimes must tell authorities where they plan to live following their release, and prisons or county jails must continue holding anyone who can't prove they have a legal place to live.

See Also:

• New law forces Chilton. Co. sex offenders to leave pastor’s backyard

AL - New law forces Chilton. Co. sex offenders to leave pastor’s backyard

Original Article

Yeah, don't you know that ex-offenders who live near each other are just planning a mass molesting of children? (Being sarcastic)

06/27/2014

By Kaitlin McCulley

CHILTON COUNTY (WIAT) - A man’s dream to rehabilitate convicted sex offenders is coming to an end.

Since 2010, 53 sex offenders released from prison have moved in to trailers in Ricky Martin’s backyard. The property is located at 40 County Road 374 in Chilton County. Of those 53 convicted offenders, 32 are convicted rapists and 21 have been convicted of molestation. 43 committed crimes against children.

Martin pastors Triumph Church, also on his property. Neighbors tell WIAT 42 they do not feel safe in their homes.

Debra Morrison lives next door to Martin and the sex offender camp in his backyard.

“Usually when you go to grandma’s house and you want to go swing on the swing, usually that’s ok,” Morrison said. “But not here.”

Morrison’s young grandchildren are frequent visitors to her home.

“When they come to Nana’s, they know that we’ve got to be with them at all times,” Morrison said. “And they’re scared. There’s always fear, even when we go to bed at night.”

Chilton County Chief Deputy District Attorney C.J. Robinson said neighbors will not have to feel that way much longer. A legislative bill was passed recently, requiring sex offenders in Chilton County to live at least 300 feet apart from each other. The seven remaining offenders living on Martin’s property must leave by July 1st.

“This might be the only chance I ever have as a prosecutor to try to take steps on the front end,” Robinson said. “If there’s something I can do to keep a child from being victimized.”

Morrison is thankful her worst fears have not become a reality. She hopes soon, “Nana’s house,” will be a place of carefree fun.

WIAT 42 Reporter Kaitlin McCulley talked with Martin, but he declined to be recorded on camera for this report and would not answer questions on-the-record. His only comment regarding the sex offenders is this: “I hope they continue their relationship with Christ when they leave here.”

AL - Man (Jay Maynor) charged with killing sex offender in Cullman Co.

Jay Maynor

Original Article

06/09/2014

By Melynda Sides

BIRMINGHAM (WBRC) - A man suspected of killing a registered sex offender in the Berlin community has been charged with murder.

The Cullman County Sheriff's Office identified the victim as _____, 59. The suspect in the case, 41-year-old Jay Maynor of Cullman, is charged with _____' murder.

Court documents indicate Maynor is a relative of the child _____ pleaded guilty to sexually abusing in 2002. _____ was convicted in an incident involving an 8-year-old girl.

Sheriff Mike Rainey said the first shooting happened at the Berlin Plaza Quick Stop on Highway 278 shortly after 7 p.m. Witnesses told deputies a man drove up on a motorcycle and fired shots at the store's window, Rainey said.

"After the would-be victim was able to elude the shooter, the suspect then drove off and went to the residence of _____," Sheriff Rainey said.

The sheriff's office said on Monday they don't know the full extent of the details, but confirmed _____ was shot at his home in the 4300 block of U.S. 278 East.

A state trooper who responded to the scene saw Maynor pull out onto the road from _____' home and took him into custody, according to the Sheriff's Office.

"At this time we are still investigating both crime scenes, the one at the store and at Mr. _____' residence," Sheriff Rainey said in a release. "We just ask that the public stay patient as our investigators work to piece together the events which took place Sunday night."

_____ was convicted of first degree sex abuse of an 8-year-old girl in August 2002 and has been a registered sex offender since then.

Sheriff Rainey would not comment on whether or not _____' sex abuse conviction had a role in the shooting.

"We are investigating all aspects of this case and cannot comment on a motive at this point. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victim's family," the sheriff said.

Maynor was booked into the Cullman County Detention Center for one count of murder, one count of attempted murder and one count of shooting into an occupied dwelling.

Stay with this story for more information as it becomes available.

See Also:

• Sex Offender Killed, Abuse Victim Speaks (Video Below)
• Ala judge to consider bond in sex offender slaying

AL - Sex offender speaks out against Alabama bill that would regulate sex offender clusters

Community Notification Flyers

Original Article

10/28/2013

By Mike Cason

MONTGOMERY - A registered sex offender is doing what he says few other offenders will do, speaking out against a bill that would further restrict where they can live.

Derek Logue opposes a bill that would make it illegal for sex offenders to live at the same residence without a live-in monitor and a license from the sheriff. Legislators and a prosecutor in Autauga and Chilton counties say the licensing and monitoring are needed to protect the public from having large numbers of offenders in one place.
- If you want to prevent a large number of offenders from living near each other then remove the residency restrictions that are creating the clusters in the first place!

Logue says it’s already hard enough for them to rejoin society after leaving prison. They can’t live or work within 2,000 feet of a school or daycare.

“There’s not a lot of hope for us,” Logue said. “But transitional housing at least gives people some stability. What you want is to have a chance to reintegrate back into society.”

Logue said they need stability during the first couple of years after prison and said that's when they are more likely to commit another crime. He said the bill would effectively block halfway houses and group homes that could help offenders and reduce recidivism.

Officials in Chilton and Autauga counties say their priority is public safety.

C.J. Robinson, chief deputy district attorney for Autauga, Elmore and Chilton counties, said 49 sex offenders have lived at the same Chilton County address since 2010. An average of about 10 live there on most days, Sheriff Kevin Davis said. They live in trailers behind a small church. It’s not in a dense neighborhood, but there are houses scattered along the two-lane highway near Triumph Church, which is outside Clanton.
- And how many new sexual crimes have been committed by these folks?  Apparently none or we are sure they would have mentioned it!

Robinson said nothing in state law prohibits such a concentration of sex offenders. Laws pertaining only to Birmingham and Jefferson County restrict sex offenders from living together there.

Robinson compiled his numbers from notices the district attorney's office receives when a registered sex offender moves into the county. He points out that only two of the 49 men committed their crimes in Chilton County.

More than half of the 49 were convicted of rape. Most of their victims were minors, including many who were children.

Sheriff Davis said the men have not caused a problem. Robinson said he doesn't want to wait until they do.
- If you look at the facts and not your own emotions, you'd see the recidivism rate is already very low, so the chance of someone committing a new sex crime is very slim to none!

“I don't have the luxury to morally sit and wait until we have a child or a woman victimized by one of these men,” Robinson said in an email. “They have no ties to Chilton County and I would like to see them return to from where they came. We will take our troubled souls back, other counties should tend to their own as well. This community wants to send a message that we are not a landfill for the rest of the state to dump their sexual predators on.”
- We're sure if you had a large number in your own county you'd be saying you didn't want them either!

Ricky Martin, pastor of Triumph Church, declined an interview request from AL.com.

Logue said he doesn't know Martin or know about the program, but says the fact that the men haven't caused a problem seems noteworthy.

"Despite how they may feel about this group of people, it seems like the program is pretty successful," Logue said.

Bill pre-filed for January

Rep. Paul Beckman

Reps. Kurt Wallace, R-Maplesville and Paul Beckman, R-Prattville, are sponsoring House Bill 21, pre-filed for the legislative session that starts in January. It would define a lot where two or more unrelated sex offenders live as a “residential sex offender cluster.” It would make it illegal for a sex offender to live in a cluster that was not licensed by the sheriff. It would make it illegal for a person to own or operate an unlicensed cluster.
- And how much is the license going to cost?  Surely this will be knocked down by the courts?

In addition to the place in Chilton County, Beckman said multiple sex offenders live in trailers on a piece of land in Autauga County.

“We’re right now trying to protect the public,” Beckman said. “And the public is saying to us right now in Chilton County and in Autauga County, ‘We don’t want to take care of other people’s sex offenders.’”
- If no crimes are being committed, then how are you protecting the public?

Wallace proposed a similar bill during this year’s legislative session, but it failed.
- And surely this one will as well?

Logue spoke against that bill at a public hearing. He plans to return to speak against the new bill next year.

“Most registered citizens are too afraid to speak out,” Logue said. “Somebody has to be a voice because so few of us are willing to speak out.”

Logue pleaded guilty to first degree sexual abuse in 2001 in Franklin County. His victim was an 11-year-old girl. He was released from prison in 2003 and lives in Cincinnati.

Logue operates a website called Once Fallen.com and advocates for reforms of laws that limit where sex offenders can live and work. He supports punishment for sex crimes but says punishment should not continue after an offender has served his time.

Proponents of HB21 say sex offenders living together could negatively influence each other and make it more likely they will commit another crime.
- And that is strictly based on emotions and not facts.  Do they think ex-offenders are going to plan some mass molestation or something?  Give us a break!  Other offenders want to stay clean and so they keep each other in check, not the other way around.

"I don't like the idea that like minds are all together," Beckman said.
- Like in congress?

Logue takes issue with that and says sex offenders are not a homogeneous group.

“We’re not all pedophiles,” Logue said. “We’re not all rapists.”

Proponents of HB21 say they would not oppose sex offenders living in facilities that effectively counsel or treat them, although they say they know of no such program. The bill would authorize the Alabama Department of Mental Health to promulgate rules for residential sex offender clusters.
- Sounds like a conflict of interest to us.

David Jackson, chief operating officer for the department, said it does not certify treatment programs for sex offenders.

Concern about unintended consequences

A lawyer for a nonprofit organization that advocates for criminal justice reforms said there could be unintended consequences of restrictive laws that make it hard for sex offenders to find homes and jobs.

“First and foremost, I don’t think anyone disagrees that our first priority as a society should be to protect our children,” said Ateeyah Hollie, who works for the Southern Center for Human Rights in Atlanta. “While I appreciate the lawmakers attempt at doing so, my main concern is that they do so in a practical manner that won’t further endanger our community.”

"The more restrictive we get with these residency and employment restrictions, the more likely we’re going to increase recidivism, which I don’t think is the lawmakers’ intent.”
- Well we think that is their intent, so they can keep the prison system raking in the money!

Hollie said instability in residency and employment are key factors in recidivism.

Hollie spoke against the bill Wallace proposed during this year’s legislative session. She has not read the new bill.

Registration and residency restrictions on sex offenders gained national attention in the 1990s. Congress and states passed what were called Megan's Law, named after a 7-year-old New Jersey girl who was assaulted and murdered by a neighbor who was a convicted sex offender.

A 2012 report funded by the National Institute of Justice, "Sex Offenders: Recidivism and Collateral Consequences," examined the effect of sex offender registration and notification laws on recidivism.

The researchers found that the laws had limited effect on recidivism. The report said sex offenders have an overall low rate of recidivism but that some are high-risk, and that laws would be more effective if they targeted the high-risk offenders instead of all sex offenders.

Logue said some of the restrictions on residency and work amount to continual punishment after a prison sentence ends.

“When a person has served his time and they get out they should be given an opportunity to become a productive member of society,” Logue said. “We don’t treat murderers the same way. We don’t say murderers can’t live within 2,000 feet of another human being. That would be silly.”

Logue said there are effective rehabilitation programs.

"If we're really serious about trying to prevent reoffending, we should be doing things that we know work," Logue said. "Rehabilitation is not popular, but it's the right thing to do."

Wallace and Beckman said their bill would allow Alabama counties flexibility on how to handle sex offender clusters because it would be up to sheriffs to decide whether to license them.
- And we are sure nobody would get a license also.

"Until somebody comes up with a program that can be sanctioned by the state that proves we can improve the frequency of these guys reoffending, I'm just going with what I say is common sense," Wallace said.
- You already have a ton of studies that show recidivism is low already, in the single digits, so what else do you want?  You are just exploiting the issue for your own political gain, in our opinion.

AL - Alabama legislators want to require license for 'sex offender clusters'

Original Article

This just goes to show you how ignorant and clueless politicians, who are making these draconian laws, are about their own laws. The residency restrictions are creating these clusters, now they want to pass a law to prevent clustering? Why don't you get rid of the residency laws then it wouldn't be a problem!

10/20/2013

By Mike Cason

MONTGOMERY - A few miles outside Clanton, Triumph Church sits on a two-lane county highway bordered by fields, farms and scattered houses.

On most days, about 10 men who have finished prison sentences for rape or other sex crimes live in trailers behind the small church.

A legislator from the county said the men's presence is troubling to some families who live nearby, even though the county sheriff says there's never been a serious incident involving the church and the men who live there.

“The community is not happy, I can assure you,” said Rep. Kurt Wallace, R-Maplesville.

Wallace wants the facility to be licensed by the county under an arrangement that would require a live-in monitor and other restrictions. He has proposed legislation (Bill, PDF) that would designate such places as “residential sex offender clusters.” He has pre-filed a bill for the legislative session that begins in January. The law would have statewide application.

Rep. Paul Beckman, R-Prattville, is co-sponsoring the bill because he said there is a similar place in Autauga County.

“You’ve got families with kids even though it’s out in the country, and you’ve got no way of safeguarding and protecting them,” Beckman said.

State law already restricts where sex offenders can live. They are not allowed to live within 2,000 feet of a school or child care center, or within 2,000 feet of their victim.

That can make it hard for sex offenders to find a place to live when they are released from prison.

"It's one of those things that nobody wants them, but they have to go somewhere," Wallace said.

Chilton County Sheriff Kevin Davis said a total of about 60 sex offenders have found a temporary home at Triumph Church over the last few years. The trailers where the men live are behind the church, Wallace said, but are not readily visible from the highway.

Ricky Martin, the church pastor, declined to be interviewed for this story. Martin and others were holding a yard sale next to the church Friday morning.

The sign in front of the church read: "Fear not, the Lord can help you."

A couple who live less than a mile from the church said the men who live at the church have never caused them a problem but they would prefer they were not there.

Sheriff Davis said about 9-11 sex offenders live there most days. He said the number has been as high as about 15.

“It has not been a problem,” Davis said. “Certainly I understand the concerns of having them all in one spot. But also, on the flip side, if they’re all there it’s very easy to go and check and make sure they’re all where they’re supposed to be.”

County sheriffs are responsible for keeping track of sex offenders under the state’s Community Notification Act.

Davis said one concern is that many of the sex offenders are not from the county. He said some have come from out of state.

“They have no ties to the community. They’re not coming because this is home,” the sheriff said.

Wallace said that is one reason the place bothers him. He said the county doesn't want to be home for sex offenders from all over the state.

“We don’t mind taking care of our own," Wallace said.

Wallace said he found out about the sex offender residence after a woman became alarmed when two men knocked on her front and back doors. She didn’t answer but called 911, Wallace said. The two men told authorities they were looking for work. The woman later learned the men were two of the sex offenders living in the trailers.

“When she found that out she of course went nuts because she had a couple of small grandchildren that occasionally stay with her,” Wallace said.

Wallace has proposed similar bills the last two years but they did not pass.

The Legislature has passed bills applying only to Jefferson County and Birmingham that prohibit more than one unrelated sex offender from living in the same residence.

Jefferson County Chief Deputy Randy Christian said the laws have worked well. Christian said he did not think placing a new requirement on sheriffs to license locations with more than one sex offender was a good idea.

“Simply say more than one cannot live at an address and a violation means jail time,” Christian said in an email. “I think that is the most effective way to deal with that issue and it has been effective here in Jefferson County.”

Montgomery County Sheriff D.T. Marshall said there are places in the county where multiple sex offenders live, like some low-rent motels.

“It’s getting harder and harder for them to find a place to live,” Marshall said.

When sex offenders reach the end of their prison sentence they are required to have an approved place to live. If not, they are returned to the jail in the county where they were convicted.

Marshall said Wallace’s licensing bill sounded like it could be a good idea but he didn’t want to give an opinion without reading the bill.

The bill sponsored by Wallace and Beckman would define any place that housed two or more sex offenders as residential sex offender clusters and any place that housed five or more as large residential sex offender clusters. The maximum would be 30 sex offenders.

The clusters would have to have a monitor with no record of a felony conviction who lived with and supervised the sex offenders. There could be no less than one monitor for every 10 offenders.

Large residential clusters would have to pay an annual licensing fee of $100 plus $20 per offender.

Chilton County Sheriff Davis said having sex offenders live together raised a concern about how they might influence each other’s behavior. He said jail inmates often express a desire to change their ways, but that can change if they run in the same circles after they’re released.

“A lot of times behavior is based on who we hang around," Davis said.

Wallace said he would not be opposed to sex offenders living together in a treatment facility that was certified by the state and said his proposal would exempt such a facility from the licensing requirement.

“I just don’t want them hanging out together with nothing to do but sit around and talk about the things that make them do what they do,” Wallace said.

AL - Should Child Molesters Be Castrated?

As usual, the video is talking about child molesters and the "expert" goes into the usual "pedophile" rant! Just because someone molests a child, by definition, doesn't make them a pedophile!

Video Description:
The Doctors discuss legislation recently filed in the state of Alabama that would require surgical castration (Wikipedia) for any child molester over the age of 21 whose victim was 12 years old or younger.

See Also:

• AL - Lawmaker proposes sex offender castration bill
• CA - The Doctors - Halloween Sex Offender Ban - Hysteria continues year after year!

AL - Former ACPD officer (Michael Ford) pleas guilty to sex crimes

Michael Ford

Original Article

10/15/2013

By Austin Nelson

Former Alexander City police officer Michael Ford pleaded guilty to a slough of felony charges ranging from incest to sexual abuse and sodomy on Tuesday.

Ford was arrested Feb. 1 of this year when allegations of sexual abuse first surfaced, after which he was immediately terminated by ACPD.

Ford, 49, pleaded guilty to one count of incest, one count of second-degree sexual abuse, three counts of second-degree sodomy and five counts of sexual abuse of a child less than 12, according to Assistant District Attorney Jeremy Duerr.

Ford also pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree theft of property and one count of tampering with evidence.

Ford’s attorney, Mark Allen Treadwell, offered a statement regarding the plea agreement.

“Essentially, based upon the totality of all the facts and evidence, this was a best interest plea,” Treadwell said. “Based upon the severity of the allegations and all facts which the District Attorney relied upon in support of a conviction, we considered this plea to be not only in Mr. Ford’s best interest but also the concern and best interest of his family and the Alexander City Police Department.”

For the counts of second-degree sodomy and sexual abuse of a child, both Class B felonies, Ford could face two to 20 years per count.

On the one count of incest and second-degree theft of property, both classified as Class C felonies, the sentencing guidelines call for a minimum of a year and one day to a maximum of 10 years.

For the class A misdemeanors – tampering with evidence and second-degree sexual abuse – the maximum sentence is up to one year.

Duerr said the sentencing hearing has been set for Nov. 1.

It won’t be until this hearing, Duerr said, that Ford will know how his time will be served.

“Sometimes the sentences can run concurrently – at the same time – which means you serve all of the time for the different counts at once,” Duerr said. “He could also be sentenced to consecutive terms, in which he would do the time for one charge, then do the next and so on.”

Treadwell said the situation is complicated due to Ford’s medical history, who has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder stemming from military service and also has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease.

“The difficulty with a case such as this presents this problematic issue: Where is the appropriate place for Mr. Ford, convicted of sexually related crimes, to serve a sentence and simultaneously received treatment for his mental and physical impairments? That place is certainly not on the streets but is also not in a jail cell,” Treadwell said. “It is our plan, based upon these best-interest pleas, that the judge would enter such (a) sentencing order which will provide a secure placement in a mental and medical facility which will provide the necessary treatment for Mr. Ford.”

ACPD Chief Willie Robinson said this case serves as a reminder that no one is above the law.

“If you commit a crime, we will arrest you no matter who you are, whether you are a sworn officer or not,” Robinson said. “The law applies to everybody.”

AL - Lawmaker proposes sex offender castration bill

Rep. Steve Hurst

Original Article

10/14/2013

MONTGOMERY (WAFF) - An Alabama lawmaker is proposing a bill requiring some sex offenders to be castrated (Wikipedia) before being released from prison.

Republican Rep. Steve Hurst of Munford is proposing the bill for the 2014 legislative session.

The bill would require sex offenders who are over the age of 21 whose victims were 12 or younger to be surgically castrated before being released from prison. Under the bill, the sex offender would be required to finance their own castration.

Rep. Hurst proposed a version of the bill last year but it didn't make it out of committee.

In 2012, nine states had laws involving chemical castration for sex offenders.

Alabama's 2014 legislative session begins Jan. 14th.

See Also:

• We’re better than that — Hurst’s idea to castrate Alabama’s sexual predators goes too far

AL - Streaking student facing possible sex offender registry commits suicide

Original Article

10/06/2013

By Robert O'Hara

On the evening of Friday, September 27th in the small town of Harvest Alabama, a community of just over 5,000 souls, a fifteen year old boy took off his clothes and ran naked across a football field where the Sparkman High School Senators were playing against a rival teem in front of a large crowd. His friends cheered, old women blushed, young children pointed their fingers and asked “Mommy why is that kid running around naked?” leaving parents flustered while trying to hold back their laughter. Someone had even recorded a video and placed it on Youtube. By the end of the night Christian Adamek had become legend by pulling a prank performed by countless pranksters before him on countless playing fields in front of countless millions in the past.

Last week, on Wednesday October 2nd, Christian hung himself and it was announced Friday morning in AL.com that he had died from his injuries.

Adamek’s suicide followed a public statement made by Sparkman High School Principal Mike Campbell on Tuesday of last week to WHNT News 19, the local Television Station, in which he stated the incident could bring Adamek major repercussions. Adamek had been disciplined by the school district, though details of that discipline were not made public, and he faced legal charges. School administrators recommended that Adamek have a hearing in the Madison County court system to determine if formal charges would be filed, WHNT reported. “There’s the legal complications,” Campbell told the news station. “Public lewdness and court consequences outside of school with the legal system, as well as the school consequences that the school system has set up.”

The “legal complications” Campbell was referring to included having to register as a sex offender.

When asked if this was nothing more than a simple prank Campbell responded: “This situation was totally different, something not related to that at all.”

Adamek’s sister indicated on Twitter that her brother was facing expulsion.

The publicizing of his troubles with the school and the legal system were orchestrated by Campbell before any legal hearings were scheduled and shortly after administrative actions by school officials. It is not known now to what extent the family had been involved in preliminary hearings or to what extent they were even informed at all about the length to which Campbell would take the case before he spoke to the local press.

Campbell is new to the school, having only started work there on July 1st. However, he has been in secondary education for over thirty years with most of that time being spent in Fairfax County, Virginia. He started in athletics coaching basketball, football and girls softball before going into administration. Last year he left Centerville High School, a large school in Northern Virginia given high marks by the Virginia Department of Education. It was the second ranked school in Virginia by Newsweek in 2011.

Read the rest of the article

AL - Prosecutor: Former officer (Lanice Clifton Bonds) had sex with student at school

Lanice Clifton Bonds

Original Article

10/04/2013

By Matt Elofson

Prosecutors argued against a bail reduction for a former Dothan police officer charged with having sex with a student, calling it the first such offense to actually happen at a local school.

Houston County District Attorney Doug Valeska argued against a bail reduction for 37-year-old Lanice Bonds. Dothan police arrested Bonds last month, and charged him with school employee or official having sex with a student. Valeska said the offense happened in Bonds’ office inside the school. He also said the victim was a 17-year-old girl.

Bonds had served as the school resource officer at Dothan High School for at least five years prior to his recent termination from the Dothan Police Department.

“This is the first time we've made a case where the sexual act took place in a school,” Valeska said. “He confessed to having sex with a student at Dothan High School.”

Attorney Cada Carter, who represented Bonds, asked the court to reduce his client’s $250,000 bail.

Carter said his client has never been in trouble before. He also said his client was not a flight risk, and has family in the area.

“He’s married and has a small child in the area. His wife works at Fort Rucker at a very respectful job. His father is a police chief in the area,” Carter said. “He’s not any kind of menace to society.”

Valeska called reducing the bail for Bonds would be like giving him a reward.

Houston County District Court Judge Benjamin Lewis said he’d take the request for a bail reduction under advisement, and likely issue a ruling within a few days.

Valeska also showed a video of a tape recorded interview between Bonds and a Dothan police detective, which he said included the confession.

During the interview, for the first several minutes of questioning Bonds denied ever having sex with the female student. Bonds also said it started out with some flirtations and then some gestures were made.

The police detective who interviewed Bonds told him the victim had reported she was forcibly raped and intimidated because he was a police officer.

“It was consensual all the way through, no force at all,” Bonds said during the interview. “She could’ve left at any time. The door was right there. I’m behind the desk the whole time.”

During the interview Bonds questioned the detective how there could’ve been force involved with teachers in their class rooms on either side of him. The interview also talked about the use of a condom.

Then it appeared after continued questioning by the detective Bonds confessed to having intercourse twice with the student.

The detective told Bonds during the interview his story matched the victim except she claimed they had sex for five minutes.

Carter told the court he’s not sure his client “really confessed” based on the video interview with police. He said the offense could still be a misdemeanor crime.

Carter questioned why the prosecution chose to show the video interview for bail reduction hearing.

If convicted of the class B felony crime Bonds faces two to 20 years in prison.

AL - Authorities suspect suicide pact involving 4 deaths in Double Springs

Original Article

10/03/2013

By Trent Moore

Double Springs - Police believe the four dead bodies found in a car in rural Double Springs were killed by one another in either a suicide pact or murder-suicide at some point Wednesday.

Three males and one female body, all Caucasians ranging from mid-20s to early 50s in age, were discovered in a car on a county road in northern Alabama, and investigators spent Thursday trying to piece together details of the bizarre case.

At least two of the victims were reportedly facing child pornography and molestation charges in their native Tennessee; and at least one was scheduled to be in court this week, according to Winston County Sheriff Rick Harris.

Authorities say the victims all hail from Tennessee, and all but one were related. The names of the deceased have not been released, pending family notifications.

Harris said gunshot wounds appear to be the cause of death for every victim, noting all the shots seem to have come from inside the vehicle. Authorities say a suicide pact, or murder-suicide, seem to be the most likely scenarios based on the evidence.

“They all died of gunshot wounds, and at this point we’ve ruled out any type of hostile drug takeover, a drug deal gone bad, or anything like that,” Harris said. “We’re exploring the possibility of some self-inflicted suicide, or murder-assisted suicide between the four. Forensics is doing a trajectory investigation now.”

Harris said his team, along with investigators from the Alabama Bureau of Investigation, have no reason to believe a killer is still at large in the area.

“Whatever started in Tennessee seems to have ended in Winston County,” he said. “We absolutely do not believe there is anyone dangerous still running around in our county.”

A passer-by noticed the vehicle off County Road 327 on her way to work Wednesday morning and called authorities when she saw it in the same place on her way home.

Dozens of law enforcement officers were at the scene just south of the Double Springs area of Black Pond early Thursday morning.

Harris said investigators have yet to find any tangible reason to explain how the four Tennessee residents ended up in Winston County — though he believes they may have been staying in some area hotels around Alabama the past week.

More details could come Monday, Harris said, pending some additional forensic work.

NY - Federal appeals court finds penile stimulation test 'invasive' in sex offender case

Original Article

10/03/2013

By LARRY NEUMEISTER

NEW YORK - Subjecting a sex offender who is no longer imprisoned to "extraordinarily invasive" penile stimulation testing risks violating the premise that even convicts retain their humanity, a federal appeals court said Thursday.

The ruling by the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals (PDF) in Manhattan frees former police officer David McLaurin of a requirement that he submit to penile plethysmography (Wikipedia), a test in which a man's erectile responses are measured as he is shown sexually stimulating images.

An all-male three-judge appeals panel said it saw a "clear distinction" between penis measurement and other conditions of supervised release, including restrictions on where sex offenders may live, their interactions with children and their access to pornographic material.

"But we see no reasonable connection between fluctuating penis size and public protection — certainly none strong enough to survive the careful scrutiny that we give to unusual or severe conditions of supervised release," the court wrote of the conditions imposed after someone completes a prison sentence. "A person, even if convicted of a crime, retains his humanity."

McLaurin, 48, challenged the requirement after a Vermont judge sentenced him to 15 months in prison, to be followed by a treatment program that could include the testing, because McLaurin failed to fill out paperwork required by sex offenders. McLaurin had notified authorities that he would be working as a chef at a Putney, Vermont, inn in 2011, but he later lost the job and went to the Birmingham, Alabama, area, where he was arrested. He was returned to Vermont to face charges and was released from prison in November.

He was required to register as a sex offender because he was convicted more than a decade ago of producing child pornography for photographing a topless 13-year-old girl who told authorities she had requested a photo shoot to help her modeling career, the court said.

A Vermont federal judge who concluded McLaurin was "unlikely to reoffend again" had said it was "standard" to include a test in which a man's erectile responses are measured as he is shown sexually stimulating images.

The appeals panel said the government had cited instances when Vermont judges had ordered the procedure, but the court added that judges in New York and Connecticut within the 2nd Circuit had not recently imposed such conditions and that the probation office in Vermont has ceased recommending it.

The appeals court said it seemed "odd" to try to deter someone from committing sex crimes by showing him depictions of sex.

"We hold that this extraordinarily invasive condition is unjustified, is not reasonably related to the statutory goals of sentencing, and violates McLaurin's right to substantive due process," it said. The court found the testing "is unduly intrusive and bears insufficient relation to correctional or medical treatment, the protection of the public or deterrence of a crime."

McLaurin's public defender, Steven L. Barth, said he was pleased with the ruling.

"Mr. McLaurin and the Federal Defender Office felt strongly that the invasive plethysmograph testing condition was unwarranted and unconstitutional," he said.

Prosecutors did not immediately respond to a message for comment.

The appeals court did not hide its skepticism about the two- to three-hour test, in which a man's penis is attached to a pressure-sensitive device known as a plethysmograph. The apparatus measures minute changes in blood flow and erection size as the subject views pornographic images or videos.

The judges flatly rejected government arguments that the procedure amounted to "treatment" for sex offenders, saying prosecutors offered no evidence "that this exceedingly intrusive procedure has any therapeutic benefit, and none is apparent to us."

It cited a ruling similar to its own by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco that found the test's accuracy and reliability "have been severely questioned."

The 2nd Circuit said even if the test were accurate, "the goal of correctional treatment during supervised release is properly directed at conduct, not at daydreaming."

The procedure "inflicts the obviously substantial humiliation of having the size and rigidity of one's penis measured and monitored by the government under the threat of incarceration for a failure to fully cooperate," the 2nd Circuit judges wrote.

As the court noted, the procedure was developed by Czech psychiatrist Kurt Freund as a means to study sexual deviance and it was at one time used by the Czech government to identify and "cure" homosexuals.

The court wrote: "Whether the device was 'successful' in this regard is not reflected in the record."

AL - Law regulates sex offenders, even on social media

Original Article

01/24/2013

By Christy Hutchings

BIRMINGHAM (WBRC) - A federal appeals court has ruled that an Indiana law banning registered sex offenders from Facebook is unconstitutional.

The ruling won't affect us in Alabama, because we take an entirely different approach when it comes to social media.

Alabama has one of the strongest laws in the country when it comes to sex offenders. And while the state does not ban sex offenders from using social media sites they regulating what they can do. These laws so far haven't been seen as unconstitutional and haven't been challenged.

The Internet can be a sexual predator's playground.

"We think about our children and restricting their access to computers, however now with technology and phones out there it's in the palm of their hand," Sgt. Jacob Reach with the Jefferson County Sex Offender Unit said.
- Well, get rid of the phone!  Be a parent, stop letting the government babysit you and your children!

Reach helps monitor the more than seven hundred sex offenders in Jefferson County and he will be the first to tell you, convicted sex offenders are drawn to social media.
- What a crock!  This is fear mongering BS!  Ex-offenders use social media for the same reasons you do.  Some may be using it for what you mentioned, but it's rare!

"They are going to find a way to access children and social media is easy access," Reach said.
- Not all ex-sex offenders are out looking for kids to molest.  Clearly this man is biased in his personal opinions, which aren't based on the facts.  A study was done awhile back (here) which shows that most children are approached by their peers, not some stranger.

Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are all ways for a predator to reach children. But here in Alabama there are strict laws in place protecting potential victims. On top of sex offenders having to register where they live or work, they also have to notify law enforcement of social media sites they belong to and share email accounts.

"For example, if they have a Facebook account we'd have access to it to look at the account to make sure [an offender is] not posting pictures of himself with children sitting in his lap and he's not allowed to reside with children and that would allow us to investigate further to ensure their safety," Reach said.
- This is not exactly true.  You may have their account name, but you don't (I don't think) have their passwords.  If you do, then that is clearly a violation of their rights, and if they have the profile non-public, then you cannot see anything they say or do.

Jefferson County issues close to 250 warrants a year for sex offenders who aren't in compliance with the law.

"These offenders know we stay on top of them," Reach said.

Reach says parents need to talk to their children about the danger of sexual predators. If someone, your child doesn't know sends them a request on Facebook Reach says do not accept that request and to tell your parents at once.

AL - Ex-cop (Kevin Owens) pleads guilty to sex crime with child under 12

Original Article

09/25/2012

By Stephanie Nelson

A former Andalusia police officer and unsuccessful 2006 candidate for sheriff will now have to register as a convicted sex offender after pleading guilty Monday in two separate cases.

Kevin Owens, who was 39 when arrested in 2007, faced charges of sexual abuse, rape, sodomy and intimidating a witness in the incidents following allegations that he engaged in sexual intercourse with a female by forcible compulsion and he subjected a child under the age of 12 to sexual conduct.

On Monday, and moments before his trial was set to begin, counsel was able to negotiate a plea deal in the cases. Owens admitted to the behavior before Circuit Judge Ashley McKathan, pleading guilty to sexual misconduct in the first case and assault III in the second.

Members of the victims’ families were pleased with the day’s outcome.

“I’m just happy he admitted in open court that he was guilty,” said the mother of one of the victims. Her daughter was 3 at the time of the incident, she said. “We didn’t want to push for trial to protect our daughter from any more bad things.”

The state was represented by Trishia Mellburg and Barry Matson, both members of the Office of Prosecutorial Services.

“These families were very patient, and now, very relieved,” Mellburg said. “The victims and their families were able to get closure and move on. They’re the importance of getting this case resolved.”

Owens, who was represented by Monroeville attorney Chris King, was given a one-year suspended sentence, placed on two years of supervised probation and ordered to pay an assortment of fees and fines in each case. The time is to run concurrently.

He was also ordered to refrain from contact with the victims and the victims’ families, as well as unsupervised visitation with any minor while on probation.

Owens is also required to provide the state a DNA sample and to register as a convicted sex offender; however, since sexual misconduct is a misdemeanor offense, it is not required that his information be posted on the online database.

Birmingham officer fired after arrest in sex assault case

View the article here | Courtesy of BadCopNews

04/20/2007

A Birmingham police officer charged earlier this week with sexual assault has been fired, the department announced this evening.

North Precinct patrol officer Perry Young, 35, had resigned early on Wednesday but rescinded that decision hours later. He had been on paid administrative leave.

Young is charged with first-degree sodomy. He was arrested and jailed Sunday evening after being accused of sexually assaulting a 19-year-old woman while on duty.

The assault happened in the 300 block of Second Terrace North on April 15, police said. The victim, who was possibly being questioned by Young for an outstanding warrant, later reported the assault to Young's supervisors at the North Precinct.

Investigators said they recovered evidence from Young's patrol car and from the site where the incident reportedly happened.