FL - Seminole deputy (David Rodriguez) accused soliciting sex from teen girl on Facebook

David Rodriguez

Original Article

07/25/2014

By Desiree Stennett

A Seminole County deputy was arrested Thursday after investigators accused him of soliciting sex from a 17-year-old girl through a series of Facebook messages.

David Rodriguez, a 28-year-old patrol deputy, recently received recognition from Seminole County Sheriff Don Eslinger for saving a man after a boating accident earlier this year.

Rodriguez now accused of using a computer to solicit sex from a child.

He and the girl both participated in martial arts tournaments. When they met, she was 6 and he was about 17. The two kept in touch over the years, his arrest report stated.

The girl told deputies that she and Rodriguez, who is married and has a newborn, started out with friendly text messages.

Eventually the two became Facebook friends and would send private messages back and forth.

After the girl's 17th birthday, the conversations became sexual, the report stated.

Rodriguez admitted to soliciting sex from the girl but said the two never actually met for sex.

"Rodriguez stated that he was going to keep trying to put off meeting with [the girl] for sex until she was 18 years old," the report stated. The detective "confronted Rodriguez that on several occasions that they arranged to meet for sex, it was [the girl] who had to cancel and Rodriguez did not respond."

The Facebook exchange was discovered because the girl's father saw the messages when she left her social-media profile open on a home computer.

The father did not confront his daughter because he was concerned she would not be cooperative.

When she was interviewed, the girl told officials she had a crush on Rodriguez for years and said when his child was born on July 9, she realized that Rodriguez was trying to take advantage of her.

She said she wanted the sexual conversations to stop but didn't know how to end the relationship.

The Seminole County Sheriff's Office is in the process of firing Rodriguez. He had been a patrol deputy since February 2010.

Rodriguez received a Life Saving Award in May from Eslinger. According to the Sheriff's Office, Rodriguez helped save a man who capsized his kayak.

According to investigators, Rodriguez admitted to the crime and turned himself into the Seminole County jail.

He was released late Thursday on $50,000 bail.

PA - Majority of minors engage in Sexting, unaware of harsh legal consequences

Original Article

06/18/2014

Sexting among youth is more prevalent than previously thought, according to a new study from Drexel University that was based on a survey of undergraduate students at a large northeastern university. More than 50 percent of those surveyed reported that they had exchanged sexually explicit text messages, with or without photographic images, as minors.

The study also found that the majority of young people are not aware of the legal ramifications of underage sexting. In fact, most respondents were unaware that many jurisdictions consider sexting among minors – particularly when it involves harassment or other aggravating factors – to be child pornography, a prosecutable offense. Convictions of these offenses carry steep punishments, including jail time and sex offender registration.

“This is a scary and disturbing combination,” said researcher David DeMatteo, JD, PhD. “Given the harsh legal penalties sometimes associated with youth sexting and the apparent frequency with which youth are engaging in it, the lack of comprehension regarding such penalties poses a significant problem.”

The study, entitled “Youth Sexting: Prevalence Rates, Driving Motivations, and the Deterrent Effect of Legal Consequences,” was published online in June 2014 by the journal entitled Sexuality Research and Social Policy. The full article is available here.

In addition to DeMatteo, an associate professor of psychology and law and director of Drexel’s joint JD/PhD program in psychology and law in the College of Arts and Sciences and School of Law, the study was conducted by lead author Heidi Strohmaier, a PhD candidate in psychology, and Megan Murphy, a JD/PhD candidate. For a Q+A with the researchers, click here.

The study, in which undergraduate students from a large northeastern university completed an anonymous online survey concerning their engagement in sexting as minors, revealed a significant relationship between awareness of legal consequences and sexting behavior as minors.

Those who were aware of the potential legal consequences reported sexting as a minor significantly less than those who were not aware of the legal consequences. Additionally, most respondents who reported being unaware of the potential legal consequences of sexting expressed the belief that they may have been deterred from sexting as a minor if they had known.

The finding that legal consequences may deter youth from sexting has important policy implications, according to the researchers.

In many jurisdictions, the law has yet to catch up with youth sexting behavior and technological advances. Until recently, most states did not have a legal mechanism in place to handle cases of teenage sexting. Instead, they were required to fit this new teenage subculture into the existing legal framework. As a result, youth sexting was often subsumed under laws governing serious child pornography and child exploitation offenses. Convictions of these offenses carry steep punishments, including jail time and sex offender registration—punishments that many lawyers and legislatures have deemed too harsh for adolescent sexting.

Read the rest of the story

MN - Deal may be near in case of ex-cop (Bradley Schnickel) accused of soliciting girls

Bradley Schnickel

Original Article

02/07/2014

By Sarah Horner

A settlement may be coming in the case against a former Minneapolis police officer accused of soliciting young girls on the Internet for sex.

After meeting Friday in Anoka County District Court, both Bradley Schnickel's defense attorney and the prosecution said the two sides are close to reaching a resolution.

They will meet in a settlement hearing Monday, the same day the trial against the 33-year-old father of two was set to begin.

"We are working it out... We're getting close," said Fred Bruno, Schnickel's attorney. "This will most likely be resolved Monday."

Schnickel faces more than 21 criminal counts alleging criminal sexual misconduct, lewd exhibition, furnishing alcohol to a minor and other accusations.

Using various aliases, Schnickel is accused of logging on to Facebook and other social networking sites and engaging in sexually charged conversations with more than a dozen young girls. In some cases, he exchanged naked pictures with the minors. In a couple instances, he allegedly met them in person and had sex.

The youngest alleged victim was 11. Several others were 12 to 14.

None of the conduct took place while Schnickel was working as a cop.

The Minneapolis patrol officer since 2008 received a medal of commendation for his work in 2011. He was placed on "home assignment" last January after the allegations surfaced.

He was fired the following month.

Monday's hearing comes just over three months since he pleaded guilty in Hennepin County Court to two counts of Internet solicitation of children for similar crimes.

Schnickel was sentenced to a year at the Hennepin County Adult Corrections Facility in Plymouth and mandated to undergo therapy.

He is already enrolled in a sex offender treatment program at Alpha Human Services in Minneapolis.

Schnickel's hearing Monday will take place at 2 p.m.

VA - Virginia Teen Girl Accused Of Posting Nude Selfies, Arrested For Child Porn

Original Article

02/06/2014

By David Lohr

A 16-year-old Virginia girl is facing child pornography charges, after police say she posted photos of herself naked on Twitter.

Authorities received an anonymous tip describing the photos, which were posted to Twitter around Jan. 30. The girl, a student in James City County, admitted to posting "multiple" lewd photos of herself to the social networking website last week, according to police.

"One of our school resource officers made contact with her and her mother," Stephanie Williams-Ortery, a spokeswoman for the James City County Police Department told The Huffington Post.

"The young lady acknowledged that she had posted the pictures of herself [and] the mother acknowledged that the photos were of her daughter," Williams-Ortery said.

According to police, the girl, who has not been named, also admitted to sending photos directly to male acquaintances she was hoping to impress. She has been charged as a juvenile with felony "possession, reproduction, distribution, solicitation and facilitation of child pornography," Williams-Ortery said.

Not everyone in the community agrees with how police are handling the case.

"I don't think she should be charged with child pornography, because she is a child herself," parent Emily Altman told WAVY.com.

"That is distributing child pornography?" said parent Dometre Mobley. "She is a child."

However, because the girl is charged as a juvenile Virginia law would not require her to register as a sex offender, if she is found guilty, so long as she fulfills her obligations to the court.

NY - Orange County Republican leader Robert Krahulik asked to resign over lewd photos

Robert Krahulik

Original Article

02/04/2014

By KENNETH LOVETT

ALBANY - Call it the Anthony Weiner story — upstate edition.

The Orange County Republican Party chairman is being asked to resign after allegedly texting lewd pictures of himself to his girlfriend’s female pal.

On Tuesday, four officers of the Orange County Republican Committee called on Robert Krahulik to step down.

Sources say Krahulik, 48, a lawyer and a trustee of the county community college, sent the naughty pictures of his anatomy to a friend of the beautiful 26-year-old woman he was dating.

“It’s the same problem that Anthony Weiner had,” one source told the Daily News — referring to the ex-congressman caught sexting lewd pictures to women.

The controversy over Krahulik erupted last week when sources said his girlfriend briefly posted the pictures and a message to the creepy lothario on Facebook.

“I just want people to know it’s probably a really good idea if you are in politics to take pictures of your weewee and send it to lots of girls,” the sarcastic message, obtained by The News, said.

“That’s what you do in a committed relationship with a beautiful and sophisticated girl. Busted.” She ended with three hashtags: “creep,” “dumbass” and “triflingmen.”

The woman told the Times Herald-Record of Middletown she was writing about Krahulik.

But he told The News: “Just because it’s posted on Facebook doesn’t make it true.”

He said he and the woman broke up about a week ago. “I was dating a woman and I ended the relationship,” he said. “Clearly, she is not happy about it.”

Krahulik, who said he separated from his wife six years ago, refused to say whether he sent racy photos to a woman. “I’d have to see the photos, I have no idea,” he said. “This involves my private relationship. I fail to see how it’s the business of the Daily News. I’m not a public official.”

Krahulik, who has only been Orange County GOP chairman for a few months, said his political opponents were trying to embarrass him. “It’s unfortunate they would stoop to this level. At this point, they are embarrassing themselves.”

But a high-level area Republican said it’s expected Krahulik will be gone this week.

In calling for his ouster, the Republican officers said that “although all of the facts are not yet known, we can state without hesitation that we do not condone inappropriate behavior toward women under any circumstances.”

CA - Federal Police Officer (Jason Fougere) Accused Of Sending Nude Selfie To Woman Who Needed Help

Jason Fougere

Original Article

01/27/2014

By David Goldstein

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) - A federal police officer is under investigation for allegedly sending a nude selfie to a woman who had come to him for help.

Investigative reporter David Goldstein has the story you will see Only On 2.

Goldstein spoke to the woman (we obscured the West LA resident’s face) who was still upset by the selfie.

“It’s scary,” she said, “I mean, this is a police officer.”

Goldstein confronted the officer outside a store.

“Officer, did you send this … a naked picture of yourself?”

The picture is almost a full-length nude. He allegedly sent it to the woman’s cell phone.

“It’s shocking,” she said, “No one has ever sent me a nude selfie before. Let alone a police officer who I was going to him for help.”

The 31-year-old woman, who wanted to remain anonymous, said she and her mother went to the VA in Westwood last November.

She sent she went to look for a VA officer to help her search for her missing uncle, a veteran.

That’s when the woman said she ran into officer Jason Fougere.

She said the officer took her information and her cell phone number. He also reportedly gave the woman his card with his personal cell phone number written on it.

A few days later, the woman said she received a text message asking if she had a boyfriend and if she wanted to go for coffee sometime.

“I quickly responded that I was in a meeting,” said the woman, “and I couldn’t talk right now.”

She said the officer then sent her a selfie — this one in his full uniform.

He allegedly wrote, “Here’s something to remember me.”

She said she deleted that text.

Goldstein asked her what she thought about the text and that picture.

“We laughed, because it was shocking,” said the woman’s mother. “That we would get a picture of a police officer in uniform, that we met the day before. What do we need that for?”

From there, the women said the texts became increasingly graphic and dirty.

One complimented the woman on her large breasts.

“Your boobs are humongous,” he reportedly wrote on one text. “They must be fake. Those will be the first fake t–s I touch.”

That’s when the women said the naked selfie followed.

She texted him back, that he was “way out of line.” She added the officer was “very disrespectful. Please DO NOT contact me.”

Fougere allegedly replied, “Very sorry! I won’t contact you anymore!”

When Goldstein caught up with Fougere outside a store, he said the officer had nothing to say.

The VA said they were doing an internal investigation regarding the alleged misconduct. The officer has been reassigned without any law enforcement authority while the probe is conducted.

The woman said that was a good thing.

“He’s supposed to be there to protect these veterans,” she said, “and this is how he’s acting.”

LA - Local law enforcement issues warning about sexting

Original Article

A major study was done years ago that shows that children are sexting other peers at a growing rate.

01/29/2014

By Josh Marcisz

The Bossier Parish Sheriff's Office held a press conference Wednesday morning to address the issue of children sending and receiving nude photos and videos. Bossier Sheriff, Julian C. Whittington, says his office has been receiving a high number of complaints in recent days of young people sharing nude photos via cell phones, computers and social media sites.

BPSO hinted that they are working a number of cases which could result in charges.

"You could be arrested, you could go to jail, you could have to register as a sex offender for the rest of your life. This is not child's play anymore, this is serious business," remarked Whittington. Sexting is a crime punishable by fine, jail time and community service for a first offense. Distributing pornography involving juveniles is punishable by up to 20 years in prison.

BPSO will be working with the District Attorney's Office, the Bossier Parish School Board and city law enforcement agencies in an effort to address the issue. Families with children in Bossier schools will be receiving letters that give suggestions about how to open a dialogue with their children. You can read the letter issued by BPSO here.

CA - Parents warned about sexting epidemic at schools

Original Article

11/08/2013

By Jaime Chambers

SAN DIEGO - Scores of parents gathered at Cathedral Catholic Thursday to learn more about the sexting epidemic police say is sweeping through the schools in San Diego.

San Diego police told those at the meeting that students are using smartphones to take and exchange nude photos of classmates.They urged parents to talk with their children about the lasting damage to their reputations that sharing the illegal photos could cause.

“This is an awkward conversation to have with your kid, I know that, but it’s a conversation that needs to happen,” said SDPD Officer Jordan Wells.

Cathedral Catholic is one of seven schools where students are currently being investigated sexting.

Thirty students are facing charges of possessing child pornography and police said arrests could happen at anytime.

Police said if parents see a cell phone app called “PhotoVault” this could be a red flag that the teen has illicit pictures on their phone.

ND - Falsely accused of rape?

Caleb Warner

Original Article (Video Available)

10/31/2013

By Timothy Bella

For Caleb Warner, weekends still revolve around sports and hanging out with his friends. But life hasn't been so carefree in the four years since he met a young woman.

“We met at a party,” Warner told America Tonight. “And, I don’t know, we just kinda made eye contact. And, you know, one thing led to another.”

On Dec. 13, 2009, Warner, then a junior at the University of North Dakota, attended a party thrown by his fraternity, Phi Delta Theta. There, he met a freshman who caught his eye. They played beer pong in the basement of the fraternity house, later making out. Soon after that, they would head into a side room to have sex. When they were done, Warner says they exchanged numbers and went their separate ways.

“I liked her,” Warner said. “She was, she was fun. She was a fun person to hang out with.”

Warner said he and the freshman were “sexting,” and that both of them were keen on hooking up again. Later in the week, she came over to his house off campus to watch a movie. After they started kissing, Warner says they went up to his room and had sex. Holding her in his arms, the freshman suggested to Warner about the idea of him being her boyfriend. He told her he wasn't sure, but enjoyed hanging out with her.

The next morning, they had sex again before Warner drove her home. He said he received a text later on from the freshman. “Don’t ever talk to me again.”

After the holiday break, an administrator pulled Warner out of class. To Warner’s surprise, he was asked about that night in mid-December, the night he watched a movie with his new freshman friend. After learning why he was pulled out of class, Warner called his mother.

“When he told me what he had been accused of, I felt like somebody hit me in the stomach,” said his mother, Sherry.

According to the incident report, the young woman filed a sexual assault charge with the university against Warner. The report stated that she requested a rape kit from a local hospital.

“That night, I was sexually assaulted by someone I thought was a friend,” she said in the statement. “The experience was brutal and being completely sober, and knowing what exactly happened made it worse.”

Two weeks later, Warner faced a disciplinary hearing on campus, which would ultimately decide his fate. He had a lawyer, but Warner said the attorney was not allowed to speak. He said he wasn't allowed to question his accuser. During one point of the accuser’s story, she ran out of the room crying.

“I knew she was lying,” Warner said. “I mean, everything she said, it just wasn't true and it was opposite of what had actually happened.”

Read the rest of the article

TX - Former Officer (Robert Gutierrez Jr.) enters plea to sexual communication with minor

Robert Gutierrez Jr.

Original Article

10/10/2013

A former Ryan reserve police officer accused of sending explicit text messages to a minor has entered a plea to his charge.

Robert Gutierrez Jr. is charged with sending explicit texts to a 15-year-old girl.

Jefferson County district attorney officials say Gutierrez entered a "blind plea" of guilty .

That means he didn't accept the D.A.'s plea offer.

Authorities say the alleged victim was Gutierrez's foster child several months before the alleged texts were sent.

Gutierrez was a reserve officer for the Ryan Police Department assigned to Ryan Public School.

The judge has ordered a pre-sentence investigation before he decides Gutierrez's punishment.

He's expected to be sentenced Dec. 3.

The predatory justice of juvenile sex-offender laws

Original Article

01/20/2013

By Michael Zoorob

When lawmakers crafted laws to combat sexual violence, they probably never expected that children as young as 10 would end up on public sex offender registries. Law enforcement probably never expected that they would have to notify neighbors that a 13-year-old sex offender lived nearby. Yet that is the reality of America’s sex offender registration laws: Though the judicial system tends to distinguish between youth and adult offenders, 35 states subject minors convicted of sex crimes to the same registration, notification and restrictions as adults. Seven states require juveniles to stay on the registry for life. These crimes aren't always violent, either: A recent Human Rights Watch report notes that teens have found their way onto sex offender registries for benign acts like sexting, public urination and consensual sex with other teens.

In fact, 36 percent of all sex offenders who victimize children are themselves juveniles — and more than half of these juvenile offenders are 14 years old or younger, according to a recent study commissioned by the Department of Justice. It is understandable that laws should be created to curb sexual violence — but imposing the stigma of longtime and sometimes lifelong sex offender registration on juvenile offenders creates unnecessary harm both to them and their families. Juvenile offenders often experience emotional problems, difficulty securing employment, social ostracization and difficulties at school. There are, incredibly, cases of teens being barred from attending school due to their presence on sex offender registries because they sexted, the act of which the law considers child pornography. As adults, these offenders can expect restrictions on their residency, employment and mobility, and a significant minority will be fired, harassed, assaulted or even murdered because of their sex offender status.

Registration may also hinder crime rehabilitation of youth offenders. Depriving juvenile offenders of access to education, employment, religious services and healthy relationships — all common consequences of sex offender registration — could actually raise the probability that these children become lifelong delinquents. Unfortunately, registration requirements may deter families from reporting sex crimes committed by their child against a sibling for fear of the legal consequences, thus denying access to rehabilitative services.

Registration of juveniles has also been shown not to reduce sex crime. Studies by Elizabeth Letourneau of the University of South Carolina have found that registering juvenile offenders neither reduced overall rates of offenses nor reduced recidivism. This makes sense. It’s hard to argue, for example, that public safety was enhanced by the eviction of a 26-year-old married woman from her home in Georgia because a daycare center opened nearby. Her crime was that she had oral sex with a 15-year-old when she was 17.
- The same applies to adults.  Sex laws do nothing to reduce recidivism.

Moreover, juvenile offenders are distinct from their adult counterparts. Children who commit sex crimes, even violent ones, usually do so as a way of “acting out,” not because they eroticize aggression. Consequently, psychologists have found that rehabilitation is very effective for juvenile sex offenders, and very few juvenile offenders re-offend as adults. Most studies find the recidivism rate of juvenile sex offenders to be less than 5 percent.
- Recidivism rates are the same for adults as well.

Sex offenders deserve special opprobrium in our society. But we shouldn't let our visceral disgust with sex crimes bar us from making sensible public policy. Children are not miniature adults, and the law should not treat them that way.

KY - Officer (Shane Mosley) arrested for sending female minor sexual text messages

Original Article

09/28/2012

By Charles Gazaway

LA GRANGE (WAVE) – An Oldham County police officer is facing both criminal and administrative charges after being accused of sending suggestive text messages to a juvenile.

According to a press release, Oldham County Police were contacted on September 26 by the juvenile, a female, who said she had received text messages from someone claiming to be an Oldham County officer.

The girl told police she was contacted again the next day by the same person, but this time the messages contained "specific, graphic sexual references" and other communications said to be illegal or inappropriate.

Oldham County Police said their investigation was able to identify the person sending the messages as Officer Shane Mosley.

An arrest warrant was issued for Mosley charging him with unlawful use of electronic means to induce a minor or engage in sexual or other prohibited activities, official misconduct and unlawful transaction with a minor.

Mosley was arrested on Friday and booked into the Oldham County Jail. Officials said he immediately resigned from the department.