Seiling Police Chief Arrested For Child Sex Crime

  Meeks was arrested on a complaint of lewd molestation. The victim, under the age of 16.

SEILING, Oklahoma -

An Oklahoma police chief is arrested and booked into jail for a child sex crime. Right now, Seiling police chief Kelly Meeks is behind bars and on administrative leave without pay.

Dewey County sheriff's deputies were called out to the home of Meeks early Saturday morning. The Dewey County sheriff says so far the chief has been coopering with investigators.

"It shocked the entire community," said Dewey County Sheriff, Clay Sander.

"It kinda makes me mad, because he's been here in this town, and him doing something like that, it's not right," said Seiling resident, Tommy Varnell.

In a town of less than 1,000, it doesn't take long for news to spread. Around 3:30 a.m. Saturday, the Dewey County Sheriff's office got a call for assistance in Seiling.

Sheriffs deputies arrived at the home of the police chief. 

"I'm still in shock. I don't know what to think, because I didn't see him like that, I really didn't," said Varnell.

"This is kind of disturbing, really disturbing. I mean we have kids running all over the streets," said resident Robin Flowers.

Meeks was arrested on a complaint of lewd molestation. The victim, under the age of 16.

"It's always hard in law enforcement when we have to arrest one of our own," said Sheriff Sander. "No matter what that crime is, police officers are held to a higher standard."

Sheriff Sander says the alleged molestation happened inside Chief Meeks home. The chief is married with five children, and well respected in the community.

"Been a member of this community for several years, been in law enforcement most of his adult life," Sheriff Sander said.

"It's just kinda overwhelming," said Flowers. "Who can you trust anymore."

The Dewey County Sheriff's Office will handle Seiling's emergency calls while Chief Meeks is under investigation. Meeks is expected to be officially charged Tuesday at the Dewey County Courthouse. His bond is set at $100,000.

Cop arrested on child porn charges

PEABODY — A retired Peabody police officer has been charged with storing and sharing child pornography on his computer.

Joseph Ferrante, 60, of 30 Bresnahan St., Peabody, is scheduled to be arraigned this morning in Peabody District Court on charges stemming from an investigation by the state police Internet Crimes Against Children unit, according to court papers.

Ferrante was arrested at his home on Monday after troopers obtained a search warrant that allowed them to seize and examine Ferrante’s computers. A preliminary search confirmed that among the items on the computer’s hard drive was a video of two boys engaging in sexual activity.

That is the same video Sgt. Michael Hill found when he visited a file-sharing network in September.

The video, with the name “bibcam,” (short for “boys in bedroom”) depicted adolescent boys, 12 and 14, engaging in sexual acts. It was one of the videos listed on the file-sharing site as being available from a specific computer within the group.

Hill also found another video showing a boy under the age of 10 engaging in sexual activity with an older male. As the investigation continued, Hill was able to link directly to the same computer and found another video, this one described as a “preteen hard-core” video of an 8-year-old girl.

Using the IP address of the computer, prosecutors sought a subpoena from Comcast and learned the identity of the subscriber, Ferrante.

On Monday, they showed up at Ferrante’s home with a search warrant.

Trooper James Dowling confronted Ferrante, who initially acknowledged only that he had “passed by” child porn.

Ferrante admitted to using the file-sharing service and admitted that he had both searched for and viewed child pornography. But he allegedly told investigators he did not believe there was child pornography on his computer.

A trooper who did a preliminary search found, in addition to the video of the two adolescent boys, files with names that suggested that they also contained child pornography. Police took the computer for a full search.

Ferrante, who is divorced, was released late Monday on $5,000 bail set by an assistant clerk magistrate following his arrest.

Ferrante is facing charges of possession and dissemination of child pornography. The possession charge carries up to a five-year prison term, but dissemination of child pornography carries a minimum mandatory 10-year term and up to 20 years in prison

Warren cop gets nearly five years for sex with student

A 63-year-old ex-cop was ordered to serve at least 57 months to 15 years in prison for having sex with a 16-year-old female student whom he knew from her school.
Dale Malesh of Roseville was sentenced following an emotional hearing in Macomb County Circuit Court in Mount Clemens that included a scathing letter from the victim who criticized police, prosecutors, fellow students, the news media and social media for their roles in the case. The victim opposed charges against her former lover.
“I am saddened, sickened and from what has happened, not from the relationship that Dale and I shared but from the negative attention that has surrounded the situation,” she said in a letter read by victim advocate Johanna Delp. “I have been teased and harassed via social media, followed throughout the halls by fellow students with video cameras. I have felt intimidated by those in authority working the case. I felt more victimized by them than anyone else. I’m supposed to be the victim here and have been treated somewhat as a criminal.
She said police detectives demanded her telephone, followed her to school to deliver a subpoena and had her telephone “tapped.” She was interviewed about details of the allegations by two male investigators instead of females, she said.
“Extreme measures were used to strong arm me into cooperating,” she said.
She said she was never coerced, pressured or forced by Malesh into the sexual acts, which officials estimated numbered about 50.
“The letter says it all,” said Nedhal Malesh, the defendant’s ex-wife who attended the sentencing with Malesh’s two adult children.
The victim sat in the courtroom with her mother and a handful of teenage girls, including the 16-year-old victim and her mother in a case from the same school involving former ninth-grade basketball coach Derek Knoll, 24, of Warren. Knoll was sentenced Thursday to six months in jail and five years probation after pleading guilty to four counts of second-degree criminal sexual conduct.
Police learned about the incidents involving Knoll from text messages with Malesh’s victim.
The girl called the case “a travesty of justice” that Malesh was charged even though she was 16, the age of consent for sex. He was prosecuted under a law that prevents sexual relations between someone in authority who uses his or her position to exploit a student aged 16 to 18.
The victim met Malesh while he still was a Warren police officer assigned as a school resource officer in the Warren Woods Public Schools. Malesh began helping her when she was 11 and being bullied at Warren Woods Middle School. That help continued at Warren Woods-Tower High School, where she completed her junior year last year.
Malesh pleaded guilty to 14 counts of third-degree criminal sexual conduct.
The sentence also followed a graphic description of acts between Malesh and the girl gleaned from text-message transcripts by Assistant Macomb Prosecutor Nicole Blank.
Blank accused Malesh of “grooming” the girl since middle school and “corrupting” and “manipulating” her into engaging in a variety of sexual escapades, including trying to indoctrinate her into his “swinger lifestyle.”
“She was vulnerable,” she said. “He worked his way into her life.”
Her nickname for him was “daddy,” Blank said.
Malesh knew his behavior was wrong by telling the girl in a text, “This … sucks. It (their relationship) would never be acceptable.”
She accused Malesh of violating the cop “code” to “serve and protect.”
“He had the utmost responsibility of taking care of children,” she said.
She also criticized his inability to admit to wrongdoing. He pleaded guilty after losing legal arguments to dismissed the charges based on the fact that he had retired from the job, although he remained as a volunteer at the school.
The sentencing hearing was delayed for about three hours after Judge Mary Chrzanowski balked at her prior agreement to sentence Malesh at the bottom of the sentencing guideline range. But despite to appear to mull a longer term, she decided to stick to her promise.
“I have respect for you as a police officer. But I have no respect for your behavior,” she told Malesh. “This is very disgusting to me.”
Malesh’s attorney Steve Kaplan said, “We are pleased with the graciousness of the court to sentence the defendant at the lower end of the guidelines.”
Kaplan said he hopes the Michigan Department of Corrections will provide extra protection for Malesh in prison due to his ex-cop role. He was an officer in Sturgis for 20 years and in Warren for 13 years.

“My client hopes to be an ideal prisoner and expects to become a contributing member of society when he is released,” he said

Norristown police officer charged with sexual assault of minor in Chester County

NORRISTOWN — A Norristown police officer has been charged with sexually assaulting a 12-year-old girl.
Nicholas Santo, 47, of North Coventry, was arraigned in front of Chester County District Judge James DeAngelo on Sept. 18, according to Priya DeSouza, the Chester assistant district attorney prosecuting the case. His bail was set at the full amount of $25,000 which was later paid in full.
According to the affidavit of probable cause, on Sept. 18 Chester County detectives received a report that a young girl had been sexually assaulted. The report stated Santo allegedly sexually assaulted the girl Sept. 13.
During the interview with Chester County detectives, the victim alleged she was lying with her brother on Santo’s bed at his home. She told police the three were snuggled together because it was cold, and Santos touched her inappropriately.
Norristown Chief of Police Willie Richet said Santo is on administrative leave pending the results of the investigation and subsequent trial.
Richet said he was surprised when he heard about the charges against Santo.
“I was surprised. It seems out of character for him,” Richet said.
Santo will face a preliminary hearing Nov. 21 in front of District Judge DeAngelo. He faces charges of aggravated assault, indecent assault, corruption of minors and endangering the welfare of children.
Santo has been a police a officer for nearly 20 years. In February 2011, he became the subject of an investigation after he shot a man to who was trying to run him down with a car on Pearl Street. Santo fired through the windshield, wounding the 21-year-old driver, who sped off and was arrested the next day at a Philadelphia hospital where he had gone for treatment. The man was charged with aggravated assault and car theft.

The Norristown Police Department conducted an internal review and concluded Santo had followed police policy in a satisfactory manner. The Montgomery County District Attorney’s concluded the shooting was justified.

Cop in fed court on child-porn charge

ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) - The Albuquerque police officer at the center of a federal child pornography investigation made his first appearance in federal court Thursday morning. Nelson Begay was arrested at his home near Lomas and Eubank boulevards in northeast Albuquerque Wednesday after a month-long probe by Homeland Security Investigations. Begay is accused of downloading and viewing child pornography showing girls as young as 3 being victimized.  He allegedly told federal investigators he had a child-porn problem dating back to 2005 when he was stationed in Korea while serving in the military. Begay resigned from the Albuquerque Police Department Tuesday night just hours before his arrest. He was on the force for five years.

Ex-police officer convicted of child sex abuse

WASHINGTON (AP) — A D.C. police officer has been convicted of sexually abusing a girl who participated in his church choir.A Superior Court jury on Thursday convicted 45-year-old Wendel Palmer of numerous offenses. Sentencing is set for Jan. 31. Prosecutors say that Palmer directed the girl in a choir at a D.C. church that she her and her family attended and which his family ran. Authorities say the abuse began when the victim was 10 or 11 years old, and occurred at the church during breaks in choir rehearsals and other places.The victim reported the abuse last year, after she turned 18.

NM police officer arrested in child porn case

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — An  Albuquerque police officer has been arrested in connection with a federal child pornography case. Authorities say 32-year-old Nelson Begay was taken into custody Wednesday on suspicion of receiving and possessing computer images of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Shortly before his arrest, Begay resigned from the Albuquerque Police Department. He's scheduled to make his initial appearance in federal court Thursday morning.The New Mexico Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force executed a search warrant at Begay's home last week and seized computers and other files. Authorities say Begay allegedly was sharing child porn on file-sharing networks. A preliminary forensic examination of a laptop computer taken from Begay's home allegedly had more than 30 child pornography images.It was unclear Wednesday afternoon if Begay has a lawyer yet.

Macon cop resigns after being accused of statutory rape of 15-year-old

A Macon police officer accused of the statutory rape of a 15-year-old resigned from the force Friday.

Precinct 4 Officer Rory Qualls, 23, resigned after being arrested on charges of statutory rape involving a 15 year-old female he met on an Internet dating site in July, according to a police news release.

The incident was reported to Macon police Thursday by the mother of the girl, the release stated.

Qualls was released from the Bibb County jail late Friday on a $11,200 bond, according to the jail website.

Qualls, who moved to Macon for police training in September 2012, was sworn in as an officer in March.

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Fired cop accused of suggestive comments to raped teen

CLEARWATER, Fla. - A Pinellas County Sheriff's deputy is out of a job, accused of inappropriate conduct while interviewing a 17-year-old alleged sexual assault victim then not properly filing a report.

Deputy Paul Martin was a 25-year veteran of the sheriff's office, but he had a list of disciplinary problems.

"I'm not going to tolerate it," said Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri. "I'm not going to have it. This is the third issue since 2011."

The latest case involved the interview of a 17-year-old alleged rape victim. The sheriff said Deputy Martin asked the victim sexually inappropriate questions that had nothing to do with the case.

"He engaged in really what was horrendous conduct, totally inappropriate conduct."

Some of the questions were so dirty we were unable to repeat them on television. The victim later testified the detective's interview techniques were "awkward, weird, rude and uncomfortable..." making her "lose respect" for the detective.

"She mentioned somehow that she was with a friend going to Busch Gardens and he turns that into, 'Are you into girls and into lesbian sex?'" said Gualtieri.

According to the report, when questioning the victim about exchanging money for sex, he said, "Sounds like my ex-wife," and was also overheard by the victim saying he enjoyed going "to strip clubs."

The final straw was when a child protection investigator reported seeing the detective reach out to lift up the girl's shirt after she reported intentionally cutting herself years ago.

Martin said he was intentionally trying to make the victim feel uncomfortable so she'd tell the truth. The sheriff's office said he overstepped interview boundaries and violated agency policy.

Wyoming officer faces new sexual assault charges

The suspended Wyoming Borough police officer accused of hosting underage drinking parties and having sex with two teens was hit with new charges Wednesday alleging he had sex with two 14-year-old girls.

Cody Lee Smith, 21, of Wyoming, is facing new charges of statutory sex assault, corruption of minors, aggravated indecent assault and furnishing alcohol to minors. Prosecutors say he had sex with three 14-year-olds and a 16-year-old, and they are looking into whether there are more victims.

"The investigation is ongoing," Assistant District Attorney Jenny Roberts said.

Court documents filed Wednesday allege Smith met a 14-year-old girl in July 2012 when he picked her and three friends up in his BMW and they drove around drinking beer, according to a police affidavit.

Smith began seeing the girl until August, bringing her to his home to have sex and attend underage drinking parties, according to the complaint. He and the teen had sex at least nine or 10 times on a couch in the living room or on Smith's mother's bed, police said.

On one occasion, Smith gave the girl a morning-after pill, police said.

In another case, Smith is accused of having sex with a 14-year-old girl in the summer of 2012. Smith had sex with the girl just once in an upstairs bedroom, according to the affidavit.

Smith was already facing charges of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, statutory sex assault, aggravated indecent assault and corruption of minors in connection with two other girls.

In one case he is accused of having sex with a 14-year-old girl he met at the Luzerne County Fair in the summer of 2012. The girl reported Smith gave teens alcohol on "numerous occasions" at his home and that she had a sexual relationship with Smith until he turned 21 on June 30, when he told her he could not continue to see her, court documents allege.

He is also charged with corruption of minors in a case alleging he had sex with a 16-year-old girl.

Magisterial District Judge Joseph Carmody arraigned Smith on the latest charges Wednesday afternoon and set his bail at $10,000. Smith, who was already free on $60,000 bail, immediately posted the new amount, court records show.

A preliminary hearing was set for 9 a.m. Nov. 27.

Staunton cop sentenced to five years in prison

Sporting orange jail clothing, and with his wrists handcuffed and ankles shackled by chains, former Staunton police officer John C. Nuckolls pleaded guilty Tuesday to sex charges that were the result of a covert online sting operation by his one-time colleagues last spring.

In a plea agreement with the Staunton prosecutor’s office, Nuckolls, 55, was sentenced to five years in prison on two counts each of attempted indecent liberties with a child and soliciting a child for sex via electronic means.

Nuckolls, who hung his head for much of the hearing, declined to address the court when given a chance by Circuit Judge Charles Ricketts III.

“I’ll refrain at this time, your honor,” Nuckolls said.

Staunton Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Anne Reed said Nuckolls was lured by a fake Craigslist ad posted in May by Cpl. Jeremy Campbell, an investigator with the Staunton Police Department. Campbell posed as a 14-year-old girl and portrayed the fictitious teen as “bored, lonely and heartbroken,” Reed said.

Nuckolls answered the ad and began communicating with Campbell on May 14 through Yahoo! Messenger.

Evidence showed that Nuckolls quickly became enticed by the fictitious teen, peppering her with questions about her age, school, family, her mother’s work hours, the teen’s sexual history and even her 18-year-old ex-boyfriend.

“He stated he could put her ex to shame,” Reed said.

Nuckolls also said he wanted to “relive his youth” with the girl, according to evidence.

Much of the online communications were sexual, Reed said, despite Nuckolls thinking the girl was 14.

After being told the teen was a Shelburne Middle School student, Nuckolls checked on her status and grew suspicious after he couldn’t find her registered at the school. Nuckolls also reached out to a Staunton police officer and asked if investigators were working on an undercover online sting operation, Reed said. The officer declined to divulge any details, and Nuckolls continued his pursuit.

Nuckolls made plans to pick up the teen at her house on the night of May 19 while her mother was away at work. Police used a vacant home on Winthrop Street as the meeting place and had a female officer on the front steps with several unmarked cars nearby.

After arriving at the residence, Nuckolls was arrested at the scene. Police found a packaged condom in the driver’s side door of his vehicle.

A 26-year veteran who was a school resource officer for the last five years of his career, Nuckolls retired from the police force in 2008.

Nuckolls faced a maximum of 20 years in prison, but Reed said the 5-year term was in line with others convicted locally on similar charges.

Placed on probation for 10 years, Nuckolls is to have no contact with female minors and will be evaluated for sex offender treatment

Chicago cop charged with molesting girl, and later, her daughter

A veteran Chicago Police officer molested a minor girl years ago and similarly attacked the victim’s 3-year-old daughter late last month, Cook County prosecutors said Wednesday.

Allen Hall forced his first victim to masturbate him while he was in his bed at his Austin home when the girl was 13, Assistant State’s Attorney Maura White said.

The girl told her mother what had happened, but authorities were never contacted at the time of the incident, which took place in either 2005 or 2006, White said.

Between 2007 and 2009, Allen also allegedly touched the girl’s breasts and groin in exchange for gifts.

Then, two weeks ago, Allen molested his victim’s toddler after he drove them to a currency exchange in the 5100 block of West Madison, White said.

When the older victim, now 21, went inside to make a purchase, Allen allegedly made the 3-year-old touch his penis.

The child’s mother noticed that the little girl’s demeanor had changed and that she was seated in the front of the car — not in the back passenger seat where she was before, White said.

The girl later told her mother that Hall made her touch his stomach but she later said he made her touch his “pee pee,” White said.

Hall was arrested Tuesday after his older victim contacted police and told detectives what Hall did to her and her daughter, White said. Hall is related to both alleged victims.

Hall, 60, works at the desk in the 14th District police station. He’s a 19-year police veteran with an “impeccable” background, Hall’s attorney Richard Blass said.

“We deny the allegations wholeheartedly,” the defense attorney said following Wednesday’s bond hearing, in which Hall was ordered held in lieu of $20,000 bail for aggravated criminal sexual abuse charges involving the mother and daughter.

“This came out of left field. . . . He feels terrible. His good reputation is at stake. . . . He just received an award for good attendance. There’s no blemishes on his record whatsoever, and now this just hit him like a brick wall.”

Since his arrest, Hall turned himself in, cooperated with detectives and has even moved out of his house and into his brother’s home, Blass said.

The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services has also launched an investigation into the matter, prosecutors said, adding that another victim of Hall’s also came forward in 2011 but that authorities were barred from prosecuting the officer in that case because the incidents took place between 1986 and 1992, which exceeded the statute of limitations.

According to a police report, Hall’s third alleged victim, now 34, said he touched her inappropriately when she was between 8 and 10 years old.

On Wednesday Judge Maria Kuriakos Ciesil said Hall, of the 200 block of North Menard, would be allowed to keep his service revolver for work purposes while he was out on bond but said he cannot have any contact with minors.

Hall has been relieved of his police powers and placed on administrative duties pending the outcome of his trial, police spokesman Adam Collins said.

Prince George’s County Police Officer Charged With Sexual Assault of Minor in Calvert Countys

A Prince George's County Police lieutenant is in custody on $100,000 bond after being charged with counts of rape and sexual abuse of a minor. He is now suspended from the police force. Prince George's County Bureau Chief Tracee Wilkins details the accusations against him.

The Calvert County Sheriff’s Office arrested a Prince George’s County police officer Tuesday on 16 counts of rape and sexual assault of a minor.

The alleged abuse began in 2008 when the victim was 13 years old and continued through last year.

The Prince George’s County Police Department suspended Lt. John Warhurst, 42, upon learning of the allegations and is cooperating with the Calvert County Sheriff’s Office in the investigation.

The victim is a relative of Warhurst's wife, Aimee Warhurst, who is named as a co-conspirator in charging documents but has not been charged.

According to charging documents, the defendant’s wife sent a text to the victim saying, “You know I love you and would do anything for you. We actually both care about you. I need you to understand that (if) you or [name protected] ever say anything I will have a more severe punishment than John because we are related. I could go to jail for the rest of my life. Please think about that…”

John Warhurst is a 21-year veteran of the police force.

Sex assault charge lands cop in prison for year

WAILUKU » A former Maui police sergeant was sentenced Wednesday to a one-year jail term on a charge of molesting a teenage girl.

Paul Bailey, 46, of Kahu­lui was charged with third-degree sexual assault but pleaded no contest to second-degree assault in a deal with prosecutors. He denies he sexually assaulted the girl.

Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Robert Rivera said Bailey was driving the then-16-year-old girl home last year when he stopped in a dark, secluded area and began groping her and forced her to touch him sexually.

Bailey maintained the accusations are false, arguing they stem from a dispute between him and the girl's mother. He said the girl asked him to pull over because she wanted to discuss politics.

He was rubbing her back when she said he was touching her breast and immediately took his hand away, according to defense attorney Ben Summit.

He should have known better than to put himself in that situation, Bailey said.

"I take responsibility for what happened that night, even for false accusations," he said. "I take responsibility for my poor judgment, and I want to make sure my family is not hurt because of the situation. Nothing like this will ever happen again."

Judge Richard Bissen told Bailey he doesn't dispute letters of praise on his behalf, but he also believes the victim's claims, the Maui News reported.

Bailey served in the Marine Corps and was an 18-year veteran of the Maui Police Department, his attorney said.

"I have gone from being a respected officer in the Police Department to driving a trash truck," Bailey said. "I'm not complaining, but the difference is a huge effect on me. I feel I have already been punished."

Cop gets 10 years for child pornography

Tucson police officer caught with child pornography will spend the next decade in prison.

Pima County Superior Court Judge Jane Eikleberry sentenced Martin Louis Henry Ward on Monday to 10 years in prison for sexual exploitation of a minor followed by lifetime probation for a second count of sexual exploitation of minor.

U.S. marshals arrested Ward, 29, in Prescott in May in connection with a Tucson Police Department investigation into his participation on websites that allow users to share and download child pornography images and videos.

In a rapid stream-of- consciousness rant at Monday’s sentencing hearing, Ward lashed out at the Tucson Police Department, local media and his attorney.

“To the Tucson Police Department: The next time you want to take a shot at me behind my back, aim at my head,” Ward said.

In pseudo-prophetic tones, Ward suggested he would produce evidence of Tucson Police Department wrongdoing that would “eclipse” anything about his case.

Ward also attacked media coverage of his case and past legal troubles, saying it amounted to “collective group think” and “specious words.”

“This cup of malevolence is overflowing, and I’m not going to drink from it,” he said.

Deputy Pima County Attorney Frances Kreamer Hope said police found many more images and videos of child pornography on Ward’s computer than were contained in the two counts to which he pleaded guilty.

Kreamer Hope said the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children had identified some of the children in the images on Ward’s computer.

Ward began as a Tucson police officer in 2007 and resigned this year.

A TPD internal investigation into Ward from 2012 said he knowingly consumed prescription medication with alcohol, disobeyed direct orders, lied about a marriage and forged documents in order to receive Family and Medical Leave benefits. Also, Ward’s former girlfriend had an order of protection against him because of threats he made against her.

In 2012, police arrested Ward for assault as well.

At Monday’s sentencing, Ward neither apologized nor accepted responsibility for any wrongdoing.

Rather, he told the judge his five years with the Tucson Police Department should qualify as mitigation against the charges .

cop finally gets prison for crimes against kids

LEO HALEY MANAGED to escape jail time in two cases involving crimes against children in the last two years, as detailed in Tuesday's Daily News cover story.
But yesterday, as a disturbing new allegation emerged in court, Haley's luck ran out when he was sentenced to 3 1/2 to 7 years in state prison for violating his parole.
"He's received leniency on multiple occasions," Haley's parole officer, Carissa Tillotson, told Judge George Pagano in Delaware County Court. "Instead of making a conscious decision to change, he then escalated his behavior."
In the first case, Haley, now 73, received house arrest and probation in a plea deal with Delaware County authorities in 2011 for possessing and disseminating hundreds of images of child pornography on his computer. As a result of his conviction, Haley was required to register for life as a sexual predator under Megan's Law.

While still on parole, Haley attempted to lure Donna Harte's 8-year-old daughter from the front yard of her Roxborough home in 2012. Haley grabbed the child by the neck and threatened to kill her but was scared away, authorities said.
Despite his status as a Megan's Law offender on parole, the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office struck a plea deal with Haley, a retired Philadelphia Police inspector, for five years' probation on a single count of terroristic threats.

SC officer released pending trial on charges he sent explicit photos to Iowa girl, 13

A South Carolina police officer has been released from custody while awaiting trial on charges that he sent explicit photos of himself to a 13-year-old Iowa girl.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Ross Walters in Des Moines approved the release of 30-year-old Andrew Haney under several conditions Friday, which include having no contact with the alleged victim.

Authorities say Haney was a West Columbia police officer when he met the girl through a social media website last month. They say they identified Haney after he sent the girl a photo with his police badge with the state seal visible in the photo. He's charged with transferring obscene materials to a minor.

West Columbia's police chief has said Haney has been fired.

A public defender representing Haney didn't immediately return a message.

Pinecrest police officer arrested, accused of having sex with a 16-year-old

A Pinecrest police officer accused of illegally having sex with a 16-year-old girl was relieved of duty without pay Friday. Kevin McKenzie, 38, an officer since 2000, was arrested early Friday and charged with four counts of unlawful sexual activity with a minor.

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/10/25/3711387/pinecrest-officer-arrested-for.html#storylink=cpy

police officer jailed for child sex abuse

A retired police sergeant who was extradited from Australia and convicted of child sex abuse committed in the UK was jailed today for 18 years.
Jeffrey Lake, 78, was arrested at his home in Queensland, Australia, to stand trial on the historic offences - the vast majority of which were committed when he was a serving police officer in Accrington, Lancashire, and Liverpool.
The defendant emigrated in 2002 and had been living there for seven years when one of his two victims walked into a police station in Lancashire and said Lake had sexually and physically abused her as a child.
The woman was interviewed at length and when the investigation widened a man came forward and said he too had been abused by the defendant, Preston Crown Court was told.
He was arrested in Peregian Springs earlier this year and brought to the UK where he denied the allegations against him, said to have taken place in the 1960s and early 1970s.
Last week a jury unanimously found him guilty of 20 charges of historic abuse including rape, buggery, indecency with a child, indecent assault and child cruelty.
Sentencing him, Mr Justice King said each offence was a "serious example" of sexual and physical abuse which was committed in a sustained way.
Each of the two complainants had been deprived of achieving their full potential in adulthood as a consequence, he added.
The judge continued: "Each has suffered from deep depression over the years. Each has felt suicidal and attempted suicide.

Bond set for DeKalb cop arrested on child molestation charge

A DeKalb County police officer was accused Thursday of showing a 13-year-old pornography and trying to undress her.
Eighteen-year police veteran Manuel Williams was arrested Wednesday and charged with child molestation, police said.
Williams, 49, admitted to the charges and offered his resignation, DeKalb County Police Chief Cedric Alexander said Wednesday.
In his first court appearance on Thursday, Williams’ bond was set at $10,000 after DeKalb County Magistrate Claire B. Jason read the allegations against him.
“The accused allowed the victim to view pornography with him, kissed her on the neck, touched her” and tried to undress her, Jason said.
The alleged incident took place at Williams’ home in September 2012, police said.
The girl reported the alleged incident to her mother in a letter approximately a year later, according to a DeKalb County Police arrest warrant obtained by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
“The father of the 13-year-old victim reported it to police on Oct. 12,” Alexander told reporters on Wednesday. “It’s very disheartening for all of us here at DeKalb Police.”
The girl was interviewed by police, and the arrest warrant says Williams confessed.

authorities arrest policeman accused of having child pornography in his home.

ROSEBURG, Oregon — Douglas County authorities arrested a retired policeman accused of having child pornography in his home.
Leland Benson was booked into the county jail on suspicion of encouraging child sex abuse.
The sheriff's office says it served a searched warrant Tuesday at Benson's home in the unincorporated community of Rice Hill. Investigators searched computers and other electronic devices for images of children depicted in sexually explicit conduct.
The Roseburg News-Review (http://is.gd/2OGUwx ) reports the 67-year-old Benson spent 25 years with the Coos Bay Police Department and later came out of retirement to reorganize the Sutherlin Police Department and spend five months as the Myrtle Creek police chief before retiring again in 2000.

Officer placed on unpaid leave

By MICHAEL ANICH , The Leader Herald

JOHNSTOWN - Suspended city police officer Adam Schwabrow, accused of statutory rape in a case involving a teenage girl, appeared in City Court on Thursday and was placed on unpaid administrative leave for 30 days.

His City Court case also was adjourned until Nov. 21. Acting City Court Judge Lisa Lorman set Schwabrow's next court appearance for 9 a.m. that day.

The judge said there is still an order of protection for the alleged victim in this case. Police are declining to get into specifics about the case, including how the officer knows the alleged victim or whether the alleged sexual activity took place while Schwabrow was on duty.

Schwabrow was arrested Sept. 19, charged by his own Police Department with third-degree rape, commonly known as statutory rape, a felony. If convicted, he faces the possibility of 1 1/3 to four years in state prison.

Since his arrest, he had been on paid suspension from the department.

City police Chief Mark Gifford said previously Schwabrow was arrested after an investigation revealed evidence he had sexual contact with a 16-year-old girl sometime over the past year and a half.

Schwabrow is free on $5,000 cash bail.

Gifford said effective Thursday, Schwabrow was put on administrative leave for 30 calendar days without pay.

Schwabrow is a former Johnstown Police Benevolent Association president and the department's current K-9 handler.

The defendant had been collecting pay since his arrest, but the chief said that was only because of a "logistical situation" involving his department. He said his department had to contact city labor attorney Elayne Gold. He said it "takes time and paperwork" to suspend a public employee without pay, and he didn't have the ability to do so at the time of the arrest.

Gold said Thursday Schwabrow works under the terms of his PBA police union contract. She said he couldn't be put on leave without pay unless he was formally served with a notice of discipline, which occurred Thursday.

The 32-year-old Schwabrow was placed on unpaid leave from his other job as director of the Montgomery County Emergency Management Office on Sept. 24.

He appeared in court Thursday morning with attorney Michael McDermott of the Albany-based law firm O'Connell and Aronowitz.

"The attorneys indicated we're not at a point where we can talk about a resolution," Lorman stated.

Lorman, normally the assistant Amsterdam City Court judge, presided over the short appearance. Also appearing was special prosecutor Jennifer Buckley, a Saratoga County assistant district attorney.

Johnstown City Court Judge Thomas Walsh and Fulton County District Attorney Louise Sira recused themselves from the case.

After Schwabrow's arrest, Sira said the alleged crime took place in the city of Johnstown. She said there has been no allegation or evidence of forced sexual contact between Schwabrow and the alleged victim. She said forced sexual contact typically falls under the category of first-degree rape, which has not been charged in this case. She explained that people younger than the age of 17 in New York state cannot legally consent to sexual contact with an adult.

After Thursday's court appearance, Schwabrow was fingerprinted and processed at the Police Department downstairs at City Hall. He left the building through the special police-only exit and quickly went to his car.

Speaking outside City Hall to area media, McDermott said Thursday's short court proceeding was a "status appearance" to see where the litigants are in the case.

"He's entered a plea of not guilty," the defense attorney said. "Other than that, I'm not going to get into any elements of the case."

McDermott added it is a "difficult time, obviously" for Schwabrow. He characterized the criminal charges against his client as "a very vague allegation from two years ago."

After the proceeding, the defendant's father, Dwight Schwabrow, waited downstairs in City Hall with an unidentified clergyman. At one point, the father was allowed into the usually locked police department to talk to his son.

Outside of City Hall, Dwight Schwabrow said of his son, "He's doing OK. We're giving him support."

Michael Anich covers Johnstown and Fulton County news. He can be reached at 

South Carolina Officer Charged With Sending Photos To Iowa Teen

WEST COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) A West Columbia police officer has been charged with sending explicit photos of himself to a 13-year-old girl in Iowa.

Authorities said Wednesday 30-year-old Andrew Alan Haney had been charged with interstate commerce of obscene materials to a person under 16.

Police say Haney met the girl in Polk County, Iowa, through a social media website last month.

Authorities say they identified Haney as a suspect after he sent the girl a photo with his police badge with the state seal visible in the photo.

West Columbia Police Chief Dennis Tyndall says Haney has been fired from the force. Haney was expected in court Thursday, and it wasn't clear if he had an attorney.

Officer Charged With Six Felonies After Receiving Nude Photos From Teen

CINCINNATI (AP) — A Cincinnati police officer has been charged with six felonies after being accused of receiving nude photographs of a 17-year-old girl, improperly using a city apartment and tampering with evidence.

The Hamilton County Prosecutor’s Office said Monday the charges came after the girl’s father complained to police about Officer Darrell Beavers.

The man’s daughter was in the department’s Police Explorer program for teens interested in becoming police officers.

Beavers’ number is unlisted and it’s unclear whether he has an attorney yet.

Cincinnati police did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday.

Beavers is also accused of using a police-controlled apartment for personal use and destroying a cell phone after he learned he was being investigated.

cop arrested on sex charge

 -- A Bellevue police officer was arrested Wednesday on a charge of sexual battery.

According to reports, Bradley McMahon, 41, of Fremont, admitted to having sex with a 17-year-old girl on three different occasions. McMahon, who was arraigned Thursday, is being held at the Sandusky County Jail. McMahon is due for a hearing at 8:30 a.m. Monday at Bellevue Municipal Court.

The sexual battery charge is a third-degree felony.

Hayward cop arrested for child molestation at previous job

A Hayward police officer was arrested over the weekend on suspicion of sexually abusing several girls in Livermore before he became part of the force, Livermore police said Monday.

Hayward police Officer Richard McLeod, 38, of Livermore, was arrested Saturday on suspicion of sexual conduct with girls between the ages of 12 and 14 while he was working at the Kids Zone in Livermore between 1998 and 2007.

The Kids Zone is an after-school program for middle school students. It is located at 6500 Garaventa Ranch Road.

According to Livermore police, the abuse occurred before McLeod became a police officer and there was no evidence that the sexual abuse occurred while working as an officer, but investigators were still looking Monday.

“Nothing thus far, we've looked at everything and we haven't been able to discover anything that he's perpetrated any sex crimes since departing from the kid zone,” said Livermore Police Officer Steve Goard.

Police say they launched their investigation after a victim came to them several months ago. She claims that McLeod initiated a sexual relationship with her when she was in junior high school, which checked out, according to investigators.

In the course of the police investigation, officers said they found several other victims.

McLeod was lead coordinator for Livermore's kid zone program and they say he initiated a number of sexual relationships that lasted for years as the girls moved from junior high school to senior high school.

Officials from the Livermore-area Recreation and Parks District said Monday that they were cooperating with police, and that they had no idea McLeod was using the program to target minors.

“When we hire somebody as was the case with this person, we do a fingerprint check and background check,” said Livermore Area Recreation and Park District General Manager Tim Barry.

The Hayward Police Department has placed McLeod on administrative leave since his arrest.

According to jail records, he was scheduled to be arraigned at the Gale-Schenone Hall of Justice in Pleasanton Tuesday afternoon.

He was booked into Santa Rita Rail in Dublin and was being held on $750,000 bail.

Livermore police were looking Monday for more information about the ongoing investigation. Those with information were asked to call Livermore police at (925) 294-7531.

Woodland Park cop sentenced to five years for attempted assault on girl

Calling his crimes “horrible” and “mind-boggling” a judge Wednesday sentenced former Woodland Park police officer Steven E. Vigorito, Jr. to five years in prison for attempting to arrange to have sex with a girl whose mother had brought her to police headquarters seeking help.

“They came down to police headquarters seeking help for a problem,” Superior Court Judge Marilyn C. Clark told Vigorito during sentencing in Paterson. “And their problem was only exacerbated. A seventh-grader was seeking assistance. And what you did was horrible and incomprehensible.”

Clark sentenced Vigorito to two five-year sentences to run at the same time, the result of a plea deal in which the former cop pleaded guilty to attempted aggravated sexual assault and official misconduct. Under the deal, Vigorito is ineligible for parole and must register as a sex offender under Megan’s Law when he is released.

When he gets out of prison, Vigorito can never work in law enforcement again, and he will be subject to parole supervision for life, which severely restricts his movement and prohibits him from having access to the Internet.

Vigorito, 41, did not speak or offer an apology to the victim, now 14, who came to court with her mother and stepfather. The girl did not speak during sentencing, but her mother and stepfather lashed out at the man whose sworn duty as a cop was to protect and serve, but who tried to take advantage of a child through a series of sexually explicit text messages he sent in April 2012.

“What you have done is pathetic and let me tell you why,” the stepfather said. “With a family of little girls of your own, how could you have used your position and abuse and betray the trust of a family in need just to fulfill your heinous, selfish, perverse egregious sickness?”

The stepfather said Vigorito’s actions have created a “rippling effect” that will continue to impact the family.

“Today, you need to look at your family and feel the absolute shame and disgrace you have brought to your family name today and forever,” he said. “Today, we are doing what you swore to do and failed to do. We are serving justice. This community and the world is a safer place without you in it.”

The names of the girl’s parents are being withheld to protect the identity of the victim.

Vigorito stood with his eyes downcast as the girl’s mother followed and spoke of betrayal and the pain he has caused.

“Now, I am done suffering,” the mother added. “But your suffering shall begin.” A little while later she added, “You used your position of power to hurt us.”

Despite Vigorito’s attempts to seduce the girl, no sex ever took place. The child, after receiving the texts, went to her mother, who went back to the Woodland Park police. The Woodland Park police reported it to the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office, which set up an online sting operation that nabbed Vigorito.

Vigorito was originally indicted on charges of attempted aggravated sexual assault, attempted sexual assault and attempted endangering the welfare of a child, attempted luring, and official misconduct. Had he stood trial and been convicted on all counts, Vigorito faced more than 20 years in prison.

But Senior Assistant Prosecutor Joshua Vazquez said the plea bargain was arranged in part because it spared the child from the trauma of having to testify at a trial, and makes Vigorito subject to parole supervision for life.

“This will follow him for the rest of his life,” Vazquez said.

Vigorito, a 12-year veteran of the Woodland Park police department, met the girl after her family brought her to Woodland Park police headquarters in April 2012. The girl had been sneaking out of the house to meet a 17-year-old boy and the parents wanted to make a report. Vigorito took a statement from the girl and knew she was 12 years old at the time.

The police officer gave the girl his phone number during that meeting and told her to call him.

The girl told her mother, who contacted Woodland Park police. Woodland Park police called the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office, which set up an online sting operation in which detectives posed as the girl. At one point, Vigorito sent a picture of himself in uniform with his genitals exposed. He was arrested after he sent a text in which he propositioned the “girl” for sex, the state alleged.

Vigorito was being held in the Morris County Jail, but will serve his sentence in a state penitentiary, Vazquez said.

The girl and her family left the courtroom immediately after the sentencing, and paused in the hallway where the stepfather thanked the prosecutor’s office for its handling of the case and “for giving us a voice.”