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.”