Fairfax County Supervisor John W. Foust: Reward moral cowardice...send John Foust to Congre...

Fairfax County Supervisor John W. Foust: Reward moral cowardice...send John Foust to Congre...: As a county supervisor John Foust could have spoken out against the murders of unarmed, innocent citizens by the Fairfax County Police....

Former Irwindale police officer charged with molesting 14-year-old Explorer Program girl

IRWINDALE, California — A former Southern California police officer has been charged with molesting a 14-year-old girl in his department's Explorer Program.

Authorities say ex-Irwindale officer Daniel Camerano began a relationship with the girl while he was an adviser to the program. The eight-year department veteran also allegedly sent sexually suggestive text messages to another female Explorer.

He's charged with a half-dozen counts, including a felony of using a minor for sex acts, and faces nearly 5 ½ years in prison if convicted.

Camerano, who resigned this week, was arrested Wednesday but is free on bail.

It wasn't immediately clear whether he'd obtained an attorney.

School cop sentenced for groping students

By Michelle Casady

SAN ANTONIO — A former San Antonio Independent School District officer who pleaded no contest to groping six middle school girls during pat-down searches in his private office was sentenced Monday to a year in Bexar County Jail.

Judge Maria Teresa Herr had the option of sentencing Walter Scott Nolden III, 33, to either a year's probation or one year in jail under the terms of a plea agreement he signed in April for the Class A misdemeanor.

Nolden was an officer at Page Middle School from January 2010 until April 2012, according to court files.

Each girl told a similar story about being called into his office under suspicion of being high or carrying marijuana. They reported he would “peer down their shirts” and made some “expose their breasts” during his searches for narcotics.

Another girl said he “looked at her breasts three different times before releasing her” and “moved her breast around looking for marijuana.”

During an interview with police, Nolden said he “never touched in any of my searches.”

“I made a lot of bad choices but actually doing anything to harm or harass was never my intention,” he said. “Honestly, police work wasn't my calling. I always wanted to do something to help people and make an impact, but to be a police officer you have to be mean and hard and that's not me.”

Veteran Denver police officer, Tim Kelley, charged with child porn possession; resigns next day

Alan Gathright, John Ferrugia

DENVER - A veteran Denver police officer has resigned after being charged with felony possession of child pornography.

Timothy Joseph Kelley, 49, resigned from the Denver Police Department on Friday -- the same day the 19-year veteran surrendered to the Adams County Sheriff's Office.

The day before he resigned, Kelley was charged in an arrest warrant with one count of sexual exploitation of a child for allegedly possessing several graphic child pornography videos, according to an arrest affidavit obtained by CALL7 Investigator John Ferrugia.

Kelley worked for years in the Denver police crime lab and was lately assigned as a patrolman in District 5.

Kelley is free on a $5,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in Adams County court in July.

The affidavit alleges Kelley's online sharing of child pornography videos was committed between Nov. 17, 2013, and Jan. 6, 2014, from an Internet account at his Westminster condominium on West 112th Avenue.

The investigation began on Jan. 6 when a Douglas County sheriff's detective conducting an online investigation downloaded child pornography videos using a file sharing program from an unknown user's Comcast Internet account. Using a search warrant, the detective obtained Comcast records that identified the suspect as Kelley, the arrest affidavit stated.

On Jan. 23, the sheriff's detective began a joint investigation with a detective for the Westminster Police Department's Crimes Against Children Unit. The detectives learned the suspect computer's owner was using the online nickname "anon_62f50f7b@Ares" in chats with other file-sharing users.

The detectives found two of the videos they had downloaded from the suspect's Internet address showed adult males having sex with prepubescent boys, according to the arrest affidavit. One video title described a man having sex with an 8-year-old boy.

On May 23, Westminster police went to Kelley's condo to execute a search warrant. Kelley arrived home as the warrant was being served.

A detective read Kelley his Miranda rights to remain silent and to be represented by an attorney. Kelley said there was "no reason for me to talk to you right now," but he added that he wanted to be cooperative, the affidavit said.

Police seized several electronic devices from the condo, including an HP mini-laptop found in the master bedroom.

On the computer, investigators found at least seven complete videos, one partial video and one image that "appear to contain sexually exploitive material," the affidavit said. Five video files showed prepubescent boys and girls "engaging in sexual acts with each other and with adults," the affidavit stated.

The affidavit states that 160 of the files on Kelley's computer "contained identified victims of sexual exploitation" found on a database at the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children

Former Irwindale police officer arrested for alleged acts related to child pornography

By Sarah Favot,

IRWINDALE  A former Irwindale police officer was arrested Wednesday morning by Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies on suspicion of acts related to child pornography.

Daniel Camerano, 27, resigned from the police department Tuesday, Police Chief Anthony Miranda said.

Miranda declined further comment because the matter is a personnel issue.

Camerano was under investigation by the Sheriff’s Department Internal Criminal Investigations Bureau amid accusations he had inappropriate relationships with Explorer Scouts.

The sheriff’s department issued a warrant out of Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center in downtown Los Angeles, Kelley Ford, sheriff’s department jailer, said.

Ford said Camerano was arrested in Rancho Cucamonga.

Camerano was placed on paid administrative leave after the Police Department became aware of the allegations.

Camerano was booked Wednesday afternoon at the sheriff’s Walnut/Diamond Bar station on $240,000 bail.

He is expected to appear in court today, according to Ford.

Camerano is one of several Irwindale police officers arrested or under investigation amid allegations of wrongdoing.

Former police Sgt. David Fraijo was arrested in March on charges of kidnapping to commit another crime, forcible oral copulation, oral copulation under the color of authority, sexual battery by restraint and assault by a public officer.

Fraijo is accused of sexually assaulting a woman in 2012 during a traffic stop. The victim agreed to a settlement with the city for $400,000 in damages after she had initially filed a $20 million civil lawsuit.

In another case, former police officer Dennis Alva was sentenced last year to one year in county jail and five years probation for stealing his 89-year-old father’s life savings of $250,000.

Alva, 48, surrendered to deputies and pleaded no contest to one count of grand theft.

Two lawsuits have been filed against Officer Mario Camacho, a former lieutenant. A suit filed by Officer Rudy Campos claimed Campos didn’t get overtime and got bad performance evaluations after he voted against a contract item Camacho favored.

Another lawsuit filed claimed Camacho sexually harassed a non-sworn police cadet. The city’s insurance provider Joint Powers Insurance Authority pointed to these allegations of corruption in the police department as an area of concern when it placed the city on a Performance Improvement Plan last fall.

JPIA officials said the PIP was implemented due to a series of alleged misconduct and reports of criminal behavior against the police officers as well as criminal public corruption charges against city officials related to lavish trips taken to New York City, where officials spent $200,000 in public funds on expensive hotels and restaurants, limousine services and entertainment.

The charges of embezzlement, misappropriation of public funds and conflict of interest against Mayor Mark Breceda, City Councilman Manuel Garcia, former City Councilwoman, now planning commissioner, Rosemary Ramirez are pending in L.A. County Superior Court.

Retired finance director Abraham “Abe” De Dios pleaded no contest in April to one count of conflict of interest and was sentenced to three years probation.

Mansfield Cop Pleads Guilty To Child Pornography Charges

A  Mansfield police officer has agreed to plead guilty to charges that he produced and received child pornography, and tried to prevent his computer from being seized.

Retired Mansfield officer Robert Anderson agreed to plead guilty Monday to two counts of producing child pornography, and one count each of receiving child pornography and removal of property to prevent seizure.

Anderson’s public defender, Charles Fleming, says the plea agreement was deemed fair by both sides.

The 69-year-old Anderson was arrested Feb. 7 during a larger child porn sting. Prosecutors say he had an account on a website that he used to share pictures and videos of young girls’ underwear and nude juveniles.

New trouble looms for suspended Bunnell police officer

Officer Michael Stavris was put on leave after he was accused of using a fake Facebook account with his daughter’s identity to ask for naked pictures of boys.

Bunnell's city manager now says Stavris used a police database to snoop on three city commissioners.

The police chief said he's investigating to see why Stavris was looking up city lawmakers.

He remains suspended without pay.

Stavris previously worked as a police officer in Edgewater and a school security officer for the Duval County School District.

Former LSU police officer accused of child molestation

RYAN BROUSSARD

Former LSU police officer Thomas Eugene Fife, who was convicted of possessing child porn in 2010, was arrested on Wednesday after a man came forward with allegations that Fife molested him for years.

East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Deputies booked Fife, 67, 16426 Coliseum Ave., Baton Rouge, into Parish Prison on counts of sex crimes against children, prison records show.

Fife declined to comment on the allegations when reached by phone on Wednesday prior to his arrest, besides saying he was unaware that a warrant for his arrest had been issued.

The victim told deputies the molestation began in 1997 when he was 7 years old and continued until 2006, when the victim became fed up with it and threatened to tell people what Fife was doing, the arrest warrant says.

The first time it happened, Fife was driving the victim when he began touching the victim’s genitals, then forced the victim to touch Fife’s genitals, the warrant says.

According to the warrant, Fife continued molesting the boy for more than 10 years after the initial incident.

“The countless number of offenses occurred at two different houses that the accused owned, located with East Baton Rouge Parish,” Cpl. Jacques Jackson wrote in the warrant. “The victim also indicated that the accused would give him money after each encounter.”

The victim told deputies that the reason he waited so long to report the abuse was because he was afraid and embarrassed at what happened to him.

“He also indicated that he came forward because the accused ruined his life,” the warrant says.

Fife denied the allegation when questioned by deputies Saturday, saying the victim made the story up because he refused to give the victim money last July, the warrant says.

Deputies released Fife, but district court Judge Anthony Marabella found there was enough evidence to justify issuing a warrant for his arrest.

Fife pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography in federal court in Baton Rouge in 2010.

In a plea agreement with the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Fife admitted he knowingly possessed pictures of “minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct” and that some of the children were younger than 12.

He was sentenced to 18 months at the Federal Correctional Institute in Seagoville, Texas, southeast of Dallas. A spokesman for the federal Bureau of Prisons said Fife served just under 16 months after receiving 70 days credit for good behavior.

Fife was also fined $10,000, with 10 years of post-prison supervision. The arrest could lead to a judge revoking Fife’s probation from the 2010 guilty plea, meaning he could be kept in prison until a probation hearing is conducted, federal officials said.

The discovery of the pornographic images was made by LSU officers monitoring departmental computers with surveillance software, FBI officials have said.

After that discovery, LSU reported the matter to the FBI, which obtained a warrant to seize Fife’s computer, cellphone and other electronic devices from his office.

The FBI arrested Fife as part of the federal Project Safe Childhood investigations.

Fife, who had worked at the LSU Police Department for about 21 years, resigned four days after FBI agents seized his computer in July 2008.

Former DeKalb cop pleads guilty to child molestation

By Marcus K. Garner

A former DeKalb County police officer accused of molesting a girl will spend five years in jail, prosecutors said.

Manuel Williams pleaded guilty today to child molestation charges that accused him of inappropriately touching a girl in September 2012 while she was at his home.

Williams was arrested in October and resigned from the DeKalb County Police Department, where he’d spent 18 years, authorities said.

He was indicted last month on three counts of molestation, with prosecutors accusing him of kissing the girl on her neck and touching her inappropriately.

“[Williams] took an oath to protect and serve the people of DeKalb County. Instead, he molested a vulnerable young child,” DeKalb County District Attorney Robert James said in a statement emailed to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “It’s always disheartening to see sworn officers violate the public’s trust.”

An arrest warrant obtained by The AJC said that the victim reported the alleged incident in a letter to her mother approximately a year later.

The warrant also said Williams confessed.

Williams, through his attorney Gerald Griggs, vehemently denied the accusations and police assertions that he made a confession. He also questioned the girl’s story, noting the time lapse in reporting it.

By phone Tuesday, Griggs wouldn’t acknowledge Williams’ guilt, saying his client wanted to stay out of court.

“He wanted to avoid having to put his family through a painful trial,” Griggs told The AJC. “So he accepted responsibility.”

Williams was released from jail on $10,000 bond after his October arrest. He must turn himself in on Friday, Griggs said.

He will serve five years in state prison followed by five years of probation, prosecutors said.

Williams’ police certification was suspended by the Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council, and he must register as a sex offender, authorities said.

Montgomery police officer trainee charged with sodomy

Kym Klass

A Montgomery police officer trainee has been charged with three counts of first-degree sodomy following a sexual assault involving juvenile family members.

Jaboris Walker, 25, of Montgomery, was transported to the Montgomery County Detention Facility where he was being held under bonds totaling $280,000. He was charged following a sexual assault that occurred at about 3 a.m. Sunday morning in the 3800 block of Happiness Avenue, according to a Montgomery Police Department release. Further investigation revealed an additional victim and additional charges, according to the release. Walker was employed as an MPD trainee in January, and was currently attending the Montgomery Police Academy. Walker's employment with MPD was terminated following his arrest. The case is currently under investigation and no additional details are available for release.

Memphis Police Officer Accused of Sexually Assaulting Girl for 5 Years

By Michael Allen 

Steven Feinberg, a Memphis, Tenn. police officer, was arrested last week for allegedly sexually assaulting a girl for five years, beginning when she was 12 years old.

The Memphis Department of Children’s Services reportedly received an anonymous tip that Feinberg was sexually abusing the girl, who is now 17.

According to the police report, the victim told local police that the allegations were true and occurred in multiple homes that Feinberg has lived in over the years.

WREG reports that investigators claim Feinberg started touching the girl when she was 12 and began having sex with her when she turned 14.

According to his neighbors, the 33-year-old Feinberg is married with children.

Feinberg, who has been removed from duty, has been a Memphis police officer since 2007.

He is being charged with numerous counts, including sexual battery and statutory rape, notes WMC Action News 5.

Feinberg was arrested last Friday, but bailed out on Saturday by paying a $40,000 bond. He is due in court tomorrow, May 27.

Why former cop got probation for child sex crimes

A former police officer and mentor gets probation—not prison—after pleading guilty to child sex crimes.

Last year, Augusta cop Jerry Ballinger was arrested and charged with having sex with a 14-year-old girl. He entered a plea agreement and will serve his punishment outside the walls of prison.

Some are calling and a slap on the wrist.

Ballinger pleaded guilty in February to one count of aggravated indecent liberties with a child. And just this week, KAKE’s I-Team was the only TV crew in Butler County when Ballinger was sentenced to five years probation.

When the I-Team heard that sentence, we dug deeper to find out what the average sentence is for first time sex offenders.

In Kansas, it's is up to eight years behind bars and the convict will be placed on the state’s sex offender registry for the rest of their life.

Here’s what Judge David Ricke told the 44-year-old former cop in court:

“Ballinger falls into a category of offender who present a problem and concern for society,” he said, “and therefore must be watched closely the rest of his life and supervised.”

Ballinger worked in law enforcement for more that 20 years. He met his 14-year-old victim at the Augusta public safety office when she was volunteering as a junior firefighter.

The girl, a middle school student at the time, testified during a preliminary hearing that the cop befriended her. She said he took her out to the country several times and the two had sexual intercourse last year.

The victim’s father said he is furious with the probation sentence. He said what happened to his little girl will scar her for the rest of her life.

Assistant Butler County Attorney Cheryl Pierce prosecuted the case. She said that based on the fact that he’s 44-years-old and was a cop at the time, and the victim was a 14-year-old girl, Ballinger should be in prison based on that fact alone.

Butler County Attorney Darrin Divinney told the KAKE I-Team he entered the plea deal with Ballinger, saying, “Some cases have overwhelming evidence. This one had only circumstantial evidence. Given that fact, there was a far greater risk of acquittal.”

Divinney told the court he did not join in the defense request of just probation, but he also didn’t actively oppose the request.

Judge Ricke ruled that Ballinger would be better served for treatment on probation instead of behind bars, based on a doctor’s report.

“... The strength of doctor Steffan's evaluation report, which indicated that defendant was a low risk to reoffend, that the defendant was amenable to treatment, and that he had a favorable prognosis for treatment, and that he was favorable candidate for probation."

For many in the community, the sentence was a big disappointment.

2 Atlantic County Officers Arrested For Alleged Child Sexual Assault

Andre Corbin

MAYS LANDING, N.J. (CBS) – According to Atlantic County Prosecutor Jim McClain, two police officers have been arrested for separate and independent acts of child sexual assault and official misconduct.

Brigantine Police Officer Ralph Pereira, 43, was arrested on Monday.

He has been charged with several second degree offenses including official misconduct, sexual assault and endangering the welfare of a child. He was also charged with criminal sexual contact, a fourth degree crime.

It is alleged that Pereira committed the acts while holding a position of authority and disciplinary power over a 16-year-old female victim.

Pereira was sent to the Atlantic County Justice Facility in lieu of $100,000 cash bail.

A simultaneous investigation resulted in the arrest of Atlantic City Police Officer Andre Corbin, 43, on Monday.

Corbin was arrested in Atlantic City and charged with the following second degree offenses: official misconduct, sexual assault and endangering the welfare of a child. He was also charged with criminal sexual contact, a fourth degree offense.

Corbin allegedly committed the acts while in a position of authority and holding a position of disciplinary power over a 16-year-old female.

Corbin was sent to the Atlantic County Justice Facility and released after posting $100,000 cash bail.

Authorities say a crime of the second degree carries a potential sentence of five to 10 years of incarceration in prison. A crime of the fourth degree carries a potential sentence of imprisonment that cannot exceed 18 months.

Mountain View police officer arrested for child porn

Tiffany Wilson

SAN JOSE, Calif. (KGO) --

A Mountain View police officer is under arrest on child pornography charges. Officer Kevin Nguyen is a seven-year veteran of the Mountain View Police Department. He was arrested Tuesday afternoon at police headquarters.

Mountain View is a small department with only 96 officers and when the chief told his staff about the child pornography allegations, he says many were devastated.

Neighbors saw Nguyen's home surrounded by a dozen San Jose police cruisers Tuesday. They say officers spent hours investigating and say they are shocked by what was found.

"It was child pornography found on his personal laptop," San Jose Police Sgt. Heather Randol said.

Neighbors say Nguyen lived in the back and rented out the front house.

"They also located another resident inside who had a laptop containing child pornography; he was also arrested and booked into the country jail," Randol said.

At the Mountain View Police Department, where the code of ethics is proudly on display, the chief says officer's Nguyen's arrest hit hard.

"It's extremely disappointing, for my myself and the entire department, we feel awful when there's an allegation against a police officer for any wrongdoing, but these kind of charges make it even more disturbing," Chief Scott Vermeer said.

A seven year veteran of the department, Nguyen spent a lot of time on patrol, but he is known for his talent as sketch artist. In 2011 he taught a monthly art class to students at Castro Elementary School as part of the Police Activities League. Since then he's remained active in the PAL program.

Mountain View posted a statement about the arrest on its police website and Vermeer says his department started an internal investigation.

"We are now doing searches of the work computers here as part of our internal investigation," he said.

San Jose investigators will soon present their evidence to the district attorney.

"We want the public to know regardless if somebody is an officer or just an average citizen, we will do a thorough investigation and make an arrest if warranted," Randol said.

NYC child porn bust: Rabbi, cop, Boy Scout leader among 70 arrested

NEW YORK

A police officer, a paramedic, a rabbi, a nurse and a Boy Scout leader were among at least 70 people arrested in the New York City area in recent weeks as part of a sweeping investigation into the anonymous trading of child porn over the Internet.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which led a five-week investigation ending last week, planned to announce Wednesday that it resulted in charges against at least 70 men and one woman. Officials call it one of the largest local roundups ever of individual consumers of child porn, and a stark reminder that they come from all segments of society.

Consuming child porn "is not something that is just done by unemployed drifters who live in their parent's basement," said James Hayes, ICE's New York office. "If this operation does anything, it puts the lie to the belief that the people who do this are not productive members of society."

Advances in technology and computer capacity have allowed child-porn collectors to more easily amass vast troves of images and to exchange files with each other directly, authorities say. The cyber dragnet resulted in the seizure of nearly 600 desktop and laptop computers, tablets, smartphones and other devices containing a total of 175 terabytes of storage.

Agents are still examining the devices to locate and catalog evidence — an arduous task that could result in more arrests. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children also will use its analysts to review the images to see if it can identify children using databases of known victims.

"We refer to each of these images as a crime scene photo because that's exactly what they are," said John Ryan, the organization's chief executive officer.

Authorities decided to launch the operation after the arrest in January of a former police chief in suburban Mount Pleasant, Brian Fanelli, who pleaded not guilty this week to federal charges of knowingly receiving and distributing child pornography. Court papers allege that Fanelli told investigators he began looking at child porn as research before it grew into a "personal interest."

Authorities say some of the defendants had access to young children, though there were no reports of abuse. The Boy Scout leader also coached a youth baseball team. The rabbi home-schooled his children and others. Another person had hidden cameras used to secretly film his children's friends.

One defendant was already on bail following his arrest last year on charges he used the Internet to direct women to record sex acts with young children. Court papers allege he "indicated the last video he had downloaded and viewed depicted a mother sexually abusing her 3-

2 former law enforcement officials accused of sex with minor due in court

By JJ dixon

A pretrial conference is scheduled Thursday morning for a former state trooper and a former police officer accused of engaging in sexual acts with a minor.

Stratford Young, a former Kentucky state trooper, is charged with one count of third-degree rape and two counts of third-degree sodomy.

Todd Matti, a former Brandenburg police officer, is facing two counts of sodomy.

The two are accused of having sex with the same 15-year-old girl at different times.

Ex-Minerva cop sentenced to prison for rape, sexual imposition against several children

By LAURIE HUFFMAN

Former Minerva police officer Timothy A. Patterson was sentenced to nine years in prison Thursday after accepting a plea deal for a crime involving one youth and three children.

The 58-year-old, residing at 105 W. Line St. in Minerva, entered a plea of guilty to amend charges against him consisting of two counts of first-degree felony rape, seven counts of third-degree felony gross sexual imposition and one count of third-degree bribery.

According to Stark County Assistant Prosecutor Katie Chawla, who handled the case, the two rape charges were amended to a different section of the rape statute that eliminated the possibility of Patterson serving a life sentence. That was done in order to permit resolution of the case.

Chawla reported three of the youth are currently 11 years old, and she said one child, who was the basis of the majority of the charges, was 6 when the court determined the rapes began, in 2007. The rapes continued until they were reported to police in 2012.

Patterson was also charged with seven counts of gross sexual imposition and with bribery.

Chawla indicated allegations based on one of the charges he plead to involved Patterson offering something of benefit to the mother of one of the victims if she didn't go to the police.

"Some of the charges Patterson pleaded to involved a game of dirty truth or dare," Chawla also reported.

Chawla indicated the court action was a negotiated plea agreement because the families didn't want their children to have to testify in court. In addition to incarceration, Common Pleas Court Judge Kristin Farmer also sentenced Patterson to be registered as a Tier III sex offender. Tier III offenders are subject to strict address verification, and the community and the victim(s) receive notification whenever such an offender relocates to a new address.

Patterson started working for the Minerva Police Department in 1987 and continued as a full-time and part-time employee there for many years, even being praised for his work at one time as an Officer of the Month. Patterson left the police force to take another job that was not involved in law enforcement.

A secret grand jury indictment was issued against Patterson on Feb. 24 and a warrant for his arrest was issued by Judge Kristin Farmer of Common Pleas Court on the same day. He was taken into custody on March 13 by an unidentified U.S. marshal and Stark County Deputy John VonSpiegel. The arrest was conducted by the Northern Ohio Fugitive Task Force, and VonSpiegel was working as a part of the unit at the time.

Ex-cop, wife get prison terms in child porn case

Tim Reaves

GREENSBORO, N.C. -- Ex-Kannapolis police officer Steven Anthony Webb and his wife were sentenced this week in a child porn case after they agreed to plead guilty in December.

Steven Webb, of 1408 Nottingham Drive, Kannapolis, originally was charged with receiving child pornography, distributing child pornography, two counts of possessing material containing child pornography and one count of accessing child pornography with the intent to view.

He pleaded guilty to the accessing child pornography charge and was sentenced Tuesday to 10 years in prison, Kannapolis police confirm. He will also have to register as a sex offender.

Tracy Webb, of the same address, was sentenced Wednesday to three years in prison after pleading guilty to misprision of a felony -- failing to notify authorities about her husband’s actions.

Prosecutors agreed to not oppose a motion to dismiss her original charge -- knowingly and willfully making a materially false, fictitious and fraudulent statement and representation to agents from the FBI.

Steven Webb, a former Kannapolis police officer, was accused of receiving and distributing child pornography over the summer. He worked for KPD from June 18, 2008 until his termination on July 31, 2013, after his arrest by the FBI on July 22.

Prosecutors had planned to use testimony from four witnesses who claimed Steven Webb abused them as minors. They also said the minors in the recording featuring Tracy Webb “implicate sexual abuse by both defendants,” according to a document filed in the case.

Kannapolis Police Chief Woody Chavis said an anonymous tip in July led KPD to Steven Webb, and the agency immediately called in the FBI.

Former Minneapolis cop sentenced to 30 months for soliciting girls online

By Sarah Horner

One previously sociable girl now keeps herself confined to her room. Another has been hospitalized four times for mental health struggles. A third said she's lost trust in just about everyone she knows.

Those are just a few of the ways life has changed for the girls a former Minneapolis police officer solicited for sex online, according to victim impact statements read during Bradley Schnickel's sentencing hearing Monday in Anoka County District Court.

One girl's parents wrote that their 13-year-old daughter was pursued for more than a year by Schnickel, who repeatedly pressured her to send nude pictures and to meet him in person.

When Schnickel was caught and eventually charged with crimes involving more than a dozen underage girls in February 2013, the parents wrote that the girl blamed herself.

"She was so ashamed. ... She was afraid she had disappointed us," the statement read. "It broke our hearts."

After hearing from the victims, as well as emotional statements by Schnickel, 33, and his wife about his remorse and ongoing rehabilitation efforts, District Judge James Cunningham sentenced the father of two to 30 months in prison.

After accounting for time already served and other factors, Schnickel will end up spending a little more than a year in prison for three counts of criminal sexual conduct and two counts of electronic solicitation of a minor, to which he pleaded guilty earlier this year.

He also was sentenced to lifetime conditional release once he leaves prison.

The sentence was significantly less than the nearly 12 years that Assistant Anoka County Attorney Paul Young argued was warranted for a man he described in court as a "person who attacks and preys on the vulnerable."

He added that the judge's decision was "frustrating" for the families involved, many of whom attended the hearing Monday.

"Given that drunk driving ... or nearly any other type of case with a single victim seems to get greater sentences ... it's tough (for them) to understand how you could have so many victims and such a light sentence here," Young said.

Fred Bruno, Schnickel's attorney, said the sentence seemed "about right," given his client's commitment to treatment and the support of his family.

"It's not a pleasant place for a young male cop sex offender to be spending his time," Bruno said. "Followed up by a lifetime of conditional release ... that's not a light sentence."

Schnickel enrolled in an intensive inpatient sex offender treatment facility shortly after his arrest. On Monday, his therapist told the court about Schnickel's success in the program.

For three years before he got caught, Schnickel had been leading a double life.

During the day, he worked as a patrol officer on the Minneapolis police force. At night, when he returned to his family's Andover home, he became a sexual predator.

Pretending to be a bartender or a security guard in his early 20s, he reached out to countless girls in their early teens on Facebook and developed online relationships with many.

In some cases, he sent the girls lewd pictures of himself and described what he wanted to do with them sexually.

On two occasions, he met girls in person and had sex with them in his car, one time after providing vodka.

A search of his computer uncovered more than 9,000 pages of communication between Schnickel and underage girls. He had more than 700 middle and high school girls listed as contacts on his Facebook page.

Hired as a Minneapolis police officer in 2008, he was fired shortly after the allegations against him surfaced.

Schnickel said in court Monday he was "disgusted at who (he) was" and apologized for his actions.

He called getting caught a "blessing."

"I have deep remorse," Schnickel said. "I live daily with the guilt and pain I caused so many people."

Both he and his wife, Jenny, said he has become a better person through treatment. The couple have two daughters younger than age 4.

"I 100 percent believe he is a changed man and this won't happen again," Jenny Schnickel said in court. "I have a much better husband now and my girls have a much better father."

Young said the court should be skeptical about statements made by a man whose past behavior indicates a "tremendous" ability to deceive.

He added that Schnickel solicited a prostitute after his arrest and attempted to contact victims to persuade them to lie to police about their interactions.

Schnickel was taken in to custody immediately after the hearing.

Former Johnstown cop sentenced on rape charges

A former Johnstown cop will spend a year in jail after his sentencing today on rape charges.

32 year old Adam Schwabrow had pleaded guilty to having a sexual relationship with an underage girl three years ago.

The nine year veteran of the force was not on duty at the time, and there was no allegation that he had forced himself on the victim. 

Schwabrow's plea agreement includes surrendering his firearms and resigning his job with the Johnstown Police Department.

Attorney: Ex-cop who solicited teens online receives "frustrating" sentence

Gets 30 months, then conditional release rest of his life

He [Assistant Anoka County Attorney, Paul Young] added that Schnickel solicited a prostitute after his arrest and attempted to contact victims to persuade them to lie to police about their interactions.

By Sarah Horner

St. Paul Pioneer Press

ANOKA - One previously sociable girl now keeps herself confined to her room. Another has been hospitalized four times for mental health struggles. A third said she’s lost trust in just about everyone she knows.

Those are just a few of the ways life has changed for the girls a former Minneapolis police officer solicited for sex online, according to victim impact statements read during Bradley Schnickel’s sentencing hearing Monday in Anoka County District Court.

One girl’s parents wrote that their 13-year-old daughter was pursued for more than a year by Schnickel, who repeatedly pressured her to send nude pictures and to meet him in person.

When Schnickel was caught and eventually charged with crimes involving more than a dozen underage girls in February 2013, the parents wrote that the girl blamed herself.

“She was so ashamed. … She was afraid she had disappointed us,” the statement read. “It broke our hearts.”

After hearing from the victims, as well as emotional statements by Schnickel, 33, and his wife about his remorse and ongoing rehabilitation efforts, District Judge James Cunningham sentenced the father of two to 30 months in prison.

After accounting for time already served and other factors, Schnickel will end up spending a little more than a year in prison for three counts of criminal sexual conduct and two counts of electronic solicitation of a minor, to which he pleaded guilty earlier this year.

He also was sentenced to lifetime conditional release once he leaves prison.

The sentence was significantly less than the nearly 12 years that Assistant Anoka County Attorney Paul Young argued was warranted for a man he described in court as a “person who attacks and preys on the vulnerable.”

He added that the judge’s decision was “frustrating” for the families involved, many of whom attended the hearing Monday.

“Given that drunk driving … or nearly any other type of case with a single victim seems to get greater sentences … it’s tough (for them) to understand how you could have so many victims and such a light sentence here,” Young said.

Fred Bruno, Schnickel’s attorney, said the sentence seemed “about right,” given his client’s commitment to treatment and the support of his family.

“It’s not a pleasant place for a young male cop sex offender to be spending his time,” Bruno said. “Followed up by a lifetime of conditional release … that’s not a light sentence.”

Schnickel enrolled in an intensive inpatient sex offender treatment facility shortly after his arrest. On Monday, his therapist told the court about Schnickel’s success in the program.

For three years before he got caught, Schnickel had been leading a double life.

During the day, he worked as a patrol officer on the Minneapolis police force. At night, when he returned to his family’s Andover home, he became a sexual predator.

Pretending to be a bartender or a security guard in his early 20s, he reached out to countless girls in their early teens on Facebook and developed online relationships with many.

In some cases, he sent the girls lewd pictures of himself and described what he wanted to do with them sexually.

On two occasions, he met girls in person and had sex with them in his car, one time after providing vodka.

A search of his computer uncovered more than 9,000 pages of communication between Schnickel and underage girls. He had more than 700 middle and high school girls listed as contacts on his Facebook page.

Hired as a Minneapolis police officer in 2008, he was fired shortly after the allegations against him surfaced.

Schnickel said in court Monday he was “disgusted at who (he) was” and apologized for his actions.

He called getting caught a “blessing.”

“I have deep remorse,” Schnickel said. “I live daily with the guilt and pain I caused so many people.”

Both he and his wife, Jenny, said he has become a better person through treatment. The couple have two daughters younger than age 4.

“I 100 percent believe he is a changed man and this won’t happen again,” Jenny Schnickel said in court. “I have a much better husband now and my girls have a much better father.”

Young said the court should be skeptical about statements made by a man whose past behavior indicates a “tremendous” ability to deceive.

He added that Schnickel solicited a prostitute after his arrest and attempted to contact victims to persuade them to lie to police about their interactions.

Schnickel was taken into custody immediately after the hearing.