This is a case that I am posting mainly because of what the defense attorney had to say about the victim. Notice the teacher is 30, married with children and the victims teacher and later his babysitter and that the victim was 13. Her and her husband both blamed the victim and tried to claim the victim sexually assaulted her but that fell apart when she was on the stand:
A former Strickland Middle School teacher was sentenced to five years in prison Friday on a charge of aggravated sexual assault of a child in connection with a sexual relationship she had with a 13-year-old male student in 2007.
Lauren Cosgrove, 30, of Sanger, also was sentenced to two years in prison on a charge of tampering with a witness. Though she had been court-ordered not to contact the boy, he testified that she picked him up outside his house in December 2008 and convinced him to write a letter saying he lied about what happened between them.
On the stand, Lauren Cosgrove described herself as an overachiever. She taught English at Strickland, she said, and had been asked by school authorities to mentor the boy because he was brilliant but troubled.
She needed money, and when school was out for the summer, she agreed to the request made by the boy’s mother to baby-sit the three children, she said. Under Winfield’s questioning, Cosgrove said she has “boundary issues.” She did not set proper boundaries with the boy and allowed him to think it was OK to hug and kiss her, she said. She admitted to enjoying his attention.
She told the story of the day of the sex act much differently than the boy. In her version, the boy sexually assaulted her, she said.
But under cross-examination from Piel, Cosgrove admitted she did not tell the boy to stop.
“I didn’t want to bruise his ego,” she said.
Winfield told jurors that if given probation, Cosgrove would not be a risk, and that the boy enjoyed the attentions of an older woman and was not traumatized.
“It’s different with boys and girls,” she said. “I don’t believe he’s going to be scarred for life.” - Read the entire article here
I hope that some of the various organizations out there that assist rape victims will e-mail that attorney and set her straight.
Friday, May 29, 2009
Monday, May 25, 2009
Hot for Teacher night?
I am sure anyone reading this blog has probably heard about this already. What does this kind of thing say about our society and its views on Female Offenders? I am hoping the various advocate groups will step up and make an outcry about this. For someone who served 7 1/2 years for raping a 13 year old to then turn around and publicly do this, 3 times now, is wrong. This is not something to "have some fun with".
SEATTLE - Mary Kay Letourneau and her former sixth-grade student — the father of her two youngest children — are hosting a "Hot for Teacher" night at a Seattle nightclub.
Letourneau, now 47, served 7 1/2 years in prison after she was convicted of raping Vili Fualaau, now 26. They were married four years ago this week.
The bar's owner said Letourneau has served her sentence, she's married her former student, and it's OK for them to have some fun on a Saturday night.
Mike Morris, owner of Fuel Sports Eats & Beats, said this is the third time Letourneau and Fualaau have hosted a "Hot for Teacher" night at the nightclub. - Read the entire article here
SEATTLE - Mary Kay Letourneau and her former sixth-grade student — the father of her two youngest children — are hosting a "Hot for Teacher" night at a Seattle nightclub.
Letourneau, now 47, served 7 1/2 years in prison after she was convicted of raping Vili Fualaau, now 26. They were married four years ago this week.
The bar's owner said Letourneau has served her sentence, she's married her former student, and it's OK for them to have some fun on a Saturday night.
Mike Morris, owner of Fuel Sports Eats & Beats, said this is the third time Letourneau and Fualaau have hosted a "Hot for Teacher" night at the nightclub. - Read the entire article here
Friday, May 22, 2009
Fifth Grade teacher at a Christian School
This case started in July 2008. And if this case does not shatter people's perceptions I am not sure what will:
Laura Kirkland, 25, a fifth-grade teacher at Christian Schools of Springfield, in Springfield, Missouri was arrested on charges of rape and sodomy of an 11-year-old boy, who she baby sat and allegedly sexually abused for two years (he was 8 at the the time of the alleged offense)
Allegedly Kirkland had sexually assaulted the child with both intercourse and oral sex with the boy repeatedly for two years when the boy was between 8 to 10 years old. The the alleged incident are said to have taken place in Kirkland’s home and when she was baby sitting the alleged victim.
Her bond had been set at $75,000 and conditioned upon her having no contact with the victim or any child under 17. In Sept 2008 at her intial court appearance she pled not guilty and the police alleged that she had confessed to the crimes (you can view the Court Document here)
And now she is in court AGAIN for ANOTHER charge with a different minor. If it turns out she is guilty of what she is accused of the judge who lowered the bond is going to look poorly as the prosecution objected to the bond being lowered.
A Springfield woman accused of having a sexual relationship with a minor will hear the charges against her today.
Laura Kirkland is charged with second degree statutory sodomy. According to Springfield police, Kirkland was sexually involved with a teenager.
Court documents say the relationship started with a 16-year-old student while Kirkland was teaching at a Springfield school.
In a separate case, Kirkland is charged with statutory rape and two counts of statutory sodomy. She is accused of having sexual contact with a child she was babysitting. - Read the entire article here
Laura Kirkland, 25, a fifth-grade teacher at Christian Schools of Springfield, in Springfield, Missouri was arrested on charges of rape and sodomy of an 11-year-old boy, who she baby sat and allegedly sexually abused for two years (he was 8 at the the time of the alleged offense)
Allegedly Kirkland had sexually assaulted the child with both intercourse and oral sex with the boy repeatedly for two years when the boy was between 8 to 10 years old. The the alleged incident are said to have taken place in Kirkland’s home and when she was baby sitting the alleged victim.
Her bond had been set at $75,000 and conditioned upon her having no contact with the victim or any child under 17. In Sept 2008 at her intial court appearance she pled not guilty and the police alleged that she had confessed to the crimes (you can view the Court Document here)
And now she is in court AGAIN for ANOTHER charge with a different minor. If it turns out she is guilty of what she is accused of the judge who lowered the bond is going to look poorly as the prosecution objected to the bond being lowered.
A Springfield woman accused of having a sexual relationship with a minor will hear the charges against her today.
Laura Kirkland is charged with second degree statutory sodomy. According to Springfield police, Kirkland was sexually involved with a teenager.
Court documents say the relationship started with a 16-year-old student while Kirkland was teaching at a Springfield school.
In a separate case, Kirkland is charged with statutory rape and two counts of statutory sodomy. She is accused of having sexual contact with a child she was babysitting. - Read the entire article here
Monday, May 18, 2009
Psychopathic female?
Trying to hire a hitman to have a rival woman maimed, raped and killed? This is just an awful story:
BRONX - Attorney Robert Johnson Friday announced that a Bronx woman was sentenced to a maximum term of up to six years imprisonment for conspiring to have another woman maimed, raped and killed.
Bonnie Davido, 45, of 1422 Williamsbridge Road, was convicted last month on one count of conspiracy in the second degree, a felony offense. She was sentenced to two to six years in prison.
In pleading guilty last month, Davido admitted that she had attempted to hire a “hit man” to kill a woman whom the defendant suspected was having an affair with her husband. The scheme came to light when a man whom Davido had approached on the street reported the incident to police who began an investigation.
The conspiracy began on November 16, 2006 when Davido, according to court papers, told an undercover detective whom she believed to be a “hit man” that she wanted him to throw acid in the victim’s face and “make it look like a robbery.” Davido said she wanted the victim blinded to prevent her from being able to see the defendant’s husband. The detective who was posing as the “hit man” was instructed to retrieve the intended victim’s cellular telephone because the defendant had called and left threats on the target’s answering machine.
Davido provided the intended victim’s name, address, and telephone number, and agreed to pay $2,000 for the job. Five days later, on November 21, 2006, Davido again contacted the undercover detective and instructed him to rape and blind the woman in order to make her sexually unappealing. Davido provided him with a description of the woman including her height, hair color and approximate weight. That conversation was followed by a third communication between Davido and the undercover detective on December 19, 2006 at which time Davido instructed him to “just shoot her. I need this bitch out of my life.” The defendant warned that she would get someone else for the job if the target was not killed by the weekend. - Read the entire article here
BRONX - Attorney Robert Johnson Friday announced that a Bronx woman was sentenced to a maximum term of up to six years imprisonment for conspiring to have another woman maimed, raped and killed.
Bonnie Davido, 45, of 1422 Williamsbridge Road, was convicted last month on one count of conspiracy in the second degree, a felony offense. She was sentenced to two to six years in prison.
In pleading guilty last month, Davido admitted that she had attempted to hire a “hit man” to kill a woman whom the defendant suspected was having an affair with her husband. The scheme came to light when a man whom Davido had approached on the street reported the incident to police who began an investigation.
The conspiracy began on November 16, 2006 when Davido, according to court papers, told an undercover detective whom she believed to be a “hit man” that she wanted him to throw acid in the victim’s face and “make it look like a robbery.” Davido said she wanted the victim blinded to prevent her from being able to see the defendant’s husband. The detective who was posing as the “hit man” was instructed to retrieve the intended victim’s cellular telephone because the defendant had called and left threats on the target’s answering machine.
Davido provided the intended victim’s name, address, and telephone number, and agreed to pay $2,000 for the job. Five days later, on November 21, 2006, Davido again contacted the undercover detective and instructed him to rape and blind the woman in order to make her sexually unappealing. Davido provided him with a description of the woman including her height, hair color and approximate weight. That conversation was followed by a third communication between Davido and the undercover detective on December 19, 2006 at which time Davido instructed him to “just shoot her. I need this bitch out of my life.” The defendant warned that she would get someone else for the job if the target was not killed by the weekend. - Read the entire article here
Friday, May 15, 2009
A Parent's worst nightmare
This is a truly terrible case:
Calling it a "parent's worst nightmare," a U.S. District Court judge sentenced a Delaware County woman to 30 years in prison for procuring victims as young as 10 months in an "extraordinarily sociopathic" child-pornography case.
Dorothy Prawdzik, 44, of Drexel Hill, made her own daughter, three nieces and a nephew - all between 10 months and 8 years old - undress and pose so her ex-boyfriend could film and sexually abuse them. He also filmed her having sex with her son, a daughter, and a niece.
Prawdzik, who lived on public assistance, delivered two of her four children - a son and a daughter - as well as nieces and a nephew to Worman for the videos.
"She used her relationship with every kid to fit her own sexual desires," said Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle Rotelle. "If ever a case called out for life, this case does."
Prawdzik sat stone-faced through a procession of four witnesses, including her own two abused children. But she broke into tears when pleading to the judge for leniency.
"I wasn't going to speak at first," she said. "But when I heard my kids I knew I had to speak. . . . Yes, I did make mistakes. I'm far from perfect. . . . I pray God heals the families." - Read the entire article here
Calling it a "parent's worst nightmare," a U.S. District Court judge sentenced a Delaware County woman to 30 years in prison for procuring victims as young as 10 months in an "extraordinarily sociopathic" child-pornography case.
Dorothy Prawdzik, 44, of Drexel Hill, made her own daughter, three nieces and a nephew - all between 10 months and 8 years old - undress and pose so her ex-boyfriend could film and sexually abuse them. He also filmed her having sex with her son, a daughter, and a niece.
Prawdzik, who lived on public assistance, delivered two of her four children - a son and a daughter - as well as nieces and a nephew to Worman for the videos.
"She used her relationship with every kid to fit her own sexual desires," said Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle Rotelle. "If ever a case called out for life, this case does."
Prawdzik sat stone-faced through a procession of four witnesses, including her own two abused children. But she broke into tears when pleading to the judge for leniency.
"I wasn't going to speak at first," she said. "But when I heard my kids I knew I had to speak. . . . Yes, I did make mistakes. I'm far from perfect. . . . I pray God heals the families." - Read the entire article here
Monday, May 11, 2009
Child sex cases involving women increasing in Texas
Some excerpts from an article in Texas about the increase of child sexual assault cases. And of course this is just the tip of the iceberg as these are only the ones that were caught or reported where as the majority of these crimes are never reported or caught:
The number of women serving time in Texas prisons for having sex with minors has increased more than 36 percent in the last five years.
"Up to five years ago, we didn't talk about this," said Keith Durkin, a criminologist and researcher at Ohio Northern University. "Our culture is becoming more aware that women can and do commit these offenses."
Still, Durkin and other experts in the field believe society has been slow to view women as sexual predators, though that is beginning to change.
"We're biased to perceive women as nurturing ... so we don't perceive them as sex offenders," said Dr. Julia Hislop, a Virginia psychologist and author of Female Sex Offenders: What Therapists, Law Enforcement and Child Protective Services Need to Know.
Durkin said teenage boys are ideal victims of such crimes because they're less likely to complain and, if they do, their outcries "may be dismissed as teenage fish stories."
Mooney agrees with other experts who say society often trivializes the effect sex abuse has on its young male victims.
"Often the women who have sexually abused them were women they turned to as role models and substitute mother figures," Mooney said.
"That trust was violated. They'll often say, 'Why did she do that to me?' It makes a lasting impression on their view of women." - Read the entire article here
My thank to JustAnother for sending me this story
The number of women serving time in Texas prisons for having sex with minors has increased more than 36 percent in the last five years.
"Up to five years ago, we didn't talk about this," said Keith Durkin, a criminologist and researcher at Ohio Northern University. "Our culture is becoming more aware that women can and do commit these offenses."
Still, Durkin and other experts in the field believe society has been slow to view women as sexual predators, though that is beginning to change.
"We're biased to perceive women as nurturing ... so we don't perceive them as sex offenders," said Dr. Julia Hislop, a Virginia psychologist and author of Female Sex Offenders: What Therapists, Law Enforcement and Child Protective Services Need to Know.
Durkin said teenage boys are ideal victims of such crimes because they're less likely to complain and, if they do, their outcries "may be dismissed as teenage fish stories."
Mooney agrees with other experts who say society often trivializes the effect sex abuse has on its young male victims.
"Often the women who have sexually abused them were women they turned to as role models and substitute mother figures," Mooney said.
"That trust was violated. They'll often say, 'Why did she do that to me?' It makes a lasting impression on their view of women." - Read the entire article here
My thank to JustAnother for sending me this story
Friday, May 8, 2009
No need for Zachary to have died
Here is an older story out of Canada that shows how idealization and societal views of a "mother" can negatively impact an entire system. In this case to the point of a child being killed by his mother:
CANADA - The social services system in Newfoundland and Labrador failed a 13-month-old boy, who drowned along with his mother in a 2003 murder-suicide, a review has found.
Zachary Turner died when Shirley Turner, 42, clutched him to her body and jumped into Conception Bay, several kilometres outside of St. John's.
"Nowhere did I find any ongoing assessment of the safety needs of the children," coroner Peter Markesteyn, referring both to Zachary and Turner's daughter from another relationship, wrote in a three-volume report released Wednesday.
Turner, a general practitioner, fled to Newfoundland after her estranged lover Andrew Bagby, 28, was shot to death in a Pennsylvania parking lot on Nov. 5, 2001.
Turner had obtained bail from the Newfoundland Supreme Court, and gave birth to Zachary, Bagby's son, while fighting extradition to the United States to stand trial for the murder of Bagby. About two months before the murder-suicide, a judge cleared the way for Turner's extradition.
Bail and released on a murder charge. And then I would think they would revoke bail once the extradition was cleared seeing as how she had already fled previously. It gets worse though:
Darlene Neville, Newfoundland and Labrador's child and youth advocate, called immediately for an external review of the child, youth and family services program.
"The fact that a whole organization could be so out of touch with the reality everyone else was wondering about is baffling," she told reporters.
Neville said two things were evident from reading the report. "One: Zachary Turner's death was preventable. And two: Zachary was in his mother's care when he should not have been."
Markesteyn found that officials, who were working on the presumption of Turner's innocence, were more concerned about the welfare of the woman than for her infant.
"Given the amount of resources that were put in to meeting Dr. Shirley Turner's needs and demands, and what she identified as necessary, if those same resources had been taken and put in to assessing what Zachary's needs were and how could his rights would be best protected, I would suggest there would be a strong likelihood we would have had a different outcome," Neville said.
Markesteyn found that social workers worked co-operatively with the review and that "the impression they conveyed was they believed they had done everything they could, given their legislative and policy mandate, to assist the children's mother, Dr. Turner, in caring for her children."
Markesteyn's research, which involved interviews and reading scores of documents about Turner, found numerous cases indicating that she had personality and emotional problems, including during her medical training at Memorial.
A supervisor there described her as "putting on a show" for superiors, and found she was confrontational, manipulative and unwilling to address negative evaluations. Markesteyn noted that the Turner experience led to changes in how residents are evaluated.
Among other things, the report found Turner had ingested drugs in either an attempted suicide or what Markesteyn said could have been a "suicide gesture." In a 1999 letter sent to a would-be paramour before she ingested prescription drugs, she described herself: "I am not evil, just sick."
Markesteyn also found that Turner had been under the care of at least four psychiatrists during her lifetime. - Read the entire article here
All of those red flags and still nothing was done to protect the children. You can buy the documentary made about this case at http://www.dearzachary.com/
CANADA - The social services system in Newfoundland and Labrador failed a 13-month-old boy, who drowned along with his mother in a 2003 murder-suicide, a review has found.
Zachary Turner died when Shirley Turner, 42, clutched him to her body and jumped into Conception Bay, several kilometres outside of St. John's.
"Nowhere did I find any ongoing assessment of the safety needs of the children," coroner Peter Markesteyn, referring both to Zachary and Turner's daughter from another relationship, wrote in a three-volume report released Wednesday.
Turner, a general practitioner, fled to Newfoundland after her estranged lover Andrew Bagby, 28, was shot to death in a Pennsylvania parking lot on Nov. 5, 2001.
Turner had obtained bail from the Newfoundland Supreme Court, and gave birth to Zachary, Bagby's son, while fighting extradition to the United States to stand trial for the murder of Bagby. About two months before the murder-suicide, a judge cleared the way for Turner's extradition.
Bail and released on a murder charge. And then I would think they would revoke bail once the extradition was cleared seeing as how she had already fled previously. It gets worse though:
Darlene Neville, Newfoundland and Labrador's child and youth advocate, called immediately for an external review of the child, youth and family services program.
"The fact that a whole organization could be so out of touch with the reality everyone else was wondering about is baffling," she told reporters.
Neville said two things were evident from reading the report. "One: Zachary Turner's death was preventable. And two: Zachary was in his mother's care when he should not have been."
Markesteyn found that officials, who were working on the presumption of Turner's innocence, were more concerned about the welfare of the woman than for her infant.
"Given the amount of resources that were put in to meeting Dr. Shirley Turner's needs and demands, and what she identified as necessary, if those same resources had been taken and put in to assessing what Zachary's needs were and how could his rights would be best protected, I would suggest there would be a strong likelihood we would have had a different outcome," Neville said.
Markesteyn found that social workers worked co-operatively with the review and that "the impression they conveyed was they believed they had done everything they could, given their legislative and policy mandate, to assist the children's mother, Dr. Turner, in caring for her children."
Markesteyn's research, which involved interviews and reading scores of documents about Turner, found numerous cases indicating that she had personality and emotional problems, including during her medical training at Memorial.
A supervisor there described her as "putting on a show" for superiors, and found she was confrontational, manipulative and unwilling to address negative evaluations. Markesteyn noted that the Turner experience led to changes in how residents are evaluated.
Among other things, the report found Turner had ingested drugs in either an attempted suicide or what Markesteyn said could have been a "suicide gesture." In a 1999 letter sent to a would-be paramour before she ingested prescription drugs, she described herself: "I am not evil, just sick."
Markesteyn also found that Turner had been under the care of at least four psychiatrists during her lifetime. - Read the entire article here
All of those red flags and still nothing was done to protect the children. You can buy the documentary made about this case at http://www.dearzachary.com/
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Teachers for April 2009
Teachers for April 2009:
MD -- A former Montgomery County Public Schools teacher recently pleaded guilty to a sexual offense involving a 16-year-old male student at a Rockville school for emotionally disturbed children.
The woman, Lindsey H. Froehlich, 27, of the 13100 block of Shadyside Lane in Germantown, was sentenced to three years probation including six months in a pre-release center on April 16. Froehlich was a teacher at the John L. Gildner Regional Institute for Children and Adolescents, or RICA, where the offense occurred. - Read the entire article here
Mount Clemens -- A former high school teacher accused of engaging in sex acts with two students on a boat last summer in St. Clair Shores has been sentenced in Macomb Circuit Court to five years probation. Macomb Circuit Judge Matthew Switalski rendered the sentence on Melissa Lavender, 32, earlier today. - Read the entire article here
DENTON – A former Strickland Middle School teacher was sentenced Friday to five years in prison on a charge of aggravated sexual assault of a child in connection with a sexual relationship she had with a 13-year-old male student in 2007.
Lauren Cosgrove, 30, of Sanger also was sentenced to two years in prison on a charge of tampering with a witness. Though the court had ordered her not to contact the boy, he testified that she picked him up outside his house in December 2008 and persuaded him to write a letter saying he lied about what happened between them. - Read the entire article here
BUFFALO, N.Y. - A former Buffalo schoolteacher has been sentenced to four years in prison for having a sexual dalliance with a 14-year-old student.
Cara Dickey said at her sentencing Thursday that she was "a good person who made a mistake." - Read the entire article here
JAY STREET — A Brooklyn junior high school teacher who pled guilty yesterday to rape was caught after she told a coworker about her tryst with the 13-year-old boy.
Marcia Amsterdam, 32, had oral and vaginal intercourse with the teen in 2006. She was sentenced yesterday to 10 years of probation by Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Martin Murphy. A court order of protection will prevent Amsterdam from seeing her victim, and she must register as a sex offender The Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office objected to the sentence because Amsterdam will not serve any jail time, according to spokesman Jonah Bruno. - Read the entire article here
TACOMA, Wash. -- A former grade school teacher was convicted Monday of abducting one of her students, age 10, and raping him and his 15-year-old brother.
Both sides stipulated the facts in Pierce County Superior Court, and Judge D. Gary Steiner convicted 33-year-old Jennifer Leigh Rice of first-degree kidnapping with sexual motivation, first-degree child molesting and two counts of third-degree child rape. - Read the entire article here
BOISE - A former Borah High School teacher accused of having sex with a student has admitted to having sex with a student. Michelle Farley, 40, changed her plea in court to guilty in a plea deal with prosecutors.
Farley was charged with eight counts of sexual battery with a minor late last year. In the deal, Farley pleaded guilty to just one count. Prosecutors say the sex acts did not occur on school grounds. - Read the entire article here
NEW PORT RICHEY -- Lisa Marinelli, a former Pasco County substitute teacher accused last year of having a sexual relationship with a student, pleaded guilty in court this morning.
She faced up to 15 years in prison but avoided any time behind bars. Instead, prosecutors and her defense attorney agreed to a stringent probationary sentence that includes a year of house arrest and no contact with children under 18 without supervision. - Read the entire article here
HARRISONBURG - A one-time Turner Ashby High School student-teacher, accused of having a romantic relationship with one of her students days after she left her job, pleaded guilty Thursday in Rockingham County Circuit Court.
In a plea agreement, Ashley Esposito, 25, of Harrisonburg, pleaded guilty to felony sodomy and misdemeanor contributing to the delinquency of a minor. - Read the entire article here
PHOENIX -- A former west Valley coach who admitted to a relationship with a student may only spend a weekend in jail. Susan Anderson was sentenced late last week after she pled guilty to one count of sexual conduct with a minor.
Anderson was 28 years old at the time of her arrest last February. She coached volleyball and basketball at Desert Edge High School last year. Police say the victim was a 15-year-old girl she coached. - Read the entire article here
CUMBERLAND — Former Mountain Ridge High School teacher Autumn Leathers was sentenced Thursday in Allegany County Circuit Court to a suspended one-year jail term and ordered to register as a sex offender for a sexual relationship she had with one of her students.
Judge W. Timothy Finan sentenced Leathers, who pleaded guilty to one count of fourth-degree sex offense in January as part of a plea agreement that included dismissal of all other charges. - Read the entire article here
MD -- A former Montgomery County Public Schools teacher recently pleaded guilty to a sexual offense involving a 16-year-old male student at a Rockville school for emotionally disturbed children.
The woman, Lindsey H. Froehlich, 27, of the 13100 block of Shadyside Lane in Germantown, was sentenced to three years probation including six months in a pre-release center on April 16. Froehlich was a teacher at the John L. Gildner Regional Institute for Children and Adolescents, or RICA, where the offense occurred. - Read the entire article here
Mount Clemens -- A former high school teacher accused of engaging in sex acts with two students on a boat last summer in St. Clair Shores has been sentenced in Macomb Circuit Court to five years probation. Macomb Circuit Judge Matthew Switalski rendered the sentence on Melissa Lavender, 32, earlier today. - Read the entire article here
DENTON – A former Strickland Middle School teacher was sentenced Friday to five years in prison on a charge of aggravated sexual assault of a child in connection with a sexual relationship she had with a 13-year-old male student in 2007.
Lauren Cosgrove, 30, of Sanger also was sentenced to two years in prison on a charge of tampering with a witness. Though the court had ordered her not to contact the boy, he testified that she picked him up outside his house in December 2008 and persuaded him to write a letter saying he lied about what happened between them. - Read the entire article here
BUFFALO, N.Y. - A former Buffalo schoolteacher has been sentenced to four years in prison for having a sexual dalliance with a 14-year-old student.
Cara Dickey said at her sentencing Thursday that she was "a good person who made a mistake." - Read the entire article here
JAY STREET — A Brooklyn junior high school teacher who pled guilty yesterday to rape was caught after she told a coworker about her tryst with the 13-year-old boy.
Marcia Amsterdam, 32, had oral and vaginal intercourse with the teen in 2006. She was sentenced yesterday to 10 years of probation by Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Martin Murphy. A court order of protection will prevent Amsterdam from seeing her victim, and she must register as a sex offender The Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office objected to the sentence because Amsterdam will not serve any jail time, according to spokesman Jonah Bruno. - Read the entire article here
TACOMA, Wash. -- A former grade school teacher was convicted Monday of abducting one of her students, age 10, and raping him and his 15-year-old brother.
Both sides stipulated the facts in Pierce County Superior Court, and Judge D. Gary Steiner convicted 33-year-old Jennifer Leigh Rice of first-degree kidnapping with sexual motivation, first-degree child molesting and two counts of third-degree child rape. - Read the entire article here
BOISE - A former Borah High School teacher accused of having sex with a student has admitted to having sex with a student. Michelle Farley, 40, changed her plea in court to guilty in a plea deal with prosecutors.
Farley was charged with eight counts of sexual battery with a minor late last year. In the deal, Farley pleaded guilty to just one count. Prosecutors say the sex acts did not occur on school grounds. - Read the entire article here
NEW PORT RICHEY -- Lisa Marinelli, a former Pasco County substitute teacher accused last year of having a sexual relationship with a student, pleaded guilty in court this morning.
She faced up to 15 years in prison but avoided any time behind bars. Instead, prosecutors and her defense attorney agreed to a stringent probationary sentence that includes a year of house arrest and no contact with children under 18 without supervision. - Read the entire article here
HARRISONBURG - A one-time Turner Ashby High School student-teacher, accused of having a romantic relationship with one of her students days after she left her job, pleaded guilty Thursday in Rockingham County Circuit Court.
In a plea agreement, Ashley Esposito, 25, of Harrisonburg, pleaded guilty to felony sodomy and misdemeanor contributing to the delinquency of a minor. - Read the entire article here
PHOENIX -- A former west Valley coach who admitted to a relationship with a student may only spend a weekend in jail. Susan Anderson was sentenced late last week after she pled guilty to one count of sexual conduct with a minor.
Anderson was 28 years old at the time of her arrest last February. She coached volleyball and basketball at Desert Edge High School last year. Police say the victim was a 15-year-old girl she coached. - Read the entire article here
CUMBERLAND — Former Mountain Ridge High School teacher Autumn Leathers was sentenced Thursday in Allegany County Circuit Court to a suspended one-year jail term and ordered to register as a sex offender for a sexual relationship she had with one of her students.
Judge W. Timothy Finan sentenced Leathers, who pleaded guilty to one count of fourth-degree sex offense in January as part of a plea agreement that included dismissal of all other charges. - Read the entire article here
Monday, May 4, 2009
Child abuse and animal cruelty
If you read the entire article you will see it is talking about two cases of child abuse. For this post I am talking about the second case listed. The question that always comes to my mind in cases like this one is why people waited until the police were at the door step to say anything or report it:
In the second case, the mother is accused of putting out a cigarette on her 5-year-old's nose.
Jennifer Lytton of Statesville was arrested at her home early Tuesday afternoon, and in addition to the assault charge, may now family animal cruelty charges as well.
Hamby said the girl told a teacher at her school that her mother put a cigarette out on her nose, burning her nose.
Hamby began an investigation and took out the warrant on Lytton. The sheriff's office warrant squad went out to look for Lytton Tuesday morning but she wasn't located.
On Tuesday afternoon, Warrant Squad Deputy Chris Snow went back out to the residence, and knocked on the door, but didn't get an answer. Neighbors told Snow he needed to check on the condition of some dogs in the back yard, Hamby said.
Snow checked on the dogs, and found one dog skeleton with a collar attached and two emaciated dogs in the yard, Hamby said. Snow called the Iredell County Animal Services and an officer came and took possession of the two dogs and the skeleton. - Read the entire article here
In the second case, the mother is accused of putting out a cigarette on her 5-year-old's nose.
Jennifer Lytton of Statesville was arrested at her home early Tuesday afternoon, and in addition to the assault charge, may now family animal cruelty charges as well.
Hamby said the girl told a teacher at her school that her mother put a cigarette out on her nose, burning her nose.
Hamby began an investigation and took out the warrant on Lytton. The sheriff's office warrant squad went out to look for Lytton Tuesday morning but she wasn't located.
On Tuesday afternoon, Warrant Squad Deputy Chris Snow went back out to the residence, and knocked on the door, but didn't get an answer. Neighbors told Snow he needed to check on the condition of some dogs in the back yard, Hamby said.
Snow checked on the dogs, and found one dog skeleton with a collar attached and two emaciated dogs in the yard, Hamby said. Snow called the Iredell County Animal Services and an officer came and took possession of the two dogs and the skeleton. - Read the entire article here
Friday, May 1, 2009
Faith as a lure
When people hear about faith and sexual abuse they most often think about priests abusing people. As this story shows it is not just priests:
TUPELO - Angela Paige Martin, 25, of Tupelo, was ordered Friday to serve at least 14 years in prison after pleading guilty to two counts of sexual battery in 2007 against a girl who was then 15. Before pleading guilty the defendant was facing trial on a total of six related counts.
First District Circuit Judge Jimmy Roberts sentenced Martin to 20 years with 12 years suspended on Count 1 and 30 years, 24 years suspended, on the second charge, with the terms to be consecutive.
"Your choices have led to this day. You have only the lady in the mirror to ask, Why?'" Roberts said.
The victim, now 17, testified at sentencing that Martin used her faith to lure her into the acts.
"You have been manipulative, cold and deceitful," Roberts told the defendant. - Read the entire article here
TUPELO - Angela Paige Martin, 25, of Tupelo, was ordered Friday to serve at least 14 years in prison after pleading guilty to two counts of sexual battery in 2007 against a girl who was then 15. Before pleading guilty the defendant was facing trial on a total of six related counts.
First District Circuit Judge Jimmy Roberts sentenced Martin to 20 years with 12 years suspended on Count 1 and 30 years, 24 years suspended, on the second charge, with the terms to be consecutive.
"Your choices have led to this day. You have only the lady in the mirror to ask, Why?'" Roberts said.
The victim, now 17, testified at sentencing that Martin used her faith to lure her into the acts.
"You have been manipulative, cold and deceitful," Roberts told the defendant. - Read the entire article here
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