Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Female Sex offenders should be locked up.
By STUART WATSON / 6NEWS
E-mail Stuart: SWatson@WCNC.com
A Cabarrus county judge revoked the probation of a sex offender today and locked her up—after the 6NEWS Investigators exposed flagrant probation violations.
This case is unusual because the sex offender is a suburban mother of three.
Amber Benitez Holt walked into the Cabarrus county courthouse with her husband and mother holding her arms. But a courtroom deputy was holding her arm to escort her out of the back of the courtroom, after Judge Erwin Spainhour senther to prison for producing porn and possessing morphine and oxycodone while onprobation.
Ms. Holt, a hair stylist by trade, the mother of three and a registered sex offender was convicted three years ago of taking indecent liberties with a minor after providing alcohol and having sex with a 15-year-old girl. The judge repeatedly ordered Ms. Holt not to possess pornography as part of her sentencing agreement. But Amber Benitez Holt not only possessed porn, she produced it.
Ms. Holt’s ex-husband, Victor Benitez, told us months ago that “she was on the internet for joint sex with her and her husband and another couple.”
After we first raised questions probation officers searched the Holts’ home and found hundreds of pornographic images, including pictures of Amber Holt herself. A deputy testified he found sexually explicit chat under her screenname “myraginredhead.”
Prosecutors also played a home video of couples engaged in various sex acts a ta birthday party for Amber Holt’s current husband, Mitchell Holt. While Amber Holt did not appear in the video, evidence showed she was present behind the scenes as it was produced.
Amber’s ex-husband, Victor Benitez, told us their 11-year-old son discovered the video as well as some explicit photos. His lip quivered and his eyes watered as he first described how profoundly his son had been affected by the pictures of his mother.
Concord police detective Laresa Cook testified that Holt was first charged with having sex with the 15-year-old girl after buying tequila for a group of teens. Cook read aloud a statement from one of the teens who said that during one party, Ms. Holt’s “oldest boy woke up and was crying.” The child would have been less than 10-years-old at the time.
Victor Benitez accused the Cabarrus District Attorney’s office of not pursuing Amber’s case earlier because she’s a woman.
”A sex offender is a sex offender. I don’t care what their gender is,” said District Attorney Roxanne Vaneekhoven.
In her defense, Amber Holt’s attorney presented a signed child custody order from Rowan County showing Victor Benitez was thousands of dollars behind in child support and had signed over primary custody only last month - long after he had complained publicly of his ex-wife’s probation violations.
When asked why he had not fought for custody of the children, Victor Benitez said it was because he didn’t have the money to hire an attorney because of having to inherit divorce debt.
Amber Holt broke down crying as she made a brief statement after six hours of testimony and argument, telling the judge that it is “very hard to see my husband’s and my personal private things exposed. We have tried to take every precaution. I’m sorry.”
But only minutes later Superior Court Judge Erwin Spainhour told a courtroom audience of prosecutors and probation officers,
”She has got to pay the price..She has simply got to realize we’re not playing games around here,” the judge said.
Spainhour then sentenced Amber Holt to 90 days in prison and three months of intensive supervised probation. She’s scheduled to get out of prison three days before Christmas.
E-mail Stuart: SWatson@WCNC.com
A Cabarrus county judge revoked the probation of a sex offender today and locked her up—after the 6NEWS Investigators exposed flagrant probation violations.
This case is unusual because the sex offender is a suburban mother of three.
Amber Benitez Holt walked into the Cabarrus county courthouse with her husband and mother holding her arms. But a courtroom deputy was holding her arm to escort her out of the back of the courtroom, after Judge Erwin Spainhour senther to prison for producing porn and possessing morphine and oxycodone while onprobation.
Ms. Holt, a hair stylist by trade, the mother of three and a registered sex offender was convicted three years ago of taking indecent liberties with a minor after providing alcohol and having sex with a 15-year-old girl. The judge repeatedly ordered Ms. Holt not to possess pornography as part of her sentencing agreement. But Amber Benitez Holt not only possessed porn, she produced it.
Ms. Holt’s ex-husband, Victor Benitez, told us months ago that “she was on the internet for joint sex with her and her husband and another couple.”
After we first raised questions probation officers searched the Holts’ home and found hundreds of pornographic images, including pictures of Amber Holt herself. A deputy testified he found sexually explicit chat under her screenname “myraginredhead.”
Prosecutors also played a home video of couples engaged in various sex acts a ta birthday party for Amber Holt’s current husband, Mitchell Holt. While Amber Holt did not appear in the video, evidence showed she was present behind the scenes as it was produced.
Amber’s ex-husband, Victor Benitez, told us their 11-year-old son discovered the video as well as some explicit photos. His lip quivered and his eyes watered as he first described how profoundly his son had been affected by the pictures of his mother.
Concord police detective Laresa Cook testified that Holt was first charged with having sex with the 15-year-old girl after buying tequila for a group of teens. Cook read aloud a statement from one of the teens who said that during one party, Ms. Holt’s “oldest boy woke up and was crying.” The child would have been less than 10-years-old at the time.
Victor Benitez accused the Cabarrus District Attorney’s office of not pursuing Amber’s case earlier because she’s a woman.
”A sex offender is a sex offender. I don’t care what their gender is,” said District Attorney Roxanne Vaneekhoven.
In her defense, Amber Holt’s attorney presented a signed child custody order from Rowan County showing Victor Benitez was thousands of dollars behind in child support and had signed over primary custody only last month - long after he had complained publicly of his ex-wife’s probation violations.
When asked why he had not fought for custody of the children, Victor Benitez said it was because he didn’t have the money to hire an attorney because of having to inherit divorce debt.
Amber Holt broke down crying as she made a brief statement after six hours of testimony and argument, telling the judge that it is “very hard to see my husband’s and my personal private things exposed. We have tried to take every precaution. I’m sorry.”
But only minutes later Superior Court Judge Erwin Spainhour told a courtroom audience of prosecutors and probation officers,
”She has got to pay the price..She has simply got to realize we’re not playing games around here,” the judge said.
Spainhour then sentenced Amber Holt to 90 days in prison and three months of intensive supervised probation. She’s scheduled to get out of prison three days before Christmas.
Female guard faces felony sex charges
Female guard faces felony sex charges
Prosecutors says she seduced two teen inmates
By CLAUDIA ROWE and HECTOR CASTRO
P-I REPORTERS
As a teenager, Lavelle Johnson was so hotheaded that officers at the King County juvenile detention center kept him in a cell by himself, even though otheryouths had roommates.
But late at night, alone in his bare room, Johnson said, he had company.
He said a female guard, Lydia Korolak, made regular visits to see him, at first complimenting the teenager on his maturity, then making overtly sexual overtures. Johnson, now 21, described their encounters during a recent telephone interview from the Washington Corrections Center in Shelton, where he isserving time on a drug charge.
"Graveyard shift was when all the sexual acts were going on -- the intercourse and oral sex," he said. "She'd do her 15-minute checks, put the key in the lock, I'd hear it click, and then she'd be like, 'Come on, hurry up.' "
Korolak, 34, now faces four counts of custodial sexual misconduct for her alleged acts with Johnson and another youth with whom prosecutors say she had sex at the county's Youth Services Center, beginning in 2001. She will be arraigned Aug. 1.
Johnson conceded that initially, he did not view Korolak's attentions as a crime. Agreeing to her sexual requests brought favors -- later bedtime hours, special food, he said.
"You know, you're 17 years old in a juvenile facility and a female guard's kissing on you, rubbing on you-- if I got to be in jail, who wouldn't dig that?" he said. "But then at times, I felt pressure -- I did have a girlfriend on the outs."
Their trysts began in 2001 and continued into 2002, Johnson said. Confused about exactly who was in the right or wrong, he sometimes wondered if their meetings might result in punishment for him. But eventually, Korolak indicated that she well knew who held the power, he said.
"After she got to telling me, 'We got to slow down, they're onto me,' I was like, what you mean they'reonto you?" Johnson said.
Custodial sexual misconduct became law in 1999 and, as a Class C felony, carries a standard sentence of about five years. The law does not accept inmate consentas a defense, because prison advocates and corrections experts agree that the power difference between a prisoner and a guard is too great for any true consent.
Even when Johnson was transferred out of King County to the Green Hill School, a secure facility in Chehalis for juvenile offenders, he said Korolak maintained the connection, sending him letters, talking with him on the phone and depositing money into his student account.
The charges against Korolak culminate a months-long investigation by a task force that included Seattle police detectives, King County deputy prosecutors and detention officials. It focused on several guards at the Youth Services Center, but Korolak was the only officer charged.
Korolak is not in police custody. She is on paid leave from her detention center job.
Johnson allegedly was not the only teen receiving her attentions. Another boy, also 17 at the time and referred to in court documents as "J.H.," also had sexual relations with Korolak, according to court documents.
But he told detectives their relationship was not voluntary. Korolak had threatened to report him as a troublemaker if he did not comply with her demands, he said.
He said he had a sexual relationship with the guard in 2002.
J.H. told detectives that Korolak asked him to be her boyfriend and offered to kick her mother out of the condominium they shared if he would move in with her, according to court documents.
At a news conference Tuesday, Seattle police Chief Gil Kerlikowske said the task force reviewed 13 cases, but in six were unable to determine whether a crime had taken place. At least four cases remain under investigation, he said.
Some employees who will not be charged with any crime could still face discipline, including termination for failing to take action to prevent misconduct.
"We don't like anybody poisoning the environment," County Executive Ron Sims said.
According to county records, as of last month Adult and Juvenile Detention had 10 employees on paid administrative leave because they are subjects of misconduct investigations.
Also on the list are three officers who have been charged in two other cases of sexual misconduct involving adult female inmates in the King County Jail.
According to documents filed incourt Tuesday, the corrections agency learned of Korolak's relationship with a minor in July 2003 when another inmate complained to authorities about the misconduct.
Back then, both she and Johnson denied any sexual relationship.
Then, in March 2006, the agency reviewed its internal investigation cases, and the one involving Korolak was sent along to the Seattle police task force for further investigation.
This time, Johnson admitted to multiple sexual encounters with the officer, court records say.
When detectives interviewed Korolak in March, she allegedly admitted to having sex with Johnson and the other teen.
The corrections agency has been wrestling with the problem of misconduct, particularly inappropriate relations,by corrections officers for several months now. Earlier this year, the department invited the Moss Group to review practices and procedures at the jail and the youth services center. The firm specializes in helping corrections agencies curb sexual misconduct.
Reed Holtgeerts, director of adult and juvenile detention in the county, said he and others were initially concerned that the misconduct was more widespread than it turned out to be.
Yet, although investigators believe the incidents were isolated and involved a relatively small number of officers, he said, the county has asked for outside review of its policies.
"When an individual crosses the line like this," Holtgeerts said, "it's sending a message that we got to start looking to clean our house."
P-I reporter Claudia Rowe can be reached at 206-448-8320 or claudiarowe@seattlepi.com.
Prosecutors says she seduced two teen inmates
By CLAUDIA ROWE and HECTOR CASTRO
P-I REPORTERS
As a teenager, Lavelle Johnson was so hotheaded that officers at the King County juvenile detention center kept him in a cell by himself, even though otheryouths had roommates.
But late at night, alone in his bare room, Johnson said, he had company.
He said a female guard, Lydia Korolak, made regular visits to see him, at first complimenting the teenager on his maturity, then making overtly sexual overtures. Johnson, now 21, described their encounters during a recent telephone interview from the Washington Corrections Center in Shelton, where he isserving time on a drug charge.
"Graveyard shift was when all the sexual acts were going on -- the intercourse and oral sex," he said. "She'd do her 15-minute checks, put the key in the lock, I'd hear it click, and then she'd be like, 'Come on, hurry up.' "
Korolak, 34, now faces four counts of custodial sexual misconduct for her alleged acts with Johnson and another youth with whom prosecutors say she had sex at the county's Youth Services Center, beginning in 2001. She will be arraigned Aug. 1.
Johnson conceded that initially, he did not view Korolak's attentions as a crime. Agreeing to her sexual requests brought favors -- later bedtime hours, special food, he said.
"You know, you're 17 years old in a juvenile facility and a female guard's kissing on you, rubbing on you-- if I got to be in jail, who wouldn't dig that?" he said. "But then at times, I felt pressure -- I did have a girlfriend on the outs."
Their trysts began in 2001 and continued into 2002, Johnson said. Confused about exactly who was in the right or wrong, he sometimes wondered if their meetings might result in punishment for him. But eventually, Korolak indicated that she well knew who held the power, he said.
"After she got to telling me, 'We got to slow down, they're onto me,' I was like, what you mean they'reonto you?" Johnson said.
Custodial sexual misconduct became law in 1999 and, as a Class C felony, carries a standard sentence of about five years. The law does not accept inmate consentas a defense, because prison advocates and corrections experts agree that the power difference between a prisoner and a guard is too great for any true consent.
Even when Johnson was transferred out of King County to the Green Hill School, a secure facility in Chehalis for juvenile offenders, he said Korolak maintained the connection, sending him letters, talking with him on the phone and depositing money into his student account.
The charges against Korolak culminate a months-long investigation by a task force that included Seattle police detectives, King County deputy prosecutors and detention officials. It focused on several guards at the Youth Services Center, but Korolak was the only officer charged.
Korolak is not in police custody. She is on paid leave from her detention center job.
Johnson allegedly was not the only teen receiving her attentions. Another boy, also 17 at the time and referred to in court documents as "J.H.," also had sexual relations with Korolak, according to court documents.
But he told detectives their relationship was not voluntary. Korolak had threatened to report him as a troublemaker if he did not comply with her demands, he said.
He said he had a sexual relationship with the guard in 2002.
J.H. told detectives that Korolak asked him to be her boyfriend and offered to kick her mother out of the condominium they shared if he would move in with her, according to court documents.
At a news conference Tuesday, Seattle police Chief Gil Kerlikowske said the task force reviewed 13 cases, but in six were unable to determine whether a crime had taken place. At least four cases remain under investigation, he said.
Some employees who will not be charged with any crime could still face discipline, including termination for failing to take action to prevent misconduct.
"We don't like anybody poisoning the environment," County Executive Ron Sims said.
According to county records, as of last month Adult and Juvenile Detention had 10 employees on paid administrative leave because they are subjects of misconduct investigations.
Also on the list are three officers who have been charged in two other cases of sexual misconduct involving adult female inmates in the King County Jail.
According to documents filed incourt Tuesday, the corrections agency learned of Korolak's relationship with a minor in July 2003 when another inmate complained to authorities about the misconduct.
Back then, both she and Johnson denied any sexual relationship.
Then, in March 2006, the agency reviewed its internal investigation cases, and the one involving Korolak was sent along to the Seattle police task force for further investigation.
This time, Johnson admitted to multiple sexual encounters with the officer, court records say.
When detectives interviewed Korolak in March, she allegedly admitted to having sex with Johnson and the other teen.
The corrections agency has been wrestling with the problem of misconduct, particularly inappropriate relations,by corrections officers for several months now. Earlier this year, the department invited the Moss Group to review practices and procedures at the jail and the youth services center. The firm specializes in helping corrections agencies curb sexual misconduct.
Reed Holtgeerts, director of adult and juvenile detention in the county, said he and others were initially concerned that the misconduct was more widespread than it turned out to be.
Yet, although investigators believe the incidents were isolated and involved a relatively small number of officers, he said, the county has asked for outside review of its policies.
"When an individual crosses the line like this," Holtgeerts said, "it's sending a message that we got to start looking to clean our house."
P-I reporter Claudia Rowe can be reached at 206-448-8320 or claudiarowe@seattlepi.com.
Female suspect charged with assembling a torture kit
Sheriff: Murder plot foiled;
Female suspect charged with assembling a torture kit,
shooting neighbor
By ISHMAEL TATE - itate@thestate.com
A Lexington County [South Carolina] woman accused of plotting to torture and kill her neighbor assembled a bag containing syringes, a knife, a hatchet and a sledgehammer to do so, police say.
Elizabeth Ann Tillman, 22, of Sangaree Drive is accused of shooting her neighbor, 24-year-old Crystal Lee Walker, in the leg early Monday morning.Police say the women had been feuding.
Tillman is charged with two counts of assault with intent to kill, one count of first-degree burglary and one count of possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime, Lexington County Sheriff James R. Metts said.
He said police found a black gym bag underneath a bedroom window outside Walker's home. The bag contained two plastic syringes filled with insulin, an 8-inch filet knife, a hatchet, a sledgehammer, a drywall saw, duct tape, latex gloves, scissors, super glue, pepper spray and eight 9mm handgun bullets. Tillman told investigators she intended to inject Walker with the insulin toinduce a diabetic coma, before torturing and killing her, Metts said. Tillman's father had used insulin in the past to control his diabetes.
Tillman legally purchased a Springfield 9mm gun April 9 at a Lexington County gun shop and practiced firing the weapon at the store's firing range. On April18, she bought the tools and items recovered in the gym bag, Metts said.
About 5 a.m. Monday, police say, Tillman used her public-library card to force open the front door of Walker's house, two doors down from hers, Metts said. Tillman fired several shots at Walker, who barricaded herself and her son in a bedroom, Metts said.
When Tillman couldn't get the door open, Metts said, she fired through it, hitting Walker in the left thigh. Bullet fragments also caused injuries to both her hands. Walker and her son, who wasn't injured, escaped through a bedroom window, Metts said.
Tillman followed them outside and shot at them as they ran, he said. Tillman emptied one magazine, reloaded and continued shooting, Metts said.
Walker was treated and released from Palmetto Health Richland, Metts said.
Neighbor Sonya Smithart said she heard about three gunshots Monday morning and looked at her clock. It was 5:32 a.m. She woke her son, Ross Pait, after she heard two more.
"I heard a lot more than five shots, but it sounded like it was coming from higher in the trailer park, and sometimes they get to shooting up there," Pait said. "I didn't think nothing of it."
Later, Smithart and Pait learned Walker had been shot. They said Walker's mother also lives in the house and described the family as quiet.
The neighborhood was quiet Tuesday afternoon. A red Chevy Nova was parked under a tree at Walker's home, and a child's bike rested on the front porch. A length of yellow police tape wrapped around a fence was the only thing left from Monday's flurry of police activity.
Police say Tillman and Walker were in an ongoing dispute, including Tillman saying that Walker was cheating on her boyfriend. Metts said it's unclear why Tillman was concerned about Walker's boyfriend.
Metts said Tillman had been leaving notes on Walker's car.
Police say that on April 17, Tillman's older brother, Glenn Raney Jr., 28, broke into Walker's home and stole electronic equipment and other items.
Raney died later that day in a wreck after a high-speed chase involving PineRidge police. Items suspected to have been stolen from Walker's house were recovered in the car he was driving.
Until Monday, the incidents between Tillman and Walker had never been physical, Metts said.
Tillman was denied bail on the assault and weapons charges Tuesday afternoon. Abail hearing for the first-degree burglary charge, which carries a possible life sentence, has not been scheduled, Metts said.
Reach Tate at (803) 771-8549.
Female suspect charged with assembling a torture kit,
shooting neighbor
By ISHMAEL TATE - itate@thestate.com
A Lexington County [South Carolina] woman accused of plotting to torture and kill her neighbor assembled a bag containing syringes, a knife, a hatchet and a sledgehammer to do so, police say.
Elizabeth Ann Tillman, 22, of Sangaree Drive is accused of shooting her neighbor, 24-year-old Crystal Lee Walker, in the leg early Monday morning.Police say the women had been feuding.
Tillman is charged with two counts of assault with intent to kill, one count of first-degree burglary and one count of possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime, Lexington County Sheriff James R. Metts said.
He said police found a black gym bag underneath a bedroom window outside Walker's home. The bag contained two plastic syringes filled with insulin, an 8-inch filet knife, a hatchet, a sledgehammer, a drywall saw, duct tape, latex gloves, scissors, super glue, pepper spray and eight 9mm handgun bullets. Tillman told investigators she intended to inject Walker with the insulin toinduce a diabetic coma, before torturing and killing her, Metts said. Tillman's father had used insulin in the past to control his diabetes.
Tillman legally purchased a Springfield 9mm gun April 9 at a Lexington County gun shop and practiced firing the weapon at the store's firing range. On April18, she bought the tools and items recovered in the gym bag, Metts said.
About 5 a.m. Monday, police say, Tillman used her public-library card to force open the front door of Walker's house, two doors down from hers, Metts said. Tillman fired several shots at Walker, who barricaded herself and her son in a bedroom, Metts said.
When Tillman couldn't get the door open, Metts said, she fired through it, hitting Walker in the left thigh. Bullet fragments also caused injuries to both her hands. Walker and her son, who wasn't injured, escaped through a bedroom window, Metts said.
Tillman followed them outside and shot at them as they ran, he said. Tillman emptied one magazine, reloaded and continued shooting, Metts said.
Walker was treated and released from Palmetto Health Richland, Metts said.
Neighbor Sonya Smithart said she heard about three gunshots Monday morning and looked at her clock. It was 5:32 a.m. She woke her son, Ross Pait, after she heard two more.
"I heard a lot more than five shots, but it sounded like it was coming from higher in the trailer park, and sometimes they get to shooting up there," Pait said. "I didn't think nothing of it."
Later, Smithart and Pait learned Walker had been shot. They said Walker's mother also lives in the house and described the family as quiet.
The neighborhood was quiet Tuesday afternoon. A red Chevy Nova was parked under a tree at Walker's home, and a child's bike rested on the front porch. A length of yellow police tape wrapped around a fence was the only thing left from Monday's flurry of police activity.
Police say Tillman and Walker were in an ongoing dispute, including Tillman saying that Walker was cheating on her boyfriend. Metts said it's unclear why Tillman was concerned about Walker's boyfriend.
Metts said Tillman had been leaving notes on Walker's car.
Police say that on April 17, Tillman's older brother, Glenn Raney Jr., 28, broke into Walker's home and stole electronic equipment and other items.
Raney died later that day in a wreck after a high-speed chase involving PineRidge police. Items suspected to have been stolen from Walker's house were recovered in the car he was driving.
Until Monday, the incidents between Tillman and Walker had never been physical, Metts said.
Tillman was denied bail on the assault and weapons charges Tuesday afternoon. Abail hearing for the first-degree burglary charge, which carries a possible life sentence, has not been scheduled, Metts said.
Reach Tate at (803) 771-8549.
Female Bus Driver Accused Of Raping Boy, 13
Female Bus Driver Accused Of Raping Boy, 13
August 10, 2006
KMBC-TV; Kansas City
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- A bus driver is accused of raping a 13-year-old boy, police said.
Mary Palma, 23, was charged with the statutory rape of a family friend's son.
Police said the alleged rapes occurred at the boy's home where Palma was staying and on Palma's school bus.
Palma was arrested after the boy's mother reported the relationship.
August 10, 2006
KMBC-TV; Kansas City
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- A bus driver is accused of raping a 13-year-old boy, police said.
Mary Palma, 23, was charged with the statutory rape of a family friend's son.
Police said the alleged rapes occurred at the boy's home where Palma was staying and on Palma's school bus.
Palma was arrested after the boy's mother reported the relationship.
Double-standard treatment for child abusers
Double-standard treatment for child abusers
Carey Roberts
Heather Thomas of Fairfax, VA was arrested last week in the shaking death of her 6-day-old grand daughter. On Christmas Day Valerie Kennedy held her son in a tub of scalding water as punishment, causing his death. A few days later Genevieve Silva was arrested in Oklahoma on child rape charges for luring a high school student to run away from home.
Chances are you didn't read about these incidents in your local newspaper. Because when a man commits abuse, it seems the story is splashed all over the front page. But when the perpetrator is a member of the fairer sex, the story is relegated to the bottom of the Police Report on page C9.
Each year the federal Administration for Children and Families surveys child protective service (CPS) agencies around the country to spot the latest trends in child abuse. And according to the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System, women are the most common abusers of children.
In 2003, females, usually mothers, represented 58% of perpetrators of child abuse and neglect, with men composing the remainingcases. In that same year an estimated 1,500 children died of abuse or neglect.In 31% of those cases, the perpetrator was the mother acting alone, compared to18% of fathers acting alone.
Then there's the scandal of Dumpster babies. In 1998, 105 newborn infants were discovered abandoned in public places. One-third of those babies were found dead.
In a civilized society that makes adoption services widely-available, that practice should have been condemned as unconscionable and wrong. But instead of prosecuting the abandoners, we accommodated to the societal imperative to provide choices to women no matter the moral consequences. So we passed laws to establish "safe havens."
Under New York law, mothers can now anonymously drop off their infants up to five days old. But if she later has second thoughts, not to worry. She can come back and reclaim the child up to 15 months later.
That satisfaction-guaranteed-or-your-money-back offer might work at a Macy's handbag sale, but that's not how a moral society treats its most vulnerable members.
Patricia Pearson has written a blockbuster book called, When She Was Bad: Violent Women and the Myth of Innocence. Pearson documents repeated examples of violent women who draw their Get-Out-of-Jail-Free card by claiming PMS, battered woman's syndrome, or postpartum depression.
Remember Andrea Yates who admitted to drowning her five boys in a bathtub? Of course the National Organization for Women rushed to her defense, claiming that postpartum blues justified the serial murder. And two weeks ago Texas 1st Court of Appeals ruled that her conviction should be reversed.
Then there's the problem of women, usually female teachers,who seduce and deflower teenage boys. Look how the media sanitizes the issue. Reporters trivialize the incident using clinical phrases such as "sexual contact," or worse envelope the story in a snickering" didn't-he-get-lucky" tone.
I once knew a teenage boy who was raped by his older sister's girlfriend during a holiday visit to his parent's home. Ten years later, he was still devastated by the incident. Of course he never reported the assault, no one would have taken him seriously.
When these cases go to trial, the double standard persists. As CNN's Nancy Grace plaintively asks, "Why is it when a man rapes a little girl, he goes to jail, but when a woman rapes a boy, she had a breakdown?"
And shame on reporters who use limp clichés to excuse the inexcusable. Like the story about a New Orleans mom who stuffed her 3-month-old son in the clothes dryer and hit the On button. This was the feeble explanation that the Times-Picayune offered in its December 8 edition: "Murder Suspect 'Was Trying her Best.'" [www.nola.com/news/t-p/metro/index.ssf?/base/news-12/1134027521231650.xml]
That condescending headline brings to mind the Solomonic words of columnist Kathryn Jean Lopez: "There are mental-health issues in many of these cases, obviously, but regardless, a society can and must say loud and clear: 'That's wrong. That's evil. That can never happen again.'" [www.nationalreview.com/lopez/lopez200510170830.asp]
To which I say, "Amen."
In radio talk shows and internet bulletin boards around the nation, Americans' ire has reached the boiling point over female child abusers who are treated with reverential deference by the media and our legal system.
As long as we tolerate this gender double-standard, the problem will fester and grow. And our children will continue to be at risk.
Carey Roberts is an analyst and commentator on political correctness. His best-known work was an exposé on Marxism and radical feminism.
Mr.Roberts' work has been cited on the Rush Limbaugh show. Besides serving as a regular contributor to Renew America.us, he has published in The Washington Times, Lew Rockwell.com, ifeminists.net, Men's News Daily, eco.freedom.org, The Federal Observer, Opinion Editorials, and The Right Report.
Previously, he served on active duty in the Army, was a professor of psychology, and was a citizen-lobbyist in the US Congress. In his spare time he admires Norman Rockwell paintings, collects antiques, and is an avid soccer fan. He now works as an independent researcherand consultant.
Carey Roberts
Heather Thomas of Fairfax, VA was arrested last week in the shaking death of her 6-day-old grand daughter. On Christmas Day Valerie Kennedy held her son in a tub of scalding water as punishment, causing his death. A few days later Genevieve Silva was arrested in Oklahoma on child rape charges for luring a high school student to run away from home.
Chances are you didn't read about these incidents in your local newspaper. Because when a man commits abuse, it seems the story is splashed all over the front page. But when the perpetrator is a member of the fairer sex, the story is relegated to the bottom of the Police Report on page C9.
Each year the federal Administration for Children and Families surveys child protective service (CPS) agencies around the country to spot the latest trends in child abuse. And according to the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System, women are the most common abusers of children.
In 2003, females, usually mothers, represented 58% of perpetrators of child abuse and neglect, with men composing the remainingcases. In that same year an estimated 1,500 children died of abuse or neglect.In 31% of those cases, the perpetrator was the mother acting alone, compared to18% of fathers acting alone.
Then there's the scandal of Dumpster babies. In 1998, 105 newborn infants were discovered abandoned in public places. One-third of those babies were found dead.
In a civilized society that makes adoption services widely-available, that practice should have been condemned as unconscionable and wrong. But instead of prosecuting the abandoners, we accommodated to the societal imperative to provide choices to women no matter the moral consequences. So we passed laws to establish "safe havens."
Under New York law, mothers can now anonymously drop off their infants up to five days old. But if she later has second thoughts, not to worry. She can come back and reclaim the child up to 15 months later.
That satisfaction-guaranteed-or-your-money-back offer might work at a Macy's handbag sale, but that's not how a moral society treats its most vulnerable members.
Patricia Pearson has written a blockbuster book called, When She Was Bad: Violent Women and the Myth of Innocence. Pearson documents repeated examples of violent women who draw their Get-Out-of-Jail-Free card by claiming PMS, battered woman's syndrome, or postpartum depression.
Remember Andrea Yates who admitted to drowning her five boys in a bathtub? Of course the National Organization for Women rushed to her defense, claiming that postpartum blues justified the serial murder. And two weeks ago Texas 1st Court of Appeals ruled that her conviction should be reversed.
Then there's the problem of women, usually female teachers,who seduce and deflower teenage boys. Look how the media sanitizes the issue. Reporters trivialize the incident using clinical phrases such as "sexual contact," or worse envelope the story in a snickering" didn't-he-get-lucky" tone.
I once knew a teenage boy who was raped by his older sister's girlfriend during a holiday visit to his parent's home. Ten years later, he was still devastated by the incident. Of course he never reported the assault, no one would have taken him seriously.
When these cases go to trial, the double standard persists. As CNN's Nancy Grace plaintively asks, "Why is it when a man rapes a little girl, he goes to jail, but when a woman rapes a boy, she had a breakdown?"
And shame on reporters who use limp clichés to excuse the inexcusable. Like the story about a New Orleans mom who stuffed her 3-month-old son in the clothes dryer and hit the On button. This was the feeble explanation that the Times-Picayune offered in its December 8 edition: "Murder Suspect 'Was Trying her Best.'" [www.nola.com/news/t-p/metro/index.ssf?/base/news-12/1134027521231650.xml]
That condescending headline brings to mind the Solomonic words of columnist Kathryn Jean Lopez: "There are mental-health issues in many of these cases, obviously, but regardless, a society can and must say loud and clear: 'That's wrong. That's evil. That can never happen again.'" [www.nationalreview.com/lopez/lopez200510170830.asp]
To which I say, "Amen."
In radio talk shows and internet bulletin boards around the nation, Americans' ire has reached the boiling point over female child abusers who are treated with reverential deference by the media and our legal system.
As long as we tolerate this gender double-standard, the problem will fester and grow. And our children will continue to be at risk.
Carey Roberts is an analyst and commentator on political correctness. His best-known work was an exposé on Marxism and radical feminism.
Mr.Roberts' work has been cited on the Rush Limbaugh show. Besides serving as a regular contributor to Renew America.us, he has published in The Washington Times, Lew Rockwell.com, ifeminists.net, Men's News Daily, eco.freedom.org, The Federal Observer, Opinion Editorials, and The Right Report.
Previously, he served on active duty in the Army, was a professor of psychology, and was a citizen-lobbyist in the US Congress. In his spare time he admires Norman Rockwell paintings, collects antiques, and is an avid soccer fan. He now works as an independent researcherand consultant.
Mother cooked baby on stove
Mother cooked baby on stove
June 8, 2005
LONDON(Reuters) - A depressed mother who cooked her three-week-old baby son on a stove needs treatment not jail, a judge decided on Wednesday after she pleaded guilty to manslaughter.
Cheryl Green, 40, who had a long history of mental illness, admitted she had burnt baby Mickle to death after becoming confused and claiming she had heard voices telling her to do it.
She admitted manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility after her 'not guilty' plea was acceptedby Old Bailey criminal court.
"This is not a case where the public interest requires punishment. What you need is treatment," Judge Christopher Moss said.
Green had suffered from a schizo-affective disorder which caused her to hear voices and become depressed since 1985, the court heard.
She could also suffer outbursts of violence and had been admitted to hospital on seven previous occasions.
The court heard the baby's death occurred on April 22 last year. Green, who was completely naked, woke her neighbour at 3 a.m. by banging on her door, saying she had locked herself out.
As the neighbour drove Green to her mother's house, she blurted out: "I burnt the baby. I burnt the baby."
They returned to Green's home and found Mickle, who was born prematurely and was said to be no bigger than an adult's hand, lying on the floor in front of the oven with the main gas ring turned up on high.
"I put the baby on the fire. I burnt him on the stove. I got confused," Green said.
Despite suffering 90 percent burns to his body, doctors and paramedics managed to keep the boy alive for nine hours. The incident was so horrific that paramedics had to be given counselling for the emotional trauma they suffered.
Green's lawyer David Fisher said a number of agencies who cared for her had visited her in the days before the incident but there had been mixed views about her condition.
Moss called for those responsible for caring for Green to review their procedures to see if they were adequate.
He ordered that she be put into the"guardianship" of Southwark Council in London where she will be supervised in a care home.
June 8, 2005
LONDON(Reuters) - A depressed mother who cooked her three-week-old baby son on a stove needs treatment not jail, a judge decided on Wednesday after she pleaded guilty to manslaughter.
Cheryl Green, 40, who had a long history of mental illness, admitted she had burnt baby Mickle to death after becoming confused and claiming she had heard voices telling her to do it.
She admitted manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility after her 'not guilty' plea was acceptedby Old Bailey criminal court.
"This is not a case where the public interest requires punishment. What you need is treatment," Judge Christopher Moss said.
Green had suffered from a schizo-affective disorder which caused her to hear voices and become depressed since 1985, the court heard.
She could also suffer outbursts of violence and had been admitted to hospital on seven previous occasions.
The court heard the baby's death occurred on April 22 last year. Green, who was completely naked, woke her neighbour at 3 a.m. by banging on her door, saying she had locked herself out.
As the neighbour drove Green to her mother's house, she blurted out: "I burnt the baby. I burnt the baby."
They returned to Green's home and found Mickle, who was born prematurely and was said to be no bigger than an adult's hand, lying on the floor in front of the oven with the main gas ring turned up on high.
"I put the baby on the fire. I burnt him on the stove. I got confused," Green said.
Despite suffering 90 percent burns to his body, doctors and paramedics managed to keep the boy alive for nine hours. The incident was so horrific that paramedics had to be given counselling for the emotional trauma they suffered.
Green's lawyer David Fisher said a number of agencies who cared for her had visited her in the days before the incident but there had been mixed views about her condition.
Moss called for those responsible for caring for Green to review their procedures to see if they were adequate.
He ordered that she be put into the"guardianship" of Southwark Council in London where she will be supervised in a care home.
Outspoken Advocate Gets Prison Time
Outspoken Advocate Gets Prison Time
by Greg Johnston
Published May 04, 2007
A self-proclaimed anti-violence advocate faces a maximum of 25 years in state prison for beating, pepper spraying and throwing another woman through a window.
A Monroe County [New York] jury returned a guilty verdict in the case against Joyce Powell.
Powell turned herself into police last October. Police said she and several other people forcibly entered the home and assaulted a woman on Copeland Street.
Powell, who took the stand in her defense, claimed that she was at a bible study group at the time of the attack.
Powell became an outspoken critic of city violence after the shooting death ofher son back in August of 2001.
by Greg Johnston
Published May 04, 2007
A self-proclaimed anti-violence advocate faces a maximum of 25 years in state prison for beating, pepper spraying and throwing another woman through a window.
A Monroe County [New York] jury returned a guilty verdict in the case against Joyce Powell.
Powell turned herself into police last October. Police said she and several other people forcibly entered the home and assaulted a woman on Copeland Street.
Powell, who took the stand in her defense, claimed that she was at a bible study group at the time of the attack.
Powell became an outspoken critic of city violence after the shooting death ofher son back in August of 2001.
Cops Find 9 Adopted Kids Handcuffed, Starved
Cops Find 9 Adopted Kids Handcuffed, Starved
Mother Held After Children Are Discovered Inside Woman's Lavish Florida Home
By EMILY FRIEDMAN
July 31, 2007
Share Nine adults and teenagers were held captive, abused and starved by their adoptive Florida mother for as long as 15 years, authorities tell ABC News.
Judith Leekin, 62, allegedly duped four different New York City adoption agencies into allowing her to adopt 11 children, all of whom authorities believe she later abused. Leekin is also thought to have kept all of the state-issued funds intended for the children, spending it on her own personal expenses.
While 10 of the 11 adopted Leekin children have been found, one still remains unaccounted for. The 10th child, who was not found in the home at the time ofthe police investigation, is a 19-year-old male who authorities tell ABC News was found within the last day in the state of Florida.
The Port St. Lucie Police Department was led to Leekin's home after locating an abandoned 18-year-old woman who told officers that her mother, now known to be Leekin, kept all of her children tied up in various parts of her Florida home.
Upon arriving at the home for initial investigations, authorities told ABC News that they found it hard to believe the young woman's story.
"The home was a beautiful, well-maintained home in a very nice neighborhood," said Robert Vega, a spokesman for the Port St. Lucie Police Department. "The landscaping is probably the nicest in the entire neighborhood."
After further investigation and being granted entrance by Leekin, however, authorities were shocked to find eight people being held hostage in one of the home's bedrooms.
"[The victims] initially denied being handcuffed. They seemed brainwashed or in fear of their lives," said Vega. "These people have lived there for some time and we think they all came at different times, between 10 and 15 years ago. None of them appeared to have an education past the fourth-grade level."
The people, who range in age from 15 to 27, told authorities they were kept handcuffed to one another, forced to sleep on tile floors on only a single bedsheet and were prohibited from going to the bathroom. As a result, they were forced to soil themselves.
When asked why Leekin had voluntarily allowed officers to search her home when she knew what they would find, Vega said, "I have no idea."
The New York City Administration for Children's Services is calling the alleged adoption scam "extraordinary."
Potential adoptive parents must meet strict requirements in order to adopt a child and Leekin would have needed as many as three witnesses per adoption totestify to adoption agencies about her character and parenting abilities.
An ACS spokesperson told ABC News that these witnesses are being probed by authorities.
"It's abhorrent to everyone at Children's Services and the larger child welfare community who work so hard to identify strong, loving adoptive families to think that someone would adopt children and then mistreat them," said ACS Commissioner John B. Mattingly in a written statement.
Authorities say that so far Leekin has received somewhere between $1.5 million and $2 million in state-issued funds. They told ABC News that this number is likely to grow, as all the paperwork has yet to be reviewed.
Leekin is being held on $4.5 million bail at the Port St. Lucie County jail. She also faces several counts of child abuse - including four counts of abuse of an elderly or disabled person because because five of the nine found were handicapped - in addition to charges of false identification and witness tampering.
One of Leekin's neighbors said that up until a few weeks ago, he would see the children playing outside. One boy, who the neighhor suspects may be autistic, would spend the day picking weeds on the front lawn.
"It's a very quiet neighborhood and all the children would wave nicely and get out of the way of the cars," said Gary Howard, one of Leekin'sneighbors. "They were good children."
All of the adoptees found by police in the home are currently under the care ofthe Department of Children and Families in Florida.
"At this point in time, the department is conducting assessments to make sure [the victims] are being taken are of and we are taking every measure to make sure they are healthy - mentally and physically - and are on their way to full recovery," said Erin Geraghty, spokesperson for the DCF. "This is a tragic situation and we're doing all we can so that the children and adults are happy and healthy and know they're taken care of."
Mother Held After Children Are Discovered Inside Woman's Lavish Florida Home
By EMILY FRIEDMAN
July 31, 2007
Share Nine adults and teenagers were held captive, abused and starved by their adoptive Florida mother for as long as 15 years, authorities tell ABC News.
Judith Leekin, 62, allegedly duped four different New York City adoption agencies into allowing her to adopt 11 children, all of whom authorities believe she later abused. Leekin is also thought to have kept all of the state-issued funds intended for the children, spending it on her own personal expenses.
While 10 of the 11 adopted Leekin children have been found, one still remains unaccounted for. The 10th child, who was not found in the home at the time ofthe police investigation, is a 19-year-old male who authorities tell ABC News was found within the last day in the state of Florida.
The Port St. Lucie Police Department was led to Leekin's home after locating an abandoned 18-year-old woman who told officers that her mother, now known to be Leekin, kept all of her children tied up in various parts of her Florida home.
Upon arriving at the home for initial investigations, authorities told ABC News that they found it hard to believe the young woman's story.
"The home was a beautiful, well-maintained home in a very nice neighborhood," said Robert Vega, a spokesman for the Port St. Lucie Police Department. "The landscaping is probably the nicest in the entire neighborhood."
After further investigation and being granted entrance by Leekin, however, authorities were shocked to find eight people being held hostage in one of the home's bedrooms.
"[The victims] initially denied being handcuffed. They seemed brainwashed or in fear of their lives," said Vega. "These people have lived there for some time and we think they all came at different times, between 10 and 15 years ago. None of them appeared to have an education past the fourth-grade level."
The people, who range in age from 15 to 27, told authorities they were kept handcuffed to one another, forced to sleep on tile floors on only a single bedsheet and were prohibited from going to the bathroom. As a result, they were forced to soil themselves.
When asked why Leekin had voluntarily allowed officers to search her home when she knew what they would find, Vega said, "I have no idea."
The New York City Administration for Children's Services is calling the alleged adoption scam "extraordinary."
Potential adoptive parents must meet strict requirements in order to adopt a child and Leekin would have needed as many as three witnesses per adoption totestify to adoption agencies about her character and parenting abilities.
An ACS spokesperson told ABC News that these witnesses are being probed by authorities.
"It's abhorrent to everyone at Children's Services and the larger child welfare community who work so hard to identify strong, loving adoptive families to think that someone would adopt children and then mistreat them," said ACS Commissioner John B. Mattingly in a written statement.
Authorities say that so far Leekin has received somewhere between $1.5 million and $2 million in state-issued funds. They told ABC News that this number is likely to grow, as all the paperwork has yet to be reviewed.
Leekin is being held on $4.5 million bail at the Port St. Lucie County jail. She also faces several counts of child abuse - including four counts of abuse of an elderly or disabled person because because five of the nine found were handicapped - in addition to charges of false identification and witness tampering.
One of Leekin's neighbors said that up until a few weeks ago, he would see the children playing outside. One boy, who the neighhor suspects may be autistic, would spend the day picking weeds on the front lawn.
"It's a very quiet neighborhood and all the children would wave nicely and get out of the way of the cars," said Gary Howard, one of Leekin'sneighbors. "They were good children."
All of the adoptees found by police in the home are currently under the care ofthe Department of Children and Families in Florida.
"At this point in time, the department is conducting assessments to make sure [the victims] are being taken are of and we are taking every measure to make sure they are healthy - mentally and physically - and are on their way to full recovery," said Erin Geraghty, spokesperson for the DCF. "This is a tragic situation and we're doing all we can so that the children and adults are happy and healthy and know they're taken care of."
Women get life for turning love rival into human torch
Women get life for turning love rival into human torch
By David Sapsted
Two young women were told yesterday that they will spend at least the next 18 years in prison for the “horrific” killing of a friend’s teenage love rival.
Debra Carne: victim
Emma Last and Kerry Bauer were both teenagers themselves when they took part in a plot to lure 17-year-old Debra Carne to a remote layby, where they beat her and asphyxiated her before dousing her with petrol and settingher alight.
“When she was set alight, Debra Carne was either alive orasphyxiated by restraint or still breathing while the petrol was ignited - a thought so awful one would want to banish it from one’s mind,” said Mr Justice Nelson at Chelmsford Crown Court.
Miss Carne, a quiet teenager who lived with her mother in Sible Hedingham, Essex, was targeted almost two years ago because she had spent the night with Steven Wood, now 23, the boyfriend of Nicole Hollinshead, who was a friend of Last and Bauer.
Emma Last: 20 years
When Wood was reconciled with Hollinshead, now 19, the four hatched the plan to harm Miss Carne. Yesterday, Wood, who was convicted of Miss Carne’s manslaughter last week, was sentenced to eight years in jail while Hollinshead was jailed for five years for conspiracy to inflict grievous bodily harm.
Last, now 19, and Bauer, now 21, were both jailed for life. The judge, who described the killing as “particularly cruel”, said that Last should serve at least 20 years and Bauer, the only one who had admitted her role inthe attack, 18 years.
The judge told the four: “The circumstances of Debra Carne’s death were horrific and the motive for killing her, on the face of it, so trivial that it defies the imagination.
Kerry Bauer: 18 years
“For teenagers to have lover’s quarrels is common but for it to end in murder is thankfully not.”
Roger Carne, the victim’s father, said after yesterday’s hearing:“ Our lives have been in turmoil over the last 21 months. The murder of my only daughter has devastated us all. She was taken in the most vicious way and it is impossible to come to terms with it.
“We were very pleased with the verdicts. It was the best we could have hoped for.” Heather Knight, Miss Carne’s mother, described her daughter’s killers as “selfish, evil kids”.
By David Sapsted
Two young women were told yesterday that they will spend at least the next 18 years in prison for the “horrific” killing of a friend’s teenage love rival.
Debra Carne: victim
Emma Last and Kerry Bauer were both teenagers themselves when they took part in a plot to lure 17-year-old Debra Carne to a remote layby, where they beat her and asphyxiated her before dousing her with petrol and settingher alight.
“When she was set alight, Debra Carne was either alive orasphyxiated by restraint or still breathing while the petrol was ignited - a thought so awful one would want to banish it from one’s mind,” said Mr Justice Nelson at Chelmsford Crown Court.
Miss Carne, a quiet teenager who lived with her mother in Sible Hedingham, Essex, was targeted almost two years ago because she had spent the night with Steven Wood, now 23, the boyfriend of Nicole Hollinshead, who was a friend of Last and Bauer.
Emma Last: 20 years
When Wood was reconciled with Hollinshead, now 19, the four hatched the plan to harm Miss Carne. Yesterday, Wood, who was convicted of Miss Carne’s manslaughter last week, was sentenced to eight years in jail while Hollinshead was jailed for five years for conspiracy to inflict grievous bodily harm.
Last, now 19, and Bauer, now 21, were both jailed for life. The judge, who described the killing as “particularly cruel”, said that Last should serve at least 20 years and Bauer, the only one who had admitted her role inthe attack, 18 years.
The judge told the four: “The circumstances of Debra Carne’s death were horrific and the motive for killing her, on the face of it, so trivial that it defies the imagination.
Kerry Bauer: 18 years
“For teenagers to have lover’s quarrels is common but for it to end in murder is thankfully not.”
Roger Carne, the victim’s father, said after yesterday’s hearing:“ Our lives have been in turmoil over the last 21 months. The murder of my only daughter has devastated us all. She was taken in the most vicious way and it is impossible to come to terms with it.
“We were very pleased with the verdicts. It was the best we could have hoped for.” Heather Knight, Miss Carne’s mother, described her daughter’s killers as “selfish, evil kids”.
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