The Child Protection eNewsletter

Federal prosecutor flies 1000 miles to rape five-year-old…

A federal prosecutor flew to metro Detroit with a Dora the Explorer doll, hoop earrings and petroleum jelly for a 5-year-old he planned to have sex with, police say. Read More John David Roy Atchison -- who prosecutes civil and criminal matters as an assistant U.S. Attorney in the Northern Florida District -- appeared on the other side of the law Monday in Detroit federal court. Atchison, 53, of Gulf Breeze, Florida, was charged with enticement of a minor using the Internet and knowingly traveling interstate to engage in illicit sex.

According to court documents, during an Internet chat with an undercover officer, Atchison described himself as "very much a family man." He initiated the online chat August 29 with the officer posing as a mother interested in letting men have sex with her children.

During continuous conversations, he expressed a desire to engage in oral, vaginal and anal sex with her fictitious daughter. Money was not part of the discussion. In the chats, he also suggested he previously had sex with minors.

The undercover detective expressed concern about physical injury to the 5-year-old girl as a result of the sexual activity. Detectives said Atchison responded, "I am always gentle and loving; not to worry, no damage ever, no rough stuff ever. I only like it soft and nice." http://www.clickondetroit.com/ The undercover detective asked how Atchison can be certain of no injury. He responded, "Just gotta go slow and very easy. I've done it plenty," according to detectives.

With eyes cast downward and fiddling with papers, Atchison asked for a court-appointed attorney until he obtains his own. He was ordered to remain in custody, pending a detention hearing. He faces up to 60 years in prison if convicted of the crimes.

Atchison, who is married and has children, boarded a Continental flight that left Pensacola, Florida with a layover in Houston. He then changed planes, leaving Texas for Detroit Metro Airport, where he was taken into custody without incident about eight minutes later.

Atchison's arrest was part of an undercover sex sting on behalf of the FBI Macomb [County, Michigan] Office and the Macomb County Sheriff's Office collaborating in the Macomb Area Computer Enforcement Team, also known as M.A.C.E. "Nothing surprises us anymore," Sheriff Mark Hackel said.

Besides working for the government in the Pensacola office, Atchison also serves as the president of the Gulf Breeze Sports Association, which includes youth athletics such as soccer and T-ball. Messages left at Atchison's home were not returned Monday. A person who answered the phone at the association said the board probably would release a statement today.

Dixie Morrow of the U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern Florida District, said she would not comment on the arrest or Atchison's professional background.

M.A.C.E. began cracking down on Internet crime six years ago. Soon after, officers became desensitized to the language predators use, Hackel said. Now they're almost unfazed when they discover prominent community figures are behind the perverse exchanges, he said.

In other news… 

Britney Spears is facing another blow to her image as a former bodyguard said he's ready to testify against the singer about drug abuse and nudity in her custody battle with ex-husband Kevin Federline over the couple’s two children. Read More Tony Baretto, the former bodyguard, said he worked for Spears after her stint in rehab earlier this year. "During that time, he became very concerned about the children and their safety," said lawyer Gloria Allred, who is representing Baretto. Allred said Baretto, 28, wrote in a statement that he is prepared to testify about "issues of nudity by Ms. Spears, drug use and safety issues involving the children." Spears currently shares custody of the two boys, Sean Preston, 2, and Jayden James, 1, with Federline. He is seeking primary custody, telling a judge he fears for the boys' welfare.

Two men fatally shot a 21-year-old man during a suspected home-invasion, then shot his 7-month-old son in the head as he was strapped in a car seat outside the home, police said. Read More Investigators initially believed the infant was killed accidentally by a stray bullet, but later determined he was killed execution-style.

Despite the cloud of suspicion surrounding them after Portuguese authorities named them as suspects in the disappearance of their child, Kate and Gerry McCann continued their campaign to find their missing 4-year-old daughter, Madeleine, as they prayed in church Sunday morning. http://abcnews.go.com/ In fact, the McCanns, whose daughter went missing on May 4 while on a family vacation in Portugal, now may be forced to sell their home in order to pay for legal fees. But the parents may get help from entrepreneur Richard Branson, who offered $200,000 for their defense fund.

A man accused of kidnapping and sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl in an underground bunker appears to have sent a detailed account of the attack to a TV station. Read More A manuscript sent to television station WLTX in Beaufort, South Carolina said Vinson Filyaw stalked the girl and admired her ingenuity in gaining his trust to get his cell phone. She used it to send a text message to her mother that led to her rescue. The station aired excerpts from the writings after the jury was seated in his trial. (Video is online at http://www.wltx.com/)

As students return to school in Virginia, there's something new in their curriculum. Read More Virginia is the first state to require public schools to teach Internet safety. The mandate is in response to concerns about sex offenders and other adults preying on young people they've met through social-networking Web sites such as MySpace. It's one of several steps states are taking to try to protect children and teenagers online.

A former Tacoma teacher accused of raping a 10-year-old boy is now facing additional charges after investigators said there is at least one more victim. http://www.kirotv.com/ Jennifer Rice, 31, was charged with raping and molesting a second boy in his mid-teens. KIRO 7 Eyewitness News reporter Kevin McCarty said sources told him the second victim is the brother of the 10-year-old boy who Rice allegedly molested.

Police say a 6th grade school teacher in Bradford, Vermont tried to kill himself after being arrested for sexually abusing a child. http://www.wcax.com/ The alleged victim came forward Friday night and now police are trying to determine if the longtime teacher victimized any other children. Fifty-one year-old Richard Foster has taught at the Bradford Elementary School for more than a decade and has been a teacher in Vermont for about 20 years all together, according to police.

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh said Monday it has created a $1.25 million fund to settle 32 lawsuits alleging abuse or injury by priests. Read More In a joint statement with an attorney for the plaintiffs, the diocese said it wanted to settle even though Pennsylvania's statute of limitations barred many victims from filing personal injury claims. Plaintiff's attorney Alan H. Perer said he appreciated the gesture even though he didn't think the sum fairly compensated the victims for the abuse.

A Texas woman whose three young daughters were seriously burned was arrested, and neighbors said the mother told a fire investigator she had doused the children with gasoline and set them on fire. http://abcnews.go.comUS/ The woman, Alysha Green, 29, who also was burned and remained hospitalized, was arrested on three counts of causing serious bodily injury to a child, police said. The girls, ages 7, 5 and 3, remained in the burn unit of a Dallas hospital; their conditions were not released.

Authorities said they feared for the safety of the mother of a 3-year-old girl believed to have been abandoned by her father at the Southern Cross train station in Australia. http://abcnews.go.com/ Australian police said they believe Xue Naiyin, a Chinese-language magazine publisher in New Zealand, went to the United States after dumping his daughter, Qian Xun Xue, in the southern Australian city of Melbourne. Meanwhile, New Zealand police have not been able to find the girl's mother, Anni Liu, 27, at the family's home or other properties, and are concerned she may have been harmed because she has not contacted them about her daughter. Inspector Brad Shallies of Australia's Victoria state police said U.S. authorities and Interpol had joined the search for Xue.

*for access to member only sites like the New York Times, use the ID "JohnDoeID" and the password "whatever". On sites asking for an email address, feel free to use "info@childprotectionprogram.org"