ChildProtectionProgram
A Publication of Survivors And Victims Empowered

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Archdiocese of Los Angeles subject of federal probe...

Federal prosecutors have launched an investigation into whether leaders of the Los Angeles archdiocese committed fraud by failing to properly deal with charges of priests molesting children, two law-enforcement sources told CNN. CNN News story here

The Los Angeles Times (see LA Times story here) and Wall Street Journal (see Wall Street Journal story here) reported that Cardinal Roger M. Mahony is specifically targeted in a grand jury investigation– citing unnamed government sources.

U.S. Attorney Thomas P. O'Brien is personally involved in the probe, according to the reports.

In a written statement, the Catholic archdiocese defended its actions. It said the archdiocese has been contacted by the U.S. attorney's office for "information about a number of individual priests"–two who are dead and none of whom are active in the clergy.

"The archdiocese is not aware of any fact or set of facts that would support a responsible federal investigation of the archdiocese or of Cardinal Roger Mahony," said the statement.

While calling the Catholic Church's history of sex-abuse "regrettable," the statement said abuse reports have served as a catalyst for reforms in the L.A. archdiocese. "Under Cardinal Mahony's leadership, the archdiocese has become a model for organizations nationwide in the education, training and detection of every aspect of abuse," it said.

Advocates for victims of clergy abuse, however, were welcoming news of a possible probe.

Esther Miller, spokeswoman for Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, called an investigation long overdue. "Cardinal Mahony's cover up record was well documented; there is a lot of evidence out there..." she said. "People thought they were getting good priests, and indeed they were not. Cardinal Mahony knew this. "Something has to change in order to protect kids at all costs."

For years, the Los Angeles district attorney's office has had an open investigation looking into sex abuse against children by members of the clergy. But Sandi Gibbons, of the district attorney's office, told CNN that the office has run into "statutory problems and corroboration issues," because many of the alleged crimes happened so long ago.

The archdiocese, with 288 parishes in 120 cities throughout southern California, serves more than 4 million Catholics, according to its Web site.

Mahony has dealt with accusations he covered up sex-abuse cases for years. Two years ago, the archdiocese agreed to pay $660 million to 508 people who claimed they were victims of abuse by priest

For more information on clergy abuse see eGuide/vol1_iss36.

Jurors hear gruesome testimony in death of Riley Sawyer, "Baby Grace"...

Tuesday was a day of gruesome and disturbing testimony in a Galveston courtroom. That's where Kimberly Trenor is on trial for the death of her two-year-old daughter, Riley Ann Sawyers. KTRK News story here

The little girl was known as "Baby Grace" until her remains were identified. A fisherman found the remains in a plastic container in Galveston Bay in October 2007. We would eventually learn that Sawyers had died months earlier in July at her family's home in Spring. Her mother and stepfather are charged with killing her.

The first day of trial was filled with graphic testimony. Several jurors broke down in tears when they heard details of how the little girl died.

Trenor and her husband, Royce Zeigler, are both accused of killing Riley during a disciplinary session in 2007. Trenor described on tape how her husband took the day off to show her how to discipline Sawyers, saying that Zeigler told her, "We had to break her in."

Trenor described how the beating began, first with a belt, then a thicker belt and how it led to putting her head under water. "I found myself doing that because he was there and that's what he was doing," said Trenor in the videotaped statement.

Trenor claims Ziegler threw Riley onto the floor and a wall, striking her head. She claims she wanted to call 911, but Ziegler warned her they would go to jail.

Trenor went on to describe how Ziegler allegedly used bleach to get rid of evidence. Prosecutors say the couple then stuffed the little girl's body into plastic bags and then a plastic container.

Assistant District Attorney Kayla Allen said Trenor simply, "...watches her float under the causeway."

On the stand Wednesday morning was the detective who interviewed Trenor in her statement to police. He testified that Trenor said what he expected. She pointed the blame at her husband, Royce Zeigler, who is not Sawyers' biological father. KTRK News story here

Trenor never reported her daughter missing. When confronted by police, she claimed an Ohio CPS worker had forcibly taken the child as part of a custody dispute. See more on this story at vol7_iss6.

In other news...

A man pulled over on a highway bridge, took his 4-year-old daughter out of the car and dropped her over the side to her death Thursday in Australia's second-largest city, police said. ABC News story here Arthur Freeman, 36, of Melbourne was later charged with the murder of 4-year-old Darcey Iris Freeman. But he did not appear in court because police said he was psychologically unfit to do so. A magistrate ordered him to be held in custody while an investigation continues. He faces a maximum life sentence if convicted. Police did not allege a motive. Police and court officials said the man was involved in custody battle with his wife over the couple's three children, and had appeared in a family court on Tuesday and Wednesday. The two other children, boys aged 6 and 8, may have been in Freeman's SUV when he allegedly pulled over on the West Gate Bridge in morning peak-hour traffic and dropped the girl 190 feet into the Yarra River, said Detective Inspector Steve Clark.

Three new studies shed light on the way the brain forms, stores and retrieves memories. Experts say they could have implications for people with certain mental disorders. CNN News story here Newly born brain cells, thousands of which are generated each day, help "time stamp" memories, according to a computer simulation by scientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, California, and the University of Queensland in Australia. The research was published in the journal Neuron. Research in mice published in the February issue of the journal Nature Neuroscience found that an individual nerve cell in the front part of the brain can hold traces of memories on its own for as long as a minute, possibly even longer, said senior author Don Cooper, assistant professor of psychiatry at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. This idea, that an individual nerve cell can hold a trace memory, is also related to drug addiction, the study found. The study is an important contribution to the field of working memory because it shows the molecular mechanisms involved in the process, said Michael Kuhar, professor of neuropharmacology at Emory University, who was not involved with the research. Meanwhile, research in the Journal of Neuroscience this week supports the idea that different brain structures are involved in forming short-term and long-term memories. See more about memory at eGuide/vol1_iss47.

Boys in the United States with common names like Michael and David are less likely to commit crimes than those named Ernest or Ivan. Fox News story here David E. Kalist and Daniel Y. Lee of Shippensburg University in Pennsylvania compared the first names of male juvenile delinquents to the first names of male juveniles in the population. The researchers constructed a popularity-name index (PNI) for each name. For example, the PNI for Michael is 100, the most frequently given name during the period. The PNI for David is 50, a name given half as frequently as Michael. The PNI is approximately 1 for names such as Alec, Ernest, Ivan, Kareem, and Malcolm. Results show that, regardless of race, juveniles with unpopular names are more likely to engage in criminal activity. The least popular names were associated with juvenile delinquency among both blacks and whites. The findings, announced Wednesday, are detailed in the journal Social Science Quarterly.

A Canadian man who described himself as a pastor was sentenced Monday to five years in prison for sexually assaulting a 10-year-old girl he claims was his wife. MSNBC News story here Daniel Cormier, 57, was convicted in October after members of the now-defunct Church of Downtown Montreal became suspicious of his relationship with the girl. Cormier, who led the church, has maintained he did nothing wrong when he married the girl, then 10 years old, in 1999 during a ceremony at his church.

An Illinois middle school teacher charged with 10 counts of illegal possession of child pornography has reportedly admitted to molesting dozens of boys. Fox News story here Kenneth Lee Johnson told police he sexually abused 75 boys over the past 35 years, but those claims have not been substantiated, according to MyFOXChicago.com. "Right now, we have no indication there were any victims in our school district," Antioch Elementary District 34 superintendent Scott Thompson told MyFOXChicago. Johnson, who taught social studies in District 34 for 20 years, was arrested January 20 after an FBI tip led local authorities to interview him. Johnson admitted to watching child pornography and sexually abusing 75 boys, Detective Sergeant George Manis told MyFOXChicago. Lake County Sheriff Mark Curran told the station the police had not be able to substantiate any of Johnson's victims, but they did seized DVDs, floppy disks, printed materials and a computer containing more that 1,000 images and nearly 100 videos of child pornography from his home. For more on teacher abuse see eGuide.org/vol1_iss30.

A 69-year-old Texas man arrested this week on charges that he molested a boy told investigators that he has been assaulting children for decades, authorities said. Houston Chronicle story here Homer Clark Stelle was charged with two counts of sexual abuse of a child as well as possession of child pornography. He is accused of molesting a boy who lived near his home in the 3300 block of Burke, said Pasadena police spokesman Vance Mitchell. On December 27, Pasadena police received a tip from someone who suggested Stelle was behaving like a sex offender, trying to select a victim, Mitchell said. The spokesman declined to elaborate, citing the ongoing investigation. Authorities found child pornography in his apartment and Stelle told them that he had been sexually abusing children since 1964, Mitchell said. Stelle is not a registered sex offender, Mitchell said. "He has no record," the spokesman said. Stelle has lived in the Pasadena area for about 10 years, Mitchell said, and previously lived in the Heights area of Houston. Originally from Marshall, Stelle moved to the Houston area more than a decade ago with a then-5-year-old boy who is now 19 or 20, Mitchell said.

An Austin, Texas couple has been charged with videotaping and photographing themselves sexually assaulting at least two children, including a toddler. Austin Statesman story here In one video, Mariana Garcia, 23, was seen holding a child "that appears younger than 2" while Adrian Navarro, 29, assaulted what appeared to be a young girl, according to arrest affidavits. "It was shocking," Austin police child abuse Detective Joel Pridgeon said. Police said Wednesday they are still trying to determine the identity of the children and do not know their whereabouts. Garcia and Navarro have not been arrested, police said.

*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"


Survivors And Victims Empowered
1725 Oregon Pike, Suite 106
Lancaster, PA 17601
(717) 569-0550 voice
(717) 569-3039 fax
http://www.childprotectionprogram.org