3/28/14: Today’s Round-up of Child Sex Abuse in the News
LOCAL
Salinas, CA – Salinas sign language teacher arrested on child molestation charges
A sign language teacher who instructs students in the Salinas Union High School District was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of molesting two children. Adam Frogel, 57, turned himself in to Salinas police and was booked into the Monterey County Jail on six counts. Frogel remained in jail Wednesday in lieu of $500,000 bail. Salinas police Cmdr. Vincent Maiorana said Frogel had “inappropriate sexual relations” with two underage victims. Read more here:
NATIONAL
O’Fallon, IL – O’Fallon Parks Department worker charged with sexual abuse of child
An O’Fallon Parks and Recreation Department camp counselor has been charged with a felony and two misdemeanors related to the alleged sexual abuse of a child. Nicholas A. Cherry, 19, was charged by the St. Clair County State’s Attorney’s Office with possessing a nude photo of a 14-year-old female, a Class 3 felony, and two misdemeanor counts of sexual exploitation of a child, one for exposing himself to the victim and the other for convincing her to undress. Read more here:
Tacoma, WA – Tech + lax boundaries can = teacher misconduct
As long as there have been teachers and students, there probably have been inappropriate relationships between some of them. But there’s something about technology, social media and the relaxed boundaries they seem to encourage that are contributing to what some observers perceive as a growing problem of inappropriate teacher-student contact, according to a report Sunday. That’s the bad news. The good news is that this kind of communication leaves a trail that’s fairly easy to follow: The number and length of cellphone calls can be accessed, as well as the content of text messages. That can help make a legal case against an offending educator. Read more here:
Akron, OH – Priest accused of sexual abuse in Akron and Bedford loses clerical status
George F. Bailey, a Roman Catholic priest who resigned in 1989 as pastor of Medina’s St. Francis Xavier Parish, has essentially been defrocked by the Vatican over sexual abuse allegations dating back to the 1960s in Akron. On Thursday, priests and deacons throughout the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland received a memo from Bishop Richard G. Lennon, informing them that Bailey “was granted a dispensation from the clerical state” by the Holy See. “In response to credible accusations of sexual misconduct involving a minor, George Bailey requested a dispensation from the clerical state for the good of the church. Read more here:
Tinley Park, IL – Former High School Coach Faces New Sexual Assault Charge
A former Tinley Park High School teacher accused of having sex with an underage female student is facing new charges involving the same girl, the SouthtownStar is reporting. Ryan Dolan, 29, was already facing aggravated criminal sexual abuse charges in Will County, stemming from a March 8 arrest in Tinley Park. Now, the former head wrestling coach has been charged with criminal sexual assault involving the same student in Orland Park, according to a statement from Orland Park police. Read more here:
Philippi, FL – ABU student arraigned on sexual assault charges
An Alderson-Broaddus University student accused of sexually assaulting two women was arraigned in Barbour County Circuit Court Wednesday. Kadontae Yabarrie Brooks, 20, of Debary, Fla., pleaded not guilty to his indictments from the February term of the Barbour County grand jury, officials said. Brooks was indicted on three felony counts of second-degree sexual assault and one misdemeanor count of battery for allegedly sexually assaulting two different women on separate occasions, one of whom he allegedly had nonconsensual sexual intercourse with twice. Read more here:
Hanover, NH – Dartmouth sex assault case goes to the jury
The attorney for a former Dartmouth College rugby player charged with sexual assault against a student while both attended classes there last spring said Wednesday the alleged victim lied repeatedly in the account she gave college and Hanover authorities about what had happened to her. A Grafton County prosecutor countered that the woman, who was an 18-year-old Dartmouth freshman at the time of the alleged attack, had no reason to lie, and said it had taken a great deal of courage on her part to come forward publicly and accuse the upper classman. Read more here:
Superior, WI – Discreet Resources for Sexual Assault at UWS
Sexual assault and domestic violence are major issues for college campuses across the country, but one Northland university is making it easier for students to get the help they need in a more discreet way. Sexual assault happens more than you might think and the University of Wisconsin Superior wants their students to get the help they need. “It’s a societal issue that we need to give some time and energy to.” Associate Dean of Students Tammy Fanning said. Read more here:
Ithaca, NY – Cornell Attempts to Break the Silence of Sexual Assault
On March 26th the Cornell Student Assembly and Cornell Caring Community conjointly held an evening of “Breaking The Silence” to reaffirm awareness of sexual violence and bias incidents and to galvanize community wide solidarity in support of all victims and those affected. The event, held right outside the Schwartz Performing Arts Center, drew nearly 200 students and was co-sponsored by 39 other student organizations. Precipitated largely by a string of campus crimes through the end of February and beginning of March that included a rape and drug induced assault, speakers reiterated the fact that one out of every four college women are sexually assaulted by the time they graduate. Read more here:
Blacksburg, VA – Make campuses safer: preventing sexual violence demands sustained action by commonwealth colleges
Nearly seven years ago, the shooting at Virginia Tech prompted universities around the country to conduct thorough self-examinations about how well they protect their students. A central lesson was how early action can prevent tragedy. Virginia led the way by creating threat assessment teams — multidisciplinary groups respond to and develop plans of action for individuals reported as perceived threats. A proactive stance is similarly needed to prevent rape, sexual assault and related violence on commonwealth campuses. These erode the perception of safety students enjoy and demand a comprehensive and coordinated response. Read more here:
Glassboro, NJ – SW Pa. pastor waives abuse charges with 3 girls
A western Pennsylvania pastor jailed and awaiting trial for allegedly trying to inappropriately touch a girl has waived his right to a preliminary hearing on charges involving three more girls The most recent victims came forward after learning that the Rev. Ray Scott Teets, was arrested in November. He’s charged with taking an 11-year-old girl to a woodshed and trying to inappropriately touch her. Read more here:
Fairbanks, AK – Fairbanks tutor accused of sexually assaulting student
A Fairbanks man, who works as an instructor and tutor at Hutchison High School, has been charged with seven counts of first-degree sexual assault, according to court records. Claude Fowlkes III, 34, is accused of sexually assaulting a student five times on school grounds since January. After the alleged sexual assaults, the student claims that Fowlkes gave him gift cards to the online retailer Amazon. Read more here:
Cincinnati, OH – Man accused of molesting 8-year-old girl
Bond was set at $20,000 Thursday morning for a Walnut Hills man accused of sexually assaulting an 8-year-old relative of his fiancée. Troy Bell, 48, was arrested Wednesday and held overnight at the Hamilton County jail. He faces one count of gross sexual imposition. Read more here:
Las Vegas, NV – Foster care author accused of abusing adopted kids
A Las Vegas woman who published a book on foster care deprived her three adopted daughters of food when they wet the bed, refused to let them go to the bathroom, and beat them with a stick, according to court documents. Janet Solander, 53, was charged Wednesday with multiple counts of child abuse and sexual assault. Her husband Dwight Solander, 50, and her daughter Danielle Hinton, 21, were been charged with abuse. Read more here:
Panama City, FL – Two Charged with Abuse of Disabled Adult
Panama City Police and State authorities are investigating a possible case of neglect involving at least 1 disabled person, maybe more. Investigators believe one of the adults forced his disabled son to confront a neighbor, and that’s how they got involved. According to officials, Dye made the children “disappear” so she and Beck could have alone time. Police say they’d be left unattended in vehicles for hours at a time. They also believe the autistic son sexually molested the daughters. Dye claims she was being controlled by Beck. The adult children are in state custody. Read more here:
INTERNATIONAL
Manchester, England – School worker charged with 18 sex crimes against children
A school worker has been charged with 18 sex offences against children. Nigel Williams, 50, of Bradshaw Street, Orrell, is due to appear before magistrates in Wigan on April 8. He is accused of abusing children between the ages of nine and 13 more than ten years ago. The charges follow a complaint from a man who alleged he has suffered sexual abuse at Pemberton Primary School, which was demolished in 2006, say police. Two other men came forward to say they had been sexually assaulted at Wigan swimming baths. Read more here:
Gloucester, England – Church of England bishop charged with indecently assaulting two young males
A former bishop in the Church of England has been charged with indecently assaulting two young males and abusing his position for his own sexual gratification over a 15-year period. An investigation by Sussex police into allegations of assault by Peter Ball, the former bishop of Gloucester and of Lewes, resulted on Thursday in the Crown Prosecution Service announcing he was being charged. Ball, 82, is accused of the sexual abuse of a number of young males between 1977 and 1992. Jaswant Narwal, chief crown prosecutor for CPS south-east, said: “After a thorough and careful review I have decided that Peter Ball should be prosecuted for misconduct in public office and two indecent assaults. Read more here:
Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Canada – Saskatchewan teacher guilty of sexual assault faces professional sanction
A former elementary school teacher convicted of sexually assaulting a 12-year-old girl must wait to learn the fate of his teaching certificate. The Saskatchewan Teachers Federation’s ethics committee met Thursday for the professional misconduct hearing of Trevor Latham. Federation lawyer Dennis Fisher said according to the STF’s legislation, a conviction of sexual assault constitutes professional misconduct. According to court documents obtained from the provincial justice ministry, Latham had been drinking in Yorkton on January 10, 2013 when he climbed into bed with a 12-year-old girl, kissed her and touched her. Read more here
Montréal, Québec, Canada – Students seek formal sex assault policy
Students at Montreal’s McGill University have sent a clear message to school officials that their recent attempts to address the issue of sexual assault on campus have been far too feeble. Despite McGill’s recent steps to deal with sexual assault, a group of students has sent a letter to the administration – along with a proposal for a sexual assault policy – with an admonition that without a formal policy, the university’s commitment to the issue remains an empty promise. Read more here:
Sydney, Australia – Reform needed to stop Church from claiming legal immunity: Lawyer
It’s known in legal circles as the Ellis defence and it’s been used by the Catholic Church in Australia when victims of clergy sex abuse have tried to sue. This week Australia’s most senior Catholic cleric, Cardinal George Pell faced intense cross examination about the Ellis defence at the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse in Sydney. Former altar boy and sex abuse victim John Ellis tried to sue the Catholic Church trustees and Cardinal Pell. But in 2007, the New South Wales Court of Appeal ruled the Church’s assets are held in property trusts and are protected from lawsuits against clergy sex abusers. Read more here:
Kalba, United Arab Emirates – Bus driver accused of molesting two school boys
Police in the eastern town of Kalba arrested a school bus driver on charges of molesting two pupils while taking them to school. Police arrested the man after one school boy’s father reported that the driver molested his son and his classmate while they were in the bus alone. Read more here: