4/3/14: Today’s Round-up of Child Sex Abuse in the News
LOCAL
Los Angeles, CA – Sexual assault allegations against ex-hospital aide uncovers similar claims over 14 years
Disturbing claims of women having been sexually assaulted while heavily medicated at a Los Angeles hospital has led to the discovery of similar claims against the same man for more than a decade.
Two patients at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center separately told police last year they were assaulted while treated by since-fired nursing student, Guillermo Fernando Diaz, 56, the Los Angeles Times reports. Read more here:
Watsonville, CA – Man accused of molesting two children in Watsonville, Monterey County
A 38-year-old Royal Oaks man was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of molesting two children in the past 15 years in Watsonville, Aromas and Royal Oaks. Lorenzo Ledesma, also known as Lorenzo Resendiz, had molested a boy and girl who were younger than 14 and younger than 10 years old, said Monterey County sheriff’s Cmdr. John Thornburg. Read more here:
Oxnard, CA – Former officer’s molestation trial will move forward
A trial involving a former Oxnard police officer accused of molesting children more than two decades ago will move forward next month. Read more here:
NATIONAL
Bogota, NJ – Bogota High School physical education teacher from Teaneck arrested
The Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office announced on March 25 the arrest of a Bogota Junior-Senior High School physical education teacher on a charge of inappropriate sexual activity with an underage female student. Robert Colasuono, 39, of Teaneck, who also served the Bogota school district as a health teacher and assistant baseball coach, has been charged with one count of aggravated criminal sexual contact. Read more here:
Richmond, VA – ‘Pastor G,’ Indicted on Child Sex Charges, to Speak at Richmond Church on Good Friday
Geronimo “Pastor G” Aguilar, the former head pastor of the Richmond Outreach Center who has been indicted on multiple counts, including aggravated sexual assault of a child under 14, is one of seven religious leaders scheduled to speak at Cedar Street Baptist Church of God on Good Friday. Read more here:
Harrisburg, PA – Pennsylvania top court denies coach Sandusky’s child sex-abuse appeal bid
Pennsylvania’s top court on Wednesday rejected a bid by former Penn State football coach Jerry Sandusky to appeal his 2012 conviction on charges of sexually abusing children. In a case that rocked the world of big-time college sports, Sandusky was found guilty of 45 counts of sexually abusing 10 boys over 15 years, using his position in the prestigious football program to gain access to youth. Read more here:
Harrisburg, PA – Pa. bill targets sex-abuse disclosure rules for schools
Nationally, the practice is known as “passing the trash” – when a school district allows an employee accused of sexual misconduct to resign quietly and might even offer a reference for a job elsewhere. On Wednesday, Pennsylvania legislators took a step toward making the state one of the few in the nation to require the disclosure of sexual-abuse allegations as part of the application process for school-related jobs. Read more here:
College Station, PA – Law student Courtney Kiehl fights for victims’ rights
Courtney Kiehl did not grow up wanting to be a lawyer. She wanted to be a gymnast and spent up to 40 hours per week training with her coach and her team in the North Bay area of California. Ten years ago, she disclosed to her mother and then to authorities that her gymnastics coach had been sexually abusing her nearly every day for over a year. With her disclosure, seven other girls came forward and her life dramatically changed. Read more here:
Joliet, IL – South Suburban Volunteer Coach Charged With Sex Abuse
A volunteer gymnastics coach at south suburban Lincoln-Way Community High School District 210 — who was a former gymnastics state champion for the district — has been charged with sexually abusing a female student. Isaac Kruspe, 20, is charged with aggravated criminal sexual abuse and criminal sexual assault for having sex with a 15-year-old girl whom he coached, New Lenox police said. Read more here:
Beaverton, OR – Former Aloha High teacher admits to sex abuse of former student
A former high school teacher and coach accused of sexually abusing a former student and giving her alcohol was convicted and sentenced Tuesday, April 1, in Washington County Circuit Court. Read more here:
New London, IA – Supreme Court hears arguments in New London teacher abuse case
The Iowa Supreme Court heard arguments today on whether a former New London student can sue the school district for emotional problems cause by the sexual abuse of a teacher and track coach. The school district’s lawyer Steve Ort argues the case brought by the student in connection with the abuse by former teacher Gina Sisk was filed too late. Read more here:
Auburn, AL – AU officials caution students after reported sexual assault on campus
The Auburn University Department of Public Safety and Security issued a public safety notice after a third party on campus notified them of a reported sexual assault. The alleged assault happened in a university residence hall on Saturday night/early Sunday morning. The victim says she consumed a non-alcoholic drink at a party on campus before the assault, and does not remember anything after that. Read more here:
Cambridge, MA – Harvard Student Writes About Being Sexually Assaulted, Then Ignored by Administrators
The Harvard Crimson published an anonymous, first-person account of sexual assault and its aftermath on Monday. The letter, from the alleged victim, opens, “Dear Harvard: You Win.” What has Harvard won? After nine months of resisting this student’s pleas for action, validation, and empathy in the wake of what she says was sexual assault, one of the best schools in the world has won her surrender. Read more here:
Harrington, ME – Panel: No policy change needed at school attended by student charged with sexual assault
A subcommittee that reviewed school district policies of School Administrative District 37 after a controversy over a student who was charged in a sexual assault will recommend no changes, the chairman of the panel said Wednesday. “At this time … I guess we deemed that the policies we have are sufficient,” said Vance Pineo, who planned to give a report to the full SAD 37 school board Wednesday evening. “They’re adequate and sufficient,” added Pineo. “We don’t see the need to change any at this time.” Read more here:
Columbia, MO – MU task force completes first phase of post-Menu Courey evaluation
Nearly seven weeks after a task force was created to evaluate the sexual assault policies and resources on all four University of Missouri System campuses, MU announced Wednesday it had completed the first phase of the process. It sent out a list of 10 campus organizations that in some way support sexual assault victims. In an email, Chancellor R. Bowen Loftin called Phase I an “inventory” of the sexual assault resources at MU and encouraged the campus community to take advantage of them. Read more here:
Tulsa, OK – Investigation finds TU’s Patrick Swilling Jr. ‘not responsible’ for alleged sexual assault complaint
The University of Tulsa announced that an investigation has determined basketball player, Patrick Swilling, Jr., did not commit a sexual assault or violate the student code of conduct. Swilling was suspended, from the basketball team, after an alleged incident was reported to the university Feb. 11. According to the complaint, a female student stated Swilling had sexually assaulted her in his apartment, Jan. 27. Read more here:
Houston, TX – Suspect accused of trying to sneak into Rice University dorm, sexually assault female students
A man is charged with getting into a Rice University dorm and trying to sexually assault female students. Rice University says 25-year-old Nate Simonette was arrested Saturday night. They say he inappropriately touched two female students in a dorm room. A campus alert was issued and the university says that’s how he was identified. Read more here:
Miami, FL – Opening Statements Thursday In Charter School Sex Assault Case
Jury selection wrapped up Wednesday afternoon and opening statements are scheduled to begin Thursday in the sexual abuse case of a child whose family has sued his former South Florida charter school where the alleged abuse took place by an older student. Read more here:
Waynesville, MO – Marthasville man charged with molesting 13-year-old girl
A Waynesville man has been accused of molesting a child who is under the age of 14 multiple times. Emmanuel C. Fajardo, 54, of Waynesville, has been charged with child molestation in the first degree and endangering the welfare of a child after an extensive investigation that began in December regarding incidents that took place last fall. The victim told officers that she had “inappropriate contact” with Emmanuel Fajardo, her mother’s boyfriend, according to court documents. The victim told investigators that she had been molested at least eight times by Fajardo, according to court documents. Fajardo allegedly would enter the child’s bedroom at night and would inappropriately touch and kiss the victim. Read more here:
Jeffersonville, IN – Charlestown man charged with incest, child molesting
Following claims that he had forced a 13-year-old relative to perform a sex act, a Charlestown man is being held at the Clark County jail under a $100,000 cash-only bond. A father of four, Frank Allen Glover II, 50, Tunnel Mill Road, was charged Tuesday with three class A felony counts of child molesting and one count class B felony incest. Read more here:
Louisville, KY – 2 Ind. men facing child molestation, incest charges
Two men are behind bars in Clark County, Indiana, after separate cases of child molestation and incest. Clark County Prosecutor Jeremy Mull said cases like these are hitting his desk more often and he wishes he could put an end to them. Read more here:
St. Paul, MN – Nienstedt to address clergy sex abuse in deposition
Archbishop John Nienstedt will testify under oath today about his handling of clergy sexual abuse allegations in St. Paul and Minneapolis, marking the first time that the leader of the Twin Cities archdiocese has been forced to answer questions about his role in the scandal. Read more here:
Mille Lacs, MN – Crosiers disclose updated list of religious involved in sexual abuse
An updated list of Crosier priests and brothers with one or more credible claims of sexual abuse of minors has been released by the community from its province headquarters in Phoenix. The list includes Crosiers previously disclosed in 2002 following a third-party investigation as well as current, former and deceased Crosiers who have credible allegations against them, according to a news release from the order. Read more here:
Pierre, SD – SD man gets prison time in witness tampering case
A southern South Dakota man accused of pressuring a relative to withhold information from authorities investigating a sexual assault case has been sentenced to 15 years in prison. Read more here:
Ft. Lauderdale, FL – More Testimony In Sex Abuse Trial Of Former Youth Pastor
More testimony Wednesday in the trial of a former youth pastor accused of sexually assaulting young children. Jeffrey London is charged with 27 counts of child abuse. On Wednesday the first person to take the stand was Clive Lowe who used to live with London. Lowe, who worked for Metro PCS, told the jury that London questioned him about how long they kept text message records. Read more here:
West Chicago, IL – Former West Chicago youth ministry leader charged with sex abuse
A former youth ministry leader from Community Fellowship Church in West Chicago is accused of having inappropriate sexual contact with two underage girls, according to the DuPage County State’s Attorney’s Office. Osman Bahadarakhann has been charged with three counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse, a Class 2 felony, according to a news release from the State’s Attorney’s Office. It is alleged that in the fall of 2013, Bahadarakhann invited one of the girls to his apartment, where inappropriate contact allegedly took place, according to the release. Read more here:
Henderson, KY – Alleged witch, boyfriend charged with sexual offenses against children in western Kentucky
A southern Indiana woman and her boyfriend have been charged with committing sexual offenses against children in western Kentucky after prosecutors say they threatened the children with “hexes and curses.” Prosecutors say the couple hosted a party at Smith’s house in Henderson where the kids between the ages of 6 and 13 were involved in making and viewing pornography as well as live sexual performances. Read more here:
INTERNATIONAL
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada – Naughty archbishop won’t be defrocked
A disgraced archbishop recently found guilty of sexually assaulting a Winnipeg boy in the 1980s will not be defrocked by the Archdiocese of Canada. Instead, Archbishop Seraphim Storheim was retired quietly by the church. The decision has outraged critics who say the decision to spare Storheim of the defrocking goes directly against the church’s sexual misconduct policy. Read more here:
Delhi, India – ‘Get eyes of molestation accused tested’
The accused told the Delhi court that his vision has been troubling him for the past 10 years and that the complaint was made with the sole intention of grabbing his property. His daughter-in-law has accused him of molestation and sexual assault with the intention to outrage her modesty. The complainant is married to the son from the first marriage of the accused. Read more here: