Former police officer sentenced to year behind bars for assaulting woman

On Thursday, October 29, a former police officer was sentenced to a year in prison with 14 more years suspended for sexually assaulting a 18 year old woman that he knew. Ronald M. Hendrickson, 47, a former Newport News police lieutenant, was sentenced Thursday in York-Poquoson Circuit Court by Substitute Judge Thomas Nance. After the prison time, Hendrickson must register as a sex offender and seek sex offender treatment at his own expense, and stay away from the Internet, with a polygraph to monitor this condition. If Hendrickson violates any supervision conditions, then "I'm going to give you the other 14 years," Judge Nance promised.

Last month, Hendrickson pleaded guilty to a single felony charge of object sexual penetration as part of a pre-arranged agreement. In exchange, Simantov dropped felony charges of possession of child pornography, filming a non-consenting nude minor and production of child pornography.

The charges stemmed from the woman's accusation that Hendrickson tried to force himself on her after she rejected advances he made after the pair drank alcohol together.

Early in the case, Simantov declined to prosecute felony charges of abduction and abduction with intent to defile and misdemeanor sexual battery that were brought in conjunction with the accusation. The child pornography charges were filed in April after the discovery of a video that depicted the victim while she was still a minor.

At the time of his arrest, Hendrickson was a patrol supervisor assigned to the Newport News Police Department's South Precinct. His employment with the department ended in February.

 

Hendrickson said that the offense was due to mishandling of job-related stress, particulary the death of a colleague. He has started attending AA meetings, counseling, and reparing his familial relationships. This was echosed by his father, Harold Hendrickson, who said his son told him, "Dad, I feel dead inside. I don't have any emotions."

 

However, Simantov said that the betrayal of trust outweighed any mitigating circumstances. "He's someone who knew what he was doing. He knew it was criminal. He chose to betray his badge."

Woman sentenced to life without parole for burning death of husband

A Wells, ME woman who killed her husband by burning his while he was asleep was sentenced to life without parole on Thursday, October 29. Kimberly Spampinato, 42, killed her husband Chris, 39 because he wanted a divorce, and was cheating on her with a Texas woman, according to prosecutors. Kim plead guilty to 1st degree murder in August, and was sentenced to 30 years concurrently for 1st degree arson.

York County Justice Paul Fritzsche imposed the maximum sentence for both counts because “In this case, the person was murdered in a way that was particularly cruel … and unusually horrible...There is only one sentence that can be imposed.” Kim had written letters to her victim's family members claiming that she had killed seven other people. An excerpt said that “Killing your brother was fun; it still puts a smile on my face; I only wish I could’ve made the pain last longer.”

Her lack of an apology or remorse during the sentencing hearing was also an aggravating factor.

On Jan. 8, while Christopher slept, Kimberly Spampinato doused him and rolled up newspapers in gasoline, setting the paper and her husband on fire in his Wells apartment, said Assistant Attorney General Lisa Marchese, a state prosecutor in the case.

Christopher ran out of the apartment and was found by police badly burned and sitting in a snow bank that night, she said. He died nine days later on Jan. 17 in the burn unit at Massachusetts General Hospital, according to court records.

Assistant Attorney General Lisa Marchese asked for a sentence of 55 years to life for Spampinato. She said Thursday in court that extreme cruelty was evident in the case because Christopher was alive for a period of time and conscious while he waited for an ambulance to arrive and during the ambulance ride. “He must have known he was going to die,” she said.

Premeditation was also evident, said Marchese, as Spampinato purchased gas in the afternoon of the murder, had to roll out the newspaper, drench the bed with gas and light it afire.

Marchese described the murder as “domestic violence at its worst,” as Christopher had decided to leave the relationship and Kimberly felt she was losing control. “People should be able to leave a relationship safely,” she said. “She presents a real danger to society.”

The victim's mother, Ann Cabot, said about her former daughter-in-law, “This sick, violent individual should not be allowed the privilege of taking another breath.”

Chris' sister, Jennifer Cabot stated that "Sometimes I can wake up and smell the burn unit where I watched him die slowly." She wanted to remember her brother for the "amazing person that he was...True justice would be the end of Kim’s life in the same manner she ended Chris’ life,” she concluded.
 
Donald Stevens, who was married to Kimberly Spampinato for 18 years, spoke at length during the hearing, delineating years of abuse that he and his son experienced from her. “There were nights when I would be awoken with the touch of a knife blade to my throat,” he said. “In my case, I was lucky enough to be awake to defend myself.”

 Stevens said that Spampinato “loves to control and manipulate any way she can” and said he would fear for his family if she were ever to be let out of prison.“We want to go on with our lives and not go on looking over our shoulder,” said Stevens. “If she is ever paroled, there is no doubt she will kill again.”

 The couple’s son, Donald Stevens III, told the court how his mother attacked him with a knife when he was a teenager and said he was asking for a life sentence “because she’s a very dangerous threat.”

Sarah Churchill said that the murder was premeditated, stating that a person can be tortured to death for long periods of time.She cited her client's history of sexual, physical, and emotional abuse during childhood, leading to mental illness. The letters about the murder were “more a result of her mental illness than anything else.”

Kim herself stated that “I would not be angry to get a life sentence at all. It would be a relief. I took responsibility for this and gave a full confession. I’ve been waiting 10 months for this day, to be sentenced and move on.”

Man sentenced to 15 years after rape of woman at party - victim dies of drug overdose in May

A man was sentenced to 15 years in prison for the sexual battery of a then 36 year old woman who later died of a drug overdose. James Cregger of New Port Richey, FL, was sentenced to the maximum for sexual battery by Pasco Circuit Judge Michael Andrews after 2 1/2 hours of jury deliberation yesterday. Cregger's "defense" was that his ex-wife made up the story to get back at him for deliquent child support payments.

The victim began the night of July 3, 2008, at her brother's New Port Richey apartment for a get-together. Cregger and his girlfriend were also at the party. The woman left after arguing with her boyfriend, telling her brother she was going to walk to a friend's house. Cregger had already left the party and gone to his nearby apartment.

Assistant State Attorney Chris Jensen said the woman met Cregger as she was walking to her friend's house and he was walking to a convenience store. Jensen said Cregger grabbed the victim, dragged her into the dark backyard of a house on Illinois Avenue and raped her on a beach chair. Cregger had lived at the house and knew its owner, Joseph Catania.

The victim eventually talked Cregger into letting her check on her child at home. She and Cregger were walking on Adams Street when [Deena] LaRossa's van approached.

LaRossa and her friends Stacy Davis and Betty Jo Tagerson, prosecution witnesses, saw a scared, barefoot, crying victim walking with Cregger early July 4, 2008. The women in the van stopped to talk to the victim, who whispered to LaRossa, "Please don't leave me. He just raped me." LaRossa helped the victim into the van.

Cregger testified that after an argument between the victim and her boyfriend, Cregger had consensual oral sex with the woman, who did so to get back at her boyfriend.

After the verdict, Cregger told Judge Andrews that he wasn't a rapist. "My only question through all of this has been: Why has my ex-wife and her ex-husband been making my life a living hell, and hunt me down and concoct this whole thing against me to put me away for 15 years?

Cregger's mother, Deborah Leder, said that she still believed her son was innocent. "I know deep down in my heart because I'm a Christian, and I know God knows that my son did not commit these hideous crimes."

"He's a good boy," The defendant's aunt, Judy Thomas said. She also promised that the family would fight for him.

Pewaukee officer demoted beacuse of inappropriate behavior with suspect

A City of Pewaukee police seargeant was demoted to patrol officer and suspended for 15 days without pay on Monday, October 26 for attempting to date a criminal suspect and lying about it. This demotion will cost Officer Cher Sneider almost $10,000 in gross annual salary.

The administrative sanctions were the result of an internal investigation by the City of Pewaukee’s Police And Fire Commission of administrative charges against her, regarding an off-duty incident on May 10, 2008.

According to the complaint, Sgt. Sneider had an on-duty patrol officer access a secure police database to get Sneider the phone number of a man under investigation for suspicion of illegal activity, including drugs. That man had a known criminal history with the City of Pewaukee police department.

Sneider, who thought the suspect was “hot,” and wanted to go out with him, made four calls with her personal cell phone May 10, 2008, another call and a visit to the man’s house the next day, and two more calls May 17, 2008. She denied trying to have a relationship with him, saying she contacted him as part of a noise complaint investigation.

Commission members said that Sneider’s testimony was unconvincing, citing the late night phone calls she made to the suspect’s residence. As part of their seven page decision, they said the following:

"It is not credible that Sneider would be making legitimate and necessary police-related calls...while out visiting a succession of taverns on a Saturday night and drinking alcoholic beverages. It is not believable that Sneider would pursue this issue off duty as late as 12:06 a.m. on Sunday morning, May 11, 2008, which is the time she made her last call to the Doe residence."

Pewaukee Police Department rules state that officers engage in professional conduct, refrain for associating with people of questionable character, use city resources for work, and “speak the truth at all times.”

A separate insubordination charge against Sneider was dismissed by the commission. That charge stemmed from her request to remove a laptop computer mount bracket from then-Chief Gary Bach's squad car to have it installed in her car. Meister earlier had issued an order that nothing be removed from Bach's squad, and Sneider was accused of ignoring the mandate.

The commission said it is disappointing that department personnel and commission time was spent looking into the laptop mount issue.

"The commission is concerned that this situation is symptomatic of poor management, system-wide disregard for authority and continuing deterioration in the chain of command with the police department. This matter should have been handled internally," the commission said.

Sneider's attorney, Gordon McQuillen, says his client may appeal the demotion.

Pregnant woman's "boyfriend" sentenced to life without parole for stabbing her to death

An Anderson, SC man who stabbed his pregnant girlfriend 25 times until she bled to death in front of her 7 year old daughter was sentenced to life without parole Thursday, October 22. Circuit Court Judge Cordell Maddox sentenced Christopher Ellis to life without parole after an hour of jury deliberations. The life without parole sentences were for the murder of Erica Olsen and her unborn child. These sentences will run consecutively with a 10 year sentence for possessing a weapon in the commission of a violent crime.

On Oct. 23, 2006, police went to an apartment in Fairview Gardens after dispatchers received a 911 hang-up call and heard a woman screaming in the background. Police found Olson with stab wounds covering her upper body. Ellis was lying on top of her, with wounds to his abdomen and neck. Olson’s 7-year-old daughter told police that Ellis had stabbed her mother and then stabbed himself.

Ellis, the only witness to testify on Wednesday and the only witness the defense called, said Olson had attacked him as he fell asleep in a recliner. According to him, he had been at another woman’s house that afternoon and Olson was angry that he had been cheating on her.

Ellis, who admitted being drunk and high on crack, said that the victim came after him with a knife while he was trying to fall asleep in a recliner. He claimed that he went to the bathroom and the victim stabbed him then. The perp claimed that he called 911, but the phone kept coming out of the wall.

The victim's 7 year old daughter, who testified for the prosecution, said that she awoke to her mother's screams, and saw the victim stabbed to death. The daughter also saw Ellis stab himself in the stomach afterwards.
 
Assistant Circuit Solicitor Catherine Huey said that Ellis' statement was incredible, and that the 911 tapes showed that he was trying to control the situation.
 
 “He told dispatchers ‘It’s OK.’ In all that time he never even asked for help. Both he and Erica are hurt and he never asks for help. They want you to believe the phone kept falling out of the wall. But the dispatcher knew something bad was going on. He heard the screaming and he kept calling back. … But by that time, you can’t hear Erica anymore.”
 
10th Circuit Solicitor Chrissy Adams said the crime was a warning to other women in abusive situations. Huey said thew victim waited too long to move out of the place she shared with Ellis.
 
Adams' statement is below.
 
“This was a horrific crime, committed in front of a 7-year-old child by someone with a previous history of domestic abuse against the victim, a fact I hope will not be lost on those in our community who today find themselves in abusive relationships. We are grateful to the jury and pleased that this defendant will be locked away for the rest of his life,” she said.
 
The victim's grandmother, Gayle Davison, said that she was satisfied that Ellis won't be able to hurt another woman again. “I think the fact that he will never be able to do this to anyone else is what we all needed. It will be three long years on the 23rd of this month. We’ve waited a long time for this.”

Repeat criminal sentenced to 11 1/2 years for rape of University of Arizona student

A man who raped a University of Arizona student in 2007 was sentenced to 11 1/2 years in prison Friday, October 16, by Pima County Superior Court Judge Christopher Browning. Thirty-eight year old Deguan Lamar Lee faced a sentence of 3 to 12 1/2 years on the kidnapping count and up to 3 3/4 years on the robbery count, added after Lee took the victim's cell phone.

On April 12, 2007, the student returned to the Manzanita-Mohave dormitory after having dinner with some friends. When she entered the dorm, she saw a man standing by the elevators and, uncomfortable, took the stairs.

Moments later, the student left her room to go to the bathroom, and the man pushed her into the bathroom, punched her in the face repeatedly and digitally penetrated her twice. He then grabbed her cell phone and left. Witnesses who came to check on the commotion ran into the man as he left the bathroom, and he told them, "Everything is OK."

Police arrested Lee, who was not a UA student, two years later when his DNA was linked to the case.  
 
Lee had a history of being "overly aggressive in pursuing women," according to Deputy Pima County Attorney Anita Simons. Simons asked for an aggravated sentence based of this and Lee's violation of probation for drug offenses.  
 
According to Simons, these incdients include unwanted sexual attention by Lee gaginst his daughter's teacher, and inappropriate touching of a girl's buttocks at a dance school parking lot. He "either does not understand or refuses to acknowledge that these women didn't invite his behavior," according to the prosecutor.
 
In a letter to the judge, the victim said it took her more than a month before she could use a public restroom, and when she finally used the dorm's restrooms, she took a pair of scissors and someone with her. She also couldn't sleep in her dorm room after the incident; she slept at friends' homes or at her mother's house.

At the end of the semester, the student said, she transferred schools, but she still has nightmares and crying jags. She often wakes up in the middle of the night and has to double-check the locks on her doors and windows. She sometimes feels her heart racing when she notices the bump on her nose and the scars on her lips.
 
Lee will have to register as a sex offender and have his DNA taken, since the kidnapping was found to be with sexual motivation.

72 year old man gets 9 to 12 years for "manslaughter" of wife, stabbed 45 times

A 72 year old Cape Cod man was sentenced to 9 to 12 years in prison yesterday for stabbing his wife 45 times with a kitchen knife before she bled to death in front of a neighbor's porch. Seventy-two year old William Romero Sr. of  Pocasset, MA, who plead guilty in September, was sentenced for a single count of manslaughter and 20 years of probation for to assault and battery with a dangerous weapon on a person over 60 by Judge Richard Connon.

First Assistant District Attorney Brian Glenny asked for a sentenced of 18 to 20 years, while Romero's lawyer, Kevin Reddington, asked for 6 to 8 years. Judge Connon, after reading Romero's evaluation at Taunton State Hospital and other background information, decided that "age is not a defense - You can't turn your back on someone who commits the most serious of crimes."

Because Romero was found to have a substance abuse problem, his probation conditions, if he lives to get out of prison, will require no drug or alcohol use. However, the defendant, acknowledged to be in poor health, may find prison difficult at his age. "He's at the end of his life and that's a difficult way for him to finish his life." Judge Connon said. "The thing is," he added, "if he does survive, where is he going to go when he gets out?"

He might be able to stay with his son, William Romero Jr.

Romero's son, William Romero Jr., was too distraught to even stay for the hearing, Reddington told the judge. He had recommended a lesser sentence than his sisters in his impact statement, the lawyer said. Connon said he took those into account, as well as the test results from the hospital, in making his decision.
 
Romero's daughter, Sharon Durkin, shook her head as the sentence was read. She broke into hysterics as Romero was led out of the courtroom.

"We were not pleased with the judge's verdict today and we felt that justice had not been served," Durkin said of herself and her sister, Margaret, in a phone interview later yesterday. The sisters wanted to see their father sent away for the maximum 20 years.

Whatever happens to his client, according to Romero's lawyer, Romero's children will have lost both of their parents due to one selfish act. "I know that they love their father, but they certainly loved their mother," Reddington said.

Masseur with property crime history accused of fondling customer

A masseur with a history of property crimes, including 1st degree burglary, was accused of fondling and molesting a long time customer of the massage business that he worked for. The 35 year old victim claimed that Joshua Shane Beach, 25, fondled her breasts, genitals, and performed oral sex on her during the 1 1/2 hour "massage" section.

Pam Henrichs, Beach's manager, said that she wasn't awars of his criminal history, but appeared to be a legitimate - and popular masseur.  "He's only been here a month and was doing good. He had a number of repeat (customers), including her. I was impressed with him and his knowledge about massage." The victim was a client of the facility for 12 years.

During questioning by detectives, Beach admitted fondling and performing oral sex with the alleged victim, apologizing to the woman for making her "uncomfortable."

Rapist, killer of "girlfriend" sentenced to 20-60 years for molesting 7 year old

A convicted rapist and murderer who served prison time for killing his "girlfriend" will now spend an additional 20 to 60 years in the New Hampshire State Prison for molesting a seven year old girl. Forty-four year old George Quintero, formerly of Salem, NH was found April 1 of aggravated felonious sexual assault and felonious sexual assault for molesting a seven year old girl at his house in February 2007.

Assistant County Attorney Karen Springer said that Quintero's past needed to be taken into consideration when sentencing. "I don't think we're trying to make an analogy, but I do think this defendant picked both of these victims," she said.

The judge in Quintero's case agreed, because her statement to the perpetrator was "If ever there was a case that deserved the maximum sentence, this is the case," said Judge Tina Nadeau, who said that Quintero had a proven history of preying on adults and children.

In 1984, Quintero was in the military, stationed in Germany, when he went to his 20-year-old girlfriend's home drunk wanting her to take care of him, Springer said. When she refused, he went to a friend's home. Quintero and his friend decided to return to the woman's home and murder her, she said.

"He punched her in her face four or five times. She tried to scream, tried to yell out. He responded by slicing both sides of her neck," Springer said. "After that, he raped her and so did his friend." The two men stabbed the woman with a knife repeatedly, Springer said.

After admitting to the rape and murder, Quintero was sentenced to 27 years, but got out of prison in May 2001 after serving 17 - a decision that according to the prosecutor, led to the molestation. "Had he done 27 years, it would have taken him into 2012 and we wouldn't be here."

The girl's mother, arguing for the maximum sentence, "She is a typical 10-year-old (now) with scars for the rest of her life. (She) was a victim because of this rapist and murderer."

Richard Samdperil, Quitero's attorney, said that his client had a productive life after release from prison and may have another chance of contributing to society. "When he was released from prison, he worked, he established a new relationship with a girlfriend. He still has the ability to work and contribute to society. All that should be considered."

Salem police Sgt. Michael Kelly, the investigator in the molestation case, said  "He received what he deserved for a sentence. I'm happy for the mother and father of the victim and hope they can all move on with their lives."

Sex offender convicted of raping wife at gunpoint in vehicle, motel

A Laramie, WY man faces a minimum of 20 years and a maximum of life for kidnapping then raping his wife at a park, then motel. A jury of 10 women and 2 men convicted Donald Ray Daves of 4 counts of 1st degree sexual assault, 5 counts of using a firearm while committing a felony, and single counts of kidnapping, aggravated battery, and possession of a deadly weapon with unlawful intent.

The 46 year old perpetrator's conviction stemmed from a incident which occurred over the couse of two days. According to the victim and prosecutors, Daves' assault began April 4 at the Monolith Ranch public access area to purportedly dig up jewelry he buried. The gunpoint sex assaults at the access area occurred in Daves' Ford Ranger pickup truck. After Daves finished raping his victim there, he drove around, looking for a motel to stay.  According to Albany County Attorney Richard Bohling, Daves unsucessfully rented a room at a Howard Johnson's. “He reminded her if she runs he’ll blow a hole in her head the size of a coffee mug,” Bohling said about the threats the perpetrator made to his victim.

Eventually, Daves rented a room at the 1st Inn Gold, where he raped his victim three times, each time with the semiautomatic handgus laring on the stand next to the bed. According to Bohling, the gun on the stand was used to keep the victim submissive. “This is all about power. It’s not about consensual sex.”

After he finished raping his wife, he dropped her off at her home April 5, threatening to kill her if she told. The next day, Daves fled and led  police on a high speed chase after Laramie and Albany County Sheriff’s officers attempted to question him about the rapes.

Public defender Vaughn Neubauer focused on the physical evidence and the victim’s testimony.

Neubauer said the victim had lied on the stand because she wanted Daves out of her life. “Don’s an easy target,” he said. “She had the perfect opportunity to get rid of Don Daves forever.”

Neubauer asked the jury to remember the victim’s testimony and how she became “defensive and angry and hostile” during cross examination after crying earlier in the day. “Her testimony was contrived. She made it up,” he said. “Someone … who can turn it on, turn it off and turn it on again is capable of doing that.”

Concerning the physical evidence, Neubauer said the DNA analysis performed by the Wyoming State Crime Lab and the biological materials tests performed by Laramie Police Sgt. Michael Ernst were non-factors.
He reminded the jury that the DNA analysis and presence of fluids on Daves’ underwear could not be used to determine if the sexual acts were consensual or non-consensual. Neubauer added that Ernst failed to find any biological evidence inside Daves’ pickup truck, which is where the victim had said Daves had forced her to perform oral sex.

In addition, Neubauer referred to the testimony of Dr. Jonna W. Gies of the Ivinson Memorial Hospital Emergency Department, who performed a sexual assault examination of the victim on April 9. In her testimony on Tuesday, Gies had said there was no evidence of tearing or redness on the victim. Gies had said there were two bruises on the victim’s inner thighs. However, she admitted they could have happened during consensual or non-consensual sex.

Because the physical evidence could not prove Daves had sexually assaulted his wife, Neubauer said the prosecution’s case depended on the victim’s testimony and circumstantial evidence. “What this case really comes down to is whether you believe (the victim) beyond a reasonable doubt,” he said. Neubauer also pointed to the events in the front lobby of the Howard Johnson’s Hotel on the night of April 4 to show the victim was with Daves on her own volition.

Jeffrey Becker, a former Howard Johnson Hotel front desk manager, testified on Wednesday that the victim could have escaped out the front door or spoken to him while Daves was in the restroom.“She had a number of options available to her,” Neubauer said. “She could have asked for help, but she didn’t.”

Then, instead of fleeing the county or holding the victim hostage, Daves took her home before returning to his residence.
 
Bolling rebutted the defense argument by stating in his closing that “There’s no handbook of how to be a victim of crimes like this...Some people spend years in (an abusive) situation before they ever get out.”
 
Daves is being held without bail in the Albany County Detention Center until sentencing.

Ex sheriff's deputy pleads guilty to rape of drunk woman

Former Fall River County sheriff deputy Buckly "Buck" McColl plead guilty to a single count of 3rd degree rape in front of Seventh Circuit Court Judge Thomas Trimble in the Cusster County, SD courthouse yesterday. In South Dakota, 3rd degree rape carries a maximum sentence of 25 years or a $50,000 fine. 2rd degree rape is defined as having intercourse with a drunk, drugged, or asleep person, rendering them unable to consent to sex.

Greg Sperlich, McColl's lawyer, said the guilty plea was designed to cap his client's sentence at 5 years. Two other 3rd degree rape charges, as well as counts of perjury and false reporting, were dropped in exchange for the plea.

As part of his guilty plea, Judge Trimble required that McColl give a factual basis for the plea, to which McColl replied, “I had intercourse with (name redacted). She was intoxicated at the time and could not give consent.”

After the plea, Judge Trimble ordered that a pre-sentence investigation be done. A sentencing date has not yet been scheduled, but will take place in Fall River County before Judge A.P. Fuller.

State’s Attorney Jim Sword requested that McColl be remanded to the Fall River County Sheriff, but Trimble said that McColl would be allowed to remain free on bond. Sword then asked that he be required to stay within the boundaries of the Seventh Circuit.

McColl stated that he had to leave the 7th Circuit's boundaries for his work as a trucker. Judge Trimble kept McColl's bond at its current level, stating that “He is here. He entered his plea.”

Ex teacher's aide sentenced to five years for "relationship" with 16 year old

Former Burlington County Special Services teacher's aide Donna Goebel was sentenced to 5 years in prison and lifetime parole  for starting a relationship with a 16 year old student. This sentence was handed down on Monday by Superior Court Judge James Morley and split the difference between the 7 years requested by Burlington County prosecutors and 3 years requested by the defense.

On July 17, Goebel was convicted of a count of sexual assault involving the student who attended class where she was a teacher's aide last year. This "relationship" started while she was still married, but in an unhapy relationship with her husband.

 "It's possible she just wanted to be around someone who was nice to her and got caught up in something she shouldn't have," Judge Morley said, adding she used her position to get close to him whether she originally intended to or not.

Judge Morley also opined "But for the defendant's status, there would be no crime here (because) the relationship was entirely consensual." Pennsylvania's AOC is usually 16, but rises to 18 when the adult is in a position of trust.

In a letter to the judge, Goebel's older daughter, Jennifer, said her mother was in a "poisonous destructive relationship" with her father that made her mother do uncharacteristic things. "She is a loving mother and constantly made sacrifices for me . . . She is not the woman portrayed in the newspapers," the college student wrote.

Goebel is currently divorced and is in the process of remarrying.