A nurse who sexually assaulted women and girls under anesthesia was found guilty as charged in a Cobb County, GA courtroom on Monday April 11 and is expected to be sentenced to a lengthy prison term by Superior Court Judge Reuben Green during sentencing which is scheduled to take place within the next month or so.
48 year old Paul Serdula, a nurse anesthesiologist who practiced in metro Atlanta, was found guilty by Judge Green in a "stipulated facts" bench trial in which 20 pages of still sealed facts were agreed to and entered into evidence. Judge Green reviewed multiple images, presumably of women and girls being victimized. According to Cobb County investigators, this evidence shows victims from around the county and not just the victim Serdula was convicted of videotaping.
Serdula's defense attorney Jimmy Berry said that the images were the reason his client did not plead guilty, citing police misconduct in obtaining the evidence. "The pictures are what they are, they show what they show...We didn’t have a lot to fight about. Just the procedure of how they got them, and whether they got a valid search warrant.”
Serdula, who appeared in court Monday shackled at the waist, was charged in two separate indictments of assaulting 19 victims, including two girls under the age of 16, at a local hospital, surgery center, and a dentist’s office.
He was first arrested in November 2009, after a woman found the camera hidden beneath a bathroom sink at the Goldstein Garber & Salama dental office at 600 Galleria Parkway and called 911. He was later released on $50,000 bond, but was re-arrested about a week later on child molestation charges, after one victim was identified as a child [The 15 year old victim was victimized at the same dental office Serdula was arrested before].
In July 2010, he was again released, this time on $250,000 bond, before being arrested a third time, in December 2010 on additional charges of unlawful surveillance, aggravated sodomy and sexual assault. He has been held without bond at Cobb County Jail since that time.
A lawsuit filed by five female patients against WellStar Cobb Hospital was setteld out of court for an undisclosed amount.
According to the original lawsuit, four of the women were at the hospital to deliver babies via cesarean section, and a minor was undergoing an emergency appendectomy. The suit claimed that Serdula administered some drugs without medical need, and gave excessive doses, leaving the new mothers unable to recall their babies’ births. Other operating room staff were in the room at the time of the assaults but unaware of what was happening.
Serdula faces a mandatory minimum of 25 years in prison when he is sentenced.
Showing posts with label GA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label GA. Show all posts
Friday, April 22, 2011
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Hitman sentenced to life for murder at behest of victim's wife
A hitman hired by the victim's wife to kill for a $500,000 life insurance policy was sentenced to life plus 25 years in a Fulton County, GA courtroom for the killing. Jean Pierre Devaughn, 29 of suburban Atlanta, was sentenced by Judge Stephanie Manis Monday, April 11, 2001 for the murder of his cousin, 35 year old Eric Clark of Alabama. According to the Fulton County District Attorney's Office, Clark's wife, Constance Shinell Clark, hired Devaughn to kill her husband for his life insurance.
Clark had driven to Atlanta the day he was murdered with $500 cash to get discounted alcohol for a party he was bartending, prosecutors said. Authorities learned that in the months before he died, Clark's wife had secured a $500,000 life insurance policy on her husband, prosecutors said.
The victim's mother, Janice Clark, spoke for her son during the sentencing."Not seeing his lovely face and smile has been hard for our family. Eric was loved so much and he was brutally murdered and left like trash. This man has taken his life and shown no remorse...He destroyed our son and we will never be the same."
The wife is currently serving time in federal prison for identity fraud, but is scheduled to be tried for her husband's murder.
Clark had driven to Atlanta the day he was murdered with $500 cash to get discounted alcohol for a party he was bartending, prosecutors said. Authorities learned that in the months before he died, Clark's wife had secured a $500,000 life insurance policy on her husband, prosecutors said.
The victim's mother, Janice Clark, spoke for her son during the sentencing."Not seeing his lovely face and smile has been hard for our family. Eric was loved so much and he was brutally murdered and left like trash. This man has taken his life and shown no remorse...He destroyed our son and we will never be the same."
The wife is currently serving time in federal prison for identity fraud, but is scheduled to be tried for her husband's murder.
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Serial "girlfriend" rapist sentenced to life without parole for raping woman in front of her child
A Savannah, GA man with a history of raping "girlfriends" was sentenced to life without parole as four-time habitual offender Monday, September 20. 47 year old Jerry Howard was convicted by a Chatham County, GA jury Saturday, September 18 of rape, aggravated assault, and misdemeanor cruelty to a child for raping and choking his 28 year old "girlfriend" in front of her 1 year old daughter at his home November 29, 2007.
Assistant District Attorney Isabel Pauley presented evidence that Howerd tried to intimidate the victim into recanting the charges and called as a witness a previous "girlfriend" who was attacked in a similar manner in 1988.
Chatham County Superior Court Judge John E. Morse Jr imposed the life sentence on Howard based on prior felony convictions. The life term for rape and the 20 year term for aggravated assault were imposed consecutive to each other. A year term for cruelty to a child will be served concurrently with the life sentence. Because this is his fourth strike, the life term is without parole. These convictions include robbery, possession of controlled substances and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Howard was released from prison in August 2007, three months before the latest attack.
Below is the law requiring four time felons in Georgia to serve the maximum sentence for that crime without parole.
[A]ny person who, after having been convicted under the laws of this state for three felonies or having been convicted under the laws of any other state or of the United States of three crimes which if committed within this state would be felonies, commits a felony within this state other than a capital felony must, upon conviction for such fourth offense or for subsequent offenses, serve the maximum time provided in the sentence of the judge based upon such conviction and shall not be eligible for parole until the maximum sentence has been served. (from O.C.G.A. 17 -10-7)
Below is the law requiring four time felons in Georgia to serve the maximum sentence for that crime without parole.
[A]ny person who, after having been convicted under the laws of this state for three felonies or having been convicted under the laws of any other state or of the United States of three crimes which if committed within this state would be felonies, commits a felony within this state other than a capital felony must, upon conviction for such fourth offense or for subsequent offenses, serve the maximum time provided in the sentence of the judge based upon such conviction and shall not be eligible for parole until the maximum sentence has been served. (from O.C.G.A. 17 -10-7)
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Former police chief sentenced to year in federal prison for breaking restraining order
By Mashaun D. Simon The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A man whose job it was to ‘serve and protect’ has been sentenced to serve a year in federal prison. Dennis Lamar Thomas, 50, of Jefferson served as a former Assistant Police Chief with the Jefferson Police Department. He was arrested over a year ago when he violated a state restraining order filed against him by his estranged wife. He went to see her at his son’s home. When police arrived they found a crack pipe, a loaded .38 caliber gun and a hand grenade in his possession.
In addition to his one year sentence, Thomas, who pleaded guilty in August, will also serve three years of supervised release, and was fined $3,000.
A man whose job it was to ‘serve and protect’ has been sentenced to serve a year in federal prison. Dennis Lamar Thomas, 50, of Jefferson served as a former Assistant Police Chief with the Jefferson Police Department. He was arrested over a year ago when he violated a state restraining order filed against him by his estranged wife. He went to see her at his son’s home. When police arrived they found a crack pipe, a loaded .38 caliber gun and a hand grenade in his possession.
In addition to his one year sentence, Thomas, who pleaded guilty in August, will also serve three years of supervised release, and was fined $3,000.
Monday, May 4, 2009
Georgia man sentenced to life plus 95 years for raping, beating wife
Michael Ellicott, a Peachtree City, GA man, was sentenced to life in prison plus 95 years today after his conviction of 13 out of 15 counts regarding the attack on his wife of 23 years in their basement theater last January 20.
Michael Ellicott testified Wednesday [April 29], denying that he ever struck or raped his wife. His testimony came after the jury was shown disturbing photos of his wife Pamela’s injuries. The photos were taken at the hospital where she was treated after police were called to their home Jan. 20.
Shown graphic images of deep bruises on various parts of Pamela Ellicott’s body, Michael Ellicott resolutely said that he did not cause any of them. He also contended that while he did not strike his wife with drumsticks as alleged, she was striking herself with the drumsticks during the incident.
The victim, Pamela Ellicott, stated the the beatings started around a year and a half before the January 20th attack in the couple’s basement. Pam did not seek divorce because she still loved her husband “It wasn’t until the last year that I stayed out of fear,” she testified Tuesday, April 28.
Mrs. Ellicott testified that the January 20, 2008 beating was interrupted by a phone call from a woman her husband identified as his mistress. After he took the call, she grabbed a cordless phone and called 911 from their neighbor’s home.
Besides the January 20 attack, the victim testified her husband broke both of her wrists, and one time, his blows were meant for her head, but she deflected it. The victim also told of anal sexual assaults she endured, leading to buttock injuries which required surgery, making it painful to walk.
Michael Ellicott testified that adultery on his part and on his wife’s part played a role in friction between the couple.
Michael Ellicott said several days before his arrest he had noticed red marks on his wife and encouraged her to see a psychiatrist who had previously helped her on the self-abuse matter.
A co-worker at Delta Airlines whom Michael Ellicott admitted to having an affair with testified that in December 2007 he had told her about Pamela Ellicott’s self-abuse problem.
Michael Ellicott admitted that he hoped to divorce his wife but prosecutor Warren Sellers reminded him that in his answer to Pamela Ellicott’s divorce suit he is asking for the marriage to remain intact.
“I still do love Pam. I understand the situation but I’m not happy with it,” Michael Ellicott said. “I don’t want to go to jail for 400 years sir. I thought she would come to her senses.”
Before the sentencing, but after the vercict, Judge English made a lenghty statement about the nature of the crimes committed against the victim.
I think the judge said it all. But I know this is not the end of this. We have a long road ahead of us, but my kids and I are strong and we will get through this. Now is not time for me to walk away, it's time for me to step up to the plate and help anyone else that I can help. They protected me and my children. Their conviction to do the right thing never waivered nor stopped. The work they put into this was amazing. The process worked this time.”
Fayette County Judge Paschal English stared at the 48 year old defendant in the packed courtroom as he gave his denunciation.
"I have observed you during this trial, and I don't think it ever sunk in with you. You laughed, you smiled, you cut up with people. I don't believe you ever thought for one second that you would be convicted."
Judge English also said that the defendant's conduct besmirched the Air Force, where Michael Ellicott flew an F-15 fighter jet, and Delta Air Lines, where he worked before being charged.
The jurors, after 11 hours of deliberation, returned a guilty verdict at 4:40 PM local time Friday, May 1 of guilty of five counts of aggravated battery (family violence), four counts of aggravated assault (family violence), two counts of aggravated sodomy, one count of false imprisonment and one count of rape.Michael Ellicott testified Wednesday [April 29], denying that he ever struck or raped his wife. His testimony came after the jury was shown disturbing photos of his wife Pamela’s injuries. The photos were taken at the hospital where she was treated after police were called to their home Jan. 20.
Shown graphic images of deep bruises on various parts of Pamela Ellicott’s body, Michael Ellicott resolutely said that he did not cause any of them. He also contended that while he did not strike his wife with drumsticks as alleged, she was striking herself with the drumsticks during the incident.
The victim, Pamela Ellicott, stated the the beatings started around a year and a half before the January 20th attack in the couple’s basement. Pam did not seek divorce because she still loved her husband “It wasn’t until the last year that I stayed out of fear,” she testified Tuesday, April 28.
Mrs. Ellicott testified that the January 20, 2008 beating was interrupted by a phone call from a woman her husband identified as his mistress. After he took the call, she grabbed a cordless phone and called 911 from their neighbor’s home.
Besides the January 20 attack, the victim testified her husband broke both of her wrists, and one time, his blows were meant for her head, but she deflected it. The victim also told of anal sexual assaults she endured, leading to buttock injuries which required surgery, making it painful to walk.
Michael Ellicott testified that adultery on his part and on his wife’s part played a role in friction between the couple.
Michael Ellicott said several days before his arrest he had noticed red marks on his wife and encouraged her to see a psychiatrist who had previously helped her on the self-abuse matter.
A co-worker at Delta Airlines whom Michael Ellicott admitted to having an affair with testified that in December 2007 he had told her about Pamela Ellicott’s self-abuse problem.
Michael Ellicott admitted that he hoped to divorce his wife but prosecutor Warren Sellers reminded him that in his answer to Pamela Ellicott’s divorce suit he is asking for the marriage to remain intact.
“I still do love Pam. I understand the situation but I’m not happy with it,” Michael Ellicott said. “I don’t want to go to jail for 400 years sir. I thought she would come to her senses.”
Before the sentencing, but after the vercict, Judge English made a lenghty statement about the nature of the crimes committed against the victim.
However, I have listened to more cases than I can count, and I can say that these are the worst injuries I have ever observed on someone who lived. I can't understand why a man who was 6-3, 270 pounds would deliberately break the arms of a frail woman who was the mother of his two children. Then try to tell us those wounds were self inflicted.
It begs all logic, and it underscores the individual I saw trying to hide behind such an unbelievable story. I've seen torture at the hands of an enemy. But I have never seen it and hope to never see it again, from someone who confesses to love someone. What a charade.
English also spoke of Ellicott's use of drumsticks to beat his wife."The drumsticks are irony," he said. "They represented to a young woman horrific pain from beatings that no one can imagine. On the other hand, a different drum beat began, because that drumbeat represents the death of a monster, and that's you Mr. Ellicott," English said.
"You were provided the best of best, with a pristine military career, a job most would love to have, friends through Delta. But you turned your back on your family, friends, employer, and your military and country. How can someone who fought for the freedom of others, so willingly jeopordize those freedoms at the end of two wooden drum sticks?""You have changed a lot of lives, none for the better. This woman may never live a normal life again."
After the sentencing, the victim praised the judge, the DA's office, and the Peachtree City Police, but said that she and her kids "have a long road ahead of them." she also said that she would like to one day help other victims.I think the judge said it all. But I know this is not the end of this. We have a long road ahead of us, but my kids and I are strong and we will get through this. Now is not time for me to walk away, it's time for me to step up to the plate and help anyone else that I can help. They protected me and my children. Their conviction to do the right thing never waivered nor stopped. The work they put into this was amazing. The process worked this time.”
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Georgia man chared with keeping family prisoner in filthy trailer
By GREG BLUESTEIN, Associated Press Writer Wed Aug 13, 5:11 PM ET
LAVONIA, Ga. - When police finally searched the squat white mobile home where they say a man held his family captive for three years, the place was so filthy and bug-infested that one officer had to wear a gas mask and another refused to continue.
Thousands of roaches and other bugs crawled in and out of drawers, cupboards and furniture. Spoiled food littered the place, and a long-ignored plumbing problem left the floors rotten and mattresses moldy.
Investigators allege it was in this three-bedroom trailer in northeastern Georgia where Raymond Daniel Thurmond forced his wife and four children to live, allowing them to leave only once in three years. Even then, it was only fleeting: A two-hour Easter visit to his wife's parents' place in North Carolina.
"It was pretty much a virtual prison," Lavonia Police Lt. Missy Collins said Wednesday. "He controlled what they ate, what they did. He controlled pretty much everything."
Thurmond now awaits a bond hearing on charges of rape, child abuse and false imprisonment. He has asked for an attorney but one hadn't been assigned as of Wednesday afternoon. Franklin County jail officials turned down a request by The Associated Press to interview Thurmond.
The family moved to the mobile home park in August 2005, their place blending in among row after row of white trailers. He took a job at a nearby poultry plant. Neighbors described him as polite and quiet, although the park manager said the family was almost evicted because of late rent.
He had no police record, and at one point enrolled his eldest child in first grade.
Behind closed doors, however, police say Thurmond ruled the family with an iron fist. Sometimes, he'd fly into a rage and hit his children — ages 14, 13, 12 and 9 — with a steel-toed boot, Collins said. Other times, the children told Collins they would hear their father attacking and raping their mother in a bedroom.
"I asked, 'Did you go to help?' And they looked at me like it was the strangest question. Dad pretty much did whatever he wanted to do," Collins said.
People in this town of 2,200 about 90 miles from Atlanta are left wondering why it took so long to discover the dire situation — and why Thurmond's wife and children didn't leave sooner.
Lavonia Police Chief Bruce Carlisle said his officers found evidence that Thurmond may have locked the bedroom doors while he was at work each day, but he suggested Thurmond's wife may also have suffered from "battered wife's syndrome."
"The victims of this type of abuse, they're made to believe they're not worthy of anything, that this is what they deserve," he said. "It's amazing. They were not allowed outside. They were simply not allowed to go near the door. It all goes back to the control thing."
Police are awaiting the results of psychological tests to decide whether to charge Thurmond's wife, but Collins said she seemed to have slowly fallen under her husband's control.
She described her marriage as wonderful at first, but she steadily lost control, Collins said.
"I think it's just hitting her what she is going through," she said.
Thurmond's wife finally came forward after he told her he was leaving her for another woman and that he'd return every few days with food, Collins said.
The children, who are underweight and malnourished, are in government custody, and investigators describe them as shy, but not completely socially undeveloped. They didn't attend school except for the oldest for a short time.
Residents of the 100-unit park gathered at the Thurmond home after learning of the shocking news.
"We had no clue," said Sonya Savage, who has lived there for a year. "I never even knew he had kids in there."
The stench still lingered among the moldy mattresses inside.
"He was very respectable, very kind and very serious," said Alma Medina, the park's property manager, who lived three homes down. "You'd never imagine he would live like this."
LAVONIA, Ga. - When police finally searched the squat white mobile home where they say a man held his family captive for three years, the place was so filthy and bug-infested that one officer had to wear a gas mask and another refused to continue.
Thousands of roaches and other bugs crawled in and out of drawers, cupboards and furniture. Spoiled food littered the place, and a long-ignored plumbing problem left the floors rotten and mattresses moldy.
Investigators allege it was in this three-bedroom trailer in northeastern Georgia where Raymond Daniel Thurmond forced his wife and four children to live, allowing them to leave only once in three years. Even then, it was only fleeting: A two-hour Easter visit to his wife's parents' place in North Carolina.
"It was pretty much a virtual prison," Lavonia Police Lt. Missy Collins said Wednesday. "He controlled what they ate, what they did. He controlled pretty much everything."
Thurmond now awaits a bond hearing on charges of rape, child abuse and false imprisonment. He has asked for an attorney but one hadn't been assigned as of Wednesday afternoon. Franklin County jail officials turned down a request by The Associated Press to interview Thurmond.
The family moved to the mobile home park in August 2005, their place blending in among row after row of white trailers. He took a job at a nearby poultry plant. Neighbors described him as polite and quiet, although the park manager said the family was almost evicted because of late rent.
He had no police record, and at one point enrolled his eldest child in first grade.
Behind closed doors, however, police say Thurmond ruled the family with an iron fist. Sometimes, he'd fly into a rage and hit his children — ages 14, 13, 12 and 9 — with a steel-toed boot, Collins said. Other times, the children told Collins they would hear their father attacking and raping their mother in a bedroom.
"I asked, 'Did you go to help?' And they looked at me like it was the strangest question. Dad pretty much did whatever he wanted to do," Collins said.
People in this town of 2,200 about 90 miles from Atlanta are left wondering why it took so long to discover the dire situation — and why Thurmond's wife and children didn't leave sooner.
Lavonia Police Chief Bruce Carlisle said his officers found evidence that Thurmond may have locked the bedroom doors while he was at work each day, but he suggested Thurmond's wife may also have suffered from "battered wife's syndrome."
"The victims of this type of abuse, they're made to believe they're not worthy of anything, that this is what they deserve," he said. "It's amazing. They were not allowed outside. They were simply not allowed to go near the door. It all goes back to the control thing."
Police are awaiting the results of psychological tests to decide whether to charge Thurmond's wife, but Collins said she seemed to have slowly fallen under her husband's control.
She described her marriage as wonderful at first, but she steadily lost control, Collins said.
"I think it's just hitting her what she is going through," she said.
Thurmond's wife finally came forward after he told her he was leaving her for another woman and that he'd return every few days with food, Collins said.
The children, who are underweight and malnourished, are in government custody, and investigators describe them as shy, but not completely socially undeveloped. They didn't attend school except for the oldest for a short time.
Residents of the 100-unit park gathered at the Thurmond home after learning of the shocking news.
"We had no clue," said Sonya Savage, who has lived there for a year. "I never even knew he had kids in there."
The stench still lingered among the moldy mattresses inside.
"He was very respectable, very kind and very serious," said Alma Medina, the park's property manager, who lived three homes down. "You'd never imagine he would live like this."
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Father-In-Law guilty of contract killing
ATLANTA (AP)- A businessman born in India was sentenced Friday to life in prison without parole for having his black daughter-in-law killed.
Jurors deliberated less than two hours before delivering the verdict in an Atlanta-area courtroom. A jury convicted 68-year-old Chiman Rai on Thursday of masterminding the death of Sparkle Michelle Rai. Prosecutors had sought the death penalty for the Mississippi man.
During the trial, prosecutors argued that Chiman Rai believed the 22-year-old woman brought shame to his family because she was black.
Sparkle Rai was found strangled and stabbed weeks after her wedding to Rai’s son, Ricky Rai, in March 2000.
Jurors found Chiman Rai guilty on seven charges, including felony murder and burglary.
“I’m feeling very much relieved,” said Bennet Reid, Sparkle’s father, said Thursday as he blinked through tears. “I feel justice has been served for my granddaughter and for my family. My daughter’s not going to come back, but she’s smiling now.”
Attorneys presented starkly contrasting images of Rai during the eight-day trial.
Prosecutors sought to portray him as a racist who was so upset that Ricky married and fathered a child with Sparkle that he shelled out $10,000 to have her killed. They called Rai’s ex-cellmate in the Fulton County Jail to testify that Rai called black people “scum.” They also pointed to statements from Ricky Rai, who told investigators after the killing that his father was “a little racist.”
Defense attorneys depicted Rai as a hardworking businessman who wanted his son to marry an Indian woman but who was far from a racist. They paraded a steady stream of Rai’s black customers and fellow inmates before the jury, and each described Rai as tolerant and compassionate.
Rai’s attorneys also reminded the jury that their client taught math at Alcorn State University, a historically black college in Mississippi, and later ran a supermarket in a predominantly black area in Jackson. He also helped buy a hotel in Louisville, Ky., where he made Ricky the general manager in 1998.
Ricky Rai hired Sparkle Reid, an Atlanta native, as a clerk. They started dating in October 1998 and two months later she was pregnant with their daughter Analla. Sparkle was found dead in her apartment on April 26, 2000. Her 7-month-old daughter was nearby, unharmed.
Investigators found little evidence and the case remained unsolved until two witnesses came forward in 2004, a breakthrough investigators said helped them connect the killing to Chiman Rai.
Prosecutors said Rai teamed up with Willie Fred Evans and Herbert Green to serve as middlemen for the hit squad, and both testified in court they arranged the killing. Both have pleaded guilty to lesser charges and cooperated with prosecutors. They are expected to receive probation.
Prosecutors say the money was passed to brothers Cleveland and Carl Clark and that Cleveland, who also faces the death penalty, carried out the killing.
Defense attorneys contend Evans and Green lied to cover up their role in the killing, which they say had the look of a robbery gone bad. They suggest that Evans and Green plotted the killing, perhaps in pursuit of drug money, and they pounded prosecutors for giving the two a “sweetheart deal” in exchange for their cooperation.
“You could have 100 liars testify to something,” said Jack Martin, Rai’s attorney. “And it’s not worth anything.”
After the guilty verdict was read on Thursday, Rai buried his head in his hands, inches away from a small statue he’s had as a good luck charm through most of the trial.
Jurors deliberated less than two hours before delivering the verdict in an Atlanta-area courtroom. A jury convicted 68-year-old Chiman Rai on Thursday of masterminding the death of Sparkle Michelle Rai. Prosecutors had sought the death penalty for the Mississippi man.
During the trial, prosecutors argued that Chiman Rai believed the 22-year-old woman brought shame to his family because she was black.
Sparkle Rai was found strangled and stabbed weeks after her wedding to Rai’s son, Ricky Rai, in March 2000.
Jurors found Chiman Rai guilty on seven charges, including felony murder and burglary.
“I’m feeling very much relieved,” said Bennet Reid, Sparkle’s father, said Thursday as he blinked through tears. “I feel justice has been served for my granddaughter and for my family. My daughter’s not going to come back, but she’s smiling now.”
Attorneys presented starkly contrasting images of Rai during the eight-day trial.
Prosecutors sought to portray him as a racist who was so upset that Ricky married and fathered a child with Sparkle that he shelled out $10,000 to have her killed. They called Rai’s ex-cellmate in the Fulton County Jail to testify that Rai called black people “scum.” They also pointed to statements from Ricky Rai, who told investigators after the killing that his father was “a little racist.”
Defense attorneys depicted Rai as a hardworking businessman who wanted his son to marry an Indian woman but who was far from a racist. They paraded a steady stream of Rai’s black customers and fellow inmates before the jury, and each described Rai as tolerant and compassionate.
Rai’s attorneys also reminded the jury that their client taught math at Alcorn State University, a historically black college in Mississippi, and later ran a supermarket in a predominantly black area in Jackson. He also helped buy a hotel in Louisville, Ky., where he made Ricky the general manager in 1998.
Ricky Rai hired Sparkle Reid, an Atlanta native, as a clerk. They started dating in October 1998 and two months later she was pregnant with their daughter Analla. Sparkle was found dead in her apartment on April 26, 2000. Her 7-month-old daughter was nearby, unharmed.
Investigators found little evidence and the case remained unsolved until two witnesses came forward in 2004, a breakthrough investigators said helped them connect the killing to Chiman Rai.
Prosecutors said Rai teamed up with Willie Fred Evans and Herbert Green to serve as middlemen for the hit squad, and both testified in court they arranged the killing. Both have pleaded guilty to lesser charges and cooperated with prosecutors. They are expected to receive probation.
Prosecutors say the money was passed to brothers Cleveland and Carl Clark and that Cleveland, who also faces the death penalty, carried out the killing.
Defense attorneys contend Evans and Green lied to cover up their role in the killing, which they say had the look of a robbery gone bad. They suggest that Evans and Green plotted the killing, perhaps in pursuit of drug money, and they pounded prosecutors for giving the two a “sweetheart deal” in exchange for their cooperation.
“You could have 100 liars testify to something,” said Jack Martin, Rai’s attorney. “And it’s not worth anything.”
After the guilty verdict was read on Thursday, Rai buried his head in his hands, inches away from a small statue he’s had as a good luck charm through most of the trial.
Friday, June 13, 2008
Macon rapist sentenced to life with possible parole in 30 years
A Macon, GA man who raped his ex girlfriend June 5 of last year was sentenced to life with 30 years in prison. Daryl Sacar Finnelle, 28, was convicted by a Bibb County jury of rape and kidnapping with bodily injury yesterday afternoon. Bibb County Law Enforcement Center is currently holding him under $12,500 bond. He was arrested July 18 at a Pilot truck stop in Byron, GA.
The 24-year-old woman, who was held by Finnelle for hours and raped repeatedly on June 5, 2007, spoke in court prior to the sentencing."I'll be scared when he gets out," she told the judge.
The woman told the court how much her life has changed in the months that Finnelle has been in jail awaiting trial.
"I never knew what life was like until he disappeared," she said.
Her family embraced her as she returned to her seat.
When given the opportunity to speak, Finnelle denied harming or raping the woman.
"I still do love her," he said. "I have no hard feelings against her."
This morning Finnelle's attorney, Alan Wheeler, reminded the jury during his closing argument that evidence points to Finnelle being out of town at the time when the woman alleges she was raped."He wasn't there on June 5," Wheeler said. "If he's not there, he can't do it. He couldn't have committed the crime."
In her argument, Malcor questioned the validity of the records Wheeler argued show Finnelle, a long-haul truck driver, was on the road at the time of the alleged rape.
"The only person who wrote anything on these tickets was the defendant," she said. "There's nothing to show when they were filled out."
Wheeler told the jury that Finnelle doesn't dispute that his DNA was found, but he does dispute when it got there.
In his testimony Wednesday, Finnelle said he and the woman had sex June 3. The woman testified Tuesday that she hadn't seen Finnelle for a couple of months prior to the incident.
Wheeler also questioned the victim's credibility and why she would raise allegations of rape against Finnelle in 2002 and 2004 only to later drop the charges. He argued that Finnelle and the woman still were dating days before the alleged rape.
Malcor reminded the jury about police officer's testimony about DV victims. Many times, violence against "partners" occur after thr breakup of a relationship, whether rape or in some cases, murder. The victim testified that Finnelle would unexpectedly show up and beat her after the breakup.
The 24-year-old woman, who was held by Finnelle for hours and raped repeatedly on June 5, 2007, spoke in court prior to the sentencing."I'll be scared when he gets out," she told the judge.
The woman told the court how much her life has changed in the months that Finnelle has been in jail awaiting trial.
"I never knew what life was like until he disappeared," she said.
Her family embraced her as she returned to her seat.
When given the opportunity to speak, Finnelle denied harming or raping the woman.
"I still do love her," he said. "I have no hard feelings against her."
This morning Finnelle's attorney, Alan Wheeler, reminded the jury during his closing argument that evidence points to Finnelle being out of town at the time when the woman alleges she was raped."He wasn't there on June 5," Wheeler said. "If he's not there, he can't do it. He couldn't have committed the crime."
In her argument, Malcor questioned the validity of the records Wheeler argued show Finnelle, a long-haul truck driver, was on the road at the time of the alleged rape.
"The only person who wrote anything on these tickets was the defendant," she said. "There's nothing to show when they were filled out."
Wheeler told the jury that Finnelle doesn't dispute that his DNA was found, but he does dispute when it got there.
In his testimony Wednesday, Finnelle said he and the woman had sex June 3. The woman testified Tuesday that she hadn't seen Finnelle for a couple of months prior to the incident.
Wheeler also questioned the victim's credibility and why she would raise allegations of rape against Finnelle in 2002 and 2004 only to later drop the charges. He argued that Finnelle and the woman still were dating days before the alleged rape.
Malcor reminded the jury about police officer's testimony about DV victims. Many times, violence against "partners" occur after thr breakup of a relationship, whether rape or in some cases, murder. The victim testified that Finnelle would unexpectedly show up and beat her after the breakup.
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Woman prison guard arrested for encounter with inmate
Tashala C. Johnson-Ashley, 33, a former Muskogee County Prison correctional officer, has been charged with sexual assault against a person in custody and violation of oath by a public officer after a sexual encounter with an inmate. She was arrested early Tuesday morning.
Johnson-Ashley, who had been with the Muscogee County Prison for eight months, is accused of having contact with an inmate around April 5 while she was off duty and he was on a landscaping work detail, said Muscogee County Sheriff's Maj. Troy Culpepper and prison Warden William Adamson.
She appeared in Municipal Court Tuesday morning and made her $2,000 bond that afternoon.
The warden said Johnson-Ashley had fallen in love with an inmate.
"She let those feelings evolve to a point that was totally unacceptable," Adamson said. "He's certainly not on a work detail in this city."
Adamson heard rumors about the encounter and started an investigation April 11. Johnson-Ashley was supposed to speak to investigators around April 23, but resigned instead.
Culpepeer said about the results of the investigation, "Our investigation concluded that she had inappropriate sexual contact with an inmate on a detail outside of the work camp."
Johnson-Ashley, who had been with the Muscogee County Prison for eight months, is accused of having contact with an inmate around April 5 while she was off duty and he was on a landscaping work detail, said Muscogee County Sheriff's Maj. Troy Culpepper and prison Warden William Adamson.
She appeared in Municipal Court Tuesday morning and made her $2,000 bond that afternoon.
The warden said Johnson-Ashley had fallen in love with an inmate.
"She let those feelings evolve to a point that was totally unacceptable," Adamson said. "He's certainly not on a work detail in this city."
Adamson heard rumors about the encounter and started an investigation April 11. Johnson-Ashley was supposed to speak to investigators around April 23, but resigned instead.
Culpepeer said about the results of the investigation, "Our investigation concluded that she had inappropriate sexual contact with an inmate on a detail outside of the work camp."
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Ex-firefighter held without bond on rape, stalking charges
Jeremy Simmons, a former Gwinett County firefighter, is being held without bond for the alleged stalking, and rape of his estranged girlfriend on April 15 and continued to stalk her until April 17.
According to court records, Simmons continued to stalk her over the next few days by parking in front of the victim's house and repeatedly calling, texting and leaving her voicemail messages threatening to kill her.
In a petition for a temporary protective order filed by the victim April 17, the victim wrote that Simmons "has told me if he can't have me, nobody can."
A police report says that about six minutes after Simmons was served with the judge's order requiring him to have no contact with the victim, Simmons sent her a picture message of himself crying. He also called her several times from his department-issued Nextel phone and from his personal phone, the police report states. The telephone calls and messages were a violation of the temporary protective order.
Simmons was arrested that evening, and his position as a firefighter, which started back in 2004, was also terminated, according to Gwinett Fire Captain Tom Rutledge.
According to court records, Simmons continued to stalk her over the next few days by parking in front of the victim's house and repeatedly calling, texting and leaving her voicemail messages threatening to kill her.
In a petition for a temporary protective order filed by the victim April 17, the victim wrote that Simmons "has told me if he can't have me, nobody can."
A police report says that about six minutes after Simmons was served with the judge's order requiring him to have no contact with the victim, Simmons sent her a picture message of himself crying. He also called her several times from his department-issued Nextel phone and from his personal phone, the police report states. The telephone calls and messages were a violation of the temporary protective order.
Simmons was arrested that evening, and his position as a firefighter, which started back in 2004, was also terminated, according to Gwinett Fire Captain Tom Rutledge.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Already convicted felon sentenced to 40 years for rape and robbery
Brad Max Lamar, a 20 year old Macon, GA man, was sentenced to 40 years in prison, 25 years for rape and 15 years for armed robbery, for an attack on a Macon woman last October.
[He] entered a guilty plea in Bibb County Superior Court. He was indicted in November on charges of rape, armed robbery, kidnapping, burglary, theft by receiving a motor vehicle, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and two counts of aggravated sodomy, according to court records.
In exchange for his guilty plea, all charges except rape and armed robbery were dismissed. Lamar was sentenced to 25 years in prison on the rape charge and 15 for armed robbery.
Assistant district attorney Nancy Scott Malcor said the woman was at home Oct. 2 waiting on a repairman when she heard a knock at the door.
When she opened the door, expecting to see the repairman, Lamar asked for water for his overheating car. The woman retrieved a gallon jug of water and returned to the door, where Lamar attacked her, Malcor said. Lamar dragged the woman back into her house, demanding money. A neighbor heard her screams and called for help, Malcor said.
Lamar brandished a gun and at one point, and demanded money and jewelry. He choked her before the sexual assault. He bound the woman's hands and feet with her pantyhose and struck her with the gun before fleeing, when he was arrested by police.
[He] entered a guilty plea in Bibb County Superior Court. He was indicted in November on charges of rape, armed robbery, kidnapping, burglary, theft by receiving a motor vehicle, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and two counts of aggravated sodomy, according to court records.
In exchange for his guilty plea, all charges except rape and armed robbery were dismissed. Lamar was sentenced to 25 years in prison on the rape charge and 15 for armed robbery.
Assistant district attorney Nancy Scott Malcor said the woman was at home Oct. 2 waiting on a repairman when she heard a knock at the door.
When she opened the door, expecting to see the repairman, Lamar asked for water for his overheating car. The woman retrieved a gallon jug of water and returned to the door, where Lamar attacked her, Malcor said. Lamar dragged the woman back into her house, demanding money. A neighbor heard her screams and called for help, Malcor said.
Lamar brandished a gun and at one point, and demanded money and jewelry. He choked her before the sexual assault. He bound the woman's hands and feet with her pantyhose and struck her with the gun before fleeing, when he was arrested by police.
Friday, February 1, 2008
Shauna the sexual exploiter screws over soldiers
A woman has been held without bond for the past three weeks after charges that she married men, then left them without divorcing her previous husbands. Shauna Marie Keith, 27, is currently facing bigamy and fraud charges in Georgia.
Shauna’s mother, Cindy Gibson, who lives in Gresham, OR, told Good Morning America that she was expecting this.
"This is somewhat of a shock, but I've been expecting this. For the last five or six years, I've gotten random calls from men saying, 'I think I am married to your daughter.’”
Gibson told "GMA" her daughter suffers from Munchausen syndrome, a disorder where a person tells fictitious stories about their health or background in order to gain sympathy and attention. "People with factitious disorders act this way because of an inner need to be seen as ill or injured , " the Cleveland Clinic says about the condition on its Web site.
"If the world she's living in doesn't fit her needs, she creates another reality," said Gibson.
Authorities count at least five marriages starting in 1999 to men stationed at bases from San Diego to North Carolina. Some of those marriages ended legally, but in others, she just left. Keith, who is currently pregnant, has three children, two of whom Gibson legally adopted.
Georgia authorities say that Keith's reality has included leaving her military husbands financially and emotionally devastated and abandoning at least three children to be raised without their mother. Walton County Sheriff's Office Detective Jim Mayes counts seven names, five different Social Security numbers and three dates of birth used by Keith since 1999At least three times, Mayes said, Keith has been married to two men at the same time.
Mayes began investigating Keith in early January, shortly after she was married to a staff sergeant Marine at a Christmas Eve ceremony in Georgia. After a doctored license and other evidence of identity theft was discovered, suspicious family members called police.
On Jan. 4, a warrant was issued for Keith’s arrest — her birth name is Shauna Marie McDonald. The next day, Keith was picked up in Beaufort County, S.C., just miles from the Parris Island Marine Corps base. She was staying with another Marine when authorities found her.
Shauna was returned to Walton County January 11th. She currently faces bigamy and fraud charges, and is being held without bond because she is considered a flight risk.
During Mayes' investigation, which included interviews with Keith and conversations with Gibson, Mayes says a timeline emerged showing at least five marriages that began in 1999 when Keith married a Navy sailor based in San Diego. Keith gave birth to her first child during that marriage, which ended in divorce. A California court, Mayes said, gave full custody of the child to the father. Keith then reportedly married a member of the Air Force stationed at Fort Carson, Colo. She became pregnant during that marriage and the child was ultimately adopted by Gibson, Mayes said. That marriage was legally dissolved after Keith left the man.
In August 2006, Keith married again, this time to a soldier stationed at Fort Knox, Ky. Sometime around that date, Mayes said, she gave birth to a third child, whose father remains unclear. That child was also adopted by Keith's mother. Soon after, she left that husband without a divorce, Mayes said, adding that the soldier has continued to work to get military officials to annul his marriage to Keith.
Just months later, in January 2007, Keith allegedly married a fourth military man, this time someone met at Fort Riley, Kan. In that case, the Army soldier found out that Keith was still legally married to the third husband from Fort Knox and the Army annulled the marriage, Mayes said.
After that, Keith met her most recent husband, a Marine Corps staff sergeant stationed at Cherry Point, N.C. After talking online, they met and subsequently married in a civil ceremony Christmas Eve in Walton County, Ga.
While Shauna had never actually enlisted in the military, she had obtained a military issued card which allowed her to go on and off bases without any suspicion. Shauna faces possibly more fraud charges.
There was never any love, and never any caring. The marriages were a sham, and her husbands were the victims of a sexual predator and exploiter.
Dr. Bob Shoop, the specialist in teacher/student sex abuse, calls it intimate sexual exploitation.
(Shoop, 2004, Sexual Exploitation In Schools, page 3)
The modus operandi of the intimate exploiter involves leading the youngster to believe the educator has a genuine desire for a mutually committed intimate relationship. The immature youngster is often mesmerized by the belief that a charming, smart sophisticated, attractive adult is interested in him or her.
Regardless of the sincerity of the adult’s motivation, the intent is irrelevant; the impact of the behavior is exploitative.
The same processes can be defined for sexually exploitive relationships between adults outside an education or other fiduciary setting. It is my view that most bigamous, abusive, and otherwise dysfunctional adult relationships have this type of exploitation.
All of Shauna’s victims believed that they were into an mutually committed intimate relationship, otherwise, they would not have married her. While the military men which Shauna exploited were not kids, and were not students, they believed that a young attractive woman were into them for their military service and their high moral vaules and sense of duty. Indeed, the sense of duty led one victim to take full care of his child after Shauna abandoned the child. yet the same exploitation inherent in teacher/student sex occurred.
Factors include
1) Hormones – the sex drive of a male under 40 is not that much weaker than that of a teenager.
2) The desire to settle down and have kids, which she exploited for her own purposes.
3) Power imbalances between the exploiter and the victims, where there is no formal power difference, but the foreknowledge that she would cut and run acts as a power difference.
There are a lot a comments about this case. Some comments are from parents of grown sons who are trying to deal with other exploiters, some blame both the (alleged) victims and Shauna's mom, and others shed more light on the situation.
Statement from Shauna's family:
Our family has been deeply saddened by the developments in the life of our daughter, Shauna Keith. Shauna has long suffered from Munchausen (facticious) syndrome, but only within the past few years did we become aware of this little-known disorder.
Unfortunately, she would not respond to our requests to receive medical and psychiatric help. We have been working with the police and child protection services in several states for the past five years sharing with them what little information we received on Shauna’s whereabouts. We are relieved that Shauna is now incarcerated in hopes she can make retribution for her mistakes and eventually receive the help she so desperately needs.
Our greatest hope is that no one else, especially husbands and children, will be harmed or heartbroken by her actions. We hope the families who have been hurt can find it in their hearts to forgive her. We ask the news media to please respect our privacy at this time as we search for ways to best help those affected by this ordeal.
Shauna’s mother, Cindy Gibson, who lives in Gresham, OR, told Good Morning America that she was expecting this.
"This is somewhat of a shock, but I've been expecting this. For the last five or six years, I've gotten random calls from men saying, 'I think I am married to your daughter.’”
Gibson told "GMA" her daughter suffers from Munchausen syndrome, a disorder where a person tells fictitious stories about their health or background in order to gain sympathy and attention. "People with factitious disorders act this way because of an inner need to be seen as ill or injured , " the Cleveland Clinic says about the condition on its Web site.
"If the world she's living in doesn't fit her needs, she creates another reality," said Gibson.
Authorities count at least five marriages starting in 1999 to men stationed at bases from San Diego to North Carolina. Some of those marriages ended legally, but in others, she just left. Keith, who is currently pregnant, has three children, two of whom Gibson legally adopted.
Georgia authorities say that Keith's reality has included leaving her military husbands financially and emotionally devastated and abandoning at least three children to be raised without their mother. Walton County Sheriff's Office Detective Jim Mayes counts seven names, five different Social Security numbers and three dates of birth used by Keith since 1999At least three times, Mayes said, Keith has been married to two men at the same time.
Mayes began investigating Keith in early January, shortly after she was married to a staff sergeant Marine at a Christmas Eve ceremony in Georgia. After a doctored license and other evidence of identity theft was discovered, suspicious family members called police.
On Jan. 4, a warrant was issued for Keith’s arrest — her birth name is Shauna Marie McDonald. The next day, Keith was picked up in Beaufort County, S.C., just miles from the Parris Island Marine Corps base. She was staying with another Marine when authorities found her.
Shauna was returned to Walton County January 11th. She currently faces bigamy and fraud charges, and is being held without bond because she is considered a flight risk.
During Mayes' investigation, which included interviews with Keith and conversations with Gibson, Mayes says a timeline emerged showing at least five marriages that began in 1999 when Keith married a Navy sailor based in San Diego. Keith gave birth to her first child during that marriage, which ended in divorce. A California court, Mayes said, gave full custody of the child to the father. Keith then reportedly married a member of the Air Force stationed at Fort Carson, Colo. She became pregnant during that marriage and the child was ultimately adopted by Gibson, Mayes said. That marriage was legally dissolved after Keith left the man.
In August 2006, Keith married again, this time to a soldier stationed at Fort Knox, Ky. Sometime around that date, Mayes said, she gave birth to a third child, whose father remains unclear. That child was also adopted by Keith's mother. Soon after, she left that husband without a divorce, Mayes said, adding that the soldier has continued to work to get military officials to annul his marriage to Keith.
Just months later, in January 2007, Keith allegedly married a fourth military man, this time someone met at Fort Riley, Kan. In that case, the Army soldier found out that Keith was still legally married to the third husband from Fort Knox and the Army annulled the marriage, Mayes said.
After that, Keith met her most recent husband, a Marine Corps staff sergeant stationed at Cherry Point, N.C. After talking online, they met and subsequently married in a civil ceremony Christmas Eve in Walton County, Ga.
While Shauna had never actually enlisted in the military, she had obtained a military issued card which allowed her to go on and off bases without any suspicion. Shauna faces possibly more fraud charges.
There was never any love, and never any caring. The marriages were a sham, and her husbands were the victims of a sexual predator and exploiter.
Dr. Bob Shoop, the specialist in teacher/student sex abuse, calls it intimate sexual exploitation.
(Shoop, 2004, Sexual Exploitation In Schools, page 3)
The modus operandi of the intimate exploiter involves leading the youngster to believe the educator has a genuine desire for a mutually committed intimate relationship. The immature youngster is often mesmerized by the belief that a charming, smart sophisticated, attractive adult is interested in him or her.
Regardless of the sincerity of the adult’s motivation, the intent is irrelevant; the impact of the behavior is exploitative.
The same processes can be defined for sexually exploitive relationships between adults outside an education or other fiduciary setting. It is my view that most bigamous, abusive, and otherwise dysfunctional adult relationships have this type of exploitation.
All of Shauna’s victims believed that they were into an mutually committed intimate relationship, otherwise, they would not have married her. While the military men which Shauna exploited were not kids, and were not students, they believed that a young attractive woman were into them for their military service and their high moral vaules and sense of duty. Indeed, the sense of duty led one victim to take full care of his child after Shauna abandoned the child. yet the same exploitation inherent in teacher/student sex occurred.
Factors include
1) Hormones – the sex drive of a male under 40 is not that much weaker than that of a teenager.
2) The desire to settle down and have kids, which she exploited for her own purposes.
3) Power imbalances between the exploiter and the victims, where there is no formal power difference, but the foreknowledge that she would cut and run acts as a power difference.
There are a lot a comments about this case. Some comments are from parents of grown sons who are trying to deal with other exploiters, some blame both the (alleged) victims and Shauna's mom, and others shed more light on the situation.
Statement from Shauna's family:
Our family has been deeply saddened by the developments in the life of our daughter, Shauna Keith. Shauna has long suffered from Munchausen (facticious) syndrome, but only within the past few years did we become aware of this little-known disorder.
Unfortunately, she would not respond to our requests to receive medical and psychiatric help. We have been working with the police and child protection services in several states for the past five years sharing with them what little information we received on Shauna’s whereabouts. We are relieved that Shauna is now incarcerated in hopes she can make retribution for her mistakes and eventually receive the help she so desperately needs.
Our greatest hope is that no one else, especially husbands and children, will be harmed or heartbroken by her actions. We hope the families who have been hurt can find it in their hearts to forgive her. We ask the news media to please respect our privacy at this time as we search for ways to best help those affected by this ordeal.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Four time felon goes away for life in rape of 75 year old woman
A Georgia rapist who pleaded guilty Wednesday to rape, robbery, and kidnapping of a 75 year old woman was sentenced to life with parole for the rape, and 20 years each for kidnapping and robbery.
Michael Blocker initially claimed that he only burglarized the woman's house, but changed his story.
But after hearing the victim testify Tuesday, Mr. Blocker said he knew she was telling the truth. Afterward, he thought of his mother and what he would do if someone attacked her, Mr. Blocker said, adding that he cried.
"It was wrong what I did, and I apologize," he said.
In the early morning of Jan. 9, 2007, the victim returned to her home after walking her dog. Mr. Blocker had sneaked into the condo while she was outside. He stole money and jewelry and then raped the woman before leaving. A couple of unique pieces of the jewelry led investigators to Mr. Blocker. DNA testing tied him to the rape.
According to Assistant District Attorney Ashley Wright, four time felons are automatically sentenced to the maximum sentence without parole. The other felonies are a 1995 conviction for carjacking and cocaine posession, a 1992 theft, and a 1990 burglary.
Michael Blocker initially claimed that he only burglarized the woman's house, but changed his story.
But after hearing the victim testify Tuesday, Mr. Blocker said he knew she was telling the truth. Afterward, he thought of his mother and what he would do if someone attacked her, Mr. Blocker said, adding that he cried.
"It was wrong what I did, and I apologize," he said.
In the early morning of Jan. 9, 2007, the victim returned to her home after walking her dog. Mr. Blocker had sneaked into the condo while she was outside. He stole money and jewelry and then raped the woman before leaving. A couple of unique pieces of the jewelry led investigators to Mr. Blocker. DNA testing tied him to the rape.
According to Assistant District Attorney Ashley Wright, four time felons are automatically sentenced to the maximum sentence without parole. The other felonies are a 1995 conviction for carjacking and cocaine posession, a 1992 theft, and a 1990 burglary.
Saturday, January 5, 2008
Macon police officer accused of sexual coercion fired
A Macon, GA police officer accused of sexually assaulting three women has been fired after his failed appeal to the police chief. William Enders, 35, was charged with sexual assault of a person in custody the day after Christmas, and released on $25000 bond, according to records. Until the firing, Enders was on administrative leave.
Macon.com, "Macon police fire investigator," has more.
"Enders has been terminated effective today," said police spokeswoman Sgt. Melanie Hofmann. Avery said Enders still has 30 days to appeal to the city's Human Resources Department for a hearing before an administrative law judge.
A police report says that Enders solicited sex from the initial victim and coerced another woman to take of her clothes by promising not to jail her. A victim initially went to the Georgia Bureau Of Investigation (GBI), but the case was transferred back to Macon police.
Later in the day, another one of the women under suspicion met with Enders at his office. While being questioned by Enders, the woman complained that she felt she wasn't free to leave, according to the report. At one point in the conversation, Enders told the woman that he "could make things disappear if something could be done for him."
When other officers later interviewed the woman about the conversation, she said she had asked Enders what he meant and "having sex with him" was mentioned, according to the report. She told officers that Enders called her repeatedly later that evening, and she did have sex with him at her apartment "because she did not want to go to jail."
A third woman being investigatedtold officers that Enders made her take off her clothes in his office with the lights out after stating that he could make her case go away, according to the report. While disrobed, the woman told officers that Enders saw the woman's sister drive into the parking lot outside the police department, and he told her to put on her clothes, leave and not tell her sister what had happened, according to the report.
After the interview, the woman told officers Enders repeatedly called her "wanting to get together," according to the report. Officers outfitted the third woman with a wire after launching an investigation into Enders' alleged activities Dec. 26. They were listening when Enders met with the woman at Applebee's on Riverside Drive. After listening to the conversation and observing Enders, officers arrested Enders.
Officers took towels from the second woman's apartment into evidence, according to the report.
Enders was hired back in 2003 as a bike patrolman, and trasnfereed to a property crimes investigator in 2006. There were no disiplinary actions in his file at the time of arrest.
Macon.com, "Macon police fire investigator," has more.
"Enders has been terminated effective today," said police spokeswoman Sgt. Melanie Hofmann. Avery said Enders still has 30 days to appeal to the city's Human Resources Department for a hearing before an administrative law judge.
A police report says that Enders solicited sex from the initial victim and coerced another woman to take of her clothes by promising not to jail her. A victim initially went to the Georgia Bureau Of Investigation (GBI), but the case was transferred back to Macon police.
Later in the day, another one of the women under suspicion met with Enders at his office. While being questioned by Enders, the woman complained that she felt she wasn't free to leave, according to the report. At one point in the conversation, Enders told the woman that he "could make things disappear if something could be done for him."
When other officers later interviewed the woman about the conversation, she said she had asked Enders what he meant and "having sex with him" was mentioned, according to the report. She told officers that Enders called her repeatedly later that evening, and she did have sex with him at her apartment "because she did not want to go to jail."
A third woman being investigatedtold officers that Enders made her take off her clothes in his office with the lights out after stating that he could make her case go away, according to the report. While disrobed, the woman told officers that Enders saw the woman's sister drive into the parking lot outside the police department, and he told her to put on her clothes, leave and not tell her sister what had happened, according to the report.
After the interview, the woman told officers Enders repeatedly called her "wanting to get together," according to the report. Officers outfitted the third woman with a wire after launching an investigation into Enders' alleged activities Dec. 26. They were listening when Enders met with the woman at Applebee's on Riverside Drive. After listening to the conversation and observing Enders, officers arrested Enders.
Officers took towels from the second woman's apartment into evidence, according to the report.
Enders was hired back in 2003 as a bike patrolman, and trasnfereed to a property crimes investigator in 2006. There were no disiplinary actions in his file at the time of arrest.
Saturday, December 1, 2007
18 gets Georgia teacher 12 (months)
James Cypert Jr, a former Columbus (GA) high school teacher who had sex with one of his students, was sentenced to a year in jail and 5 years of probation. The "consensual" sex took place between March and May 2005. Muscogee County Superior Court Judge Bobby Peters accepted a plea of gulity to three counts of sexual assault against a person in custody.
"I don't know what to say," the victim said. "I've gone through hell since this relationship began. I was manipulated by someone much older and wiser than I was."
Excerpt from the Columbus Legder-Enquirer:
In contrast, her father's voice boomed across the courtroom when he spoke about the damage Cypert had done to his family.
"We trusted that man to take care of our child," he said. "My child will be scarred for the rest of her life. I ask you to send a message to the citizens in this city that this will not be tolerated in Columbus, Georgia."
Another former student led Columbus Police to begin an investigation into Cypert, said Stacey Jackson, senior assistant district attorney. That student told police in December 2006 that she had a relationship with Cypert, though Jackson said no sex was involved and the contact occurred after her high school graduation.
That first disclosure led Sgt. Joyce Dent-Fitzpatrick to interview the school's principal and the victim who spoke Friday. In April, she admitted the relationship to Dent-Fitzpatrick.
Jackson said letters and e-mails between Cypert and the victim had been sent back and forth.
"Promises were made. 'I love you. I'll leave my wife,' " Jackson said of the e-mails.
Cypert's family and friends sat quietly in the courtroom during the proceedings. Cypert's attorney, Steven Hyles, said his client told him he wanted to stand before the judge, with only his attorney, and take responsibility.
"I don't know what to say," the victim said. "I've gone through hell since this relationship began. I was manipulated by someone much older and wiser than I was."
Excerpt from the Columbus Legder-Enquirer:
In contrast, her father's voice boomed across the courtroom when he spoke about the damage Cypert had done to his family.
"We trusted that man to take care of our child," he said. "My child will be scarred for the rest of her life. I ask you to send a message to the citizens in this city that this will not be tolerated in Columbus, Georgia."
Another former student led Columbus Police to begin an investigation into Cypert, said Stacey Jackson, senior assistant district attorney. That student told police in December 2006 that she had a relationship with Cypert, though Jackson said no sex was involved and the contact occurred after her high school graduation.
That first disclosure led Sgt. Joyce Dent-Fitzpatrick to interview the school's principal and the victim who spoke Friday. In April, she admitted the relationship to Dent-Fitzpatrick.
Jackson said letters and e-mails between Cypert and the victim had been sent back and forth.
"Promises were made. 'I love you. I'll leave my wife,' " Jackson said of the e-mails.
Cypert's family and friends sat quietly in the courtroom during the proceedings. Cypert's attorney, Steven Hyles, said his client told him he wanted to stand before the judge, with only his attorney, and take responsibility.
Cypert must register as a sex offender.
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