An Uwchlan, PA man was sentenced to two years probation for recording a nude woman and a clothed girl at his home April 1, 2011. The sentencing of David W. Geipel, 37, was for invasion of privacy and disorderly conduct, and took place in Chester County (PA) Common Pleas Court under Judge Judge Anthony Sarcione.
According to Kubacke and the police complaint filed in the case, the recordings were discovered after Geipel's wife, Michele Geipel, called a close friend last spring and told her that she had discovered a computer's external hard drive with videos on it showing the friend's pre-teen daughter wearing a bathing suit in the bathroom.
Michele Geipel also told the friend, whose name is being withheld to protect her daughter's identity, that she had also seen on the hard drive a video of a mutual friend who had been staying at the Geipels' house using the shower. The video showed her naked.
After talking to the girl's mother on April 15, Uwchlan Police Detective Phillip Owen obtained a search warrant for the Geipel's home and seized as many as 10 computers, according to Ramsay. Owen turned the electronics over to the Chester County Detective's Computer Forensics Unit, which extracted videos, including those described by Michele Geipel.
Because the girl recorded was clothed, Geipel could not be charged with a crime according to Pennsylvania law. The invasion of privacy charge referred only to the adult victim. Because invasion of privacy and disorderly conduct is a 3rd degree misdemeanor punishable by a year in jail, Geipel was able to apply for Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition (ARD) for first time offenders. He was turned down.
Besides two years probation, the cameras and computers used to record then store the indecent images were forfeited to the Uwchlan Police Department. Geipel was ordered to undergo psychosexual evaluations, and not to contact the grown victim, the child victim, or the child's mother.
Showing posts with label PA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label PA. Show all posts
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Monday, March 14, 2011
Former high school basketball star given 84 to 230 years in home invasion rapes
On March 10, 2011, a former basketball player was sentenced to 84-230 years imprisonment for two Philadelphia assaults. 25 year old Domenique Wilson was handed the term by Philadelphia Common Pleas Court Judge Charles J. Cunningham III, who said he handed down the sentence to ensure "there is never a day when he is out."
Judge Cunningham continued, "This was not the case of someone who broke in an apartment and happened to find somebody there. You are a serial rapist, a serial criminal. You just got caught sooner rather than later." Wilson was convicted by a jury in November of rape, burglary, and robbery in the Philly attacks.
Wilson forced his way into an apartment on Oct. 22, 2008, on Clinton Street in Center City. He then raped and robbed a 25-year-old woman at knifepoint, and tied up, robbed, and assaulted her 29-year-old boyfriend.
Wilson was also found guilty of forcing his way into a Spruce Street apartment Dec. 19, 2008. The 24- and 22-year-old University of Pennsylvania female students testified that Wilson threatened them with a gun and knife, covered their eyes, mouths, and wrists with duct tape, and repeatedly raped one.
Both rape victims gave an impact statement, read in court. The first victim's statement said, "In one selfish, disgusting act, you destroyed every part of my life. You attacked me repeatedly in my own bedroom. I no longer have a safe place to call my own - not a single one. My fear is practically constant...With how heartless you seem to be, I don't know if you have the capacity to feel sorry for what you did. But I trust you'll have a long time ahead to think about it."
The Spruce Street victim said, "I want to say 'thank you' for all of the wonderful things I have been blessed with from this horrible act," including a closer relationship with the roommate who had to hear the rape, and a friendship with the other victims.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Suburban Philly doctor sentenced to a month imprisonment, five months house arrest for unwanted advances
Doctor sentenced in indecent assaults on patients
By Kathleen Brady Shea
[Philadelphia]Inquirer Staff Writer
Authorities said a doctor who practiced in Kennett Square and was known for treating Lyme disease had another specialty: making unwanted advances to female patients. Peter Fabulian, 63, of Strasburg, who pleaded guilty in December to two counts of indecent assault, was sentenced Tuesday [March 1, 2011] to one month in prison and five months of electronic home confinement, followed by two years of probation.
"I know I've hurt people; I never meant to hurt people," Fabulian told Chester County Judge David F. Bortner.
The judge said Fabulian should have recognized the consequences of his actions. "He never meant to hurt people. . . . That may be, but he certainly did - very deeply and very seriously," Bortner said. "A lesser sentence would depreciate the seriousness of the crimes."
Assistant District Attorney Andrea Cardamone, who sought a six-month jail term, said that after Fabulian was charged with assaulting two women, others came forward. She said that two were within the statute of limitations and that the District Attorney's Office agreed not to file additional charges in exchange for Fabulian's cooperation. She said the agreement also included a provision that the court would hear about the other two cases to show a pattern.
During a hearing that lasted nearly three hours, Cardamone presented two witnesses and read a letter from a third. The women are not being identified by The Inquirer because of the nature of the offenses. Both described Fabulian's sexual overtures as an excruciating breach of trust. The first woman said she had to wait a year and a half for charges to be filed after contacting police because authorities said another victim would bolster her case.
Bortner said Fabulian's sentence would reflect only the two victims in the criminal complaint. He also said he would leave Fabulian's future as a doctor in the hands of the state Board of Osteopathic Medicine. A hearing is scheduled later this month.
Contact staff writer Kathleen Brady Shea at 610-696-3815 or kbrady@phillynews.com.
By Kathleen Brady Shea
[Philadelphia]Inquirer Staff Writer
Authorities said a doctor who practiced in Kennett Square and was known for treating Lyme disease had another specialty: making unwanted advances to female patients. Peter Fabulian, 63, of Strasburg, who pleaded guilty in December to two counts of indecent assault, was sentenced Tuesday [March 1, 2011] to one month in prison and five months of electronic home confinement, followed by two years of probation.
"I know I've hurt people; I never meant to hurt people," Fabulian told Chester County Judge David F. Bortner.
The judge said Fabulian should have recognized the consequences of his actions. "He never meant to hurt people. . . . That may be, but he certainly did - very deeply and very seriously," Bortner said. "A lesser sentence would depreciate the seriousness of the crimes."
Assistant District Attorney Andrea Cardamone, who sought a six-month jail term, said that after Fabulian was charged with assaulting two women, others came forward. She said that two were within the statute of limitations and that the District Attorney's Office agreed not to file additional charges in exchange for Fabulian's cooperation. She said the agreement also included a provision that the court would hear about the other two cases to show a pattern.
During a hearing that lasted nearly three hours, Cardamone presented two witnesses and read a letter from a third. The women are not being identified by The Inquirer because of the nature of the offenses. Both described Fabulian's sexual overtures as an excruciating breach of trust. The first woman said she had to wait a year and a half for charges to be filed after contacting police because authorities said another victim would bolster her case.
Bortner said Fabulian's sentence would reflect only the two victims in the criminal complaint. He also said he would leave Fabulian's future as a doctor in the hands of the state Board of Osteopathic Medicine. A hearing is scheduled later this month.
Contact staff writer Kathleen Brady Shea at 610-696-3815 or kbrady@phillynews.com.
Friday, August 27, 2010
Montgomery Township high school teacher sentenced to county prison for abuse of homeroom student
Zeo allegedly initiated the affair with the teenage boy by sending him a “friend request” from her Facebook page at the end of April 2009, according to court papers. He and another 17-year-old boy communicated with Zeo on the Internet social networking site. Both were in her 11th grade homeroom class, according to DA Risa Vetri Ferman.
Though the other student allegedly had conversations of a sexual nature with Zeo, he told investigators he didn’t have sex with her. The student involved in the affair allegedly “made out” with the woman a half-dozen times in her homeroom class, E-139, during the second and fourth periods when no one else was there, according to the affidavit. At some point during the affair, Zeo told him that rumors were circulating about her and another student.
Despite the rumors, Zeo and the boy continued their relationship. During the second week of May, 2009, they had a heavy petting session at a Montgomery Township strip mall. During a second meeting a few days later at the same place, Zeo and her victim had full sexual intercourse.
Because Pennsylvania's age of consent is normally 16, Ferman explained that Zeo was prosecuted because she abused her position of trust in the community. “The big deal is we’re dealing with a teacher, and teacher is in a unique position of trust and authority in both the school and community. We send our children to school to learn math, science and reading, but we don’t expect them to be taught in adult areas. We don’t expect them to be taught about sexual relationships.”
Monday, June 28, 2010
Entrepreneur & father of three killed - wife and employee charged in love triangle slaying
According to officials, the plot began when Morgan and Steve began to "fall in love" at the business that the victim and Morgan ran together, M.K.B. Property Management LLC. The company does landscaping for homeowners and other property owners.
On June 17, she reportedly said, Shappell placed "some sort of drug" in a lemon Snapple, which Morgan Mengel then left on the hood of the pickup truck for Kevin Mengel to find. No one else who worked at the business drank Snapple, she reportedly told police, and she knew Kevin Mengel would drink it.
A short time later, according to court documents, she received a text from Shappell that said he had struck Kevin Mengel in the head with a shovel.
She reportedly asked if he was serious and he replied, "Dead serious." She then asked if there was a "pulse," police reports said, to which he replied "Get down here now." Morgan Mengel reportedly told police that Shappell told her he buried Kevin Mengel's body approximately 150 yards behind Marple Newtown High School, where he had been a student.
The beginning of the end for Morgan Mengel and Shappell's freedom came on Father's Day, when Kathleen Barton reported her son missing. She noted that her daughter-in-law told her that she had seen Kevin move out of their West Goshen, PA apartment on June 18. Still suspicious, Kathleen monitored her son's Facebook page and told West Goshen detectives about the affair. After her son's Facebook page was updated in a different style than he would use on June 23, detectives went to the victim's apartment.
While Morgan gave police the same story that she gave her mother-in-law, detectives saw the victim's clothes and toothbrush in the apartment. After being taken to the police station for an interview, Morgan Mengel admitted the affair and the murder.
According to West Goshen Police Department Chief Michael J. Carroll, "Normally a report of a missing person who's a 33-year-old adult male is sometimes not taken as seriously because they have the absolute right to be missing, they can go wherever they want to go. During the course of the week it became clear to our department that this was more than just a missing person case."
We were able to identify and locate the victim by the use of a cadaver dog that was brought to us by the Search and Rescue Dogs of Pennsylvania in Malvern. I can tell you without the use of this dog, we would not have been able to find this body.
It's a very tragic case. The victim was the father of three children. Obviously the children have lost their father and with what has gone on so far they're going to lose their mother for an extended period of time.
Shappell was arrested in Denver the evening of Sunday, June 27. Carroll said "This was a direct result of cooperation between departments. It was through an investigation here. We knew where to look for him."
It is unknown what charges he'll face when he is extradited to Pennsylvania, but Morgan Mengel will be facing 1st degree murder and criminal homicide.
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Central Pennsylvania prison guard sentenced to 23 months probation for sex with inmate
A former Pennsylvania prison guard was sentenced to 23 months probation and the sex offender list May 4 for having sex with an inmate at the prison where she worked and he was held. Pennsylvania State Correctional Institution - Camp Hill guard Rachael Hoerner's sentenced caps a plea deal presided over by Cumberland County Judge J. Wesley Oler Jr.
According to court documents, Rachael S. Hoerner, 39, of the 500 block of Lansvale Street, Marysville, Perry County, admitted her involvement with an inmate when she was interviewed by an officer with the state Department of Corrections' Office of Professional Responsibility.
Both Hoerner and the inmate told investigators they had performed sexual acts in a mop closet prior to the prisoner's May transfer to another state prison, authorities said. Investigators at that prison also discovered letters sent by Hoerner to the prison during a search of the man's cell, authorities said.
Hoerner was arrested July 24, 2009 on charges of institutional sexual assault and official oppresion. Under a plea deal, she plead guilty to the sex assault charge in January, which carries up to 7 years in prison, in exchange for the oppression charge being dropped. She's ineligible for any correctional or law enforcement job, but was found not to be a predatory offender by the Pennsylvania Sexual Offender Assessment Board.
According to court documents, Rachael S. Hoerner, 39, of the 500 block of Lansvale Street, Marysville, Perry County, admitted her involvement with an inmate when she was interviewed by an officer with the state Department of Corrections' Office of Professional Responsibility.
Both Hoerner and the inmate told investigators they had performed sexual acts in a mop closet prior to the prisoner's May transfer to another state prison, authorities said. Investigators at that prison also discovered letters sent by Hoerner to the prison during a search of the man's cell, authorities said.
Hoerner was arrested July 24, 2009 on charges of institutional sexual assault and official oppresion. Under a plea deal, she plead guilty to the sex assault charge in January, which carries up to 7 years in prison, in exchange for the oppression charge being dropped. She's ineligible for any correctional or law enforcement job, but was found not to be a predatory offender by the Pennsylvania Sexual Offender Assessment Board.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Former Pennsylvania National Guardsman sentenced to prison for assault
By LES STEWART [Lebanon, PA Daily News]
A Pennsylvania National Guardsman was sentenced Wednesday [April 21] to Lebanon County prison for three months to two years for sexually assaulting a woman in a Fort Indiantown Gap barracks in December 2007. He was one of three soldiers charged in the case.
President Judge John C. Tylwalk sentenced 28-year-old Alan W. Ledford Jr. of South Coopersburg on misdemeanor charges of indecent assault and simple assault. Ledford pleaded guilty in February as part of a plea agreement with the office of the Lebanon County District Attorney. In exchange for his guilty plea, a more serious felony charge of sexual assault filed was dismissed.
Sean P. McMenamin, 25, of Pottstown was also scheduled to be sentenced Wednesday, but his defense attorney is involved in defending another client in a homicide trial in another county this week, Tylwalk said. McMenamin will be sentenced at a later date. Ledford and McMenamin were scheduled to go on trial in February, but both pleaded guilty.
A third defendant in the case, Matthew S. Taggart, 25, of Springfield, Delaware County, pleaded guilty last year and was sentenced in June to three months to two years in Lebanon County prison for indecent assault and simple assault.
They were charged with sexually assaulting a then-36-year-old Lebanon County woman at a Fort Indiantown Gap barracks on Dec. 15, 2007. On Wednesday, defense attorney Ari Weitzman said alcohol played a role in the events of Dec. 15, 2007. He asked Tylwalk to sentence Ledford to probation.
He said his client was "extremely intoxicated" that night, and Ledford did not plan for the victim to be sexually assaulted by three men. "This happened spontaneously," Weitzman said.
What began as consensual sex between Ledford and the victim in a bathroom utility room in a barracks escalated into the sexual assault of the victim, the defense attorney said. "This is not the way Mr. Ledford typically conducts himself," Weitzman said. Ledford has served in the military for 11 or 12 years and hopes to spend the rest of his life in the service, the defense attorney said. His guilty plea may jeopardize that, he added.
Ledford enlisted in the military at the age of 17 and has served since then, Weitzman said. He has earned the rank of sergeant, he added. He served 14 months in Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2004 and 2005, the defense attorney said. At the time of their arrest, McMenamin, Ledford and Taggert were scheduled to be deployed to Iraq but were ordered to remain in the United States to face the criminal charges. None was deployed.
When he was arrested, Ledford was a member of Detachment 1, Company A, 628th Aviation Support Battalion, which is based at the Gap.
On Wednesday, Megan Ryland-Tanner, the assistant district attorney who prosecuted the case, said she has been in contact with the military and said she is not sure how Ledford's case will be handled by military authorities. Tanner agreed that alcohol played a role, but said that does not excuse the conduct of the three men.
"These three men engaged in sexual contact with (the victim) without her consent," Tanner said.
The victim said the judgment she used the night of the assault was out of character for her. She had met four men at a Union Township bar and went to the Gap along with two other women. She said she has been undergoing counseling since the sexual assault. "It's something that continues to follow me," she said.
Ledford faced the woman and apologized. "It's something that should have never happened," he said. "I'm truly sorry for that." The judge said the victim had acknowledged she had not shown the best judgment the night of the assault. "But that does not excuse what you did," Tylwalk told Ledford.
In addition to the prison sentence, Ledford was ordered to pay fines of $900.
A Pennsylvania National Guardsman was sentenced Wednesday [April 21] to Lebanon County prison for three months to two years for sexually assaulting a woman in a Fort Indiantown Gap barracks in December 2007. He was one of three soldiers charged in the case.
President Judge John C. Tylwalk sentenced 28-year-old Alan W. Ledford Jr. of South Coopersburg on misdemeanor charges of indecent assault and simple assault. Ledford pleaded guilty in February as part of a plea agreement with the office of the Lebanon County District Attorney. In exchange for his guilty plea, a more serious felony charge of sexual assault filed was dismissed.
Sean P. McMenamin, 25, of Pottstown was also scheduled to be sentenced Wednesday, but his defense attorney is involved in defending another client in a homicide trial in another county this week, Tylwalk said. McMenamin will be sentenced at a later date. Ledford and McMenamin were scheduled to go on trial in February, but both pleaded guilty.
A third defendant in the case, Matthew S. Taggart, 25, of Springfield, Delaware County, pleaded guilty last year and was sentenced in June to three months to two years in Lebanon County prison for indecent assault and simple assault.
They were charged with sexually assaulting a then-36-year-old Lebanon County woman at a Fort Indiantown Gap barracks on Dec. 15, 2007. On Wednesday, defense attorney Ari Weitzman said alcohol played a role in the events of Dec. 15, 2007. He asked Tylwalk to sentence Ledford to probation.
He said his client was "extremely intoxicated" that night, and Ledford did not plan for the victim to be sexually assaulted by three men. "This happened spontaneously," Weitzman said.
What began as consensual sex between Ledford and the victim in a bathroom utility room in a barracks escalated into the sexual assault of the victim, the defense attorney said. "This is not the way Mr. Ledford typically conducts himself," Weitzman said. Ledford has served in the military for 11 or 12 years and hopes to spend the rest of his life in the service, the defense attorney said. His guilty plea may jeopardize that, he added.
Ledford enlisted in the military at the age of 17 and has served since then, Weitzman said. He has earned the rank of sergeant, he added. He served 14 months in Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2004 and 2005, the defense attorney said. At the time of their arrest, McMenamin, Ledford and Taggert were scheduled to be deployed to Iraq but were ordered to remain in the United States to face the criminal charges. None was deployed.
When he was arrested, Ledford was a member of Detachment 1, Company A, 628th Aviation Support Battalion, which is based at the Gap.
On Wednesday, Megan Ryland-Tanner, the assistant district attorney who prosecuted the case, said she has been in contact with the military and said she is not sure how Ledford's case will be handled by military authorities. Tanner agreed that alcohol played a role, but said that does not excuse the conduct of the three men.
"These three men engaged in sexual contact with (the victim) without her consent," Tanner said.
The victim said the judgment she used the night of the assault was out of character for her. She had met four men at a Union Township bar and went to the Gap along with two other women. She said she has been undergoing counseling since the sexual assault. "It's something that continues to follow me," she said.
Ledford faced the woman and apologized. "It's something that should have never happened," he said. "I'm truly sorry for that." The judge said the victim had acknowledged she had not shown the best judgment the night of the assault. "But that does not excuse what you did," Tylwalk told Ledford.
In addition to the prison sentence, Ledford was ordered to pay fines of $900.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Husband who hired hitman to kill wife gets life without parole in Philly courtroom
A Jamaican national who had his nephew kill his estranged wife so he could have a better chance of escaping drug charges was sentenced to life without parole Friday for her murder. 46 year old Corbin Thomas was sentenced to mandatory life without parole after a Philadelphia jury convicted him of 1st degree murder of his wife, Hope Thomas. Common Pleas Court Judge Rose Marie DeFino-Nastasi presided over the trial and jury, which only took 40 minutes to deliver a guilty verdict.
Prosecutors said Thomas ordered hit hit on his wife to prevent her from testifying against him about his marijuana distribution operation, an operation which led to drug and money laundering convictions and a 35 year federal prison sentence.
On the night of Nov. 14, 1995, a gunman in a Wolfman mask accosted Hope Thomas and Danielle as the woman unlocked the door to their Cedarbrook rowhouse. The girl was tied up and left in a bedroom. Hope Thomas was led to a basement shower stall and shot in the head.
Corbin Thomas was initially suspected because the Thomases were separated, a divorce was all but final, and Hope Thomas had a protection-from-abuse order barring her husband from the house.
But the masked gunman escaped, and no physical evidence linked Corbin Thomas to scene. Police questioned and released Thomas. Four months later, he fled to Jamaica, and later to London.
He was arrested in London in 2002 and was also indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of operating a multimillion drug ring. But British authorities would not extradite him to the United States unless Philadelphia officials agreed not to seek the death penalty.
Hope's mother, Donell Morgan and daughter, now 21 year old Danielle, endured the five day trial and cross examination from Thomas, who had represented himself in the proceedings. Danielle said that "It was very hard. It was as if he disrespected me. Because I felt that he was guilty all along and he still questioned me."
Morgan said that "This has been like living a nightmare. To see it end the way it has is such a release...We always knew that he was the one who killed my daughter."
A key witness against him was Gary St. Louis Gordon, his right-hand man in the drug ring, who testified that Thomas offered him $10,000 to hire someone to kill his wife.
When a first hit man took the money and ran, Thomas turned to his nephew to do the job, Gordon testified. The nephew, Winston "Titos" Thomas, is missing and believed to have been killed in Jamaica for drug activities.
Thomas plans to appeal, and Judge DeFino-Nastasi appointed Barbara A. McDermott to handle it.
Prosecutors said Thomas ordered hit hit on his wife to prevent her from testifying against him about his marijuana distribution operation, an operation which led to drug and money laundering convictions and a 35 year federal prison sentence.
On the night of Nov. 14, 1995, a gunman in a Wolfman mask accosted Hope Thomas and Danielle as the woman unlocked the door to their Cedarbrook rowhouse. The girl was tied up and left in a bedroom. Hope Thomas was led to a basement shower stall and shot in the head.
Corbin Thomas was initially suspected because the Thomases were separated, a divorce was all but final, and Hope Thomas had a protection-from-abuse order barring her husband from the house.
But the masked gunman escaped, and no physical evidence linked Corbin Thomas to scene. Police questioned and released Thomas. Four months later, he fled to Jamaica, and later to London.
He was arrested in London in 2002 and was also indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of operating a multimillion drug ring. But British authorities would not extradite him to the United States unless Philadelphia officials agreed not to seek the death penalty.
Hope's mother, Donell Morgan and daughter, now 21 year old Danielle, endured the five day trial and cross examination from Thomas, who had represented himself in the proceedings. Danielle said that "It was very hard. It was as if he disrespected me. Because I felt that he was guilty all along and he still questioned me."
Morgan said that "This has been like living a nightmare. To see it end the way it has is such a release...We always knew that he was the one who killed my daughter."
A key witness against him was Gary St. Louis Gordon, his right-hand man in the drug ring, who testified that Thomas offered him $10,000 to hire someone to kill his wife.
When a first hit man took the money and ran, Thomas turned to his nephew to do the job, Gordon testified. The nephew, Winston "Titos" Thomas, is missing and believed to have been killed in Jamaica for drug activities.
Thomas plans to appeal, and Judge DeFino-Nastasi appointed Barbara A. McDermott to handle it.
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Pottstown (PA) teacher convicted of corruption of minors for sexual relationship with student
Harvey met the student while she was dating an adult friend of his in July 2008, according to court papers. When the student's friend broke up with Harvey, Harvey allegedly initiated conversation with the student via text message.
In February, Harvey invited the student to her residence where they had sex, with Harvey providing the student transportation to and from her residence, court papers indicate.
According to police, the relationship lasted for five months, until July 14 2009, when police found them in a car with the windows fogged up outside a Pottstown business. Harvey initially told police she thought the boy was 18, and when they figured out that he was a Pottstown High student, she said she didn't know that and that "it's a big school."
The Pottstown School District also investigated Harvey for text messages between her and the victim which took place during March and April 2009. The student, who babysat Harvey's two children, claimed the texting was about his babysitting job, but officials believed the messages, which were deleted before they could review them, were sexual in nature.
After Harvey insisted at her bench trial that the boy was 18 when she met, Assistant District Attorney Matthew Quigg challenged her. "They knew each other about a year. She knew he was a student there. She looked up his academic records which would have showed his age," he said.
Quigg said about the relationship, "She was in a position of authority and trust. She abused that position for her own sexual gratification. The fact you're dealing with a relationship between a student and teacher is what makes this so egregious."
Harvey will be sentenced by Judge Smyth later this year, after a Megan's Law evaluation and pre-sentencing report is completed. She faces 5 to 10 years imprisonment for her crime.
Friday, March 12, 2010
Teacher gets 11.5 to 23 months in prison for "affair" with 17 year old student
A former Council Rock, PA teacher was sentenced to 11 1/2 to 23 months in prison Wednesday, March 10 for a sexual "relationship" with his 17 year old student. 43 year old Robert C. Hawkins was a former math teacher at Council Rock High School South when the "affair" started.
Hawkins had sex with the girl three or four times a week in his Newtown, PA home, and had her research the AOC laws showing that she was over Pensylvania's AOC. The relationship ended last July after police found out about it. Hawkins was charged with corruption of minors and endangering the welfare of a child in December.
Before hearing his sentence, Hawkins, 43, of the 1800 block of Society Place, Newtown, apologized to the court for his actions and the hurt that he caused the family of the victim, his friends, students, the Council Rock School District and the community.
Hawkins said to the court, “A little over a year ago I fell from grace. I made choices that were wrong and utterly disgraced myself and my career as a teacher. I am ashamed, sorrowful and guilt-ridden,” he said. Hawkins, who has lost his job, career, teaching certificate and the respect of many as a result of his actions, told the judge he’s ready to accept his sentence.
His statement to the victim's parents is shown below.
I apologize to the family. There is not a day that goes by that I do not feel horrified by the pain that I caused your daughter and the rest of the family … I hope that you can believe me that I absolutely meant no harm, especially your daughter.
There is no excuse for my decision to engage in a romantic relationship with your daughter,” he said. “As unbelievable and unimaginable as it may sound to some, I truly believe we had fallen in love,” said Hawkins. I was struck up with true admiration, friendship and feelings that spiraled out of control.
There was never anything ugly, manipulative, evil or underhanded in how it evolved. I acted selfishly and I was overcome by emotional response. I allowed my emotions to get in the way of my common sense and judgment. I should have known better. There were boundaries that I shouldn’t have crossed and exercised very poor judgment.
Bucks County Deputy District Attorney Jennifer Schorn said that Hawkins “leads two lives -- one where he praises himself as an inspirational teacher and the other where he uses his talent and ability to groom and get close to students so that he can victimize them.”
This summation of Hawkins' character was echoed by the victim's parents. The mother said that "What he did was chillingly pre-meditative. She idolized him. In turn, he used her trust and his authority to target her, pursue her and prey on her during a very vulnerable time of her life. As he groomed her, he told her every step of the way that there was nothing wrong with what they were doing because he loved her and wanted to marry her."
The father said that "Little did we know that the defendant made a practice of grooming students and essentially brainwashing and manipulating them for his own pleasure. He had her under a spell and he was good at it. It's not surprising. He had a lot of practice. If a bright, attractive girl came through, he would steal her youth for his own personal pleasure...The impact is immeasurable.
I will never be able to fully describe all the aspects of our lives that have been forever damaged by these crimes.There is no way to undo the impact, but we will move on and look forward to a future that has the defendant in prison. Maybe in prison he will take the time to reflect on his actions and for the first time take accountability for them. If nothing else, incarceration will prevent him from preying on other vulnerable young women."
Judge Clyde Waite said that instead of falling from grace, Hawkins' behavior was a ongoing pattern which needed to be stopped. "It gives me no pleasure in doing this, because you have a talent that could be put to a better use. But unless there's some period of incarceration, I don't think you will take it seriously...The manipulation and isolation of impressionable people is pretty much what a pimp does and that’s kind of close to what you were doing here, not just with this young lady but others as well.”
The others referred to by the judge included an 18 year old woman Hawkins used to teach who he had an "affair" with after she graduated.
As part of the sentence, the judge ordered Hawkins to reimburse the victim's family $3,780 for counseling services already rendered to their daughter. In addition, Hawkins will have to pay $540 a month for ongoing counseling for the extent of the victim’s undergraduate education.
Waite also gave Hawkins 10 days to decide whether to participate in a deposition with the Council Rock School District and the District Attorney's office regarding other teachers who may have known about the relationship but never came forward.
Some of those teachers have been fired, and others have resigned as a result of the probe into their possible cover-up of the "affair." Judge Waite said that those teachers, some of which submitted character references for Hawkins, downplayed the seriousness of the crime by their support. "The seriousness of what you have done is accommodated by them, and I don't think it should be," Waite said.
The victim's parents said after the sentencing, Hawkin's punishment "sends a strong message that his reprehensible conduct will not be tolerated," the victim's parents said in a statement afterward. As parents, none of us should have to worry that when we send our children to school they will be preyed upon by their teachers."
Hawkins had sex with the girl three or four times a week in his Newtown, PA home, and had her research the AOC laws showing that she was over Pensylvania's AOC. The relationship ended last July after police found out about it. Hawkins was charged with corruption of minors and endangering the welfare of a child in December.
Before hearing his sentence, Hawkins, 43, of the 1800 block of Society Place, Newtown, apologized to the court for his actions and the hurt that he caused the family of the victim, his friends, students, the Council Rock School District and the community.
Hawkins said to the court, “A little over a year ago I fell from grace. I made choices that were wrong and utterly disgraced myself and my career as a teacher. I am ashamed, sorrowful and guilt-ridden,” he said. Hawkins, who has lost his job, career, teaching certificate and the respect of many as a result of his actions, told the judge he’s ready to accept his sentence.
His statement to the victim's parents is shown below.
I apologize to the family. There is not a day that goes by that I do not feel horrified by the pain that I caused your daughter and the rest of the family … I hope that you can believe me that I absolutely meant no harm, especially your daughter.
There is no excuse for my decision to engage in a romantic relationship with your daughter,” he said. “As unbelievable and unimaginable as it may sound to some, I truly believe we had fallen in love,” said Hawkins. I was struck up with true admiration, friendship and feelings that spiraled out of control.
There was never anything ugly, manipulative, evil or underhanded in how it evolved. I acted selfishly and I was overcome by emotional response. I allowed my emotions to get in the way of my common sense and judgment. I should have known better. There were boundaries that I shouldn’t have crossed and exercised very poor judgment.
Bucks County Deputy District Attorney Jennifer Schorn said that Hawkins “leads two lives -- one where he praises himself as an inspirational teacher and the other where he uses his talent and ability to groom and get close to students so that he can victimize them.”
This summation of Hawkins' character was echoed by the victim's parents. The mother said that "What he did was chillingly pre-meditative. She idolized him. In turn, he used her trust and his authority to target her, pursue her and prey on her during a very vulnerable time of her life. As he groomed her, he told her every step of the way that there was nothing wrong with what they were doing because he loved her and wanted to marry her."
The father said that "Little did we know that the defendant made a practice of grooming students and essentially brainwashing and manipulating them for his own pleasure. He had her under a spell and he was good at it. It's not surprising. He had a lot of practice. If a bright, attractive girl came through, he would steal her youth for his own personal pleasure...The impact is immeasurable.
I will never be able to fully describe all the aspects of our lives that have been forever damaged by these crimes.There is no way to undo the impact, but we will move on and look forward to a future that has the defendant in prison. Maybe in prison he will take the time to reflect on his actions and for the first time take accountability for them. If nothing else, incarceration will prevent him from preying on other vulnerable young women."
Judge Clyde Waite said that instead of falling from grace, Hawkins' behavior was a ongoing pattern which needed to be stopped. "It gives me no pleasure in doing this, because you have a talent that could be put to a better use. But unless there's some period of incarceration, I don't think you will take it seriously...The manipulation and isolation of impressionable people is pretty much what a pimp does and that’s kind of close to what you were doing here, not just with this young lady but others as well.”
The others referred to by the judge included an 18 year old woman Hawkins used to teach who he had an "affair" with after she graduated.
As part of the sentence, the judge ordered Hawkins to reimburse the victim's family $3,780 for counseling services already rendered to their daughter. In addition, Hawkins will have to pay $540 a month for ongoing counseling for the extent of the victim’s undergraduate education.
Waite also gave Hawkins 10 days to decide whether to participate in a deposition with the Council Rock School District and the District Attorney's office regarding other teachers who may have known about the relationship but never came forward.
Some of those teachers have been fired, and others have resigned as a result of the probe into their possible cover-up of the "affair." Judge Waite said that those teachers, some of which submitted character references for Hawkins, downplayed the seriousness of the crime by their support. "The seriousness of what you have done is accommodated by them, and I don't think it should be," Waite said.
The victim's parents said after the sentencing, Hawkin's punishment "sends a strong message that his reprehensible conduct will not be tolerated," the victim's parents said in a statement afterward. As parents, none of us should have to worry that when we send our children to school they will be preyed upon by their teachers."
Friday, February 19, 2010
Ghanian immigrant gets 20 to 40 years for murder of wife in front of their 7 year old child
A Ghanian immigrant was sentenced to 20-40 years for strangling his wife and leaving her 7 year old son to find his mother's body by Allegany County, PA Common Pleas Judge Kathleen A. Durkin. Jude Agbley, 35 and of Forest hills, a suburb of Pittsburgh, was handed the maximum for the 3rd degree murder of his wife Brenda Agbley, 40 because "It's an especially traumatic situation for the child to see his mother [killed]."
In a victim impact statement, Corey Gibson, the 7 year old son of the victim, said "Keep Jude in jail for life. I wish my dad hadn't done what he did to my mom. I am still angry at my dad, Jude, and I will miss him."
Heather Lorigan, the 23 year old daughter of the victim, and Corey's half sister, said that Agbley should be imprisoned for life - something which is mandatory in Pennsylvania only for 1st and 2nd degree murder.
For Lorigan and her family, her mother's death was the second tragedy to strike. Eight months earlier in May 2008, two people attacked Heather and her father, Thomas Lorigan, in Greenville in Mercer County. Thomas Lorigan died in the attack and Heather, who was stabbed in the head, now uses a wheelchair.
The victim's mother, 61 year old Marilyn Allen, said Agbley's murder of her daughter compounded her family's tragedy. "We had just gone through all of that eight months earlier and Jude knew that," she said.
Mrs. Agbley was found dead on the living room couch in her Ogden Avenue home by her son. A week later, immigration agents captured Mr. Agbley at a Greyhound bus station in Detroit. Detectives found 14 threatening text messages on Mrs. Agbley's cell phone, sent from a number listed in her directory as "Jude." The text messages suggested that Mr. Agbley believed his wife was cheating on him.
Agbley was facing outstanding burglary charges and a failure to appear warrant on them dating from 2003, and ICE agents issued a deportation order for him the following year. He apologized to the victim's family, saying "I deeply regret this unfortunate incident. I pray for Brenda every day and I hope that she can find peace and comfort."
However, Assistant District Attorney Mike Sullivan pointed to the brutality and callousness of the crime in explaining why he believed Agbley's "remorse" was an act. "He leaves the body on the couch and doesn't call police. He leaves an 8-year-old boy alone. The remorse Mr. Agbley is attempting to express is nothing more than a ruse."
In a victim impact statement, Corey Gibson, the 7 year old son of the victim, said "Keep Jude in jail for life. I wish my dad hadn't done what he did to my mom. I am still angry at my dad, Jude, and I will miss him."
Heather Lorigan, the 23 year old daughter of the victim, and Corey's half sister, said that Agbley should be imprisoned for life - something which is mandatory in Pennsylvania only for 1st and 2nd degree murder.
For Lorigan and her family, her mother's death was the second tragedy to strike. Eight months earlier in May 2008, two people attacked Heather and her father, Thomas Lorigan, in Greenville in Mercer County. Thomas Lorigan died in the attack and Heather, who was stabbed in the head, now uses a wheelchair.
The victim's mother, 61 year old Marilyn Allen, said Agbley's murder of her daughter compounded her family's tragedy. "We had just gone through all of that eight months earlier and Jude knew that," she said.
Mrs. Agbley was found dead on the living room couch in her Ogden Avenue home by her son. A week later, immigration agents captured Mr. Agbley at a Greyhound bus station in Detroit. Detectives found 14 threatening text messages on Mrs. Agbley's cell phone, sent from a number listed in her directory as "Jude." The text messages suggested that Mr. Agbley believed his wife was cheating on him.
Agbley was facing outstanding burglary charges and a failure to appear warrant on them dating from 2003, and ICE agents issued a deportation order for him the following year. He apologized to the victim's family, saying "I deeply regret this unfortunate incident. I pray for Brenda every day and I hope that she can find peace and comfort."
However, Assistant District Attorney Mike Sullivan pointed to the brutality and callousness of the crime in explaining why he believed Agbley's "remorse" was an act. "He leaves the body on the couch and doesn't call police. He leaves an 8-year-old boy alone. The remorse Mr. Agbley is attempting to express is nothing more than a ruse."
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Man held in beating, rape, murder attempt on 91 year old woman
Leslie James Setzer, 34, of East Stroudsburg, PA, was charged with the rape, beating, and attempted murder of a 91 year old woman on Saturday, November 28. Patrolman Kevin Buck of Palmerton, PA was called to the victim's house just before 2 PM, and said that after a man asked to use her phone, he struck her in the head, raped her, and attempted to smother her with a plastic bag.
When the man fled, the victim called police. Buck said the victim provided a description of her attacker and it matched the description of a man who had just walked into the emergency room at Palmerton Hospital ''stating that he needed help.''
Police arrested Setzer at the hospital. The victim has been at Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest since the attack. Buck said she has been upgraded to stable condition.
Buck said that the attack was a random act perpetrated by a stranger. Besides the rape, attempte murder, and beating charges, Setzer also faces aggravated assault, indecent assault, and aggravated indecent assault.
He is currently being held on $1 million bail at the Carbon County Prison.
When the man fled, the victim called police. Buck said the victim provided a description of her attacker and it matched the description of a man who had just walked into the emergency room at Palmerton Hospital ''stating that he needed help.''
Police arrested Setzer at the hospital. The victim has been at Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest since the attack. Buck said she has been upgraded to stable condition.
Buck said that the attack was a random act perpetrated by a stranger. Besides the rape, attempte murder, and beating charges, Setzer also faces aggravated assault, indecent assault, and aggravated indecent assault.
He is currently being held on $1 million bail at the Carbon County Prison.
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Security guard gets 3 months house arrest for sex assault on co-worker
Ralph Robles, a 39 year old former hospital guard, will serve 3 months of house arrest for the indecent assault on a co-worker in Bethlehem, PA. Robles plead guilty to the assault in the hospital basement. Northampton County Judge Stephen Baratta sentenced Robles Thursday, November 5 after reading a pre-sentence report suggesting that he is a low risk to reoffend.
Robles, a seven-year Easton Hospital security guard, was charged with putting a switchboard operator in a head lock and forcing her to perform oral sex Jan. 7, 2007, while she was working alone.
But when he pleaded guilty in September, it was to a second-degree misdemeanor count of indecent assault, with prosecutors dropping a more serious felony charge of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse.
Reading from a presentence investigation, Baratta said Robles admitted only to rubbing up against the victim on various occasions. ''The situation was a big mistake,'' said Robles, who was fired by the hospital after the charges surfaced.
Robles, who will serve 21 months of probation after the house arrest is over, must undergo sex offender treatment. Robles has a civil judgement against him by his victim, who alleges that he had a history of assault and harassment before the sex attack. Easton Hospital and some of its administrators are also named in the federal lawsuit.
Robles, a seven-year Easton Hospital security guard, was charged with putting a switchboard operator in a head lock and forcing her to perform oral sex Jan. 7, 2007, while she was working alone.
But when he pleaded guilty in September, it was to a second-degree misdemeanor count of indecent assault, with prosecutors dropping a more serious felony charge of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse.
Reading from a presentence investigation, Baratta said Robles admitted only to rubbing up against the victim on various occasions. ''The situation was a big mistake,'' said Robles, who was fired by the hospital after the charges surfaced.
Robles, who will serve 21 months of probation after the house arrest is over, must undergo sex offender treatment. Robles has a civil judgement against him by his victim, who alleges that he had a history of assault and harassment before the sex attack. Easton Hospital and some of its administrators are also named in the federal lawsuit.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
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.
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.
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Adulterous husband gets life without parole for murdering wife to retain mistress
A Lancaster, PA funeral director was sentenced to life without parole for murdering his wife, the mother of his four kids, because he wanted to be with his latest mistress without divorcing. 42 year old Michael Roseboro was sentenced to life without parole, the mandatory sentence for 1st degree murder in Pennsylvania, yesterday.
On Friday, Lancaster County Judge James P. Cullen handed down the sentence to the murder of 45 year old Jan Roseboro, found beaten, strangled and drowned in their backyard swimming pool July 22, 2008. Police zeroed in on Roseboro after police discovered his relationship with mistress Angela Funk. Both Funk and Roseboro were married to others, and met for trysts, discussions of weddings, and their honeymoon, but never planned to divorce their spouses. Funk discovered she was pregnant with Roseboroès child the day he was arrested for 1st degree murder.
But the prosecutor, Lancaster County District Attorney Craig Stedman, said he had several things he wanted to say:
"What stands out to me is the selfishness and senselessness of this crime," Stedman began."This murder should not have happened. We should not be here...He was extremely fortunate to marry a woman who everyone loved and liked....And rather than divorce his wife, Stedman said, Roseboro decided to kill her. He stripped four children of their mother.
Steadman also said that unlike a gunshot, which is a quick, even though not always painless murder method, Roseboro chose to strangle, beat, and drown his wife, a process which could have been stopped at any time.
Judge Cullen let Roseboro stay in the Lancaster County Prison for 10 days to discuss his appeal. He also ordered Roseboro to pay $25,112 restitution to his four kids, currently being raised by their aunt.
On Friday, Lancaster County Judge James P. Cullen handed down the sentence to the murder of 45 year old Jan Roseboro, found beaten, strangled and drowned in their backyard swimming pool July 22, 2008. Police zeroed in on Roseboro after police discovered his relationship with mistress Angela Funk. Both Funk and Roseboro were married to others, and met for trysts, discussions of weddings, and their honeymoon, but never planned to divorce their spouses. Funk discovered she was pregnant with Roseboroès child the day he was arrested for 1st degree murder.
But the prosecutor, Lancaster County District Attorney Craig Stedman, said he had several things he wanted to say:
"What stands out to me is the selfishness and senselessness of this crime," Stedman began."This murder should not have happened. We should not be here...He was extremely fortunate to marry a woman who everyone loved and liked....And rather than divorce his wife, Stedman said, Roseboro decided to kill her. He stripped four children of their mother.
Steadman also said that unlike a gunshot, which is a quick, even though not always painless murder method, Roseboro chose to strangle, beat, and drown his wife, a process which could have been stopped at any time.
Judge Cullen let Roseboro stay in the Lancaster County Prison for 10 days to discuss his appeal. He also ordered Roseboro to pay $25,112 restitution to his four kids, currently being raised by their aunt.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Peeper sentenced to 48 - 96 years for brutally raping graduate student
A convicted peeper was sentenced to 48 to 96 years in a Pennsylvania prison for an attack on a Penn State graduate student. The repeat criminal defendant, 32 year old Michael Kuhn, attacked a then 36 year old woman after breaking into her State College, PA apartment on July 4, 2007. Judge Thomas King Kistler stated that the attack could have resulted in loss of life if there wans’t prompt medical attention. “She was bound, helpless and the rape was of a particularly brutal nature. But for the fortuitous circumstances that (she) was able to get immediate care, she may have perished.”
She testified that she awoke that morning to the smell of blood pouring from her head onto her pillow. She was tied up, raped three times and then beaten with a metal object before she was able to run for help.
At trial, a sexual assault nurse who worked in the field 20 years said this woman’s case was by far the worst she’d ever seen. Prosecutor Nathan Boob passionately asked that the maximum sentence allowed in this case — 60 to 120 years — be imposed on Kuhn.
He counted several factors, including a story the victim told at trial, about how she was so traumatized she couldn’t even walk to a gas station. He also highlighted that Kuhn attacked a complete stranger in her own bed, showed her “no mercy” and then showed “no remorse.”
“The defendant’s actions were brutal, atrocious, barbaric and reflect a mind that acts without fear of social consequence,” Boob said.
Boob also brought up the defendant’s 17 year criminal history and lack of change, stating that Pennsylvania’s non prison criminal sanctions have failed for Kuhn.
“Nothing has worked with this defendant,” Boob said. “We have tried fines and costs, ARD, probation, he has been given the chance of in-home detention, he’s been on parole. None of these attempts by the criminal justice system were able to prevent this horrific event. In fact, the defendant was on parole when he committed this crime.”
The woman’s victim impact statement, delivered via webcam to the courtroom, said, “This person needs to be put away for a very long time, if not forever. I need to put this to rest, too. I need to know that he’s behind bars when I’m 60 years old. I would have a fear of him knowing how to find me when he gets out. ... This is something I will have to tell my children about ... This is something I am working through.”
The crime that Kuhn was on parole from was peeping and videotaping a woman as she undressed. After parole was revoked, Kuhn was sentenced to 29 months. Police linked Kuhn to the rape through his involvement with the voyeurism counts.
Boob stated that “Even after committing this heinous act, Mr. Kuhn was not satisfied with his desire. He went further and started to victimize more people. It is clear in my mind that Mr. Kuhn presents a substantial danger to any woman he comes across in his life. The only fortunate thing in this case is that Mr. Kuhn has been caught ... and we have the opportunity to stop this from ever happening again.”
The father of the peeping victim stated to Boob, “I prepared my daughter for everything I could I tried to teach her right from wrong. I tried to make sure she was safe. But the one thing you can never prepare a child for are the likes of Michael Kuhn.”
The sentence breaks down as follows:
Attempted murder of the first-degree: 10 to 20 years.
Rape: 9 to 18 years.
Rape: 9 to 18 years.
Involuntary deviate sexual intercourse: 9 to 18 years.
Burglary: 4 to 8 years.
Aggravated assault: 5 to 10 years.
Terroristic threats: 1 to 2 years.
False imprisonment: 1 to 2 years.
An additional 24 counts for which the jury convicted Michael Kuhn were merged for sentencing purposes.
Besides the prison sentence, Kuhn will have to pay $6500 in restution for victim expenses, and if released, will have to register under Pennsylvania’s Megan’s Law as a sex offender for the rest of his life.
She testified that she awoke that morning to the smell of blood pouring from her head onto her pillow. She was tied up, raped three times and then beaten with a metal object before she was able to run for help.
At trial, a sexual assault nurse who worked in the field 20 years said this woman’s case was by far the worst she’d ever seen. Prosecutor Nathan Boob passionately asked that the maximum sentence allowed in this case — 60 to 120 years — be imposed on Kuhn.
He counted several factors, including a story the victim told at trial, about how she was so traumatized she couldn’t even walk to a gas station. He also highlighted that Kuhn attacked a complete stranger in her own bed, showed her “no mercy” and then showed “no remorse.”
“The defendant’s actions were brutal, atrocious, barbaric and reflect a mind that acts without fear of social consequence,” Boob said.
Boob also brought up the defendant’s 17 year criminal history and lack of change, stating that Pennsylvania’s non prison criminal sanctions have failed for Kuhn.
“Nothing has worked with this defendant,” Boob said. “We have tried fines and costs, ARD, probation, he has been given the chance of in-home detention, he’s been on parole. None of these attempts by the criminal justice system were able to prevent this horrific event. In fact, the defendant was on parole when he committed this crime.”
The woman’s victim impact statement, delivered via webcam to the courtroom, said, “This person needs to be put away for a very long time, if not forever. I need to put this to rest, too. I need to know that he’s behind bars when I’m 60 years old. I would have a fear of him knowing how to find me when he gets out. ... This is something I will have to tell my children about ... This is something I am working through.”
The crime that Kuhn was on parole from was peeping and videotaping a woman as she undressed. After parole was revoked, Kuhn was sentenced to 29 months. Police linked Kuhn to the rape through his involvement with the voyeurism counts.
Boob stated that “Even after committing this heinous act, Mr. Kuhn was not satisfied with his desire. He went further and started to victimize more people. It is clear in my mind that Mr. Kuhn presents a substantial danger to any woman he comes across in his life. The only fortunate thing in this case is that Mr. Kuhn has been caught ... and we have the opportunity to stop this from ever happening again.”
The father of the peeping victim stated to Boob, “I prepared my daughter for everything I could I tried to teach her right from wrong. I tried to make sure she was safe. But the one thing you can never prepare a child for are the likes of Michael Kuhn.”
The sentence breaks down as follows:
Attempted murder of the first-degree: 10 to 20 years.
Rape: 9 to 18 years.
Rape: 9 to 18 years.
Involuntary deviate sexual intercourse: 9 to 18 years.
Burglary: 4 to 8 years.
Aggravated assault: 5 to 10 years.
Terroristic threats: 1 to 2 years.
False imprisonment: 1 to 2 years.
An additional 24 counts for which the jury convicted Michael Kuhn were merged for sentencing purposes.
Besides the prison sentence, Kuhn will have to pay $6500 in restution for victim expenses, and if released, will have to register under Pennsylvania’s Megan’s Law as a sex offender for the rest of his life.
Philly police impersonator sentenced to 25 to 50 years for multiple rapes, kidnappings
A South Philadelphia man who raped and kidnapped prostitutes was sentenced to a 25 to 50 year sentence for the attacks between September 2007 and January 2008. 42 year old Salvatore Longo was able to lure his victims by posing as a police officer, then attacking. Philadelphia Common Pleas Court Judge Rayford A. Means heard Longo's plea agreement which stipulated that he would serve 25 to 50 years if he plead guilty to all six assaults.
[Assistant District Attorney Carolyn]Naylor said Longo admitted raping and kidnapping five of the six victims. One escaped from his car. He was also charged with attempted murder for putting a plastic bag over one victim's head. Naylor said the woman escaped suffocating by chewing a hole in the bag.
Authorities said the six women worked as prostitutes and were stopped by Longo as he cruised South Philadelphia and Kensington in his red 2001 Pontiac Grand Am.
The women got into Longo's car believing he wanted sex. Instead, authorities said, Longo identified himself as police, showed a bogus badge, and handcuffed them in the back of the car.
Longo then drove the victims to a secluded location where he sexually assaulted them, sometimes at gunpoint, police said.
Police arrested Longo about a week after the abduction of a 20-year-old woman about 12:30 a.m. Jan. 30, 2008, as she walked near Kensington Avenue and Westmoreland Street.The woman was handcuffed and sexually assaulted in the back of the car on Front Street under I-95 in South Philadelphia. She escaped and alerted residents.
While Longo was sentenced Monday, his Megan's Law sex offender assessment was not, meaning that his restriction after prison and sex offendr reporting requirements are still up in the air.
[Assistant District Attorney Carolyn]Naylor said Longo admitted raping and kidnapping five of the six victims. One escaped from his car. He was also charged with attempted murder for putting a plastic bag over one victim's head. Naylor said the woman escaped suffocating by chewing a hole in the bag.
Authorities said the six women worked as prostitutes and were stopped by Longo as he cruised South Philadelphia and Kensington in his red 2001 Pontiac Grand Am.
The women got into Longo's car believing he wanted sex. Instead, authorities said, Longo identified himself as police, showed a bogus badge, and handcuffed them in the back of the car.
Longo then drove the victims to a secluded location where he sexually assaulted them, sometimes at gunpoint, police said.
Police arrested Longo about a week after the abduction of a 20-year-old woman about 12:30 a.m. Jan. 30, 2008, as she walked near Kensington Avenue and Westmoreland Street.The woman was handcuffed and sexually assaulted in the back of the car on Front Street under I-95 in South Philadelphia. She escaped and alerted residents.
While Longo was sentenced Monday, his Megan's Law sex offender assessment was not, meaning that his restriction after prison and sex offendr reporting requirements are still up in the air.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Female teacher sentenced to 5 years probation for fondling student
A Franklin woman who formally taught in Oil City, PA schools was fired and ordered to go on probation for 5 years yesterday after pleading guilty to a single count of corruption of minors. Angie Marie Fetty, 34, was ordered to pay a $500 fine and perform community service as well as losing her job Monday night.
More serious charges of endangering the welfare of minors and possession of drug paraphernalia were dropped in the plea agreement. Venango County Judge Robert Boyer sentenced Fetty after she reached a plea agreement last month.
More serious charges of endangering the welfare of minors and possession of drug paraphernalia were dropped in the plea agreement. Venango County Judge Robert Boyer sentenced Fetty after she reached a plea agreement last month.
Friday, August 21, 2009
Ex Pennsylvania judge gets 2 years probation for fondling 18 year old
Former Blair County Judge Richard E. Behrens was sentenced to 2 years probation for fondling a woman after open pleading (aka "no contest") to indecent assault of an 18 year old woman, Tuesday, August 18. County District Attorney Richard Consiglio did not make a sentencing recommendation. Due to a conflict of interest, Senior Judge John K. Reilly of Clearfield County imposed the sentence. The maximum sentence for indecent assault in Pennsylvania is 2 years in prison.
In April 2008, on the opening night of the baseball season, Behrens took the 18-year-old high school senior and another girl to an Altoona Curve game. After the game, Behrens dropped off one girl and then pulled to the side of Decker Hollow Road in Snyder Township and began fondling his young passenger, police said.
She reported the incident to state police, and within days, Aungst, then an investigator at the Hollidaysburg barracks, interviewed Behrens. Behrens called the girl the next day, stating he was concerned about her, police said.Since the incident, Behrens said he has been attending counseling sessions with a Cambria County minister and at Family Resources of Pittsburgh.
Behrens began the counseling programs before criminal charges were filed, said his defense attorney, Terry Despoy. "I really have to commend his efforts at dealing with this problem," Despoy said after the hearing.
Court papers also stated that after the incident, "I know you must think that I'm the worst hypocrite in the world. ... I feel that way. I failed my wife, I failed my children and I failed my family."
The victim, now a college student in California, stated that she needed counseling and that the fondling "continues to haunt me. This is going to be a process of healing no matter where I am."
According to investigating state trooper Charles Aungst, the woman wanted guilt acknowledged more that a jail sentence.
This is not the first incident involving Behrens and a young person. In 1986, he was charged with indecent assault of his stepdaughter, but charges were dropped after the stepdaughter refused to testify. Behrens also faces mandatory reporting of his conviction to the Disciplinary Board of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania since the maximum jail term for indecent assault is more than a year.
In April 2008, on the opening night of the baseball season, Behrens took the 18-year-old high school senior and another girl to an Altoona Curve game. After the game, Behrens dropped off one girl and then pulled to the side of Decker Hollow Road in Snyder Township and began fondling his young passenger, police said.
She reported the incident to state police, and within days, Aungst, then an investigator at the Hollidaysburg barracks, interviewed Behrens. Behrens called the girl the next day, stating he was concerned about her, police said.Since the incident, Behrens said he has been attending counseling sessions with a Cambria County minister and at Family Resources of Pittsburgh.
Behrens began the counseling programs before criminal charges were filed, said his defense attorney, Terry Despoy. "I really have to commend his efforts at dealing with this problem," Despoy said after the hearing.
Court papers also stated that after the incident, "I know you must think that I'm the worst hypocrite in the world. ... I feel that way. I failed my wife, I failed my children and I failed my family."
The victim, now a college student in California, stated that she needed counseling and that the fondling "continues to haunt me. This is going to be a process of healing no matter where I am."
According to investigating state trooper Charles Aungst, the woman wanted guilt acknowledged more that a jail sentence.
This is not the first incident involving Behrens and a young person. In 1986, he was charged with indecent assault of his stepdaughter, but charges were dropped after the stepdaughter refused to testify. Behrens also faces mandatory reporting of his conviction to the Disciplinary Board of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania since the maximum jail term for indecent assault is more than a year.
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Philly date-rapist sentenced to 10 to 20 years, gets 15 to life in Idaho case
WOLF IN BOYFRIEND'S CLOTHING
This is yet another post which highlights the dangers of sexual predators on the Web, even though they may appear to be nice, charming, and suitable. Not all predators target underage victims or strangers, and all women are potential victims.
The below story, is taken from the Philadelphia Enquirer in its entirety. (10-13-07)
Marsalis gets 10 to 20 years in date-rape cases
By Dwight Ott
Inquirer Staff Writer
Before a courtroom filled with women who had accused of him of plying them with drink and deceit, and then raping them, Jeffrey Marsalis was sentenced yesterday to the maximum, and given a lifetime label intended to warn potential victims.
Common Pleas Court Judge Steven R. Geroff sentenced Marsalis, 34, to 10 to 20 years in prison, and added that once released from prison, he would have to report under Megan's Law to let others know the threat that he poses.
"I believe you are a menace to the women who you meet on the Internet or in any manner - even at a long distance," Geroff said. "What you were was a wolf in sheep's clothing. Your lifestyle was a fantasy, but what happened to your victims was reality."
Wearing a buzz cut and displaying blue eyes that swept the room, Marsalis pleaded no contest during yesterday's hearing to an unlawful imprisonment charge that merited him an additional 10 to 12 months in jail.
Nearly a dozen women sat in three rows, one of them in a wheelchair, clutching tissues and watching the proceedings with red-eyed attention. They smiled for the first time on hearing the judge's ruling.
"Thank God," said one.
Marsalis - who had been charged with assaulting seven women between 2003 to 2005 - was convicted in June of sexually assaulting two women. The trial lasted three weeks and was filled with accounts of his using the Web dating site Match.com to pose as an astronaut, a doctor, and even a secret agent to lure women.
Before the sentencing, psychologist Barry Zakireh testified that Marsalis met the criteria of a sexual offender and qualified for restrictions imposed by Megan's Law, including leafleting neighborhoods and posting alerts on the Internet.
Kevin E. Hexstall, a lawyer for Marsalis, said of the Megan's Law decision: "I believe it is punitive because it does not allow my client a subsequent review. . . . It doesn't allow for reevaluation."
Marsalis was convicted of sexual assault, not rape, Hexstall said. Under the law, rape involves force, and sexual assault involves a classification where force does not have to be proven.
"I think the commonwealth has fallen short of its burden of proof," Hexstall said.
Zakireh testified that in some cases, Marsalis wore surgical scrubs and carried medical books as part of his ruse.
But Hexstall argued that since Marsalis had been a nursing student at the Hahnemann nursing school, that was to be expected.
Hexstall felt his client was guilty of nothing more than masquerading while his intoxicated clients agreed to consensual sex. (Note - there is no such thing as consensual sex when the woman is drunk, sleeping, or drugged. All sex when intoxicated is considered to be assaultive.)
One woman, a dietitian, testified that she met Marsalis on Match.com.
They agreed to meet in person in central Philadelphia. He told her he was a doctor and a former flight surgeon, and flashed a badge to spirit them to the head of the line outside bars.
But the woman said that after a drink or two, her vision blurred, she began to feel woozy, she developed a pounding headache, and she became so uncoordinated that she tripped and fell.
She said she hung on to Marsalis, who assured her he was an emergency-room doctor and knew what to do. She said that despite her protestations, she was raped, but did not remember the incident until the next day.
Marsalis still faces sexual-assault charges in Idaho.
This is the textbook definition of a psychopath - one who cares only for his own sexual pleasure and perversion. This "man" should not be spending 10 to 20 years, but 30 to 60 years in prison. In Pennsylvania, the legal difference between sexual assault and rape is use of force in rape vs. lack of force in sexual assault, but the victims called it what it is - rape. Sexual predation occurs with frightening regularity, and just like those who prey on children, not all of them fit the stereotypical mold.
Philly Daily News Coverage of Marsalis Sentencing
The below story, is taken from the Philadelphia Enquirer in its entirety. (10-13-07)
Marsalis gets 10 to 20 years in date-rape cases
By Dwight Ott
Inquirer Staff Writer
Before a courtroom filled with women who had accused of him of plying them with drink and deceit, and then raping them, Jeffrey Marsalis was sentenced yesterday to the maximum, and given a lifetime label intended to warn potential victims.
Common Pleas Court Judge Steven R. Geroff sentenced Marsalis, 34, to 10 to 20 years in prison, and added that once released from prison, he would have to report under Megan's Law to let others know the threat that he poses.
"I believe you are a menace to the women who you meet on the Internet or in any manner - even at a long distance," Geroff said. "What you were was a wolf in sheep's clothing. Your lifestyle was a fantasy, but what happened to your victims was reality."
Wearing a buzz cut and displaying blue eyes that swept the room, Marsalis pleaded no contest during yesterday's hearing to an unlawful imprisonment charge that merited him an additional 10 to 12 months in jail.
Nearly a dozen women sat in three rows, one of them in a wheelchair, clutching tissues and watching the proceedings with red-eyed attention. They smiled for the first time on hearing the judge's ruling.
"Thank God," said one.
Marsalis - who had been charged with assaulting seven women between 2003 to 2005 - was convicted in June of sexually assaulting two women. The trial lasted three weeks and was filled with accounts of his using the Web dating site Match.com to pose as an astronaut, a doctor, and even a secret agent to lure women.
Before the sentencing, psychologist Barry Zakireh testified that Marsalis met the criteria of a sexual offender and qualified for restrictions imposed by Megan's Law, including leafleting neighborhoods and posting alerts on the Internet.
Kevin E. Hexstall, a lawyer for Marsalis, said of the Megan's Law decision: "I believe it is punitive because it does not allow my client a subsequent review. . . . It doesn't allow for reevaluation."
Marsalis was convicted of sexual assault, not rape, Hexstall said. Under the law, rape involves force, and sexual assault involves a classification where force does not have to be proven.
"I think the commonwealth has fallen short of its burden of proof," Hexstall said.
Zakireh testified that in some cases, Marsalis wore surgical scrubs and carried medical books as part of his ruse.
But Hexstall argued that since Marsalis had been a nursing student at the Hahnemann nursing school, that was to be expected.
Hexstall felt his client was guilty of nothing more than masquerading while his intoxicated clients agreed to consensual sex. (Note - there is no such thing as consensual sex when the woman is drunk, sleeping, or drugged. All sex when intoxicated is considered to be assaultive.)
One woman, a dietitian, testified that she met Marsalis on Match.com.
They agreed to meet in person in central Philadelphia. He told her he was a doctor and a former flight surgeon, and flashed a badge to spirit them to the head of the line outside bars.
But the woman said that after a drink or two, her vision blurred, she began to feel woozy, she developed a pounding headache, and she became so uncoordinated that she tripped and fell.
She said she hung on to Marsalis, who assured her he was an emergency-room doctor and knew what to do. She said that despite her protestations, she was raped, but did not remember the incident until the next day.
Marsalis still faces sexual-assault charges in Idaho.
This is the textbook definition of a psychopath - one who cares only for his own sexual pleasure and perversion. This "man" should not be spending 10 to 20 years, but 30 to 60 years in prison. In Pennsylvania, the legal difference between sexual assault and rape is use of force in rape vs. lack of force in sexual assault, but the victims called it what it is - rape. Sexual predation occurs with frightening regularity, and just like those who prey on children, not all of them fit the stereotypical mold.
Philly Daily News Coverage of Marsalis Sentencing
(Update 10-19-07)
Marsalis will be extradited to Blaine County, Idaho, where he faces charges of raping a 21-year old Sun Valley woman back in 2005. Blaine County Prosecuting Attorney Jim Thomas expect Marsalis to be brought back to Idaho around the 1st of the year, with a trial scheduled for the spring. Marsalis waived extradition as a Blaine County bond condition.
(Update 7-11-09) Ten days ago, Marsalis was sentenced to the maximum term - life imprisonment, for the rape of a 21 year old woman that he met at a Sun Valley, ID ski resort where they were both employed. Marsalis was found guilty in April by a jury of 10 women and 2 men of plying the 21 year old victim with alcohol, then raping her when she was too drunk to refuse.
The sentencing, like the trial and conviction, took place at the Ada County Courthouse in Boise, ID. The judge who presided over the trial, Judge Daniel Hurlbutt Jr., said that he took into consideration the Pennsylvania rape victims before handing the life sentence down.
Hurlbutt stated, "It is clear the victim was harmed by your actions. This was a manner of grooming the victim. Without question, you did take off your clothes and you did have sexual intercourse with her."
Blaine County Prosecuting Attorney Jim Thomas stated that Marsalis was not a typical date rapist, and that Marsalis used the same grooming tactics against the Idaho victim as he did against the Philadelphia victims.
"If the old adage is true- where there's smoke, there's fire, then Mr. Marsalis is an inferno."
The victim impact statement reads as follows.
"I have no doubt that if he wasn't in jail he would be victimizing other women. He took advantage of my body while I was unconscious. I don't need to know what he did to me to know that what he did was wrong....It continues to affect my life today. I had no idea what a monster he would turn out to be. I hope that he will be put away for so long that he will never be able to hurt another woman."
Marsalis will be parole eligible in 15 years.
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