College students alerted after rape

College of St. Scholastica students are recieving e-mail alerts regarding an attacker who sexually assaulted a woman last Sunday morning before dawn. The attack occured outside. The college is located in Duluth, MN.

A spokesman says the student did not report the attack to police, but did notify a staff member. The student was taken to a local hospital for tests and treatment.

Vice President Steve Lyons wouldn't say if the alleged victim knew her attacker. He provided few details for fear of harming a future police investigation.

His e-mail says the campus has a security officer in response to the report and that the college is reviewing its security tapes as part of its own investigation.

Because the attack was not reported to police, the police cannot start an official investigation until the victim reports her attack to the local law enforcement authorities.

Nebraska man sentenced to 10 to 15 years

Azad Alama was sentenced to between 10 & 15 years in prison for the rape of a Lincoln, NE woman inside her apartment in 2006.

Alama, 22, pleaded guilty earlier to an amended charge of attempted first-degree sexual assault arising from the June 2006 incident. The woman told authorities that a man, referred to as “Izod” in a police report, picked her up, carried her into her bedroom and began to kiss her on her bed.

Two other men went inside the apartment with Alama, but they were not charged because DNA evidence taken from the victim only belonged to Alama. He'll be eligible for parole in about 5 years.

Editorial from The Orion, Chico State University

The Orion has run stories about separate alleged sexual assaults involving college-aged women in the last two issues. Either sexual assault is becoming a growing problem or more victims have the courage to come forth. But rape remains a problem - and it's time to address this uncomfortable, seldom-talked-about tragedy.

Hook-up cultureIn a college setting where alcohol and sexual activity flow freely, situations for sexual assaults are often present. A dangerous, male-centered attitude surrounding the party and bar scenes can pressure men to reinforce their masculinity by being seen as "pimps" by increasing their number of sexual partners.

This can contribute to unwanted sexual behavior based on incorrect ideas of what is seen as typical sexual activity for college-aged people.Alcohol useThe Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network reports alcohol is the most commonly used chemical in drug-facilitated sexual assaults. In a college town where alcohol goes hand-in-hand with parties, the opportunities for sexual assault may increase. California law states that when a person is drunk or drugged they are unable to give consent.

Just because a person didn't say 'no' or fight back does not mean the incident wasn't rape.But when an woman is ashamed already because she is a victim, she may wrongly feel responsible because of her alcohol-induced state of mind and not report the sexual assault, contributing to its invisibility.

Reporting rapeThe U.S. Department of Justice estimates less than 5 percent of completed and attempted rapes of college women are reported to police. The rate of reported rapes among the general population is 40 percent. The fear to report and the fear to face an attacker may prevent many women from coming forth.

About 70 percent of rape victims know their attackers, whether husbands, classmates or distant acquaintances, RAINN reports. Activism is the solution. Some people will undoubtedly argue men are also rape victims. While that's true, the justice department reports that 91 percent of rape victims are female and 99 percent of offenders are male.

More men should take up the cause to prevent rape, considering the majority of the criminal and dehumanizing action falls within their hands.It should be the responsibility of men everywhere to look out for their female counterparts as well as their male friends who may fall into situations that could lead to trouble. Men don't need to be afraid to address the issue of rape or participate in rape awareness. They would be a welcome and powerful addition.We need to establish a culture where men and women take the issue of rape out from the shadows and into the light. Only then can we begin to reverse these destructive crimes against women.

Editorial Board Ashley Gebb, managing editor Olga Munoz, news editor Mike Murphy, opinion editorRyan Van Fleet, sports editor Leslie Williams, entertainment editorCari Radford, features editorDavid Flannery, photo editor Genny McLaren, chief copy editor Chelsea Accursi, online editor

Online date turns to rape in New Orleans

Christopher Eugene Patterson, a 34 year old Ocean Springs, MS man, was charged with raping a woman he met online after taking her to New Orleans. The woman, from D'Iberville, was assaulted after she met Patterson in person.

Sheriff's Maj. Randy Cook said the victim, age 34, drove her car to Bay St. Louis and rode to New Orleans with Patterson, where the assault occurred. The woman was taken back to her car and drove herself to Biloxi Regional Medical Center on April 2.

"This woman should be counting her blessings that she's alive," Cook said.

Local investigators contacted New Orleans police, who obtained arrest warrants for Patterson on charges of aggravated rape, oral sexual battery and simple criminal damage.

Sheriff's officials said the woman has been released from the hospital.

"She met the defendant on the Internet and felt comfortable meeting him in person," said Cook. "It seems a lot of people meet online and have successful relationships, but it's a lot safer to have another person present for that first meeting. Having a cell phone with you won't do you any good if it turns bad."

Pastor sentenced to 26 1/2 years in prison for molseting and raping female congregants

A pastor of a now defunct church was sentenced to 26 1/2 years for molesting and sexually exploiting females between ages 7 and 24 in a Kitsap, WA church. Robbin Leeroy Harper, 60 was arrested in November after 10 victims claimed they were either raped, molested, or both by the pastor. Harper pled guilty to 7 felony and one misdemeanor count of sexual abuse charges, and a joint recommendation of 23 1/4 years was submitted by both the prosecution and defense.

Harper was apologetic in his statements to the packed courthouse.

"I'm ashamed," he said. "From the beginning of this, I never wanted to go to trial. I wanted to plead guilty from the beginning."

Harper said he had tried to seek help over the past two years, and said the time in jail so far has been beneficial. "Many of the questions people have here are the same ones I have," he said.

The sentencing allowed the attorneys, victims, family and friends of the victims and Harper, and Harper himself to speak. Several family members of victims took the opportunity, as well as one victim, in addition to Harper.

Court documents indicate that, as the head of the now defunct Church in South Colby, Harper used his office to hold private meetings with the victims, who ranged in age from 7 to 24. The meetings led to suggestive hugs, then inappropriate touching, followed by molestation and sexual acts.

Harper was sentenced to 26 1/2 years in prison, but with good behavior, he should only serve 24. He will be registered as a sex offender for the rest of his life.

Windsor man gets 18 years for deliberate infeciton of women with HIV

This is pulled from a story of a Windsor, ON businessman who was sentenced to 18 years for deliberate infection of women with HIV, a type of sexual assault. Embedded in this are incidents of more "traditional" date rape and drug rapes.

DOUG SCHMIDT, Canwest News Service; Windsor Star

Describing the crimes as "despicable and selfish," a judge sentenced Windsor businessman Carl Leone yesterday to 18 years in prison for engaging in unprotected sex without advising his partners that he was HIV-positive.

"The spread of HIV in the community must be stopped," Superior Court Justice Joseph Quinn said during his 90-minute ruling.

Leone, 32, pleaded guilty a year ago to 15 counts of aggravated sexual assault. Five of those victims have since tested positive for the virus that can lead to AIDS, and the judge said each of them now has a shorter life expectancy.

Quinn dismissed the Crown's application to have Leone declared either a dangerous or long-term offender, saying he did not represent a substantial risk to reoffend.

But he said the court had to send a strong message of deterrence, and he sentenced Leone to 15 consecutive terms ranging from two to five years each and totalling 49 years. Quinn said the justice system, however, required that he not impose an unduly harsh sentence that violates the "totality principal," and he adjusted the prison term downward to 18 years.

"I'm happy for the girls," Pat Keane, the Windsor police lead detective in the case, said of the ruling. Other detectives present for the sentencing expressed satisfaction with the ruling.
"I'm just proud of all the women -- they did it for the community," Keane added.

"I hope it sends a message," said Windsor-Essex's medical officer of health, Dr. Allen Heimann, who sat through much of the court proceedings since Leone's arrest in June 2004.

"Obviously, it's a significant amount of years, but it's in the ballpark," defence lawyer Andrew Bradie told reporters outside the courthouse. "I'm very pleased he was not declared a dangerous or long-term offender ... you can get to rather staggering numbers (of years in prison)," he said.

Bradie added his client's chances of getting parole are greatly improved without such a
designation.

Leone will be eligible to apply to the National Parole Board for full parole after serving a third, or six years, of his sentence, and there are provisions for day parole before that.

Neither Crown attorney Nat Bernardon nor the assistant Crown attorneys who argued the case wished to comment on yesterday's sentencing.

In the case of A.P., Leone was repeatedly asked to wear a condom but refused, stating he was okay. As with a number of his partners, Leone engaged in unprotected anal sex. The judge said A.P. contracted HIV, must take medication for the rest of what will probably be a shortened life and is "not able to have her own family."

Leone repeatedly "threatened the health and possible life of a person ... for five to 10 minutes of sexual gratification," said Quinn, who described it as "despicable and selfish conduct." The judge described a pattern of criminal behaviour spanning seven years from 1997 when Leone was first diagnosed with HIV and warned he had to wear a condom and advise his partners of his status.

Dangerous offenders are sentenced to indefinite terms in prison, with petitions to get the designation removed possible after 7 years. Infamous dangerous offenders legally designated in Canada include Paul Bernardo. Long term offenders get a 10 year strict probaiton tacked onto the end of their sentences.

Man gropes woman mourning her sister at memorial

Marlos Hernandez, 31 was arrested and faces possible charges of 1st degree burglary, harassment, and unlawful sexual contact after crashing a memorial service in his apartment complex late Tuesday night and early Wednesday morning in Boulder, CO. He allegadly groped a woman whose sisted had just died, and then pulled out a camera. Instead of taking a picture of the shrine in the dead woman's memory, he showed a pornographic photo to the dead woman's mother.

When Hernandez upset the mother of the woman who recently died, other grieving guests became upset and a "physical confrontation" ensued outside the apartment complex in the 700 block of Mohawk Drive, according to police spokeswoman Sarah Huntley.

Hernandez was treated and released from Boulder Community Hospital for a cut to the face. He then was taken to Boulder County Jail, where he remained late Thursday on a $20,000 bond, Huntley said.

The deceased woman whose life was being celebrated Wednesday hasn't been identified. Details of her death aren't known.

Her mother, who hosted the memorial gathering, told police she didn't know Hernandez but wasn't suspicious when he came into her home because lots of people she doesn't know have paid their respects, Huntley said.

Upon entering the apartment, Hernandez went first to the kitchen and put his arm around the deceased woman's teenage sister "as if to comfort her," Huntley said.

But the woman told officers it made her uncomfortable.

"Then he reached down and grabbed one of her breasts," Huntley said.

The sister told police she didn't want to start a confrontation, so she left the kitchen. Hernandez then went near a display of pictures and memories of the deceased and pulled out a cell phone, Huntley said.

"She thought he was going to take a picture of the shrine with his cell phone," Huntley said. "But he showed the mother a pornographic picture instead."

The mother and other mourners chased Hernandez out and started fighting him.

St. Louis area man sentenced to 15 years for sexual attacks following photo shoots

Lester “Jay” Krupp will be sentenced to 15 years in prison for a plea agreement reached with prosecutors following the conviction for 4 counts of deviant sexual assault and a single count of felonious restraint. A St. Louis County Circuit Court jury found him guilty of these charges, which stemmed from a May 10, 2006 incident when he enticed a then 20 year old woman into a secluded valley for the promise of a photo shoot. Instead, he attacked and made her perform sex acts.

A second woman's photo shoot gone wrong lead to a misdemeanor conviction of sexual misconduct. This occurred on April 11, 2006.

Under an agreement reached between the prosecution and Krupp's attorneys after the verdicts, Krupp will be sentenced to 15 years in prison. Krupp also agreed to plead guilty to two additional charges, felonious restraint and domestic assault, involving a third woman in 2006.

The episode involving the most charges began when Krupp showed up outside the tanning salon where the woman worked. Although she declined his offer of a photo shoot, she drove off with him. The woman testified she had dated Krupp once about a year earlier. “There's been no motive for her to lie,” prosecutor Joe Dueker said. “(The woman) was just trying to stay alive that day.”Krupp did not testify.

Krupp's attorney, Travis Noble, said the woman's story had too many inconsistencies to be believable. “This girl's story changed all the time,” Noble said to the jury in his closing statement “ ... This girl's word -– that's all it is because there's no physical evidence.”Noble said text message records showed the girl could not have been with Krupp during the time she claimed to have been assaulted.

Noble stated his client was stupid, but not criminal to show interest in photo shoots of stupid young women and posting them on the internet.

Kansas teacher charged with sex offense against a 17 year old student

Katherine Harder, 31, was fired by the Manhattan, KS school district Wednesday, April 2 after internal discipline for alleged sexual contact with a 17 year old boy . According to police, she was caught allegedly having sex with a 17 year old student 10 PM Wednesday, March 26 at the Spillway Marina, a park just outside Manhattan, KS. She resigned the next day, but rescinded her resignation, and this led to the hearing on April 2 where she was fired.

On April 2, Harder was fired by a 7-0 closed door decision by the Manhattan, KS school board. In Kansas, while teens can legally consent to sex with adults who are not in a position of authority when they turn 16, teacher/student sex below the college level is a criminal offense regardless of the student’s age. Teachers also automatically lose their licenses in Kansas when they are convicted of engaging in teacher /student sex.

The school district released a statement through their communication director, Michelle Jones.

“Our concern is about taking care of our students, making sure that the transition to a different teacher goes smoothly for them. Talking with parents about the situation, talking with our staff about the situation.”

"Ms. Harder was a language arts teacher at Manhattan High School. She had worked for us for about three years, and she resigned from employment this morning," Jones said.

Though this arrest has rattled the Manhattan School District, Jones says it's not the school's first sex scandal.

"I had heard through the..just the grapevine that it happened many years ago, so that would have been at least nine years ago, which would have been before my time," Jones said.

Harder faces between 5 and 13 months in prison if convicted of unlawful sexual relations. She was released on $3000 bond March 27. She worked for the Manhattan-Odgen public schools for three years teaching 10th through 12th graders, and also taught at Kansas State University.

Arizona man charged with raping 93 year old neighbor

Peter Cupis, 28, allegedly went to the home of a 93 year old woman in his neighborhood March 20 to rape her and was arrested after she summoned help from her family through her medical alert bracelet. He gained entry to the victim’s home through a side door. When the woman heard someone at the door, she went to it and was attacked. She suffered injuries requiring hospitalization.

Cupis was charged with second-degree burglary, two counts of sexual assault and sexual abuse. Cupis is being held without bond because of the assault charge.

A family member who arrived after responding to the medical alert prevented Cupis from leaving the home, police said.

Officers arrived and took Cupis into custody without further incident.

Cupis told officers that he was trying to help the victim after he saw her walking outside of her home, police said. Investigators said they gathered evidence to support that an attack did occur and that Cupis was the perpetrator.

Boyfriend pushed girlfriend into street, where she dies from injuries

A woman who was beaten and pushed onto a Milwaukee street died from her injuries after being ran over and dragged a block by a passing SUV Thursday. 42 year old Sandra Green, a mother with 2 daughters and a son, had a daughter who gave birth around the time of the beating.

Elizabeth Sutton, Green's niece, said she knew little about the man police believe punched and kicked Green in the last few minutes of her life.

According to the police account, Green and the suspect argued in her apartment in the 4200 block of N. Teutonia Ave., and the dispute carried onto the sidewalk about 9:20 p.m. There, the suspect continued to beat and kick Green, who eventually fell onto the street.

One motorist stopped to help, but another vehicle ran over the victim and dragged her about a block before stopping. That driver did stop and will not be ticketed, according to police.
The boyfriend was being held in the Criminal Justice Facility on Friday, and police were seeking a felony battery charge against him.

Felony murder charges are an option when a death occurs during a felony act. The girlfriend would not have been killed if the boyfriend had not pushed her out into the street.

(Update 4-2-08) The boyfriend, Willie Nash, has been charged with 1st degree reckless homicide yesterday. He faces 60 years in prison without parole.

Pierced flyer wins a victory after humiliating search

A Dallas area woman who was forced to remove her nipple piercings, but not ber navel piercing February 24 won a reprieve for all other pierced flyers. Mandi Hamlin, 37, was forced to remove her piercings during a flight from Lubbock to LA, all the while male TSA agents allegedly laughed.

Her attorney, Gloria Allred of Los Angeles, said her client needed pliers to remove one nipple ring after the jewelry set off a screener's handheld metal detector.

Hamlin told the officer she had nipple piercings, Allred said, and that officer called over another officer, who told her she would need to remove them.

"Ms. Hamlin did not want to remove her nipple piercings," Allred said, reading from a letter she sent TSA. "After nipple rings are inserted, the skin can often heal around the piercing and the rings can be extremely difficult and painful to remove. In addition, once removed, the pierced skin may close up almost immediately, making it difficult and painful to reinsert the piercing."

More officers were called over, and the group grew to four male and two female TSA officers, according to Hamlin. Also, a small crowd of onlookers had started to gather. The officers insisted that Hamlin remove the nipple rings, Allred said.
"She felt humiliated by the scene that the TSA officers were making," Allred said.

"With tears streaming down her face, she again asked to show the piercings to a TSA officer instead of having to remove them. She was told, however, she would not be allowed to fly unless she removed them. Had she been told that she had a right to a pat-down, she would have chosen that option."

She eventually was taken to a private area behind a curtain to remove the piercings, Allred said. One came out easily, but the other would not, and she called to an officer that she was having trouble and would need pliers. She was handed a large pair, Allred said.

"As Ms. Hamlin struggled to remove the piercing, behind the curtain she could hear a growing number of predominately male TSA officers snickering in the background," Allred said in the letter.

"Mandi Hamlin was publicly humiliated. ... Clearly, this is not how passengers should be treated."
Afterward, Hamlin underwent another scan, but realized she had forgotten to remove her navel ring. She offered to remove it, Allred said, but an officer told her it was not necessary because he could see it. Hamlin wondered why a similar visual inspection of her nipple rings would not have sufficed, Allred said.

"I wouldn't wish this experience upon anyone," Hamlin told reporters. "I felt surprised, embarrassed, humiliated and scared. No one deserves to go through this."

The officers "rightly insisted that the alarm that was raised be resolved," the TSA said in a statement posted on its Web site Friday afternoon. "TSA supports the thoroughness of the officers involved as they were acting to protect the passengers and crews of the flights departing Lubbock that day."

However, "TSA has reviewed the procedures themselves and agrees that they need to be changed," the statement said. "In the future, TSA will inform passengers that they have the option to resolve the alarm through a visual inspection of the article in lieu of removing the item in question."

The TSA said Friday that though its procedures were properly followed in Ms. Hamlin's case, they "caused difficulty for the passenger involved and ... [the TSA] regrets the situation in which she found herself. We appreciate her raising awareness on this issue and we are changing the procedures to ensure that this does not happen again."

The agency said that in the future, passengers will be informed they have the option to undergo a visual inspection, rather than remove such jewelry.

Ms. Allred commended the agency for its prompt action.
"Within 24 hours, to have change in policy nationwide is an awesome achievement," she said.
Ms. Hamlin and her attorney said they will take no further legal action.