“Billy Mitch” the Scumbag Pervert Caught!
I should have posted this a couple days ago… but there is good news to share, if you haven’t heard: William Joe Mitchell, the 46-year-old sex offender accused of running off with a 15-year-old Alyssa Frank, was arrested Saturday by Virginia state police at the Flying J Truck Stop in Winchester, VA.
Much of this is taken from the official AP article on the arrest:
Mitchell was wanted in Alabama on allegations including rape and kidnapping and Florida officials accuse him of enticing a child via the Internet, violating his probation and other allegations.
State police were notified that the U.S. Marshals Service had tracked Mitchell to a truck stop on Interstate 81, near the West Virginia border. Four state troopers surrounded Mitchell and took him into custody without incident around 11:30AM on Saturday, October 7th, four days after the manhunt began.
Mitchell was standing alongside a 2000 black Chevrolet Lumina that detectives believed he had been driving throughout the investigation. Personal belongings of the girl were visible inside the vehicle. Mitchell was being served federal and state warrants.
Mitchell had 14 prior arrests ranging from burglary and bomb threats to lewd and lascivious conduct, police said.
Like I said in the previous post… there is a REALLY easy way to prevent stories like this. Download and install PC Pandora. When you have something as strong as PC Pandora on your PC that will take snapshots and record all user activity, there is no way any parent will be left in the dark when their kids run off… because their kids won’t even be able to reach that point!
Parents MUST educate themselves on the net, talk to their kids and take active steps in protecting their children and families via the PC. The family’s computer is a doorway to a vast endless space – not all of that space is good. Lots of bad stuff can seep in. But if you are protected – you can stop it.
Educate. Discuss. Protect.
Or be very very sorry. If you don’t install monitoring software… really, and I’m not trying to be a jerk here, but really, one can only assume you are ok with the idea of someone luring your child away. This isn’t an issue of parental trust… it’s an issue of safety. Kids today are given WAY too much freedom with something parents are still trying to figure out. If you’re not an expert on it (the Internet), why do you let your kids roam free?
Anyway… rant over. Parents – please protect your family!!!!!!!!!
Give PC Pandora a FREE try now!
October 10th, 2007 at 7:53 PM
Well, it is about time they finally caught this creep! I have been following this story very closely, as I have a young daughter who is 13 right now and this is honestly my worst nightmare. I feel sorry for any parent to have to go through an abduction of a child like this, as I can’t even begin to think of the horror.
I wanted to comment a little on your software. I saw it, downloaded it and gave it a try and I must say this is some of the best, if not THE best software that I have come across. My daughter is not stupid and can get around pretty much any block I put up, so monitoring her online activity is something that she just can’t get around. I just hope that with my monitoring her online time like I do and keeping the computer in the family room that she will never fall prey to a jerk like this. Thank you to the law enforcement officers who tracked him down and for all that you do in your jobs!
I want to say one other little thing to other readers out there. Have you done anything else that would also make the internet safer for my daughter? I would love to hear little tips on how you make your child’s online time safer. Thanks!
October 10th, 2007 at 10:27 PM
PC Pandora sounds like a pretty effective tool in monitoring your child’s activity on the internet. It also seems to be a necessity for parents with children of all ages because there are so many peer pressures that kids face out in the real world and especially on-line.
I’m amazed at what this program can do and I’m glad to hear that you can put it in stealth mode so that your child has no idea that is on tracking their movement on the internet. It also is a great idea because this program can be your “eyes” for you when you can’t.
I like the idea of this program, but have a few questions about it. When using this type of program,does it make your computer vulnerable to any viruses that are out there and that come along in the future?
Is this program undetectable to even the most technical savy kids?
Parents really do need to monitor their child’s activity online because it could really save their life in the end and using PC Pandora sounds like a great tool to help busy parents out.
October 11th, 2007 at 7:10 AM
Concernedparent: I actually blogged about a new thing (below, Oct. 1). As much as I hate to discuss OTHER companies on our site, this is a neat idea: a ratings system (like TV) for the Net. I think it’s a great idea. It’s non-intrusive… it’s there if you want it. And it will help parents. Read below…
Christina: PC Pandora does NOT open your computer to any viruses, because other than connecting to the web to register, it basically runs on its own on your machine. Very much like running Word or Excel. It’s just another program… just, incredibly effective!
Also, unless your kids know it’s there, they will never find out. We recommend changing the HOTKEY sequence that calls up the program. Because, otherwise, if you leave it as the default, and a tech savvy kid hears about the program and learns the default key sequence (which isn’t that hard to find out on our site), they can enter the sequence and the box will pop-up asking for a password. Now, while they may not know he password or how to access the program, they will have discovered the program exists on the machine. Does that make sense? But if you have changed the keystroke sequence to open the program, they won’t have a clue.
However, we do encourage parents with good relationships with their kids to tell their kids the PC is monitored and it is for their protection. It’s not to watch what they are doing. It’s to watch what other people are doing to them!
October 11th, 2007 at 11:20 AM
My daughter knows that I am watching her online and that it is only for her safety. With that being said, I know she is a teenager and will sometimes try and push the limits whenever possible. That little trick with the sequence numbers is something I need to do because I am sure that she could easily find this and use it to her advantage. Thanks for the product and advice!
October 11th, 2007 at 2:35 PM
This puts me in mind of a Question I came across in Yahoo Answers one day. That site is a haven for guys like William Joe Mitchell, with the number of young teens roaming about in there asking, perhaps for the heck of it, quite sexual questions.
This one girl had a Gothic ID, and her question asked if anybody would have sex with her, although in a far more lewd way! I spotted that a friend of mine had answered, bearing in mind this friend was 45 at the time, that “Yes, he would and he would probably stay friends with her afterwards.”, for which she gave him best answer. He was probably unaware of this girl’s age, but because of the question, I searched for her website, and she turned out to be just FIFTEEN years old! I was appalled that her parents had let her even join a site like that, and thought perhaps they weren’t even aware of what she was doing. So, I reported her to Yahoo Answers and the question was taken out.
However, I could have been too late! Who knows? What a terrible thought that conjures up! There’s no telling who might be out there, perving over these young girls!
Thank you for this blog entry… I hope it opens the eyes of parents who let their kids roam the internet free because I fear for these youngsters.
October 11th, 2007 at 2:38 PM
Darkwing: WOW! That is messed up! But yet again, I am not shocked. I know kids are doing it for the dare and the fun of it. But this is one lesson that shouldn’t be tought through the proverbial “tough love.”
October 11th, 2007 at 3:55 PM
I am so glad that they caught him. It’s a relief to know that one less pedophile is off the streets. It makes me wonder though if there are not easier ways to catch these types of people, and if so why is it not being done.
I know he is but one of many, many thousands, and that there are people trying to catch the rest, and that thanks to the t.v. there are many caught every day. I just wished there was a way to tell who is one and who is not. Life would be so much easier if that were possible.
I think we need to teach our children to be safe and never ever go off with strangers, no matter what they say or do. Start doing that by the age of three and maybe we might be able to help at least one child.
It makes me wonder , what kind of people that are in this world that would do such a thing to a child, and what we as a whole can do to stop it. It’s a sick world out there, and its up to us to make it better.
October 12th, 2007 at 6:37 AM
Yes, Ken, it messed my mind up a bit too, I can tell you! I think this was a real case of non-parental guidance or care, because the young lady in question had two websites, one which you had to be a member of, where she was actually advertising for friends, saying she had none already. Now, how vulnerable did THAT make her? Sheeeesh! I’m also apprehensive about discussion sites… ok they’re monitored, but most have private messaging, the minimum age is thirteen, and how difficult is it for a scumbag such as Mitchell to PM a kid and ask them to talk on instant messengers? That is, I believe, the sort of place where these problems start.
But, that being put aside, I would strongly urge any parent who reads this, with kids from even a younger age than their teen years, to install PC Pandora and monitor their kids more closely. Encourage them to show you the work they’re doing on the PC.. show an active and constant interest in what theyre doing. Don’t let them join Q & A or discussion sites where they’re constantly in danger. I’ll tell you, it’s so easy for these guys, and it’s probably not only guys, who prey on them. Pogo even has rooms for teens, and there is no monitor as to who else goes into those rooms with them. Members enjoy not only an open chat box in the game rooms, but also private chat. So think on, all you parents and install a programme like PC Pandora as at least a back up for your control.
Pandora… I have lots of traffic going to my website. Do you have a banner I could post in there for PC Pandora? I would like to put the around to parents.
October 12th, 2007 at 7:21 AM
Well said, Darkwing. Unfortunately, in my studies of the issue, I’ve learned that the anonymity of the net helps fuel the thrill of teens going to these sites and “talking dirty.” Unfortunately, they are too young to know when – if you are going to play that sort of game – to check out. It’s this heightened dangerous play that parents need to watch out for. Hey, if we were going to the playgrounds to have orgies and watch porn, I’m pretty sure our parents would have intervened…
OK, banners… I think we may have something. Email me at media@pcpandora.com and I will look into it!
October 12th, 2007 at 7:45 PM
Sometimes I wonder why people do the things that they do, it’s a scary thought to think that there are many of these types of people loose in this world. There have been many methods tried to stop the pedophiles, such as chemical castration, this may take away the physical need of the person but not the mental. Thats where they need to start, with the mental.
The kids hopefully are getting the mental help they need, because God know they are being messed up mentally by these monster that are hurting them. There should be a program in each school that warns kids about pedos. And it should be a required class starting at a very young age. Letting kids know when a hug is ok, and to know the difference between good and bad touches.
I know that parents should monitor the kids online at home, but teachers should do it at school, and teach the kids to watch out for each other. When made aware of things kids can be a great help.
Hopefully someday soon there will be a way to keep an eye on kids and keep them safe from harm not just from drugs and such but from adults that want to hurt them.
October 13th, 2007 at 5:46 AM
Thank you, Ken. I have e-mailed you, and really hope you might be able to come up with something regarding banners, either to advertise PC Pandora, or even your site, so that parents read and note your words.
The anonimity of the ‘net’ bugs me sometimes, because that is what allows these guys to pretend they’re something they’re not. The thrill of the chase is as good to them as the thrill of the tease is to the teenagers. If only there were a way to keep them from doing this, but alas, I fear it would be too big a job segregating the honest from the pretenders, and the children are so gullible.
So many times, in games rooms, I have had to become ‘Mother Hen’ to kids who are in 40s rooms, and boasting that they’re thirteen or fourteen. I leap straight to their protection and tell them to go tell their parents where they are playing. Sometimes, they do as I ask, and others, they latch on to me… but then, are they really kids of that age, or is it all a game? Who knows, but I’d rather keep the kids safe than they get pounced on by somebody up to no good.
I love kids… I’ve had my own, now have grandchildren, worked as Housemother in a children’s home and minded a few children, and I love to spend time with them… they keep me young. But this sort of crime against them, is despicable!
October 15th, 2007 at 8:50 AM
Chris, RE: I know that parents should monitor the kids online at home, but teachers should do it at school, and teach the kids to watch out for each other.
That is why we started our SAFE SCHOOLS program. We give free software to accredited educational institutions to help them keep kids safe during the day. It’s completely FREE and there are no strings attached. There is even an optional promo program that the schools can take part in where if they help promote PC Pandora, we will give them a unique code, the parents use that code to save $10 and then 35% of ALL sales from that code will be donated back to the school. Win, win, win.
On another topic… yes, it’s fantastic they got this guy. But he is 1 of hundreds of thousands… There is an endless supply. This battle is absolutely one best fought on the homefront with parents and PC Pandora…
October 15th, 2007 at 8:05 PM
Ken, that is so true there are so many more to get, and the safe school thing sound awesome, I hope all the schools go for it, as long as it helps the kids i do not see why they would not, but with the budget of most schools so below what they should be its hard to say.
October 16th, 2007 at 7:48 AM
Well… yeah. The low budget thing is exactly why we are doig this. Schools don’t need a budget now to protect their kids. We will do that for them by GIVING them free our PC Pandora monitoring software!
October 17th, 2007 at 6:37 AM
Ken that is awesome, I am so glad to see you say that. Now if a few more people would do things like this to help there might be some hope for the kids.
All we can do is pray that this will set the example for them to follow.
October 17th, 2007 at 10:32 PM
Ken, I received banners from you but I can’t post them.. just the pics. Do you have an html code you could send me, please. They just don’t seem to want to work.
Well done with promoting safety on the PC within the schools. I hope the teachers and playground monitors are a bit better in the USA. My Granddaughter goes to a Brighton school and her friend goes to a different school, for children with learning disabilities, so she is finished by about 2 p.m. My Granddaughter was going to school in the morning and being allowed to walk out of the gates to go meet her friend from school and spend the afternoon with this friend. Then, the school had the audacity to tell my Son and his partner that if they didn’t make sure she was in school, ALL day, they would be fined, something like £3,000 and face a jail sentence. Can you believe that, with all the cases of child abduction, rape and murder these days? I think thats abominable!!!
October 17th, 2007 at 10:36 PM
Oh, I forgot to say, that my Granddaugher had been doing this for THREE MONTHS and nothing from the school to warn my Son and his partner. Wow… I find that almost impossible to take on board. My Granddaugher was twelve, coming up thirteen at the time! She’s sorted now, but that was one scary few months!