Wacky Internet Predator Wednesday – Part 38
Another fantastic weekly round-up of predators here. Note that some of the stories highlight other issues while using a predator bust as an example. Also this week – a female predator (oh my oh my, they do exist!).
Remember, parents, it is incredibly essential that you know who your kids are talking to online. You, more than they, know how evil people can be in this world – and the internet is the perfect place for evil people to dwell. If you have computer monitoring software like our PC Pandora on your home PC, you can rest assured that you will know everything your little ones are doing, including where they go, who they talk to and how they represent themselves and act towards others.
Here is the rundown of predators, stories follow…
- Texas AG Abbott announced a new statewide cyber-safety campaign to target convicted sexual predators who are violating their parole and lurking on social networks. The campaign was kicked-off by the announcement of a handful of predators caught.
- A 25-year-old Michigan man was one of more than 20 men arrested in a sting op carried out by the state’s AG. The men were all arrested for soliciting and using the internet to lure children for sex.
- The Pennsylvania AG’s office has arrested its 200th internet predator, since 2005 when AG Corbett waged war on the sickos online. Three men in the Harrisburg area were arrested last week.
- A 37-year-old man in South Carolina after a 14-year-old’s parents alerted authorities to very inappropriate chats their child was having with the older man.
- A lady predator?! A 35-year-old South Carolina woman was charged with engaging a child under 18 for sexual performances and then posting photos of it on her MySpace page.
- A 31-year-old man in Florida was arrested for posing as a woman on MySpace and then convincing teenage boys to send naked images of themselves to him.
The Texas attorney general unveiled today a statewide cyber-safety campaign to target sexual predators who create profiles on social networking sites to connect with children.
The campaign is a partnership with the Texas Cable Association, a coalition of cable television companies that provide service statewide. Cable providers have agreed to broadcast cyber-safety public service announcements in the metropolitan areas of Texas.The broadcasts begin today and will continue for the next three months.
Today’s announcement in Dallas follows several recent arrests of convicted sex offenders by the Attorney General’s Fugitive Unit — including that of Gary Dee Gause of Fort Worth on March 24.
Authorities said Gause, 54, maintained a MySpace.com account after he had been prohibited from logging onto the Internet.
“Sophisticated, dangerous child predators are using the Internet to prey upon young children,” Attorney General Greg Abbott said in a news release.
“The public service announcements launched today help educate parents and children about the dangers posed by Internet predators.”
One announcement is designed to promote awareness of the anonymity that the Web provides for sexual predators and advises parents how they might disguise themselves as children or young people and begin online discussions.
Another warns parents how cyber predators use chat rooms and social networking sites like MySpace or Facebook to arrange meetings.
“We’re pleased to be able to devote air time on our cable systems throughout Texas, at no charge, to this important campaign to warn parents and children about the dangers of online predators,” Robert V. Moel, chairman of Texas Cable Association and regional vice president of operations for Time Warner Cable’s North Texas division, said in a statement.
“As the Internet has expanded to include social media sites like MySpace and YouTube, so have the number of child predators who continually find creative ways to target innocent children.”
The fugitive unit recently arrested three men on parole violations involving Internet activity, including Gause. He served 25 years in prison for sexually assaulting a Tarrant County woman and a Harris County woman in 1982.
Michael Jermain Harris of Houston was arrested on March 23. Harris was convicted in 2004 for attempted sexual assault of a 14-year-old girl. Although prohibited from using the Internet, Harris, 26, maintained MySpace.com and Facebook.com accounts once on parole.
William Yoas, 27, of Austin, was arrested on March 24. He was convicted in 2005 in Williamson County of possessing and intending to distribute child pornography.
Although Gause’s recent arrest did not involve crimes against children, his Internet activity concerned authorities.
“Our concern with social networking sites is that parents shouldn’t be lulled into a false sense of security,” Jerry Strickland, Abbott’s communciations director, said today. “There are both child sex offenders and adult sex offenders using these sites.”
GRAND RAPIDS — A Byron Township man has pleaded guilty to using the Internet to commit child sexually abusive conduct.
Jason Ebels, 25, was in Kent County Circuit Court Wednesday where he pleaded guilty to the crime, which could bring at least 18 months behind bars.
Ebels was one of more than 20 men arrested in a sting targeting online predators, conducted by the state Attorney General’s Office and the group Perverted Justice.
Ebels’ lawyer, Craig Haehnel said his client has been diagnosed with leukemia and needs frequent treatments.
Haehnel is asking the court to cooperate with the defense so Ebels’ treatment can continue uninterrupted. He is scheduled to be sentenced May 18.
Also convicted Tuesday from the same sting operation was Buchanan resident Andrew Schutze, charged of two counts of soliciting a minor for purposes of having sex, 20-year felonies.
April 3, 2009
Attorney General’s Child Predators Unit 200th Arrest
Jolie Long, CBS 21In January 2005, the Attorney General’s Child Predator Unit set out to catch predators on the internet.
Four year later, they’ve arrested 203 offenders across Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
Charles Giuliani of Elizabethville, Robert A.Barner of Harrisburg and Carlos Ramon Harrison of Chambersburg were arrested in our area.
Attorney General Tom Corbett says although his staff is committed to protecting Pennsylvania families through enforcement and education, parents play a more important role.
“We cannot do this job alone. It is essential parents and other adults understand this threat and regularly discuss online safety with their children,” said Attorney General C
Since the start of this year alone, the unit arrested 22 child predators.
Apr. 03, 2009
MySpace chats land Columbia man in jailA Columbia man has been arrested and charged with criminal solicitation of a minor because of conversations on a MySpace account.
Paul Moody Smith, 37, of High Hampton Drive, was arrested today after being reported by a 14-year-old child’s parents. The gender of the child was not immediately known.
The victim’s parents called police after discovering the teen had an account at the social networking site MySpace, on which he or she was having inappropriate conversations with another user. Investigators accuse Smith of being the other user. The chat messages included the other user encouraging the teen to participate in sexual activity while chatting with him.
A 35-year-old Myrtle Beach woman was charged with engaging a child under 18 for sexual performances after a school resource officer found picture of local students on a MySpace page.
On Thursday, someone brought nude pictures of juveniles who attend St. James High School to the School Resource Officer. The pictures were from a MySpace social networking web site.
Detectives with the Horry County Police Department’s Criminal Investigations Division discovered that a family member of one of the students had taken some of the pictures that were posted, according to a release from police. As a result of the investigation, Christina Lynn Player was arrested.
Player is currently in custody at the J. Rueben Long Detention Center.
April 4, 2009
Deputies: Man Posed As Woman On MySpace, Charged With Sexual BatteryCAPE CANAVERAL — A Brevard County man was arrested after he was accused of luring boys online.
Brevard County deputies said Steven Maciejka, 31, would pose as a woman in chat rooms on MySpace and elsewhere and convince the boys to send him nude pictures of them.
Investigators said they have identified four potential victims. However, they said there could be as many as a dozen victims and some maybe as young as 14.
Maciejka used the screen name “Sassy Ally” and would ask the boys to send him nude photos. Once he received a picture, he would then contact the boys under a different name, such as “Surfs up N Down” or “CB Hurley Dood,” and tell them he’d release their nude photos to their friends and family if they did not take part in sexual acts.
Maciejka was charged with extortion and sexual battery.
May 23rd, 2009 at 5:21 AM
THEN SOMEBODY NEEDS TO GET THIS GUY OFF THE STREETS & TO STOP TALKING TO UNDERAGE GIRLS ONLINE (MCSTARDUST) OR IS IT THAT NJ LAW IS CRAP??????? I DONE TOLD THIS A** WIPE ONCE TO FUDGE OFF AND LEAVE MY FRIEND ALONE WHEN SHE WAS UNDER AGE 17 I WAS 18 SO NO DOUBT HE HAS NOT STOPPED PPL LIKE HIM DON’T TILL SOMETHING IS DONE ! SO PLEASE LOOK INTO IT AND GET HIM HE BETER NOT COME NEAR WV WE HATE PPL LIKE HIM AND WILL HAVE THEM LOCKED UP FOR AS LONG AS 20 YRS.
March 14th, 2010 at 5:32 PM
This is a great post. I’d like to read more. Hoping you do a follow up post.