A New Jersey police officer has been arrested and charged after he
allegedly pursued sexual contact with a 12-year-old girl, texting her
explicit photos of himself in uniform.
According to the Passaic County Prosecutor's Office, Woodland Park
Police Officer Steven Vigorito Jr. was charged with attempted aggravated
assault, luring and enticing a child, attempted endangering of a child,
attempted sex assault and official misconduct.
Investigators said, Vigorito met
the girl after responding to a domestic dispute at a home in Woodland
Park on April 23. While at the scene, the officer gave the girl his
personal cell phone number.
The 12-year-old victim immediately alerted her mother who in turn told authorities.
In the following days, detectives posed as the girl and reached out to
Vigorito which prompted several explicit text messages from the
39-year-old officer, including photos where he's in uniform and exposing
himself. Officials say some of the photos are believed to have been
taken at the station house.
When Vigorito attempted to lure the girl to a location for sex, undercover officers went in and arrested him, officials said.
Vigorito, a 12-year veteran with the Woodland Park Police Department,
was arrested Tuesday night while on duty. He was arraigned Wednesday and
remains in custody with a $250,000 bond.
"The person called to assist the family, ended up preying on the
family," Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia Valdes said a press
conference Wednesday.
Vigorito has been suspended without pay.
PIX 11 News paid a visit to Vigorito's Woodland Park home Tuesday
afternoon. Two women slammed the door at first and quickly closed the
garage doors before coming back outside.
"He's not that kind of guy, he's a good guy, he's a clean guy," said a
woman who wouldn't identify herself. The home had toys and children's
games on the front lawn, and the woman was holding a young child.
Showing posts with label child enticement. Show all posts
Showing posts with label child enticement. Show all posts
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Officer Robert McChester Arrested for Enticing Minor
Robert McChester Jr., 27, has been arrested
on charges of using a facility and means of interstate and foreign
commerce - a telephone and a computer connected to the Internet - to
coerce and entice a minor to engage in sexual activity, United States
Attorney Kenneth Magidson announced today.
The complaint alleges that between May 1, 2011, and April 1, 2012, McChester began communicating with a child he knew to be 15 years old. Shortly thereafter, the victim allegedly made an outcry to medical professionals regarding the inappropriate relationship she had been engaged in with a Corpus Christi Police Department (CCPD) officer.
McChester was discovered to be an active duty patrol officer with the CCPD and that he had been communicating with the victim via the Internet for approximately one year beginning in May of 2011 and continuing up to the date of the victim's outcry, according to the complaint. The victim further alleged they had met on several occasions and engaged inappropriate activities.
Online communications between McChester and the victim were recovered and determined to contain content of an inappropriate sexual nature.
McChester was arrested shortly following the filing of the federal complaint Tuesday afternoon and is expected to appear before U.S. Magistrate Judge B. Janice Ellington Wednesday.
The investigation was conducted by the Corpus Christi Police Department's Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Homeland Security Investigations.
The complaint alleges that between May 1, 2011, and April 1, 2012, McChester began communicating with a child he knew to be 15 years old. Shortly thereafter, the victim allegedly made an outcry to medical professionals regarding the inappropriate relationship she had been engaged in with a Corpus Christi Police Department (CCPD) officer.
McChester was discovered to be an active duty patrol officer with the CCPD and that he had been communicating with the victim via the Internet for approximately one year beginning in May of 2011 and continuing up to the date of the victim's outcry, according to the complaint. The victim further alleged they had met on several occasions and engaged inappropriate activities.
Online communications between McChester and the victim were recovered and determined to contain content of an inappropriate sexual nature.
McChester was arrested shortly following the filing of the federal complaint Tuesday afternoon and is expected to appear before U.S. Magistrate Judge B. Janice Ellington Wednesday.
The investigation was conducted by the Corpus Christi Police Department's Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Homeland Security Investigations.
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Former Officer Todd Vecellio Convicted of Sex Crimes Against Children
A former University of Colorado-Colorado Springs police officer was sentenced Thursday to two years to life in the Department of Corrections after being convicted in an Internet Crimes Against Children case.
Todd Vecellio was convicted of one count each of conspiracy to commit sexual assault on a child by a person in a position of trust, solicitation, criminal attempt to commit sexual assault on a child and enticement of a child by a jury in November.
He received concurrent sentences of two years to life on the conspiracy, solicitation and enticement charges and one year on the attempt to commit sexual assault charge.
District Judge David Thorson had ordered a pre-sentence investigation and psychosexual evaluation prior to sentencing. Vecellio refused to participate citing his Fifth Amendment right to remain silent.
Assistant District Attorney Kathy Eberling asked for the prison sentence because a sex offender should not be given the benefit of probation when they have not shown that they are amenable to treatment. An offender cannot participate in treatment if he remains in denial.
She added that this case was all the more abhorrent because Vecellio violated his position of trust as a police officer.
Vecellio’s defense attorney, Ted McClintock, said he believed the District Attorney was urging an unconstitutional policy standard.
He said his client intends to appeal his conviction and that any statements he makes prior to filing that appeal could be used against him in a subsequent retrial.
“They can’t force him to make an admission,” McClintock said. “That would decimate his constitutional right to appeal.”
Thorson said this would be a close case as to sentencing the defendant to probation or prison.
“I don’t second-guess the jury’s decision whatsoever,” he said.
He said Vecellio’s story after his arrest that he was conducting his own undercover investigation was very convenient once he got caught.
“Given the nature of the offence, I don’t see anything mitigating,” he said. “The defendant has basically said he’s not going to participate in treatment.”
Vecellio now has 45 days to file an appeal.
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Previous Post & Photo
Todd Vecellio was convicted of one count each of conspiracy to commit sexual assault on a child by a person in a position of trust, solicitation, criminal attempt to commit sexual assault on a child and enticement of a child by a jury in November.
He received concurrent sentences of two years to life on the conspiracy, solicitation and enticement charges and one year on the attempt to commit sexual assault charge.
District Judge David Thorson had ordered a pre-sentence investigation and psychosexual evaluation prior to sentencing. Vecellio refused to participate citing his Fifth Amendment right to remain silent.
Assistant District Attorney Kathy Eberling asked for the prison sentence because a sex offender should not be given the benefit of probation when they have not shown that they are amenable to treatment. An offender cannot participate in treatment if he remains in denial.
She added that this case was all the more abhorrent because Vecellio violated his position of trust as a police officer.
Vecellio’s defense attorney, Ted McClintock, said he believed the District Attorney was urging an unconstitutional policy standard.
He said his client intends to appeal his conviction and that any statements he makes prior to filing that appeal could be used against him in a subsequent retrial.
“They can’t force him to make an admission,” McClintock said. “That would decimate his constitutional right to appeal.”
Thorson said this would be a close case as to sentencing the defendant to probation or prison.
“I don’t second-guess the jury’s decision whatsoever,” he said.
He said Vecellio’s story after his arrest that he was conducting his own undercover investigation was very convenient once he got caught.
“Given the nature of the offence, I don’t see anything mitigating,” he said. “The defendant has basically said he’s not going to participate in treatment.”
Vecellio now has 45 days to file an appeal.
-----------------------------
Previous Post & Photo
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Trial Begins for Deputy Gregory Bowden Accused of Enticing Child
The trial of a former Bibb County deputy accused of enticing a child for sex began Tuesday.
Gregory Todd Bowden, 43, of Byron, is accused of making arrangements in an online chat room to meet a mother and her 7-year-old daughter in Sandy Springs for sex. Unknown to him, he was chatting with an undercover FBI agent assigned to the Innocent Images Task Force.
In opening statements Tuesday morning in federal court, Bowden’s attorney said Bowden never believed the child was real or that she would be waiting for him when he arrived in Sandy Springs in 2009.
Instead, Bowden was planning on role playing with the woman he’d been chatting with using an incestuous fantasy, Macon attorney Franklin J. Hogue.
“He’s not proud of that. He’s shamed by that,” Hogue said. “But that is legal to do.”
But prosecutor Robert McBurney said Bowden had the intent to have sex with the fictional 7-year-old girl.
Sandy Springs police detective Elizabeth Concepcion, an FBI agent, testified she was monitoring a chat room in October 2008 when Bowden sent her a message. In an effort to catch individuals exploiting children, she portrayed a 30-year-old woman with a 7-year-old daughter.
In testimony that spanned at least three hours, Concepcion walked jurors through the chat room discussions, e-mails and phone conversations she had with Bowden between October 2008 and his arrest Feb. 11, 2009.
Jurors followed along on electronic monitors as McBurney and Concepcion read portions of sexually explicit chats and e-mails. They also viewed photos exchanged by the FBI agent and Bowden, including photos of a man’s genitals, a photo of Bowden’s face and a photo Concepcion sent Bowden portraying a woman and a child.
The conversation began with Bowden asking if Concepcion’s online identity, Tiff, would join an online role-playing relationship with Bowden and another person, she testified.
She replied saying that she was only interested in real-world activity. Over several chats, the conversation evolved to Bowden planning to meet Tiff and her daughter in Sandy Springs for sex, she said.
In chats and phone conversations, Bowden discussed how the girl would handle the situation, “good touch, bad touch” lessons taught in schools and assurance that the girl wouldn’t talk about the sexual encounter. On the morning of the planned meeting, Bowden called “Tiff” and said he was excited and nervous, but he also expressed concern.
“I don’t want to go to jail,” he said.
Concepcion testified she was waiting in the parking lot of a J. Christopher’s restaurant in Sandy Springs when Bowden circled the parking lot without parking. She said it looked like he was looking for police.
Police and FBI agents arrested him when he parked.
Michael Yoder, the FBI coordinator for Atlanta’s Innocent Images Task Force in February 2009, testified that Bowden told agents he didn’t think the girl was real.
But at some point in the FBI interview, Yoder said Bowden said he traveled to Atlanta to meet with “a 30ish-year-old woman and her daughter.”
Yoder said agents didn’t know Bowden was a Bibb County deputy until he told them he was “a cop” while he was being arrested.
In the days after his arrest, authorities seized a laptop computer from Bowden’s home and found 307 images of suspected child pornography, Concepcion testified.
David Freyman, a member of the FBI’s computer analysis response team, testified he found “registry cleaners” on Bowden’s computer that are used to erase a user’s online history.
While he didn’t find files of Bowden’s chats with Concepcion on the computer, he said he found references to them on the laptop.
He also found copies of other chats. At least one appeared to be with a father who claimed to being sexually active with his 12-year-old daughter.
Sexually explicit photos sent by both the father and Bowden also were recovered.
Freyman said he also found records of multiple chats in which Bowden and other people set a scene for sexual role-play discussions.
The prosecution rested its case Tuesday, and the defense is expected to begin this morning. Jury deliberations are expected to begin this afternoon.
If convicted, Bowden faces a minimum penalty of 10 years in prison and a maximum sentence of 20 years.
Information from The Telegraph’s archives was used in this report.
Previos Post
Gregory Todd Bowden, 43, of Byron, is accused of making arrangements in an online chat room to meet a mother and her 7-year-old daughter in Sandy Springs for sex. Unknown to him, he was chatting with an undercover FBI agent assigned to the Innocent Images Task Force.
In opening statements Tuesday morning in federal court, Bowden’s attorney said Bowden never believed the child was real or that she would be waiting for him when he arrived in Sandy Springs in 2009.
Instead, Bowden was planning on role playing with the woman he’d been chatting with using an incestuous fantasy, Macon attorney Franklin J. Hogue.
“He’s not proud of that. He’s shamed by that,” Hogue said. “But that is legal to do.”
But prosecutor Robert McBurney said Bowden had the intent to have sex with the fictional 7-year-old girl.
Sandy Springs police detective Elizabeth Concepcion, an FBI agent, testified she was monitoring a chat room in October 2008 when Bowden sent her a message. In an effort to catch individuals exploiting children, she portrayed a 30-year-old woman with a 7-year-old daughter.
In testimony that spanned at least three hours, Concepcion walked jurors through the chat room discussions, e-mails and phone conversations she had with Bowden between October 2008 and his arrest Feb. 11, 2009.
Jurors followed along on electronic monitors as McBurney and Concepcion read portions of sexually explicit chats and e-mails. They also viewed photos exchanged by the FBI agent and Bowden, including photos of a man’s genitals, a photo of Bowden’s face and a photo Concepcion sent Bowden portraying a woman and a child.
The conversation began with Bowden asking if Concepcion’s online identity, Tiff, would join an online role-playing relationship with Bowden and another person, she testified.
She replied saying that she was only interested in real-world activity. Over several chats, the conversation evolved to Bowden planning to meet Tiff and her daughter in Sandy Springs for sex, she said.
In chats and phone conversations, Bowden discussed how the girl would handle the situation, “good touch, bad touch” lessons taught in schools and assurance that the girl wouldn’t talk about the sexual encounter. On the morning of the planned meeting, Bowden called “Tiff” and said he was excited and nervous, but he also expressed concern.
“I don’t want to go to jail,” he said.
Concepcion testified she was waiting in the parking lot of a J. Christopher’s restaurant in Sandy Springs when Bowden circled the parking lot without parking. She said it looked like he was looking for police.
Police and FBI agents arrested him when he parked.
Michael Yoder, the FBI coordinator for Atlanta’s Innocent Images Task Force in February 2009, testified that Bowden told agents he didn’t think the girl was real.
But at some point in the FBI interview, Yoder said Bowden said he traveled to Atlanta to meet with “a 30ish-year-old woman and her daughter.”
Yoder said agents didn’t know Bowden was a Bibb County deputy until he told them he was “a cop” while he was being arrested.
In the days after his arrest, authorities seized a laptop computer from Bowden’s home and found 307 images of suspected child pornography, Concepcion testified.
David Freyman, a member of the FBI’s computer analysis response team, testified he found “registry cleaners” on Bowden’s computer that are used to erase a user’s online history.
While he didn’t find files of Bowden’s chats with Concepcion on the computer, he said he found references to them on the laptop.
He also found copies of other chats. At least one appeared to be with a father who claimed to being sexually active with his 12-year-old daughter.
Sexually explicit photos sent by both the father and Bowden also were recovered.
Freyman said he also found records of multiple chats in which Bowden and other people set a scene for sexual role-play discussions.
The prosecution rested its case Tuesday, and the defense is expected to begin this morning. Jury deliberations are expected to begin this afternoon.
If convicted, Bowden faces a minimum penalty of 10 years in prison and a maximum sentence of 20 years.
Information from The Telegraph’s archives was used in this report.
Previos Post
Thursday, January 07, 2010
Deputy Carl Maddox Jr Charged with Child Rape
Carl Milton Maddox Jr. was fired as a Henry County sheriff’s deputy after being charged with statutory rape and child molestation.
Henry County Sheriff’s Departmen Carl Milton Maddox Jr. was fired as a Henry County sheriff’s deputy after being charged with statutory rape and child molestation.
Carl Milton Maddox Jr., 35, of McDonough was fired immediately after he was arrested on felony charges Monday.
"We're disappointed. We're embarrassed publicly," Sheriff's Chief Deputy David McCart said. "We know that people look at us and we try to maintain a high level of integrity. But we still have officers who are human and make mistakes. And he's accused of making a big one."
Maddox is charged with child molestation, aggravated child molestation, statutory rape and enticing a child for indecent purposes. He was denied bond at a hearing in Superior Court Wednesday afternoon.
Police Capt. Jason Bolton told the Henry Daily Herald that Maddox "was discovered bringing the victim home around 4 a.m. ... by the victim's mother." Maddox's lawyer, Fred Jones, told the newspaper that the alleged victim claimed to be 18 when Maddox met her about six months ago.
Maddox worked in Henry County law enforcement for 12 years, including four years with the police department. He is married with three children, according to the Henry Daily Herald.
Wednesday, January 06, 2010
Officer David Dass Guilty of Online Enticement of Child
An Omaha police officer has been convicted of using the Internet to lure what he believed was a 14-year-old girl into having sex.
A Sarpy County jury found 25-year-old David Kass guilty of online enticement on Wednesday.
Kass was arrested at his Omaha home in July. La Vista police detectives said Kass initiated an online conversation with an undercover investigator posing as a 14-year-old girl. Detectives say the conversation was of a graphic, sexual nature.
Kass had argued that he thought he was talking to an adult during the explicit online chat.
Kass has been with the Omaha Police Department since 2006.
He is scheduled to be sentenced in March. Kass faces a maximum of 5 years in prison.
Information from: KETV-TV, http://www.ketv.com
A Sarpy County jury found 25-year-old David Kass guilty of online enticement on Wednesday.
Kass was arrested at his Omaha home in July. La Vista police detectives said Kass initiated an online conversation with an undercover investigator posing as a 14-year-old girl. Detectives say the conversation was of a graphic, sexual nature.
Kass had argued that he thought he was talking to an adult during the explicit online chat.
Kass has been with the Omaha Police Department since 2006.
He is scheduled to be sentenced in March. Kass faces a maximum of 5 years in prison.
Information from: KETV-TV, http://www.ketv.com
Thursday, October 08, 2009
Officer Douglas Paulsen Arrested for Enticing Minor
A West Valley police officer assigned to Hunter High School as a school resource officer has been arrested in Layton after investigators there say he arrived for a prearranged sexual rendezvous with someone he believed was a 15-year-old boy.
Douglas L. Paulsen, 41, has been charged in 2nd District Court with six counts of dealing in material harmful to a minor, a third-degree felony, and one count of enticing a minor over the Internet, a class A misdemeanor.
A detective posing as a 15-year-old boy answered an online sex ad in early September that allegedly was posted by Paulsen, said Layton Police Lt. Garrett Atkin. The detective and Paulsen allegedly began exchanging e-mails.
"During their conversations, the adult male sent the undercover detective pornographic images," Atkin said.
Atkin said Paulsen and the "boy" set up a meeting at the Layton Hills Mall with the understanding that they would move to another location to engage in sex. When Paulsen arrived at the mall, he was taken into custody without incident.
Atkin said he could not release additional details about the case, citing the ongoing nature of the investigation.
Paulsen has worked with the West Valley Police Department for several years. His most recent assignment was working as the school resource officer for Hunter High School.
"Based on the allegation our officer is facing, we have placed him on paid administrative leave," said West Valley Police Capt. Anita Schwemmer.
West Valley police had little to say about the investigation Wednesday, referring all questions to Layton police.
As for his duties at the high school, Schwemmer said her department did not believe any student there was victimized.
"He actually has been a school resource officer at Hunter High School for several years," she said. "We've never had any complaints, rumors or information that has caused us any concern or any unethical behavior on his part at the school. We are interviewing individuals at the school to make sure there was no inappropriate behavior there."
Ben Horsley, spokesman for the Granite District, also referred questions about the case to the two police departments. However, he noted, "We don't believe our students have been impacted."
Paulsen was released Wednesday from the Davis County Jail following an initial court appearance.
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http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=148&sid=8220332
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Officer David Kass Arrested for Trying to Lure 14-year-old
An Omaha police officer has been arrested and accused of using the Internet to lure what he thought was a 14-year-old girl.
Twenty-5-year-old David Kass was arrested at his Omaha home Wednesday on suspicion of online enticement.
La Vista detectives say on Tuesday Kass initiated an online conversation with an undercover investigator posing as a 14-year-old girl. Detectives say the conversation was of a graphic, sexual nature.
Kass has been placed on administrative leave. He has been with the department since 2006.
Online enticement carries a felony charge.
____________________________
Information from: KETV-TV, http://www.ketv.com
Twenty-5-year-old David Kass was arrested at his Omaha home Wednesday on suspicion of online enticement.
La Vista detectives say on Tuesday Kass initiated an online conversation with an undercover investigator posing as a 14-year-old girl. Detectives say the conversation was of a graphic, sexual nature.
Kass has been placed on administrative leave. He has been with the department since 2006.
Online enticement carries a felony charge.
____________________________
Information from: KETV-TV, http://www.ketv.com
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Former Deputy Terrence Greenwald Charged with Sexual Crimes Against Children
A preliminary hearing will be held July 1 for the former Waukesha County sheriff's deputy charged with sexual crimes involving two children.
Terrence L. Greenwald, 55, of Summit made his initial appearance Wednesday in Waukesha County Circuit Court.
He was charged last month with seven counts of first-degree sexual assault, three counts of second-degree sexual assault, eight counts of child enticement and one count of causing a child ages 13 to 18 to view sexual activity. All the charges are felonies.
The alleged incidents occurred between July 1, 1997, and Sept. 1, 2008, according to court records.
Greenwald, who was a court bailiff, retired from the Sheriff's Department on Dec. 7, 2007.
Bail was set at $100,000 last month for Greenwald, who posted the cash last month.
His attorney, Jennifer Dorow, asked Commissioner Martin Binn on Wednesday to reduce bail to $50,000. Binn declined.
"The allegations are numerous. He is facing hundreds of years' imprisonment if convicted of all of these offenses. This court does not believe that the $100,000 cash bail previously set is unreasonable under the circumstances," Binn said.
Future court proceedings will be handled by Jefferson County Circuit Judge William F. Hue. He has been appointed to handle the case because Greenwald is a former Waukesha County deputy.
A special prosecutor, Robert Repischak, an assistant district attorney from Racine County, also has been appointed.
Terrence L. Greenwald, 55, of Summit made his initial appearance Wednesday in Waukesha County Circuit Court.
He was charged last month with seven counts of first-degree sexual assault, three counts of second-degree sexual assault, eight counts of child enticement and one count of causing a child ages 13 to 18 to view sexual activity. All the charges are felonies.
The alleged incidents occurred between July 1, 1997, and Sept. 1, 2008, according to court records.
Greenwald, who was a court bailiff, retired from the Sheriff's Department on Dec. 7, 2007.
Bail was set at $100,000 last month for Greenwald, who posted the cash last month.
His attorney, Jennifer Dorow, asked Commissioner Martin Binn on Wednesday to reduce bail to $50,000. Binn declined.
"The allegations are numerous. He is facing hundreds of years' imprisonment if convicted of all of these offenses. This court does not believe that the $100,000 cash bail previously set is unreasonable under the circumstances," Binn said.
Future court proceedings will be handled by Jefferson County Circuit Judge William F. Hue. He has been appointed to handle the case because Greenwald is a former Waukesha County deputy.
A special prosecutor, Robert Repischak, an assistant district attorney from Racine County, also has been appointed.
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Retired Deputy Terrence Greenwald Charged with Sexually Abusing Two Children
A retired Waukesha County sheriff's deputy was charged Friday with sexual crimes involving two children that occurred between July 1, 1997, and September 1, 2008, according to a criminal complaint.
Terrence L. Greenwald, 55, of Summit was charged with seven counts of first-degree sexual assault, three counts of second-degree sexual assault, eight counts of child enticement and one count of causing a child age 13 to 18 to view sexual activity. All the charges are felonies.
He was arrested on a warrant Friday, sheriff's Capt. Karen Ruff said.
Greenwald retired from the Sheriff's Department on Dec. 7, 2007, said Sue Zastrow of the Waukesha County Human Resources Division. He was hired as a correctional officer Oct. 10, 1992, and promoted to deputy Aug. 27, 1994.
According to the complaint filed in Waukesha County Circuit Court, the incidents involved Greenwald committing sexual acts individually with a boy and a girl. The girl told authorities that the first incident involving her that she could recall occurred when she was a first-grader in 1998. The last incident occurred in fall 2008, the complaint says. All of the sexual assault charges involve indecent touching, according to the complaint.
The boy told authorities that Greenwald exposed himself to the child in July 1997, when the boy was about 8, and that Greenwald caused the boy to view sexual activity in May 2004, the complaint says.
District Attorney Brad Schimel said Friday that he has appointed a special prosecutor from the Racine County district attorney's office to handle the case because the charges involve a former Waukesha County sheriff's deputy.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Deputy Gregory Todd Bowden Arrested for Enticing a Minor
ATLANTA
The FBI arrested a Bibb County sheriff's deputy Wednesday on a charge of using a computer to entice a minor for sexual activity.
Special Agent Gregory Jones said Gregory Todd Bowden, 42, of Byron, Ga., was arrested Wednesday after he engaged in a series of telephone and Internet conversations with what he believed was the mother of a girl under 10 years of age, and he went to Atlanta to engage in sexual activity with the mother and child.
The FBI says the mother and child were fictional, and that Bowden was arrested upon his arrival at an agreed-upon meeting place.
The FBI arrested a Bibb County sheriff's deputy Wednesday on a charge of using a computer to entice a minor for sexual activity.
Special Agent Gregory Jones said Gregory Todd Bowden, 42, of Byron, Ga., was arrested Wednesday after he engaged in a series of telephone and Internet conversations with what he believed was the mother of a girl under 10 years of age, and he went to Atlanta to engage in sexual activity with the mother and child.
The FBI says the mother and child were fictional, and that Bowden was arrested upon his arrival at an agreed-upon meeting place.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Mayor Gary Becker Arrested for Child Enticement
Racine Mayor Gary Becker was held in the Kenosha County Jail for a short time Wednesday, after being arrested on tentative charges of child enticement and several other offenses.
Wisconsin Division of Criminal Investigation agents took Becker into custody Tuesday night at Brookfield Square Mall in suburban Milwaukee.
He was taken to Racine and later booked into the Kenosha jail to avoid conflict-of-interest issues, as he is a high-profile Racine official, a Racine County Sheriff’s official said. He was released at 5:30 p.m. after a relative posted his $165,000 cash bond.
The Division of Criminal Investigation is recommending charges including child enticement, possession of child pornography, exposing a child to harmful materials, attempted second-degree sexual assault, use of a computer to facilitate a child sex crime and misconduct in public office.
Racine County District Attorney Michael Niekes said he was reviewing documents Wednesday, and that any formal charges would likely be filed this morning. If he is charged, Becker is expected to make an initial appearance in Racine County Circuit Court this afternoon.
State Department of Justice spokesman Bill Cosh declined to comment Wednesday on the details of Becker’s alleged offenses. Cosh said the information will likely emerge along with a criminal complaint from Nieskes’ office. Cosh would not confirm whether Becker was arrested as part of a sting operation.
Racine Police Lt. James Dobbs said his department was made aware of possible allegations against Becker several weeks ago, at which time the investigation was referred to the state.
Becker, 51, was first elected mayor in April 2003 and re-elected unopposed in 2007.
He has been a vocal supporter of the Kenosha-Racine-Milwaukee commuter rail proposal.
The city’s Web site states Becker has been married since 1981 and has two daughters.
In Becker’s absence, Racine City Council President David Maack will serve as acting mayor, City Administrator Ben Hughes said. Hughes said preparations were being made to make sure city government operations would continue without interruption.
“This city will continue to operate smoothly, and we will not miss a beat,” Hughes said.
Racine County Sheriff’s Lt. Dan Klatt said his department requested Becker’s transfer to the Kenosha County Jail.
If Becker is charged formally and does not post bond, Klatt said Becker will be jailed in Kenosha and be transported to his Racine court appearances.
“We’ve kept people for Kenosha County, and they keep people for us occasionally,” Klatt said.
In an unrelated matter, the Kenosha County Sheriff’s Department was asked in June 2006 to investigate a Racine Police Department action against Becker.
That investigation found Racine police did not commit misconduct when squads were dispatched to search for and intercept Becker on a report he was driving drunk. Becker, who was not arrested at the time, said then he believed police were acting on a tip from a political opponent.
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