Officer Chris Buffaloe Faces Child Sex Crimes

A veteran law enforcement officer and noted canine handler and trainer has been charged with numerous counts for allegedly engaging in sexual activity with a 14-year-old girl.

Christopher (Chris) Turner Buffaloe, 27, of Conway, was jailed Tuesday on $1,294,000 bond and has a first court appearance in Northampton County today (Thursday).

The date of offenses, according to warrants filed in the Northampton County Courthouse, and based on investigation by the State Bureau of Investigation, range from March 1 to April 14.

The SBI investigation shows Buffaloe allegedly committed a range of crimes against the girl, from sexual intercourse to sending photos of his genitalia.

He faces the following charges:

Six counts of felony statutory rape that include alleged sexual activity with the child;

One count of indecent liberties with a child that alleges he committed and attempted to commit a lewd and lascivious act with the child;

One count of felony second-degree exploitation of a minor, a count that alleges he received and solicited material that contained a visual representation of a minor engaged in sexual activity and a picture of the child’s sexual organ. The count alleges he asked the victim to send him naked pictures;

One count of felony solicitation of a child by computer. This count alleges soliciting by means of a computer and through texting a meeting for the purpose of committing an unlawful sexual act with the child; and

One count of disseminating obscene material, a charge that alleges he sent a picture of his genitalia to the child.

Buffaloe has worked with several law enforcement agencies in Northampton and Halifax counties throughout his career, to include the Seaboard Police Department. He was named in January of 2010 at the Captain of Conway-Severn Rescue Squad, an entity that offers a Juniors (ages 14-17) program in an effort to get young people interested in becoming the next generation of EMT’s.

Former Pedophile Officer Jerry Ballinger Will NOT go to Prison After Rape of Child

A former police officer and mentor gets probation—not prison—after pleading guilty to child sex crimes.

Last year, Augusta cop Jerry Ballinger was arrested and charged with having sex with a 14-year-old girl. He entered a plea agreement and will serve his punishment outside the walls of prison.

Some are calling and a slap on the wrist.

Ballinger pleaded guilty in February to one count of aggravated indecent liberties with a child. And just this week, KAKE’s I-Team was the only TV crew in Butler County when Ballinger was sentenced to five years probation.

When the I-Team heard that sentence, we dug deeper to find out what the average sentence is for first time sex offenders.

In Kansas, it's is up to eight years behind bars and the convict will be placed on the state’s sex offender registry for the rest of their life.

Here’s what Judge David Ricke told the 44-year-old former cop in court:

“Ballinger falls into a category of offender who present a problem and concern for society,” he said, “and therefore must be watched closely the rest of his life and supervised.”

Ballinger worked in law enforcement for more that 20 years. He met his 14-year-old victim at the Augusta public safety office when she was volunteering as a junior firefighter.

The girl, a middle school student at the time, testified during a preliminary hearing that the cop befriended her. She said he took her out to the country several times and the two had sexual intercourse last year.

The victim’s father said he is furious with the probation sentence. He said what happened to his little girl will scar her for the rest of her life.

Assistant Butler County Attorney Cheryl Pierce prosecuted the case. She said that based on the fact that he’s 44-years-old and was a cop at the time, and the victim was a 14-year-old girl, Ballinger should be in prison based on that fact alone.

Butler County Attorney Darrin Divinney told the KAKE I-Team he entered the plea deal with Ballinger, saying, “Some cases have overwhelming evidence. This one had only circumstantial evidence. Given that fact, there was a far greater risk of acquittal.”

Divinney told the court he did not join in the defense request of just probation, but he also didn’t actively oppose the request.

Judge Ricke ruled that Ballinger would be better served for treatment on probation instead of behind bars, based on a doctor’s report.

“... The strength of doctor Steffan's evaluation report, which indicated that defendant was a low risk to reoffend, that the defendant was amenable to treatment, and that he had a favorable prognosis for treatment, and that he was favorable candidate for probation."

For many in the community, the sentence was a big disappointment.

Former Officer Alex Robinson Charged with Sexual Assault on Child

A former Wichita police officer and USD 259 security official is facing additional charges of child sex crimes, this time in Colorado.

This morning, 51-year-old Alex Robinson made his first court appearance in Colorado Springs. He was charged with two counts of sexual assault of a child in a position of trust.

The alleged crimes happened between June 1 and August 31 of 1996, while Robinson was visiting the state. The alleged victim was between 15 and 18 years old.

A preliminary hearing was scheduled for April 25.

Last week, Robinson made his first court appearance in Sedgwick County District Court facing similar charges:

Robinson was charged with two counts of aggravated criminal sodomy and three counts of aggravated indecent liberties in connection to crimes alleged to have occurred between 2000 and 2002. The victim in that case was 12 to 13 years old at the time.

He was also charged with aggravated indecent liberties with an 11-year-old that allegedly happened in June 2012.

Robinson is also facing two counts of indecent liberties with a 14-year-old, alleged to have occurred between August 2011 and September 2012.

He's scheduled to be back in court for a preliminary hearing in Sedgwick County on March 27.

Background:

Robinson was first arrested on similar charges in January of 2013 after a 24-year-old man came forward, alleging sex crimes that happened more than a decade prior when he was a juvenile. Crimes of that nature typically carry a 5-year statute of limitations, but Captain Brent Allred said last year that certain qualifiers could be met allowing charges to be filed in this case, several years after the statute expired.

He was free on bond until being arrested again this week.

Robinson was a 22-year veteran of the Wichita Police Department, retiring as a sergeant in 2006. He then took a job a security supervisor with Wichita Public Schools, but has not been back to work since his first arrest last year. A school district spokesperson said his employment is currently "under review."

Robinson was last interviewed by KAKE News in 2007 after receiving an award from then-President George W. Bush for volunteering more than 17,000 hours at the Boys and Girls Club.

Chief Mike Akins Arrested for Child Sex Crimes

A top central Kansas law enforcement officer is accused of rape and child molesting after being arrested Tuesday night at his Inman home.

Inman Police Chief Mike Akins is charged with 17 felonies, including rape, indecent liberties and battery, involving four children 14 years old and younger, and two misdemeanor battery counts.

McPherson County deputies and Kansas Highway Patrol members forcibly entered Akins' home to arrest him after he failed to answer the door.

The 38-year-old joined the Inman Police Department in 2005 and became chief in January 2007.

The Kansas attorney general's office and Kansas Bureau of Investigation are handling the case after being asked a week ago to investigate the chief.

Akins was being held in McPherson County Jail on $250,000 bond.
---------------------
More Information & Photo

Former Chief Knew Officer Michael Mabe was Accused of Touching Child

The Walnut Cove Police Department allegedly knew of allegations against an officer that he was accused of inappropriately touching a child, according to officials with the Stokes County Sheriff's Office.

Investigators say Michael Mabe, a former Walnut Cove police officer, was arrested in mid-December and charged with 15 counts of indecent liberties with a child. According to officials, the alleged incidents took place more than 20 years ago.

Mabe worked as a part-time deputy for the Stokes County Sheriff's office until the mid-1990's. Officials say he left the Stokes County department when allegations of his alleged contact with a child surfaced in the mid-1990's. Mabe left the department and began working in Walnut Cove.

According to Stokes County Sheriff's officials, former Walnut Cove Police Chief Barry Conaway was aware of the allegations against Mabe while he was employed with the department. Capt. Craig Carico with the Stokes County Sheriff's Office said their records indicate Stokes County Deputies were sent to Walnut Cove to inform and discuss the allegations against Mabe.

"The Walnut Cove Police Department was notified at the time the allegations were made available to us," said capt. Carico.

Former Walnut Cove Police Chief Barry Conaway served as chief in the mid-1990's but is no longer with the department.

"I've had a lot of people concerned with the fact that it was known about and nothing done about it. I had a lot of people ask, why... and I can't tell them why...because I wasn't here," said James Hill, the current Police Chief for the Walnut Cove Police Department. "I feel like that should have happened... I feel like it should have been taken care of."

Hill, the current Walnut Cove Police Chief, said Mabe was a good officer. "He was a good person. I never had any problems with him whatsoever," said Hill.

Stokes County officials said Michael Mabe's wife works in the Child Support division in the Department of Social Services where the allegations were initially filed.

Mabe resigned from his position in the police department the day he was arrest, Walnut Cove Town Manager Homer Dearmin said.

Mabe is currently out on bond. His court date is set for January 20.

Former Sheriff Chris Abril Now Charged with Larceny & DWI

Former Polk County Sheriff Chris Abril is now charged with larceny. He is accused of stealing booze from Elmos Pub. Tuesday night Abril was charged with driving while impaired.

Abril resigned as sheriff last year, a day before pleading guilty to two counts of soliciting indecent liberties with minors.

He was on probation when officers arrested him Tuesday.

They say he was swerving over the center line on South Trade Street near Pierces tire in Tryon.

The Polk County Sheriff’s Office has not released the entire report to News Channel 7. According to what we do have from the Sheriff’s Office, deputies pulled over their former boss after they say they saw him go left of center. They say Abril had an open container and failed roadside breathalizers.

Under the rules of his probation he is subject to drug and alcohol tests.

Pam Johnson says her bartender told Abril not to drive when he left Elmos pub and Grill Tuesday night, “He said he had one and someone did come in to drive him home and when they were leaving as far as we know that was his driver.“

Abril was released on his on recognizance but his drivers license was revoked.
He is scheduled for a hearing in November.

By the way Thursday is Abril’s 48th birthday.
----------------------------------
http://tryondailybulletin.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3134&Itemid=251

Byron Shane Burkhart Indicted for Indecency with Child

A 41-year-old former Seguin Police Department officer has been indicted on charges of indecency with a child.

District Attorney Heather Hollub said grand jurors handed up a three-count indictment of Byron Shane Burkhart for the alleged indecency with a child under age 17 by sexual contact.

If proved at trial, the allegation is a second-degree felony punishable by two to 20 years in state prison and a fine of up to $10,000. Since Burkhart has no prior criminal offenses, he could also get probation.

“It’s always troubling when those we entrust with protecting us commit criminal offenses,” Hollub said. “My office will prosecute this case to the fullest extent of the law.”

The Seguin Police Department brought the allegations against Burkhart forward after being informed by school officials and members of an outside law enforcement agency of an alleged inappropriate relationship between Burkhart and the girl believed to have taken place back in February.

Police officials asked for independent investigations by the Texas Rangers and by Hollub’s investigator, Frank Allenger. Burkhart is one of two Seguin police officers who came under a cloud of sexual suspicion last spring in separate, unrelated incidents. He resigned his position in late May.

The second officer, who quit his job in June after being placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of an investigation into an allegation involving an adult woman, has not been charged with a criminal offense.

Kelso informed Burkhart of the allegations in a May 29 letter telling the officer he was contemplating firing him. That letter was released by the city of Seguin in response to a request filed by the Seguin Gazette Enterprise under the Texas Public Information Act.

“I am considering termination of your employment for conduct unbecoming an officer of the Seguin Police Department,” Kelso wrote. “Specifically, it is alleged by two local educators that you have engaged in an improper relationship with a minor child and that you are responsible for inappropriate communications (text messages) with that child.”

Kelso informed Burkhart of his expected behavior as a city employee.

“You are a public servant and as such, you are held to the highest standard of ethical conduct,” Kelso said. “Consistent with that level of public trust, the behavior alleged certainly would not be considered to be in the best interest of the City of Seguin and therefore would subject you to discipline up to and including termination.”

The indicted charges suggest there was more involved in the relationship than texts or e-mails.

Under section 21.11 of the Texas Penal Code, Indecency with a child by sexual contact is defined as, “ ... any touching by a person, including touching through clothing, of the anus, breast or any part of the genitals of a child ... .”

Kelso and city officials declined to discuss the allegations against Burkhart on Monday.

The important thing, Kelso said, is that the community not regard allegations against one officer as a reflection on the behavior of the rest of the 65 members of the SPD. As soon as the allegations were made, they were investigated at the behest of the police department, with its cooperation, Kelso said.

“We’ve been proactive in this situation. Any time an allegation is made against any police officer it will be investigated and action will be taken that is appropriate to the outcome of that investigation. The department should be judged by the way the allegation or incident is handled as opposed to the improprieties of an employee. It is difficult to monitor every moment of each officer both on and off duty, but we expect them to abide by the rules governing their employment.”

Burkhart was an eight-year veteran of the SPD. No pre-trial hearing dates had been set Monday.

The Seguin Police Department has cooperated openly and completely in the investigations, Hollub said.

Deputy Scott Benton Arrested for Indecent Behavior with 13-year-old

The St. Tammany Sheriff’s Office arrested one of their own last week on a charge of indecent behavior with a juvenile, Sheriff Jack Strain said in a statement released Tuesday.

According to the release, Scott Benton, 42, 231 Forest Loop, Mandeville, was arrested last Thursday, after a three day investigation of a complaint from the mother of a 13-year-old girl who is from the Mandeville area. The complaint was received June 1. Strain said investigators discovered that Benton allegedly had an inappropriate conversation with the girl and there was one alleged incidence of kissing involved. Strain said that no other incidents between the two are believed to have occurred.

Strain said Benton was fired from the Sheriff’s Office on June 4, the same day he was arrested.

St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's Office deputy Scott Benton, 42, was arrested last Thursday and charged with indecent behavior with a juvenile.

Capt. George Bonnett, Sheriff’s Office spokesman said that Benton has worked as a deputy for the past three years, and was on court security during that time, where he worked at the front door of the Justice Center in Covington.

Bonnett said Benton was booked into the St. Tammany Parish Jail June 4, and was released on a $25,000 bond later that evening. Bonnett said Benton has not made any statements on the incident.
________________________
http://www.wdsu.com/news/19713295/detail.html

Former Trooper Jonathan Williams Arrested for Indecent Behavior with Teen

A former state trooper arrested in April in Monroe on two counts of indecent behavior with a juvenile has been booked into East Baton Rouge Parish Prison on similar counts.

The 29 year-old Jonathan Dennis Williams, of West Monroe, was booked Monday on one count each of indecent behavior with a juvenile and pornography involving a juvenile.

An affidavit of probable cause says Williams received a lewd photo from a 16-year-old boy on Jan. 6 while attending the State Police academy in Baton Rouge. The affidavit said Williams sent a lewd photo to the juvenile two days later.

Williams was fired in April from his position as a probationary officer assigned to Troop F in Monroe.
_______________________

Information: http://www.wafb.com/Global/story.asp?S=10355241&nav=menu57_2

Chief William B. Fuller Arrested for Soliciting Sex From a Minor

Virginia Commonwealth University's police chief faces sex charges stemming from an online investigation.

Chesterfield County police said Thursday that VCU Chief William B. Fuller has been charged with use of a communications device to solicit sex from a minor, and with attempted indecent liberties with a minor.

VCU has placed the 50-year-old Fuller on administrative leave without pay, said John M. Bennett, senior vice president for finance and administration. Capt. Carlton Edwards has been named acting chief.

Chesterfield police said Fuller thought he was communicating with a 14-year-old girl but he was actually conversing with police. He was arrested Wednesday.

"We regard this situation as extremely serious," Bennett said. "VCU has taken aggressive action to address it and we will fully cooperate with the Chesterfield County police investigation."

More Information: http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/local/crime/article/CHEF30_20090129-221305/192788/