Tag Archives: Child Predator

Better Laws, Child Predator, Child Sex Abuse, Good Parenting, Indifference, StopChildAbuse

Will NM Do Right Thing With SOL SB91

.jpg photo of New Mexico Legislature
New Mexico Law Makers have the chance to make this right, while setting an example for the whole country.

Bill clarifies statute of limitations for
Child Abuse cases

New Mexico  –  Many times, victims of childhood sex abuse don’t come forward about the abuse until they are adults, years after it happens.  In fact, that happens very frequently.

Senate Bill 91 aims to help victims get through the legal process of holding their predators accountable.

“This is an epidemic,” said Levi Monagle, an attorney who has represented dozens of adults who were victimized as children.  “One in five children will be sexually abused before the age of 18 and only 12 percent of that abuse is ever reported to authorities.”

Right now, New Mexico’s statute of limitations to allow a victim to hold his or her abuser accountable in civil court is vague.  Sometimes victims are turned away by lawyers because New Mexico’s laws aren’t on their side.

“In our line of work, we have spoken to a lot of individuals who have been sexually abused as children and because of the statute of limitations did not have viable legal claims,” Monagle said.

SB 91 aims to add clarification.  The victim would have three years after first telling a medical provider or licensed psychological professional about the abuse to file a legal claim.

“This costs the state nothing.  This is a free fix for a serious problem,” Monagle said.  “We have the opportunity with a bill like SB 91 to protect children and protect access to the courts in a very powerful way.”

The bill cleared a House committee Wednesday and now heads to the full House for a final vote.  If passed, the governor can either veto or sign it into law.

Child Pornography, Child Predator, Good Parenting, Indifference, Law Enforcement, StopChildAbuse

TX AG CEU Arrests Child Porn Purveyor

.jpg photo of Child Pornographer
Daniel Arguello, 29, of Austin Texas

OAG’s Child Exploitation Unit Arrests
Travis County Man for Possession of
Child Pornography

March 1, 2017
AUSTIN, TX  –  Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton today announced that the Child Exploitation Unit (CEU) of his office arrested 29-year-old Francisco Daniel Arguello of Austin on four counts of Possession of Child Pornography, a third-degree felony.  Arguello could face up to 10 years in prison per charge if convicted.

Following a CyberTipline report from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, CEU investigators executed a search warrant of Arguello’s home, confiscating computers, cell phones, digital devices and additional hardware that will be examined by the attorney general’s Digital Forensics Unit.  Arguello, who declined to be interviewed by CEU investigators, was booked in the Travis County Jail with bond set at $70,000.

The Texas Attorney General’s Office works to protect children by using the latest technology to track down some of the most profoundly evil predators online.  The CEU proactively seeks out and arrests predators who commit crimes against children using technology and online sources.

Attorney General Paxton urges all parents and teachers to become aware of the risks our children face on the internet and take steps to help ensure their children’s safety.

For more information on cyber safety, please visit: https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/cj/cyber-safety

Better Laws, Child Sex Abuse, Good Parenting, Indifference, Law Enforcement, Teacher

Washington Teacher Accused Of Child Sexual Abuse

.jpg photo of Child Sex Abuse graphic
Washington Teacher Accused Of Child Sexual Abuse

Teacher at D.C. charter school arrested on
Child Sex Abuse charges

Washington, DC  –  A teacher at a high-performing D.C. charter school was arrested Friday on charges of child sex abuse, according to police and school officials.

Police said Saturday that Manuel Garcia Fernandez, 35, had sexual contact on multiple occasions with two female victims and one male victim from Aug. 17 to Feb. 6.  He was charged with three counts of second-degree child sexual abuse.

Fernandez taught at a Northeast Washington campus of the Latin American Montessori Bilingual (LAMB) Public Charter School, according to an email to parents from the school’s executive director, Diane Cottman.  The school’s website listed him as an elementary teacher.

Fernandez has been banned from LAMB’s premises, Cottman wrote Friday.  She said the school had communicated with parents in the “impacted community,” but could not disclose further details.

“We know that this will raise many questions which we are currently not at liberty to answer and or may not be able to answer,” she wrote.  “These allegations have deeply affected the entire LAMB community — the board, teachers, parents and students alike.  LAMB is committed to its families, and the safety and well-being of our students is our paramount concern.”

Cottman did not respond to a request for comment.

LAMB, which also has a campus in Northwest, enrolled a total of about 375 students in preschool through fifth grade last school year. It is one of the most highly regarded charter schools in the city.

Better Laws, Child Innocence, Child Predator, Child Sex Abuse, Law Enforcement, Parenting

CA Child Predator Draws 55 Years For 3rd Strike

.jpg photo of Child Predator
Michael David Ikeler, 38

Torrance Man Sentenced To 55 Years To Life
For Sexually Assaulting, Kidnapping
2-Year-Old From Car Wash

LOS ANGELES, CA  –  Authorities said a 38-year-old Torrance man has been sentenced to 55 years to life in state prison for the kidnapping and sexual assault of a 2-year-old girl from a Gardena car wash.

Michael David Ikeler, 38, was found guilty by a jury on Jan. 27 of lewd act upon a child under the age of 14 with a special allegation that the crime was committed during the course of a kidnapping.  He was also found guilty of two counts of sexual penetration of a child under age 10.

Deputy DA Allyson Ostrowski said Ikeler also was ordered to registered as a sex offender for the rest of his life.

On April 2, 2015, a woman was washing her vehicle at a car wash on Western Avenue while her two daughters waited outside of the car.

According to court testimony, the older daughter notified her mother that the 2-year old had disappeared.

The young victim was found naked, hours later sitting on the ground by herself near a garbage dumpster at a Cudahy restaurant parking lot, the prosecutor said.

At the time of his arrest, authorities said Ikeler had previously been arrested in Northern California and Arizona for crimes involving children.

Child Pornography, Child Predator, Good Parenting, Indifference, Law Enforcement, StopChildAbuse

TX Attorney General CEU Stops Houston Child Predator

.jpg photo of Child Predator
Daniel James Dickson, 44

Harris County Man Arrested for Possession
of Child Pornography

February 14, 2017
AUSTIN, TX  –  Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton today announced that officers with his Criminal Investigations Division arrested Daniel James Dickson, 44, of Houston, on three counts of Possession of Child Pornography, a third-degree felony.  He could face up to 10 years in prison if convicted.

Following a CyberTipline report from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, Attorney General Paxton’s Child Exploitation Unit (CEU) conducted an investigation and executed a subsequent search warrant of Dickson’s home.

Dickson was interviewed by investigators and admitted to storing child pornography on his smartphone.  A forensic examination of Dickson’s phone revealed images and video containing child pornography.

Dickson was booked into the Washington County Jail without incident with a pre-set bond of $20,000 on each charge.

The Texas Attorney General’s Office works to protect children by using the latest technology to track down some of the most profoundly evil predators online.  The CEU proactively seeks out and arrests predators who commit crimes against children using technology and online sources.

Attorney General Paxton urges all parents and teachers to become aware of the risks our children face on the internet and take steps to help ensure their children’s safety.

For more information on cyber safety, please visit: https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/cj/cyber-safety