All articles tagged with #child molestation
A California educator has been charged with molesting eight children, raising serious concerns about safety in educational environments. The case highlights the importance of stringent background checks and monitoring in schools to protect students from potential abuse.
David Lane Braff Jr., a 42-year-old assistant principal from Thousand Oaks, has been arrested on suspicion of molesting eight children aged 6 to 10 while working as a counselor at McKevett Elementary School in Santa Paula from 2015 to 2019. He faces 17 felony counts of lewd acts upon a child under 14 and is being held on $3-million bail. Authorities are encouraging others with information to come forward as the investigation continues.
Samuel Arthur Thompson, a former Jacksonville Jaguars employee, was sentenced to 220 years in federal prison for child molestation and other charges. Thompson, who had previously hacked the team's Jumbotron, was found guilty of producing, receiving, and possessing child sex abuse material, violating sex offender registration laws, and more. He had installed remote access software to sabotage the Jumbotron and was later found to possess thousands of disturbing images and videos. Additionally, he had sexually exploited multiple children and fled to the Philippines before being deported and arrested. This comes shortly after another former Jaguars employee was sentenced to federal prison for embezzlement.
Former Nickelodeon star Drake Bell details the sexual abuse he endured as a teenager at the hands of Brian Peck, a dialogue coach on The Amanda Show. Bell reveals that he was the anonymous teen whose accounts of abuse led to Peck’s 2003 arrest and eventual conviction. The upcoming docuseries, Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV, features Bell's account and interviews with other former cast members, writers, and crew members about their experiences working on popular Nickelodeon shows. The series airs on Investigation Discovery on March 17 and 18.
Former "Boy Meets World" stars Will Friedle and Rider Strong discuss their friendship with Brian Peck, a former co-star convicted of child molestation, on their podcast "Pod Meets World." The hosts were unaware of the seriousness of the allegations and initially supported Peck, only to realize the gravity of the situation during the trial. The podcast episode delves into the difficult subjects of grooming and childhood sexual abuse, and the hosts were contacted to participate in an upcoming documentary on the topic. The documentary, "Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV," will air in March and will also cover allegations of misconduct by Nickelodeon staffers, including producer Dan Schneider.
A Gwinnett County police officer has been arrested and charged with child molestation. The officer, identified as Patrick Benjamin Ventura, was taken into custody by the Gwinnett County Sheriff's Office.
A nurse practitioner in Susanville, California, named Bradley Earl Reger, has been arrested by the FBI on charges of engaging in illicit sexual conduct in foreign places. Reger is suspected of sexually abusing more than a dozen boys and men over several decades, both in his medical clinic and during camping trips and church-affiliated missions around the world. He allegedly used his position as a teacher, camp counselor, wrestling coach, and church deacon to gain access to victims. Reger has been the subject of multiple investigations since 1986 but was not charged until now. The arrest came after a victim reported the abuse to a church official, leading to an internal investigation that identified numerous victims. The FBI, along with other agencies, conducted a joint investigation, revealing that Reger had traveled to multiple countries on over 200 occasions.
A federal judge, Jane Triche Milazzo, has ordered an investigation into potential violations of confidentiality rules by the New Orleans archdiocese after The Guardian exposed their cover-up of a retired priest who confessed to child molestation. The investigation is not focused on charging the priest or holding church administrators accountable, but rather on determining if anyone violated confidentiality rules related to the archdiocese's bankruptcy protection filing. The judge intends to appoint a local lawyer to conduct the investigation, although objections have been raised due to potential conflicts of interest. This is the second investigation related to the archdiocese's handling of clerical abuse cases since filing for bankruptcy in 2020.
A 14-year-old girl who was reported missing for several weeks was found with a 41-year-old man at a house in Georgia. The man was arrested and charged with enticing a child for indecent purposes and interference with custody. The two reportedly met on a dating app. The girl was last seen on May 24 and her phone was turned off a few hours later. The man is also charged with child molestation.
A 14-year-old girl who went missing on the last day of school was found three weeks later living with a 41-year-old man in Georgia. The man, Russell Cheeves, was arrested and charged with enticing a child for indecent purposes, interference with custody, and child molestation. The two met via a dating app and the girl was manipulated into going to the man’s home. The girl's phone had been switched off and all social media activity ceased. She has been reunited with her family.
Rhode Island City Councilman Matthew Reilly, who was previously arrested on drug possession charges, has now been charged with multiple counts of child molestation. The charges were filed after the guardian of a 12-year-old girl filed a complaint with the Cranston Police Department. Reilly's attorney has asked the public to refrain from jumping to conclusions and to trust the legal process. Reilly was found passed out in his car with a crack pipe in his hand during his previous arrest in May.
Marshall Diehl, a 22-year-old man from St. Cloud, Florida, has been arrested for two counts of lewd and lascivious molestation after grabbing two young girls at Disney Springs. Diehl was first accused of grabbing a young girl outside the World of Disney Store on May 30, but was able to get away. He was later apprehended on May 31 after grabbing another child while she was looking at keychains. Diehl is currently in Orange County Jail.
Marshall Diehl, a 22-year-old man from St. Cloud, has been arrested and charged with two counts of lewd/lascivious molestation of a child after allegedly grabbing children at the World of Disney store in Disney Springs on two consecutive days. Witnesses and photographic evidence led to Diehl's arrest and he is currently being held at the Orange County Jail.
A former competitive cheerleading coach, Erick Joseph Kristianson, has been charged with molesting girls as young as 11 years old in Southern California and faces similar charges in Florida. He is accused of molesting girls ages 11 to 16 while coaching at the Magic All-Stars club and while he was an assistant cheer coach at Trabuco Hills High School in Mission Viejo in the 2000s. Kristianson could face a possible life sentence if convicted of all charges.
A former cheerleading coach, Erick Joseph Kristianson, has been charged with multiple felonies for molesting six girls, some as young as 11 years old, while coaching at a competitive cheer club and at a high school in Mission Viejo. He is also facing child molestation and child exhibition charges in Florida regarding four young cheerleaders he coached in Daytona Beach. Kristianson is currently being held without bail and may face a maximum sentence of 105 years to life in prison plus five years and four months if convicted on all charges. Authorities believe there may be additional victims and are seeking the public's help.