Bridgewater woman pleads guilty to sex with 15-year-old boy — In a deal with the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office, Maria Page, 50, pleaded guilty to two counts of fourth-degree criminal sexual contact and third-degree endangering the welfare of a child for the incidents that occurred on Nov. 19 and Nov. 24 in Hillsborough […] In exchange for her plea, Assistant Prosecutor Robin Yerich said the state would agree to a suspended three-year prison sentence on the condition that Page be admitted to and complete an in-patient drug rehabilitation program for a minimum of six months.
Competency at core of boy’s guilty plea — Attorney Albert Lassen, who is [the boy’s] guardian ad litem, told me he may ask that the plea be thrown out, given reports that both psychologists found the boy incompetent. “You’re either competent or you’re incompetent, and if you’re not competent, you can’t enter a plea,” he said. “I think the dodge is that the judge and the defense attorney and the prosecutor think that because they never got around to actually holding a competency hearing, as required under the rules, that therefore they can practice and maintain the ruse that the child’s not incompetent.” In other words, the kid’s not incompetent until the judge declares that he’s incompetent. Yeah, that makes sense.
Dead teenager ‘chose road over Taser’ — A 16-year-old boy who was killed by a car while under arrest for aggressive behaviour lay down on the road after being threatened with a Taser, police have said […] Deputy Police Commissioner Ian Stewart said police confronted the youth, who was unarmed at the time, and after they presented a Taser, he lay down on the road […] While the teenager was on the road, he was hit by an 18-year-old female driver of a car. Police said they tried to warn the woman, but without success. The boy sustained serious head injuries and was taken to Ipswich General Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
Female teacher, 34, caught having sex with boy, 14: Durham police — Officers searching for a missing vehicle in Clarington caught the pair in ‘‘an unlawful sexual act’’ after investigating the woman’s parked car at about 8:45 p.m. Friday, police said. “It was parked on the road in a rural area. There was no reason for any vehicle to be stopped there,” said Det. Const. Jenn Bickle-Hearn, who leads the investigation for the sexual assault unit. Police say the 34-year-old teacher, who works at a Whitby elementary school, coaches the 14-year-old victim in an outside-school sports team. She does not teach the boy, but police said the coaching job was a position of trust and authority.
Jail for woman who cried rape — A woman who falsely cried rape has been jailed for eight months. Mandy Whittle called police to what appeared to be a convincing crime scene, Bristol Crown Court heard on Tuesday. Her alleged attacker was arrested and detained for some six hours but a police investigation found his alibi authentic and the alleged rape invented. Whittle, aged 38, of Park Walk, Pill, pleaded guilty to perverting the course of public justice.
Judge delays sentencing in Nampa sex case — Sentencing of a 34-year-old Nampa woman who admitted having sex with a 16-year-old boy was postponed Thursday in response to allegations that the woman violated a no-contact order by repeatedly calling the teen last month. The boy’s mother told the judge that Laura Louise Hester tried to call the boy 20 times in January and succeeded in contacting him eight times, and the boy’s grandmother overheard the conversations. Deputy Prosecutor Erin Christison said during Thursday’s hearing she had no evidence to substantiate that claim, but the phone records have been subpoenaed and police are investigating.
Male domestic abuse victims get their own shelters in Netherlands — Male victims of domestic abuse in the Netherlands can seek refuge in special shelters such as that due to open Tuesday in The Hague by Deputy Health Minister Jet Bussemaker. The four biggest cities – Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague and Utrecht – each received 200,000 euros (255,920 dollars) to provide safe havens for abused men, the ministry said Monday. Each city should provide 10 shelters. Half the total of 40 abused men’s homes will be secret shelters. The initiative is a response to increased demand for such homes by abused men who approached various health and social welfare institutions.
Plea deal is possible in Syracuse sex case — During an appearance Wednesday in 2nd District Court, Kimberlee Williams Arigot’s defense attorney sought to continue the case until next month so he could review evidence with his client. “I’d like to sit down and talk with the prosecution about a possible resolution,” attorney Ryan Bushell said. Davis County prosecutors did not object to delaying the case until March 25. Arigot, 40, has pleaded not guilty to charges of unlawful sexual activity with a minor, unlawful conduct with a 16- or 17-year-old and dealing in materials harmful to a minor — all third-degree felonies. She is also charged with a single count of child sex abuse, a class A misdemeanor.
Tracy torture case illustrates complex nature of why people hurt kids — Sometimes children are abused because they look or sound like someone who hurt their guardian in the past, experts say. “The reasons vary, but in many situations, the child represented somebody that the caretaker hated or reminded them of,” said Nancy Kellogg, a child abuse expert and professor of pediatrics at the University of Texas, San Antonio […] When two or more people are suspected of abusing the same child, one person usually emerges as the ringleader, she said. “Most of the time, there is one person primarily responsible for the restraint and starvation and the torture. There may be other people around who may not be as active but have full knowledge of what is going on,” she added.
Web site attacks innocent Duke lacrosse players — A bizarre Web site called Justice for Nifong has appeared from the “Committee on Justice for Mike Nifong,” and it sees fit to attack the innocent lacrosse players while defending Mr. Nifong. The scan above is a “humorous” excerpt from a comic strip appearing on that blog that goes after the “privileged” lacrosse players — who had the audacity to be born white and male. The Web site’s purpose is to advocate that Mr. Nifong was the victim of a conspiracy and that his alleged mistreatment signals that “[i]t is okay to bring a weak case against defendants from families of the disenfranchised, of color, and/or financially challenged, however a case brought against defendants from families of wealth, status, and privilege had better be iron-clad and air-tight.”
Woman charged with suffocating 7-year-old son — Esmond Ross died Saturday at his home in the 3700 block of Prospect Avenue. Police found no signs of life in the boy when they were called to the home about 9:45 a.m., said police spokesman Darin Snapp. Police believe that Lakeesha Brown suffocated her son by putting her legs across his head and sitting on his chest, Snapp said. Police did not know of a motive, he said. An exam revealed that Esmond’s right arm was broken in three places and he had signs of suffocation.
Woman faces felony charges in child abuse case — Charges were filed Thursday in Nobles County District Court against a woman who is accused of breaking her child’s clavicle and causing internal damage. Deborah Denise Brown, 24, is charged with third-degree assault and malicious punishment of a child, both felonies that each carry a maximum penalty of five years incarceration and/or a $10,000 fine.
Woman sentenced for sex with minor — A 26-year-old woman convicted of having a sexual relationship with a 14-year-old boy she was babysitting will spend nearly two and a half years in prison for the crimes, a district court judge in Las Cruces decided Monday. Annette Martinez — who pleaded no contest to 20 counts of criminal sexual penetration of a minor, all fourth-degree felonies — was sentenced to nine years by 3rd Judicial District Judge Stephen Bridgforth. He subsequently suspended six of those years and credited Martinez with the seven months she has already spent in jail.
Toy Soldiers 