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One Less Child Molester: Winston County Oregon Molester Richard Steele Commits Suicide After Sex With 15 Year Old Boy He Met On Internet

2-2-2007 Oregon:
WINSTON COUNTY, OREGON: The Winston man accused of having sexual relations with a 15-year-old Jackson County boy he met on the Internet was found dead Thursday from an apparent suicide.

A passerby found Richard Steele, 38, dead in a tent off a Bureau of Land Management road about 10 miles southwest of Winston around 8:30 a.m., according to a Douglas County Sheriff’s Office press release.

Steele had apparently ran a hose from the exhaust pipe on a sport utility vehicle to the tent. There were no signs of foul play and the case is being investigated as a suicide, according to the sheriff’s office.

Steele’s family had reported the man missing on Tuesday.

Steele had been arrested last month following a seven-month Oregon State Police investigation into four Southern Oregon men accused of sex-related crimes involving the same youth.

Steele was charged with third-degree sexual abuse, a misdemeanor, and compelling prostitution, a felony.

Police said the four men, including Steele, had met with the 15-year-old at various times. Steele and two of the other men — one from Grants Pass, the other from Bandon — had met the boy through an Internet chat site.

“None of the men knew each other,” said OSP Detective Blain Allen with the Central Point office.

He said 23-year-old Mathew Prinslow of Rogue River has since pleaded guilty to the sex-related crimes against him. Prinslow knew the victim locally and did not meet him online, Allen said.

Detectives had currently been working on the time frame during which Steele’s alleged crimes had occurred. According to the alleged victim, the two had met in the fall of 2005, Allen said.

With Steele’s death, however, the case against him is now closed.

“You can’t proceed with a case without a suspect,” he said. ..more..

Former priest, radio host accused of sex abuse, assault

9-17-2006 California:

SAN FRANCISCO -- A former priest who was once a charismatic, nationally renowned youth minister but was later accused of sexually abusing children, has died, authorities said Friday.

The body of Donald Wren Kimball, 62, was found in his friend's home in Windsor, about 54 miles north of San Francisco, sheriff's Sgt. Tim Duke said. Police found no evidence indicating criminal activity, he said.

Mr. Kimball, who was ordained in 1969, rose to national prominence in his early 30s with an award-winning radio show aimed at young people.

He was accused of using his charm and popularity to coerce teenage girls to have sex with him.

In 1990, after Mr. Kimball acknowledged having sexual contact with six young girls, church officials forced him to give up his youth ministry and suspended him from performing priestly duties.

Abuse allegations against Mr. Kimball first became public in 1997. Criminal charges were filed in 2000 -- the same year Pope John Paul II formally removed him from the priesthood.

In 2002, Mr. Kimball was acquitted of raping a 14-year-old girl in 1977 but convicted of molesting a 13-year-old girl in 1981.

The conviction was overturned in 2003 after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a California law extending the statute of limitations for sex crimes involving children.

The two alleged victims each received about $120,000 after the church settled their civil suits against him. ..more.. by Kim Curtis

Minister Accused of Sex Abuse Commits Suicide

4-5-2007 Alabama:
A bi-vocational Southern Baptist pastor charged last week with molesting an 11-year-old girl in Alabama died Tuesday in an apparent suicide.

Authorities in Gainesville, Ga., meanwhile, said they had arrested a former youth minister at a Southern Baptist church on charges of molesting two boys in their teens, one during a church function inside the church.

Stephen Lyle "Steve" Whittaker, 40, was found dead at a residence in rural Conecuh County in south Alabama, not far from the Florida state line. According to local media, Whittaker had been living in a travel trailer in the yard of his father's residence for about a week.

Whittaker, former pastor of the 33-member Beaver Creek Baptist Church in Baker, Fla., had been working for a trucking company for a few days. He reportedly told supervisors Tuesday morning he had a family emergency. He parked his truck at his father's house about 10 a.m., where he spoke to his father and sister, telling them he would join them later for coffee. He went to the camper trailer. A few minutes later his father and sister heard a gunshot. They went to the trailer and found him dead.

Police said they found a firearm at the scene, along with a note saying whom to contact, funeral plans and where Whittaker wanted to be buried. He is survived by a wife and one child.

Whittaker was out on bond and awaiting trial on a charge of felony sexual abuse. He turned himself in to police in Brewton, Ala., Tuesday, March 27, after the girl told classmates at school Whittaker had repeatedly abused her. One of the schoolmates told her mother, who in turn called the alleged victim's mother. She called police.

Whittaker reportedly admitted to investigators that he touched the girl but denied it was abuse. He said it happened accidentally while they were playing. The girl also told police it occurred during play. Both Whittaker and the child told police the incidents happened many times over recent months.

Whittaker was released from jail on $5,000 bond. The Brewton Standard reported last week that some in the area complained the bond was too low for a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

"I guess it was all just too much for him to bear," Conecuh County Sheriff Edwin Booker told the Mobile Press-Register. Brewton Police Sgt. Eric Suarez, the investigator of the Brewton case, told the newspaper reports of Whittaker's death "shocked us." ..more.. by
by Bob Allen

Alleged child molester commits suicide in Macomb

1-31-97 Michigan:
Released on bond from Knox County Jail, Ralph E. Frakes ended any future court action against him with a self-inflicted .12 gauge shotgun blast to the head in the parking lot of McDonough District Hospital. Frakes, 68, of Williamsfield, Ill., left a suicide note.

"No witnesses; no one heard it," Larry Jameson, McDonough County Coroner, said in a phone interview Wednesday. "A clergyman found him."

According to Knox County State's Attorney Paul Manageri, three counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse were filed against Frakes on Jan. 7. According to the Knox County Circuit Clerk's Office, Frakes was arrested on Jan. 10 after a warrant for his arrest was issued the previous day. Frakes posted $5,000 bond for his $50,000 bail.

"It's a tragic event for all individuals involved," Manageri said.

Manageri also said the state's attorney's office was prepared to assert two additional charges of aggravated criminal sexual abuse Wednesday had he not taken his life. The recently dismissed charges related to two separate females, both of whom are minors, Manageri said.

Macomb police said they have deemed Frakes' death a suicide.

"I think our investigation is concluded. As far as we're concerned, that's what it is," Detective Robert Canavit, a Macomb police investigator, said Thursday.

Jameson said Frakes arranged his funeral services at the Clugston-Tibbitts Funeral Home in Macomb barely an hour before he committed suicide. Frakes had been at Clugston-Tibbitts at 2 p.m. before being found dead at approximately 3 p.m.

"He had gone to some of the local funeral homes, set up a service and then he went to the hospital," Jameson said.

According to Manageri, each count of aggravated criminal sexual abuse, a class 2 felony, carries a prison sentence of 3 to 7 years. With the three counts, if Frakes was found guilty, he could have been placed in prison for 21 years.

According to Frakes' obituary in The Macomb Journal yesterday, Frakes was a World War II veteran and worked as a brick mason and farmer until his retirement in 1989. ..more.. by Joseph Poulos

Youth Minister Found Dead Day After Sex Assault Arrest

1-10-2007 Colorado:

CRAIG, Colo. -- A youth minister who had worked at First Christian Church since 2000 and was arrested on allegations he sexually assaulted two girls, was found dead in his home Tuesday, authorities said.

John Graler, 53, was arrested Monday for investigation of felony charges of sexual assault, sexual assault on a child and sexual assault on a child by a person in a position of trust, Moffat County sheriff's investigator Sgt. K.C. Hume said.

Graler was released after posting $50,000 bail. In a statement released to the Craig Daily Press, Moffat County sheriff's officials said deputies were called to Graler's home shortly after 7 p.m.

Foul play was not suspected in Graler's death and officials declined to comment on a cause.

Investigators said they identified two alleged victims, both of whom were between 13 and 18 years old when the alleged assaults occurred.

Hume said in a statement that several people have provided information to investigators about the alleged crimes, which occurred within the past six years.. He declined to be more specific because the investigation was still under way. ..more.. by The DenverChannel.com


Youth Minister's Death Ruled Suicide
1-12-2007 Colorado:

CRAIG, Colo. -- The death of a church youth minister accused of sexually assaulting two teenagers has been ruled a suicide.

The Moffat County Sheriff's Office and Craig Police Department had been investigating the Tuesday death of John C. Graler at his home. Graler's body was found in his home the day after he was arrested on suspicion of sexual assault, sexual assault on a child, and sexual assault on a child by one in a position of trust.

Investigators said that the two alleged victims were 13- and 18-year-old girls who were in a youth group that Graler led at First Christian Church in Craig. He had worked there for six years.

Graler had not been formally charged but a statement issued Thursday said, "investigators are confident that the evidence collected and information gathered during the course of the investigation would have proved to be irrefutable if the criminal case had been filed by the district attorney's office and tried in a court of law."

An autopsy revealed that Graler died from carbon monoxide poisoning, county coroner Owen Grant said.

A sheriff's investigator would not say if a note was found, but told the Craig Daily Press that aspects of the case were still under investigation.

Graler's funeral service will be held Sunday afternoon at First Christian Church where he worked. ..more.. by The Denver Channel

Child porn accused leaves death note for police

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Man charged with sexual assault of a teenager found dead in his home

7-20-2007 Montana:

The man charged Wednesday in connection with sexually assaulting a teenager about 10 years ago was found dead in his home Thursday morning, the result of an apparent suicide, authorities said.

John Michael Towey, 55, was discovered dead in his Buxton Road home, Butte-Silver Bow Justice Bob Lee confirmed Thursday. Information on how the suicide occurred was not available.

Towey faced felony charges of sexual intercourse without consent and sexual assault, according to charging documents out of Butte justice court. Towey was accused of having sexual contact on several occasions with the teenager between June 1994 and September 1996, when the alleged victim was between 14 and 16 years old.

Lee said the case will remain on file, but no further charges or legal action will be taken now that the defendant is dead.

Towey was arrested in connection with this charge on Tuesday, but was freed later that day after posting $50,000 bond.

Sheriff John Walsh said police responded to an “unattended death” on Buxton Road early Thursday. He didn’t identify the victim, adding that the case was under investigation.

The alleged victim in the sexual assault-related charges, who is now 26, contacted police in June, according to court papers. Police conducted a search at Towey’s home on Tuesday, and Towey was later arrested. ..more.. by Reporter John Grant Emeigh may be reached via e-mail at jgemeigh@yahoo.com or by telephone, 496-5511.

Father holds kin for day, kills self

Euless: Wife escaped, but kids trapped when ex-officer found dead
9-1-2006 Texas:

EULESS – A former Trophy Club police officer and registered sex offender terrorized his family for 24 hours before killing himself Thursday, police said.

Jeffrey Andrew Dickson, 33, was found dead Thursday in a bedroom closet at his Euless home. His three young children were found in the kitchen when tactical officers entered the home about 9 a.m.

Mr. Dickson's 8-year-old daughter and two sons, ages 7 and 5, were rescued early Thursday after a harrowing night of threats, violence and negotiations with officers outside their Laurel Lane home. Police said that Mr. Dickson and his wife, Tracey Dickson, had argued earlier Wednesday, but police said that they did not know the reason for the argument. Mr. Dickson began holding his wife at gunpoint around 8 a.m. Wednesday, police said.

The children were gone most of the day but returned home around 5 p.m. They, too, became hostages, police said. Mrs. Dickson escaped late Wednesday.

"The children told investigators that the father was killing himself," said Sgt. Ron Williamson, a spokesman for Euless police.

The children remained trapped after their father went to the master bedroom because they could not unlock the door to the outside.

"We sincerely believe they did not witness him taking his life," Sgt. Williamson said. "Obviously, they were upset, somewhat terrified."

The only weapon found in the home was the .22-caliber pistol found beside Mr. Dickson, Sgt. Williamson said.

"We kept contact with him throughout the night," Sgt. Williamson said. "We didn't feel like he'd harm the children. The negotiations were cordial. He did not become agitated or threatening."

Mr. Dickson made no demands but would not give himself up, police said.

Early in his adult life, Mr. Dickson was on the other side of the law. He wore a badge and had undergone training similar to that of the negotiators trying to coax him into surrendering.

Mr. Dickson became a licensed peace officer Jan. 18, 1996, according to the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement.

He worked as a peace officer in Roanoke for more than a year before joining the Trophy Club force in February 1997.

Trophy Club fired him eight months later after he was accused of sexually assaulting a woman he had pulled over during a traffic stop.

According to court records, Mr. Dickson ordered the woman out of her car and escorted her without handcuffs to the back of his patrol car.

He told the woman he would arrest for driving while intoxicated if she did not cooperate.

Mr. Dickson then drove the woman to a remote location where the sexual encounter took place, records show.

A Denton County jury deadlocked on the sexual assault charge but found Mr. Dickson guilty of violating the woman's civil rights.

He received a one-year sentence and reported to prison Feb. 4, 2005. He was released on probation July 22, 2005, said Michelle Lyons, a spokeswoman for Texas Department of Criminal Justice.

Mr. Dickson's probation for the civil rights violation expired in January.

He pleaded guilty to sexual assault and was still serving his 10 years' probation, officials said. He also was a registered sex offender.

Marcia Constantine, who lives across the street from the Dickson family, said she knew Mr. Dickson was a registered sex offender.

"I didn't know much about it except that it happened a long time ago and that it didn't involve children," Ms. Constantine said.

She described him as friendly and nice.

She was more alarmed by the dozens of police officers who swarmed the tree-lined neighborhood and used her back yard as a command post.

"This is a quiet neighborhood, a safe neighborhood. We never thought we'd see police officers all over the place," said Ms. Constantine, who has lived here for 22 years. "They did a great job, but it was pretty frightening," Ms. Constantine said. "They told us as much as they could tell us. We were very concerned about the children. All night, I prayed for the children."

Mr. Dickson apparently did not make his sex offender status known to all of his associates including those involving children.

This year, he assisted with a T-ball team that is part of the Tri-Cities Baseball Association.

When he asked to be named an assistant coach, questions about his criminal background arose.

John Kidwell, whose son played on the team, said he had no reservations about Mr. Dickson interacting with the young players because the parents kept a watchful eye over their children.

Mr. Dickson, he said, loved baseball and loved being with his children.

"He was a good guy," Mr. Kidwell said. "I had no problems with him being around the kids. He was not a coach, but he was always out there helping out."

Mr. Kidwell said that he is not sure how or when he learned about Mr. Dickson's sex offender status but that word spread pretty quickly among the parents.

"Once we found out, we looked it up on the Internet, and it was there," Mr. Kidwell said. "But we had known him throughout the years with our kids playing baseball so we didn't think too much about it. He was good with the kids." ..more.. by DEBRA DENNIS

Teacher found dead hours after rape indictment

7-18-2007 New Mexico:

A longtime New Mexico teacher accused of rape has been found dead in his apartment.

Frank Garcia, 52, of Espanola was indicted Monday on three counts of rape for allegedly molesting an 11-year-old member of his family.

Police say they were also investigating accusations that Garcia molested students in a classroom at Carlos Vigil Middle School where he worked.

"Allegations had come about that he had been inappropriately touching female students in his class room. This happened back in March of this year,” said Sgt. Christian Lopez of Espanola Police.

Just hours after his indictment Monday, Garcia was found dead in his Albuquerque apartment near Louisiana and Lomas NE. Espanola police tell Eyewitness News 4 the Office of the Medical Investigators ruled Garcia died of complications with alcohol.

Because of his death, Garcia’s case will not go further and is considered closed. ..more.. by KOB.com


Española teacher in sex abuse probe found dead
7-19-2007 New Mexico:

Police say Frank Garcia apparently died of complications from alcohol abuse

A 53-year-old Española middle school teacher under investigation for inappropriately touching female students was found dead in Albuquerque earlier this week, police said Wednesday.

Frank Garcia, who taught history at Carlos Vigil Middle School for at least 20 years, also was indicted two weeks ago by a Sandoval County grand jury on three counts of second-degree criminal sexual contact of a minor, said Lemuel Martinez, 13th Judicial District attorney. The charges stemmed from allegations that Garcia molested an 11-year-old female relative, Martinez said.

Detective Christian Lopez of the Española Police Department said Garcia was found dead Monday in Albuquerque, apparently of complications from alcohol abuse, according to an autopsy. His death was not a suicide, Lopez said.

Española police began investigating Garcia in March when detectives received allegations that he inappropriately touched seven female students’ legs, Lopez said. The school immediately placed Garcia on leave, Lopez said.

Garcia was in the hospital in Española last month with liver problems, Lopez said. At the time, Española police gathered DNA from him for Rio Rancho police, who were investigating the family member molestation allegations, Lopez said. However, Garcia got out of the hospital and disappeared, and had been ignoring requests from Española police for an interview, Lopez said.

He was indicted on the three molestation charges in Rio Rancho on July 5, according to online court records.

Family members became concerned about Garcia because they hadn’t heard from in a while and he hadn’t been feeling well. A brother-in-law called Albuquerque police just before 6 p.m. Monday to ask them to check on Garcia, and police found him dead in his apartment at the corner of Lomas and Louisiana in northeast Albuquerque.

Garcia had faced charges of inappropriately touching students in 1992, Lopez said. Online court records state that a jury acquitted Garcia of nine counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor and four counts of battery in January 1993. ..more.. by Jason Auslander

Molester kills himself in court

July 2007 France:

LAON, France - A retired French flight attendant committed suicide in a court in northern France, moments after hearing his conviction for sexually abusing children.

The man, 68, had smuggled a gun into the courtroom in a bag and shot himself through the heart, justice officials said.

The judge had just sentenced him to 12 years in prison for abusing young members of his family.

Justice Minister Rachida Dati sent a senior official to the town of Laon to determine why the weapon was not spotted.

A metal detector was supposed to be in operation at the entrance to the courthouse.

The incident took place a week after a judge in the northern city of Metz was stabbed by a woman after he ruled that her son should remain in foster care. He was seriously injured.

On Friday Dati ordered 20 million euros to be invested in increasing security measures in courthouses. ..more.. by Sunday Times

A shot kills suspect, ends standoff

Hostage-taker is gunned down by a police officer after a tense standoff
7-6-2007 Utah:

A man who was holding a woman hostage in her central Salt Lake City home was shot and killed by a police officer Friday afternoon.

Police identified the man as Steven Mark Sickler, a 45-year-old registered sex offender.

Spokesman Jeff Bedard said the man told responding officers he wanted to die at the hands of police and did not want to return to jail.

The Department of Corrections registry said Sickler, known by the alias "Sick," had felony convictions in 1982 for sexual assault and aggravated sexual assault.

Police said the suspect attempted to carjack a man outside his house, near 650 S. Park St. (540 East), about 12:20 p.m., but the man fought back. The would-be robber fled on foot after the struggle, running half a block to 700 South and then a block east to Green Street (650 East), where a neighbor spotted him outside his porch.

The neighbor, who asked not to be identified because of safety concerns, said he saw the suspect standing with his back to his front porch.

"He looked like he was stalking somebody," the witness said.

The man, who appeared in his 40s, then crouched down, and that's when a chrome-plated handgun he carried became visible, the neighbor said. The witness called 911 at 12:46 p.m. as the gunman ran around and entered the back door of a house at 672 S. Green St.

Police said the suspect took a woman and a man - whom neighbors described as a resident of the house and her boyfriend - hostage. At some point, the man ran out the back door, and the gunman held the woman by the neck and repeatedly pointed the weapon at her head, Bedard said.

An 11-year-old girl who witnessed the confrontation said police officers surrounded the house and urged the man to give himself up. The man opened and closed the back door several times during the standoff, which lasted about 30 minutes, the girl said.

"They were yelling at him to drop the weapon and release the hostage," said another witness, Jayme Chilbert.

Chilbert, who lives across the street, said she saw the hostage run from the back door and fall onto a grassy area behind the house. Then, she said, she heard a single shot.

Police said a Salt Lake City police officer fired once, killing the gunman about 1:20 p.m.

Police released few other details Friday.

The shooting was the seventh fatal killing of a suspect by Utah police so far this year, compared to four in all of 2006, according to Tribune records. ..more.. by Russ Rizzo, The Salt Lake Tribune

Sex offence charges man committed suicide

7-4-2007 United Kingdom:

A 56-year-old man hanged himself days before he was due to appear in court charged with gross indecency with a girl under 16.

An inquest heard that Douglas Hardman had split with his wife Maureen in January and had told her that he would "end it all."

"I knew as soon as I opened the door and saw a policeman what he had done," she told the hearing.

advertisementMr Hardman, a caravan fitter, was found at his home in Troon Avenue, Blackburn, hanging from garage rafters on April 1. He was due to appear before Blackburn magistrates on April 4 on 12 charges of gross indecency with a girl under the age of 16.

Mrs Hardman said that since they split she had met her husband on several occasions to discuss financial matters and to sort out his business.

"He said he would end it all if things weren't sorted out," said Mrs Hardman. "He said he had already got things worked out in the garage. He knew exactly what he was doing."

Several notes for Mrs Hardman were found in the house.

The medical cause of death was given as hanging and coroner Michael Singleton recorded a verdict that Mr Hardman killed himself.

At the time of his death the Independent Police Complaints Commission said they would be investigating the police's dealings with Mr Hardman.

Mike Franklin, IPCC Commissioner for the North West, said in April: "Our investigation will examine all aspects of Lancashire Constabulary's dealings with Mr Hardman and, in particular, his release on bail.

"We will be seeking to determine whether anything could, or should, have been done differently that might have changed the course of events." ..more.. by Telegraph newsdesk

Moulton man facing child porn charges dies

7-1-2007 Alabama:
MOULTON — A Moulton man whom investigators arrested Monday on child pornography charges died Friday morning of an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound, a sheriff’s investigator said.

Lt. Tim McWhorter said investigators found Stephen Elliott Dee Garrison, 38, of 20679 Alabama 33 near a pond at the back of the property. Investigators responded to calls from the family between 10:30 a.m. and 11 a.m., McWhorter said.

“They (the family) found a letter indicating he was taking his life,” McWhorter said. “He died on the property.”

Lawrence County Coroner Micah Coffey was out of town and not available for comment.

“We’re completing the investigation, but it’s pretty evident that it was a self-inflicted gunshot wound,” McWhorter said.

The Lawrence County Sheriff’s Department arrested Garrison on Monday after finding 145 images of child pornography in his home, McWhorter said.

The arrest came after a resident expressed concern to sheriff investigators about inappropriate pictures of young children, McWhorter said.

The resident gave the Sheriff’s Department a compact disc containing some of the images.

During the search, McWhorter said, investigators found more discs containing pictures of children who appeared to be between 3 and 15.

McWhorter said it did not appear that Garrison produced any of the photos. ..more.. by Deangelo McDaniel