NC Teacher accused in sex sting facing new charge

N.C. teacher accused in sex sting facing new charge

Posted: Jul. 12 12:26 p.m. Updated: Jul. 12 5:37 p.m.
GREENSBORO, N.C. — One of three North Carolina teachers charged with soliciting a minor for sex is facing additional charges in South Carolina.
The Buncombe County Sheriff's Office told The Asheville Citizen-Times on Friday that authorities in Greenville, S.C., have charged David Frank Pace with four counts of criminal solicitation of a minor.
Authorities said Pace was still in jail Friday and would be transferred to South Carolina authorities when he is released.
Guilford County Sheriff B.J. Barnes announced Friday that Pace, David Brian Seus and Kevin Samuel had been charged with soliciting a minor for sex after a police sting. Barnes said the men thought they were talking to young teenage girls but were actually talking to deputies.
Authorities have said that two of the suspects contacted a deputy posing as a 13-year-old girl, and another deputy posing as a 14-year-old girl was contacted by the third suspect.
Seus, 30, is a teaching assistant and a lacrosse coach at Western Guilford High School. He was arrested Tuesday and was released after posting bond. He resigned Thursday.
Samuel, 46, teaches at The High School Ahead Academy. He was arrested Thursday and held on a $10,000 bond.
Pace, a teacher in Hendersonville, was being held on a $190,000 bond after he was arrested Tuesday.
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Rape defendant formerly worked as school security guard

Rape defendant formerly worked as school security guard
MIFFLINBURG — A 59-year-old man charged last week for allegedly raping a 15-year-old boy at his home had been employed as a Mifflinburg School District security guard.


Barry Tomasetti, Mifflinburg school superintendent, would not say whether Jerry Dale Haines, of 201 Meadowlark Lane, resigned or was fired from the district. Tomasetti on Monday would only confirm that Haines no longer works for the school.
When asked about how long Haines had served as a security guard for the district, school board member Donita Keister replied: “It is not our policy to discuss personnel matters outside the board room. Please be advised that he is no longer employed by the district.”
Police say the boy said Haines have sexual contact with him in February 2006. The boy, whose name was not released, told police that Haines entered his bedroom and asked for oral sex. The boy told police Haines sexually assaulted him again later that same night.
In addition to rape, Haines has been charged with statutory sexual assault and involuntary deviate sexual intercourse.

Nebraska teacher pleads guilty to sex with student, 13

Neb. teacher pleads guilty to sex with student, 13

By ANNA JO BRATTON Associated Press Writer
Posted: Jul. 2, 2008
OMAHA, Neb. — A former teacher pleaded guilty Wednesday to fleeing to Mexico with a 13-year-old student so she could have sex with him. Her plea was part of a deal to ensure she'll spend less than a decade in federal prison.
Kelsey Peterson, 26, cried in court and shook her head when the prosecutor said she started having sex with the boy when he was 12 years old and a student at Lexington Middle School, where she taught.
But the former math teacher pleaded guilty to a charge of transporting a minor across state lines to have sex, and avoided a similar charge that would have carried a mandatory 10-year minimum sentence.
The plea agreement calls for a sentence of at least 70 months in prison, up to a maximum of 87 months. The judge could decide on a different sentence, but that would give Peterson the right to change her plea, said federal prosecutor Jan Sharp. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for September.
Her family burst out of the court room Wednesday shouting at reporters, telling them to "ask (the victim) how old he is," and saying Peterson is being unjustly accused.
Peterson's attorney, James Martin Davis, has publicly questioned the boy's birth certificate. Davis said the boy was likely at least 16, and that he was the aggressor.
Amy Peck, an attorney for the boy and his family, said that suggestion was disgusting.
"He was a 12-year-old boy and the defendant knew it," Peck said Wednesday. "The result of this lower plea could have been obtained without playing to every racial stereotype that there is."
Peterson taught the boy during the 2005 to 2006 school year, then started having sex with him in November 2006, according to court documents.
The pair disappeared in October, soon after the district's superintendent confronted Peterson about allegations of an inappropriate relationship with the boy, then 13.
She was arrested a week later in Mexicali, Mexico.
In an interview to be aired Thursday on ABC's "Good Morning America," the boy, who is now 14, said Peterson cried and told him she loved him when they were discovered by authorities in Mexico.
He said he told Peterson he loved her, too. He's now living in Nebraska with his parents, although his attorney wouldn't say where.
A portion of the interview was aired Wednesday on the local ABC affiliate, KETV.
The guilty plea doesn't mean Peterson is off the hook on state charges, which include kidnapping and first-degree sexual assault. Her attorney said he hoped those charges would be dropped.
But Dawson County Attorney Elizabeth Waterman said Wednesday there are no plans to drop the state charges.
"Right now she's charged with what she's charged with," Waterman said. "The nature of any type of deal, I don't want to speculate on that."
Peterson likely won't be brought back to Dawson County to face state charges until after the federal sentencing, Waterman said.
The Associated Press previously named the boy as police were searching for him but stopped using his name after authorities charged Peterson with a sex crime.
He was an illegal immigrant in the United States when he left with Peterson. He's now back in Nebraska temporarily after being granted humanitarian parole by the Department of Homeland Security.
Peck said she plans to ask the U.S. attorney's office for a visa that could put the boy and his parents on the path to citizenship.
The "U" visa is designed for victims of certain crimes and their families and needs the backing of someone involved with prosecuting, investigating or judging the case.
"We have not been promised anything at this point," Peck said.
Said U.S. Attorney Joe Stecher: "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it."
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U.S. District Court, Nebraska: http://www.ned.uscourts.gov/
Dawson County: http://www.dawsoncountyne.net/

Judge delays SC teen's trial on explosive charges

Judge delays SC teen's trial on explosives charges
By MEG KINNARD Associated Press Writer
Posted: Today at 12:55 p.m.
COLUMBIA, S.C. — A federal judge has delayed the trial of a South Carolina teen accused of plotting to blow up his high school, according to court documents.
Jury selection in Ryan Schallenberger's case had been scheduled to begin next week. But on Monday, U.S. District Judge Bryan Harwell granted a request by Schallenberger's attorneys to give them more time to prepare for the 18-year-old's trial on federal explosives charges.
The straight-A student was arrested April 19 after police say his parents picked up a package addressed to him containing 20 pounds of ammonium nitrate. Police said a search of his home found other materials needed to make several bombs and a cassette tape Schallenberger wanted played after death in an assault planned on Chesterfield High School.
Authorities also found a journal in which Schallenberger praised the Columbine High School killers in Colorado. A judge is considering a request by Schallenberger's attorneys to seal the journal, which authorities say also contains notes the teen made about explosives he had evaluated.
Schallenberger pleaded not guilty last week to receiving an explosive, attempting to destroy property by explosive and possessing an unregistered destructive device. If convicted on all charges, he would face a maximum of 40 years in prison.
In May, prosecutors dropped the most serious charge, attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction, which carried a maximum life sentence. They have declined to say why they dropped the charge.
The month before, a federal agent testified that Schallenberger told investigators after he was arrested that he wanted to die, go to heaven and kill Jesus.
He has remained in jail without bond since his arrest and also faces state charges.
A judge has granted prosecutors' request that Schallenberger undergo a mental examination by state experts, but that is on hold as defense lawyers appeal. Schallenberger's attorneys have argued that a different psychiatrist found the teen competent to stand trial and assist his lawyers.
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Henderson coach charged with choking student

Henderson coach charged with choking student

Posted: Today at 10:14 a.m. Updated: Today at 11:21 a.m.
Henderson, N.C. — Police have filed felony charges against a Henderson Middle School gym coach for choking a student.
John Pecora, 59, is accused of grabbing a 13-year-old boy by the throat and lifting him up, according to Lt. Charles Pulley.
The incident happened around May 19, but police did not file charges until they completed their investigation. The charge was filed on June 27.
Police say the incident was witnessed by a school security guard. Authorities said the boy told them it started when Pecora made fun of the student’s feet.
Pecora was released on $10,000 bond. When asked about his employment status, school spokeswoman Terri Hedrick would only say that it’s a personnel matter.
Reporter: Beau Minnick
Web Editor: Kelly Hinchcliffe
Copyright 2008 by WRAL.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

School-Survival.net

Ran across this website, http://www.school-survival.net/. Looks like a really good resource for kids who do not fit in at school...(anybody remember that show from the '80s, "Square Pegs"?)
From the site:

"This is a support site for students who can't stand being forced to go to school. We are not telling you to drop out, rebel or do anything in particular. What you do is your decision and yours alone, we can just provide support and information for whatever choice you may make. What works for one person won't necessarily work for everyone. The point is: the choice is yours to make. And if, for whatever reason, other people refuse to let you make that choice, you will always find someone here willing to listen to you.
It's okay to hate school:
There is nothing wrong with you.If you hate school, parents and teachers may be quick to label you as 'troubled' or 'defiant' or diagnose you with a bunch of disorders. Nothing could be further from the truth.
There is nothing wrong with hating school, there is nothing wrong with hating being forced to go someplace you don't want to and being "taught" things that don't interest you in ways that would kill you if boredom were lethal.
You're not worthless if you don't get good grades, and you're not mentally ill if the mere thought of school scares you.
In fact, you're probably perfectly sane.
They say school is for learning? Well, being bored is hardly any way to learn anything! No wonder hardly anyone remembers what they were forced to memorize at school. School isn't about learning, it's about training people to be obedient to those with authority over them.
Don't trust school to 'educate' you - only you can be trusted with that!"

7 A.C. Jones High School students are arrested on drug charges

Undercover officer helps bust 7 A.C. Jones High School students are arrested on drug charges

The new student at Beeville's A.C. Jones High School bought drugs his first day of classes when he arrived in February.
He was a below-average student but passed most of his classes when school ended in May. He also was a Bee County Sheriff's Department officer working undercover.
The peace-officer-turned-student was recruited from outside the department to infiltrate a ring of student drug dealers, said sheriff's department Capt. Daniel Caddell. The officer did nothing but attend school full time, with only three school administrators knowing his true identity.
When the operation wrapped up in May, he had gathered enough information to make numerous drug cases on seven teen males at the school. Two of the teens are 16; the other five are 17 or 18. Their names and the number of charges each is facing were not available late Thursday.
Officers arrested five of the teens last week. Two others remain at large; they live elsewhere during the summer and will not be pursued until the fall, Caddell said.
Sheriff Carlos Carrizales hired the young-looking peace officer after school officials approached his office with concerns about a mounting drug problem, Caddell said.
"They didn't know how extensive the problem was, but the school felt that they were seeing too many kids high in class," he said. "Before it got out of hand they wanted to do something about it."
Carrizales declined to elaborate on the undercover officer's identity or true age because he may be used in other assignments or areas.
The undercover officer's job was to act like a teenager looking for drugs. He was enrolled as a senior and was responsible for schoolwork even though scholastics wasn't a top priority.
"You have to understand he had to infiltrate the type of people who don't make good grades," Caddell said. "Still, he passed most of his courses."
The sheriff's department only focused on students dealing drugs. It found prescription medication the biggest problem, followed by marijuana and small amounts of cocaine.
The officer typically focused on one suspect at a time, trying to make three or four cases before moving on to another student drug dealer.
All of the cases filed are felonies, with the exception of one misdemeanor theft charge. Caddell said one of the teens also stole a synthetic human skull from a biology lab to use as a bong -- a water pipe used to smoke marijuana.
Sending an officer back to high school as a student might not be common locally, but many departments have used undercover officers elsewhere in schools for years, Caddell said.
"How else are you going to get the dealers dealing on school grounds?" he said.
Contact David Kassabian at 886-3778 or kassabiand@caller.com

2 female Michigan teens charged in attack

2 female Mich. teens charged in videotaped attack
Posted: Jul. 2, 2008
WAYLAND, Mich. — Two female Michigan high school students who were videotaped attacking a classmate were charged with aggravated assault on Wednesday.
Crystal VanderLaan and Sydnee Rae Longhurst are accused of beating a Wayland Union High School classmate on June 10 as another student, who has not been charged, videotaped the attack.
The video was posted on the Internet shortly after school ended, said Wayland Police Chief Dan Miller.
The attack also was caught on tape by a security camera at the school. The victim suffered bruises, according to the police report.
VanderLaan has been expelled, her attorney said. Longhurst has moved out of the school district and could not be disciplined by the school board at its Monday meeting.
The girls face one count each of aggravated assault in Allegan County Family Court. If convicted, they face a maximum of one year in a juvenile detention facility and a $1,000 fine.
VanderLaan and Longhurst were upset over the victim's public displays of affection, according to the police report. The victim told police she believes it was because of her sexual orientation.
VanderLaan's defense attorney, James Dimitriou II, says his client is not "an anti-gay person."
Longhurst did not have an attorney on record with the court.
A pretrial hearing on the assault charges is scheduled for July 21.

Nine-year-old boys caught smoking drugs

It's not just in the U.S......


Nine-year-old boys caught smoking drugs
5:00AM Sunday June 29, 2008
Photo / Glenn Jeffrey
Five 9-year-old boys have been caught doing drugs during lunchtime at a Rotorua school.
Owhata Primary stood down the pupils after they were caught "taking puffs" of a joint and arranged drug education for them.
Principals have described the incident as unusual because the children were so young.
Owhata school staff said the matter had been dealt with and was unlikely to be the start of an alarming trend.
But the grandmother of one of the boys is concerned cannabis is being distributed in primary school playgrounds.
The woman, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, told Rotorua's Daily Post newspaper that her grandson was among the five, who were stood down for three days.
She said one of the other boys had brought the joint to school.
She feared that if children as young as her grandson were smoking drugs at Owhata, then it could be happening elsewhere.
"It was terrible," she said. "I'm very concerned. I was shocked it was at a primary school."
The woman said she had spoken to her grandson about what happened but she did not think he realised the severity of his actions.
She thought the school could have used other penalties rather than standing down her grandson, arguing he would have enjoyed three days off school.
"Maybe clean up the school grounds or that type of thing, something he doesn't like to do."
Owhata principal Bob Stiles said it was the first time drugs had been found on the school premises this year.
"It is something that does happen and it happens in every school."
He said the incident was dealt with promptly and efficiently.
"All the parents came in and were very supportive."
Stiles was positive the drugs did not come from any of the pupils' homes and said the boy who brought the joint said he had found it on the way to school.
All five were given drug education and the whole school was warned about the dangers of drugs.
Rotorua Principals Association president Colin Watkins said cases of drugs being found in primary schools were extremely rare.
"Even the instances of cigarettes coming into school is practically zero."
Auckland Primary Principals Association president Owen Alexander also said the case was rare.
"It's one out of the box. I'm sure most principals would be disappointed if this were a new trend.
"If 9-year-olds are bringing it to school, what sort of environment are they bringing it from?
"How are they getting hold of it?" asked Alexander, who is also principal of Takapuna Normal Intermediate School.
Figures previously released to the Herald on Sunday showed that in 2004, at least 3116 students were stood down or suspended for bringing drugs and alcohol to school. Up to 135 were aged between 5 and 10.
One was a 10-year-old boy stood down from Kerikeri Primary after handing out cannabis in the playground.
The school's principal said the boy got it from his older brother and brought it to school to show off.
Drug abuse was the third most common cause of student suspensions last year (20.1 per cent), behind continual disobedience (27.5 per cent) and physical assault on other students or staff (23.8 per cent).
- ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY ROTORUA DAILY POST

4 teens arrested in Brooklyn hate crime

Police: 4 teens arrested in Brooklyn hate crime
Posted: Jun. 27, 2008
NEW YORK — Police say four teenagers have been arrested on hate crime charges for throwing rocks at a school bus full of Jewish toddlers.
Police say the three girls and one boy yelled epithets last month as they broke windows on the bus in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Crown Heights. The children weren't hurt.
The case is part of a string of incidents that have stirred tensions between black and Jewish residents in Crown Heights. The teens are all 14 and are black.
The flash points have included an assault on a black college student and an attack on an Orthodox Jewish teen.
A race riot erupted in 1991 after a Jewish driver hit and killed a 7-year-old black boy. A 29-year-old Hasidic scholar was stabbed to death in the chaos.
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Newington school attack plan gets teen prison time

Newington school attack plan gets teen prison time
June 24, 2008
NEW BRITAIN, Conn.—A Newington teenager has been sentenced to three years in prison for planning what authorities said would have been a Columbine-style massacre at his high school.
Frank Fechteler, 18, told Judge Joan K. Alexander that he would not commit another crime during his sentencing hearing at New Britain Superior Court on Monday.
Police charged Fechteler with making bombs in February 2007. Investigators said he had detailed attack plans that included a list of targets, a map of Newington High School, a timeline for shooting people and a strategy for overpowering school security officials.
Authorities were tipped off to videos he posted on Youtube.com that showed him shooting long rifles and a friend detonating pipe bombs.
Alexander said she based the prison sentence on the need to deter others from doing the same thing. But she also noted that Fechteler had made good use of the time he was detained. Officials said he earned a general equivalency diploma with honors and was the top-ranked member of his class at Manson Youth Institution in Cheshire.
"I do believe you are an excellent candidate for rehabilitation," the judge said. "You are an extraordinarily talented individual who immersed themselves in a negative track."
Fechteler will serve five years' probation after the prison time and will be prohibited from consuming alcohol and drugs, having contact with people on the "hit list" and going on the high school grounds.
He pleaded guilty to the bomb-making charges last November.
Fechteler had faced up to four years in prison under the plea deal. His lawyer, Raul Davila, asked for an 18-month sentence and probation.
"I think Frank has learned his lesson," Davila told the judge.
Fechteler's family appeared relieved after the sentencing.
"It's over," said his father, William Fechteler, while his wife cried nearby.
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Information: The Herald of New Britain, http://www.newbritainherald.com, and The Hartford Courant, http://www.courant.com

Girl reports assault on school playground

Girl reports sex assault on school playground
Posted: Jun. 3, 2008
Franklinton, N.C. — Police on Monday continued to investigate a report that an 11-year-old girl who says she was sexually assaulted on the playground of Franklinton Elementary School.
The girl told police she was playing with two friends on Saturday, May 17 when a man she didn't know tripped her, held her to the ground and fondled her.
The other two friends didn't see the alleged assailant, police said.
Copyright 2008 by WRAL.com. All rights reserved.

Former teaching assistants plead guilty to student assault

Former teaching assistants plead guilty to student assault
Posted: May. 9, 2008
Raleigh, N.C. — Two former teaching assistants at Raleigh's Longview school were sentenced Wednesday in connection with an altercation involving a 12-year-old student.Cey-Bristol Williams, 23, and Don Jackson, 26, were arrested in January and charged with simple assault and misdemeanor child abuse in connection with the Dec. 4 incident Each pleaded guilty to one count of simple assault and was sentenced to 12 months' unsupervised probation and a 10-day suspended sentence. They must each pay a $250 fine, plus court costs.Both men were part of an intervention team that had been working with a male student who, according to court records, used a wooden object to attack one of their cars.According to the Wake County schools' Web site, Longview serves students "identified as in need of special education services and whose academic and behavioral needs require intensive and intrusive intervention."
Copyright 2008 by WRAL.com. All rights reserved.

2 Arrested in High School Assault

2 Arrested in High School Assault
Posted: Apr. 4, 2008
Fayetteville, N.C. — Two South View High School students were arrested Friday after horseplay turned violent on campus, authorities said.
Angel Santana, 17, of 4043 S. Main St., and Jabish Reid, 16, of 2079 Daniel Boone Lane, both of Hope Mills, were charged with assault inflicting serious bodily injury.
Investigators said the two teens asked Steven Michael Dunning, 18, if he wanted to play a game of “slap-boxing,” and one teen punched Dunning in the face when he refused. Dunning told investigators other students were involved, but he couldn't identify them.
Dunning had to be taken to Chapel Hill for extensive surgery to correct gum and bone damage believed to have been caused by a retainer he was wearing, authorities said.
Copyright 2008 by WRAL.com. All rights reserved.