Me a liberal?

My Liberal Identity:

You are a Social Justice Crusader, also known as a rights activist. You believe in equality, fairness, and preventing neo-Confederate conservative troglodytes from rolling back fifty years of civil rights gains.

Take the quiz at www.FightConservatives.com

Thanks to Truthspew for the link.

Mobile preacher arrested for incest and murder

MOBILE, Ala. - A Mobile man is facing charges of murder, rape, sodomy, and incest. Police believe Anthony Hopkins murdered his wife, and kept her in the freezer putting his family through a reign of terror and sexual abuse. It happened on Rylands Street.

Police say behind the yellow tape lived a family of eight children who've endured years of abuse. Police say their father, Anthony Hopkins; most likely killed his wife, and sexually abused at least one of his kids. But thanks to one brave child, it looks like the nightmare could be over.

Police say inside the brick walls was a family in pain. Living there was a father, a so-called evangelical preacher named Anthony Hopkins. Eight children were also under his roof. Monday night, one of those children paid a visit to the Child Advocacy Center. She arrived with a startling accusation.

"We had a victim present at our offices who complained about an on-going case of sexual abuse that had taken place over many years," said Steve Giardini, with the Child Advocacy Center.

So, investigators searched the home, and what they found was even more shocking.....the frozen body of a woman. They believe she was Hopkins’ wife, Arletha. Police say they found the body in a freezer. It was wrapped in a sheet, and placed in a utility room behind the home.

"We believe it has been there for quite a while. The last known reporting or sighting of her has been three years," said Mobile Police Chief Phillip Garrett.

Police have spent the past twenty-four hours searching the home, hoping to get a glimpse into a dark world. Police say the family kept a low-profile by moving around a lot. The kids were also home-schooled.

"Home-schooling under this situation removed almost any chances of us catching up with these kinds of things," explained District Attorney John Tyson Junior.

Now, those kids are with the Department of Human Resources.

"They're in protective custody. Obviously, this situation has been an ordeal for them. But, they're certainly better off then they were, there's no question about that," said Giardini.

Police say it will be a few days before they can make a positive ID on the body. That's because it's been in the freezer so long. Hopefully, an autopsy will help reveal what happened to this victim.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

JACKSON, Ala. - Pastor Beverly Jackson Recorded the first night of the revival at Inspirational Tabernacle church in Jackson. The service included something she never expected, the arrest of a visiting minister.

"They run in, and they had their guns out. I didn't know what was going on. I though it was the alarm system had gone off,” she said.

Anthony Hopkins had been preaching for about an hour. Jackson had invited the Mobile minister to conduct a week-long revival.

He and seven of his 8 children were at the church along with about 50 other church members.

Hopkins seven children sat on the front pew of the church. When their father finished his sermon they got up. The seven year old went to the drums. His 17-year-old daughter played the keyboard and the guitar. Even the four year old had a guitar of his own. But, within minutes their father was under arrest and they were in protective custody.

"The children didn't say much. They were very withdrawn,” said the police chief.

Jackson Police Chief Charles Burge said his officers and Clark County Sheriff's deputies made the arrest. They received a call from Mobile PD telling them to take Hopkins in before the service ended.

"There was concern about the safety of the children he had with him in the church. That's why they wanted to get him as quickly as possible,” he said.

Pastor Jackson said Hopkins had told her his wife died in childbirth several years ago.

She said at one point in the pulpit Hopkins sermon appeared to be directed at his children and his oldest daughter who wasn't there.

"I remember something he said, like he knew what was going to happen. He said he had talked to his oldest daughter that morning, and he has told the children he want them to forgive him for his past, present, and future. And he said that he told his daughter that morning he love her, and she has to do whatever she has to do,” she said.

Pastor Jackson said the revival at her church will go on the rest of the week without Hopkins and his family.The Jackson police chief said members of the Department of Human Resources picked up the children at police headquarters in Jackson around 2:00 a.m. Tuesday.

Judge hears testimony in ex-pastor's indecency with a child case

District Court Judge David Brabham was hearing testimony Wednesday morning in the sentencing phase of a trial for Charles Thomas Hogland, a former Longview preacher who pleaded guilty this week to indecency with a child.

Hogland was the pastor at Greggton Church of Christ when he was arrested in 2007 and accused of inappropriately touching a relative who was 10 years old at the time.

Hogland pleaded guilty on Monday before Brabham and has chosen for the judge to rule on his sentence instead of a jury. The prosecution was presenting evidence Wednesday morning.

Youth Minister Accused of Molesting 8 Year Old Girl

A man trusted by parents and children is behind bars. An O’Fallon, Illinois youth minister is accused of a sexual encounter with an 8 year old girl.

The incident happened in December 2007 police has investigated the allegations police arrested the minister on July 23rd and it had been under investigation until now.

Terrance Jenkins has been charged with predatory criminal sexual assault of an 8 year old child. Jenkins was a youth minister at Faith United Baptist Church in O’Fallon Illinois. He worked with kids of all ages. Pastor Willie Brown says Jenkins was charming, and good with the young people.

The little girl's mother got police involved when her daughter told her what happened. Police say he was the girl's godfather.

Pastor Brown says Terrance will not be allowed to return to the Faith United Baptist Church. Pastor Brown says the congregation feels betrayed.

Preacher Arrested for Breaking into Home, Stealing Sex Toy

A Haywood County pastor is accused of breaking into a woman's home and stealing a sex toy and a bottle of personal lubricant.

48 year old Scott Murray faces felony burglary and larceny charges. He was part of the Pastoral Ministries and Outreach programs at New Covenant Church in Clyde for nearly a decade.

Investigators say the incident happened late Friday night and by Saturday, Murray had turned himself in and resigned from his job.

The congregation and the entire Clyde community say they are shocked by the news of his arrest. "This is just unreal.. I'm sorry for the pastor and his family," says Linda Mason of Clyde.

The church's senior pastor, Nick Honerkamp, tells News 13 that he and his entire staff were shocked by the allegations. He says he is deeply grieving for the victim and praying for her, her family, and Scott Murray.

Murray and his family had not comments on the incident.

---------

What the fuck? Twisted

Nude pastor

The Reverend Jospeh Clayton formerly a pastor of the Nazareth Baptist Church in Blacksburg, is charged with indecent exposure.

Police in Burlington, North Carolina say a 21 year old woman accused Clayton of exposing himself outside a Barnes and Noble store on April 23, 2008. Police say the man took off and the victim wrote down his license plate number. Police say they traced it to Clayton.

On July 8 Clayton was arrested and charged with indecent exposure. He is out of jail on bond.

Clayton served as a chaplain for The Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office.

William Dover, Nazareth Baptist’s treasurer told us Rev. Clayton stepped down as pastor effective last week. He has pastored the church for 15 years.

Rev. Clayton could not be reached for comment.

A church member gave us this written statement:
Rev. Joseph Clayton has stepped down from all his duties at Nazareth Baptist Church effective immediately.
We are thankful that our Lord is able to work all things together for our good and His glory.
We appreciate your prayers for our church family and all those involved during this difficult time.

Pastor steals money from church

According to a report by KPRC Local 2 in Houston, Rev. Val Adams was arrested and accused of theft and forgery. The preacher has been accused of stealing from his own congregation.

Rev. Adam took over Canaan Baptist Church when his father, Lonzo Adams, became ill. Church members said that is when money started disappearing.

He is known for his ambitious business ventures. Former members told KPRC, according to an article by Daniella Guzman, that Adam would ask members for money to invest in different business ideas.

Rev. Adams’ own bankers alerted the police that he was depositing checks from the church to this personal account. He deposited more than $70,000 of the church’s money to his own account.

Adams, who is no longer preaching in the church, has an extensive criminal background. He has been arrested 16 times.

Rove in jail

Tomorrow, we'll be joining Brave New Flims and other progressive organizations for a press conference on Capitol Hill where we will call on Congress to hold Karl Rove in contempt. We'll also announce the success of our joint petition.

If you have not yet signed, please do so now. If you have signed, please forward this e-mail to five friends (or more!) and urge them to sign as well.

Combined, we are currently over 125,000 signers -- our new goal is 150,000 before the press conference tomorrow. Please help us get there!

-- Your Allies at People For the American Way

Buggery

A pastor of a church in rural Jamaica, who is also a supervisor at a boys home, has been charged with 30 counts of buggery, allegedly committed against boys at the institution.

The accused, who was originally charged with one count of buggery, appeared in the Richmond Resident Magistrate's court on Wednesday.

It was during the proceedings that it was revealed that other incidents had allegedly taken place between the accused and other boys at the institution.

After investigations, the pastor was slapped with 29 additional charges by the St Mary police.

The St Mary police confirmed that a man has been arrested and charged in relation to the allegations of buggery against children at the home but could not provide details.
The police said the accused has been remanded in custody and will return to court next Wednesday, July 30.

When contacted, Rasheda St Juste, communications officer at the Child Development Agency (CDA), which has responsibility for children who are in need of care and protection, said the CDA was aware of the latest charges that have been laid against the supervisor.

St Juste said the supervisor had been under investigation since March 2008 when the CDA reported a case of sexual abuse of a ward of the state to the police.

"The incident, which took place at the facility in February 2008, was reported to us by the victim himself," St Juste said in an e-mail response. "The CDA simultaneously began an investigation into the matter and reported the incident to the Office of the Children's Registry, as well as the Centre for the Investigation of Sexual Offences and Child Abuse (CISOCA). The manager has been on suspension since March when we made the report to the police. He was subsequently arrested, charged and released on bail."

St Juste said the child in the first case has been reintegrated with his mother and is receiving treatment from the CDA's clinical psychologist.

Trial of Baptist pastor goes ahead without prosecution disclosure

London: The criminal trial of Baptist pastor Hamid Shabanov began in the north-western town of Zakatala in Azerbaijan on July 22, despite the fact that the prosecution had refused to hand the defence the case materials, Baptist Union leader Ilya Zenchenko told Forum 18 News Service.
Trial of Baptist pastor goes ahead without prosecution disclosure

The trial resumes on July 28. The same court sentenced fellow Baptist pastor Zaur Balaev to prison in 2007. Shabanov is being prosecuted on charges that he held an illegal weapon and faces up to three years' imprisonment.

His church and family insist the weapon was planted during a massive raid on his home on June 20 during which he was arrested. They say he is being prosecuted to punish him for leading his congregation.

"Prosecutors very much want to sentence Hamid," Zenchenko warned. "This whole case has been staged. We pray to God for him to come home," Shabanov's family told Forum 18.

Meanwhile prosecutors in the capital Baku are trying to prosecute Jehovah's Witness conscientious objector Mushfiq Mammedov for a second time on charges of evading milita

Boys' home scandal

A pastor of a church in rural Jamaica, who is also a supervisor at a boys home, has been charged with 30 counts of buggery, allegedly committed against boys at the institution.

The accused, who was originally charged with one count of buggery, appeared in the Richmond Resident Magistrate's court on Wednesday.

It was during the proceedings that it was revealed that other incidents had allegedly taken place between the accused and other boys at the institution.

After investigations, the pastor was slapped with 29 additional charges by the St Mary police.

The St Mary police confirmed that a man has been arrested and charged in relation to the allegations of buggery against children at the home but could not provide details.
The police said the accused has been remanded in custody and will return to court next Wednesday, July 30.

When contacted, Rasheda St Juste, communications officer at the Child Development Agency (CDA), which has responsibility for children who are in need of care and protection, said the CDA was aware of the latest charges that have been laid against the supervisor.

St Juste said the supervisor had been under investigation since March 2008 when the CDA reported a case of sexual abuse of a ward of the state to the police.

"The incident, which took place at the facility in February 2008, was reported to us by the victim himself," St Juste said in an e-mail response. "The CDA simultaneously began an investigation into the matter and reported the incident to the Office of the Children's Registry, as well as the Centre for the Investigation of Sexual Offences and Child Abuse (CISOCA). The manager has been on suspension since March when we made the report to the police. He was subsequently arrested, charged and released on bail."

St Juste said the child in the first case has been reintegrated with his mother and is receiving treatment from the CDA's clinical psychologist.

Hawaii pastor accused of molesting girl for years

An O'ahu grand jury indicted a Kane'ohe pastor yesterday on charges of sexually molesting a member of his ministry over an eight-year period, starting when she was 12.

Manuel Guillermo Taboada, 56, also known as "Memo," was charged with seven counts of first- and second-degree sexual assault for allegedly molesting a member of a family that belonged to his ministry. The victim told police she and her family lived with Taboada in a Kane'ohe home, according to court filings.

Taboada was arrested Monday at Honolulu International Airport and is being held in lieu of $2 million bail.

Authorities said yesterday they also are working with police in Portland, Ore., where Taboada is said to be facing similar allegations. However, officials declined to say how many other alleged victims, if any, are involved, saying they are still investigating.

A woman who answered a telephone yesterday for Taboada's ministry, called "Back to the Cross," declined comment. But other members of the religious community who knew Taboada expressed shock.

"It's a thunderbolt," said Alex McAngus, chaplain for Waikiki Chaplaincy ministry, where Taboada and six other members of his Back to the Cross ministry regularly volunteered to lead services and perform other duties since late 2003.

"It's just beyond anything I could have imagined. You just don't expect to hear something like this about someone who you've been providing venues" to preach.

McAngus said that he never suspected anything criminal was going on in Taboada's ministry. But he said he did once ask Taboada about his "communal living" situation, and told him others would likely question it.

Taboada lived with his wife and several ministry members in a large home in Kane'ohe. He also has five sons, but it's unclear if they also lived there.

That home is up for sale, and several members of the Back to the Cross ministry have reportedly left the state in the wake of the allegations against Taboada.

It's unclear how many followers Taboada had in the Islands.

In addition to his Kane'ohe ministry, he apparently had followers in Oregon and Arizona. McAngus said Taboada regularly made trips to Oregon.

According to Back to the Cross' Web site, Taboada is originally from Peru and pursued Bible studies after running a successful business. Recordings of his sermons are on his Web site and on other religious Web sites.

Taboada also had a show on 'Olelo public access television.

In court yesterday, Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Vickie Kapp said Taboada warned the alleged victim in the molestation case that his "ministry would fall apart" if she told anyone what he was doing to her.

According to court documents, the molestation started in March 1999, when the victim moved into Taboada's Kane'ohe home.

It ended in April 2007, when the victim was 20.

She is now 21, and described the assaults in a July 16 interview with the Children's Justice Center, police with the sex crimes detail said in court documents.

McAngus said Taboada and members of his ministry stopped volunteering at the Waikiki Chaplaincy in late June, saying they were moving on to other opportunities.

McAngus added he hasn't talked to Taboada since, and when McAngus stopped at the Back to the Cross home last week to get equipment he had stored there, he was told Taboada was in Oregon. McAngus learned of the molestation case yesterday from other members of the religious community, he said.

Some boys

Expert says FBI checks needed for youth pastors; Picard back to Mansfield today

MANSFIELD -- A national expert recommends more stringent background checks of youth pastors.

David Allburn, executive director of Safe Harbor Resources and the National Foundation to Prevent Child Sexual Abuse, is critical of the process, although background checks are required for youth pastors.

"The scope and content of the checks is usually superficial," Allburn said. "Faith groups are especially vulnerable to cherishing the myth that 'it can't happen here,' so their leaderships usually feel that background checks are a routine to be accomplished as fast and cheap as possible."

Former Mansfield youth pastor John Picard, 40, was arrested Thursday in Springboro on 10 counts of sexual battery reportedly involving a teenage parishioner. He is accused of having sexual relations with a girl starting in 1992, when she was 13, and continuing until she reached adulthood. Picard was a youth pastor at Grace Brethren Church on Marion Avenue at the time.

Mansfield police said Picard has not been involved with Grace Brethren Church for about four years.

"Allegations started surfacing," Lt. Allen Vandayburg previously told the News Journal. "The ministers decided they didn't need his services anymore."

The Rev. J. Hudson Thayer did not return a call seeking comment.

Allburn recommends having youth pastors undergo an FBI fingerprint check.

"It exposes arrests from all states at once, going back more than 50 years, and revealing all fake names the sexual predator provided police when arrested," he said. "Actually, nobody knows for sure what an individual's name is, and, in fact, we might not care.

"He can call himself Donald Duck if he wants to because the FBI fingerprint check tells if that person was arrested for anything more serious than traffic and minor misdemeanors, no matter what his name."

According to Mansfield Municipal Court records, Picard had nothing more than a handful of traffic offenses before Thursday's arrest. He has no felony record in Richland County.

Police said they think there are more victims. Detective Jeff Shook opened the case in 2005. He said some of the alleged abuse occurred in the church, while other reported incidents happened at Picard's 419 Sloane Ave. residence.

Vandayburg said Picard has worked in Springboro for a steel company for some time but moved there only three or four months ago.

Anyone with information relating to the Picard case is asked to call Shook at 419-774-3533.

"The goal is to make this case so devastating to him that it stays out of the courtroom for the protection of these girls," Vandayburg said.

In a 2001 case at Grace Brethren, Michael Sloan was charged with sexual contact with seven teenage girls he met through the church. He pleaded no contest to five counts of sexual imposition and two counts of importuning -- all misdemeanors -- for inappropriately touching or soliciting the girls. He was given a one-year diversion sentence.

New allegations arise against Wheaton pastor

As Rev. Andre Allen's congregation gathers today to consider his dismissal, another woman has emerged with allegations he improperly touched her.

The 23-year pastor of Second Baptist Church in Wheaton could be ousted during a special meeting at 5 p.m. today if a majority of his estimated 275-member congregation votes for his dismissal.

The 54-year-old Wheaton man's leadership of DuPage County's oldest predominantly black church came into question after church leaders learned last month of his Nov. 2 arrest in a Schaumburg health club on battery and disorderly conduct charges. It's his second such arrest in about 10 years.

After learning about the pastor's recent troubles, a 44-year-old Carol Stream woman said she felt compelled to come forward with allegations Allen inappropriately touched her in 2001 at his church office. She filed a police report Friday, which was confirmed by Wheaton police.

The married mother of three said the two met by chance while both were waiting in line at a Downers Grove restaurant. Allen told her he was a motivational speaker, she said. The woman said she initiated a business relationship with him in hope of recruiting him for her company. She said they met six to 10 times in his church office during a six-month period. The final time they met, she said he repeatedly grabbed her against her objection under the guise it was to teach her self defense.

The woman said she never reported the incident to the police, but did tell church leaders and was assured he would be disciplined internally.

"I wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt," she said Friday, speaking on the condition of anonymity. "I just feel so stupid, and I'm sad I didn't push it more back then because these other women would never have had to have gone through this. At the time, I felt I did the decent thing by making the church aware."

Wheaton police Commander Joseph Eversole confirmed detectives took her report Friday and that it will be turned over to the state's attorneys office for review. But DuPage State's Attorney Joseph Birkett said the statute of limitations for a 2001 allegation expired so a prosecution cannot legally be pursued.

In the most recent incident, Allen was arrested Nov. 2 after two women said he groped them at Lifetime Fitness at 900 E. Higgins Road in Schaumburg after presenting himself as a self-defense instructor. Another woman made a similar complaint to police, but she declined to pursue charges.

Allen pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct Jan. 18 in Cook County for misrepresenting himself as an employee. As part of the plea deal, prosecutors dropped the battery charge. Allen was placed on one-year court supervision. He also agreed to perform 80 hours of community service.

He could not be reached for comment Friday. In a statement a day earlier, the former collegiate wrestler and coach denied any inappropriate physical contact, and said he simply was trying to garner interest in a self-defense class he hoped to instruct at the gym one day.

"I accepted the plea agreement simply to bring closure to the matter and to avoid embarrassment to my family, to my congregation and to me," he said. "It is my prayer that other feels as I do, that justice has been served, and that closure has been achieved."

Leaders of the 101-year-old church said Allen failed to disclose the arrest. Two weeks ago, in a 16-3 vote, they asked Allen to resign but he refused. The special meeting was called because church bylaws state the full congregation must vote by secret allot for a pastor to be terminated.

"We just felt the church needed to be aware what was going on," said Deacon Frank Jarrett, who described the emotional ordeal for the historic church. "I don't know if it's shock, frustration or anger that people are feeling. Initially, I was extremely hurt and lost some sleep but it is what it is. I don't wish him any ill will. I just hope it'll be over quickly."

More than 10 years ago, Allen was arrested on similar misdemeanor charges after two women accused him of touching them in a provoking or insulting manner as they worked out at a Holiday Inn in Lisle. Allen was placed on court supervision after being found guilty of one of the misdemeanors. He later had it expunged from his criminal record, but three law enforcement officials involved in the case confirmed the details. A woman at Wheaton Sports Center also complained about two years ago about Allen, but she declined to pursue charges, police said.


As Rev. Andre Allen's congregation gathers today to consider his dismissal, another woman has emerged with allegations he improperly touched her.

The 23-year pastor of Second Baptist Church in Wheaton could be ousted during a special meeting at 5 p.m. today if a majority of his estimated 275-member congregation votes for his dismissal.

The 54-year-old Wheaton man's leadership of DuPage County's oldest predominantly black church came into question after church leaders learned last month of his Nov. 2 arrest in a Schaumburg health club on battery and disorderly conduct charges. It's his second such arrest in about 10 years.

After learning about the pastor's recent troubles, a 44-year-old Carol Stream woman said she felt compelled to come forward with allegations Allen inappropriately touched her in 2001 at his church office. She filed a police report Friday, which was confirmed by Wheaton police.

The married mother of three said the two met by chance while both were waiting in line at a Downers Grove restaurant. Allen told her he was a motivational speaker, she said. The woman said she initiated a business relationship with him in hope of recruiting him for her company. She said they met six to 10 times in his church office during a six-month period. The final time they met, she said he repeatedly grabbed her against her objection under the guise it was to teach her self defense.

The woman said she never reported the incident to the police, but did tell church leaders and was assured he would be disciplined internally.

"I wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt," she said Friday, speaking on the condition of anonymity. "I just feel so stupid, and I'm sad I didn't push it more back then because these other women would never have had to have gone through this. At the time, I felt I did the decent thing by making the church aware."

Wheaton police Commander Joseph Eversole confirmed detectives took her report Friday and that it will be turned over to the state's attorneys office for review. But DuPage State's Attorney Joseph Birkett said the statute of limitations for a 2001 allegation expired so a prosecution cannot legally be pursued.

In the most recent incident, Allen was arrested Nov. 2 after two women said he groped them at Lifetime Fitness at 900 E. Higgins Road in Schaumburg after presenting himself as a self-defense instructor. Another woman made a similar complaint to police, but she declined to pursue charges.

Allen pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct Jan. 18 in Cook County for misrepresenting himself as an employee. As part of the plea deal, prosecutors dropped the battery charge. Allen was placed on one-year court supervision. He also agreed to perform 80 hours of community service.

He could not be reached for comment Friday. In a statement a day earlier, the former collegiate wrestler and coach denied any inappropriate physical contact, and said he simply was trying to garner interest in a self-defense class he hoped to instruct at the gym one day.

"I accepted the plea agreement simply to bring closure to the matter and to avoid embarrassment to my family, to my congregation and to me," he said. "It is my prayer that other feels as I do, that justice has been served, and that closure has been achieved."

Leaders of the 101-year-old church said Allen failed to disclose the arrest. Two weeks ago, in a 16-3 vote, they asked Allen to resign but he refused. The special meeting was called because church bylaws state the full congregation must vote by secret allot for a pastor to be terminated.

"We just felt the church needed to be aware what was going on," said Deacon Frank Jarrett, who described the emotional ordeal for the historic church. "I don't know if it's shock, frustration or anger that people are feeling. Initially, I was extremely hurt and lost some sleep but it is what it is. I don't wish him any ill will. I just hope it'll be over quickly."

More than 10 years ago, Allen was arrested on similar misdemeanor charges after two women accused him of touching them in a provoking or insulting manner as they worked out at a Holiday Inn in Lisle. Allen was placed on court supervision after being found guilty of one of the misdemeanors. He later had it expunged from his criminal record, but three law enforcement officials involved in the case confirmed the details. A woman at Wheaton Sports Center also complained about two years ago about Allen, but she declined to pursue charges, police said.

Pastor steals cars

NORTH CHARLESTON, SC (WCSC) - North Charleston Police busted an elaborate auto theft ring, and a Lowcountry pastor is one of their main suspects.

Hason "Tory" Fields, a pastor at Union Baptist Church downtown, has been arrested and charged with four counts of possession of a stolen vehicle. But Fields told Live 5 News Wednesday he's completely innocent.

"I have never stolen a car in my life," Fields said.

Fields is out of jail after he says he posted roughly $7,500 in bond. After a month-long investigation involving North Charleston Police and five other agencies Fields is one of five people arrested so far in the bust of an elaborate vehicle theft ring.

"That individual [Fields] was arrested for possession of two stolen motor vehicles," North Charleston Police detective Jason Forsythe said.

During a search of Field's home, police also found titles to two other vehicles they say he doesn't own. But Fields says those titles don't mean anything.

"They went through some old paperwork, they found an old title that was folded up between some paperwork," Fields said. "And a car that I purchased that I hadn't even got yet. That's it. Two pieces of paper, two titles. That's it."

Police say they came to Fields after another suspect said he bought a stolen vehicle from him. But Fields says he's never sold a car.

"Well, who am I selling them to? I mean, if I'm selling them to somebody wouldn't my name be on the titles? Wouldn't my name be on the paperwork? My name ain't on nothing."

Fields says he's nothing more than another victim who accidentally bought stolen vehicles. He says police are trying to pin all this on him because they can't find the real suspect.

"Because they need to find this other person," Fields said. "So, until they find him I guess they gonna come to me."

Four other people have been arrested for possession of a stolen vehicle in connection with the theft ring. But police say several other people have to be involved because the operation was too extensive for Fields to have acted alone.

Police say the theft ring was fairly advanced and very elaborate.

First they would go to salvage yards and steal the vehicle identification number, or the VIN, off vehicles that were totalled. Then they would request a duplicate title for the vehicle and then fraudulently alter the paperwork through the Department of Motor Vehicles so that the title said they owned the vehicle.

Next, they would go to car dealerships across South Carolina, in Georgia and in North Carolina, and would ask dealers to let them sit in cars matching the make and model of those for which they had titles to hear the engine. An accomplice would distract the salesman while another switched the real key to the car with a fake. They would then return to the dealership that night and steal the new car with the actual key.

They would then sell the new, stolen vehicle for which they had a real, but fraudulent title and registration.

After this process the only way police can tell the vehicle is stolen is by checking the VIN on the car to the VIN printed on the title or registration and finding they don't match.

Police say there are at least 10 more of these stolen vehicles on the road. They are urging anybody who recently bought a car not from a dealership to check the VIN on the car against their title. If they don't match, police say they should call them immediately so they don't get in trouble. Anybody who is caught by police driving one of the stolen cars will be hit with a felony charge of possession of a stolen vehicle.

Ex-pastor gets 40-year terms for sex assault

Thursday, July 17, 2008

The former pastor of a Gladewater church has been sentenced to two 40-year prison sentences for sexually assaulting two young sisters in the late 1990s.

A jury of seven men and five women deliberated about 15 minutes Wednesday before handing down the sentences for Larry Jackson, 55, who was pastor at the Gladewater Church of Christ on Main Street.

County Court at Law No. 2 Judge Alfonso Charles originally said the sentences would be served consecutively. Assistant District Attorney Jenny Huckle said she thinks the sentences will become concurrent because of the law at the time of the abuse. Charles is expected to make a decision today. Huckle said Jackson would be eligible for parole in 20 years.

Jackson, a Kilgore resident who was arrested in October, pleaded guilty to two counts of aggravated sexual assault Tuesday. The girls testified Tuesday, and their mother opened testimony Wednesday. The Longview News-Journal is withholding the names of the girls' family to avoid identifying sexual assault victims.

The mother said she met Jackson's wife while she and his wife were working in a group home for people with mental disabilities in Kilgore. After her husband was stationed out of state, she sometimes left her daughters at the Jackson home because of her work schedule. The girls sometimes stayed overnight.

The girls' mother said she did not learn of the abuse until the family moved to Virginia several years later.

"I feel like I failed my children," she said.

Following the mother's testimony, defense attorney Clifton "Scrappy" Holmes called several character witnesses, including Jackson's wife and daughter.

Jackson's wife, Carolyn, and 22-year-old daughter, Crystal, each cried on the witness stand as they discussed their love for him.

"I don't know what to do without my daddy," Crystal Jackson said.

Former Gladewater mayor John Paul Tallent also spoke on Jackson's behalf. Tallent said he knew Jackson for about 10 years, and he said Jackson's church work was valuable to the Gladewater community.

During cross examination, Tallent said he probably would not want his granddaughters to be alone with Jackson.

After the verdict was read, the girls' father said in a statement to the court that he was sorry for the pain of Jackson's relatives, but they would have wanted justice for their children had they been in his family's situation.

"I think the jury was right in their verdict," the father said.

Relatives in the audience began crying as Jackson was handcuffed.

"Daddy, I love you," Crystal Jackson cried out between sobs as he was walked out of the courtroom.

Holmes said Jackson probably would want to appeal the sentences.

Wheels of Justice Stalled in Kanawha County?

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) -- It has been ten months after a Kanawha County pastor was arrested and charged with sexually abusing teenage boys in the early 1990s. The case against Sandy Cook still has yet to go to trial.

One man who claims he's a victim says a slow-moving court system is victimizing him all over again.

David Mullins says he's not afraid or ashamed anymore to share his past of sexual abuse. He says it was at the hands of Pastor Sandy Cook eighteen years ago.

"There's nothing he can do to me. I am not that 13 or 14 year old kid," David Mullins said.

Mullins first told his story to investigators after Cook was charged in September 2007 with sexually abusing and sexually assaulting children in 1994.

Pastor Mike Lewis says he was also one of those victims.

"Started around 13. It happened for three and four years," Pastor Mike Lewis said.

Now they say the case against Cook has stalled.

"Why has it taken a year to get to the grand jury? Why is he so low on priority?" asked Mullins.

He says what's so hard to understand is that Cook is out on bond and according to his bail agreement, he's still allowed to be around children.
In some other sexual abuse cases, contact with minors is forbidden.

"There is still that potential chance. Why not keep away from children? Why not keep him away from the victims?" said Mullins.

Kanawha County Magistrate Joe Shelton stands by his decision not to forbid Cook from having contact with children. Shelton says Cook knows not to break any laws.

The Kanawha County Prosecuting Attorney's Office says it can not comment on a pending case. Sandy Cook did not return our phone call.

My life in the park

As a teenager, I spent my life in the park. People I knew were known by their cars. Porsche 914, Buick Century, etc. they weren't people they were cars. I had a great time in the park, lots of good sex. It was a great time in my life, I miss it.

Onanite

Chaplain who mentored Boy Scouts arrested

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A youth chaplain who mentored Boy Scouts in Charlotte has been arrested on exploitation charges.

The Charlotte Observer reported Tuesday that 62-year-old Charles Franklin Knight was arrested Monday on six counts of third-degree exploitation of a minor. Knight was being held in the Mecklenburg County Jail. It was unclear whether he had a lawyer.

A police report states a woman told Charlotte-Mecklenburg police earlier this month that Knight had material depicting sex acts with youths under age 18. Detectives seized a laptop computer from Knight's home in Charlotte.

Knight told police he had been involved with the Boy Scouts in Charlotte for 50 years.

The pastor at Christ Church in Gastonia, Brian Cornell, says Knight had co-coordinated a home-based youth program at the church.

Former Gladewater pastor pleads guilty in sexual assault of a child trial

A former Gladewater pastor pleaded guilty in court Tuesday morning to two counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child.

Larry Jackson, 55, of Kilgore was arrested on the charges in October. Jackson could face between 5 years and life in prison for each charge. Testimony continued Tuesday in the sentencing phase of his trial.

In her opening statement, Assistant District Attorney Jenny Huckle said Jackson molested two sisters under the age of 14 in the late 1990s. The oldest girl is now a sophomore in college, and the youngest girl will soon be a college freshman.

Jackson was the pastor at Gladewater Church of Christ. The girls and their family did not attend the church.

"That preacher put those little girls through their own personal hell," Huckle said to the jury.

The girls' mother was friends with Jackson and his wife. Huckle said the woman relied on the couple to take care of her daughters while she was at work and her husband, who served in the military, was stationed out of the state. The mother did not learn of the abuse until years later when the family moved to Virginia.

Defense attorney Clifton "Scrappy" Holmes said confession was "good for the soul" but not for a criminal defense. He said testimony in the trial would discuss all aspects of Jackson's character, and he requested the jury remember the good as well as the bad when deciding Jackson's sentence

Pastor in Police net for alleged human trafficking

Officials of the zone 5 police command Benin Edo State have arrested the head of a Christian gospel church in the state over an alleged involvement in human trafficking .

The suspect Bishop Nosayaba Agbonavbare of the Messiah Gospel Church of Cherubim and Seraphim was arrested by the police weekend for alleged role in human tarfficking and prostitution of young girls in Italy and other European countries.

But the suspect while speaking with journalists in Benin denied his involvement in the crime and attributed his fate to what he called a frame up by some aggrieved members of the church over an internal problem between the leadership and members of the church.

The arrest of the church leader who is also the Provost of the church followed a petition by two ladies(nameswitheld) to the National Agency for the Prohibition of Human Trafficking and other Related Matters, NAPTIP over threat to their lives by the said bishop

Vanguard investigations indicated that the ladies presently living abroad had approached the pastor for spiritual cleasing, special prayers for protection and sponsorship for their travel after reaching an agreement with the pastor on the amount of money to be paid by them.

Trouble was said to have started fter four months the ladies had paid the agreed fee the man of God came up with another demand and had threatened his clients with unpleasant consequences if they refused to remmit more money to his account.

However disturbed by the fear that their lives were threatened, the ladies petitioned NAPTIP who on their part contacted police who subsequently arrested the clergyman.

The police Public Relations Officer,PPRO, zone 5 Benin,Mr.A.B. Orubiri, an Assistant Superintendent of Police, ASP, declined comment when contacted yesterday saying that the case had not been reported to them.

Oregon Country Fair

I went to the Oregon Country Fair today. Lots of great food and cute guys. The fair has been running every year since 1969 and is full of old and new hippies. Lots of fun. The bus there held 110 people and we were packed in like sardines. My partner drives the buses, and will be shuttling people back and forth from pick up points throughout the city.


Here are some pictures from the fair......





Click to enlarge images. :)

Snake handling pastor arrested

The pastor of a Kentucky church that handles snakes in religious rites was among 10 people arrested by wildlife officers in a crackdown on the venomous snake trade.

More than 100 snakes, many of them deadly, were confiscated in the undercover sting after Thursday's arrests, said Col. Bob Milligan, director of law enforcement for Kentucky Fish and Wildlife.

Most were taken from the Middlesboro home of Gregory James Coots, including 42 copperheads, 11 timber rattlesnakes, three cottonmouth water moccasins, a western diamondback rattlesnake, two cobras and a puff adder.

If a friend invites me to a church service for a special occasion, I will gladly put up with rituals involving lighting candles or burning incense, but I draw the line at snake handling. I expect a snake in the pulpit, but I refuse to attend a service where the parishioners are handling snakes.

In the Garden of Eden the devil appeared to Eve as a serpent, by handling and caressing snakes aren't the pious worshipping Satan?

A minister shouldn't be above the law, I hope Rev. Coots is handed a stiff sentence for buying, selling and possessing illegal reptiles. Coots should also be charged with cruelty to animals, snakes don't belong cooped up in a house, they should be out in the wild.

There's a verse in the Bible that says that true believers can pick up snakes without being harmed, but there's also a verse that's says that if your eye offends you, pluck it out. Do these simpletons pluck out their eyes when they look upon a Jessica Alba and imagine all sorts of sexual thoughts?

I wonder if any parishioner has ever exclaimed: I am M***** F******* tired of all these M***** F***** snakes in this church!

Robert Paul Reyes is a NewsBlaze writer on Politics, Pop Culture and Pointless Pontificating. Contact him by writing to NewsBlaze.

Pastor arrested for possesing hemp

The Kade police have arrested four persons including a man said to be a pastor for possessing large quantities of dried leaves suspected to be Indian hemp.

They are Lawrence Aboagye, 64, who is described as a pastor of the Aladula Church at Kade, Jonas Kwame Odame, 34, Kwaku Odei, 35 and Prince Kwarkye, 19, a student.

The men were picked up at Kade during a police operation on Monday night led by Superintendent Wisdom Akorli, the Kade District Police Commander.

Briefing newsmen at Kade, Mr Akorli said following a tip-off, the police proceeded to a house at Kade where they discovered the stuff and arrested the men.

The suspected Indian hemp was packed in nine black large bags.

Mr Akorli said the suspects would be processed for court and the stuff sent to the police forensic laboratory in Accra for examination

Boycott

"Same-sex marriage advocates urged travelers Thursday to boycott two hotels owned by a San Diego County businessman who gave $125,000 to a group backing a California ballot initiative to ban gay marriage.

Doug Manchester, who owns the Manchester Grand Hyatt in downtown San Diego and the Grand Del Mar golf resort near La Jolla, donated the money to the National Organization for Marriage in January"

Pastor molests boy

LUVERNE — A pastor at a Lutheran church in Watertown, S.D., has been charged with criminal sexual conduct in Rock County after a teenage boy reported the man’s alleged behavior to staff at Southwest Youth Services (SWYS) in Magnolia.

The investigation into the matter led police to the man’s home, where authorities said they found child pornography on his computer and arrested him.

Dennis Adelbert Hayes, 67, is charged in Rock County with second-degree criminal sexual conduct with a 13- to 15-year-old victim while in a position of authority, fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct of a clergy member during a meeting for religious advice and fifth-degree criminal sexual conduct with non-consensual sexual contact.

Hayes was released on his own recognizance in Watertown, and bail was set in Rock County at $10,000. Conditions of release in Rock County include no contact with the victim, the teen’s family or any person under the age of 18.

The complaint from Rock County states the victim, a member of Hayes’ congregation, accused him of putting his hands down the back of the victim’s pants, touching his bare buttocks.

The teen said he views Hayes as a pastor and a father figure. On June 27, Hayes picked the teen up from SWYS for an outing to the library in Luverne. During the drive, Hayes allegedly held the boy’s hand and told him how much he loved him. While at the library, the teen said Hayes rubbed his back, making him feel uncomfortable.

Returning to SWYS, Hayes allegedly hugged the teen in the parking lot. During the hug, the teen said Hayes rubbed his back, and then put his hand down into the teen’s pants and underwear, rubbing his buttocks for about two seconds before removing his hand and telling the boy he loved him.

The teen indicated that in his one year stay at SWYS, Hayes would visit every couple weeks, taking him off the premises once a month or so. While off the campus, Hayes would allegedly rub the teen’s back and chest both on top and underneath his shirt.

During an interview June 28, Hayes told authorities he had known the boy for about three years, since he was enrolled in the St. Martin Christian School, which Hayes oversaw. He indicated he fostered a relationship with the boy at the various juvenile centers the teen was transferred to, even researching SWYS on the Internet to find out its location when the boy was transferred there.

When asked about the incident the victim had reported, Hayes said is was not unusual to hold hands during a car ride with the boy, but he tried not to initiate it to much because it was “weird” for boys and men to be that close. Hugging between the two was normal, and he admitted to rubbing the boy’s back and chest when the teen was upset about something.

Hayes said he may have touched the victim’s buttocks during the hug the day before because the boy’s pants were hanging low. Later he admitted to putting his hands inside the teen’s pants and underwear.

Hayes denied any homosexual relationship with the boy. He indicated anyone looking at the hug in the parking lot would consider it inappropriate.

Court appearances are scheduled for Hayes Monday in Rock County and Tuesday in Codington County, S.D.

A call to the Codington County Attorney’s Office regarding pending charges in South Dakota was not returned.

boyz

Watertown pastor suspected of having sexual contact with a child

A Watertown pastor suspected tonight of having sexual contact with a child.

KSFY obtained these court documents which lays out the case against Dennis Hayes.

In documents released by Watertown Police, we're told the suspected contact happened last Friday when Hayes took a juvenile boy he had been mentoring from the "Southwest Youth Services Center" in Magnolia, Minnesota to a library in Luverne, Minnesota.

The boy claims during the drive to Luverne, Hayes held his hand and told him he loved him.

While at the Luverne library, he claims Hayes rubbed his back outside his shirt.

During the drive back to Magnolia, he says hayes touched and rubbed his hand again.

And upon arriving in Magnolia, he claims Hayes slid his hand down into his pants and rubbed his buttocks.

The boy told authorities this has been going on for a year.

Hayes has told police he has patted and rubbed the boy in the past to calm him down, but then admitted he had placed his hand in the boys pants and touched his buttocks.

Hayes is a pastor at St. Martin's Evangelical Lutheran Church in Watertown he is now charged with three counts of sexual contact with a minor: In addition, Hayes was arrested today and charged with possession of child porn. He's free on his own recognizance tonight.

The flag of the United States

The flag of the United States of America consists of 13 equal horizontal stripes of red (top and bottom) alternating with white, with a blue rectangle in the canton bearing 50 small, white, five-pointed stars arranged in nine offset horizontal rows of six stars (top and bottom) alternating with rows of five stars. The 50 stars on the flag represent the 50 U.S. states and the 13 stripes represent the original Thirteen Colonies that rebelled against the British Crown and became the first states in the Union.[1] Nicknames for the flag include the stars and stripes, Old Glory,[2] the American flag, and the star-spangled banner (also the name of the country's official national anthem).

Because of its symbolism, the starred blue canton is called the "union". This part of the national flag can stand alone as a maritime flag called the Union Jack.


Happy July 4th

Pastor rapes children

PORTLAND, Ore. – Police last week arrested a pastor who allegedly raped children, authorities said Wednesday.

Maximo Ake-Be, 31, faces charges of rape, sodomy and sex abuse in connection with a series of sexual assaults dating back to 1998, said Portland Police Sergeant Brian Schmautz.

Ake-Be appeared in court Wednesday and pleaded innocent on all charges. A judge set bail at $4.5 million.

The investigation began when two alleged victims recently reported that Ake-Be sexually assaulted them between 1998 and 2000. During that time, the girls and their families attended The Peach House, a private in-home church located in the 5300 block of Northeast Hoyt Street.

The girls were approximately eight and twelve years old when the alleged abuse began.

In 2006, Ake-Be became the Senior Pastor of Iglesia De Dios, located at 400 South Pacific Avenue in Kelso, Wash.

Investigators believe there are additional victims, associated with either The Peach House Church or the High Praises Fellowship Church, who have not yet come forward.

Iglesia De Dios shares space with High Praises Fellowship Church in Kelso. No one affiliated with High Praises Fellowship Church is a suspect in the investigation.

Also: Portland pastor gets 3 years for sex abuse

Ake-Be is in the U.S. illegally, police said. Immigration has placed a hold on him.

He will appear in court again on August 13. Ake-Be's wife told KGW she believes he's innocent.

Anyone with information about the suspect is asked to call (503) 823-0182, or (360) 577-3412.