ME- Vandals target Scarborough home

5-21-2009 Maine:

SCARBOROUGH (May 21, 2009): When Ted Quinn woke up at his 213 Pleasant Hill Road home in Scarborough Tuesday morning, he noticed what he thought was frost on his kitchen window.

Quinn inspected the mark more closely and realized the spot on his window wasn’t from the cold. Someone had covered the outside of his home with white spray paint.

“I couldn’t believe it,” Quinn said Thursday. “I felt angry and violated.”

Either Monday night or early Tuesday morning, someone spray painted his home and garage with obscenities. His outdoor lighting, grill and patio were also sprayed, and his screen doors slashed, according to Scarborough police.

Quinn’s insurance company estimated the damage at about $25,000, he said.

It wasn’t the vandalism so much as the wording that bothers Quinn, who is a real estate agent for Ingalls Commercial Brokerage in South Portland.

“A big thing that really concerned me was the writing in three spots,” Quinn said. “I’ve lived here for a year and a half, my son’s 15, so I’ve coached baseball and basketball and a lot of my friends are Scarborough parents who know me. The problem is there are about 200 houses back here and this is prominently displayed. I had a conversation with one of my neighbors who said, ‘I bet a sex offender’s moved in and they are identifying him.’”

According to Scarborough’s sex offender registry, there is no person listed on the registry who lives on Pleasant Hill Road.

The family is still staying in the home, in which hey have lived for a little more than a year.

Neighbors who know Quinn said they feel sorry for him and his family, but the wording has sparked curiosity, said Marjory Halacy of Flintlock Road just behind his house.

“That’s a hate crime, that’s the way I look at it,” she said. “It’s a terrible offense personally and also in the neighborhood. I’ve had 25, maybe 30 people who have stopped saying they were so concerned asking me, ‘who do we have living in the neighborhood?’ I just had to put my hands up and told them to please stop asking and not to go in that thought direction. It just reflects so badly on him as a person.”

Jan Strait, who lives up the road from Quinn on Tenney Road, said she was shocked at the level of hate.

“It looks like he was targeted specifically because they didn’t get anyone else,” she said. “I think it’s isolated. I think they thought they knew him and it was specifically for that person.”

That, Quinn said, is the most upsetting part of the vandalism.
“It is disturbing. I’m confident there is no one in my family that warranted this,” Quinn said. “To me, there’s so much, it looks like there is a lot of hate and a lot of anger in it. I’m confident that we didn’t create this much anger or create a situation for someone to do this. I really hope that whoever did it (will) accept responsibility for this. What was done is senseless.”

Scarborough police are investigating the vandalism. They do not have any leads at this time, but they said they believe the incident is isolated.

“My thought is it could be someone who knows him or his family, I don’t know," said Detective Sgt. Rick Rouse. "We don’t have any suspects at this time.”

Halacy said this is the first time in her 25 years of living in the neighborhood that she has seen this level of vandalism. However, she said, it’s not the first time problems have popped up in the area.

“I have had a lot of things stolen from my house here,” she said. “I had a 6-foot Nutcracker on my door, and that was ripped right off the door a couple of Christmases ago. I’ve had a flag and pole stolen off the side of the house, my Canadian Geese stolen and the hose on the side of my house had been cut at one time. I have dealt with a lot of problems.” ..Source.. by Al Edwards, Reporter - American Journal

ME- Man arrested with rifle complained of 'pedophiles'

5-18-2009 Maine:

Herbert Jones, 46, said he was targeting people in an AA meeting in a church behind Portland High School. A school resource officer nabbed him.

5:30 p.m.

PORTLAND -- Portland police say a man arrested with a high-powered rifle this morning outside an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting in a church basement claimed there were pedophiles inside.

School Resource Officer Stephen Black was securing Portland High School at 8 a.m. when he spotted a man loading a rifle in what is commonly referred to as “Freshman Alley” behind the school. Black approached the man from behind and ordered him to drop the rifle.

Herbert Jones, 46, of Valley Street, was charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm, terrorizing, stalking and possessing a firearm in a school zone. His target, apparently, were people attending an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting in the basement of the First Parish Unitarian Church, which abuts the alley. Police say there was no connection to the school andstudents were never in any danger.

Another man, Walter Begaye, 43, of Portland was sitting in the passenger seat of Jones’ BMW convertible when Jones was arrested. Begaye was charged with having a concealed weapon after a knife was found underneath the seat he was sitting in.

Police also recovered a shotgun and four knives from the car and another rifle from Jones’ house.

KS- Vigilante mom relieved to see molester sentenced

5-19-2009 Kansas:

Wichita — An admitted child molester who was on the receiving end of some vigilante justice by his victim's mother was sentenced to more than four years in prison on Friday.

One week ago, it looked like Scott Phillips might go free, even after a jury convicted him of fondling an 8-year-old girl. A judge threw out the conviction after it was discovered that jurors had been allowed to consider a lesser charge as an alternative to the original rape charge, a practice ruled illegal by the state Supreme Court.

But Judge Gregory Waller ruled that because of the problems with the first trial, it wouldn't be unconstitutional double jeopardy for Phillips to be re-tried.

So on Friday, Phillips pleaded guilty to a charge of aggravated indecent liberties with a child, or criminal fondling. Waller then sentenced Phillips to four years and one month in prison. Good behavior in prison could shave off 15 percent of that sentence.

Hugging her daughter outside the courtroom, the victim's mother said the outcome was the best she could hope for.

"She won. This is a victory for her," she said, referring to her daughter.

"I am so excited. At least he's not going to walk out of here."

The mother isn't being named by The Associated Press to protect her daughter's identity.

The mother didn't wait for the first trial to try to punish Phillips. She was accused of abducting Phillips and threatening him and his family. In separate incidents, she defecated in his car, and removed him from work and forced him to disrobe in the woods. She is now on probation for criminally threatening Phillips.

The girl was 8 when the abuse occurred five years ago. She frequently spent the night at Phillips' home while her mother, a former Wichita police officer and longtime friend of Phillips' wife, Kaylene Phillips, was on duty.

Scott Phillips apologized to the girl in front of the court.

"I'm sorry for everything that happened. You need to know that none of it was your fault," he said. "It's all my fault." ..News Source.. by LJWorld.com

NJ- Morris child molester attacked by girl's mother before his sentencing

5-18-2009 New Jersey:

MORRISTOWN -- A Morris County man who was awaiting sentencing for sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl got attacked by her mother in a hallway outside the courtroom today.

Just before Pascual Gonzalez, 39, was sentenced to five years in state prison in Superior Court in Morristown, Sheriff's officers had to restrain the mother from attacking Gonzalez.

The woman, whose name is being withheld to protect the girl's identity, became irate and grabbed Gonzalez by the shirt, tearing three buttons off of it, and screamed repeatedly that he made a comment to provoke her. However, Gonzalez told Sheriff's officers he did not say anything to the woman.

He claimed the attack was unprovoked and was witnessed by his brother, who accompanied him to court, as well as Sheriff's officers and an assistant prosecutor who were in hallway.

Gonzalez said he already had a restraining order against the woman and wanted to file a new complaint about the hallway incident. The officers later took his statement about it.

Gonzalez's child-sex assault came to light in Dover on Aug. 4, when police responded to a call about an attack on West Blackwell Street and arrived to find the mother smacking him and his car with a baseball bat, authorities had said. At that time, the mother had just learned that Gonzalez had been molesting her daughter.

IL- Flier ID's Innocent Man As Sex Offender

5-18-2009 Illinois:

Man With No Criminal Record Learns About Flier Identifying Him As a Sex Offender

GENEVA, Ill. - A flier distributed in this western suburb of Chicago calls a real estate agent a sex offender when the man actually has no criminal record, authorities said.

Charles Bowgren, 53, was visiting his father in the hospital earlier this week when he learned about the flier that identified him as a sex offender. His daughter called him after a neighbor brought over the flier, which has an apparently doctored logo of the state Department of Corrections along with his photo and home address. It was sent to Bowgren's neighbors and his co-workers at a ReMax in the nearby suburb of St. Charles.

"What more can go wrong in one day?" Bowgren said Wednesday. "Obviously, it's all a fraud."

Geneva Police Commander Joe Frega said the flier looks like a total fabrication. He said police haven't yet determined a motive.

"I would guess there was malicious intent," Frega said. "If it's a joke, it's not very funny."

Bowgren, who lives with his daughter and granddaughter, called the incident "nerve-wracking" but said his neighbors are rallying behind him.

Jodi Ladron De Guevara, a neighbor who received the flier, called it "a very cruel joke."

"I've known Chuck for four years," she said. "He's a great humanitarian. He's a great guy." ..News Source..

FL- E-mail identified wrong man as sex offender

5-11-2009 Florida:

Mix-up offers a cautionary tale to those who hit 'send' in haste

EAST MANATEE - Thomas Carpenter's job as a tae kwon do instructor for children requires a high level of trust from parents.

In one lesson, Carpenter plays the role of a creep who grabs the children's shoulders; to get away, the elementary school-age students thrust up their arms to push off Carpenter's hands before giving him a hard shove so they can run away.

The parents chat casually among themselves as they watch through a glass window at Carpenter's studio on State Road 70, just east of Interstate 75.

"I'm 100 percent comfortable with what happens here in class," said parent John Schultz.

But Carpenter's reputation took an unfair beating recently when someone sent an anonymous and erroneous e-mail alleging that Carpenter was a state-registered sex offender.

"I am writing to inform you that the owner and chief instructor of this facility is a registered sex offender," said the April 18 e-mail, sent to several businesses in the plaza shared by Carpenter's Family Taekwondo. "Obviously, this person should not be dealing with children. I urge you to ... make local parents aware of the potential danger they could be putting their children in."
The e-mail was incorrect. Carpenter is not a sex offender, and now the sender, if he or she can be identified, could face criminal charges and a civil suit as a result.

For Carpenter's lawyer, the situation is a cautionary tale of how in a world of instantaneous communication -- and in a society that places a virtual scarlet letter on sex offenders -- people had better have their facts straight before sending out warnings about strangers.

"This is the downside to the easy public access to information about sex offenders," said attorney Kevin Bruning of Sarasota. "Even the average person has to understand the impact of what they're saying because if you're wrong, it could be devastating for that person."

MA- Coakley wins injunction against neighbor from hell

4-3-2009 Massachusetts:

Last week Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley announced that her office had obtained a three-year injunction against Deborah May, a Norwood woman accused of terrorizing her gay former neighbor.

The injunction comes as part of a settlement with May, approved by Norfolk Superior Court Judge E. Susan Garsh. In January Coakley succeeded in obtaining a civil rights injunction against May (see "AG Coakley slaps civil rights injunction on homophobic neighbor from hell," Jan. 7).

"Hate-motivated conduct cannot be and is not tolerated in Massachusetts," wrote Coakley in a statement announcing the settlement. "Everyone in this state is entitled to reside in their home free of bias-motivated harassment and intimidation. Our office will continue to aggressively pursue cases where intolerance interferes with another person’s civil rights."

According to Coakley’s office May, who does not have a listed phone number and who Bay Windows was unable to reach for comment, engaged in harassment of her former neighbor for several months, beginning in November 2007. Coakley’s office alleges that May, who at the time lived in the same apartment complex as the victim, began spreading rumors that he was a pedophile and sexual predator.

Six months later she complained to the landlord about the victim’s Pride flag hanging outside his window, prompting the landlord to ask him to remove it. On several occasions May allegedly shouted anti-gay epithets at him within the presence of fellow tenants, and on one occasion she physically confronted him in his yard. Last August she filed a baseless complaint against him to Norwood police, claiming that he tried to expose himself to her.

Under the terms of the settlement May is prohibited from threatening or harassing anyone in the state based on his or her actual or perceived sexual orientation. She must also refrain from contacting her former neighbor and his family, and she must stay 500 feet away from him and his residence and 500 yards away from his place of employment. Should she violate the terms she could face a fine of up to $5000 and a two-and-a-half year jail sentence; if she causes bodily injury while violating the agreement the penalty could be as high as a $10,000 fine and a 10-year sentence. ..News Source.. by Ethan Jacobs

OH- SEX OFFENDER'S PHONE, CABLE CUT

3-29-2009 Ohio:

A sex offender's phone and cable service was cut apparently by someone disgruntled with him residing nearby.

According to a Ross County Sheriff's Office report, the landlord of a residence on the 300 block of Valley Drive reported "all the neighbors are in an uproar" because he had rented to a sex offender.

The cable and phone lines were cut and dragged down to Ohio 772 sometime between 9 a.m. and 12:55 p.m. Thursday. ..News Source.. by Chillicothe Gazette.

AR- Father Accused of Shooting Sex Offender

3-26-2009 Arkansas:

HELENA-WEST HELENA, AR---A man in Helena-West Helena, Arkansas, is behind bars accused of shooting a registered sex offender he claims raped his young daughter.

The shooting happened on March 25, 2009, on Oakland Avenue. Police charged 26 year-old Jimmy Haynes with first degree battery for shooting his girlfriend's father, registered sex offender Kovadis Maxie.

According to police reports, Haynes accused Maxie of raping his young daughter. Police say Haynes confronted Maxie at his home, pulled a gun, and shot him in the leg.

Maxie had a trip to the hospital, but he did not go to jail.

In the state of Arkansas, Kovadis Maxie is listed as a registered sex offender. He was convicted of first degree sexual abuse. He is listed as a Level 3 offender, which means he has a high risk of re-offending.

Helena-West Helena investigators say they did not arrest Maxie because there is no proof of the sexual assault of which Haynes is accusing him.

Haynes also picked up a child endangerment charge. Police say that's because during his scuffle with Maxie, he tossed his loaded gun into the car near his two year-old son.

Police say this case should be a lesson to never take matters into your own hands. Detective Dennis Cox says, "An incident like this where matters were taken into their own hands, what they've done is more or less hurt themselves and their family. Because the seriousness of the situation it's a possibility the father is not going to be around for his children for a long time."

Jimmy Haynes is facing up to 20 years in prison if convicted of the felony battery charge. If you suspect child abuse call your state's child abuse hot line listed below:

..News Source.. by Tenikka Smith

KY- Charity scraps idea for sex offender home in Ky.

3-19-2009 Kentucky:

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — A Catholic charity in Kentucky faced an uproar over its efforts to buy a home for four registered sex offenders, continuing what supporters say is a never-ending cycle for low-income offenders trying to get their lives back on track.

Members of the Catholic Action Center said they expected to hear fears and objections from the community when they held a forum at a Baptist church in January on their carefully planned purchase. They didn't expect to hear death threats.

The residents' extreme reaction has scuttled the center's plan and left its leader wondering if there's anywhere to house the paroled pariahs.

The outrage over the plan in Lexington and a similar case in New Hampshire — where a church pastor infuriated neighbors by taking in a convicted child killer released from prison — show the struggles that Christian charities or individuals face in trying to reach some of society's untouchables.

The charity was well within the law: The property was more than 1,000 feet from a school or daycare, and police were notified days in advance. Officials even scheduled a courtesy meeting to assure neighbors that the men had to follow strict rules — drug testing, counseling and a 6 p.m. curfew. That meeting is where the plan fell apart, as neighbors voted unanimously against it.

"If we let this happen, how many more houses are going to be bought up by do-gooders and churches?" neighborhood resident Ed Clark said. "It's going to be a breeding ground for sex offenders."

The most compelling speech came from Carrie Nutter, a mother of three who erupted in tears as she told of being raped by a family member as a child. The Associated Press does not generally identify victims of sexual assault, but Nutter later agreed to be interviewed.

"It is like what I lived 18 years ago just smacked me in the face," Nutter said. "I know what I'm capable of doing if somebody did something to my children."

Others at the meeting were even more explicit, and charity co-founder Ginny Ramsey said anonymous phone calls warned of extreme violence if the house was bought.

The next day, the center scrapped the plans and quietly started looking for new arrangements for the jobless and homeless ex-convicts.

"You don't move people into a place where they say they have to kill sex offenders," Ramsey said. "They have to be willing to go forth with the process."

One of the men who would have moved into the Lexington home is Terry Gaunce, who served 10 years in prison for a rape he says he didn't commit. He constantly moved and stayed in a hotel at the charity's expense for several weeks until Ramsey helped him find a home in another neighborhood.

As new schools or child care centers pop up, his low-income housing options dwindle because of a Kentucky law that took effect in 2006 prohibiting sex offenders from living within 1,000 feet of them. Even a homeless shelter where he lived was deemed off-limits when law enforcement determined it was too close to a YMCA.

Gaunce said it seems sex offenders never get to live down their offenses while other criminals can.

"What if you've got a murderer living next door you don't know, or somebody who likes to rob places?" Gaunce said. "It doesn't make it right to be picking on one certain group of people. They need to examine the cases a little more closely."

Ernie Allen, a Louisville native and CEO of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, said sex offenders pose a "psychological threat" to communities because they have a higher risk of recidivism.

Claims of high recidivism are untrue, study after study shows low recidivism rates.

"Putting four offenders in one facility is akin to putting a community correctional facility in the neighborhood," Allen said. "There aren't too many people who are going to be enthusiastic about that."

Later this month, a task force featuring former judges and attorneys will meet in Lexington to discuss the next step.

Rebecca DiLoreto, an attorney on that panel, said neighbors must be part of the process even if they complain. She said similar tensions eased in Louisville and Owensboro when Department of Corrections officials organized a system for members of the community to regularly check on the sex offenders.

Lawmakers should also reconsider restrictive housing laws, DiLoreto said.

"It was an easy thing to be as harsh as possible because that wins you points in the political arena, without thinking about the consequences," DiLoreto said.

While Ramsey said she has an open mind, she has no interest in moving any sex offender into the neighborhood that sparked the outcry. She decided not to buy the home at all, even for a different charitable purpose.

"Anybody we put in there would still be suspect by the neighbors," Ramsey said.

Dan Bishop, pastor of the Baptist church where the community meeting in Lexington was held, said he is relieved.

While he said the issue presents a delicate balance between giving people a second chance and keeping neighborhoods safe, he ultimately agreed the men shouldn't be allowed in the neighborhood. He even proposed accelerating plans for a new school at the church to legally block them.

Still, he acknowledges they have to live somewhere.

"There is a solution for every problem," Bishop said. "We just don't know what the solution for this is yet." ..News Source.. by JEFFREY McMURRAY

IN- 'Child molester lives here' spray-painted on man's fence

Really smart reporting, explaining to whoever, he you got the wrong house, its a few houses away...

3-16-2009 Indiana:

Graffiti discovered on an Evansville man's fence Sunday morning suggested falsely that a child molester lives at his residence.

Roy Hall reported the graffiti on his fence at 1305 W. Virginia St. about 9:30 a.m. According to an Evansville Police Department report, it read: "A child molester lives here!"

Hall's son reportedly walked by the fence around midnight, at which point it had not yet been spray-painted.

No suspects have been identified.

According to the Indiana Sex Offender registry, no offenders reside at Hall's address. A convicted child molester does live on the same block in a different house, according to the registry. ..News Source.. by Staff Report

PA- Easton Man Charged In Slashing Of Fellow Inmate

3-6-2009 Pennsylvania:

A Northampton County Prison inmate was arrested Thursday on charges he used a razor to slash another inmate who is awaiting trial in a 30-year-old homicide case.

Michael Anthony Garcia, 17, was charged with simple assault and harassment and sent back to county prison under $10,000 bail by District Judge Gay Elwell of Easton.

Garcia allegedly cut Robert W. White Jr., 51, on Feb. 9 in the forehead about five times, causing a 2-inch cut on the left side of his forehead, said Lt. Chris Naugle .

Garcia was in prison on aggravated assault charges, according to court papers. The details surrounding those charges were not available.

White, who was arrested last year, faces a capital homicide charge in the 1978 death of 21-year-old Virginia Morrell, who was found naked with her hands tied behind her back and her mouth and nose covered with duct tape.

White has convictions for sexual violence, including an attempted rape of a 20-year-old woman in Forks Township a few weeks after Morrell died. In 1982, he was convicted in Virginia of abducting and raping a 22-year-old woman, and attempting to maim or rape a 27-year-old woman.

At the time of her death, Morrell was living next door to White at an Ann Street apartment complex on Easton's South Side. White was arrested after an Easton detective began reviewing the case last year and matched White's DNA to a nightgown on which Morrell was lying.

When arrested, White was living in Virginia, where he was required to register as a violent sex offender. ..News Source.. by The Morning Call.com

AZ- Accused jail killer also assaulted inmate in January

Yes, this is a bit confusing, Van Winkle beat up Summerlin (sex offender see video) in January, then this article goes on to show that Van Winkle murdered Cotton (non sex offender). Van Winkle's comment: "He's a sex offender. I had to do it," Van Winkle told officers."

3-5-2009 Arizona:

The man accused of beating an inmate to death in Maricopa County Jail last May brutally assaulted another inmate in jail in January, with both incidents occurring under the watch of the same detention officer.

Sheriff's officials released information about Pete Van Winkle's alleged January assault of Warren Summerlin on Thursday morning in response to an Arizona Republic records request.

Van Winkle is also accused of beating Robert Cotton to death on May 1, 2008, in the Fourth Avenue Jail.

Video surveillance of that attack showed a man officials said is Van Winkle attempting to drop Cotton's body onto a recreation yard one floor below. Detention officers moved Van Winkle to the jail's Special Management Unit, an area reserved for some of the county's most dangerous criminals.

Van Winkle was charged with Cotton's murder. Cotton was in jail at the time on drug and vehicle theft charges.

Warren Summerlin was housed in a state corrections facility until July, but was back in county custody while he was awaiting a plea agreement and re-sentencing his 1981 sexual assault and murder of a bill collector in Phoenix.

The two men should have never crossed paths, but Jack MacIntyre, a chief deputy with the Sheriff's Office, said a malfunctioning light bulb laid the groundwork for the January attack.

Summerlin was just finishing up his time in the recreation area that separates each cell in the Special Management Unit at about 6:30 p.m. on Jan. 8 when the detention officer opened the door to allow Summerlin back into his cell.

AL- Rape Victim's Kin Beat Suspect With Pipe

3-5-2009 Alabama:

MOBILE, Ala. -- A rape suspect is in the hospital after police in Mobile say the alleged victim's relatives attacked him.

Police said 55-year-old John Berryhill is accused of raping a 13-year-old girl after he broke into her house on Dauphin Island Parkway. Around 3 p.m. Tuesday, three men attacked Berryhill with a metal pipe.

On Wednesday, police announced the three men who beat Berryhill are relatives of the rape victim.

Berryhill is charged with rape and burglary. He will be taken to jail once he is released from USA Medical Center.

A grand jury will decide whether the men who attacked Berryhill will face any charges. ..News Source.. by WSBTV.com

WA- The Good Unrepetent Mother

The following comes from the Simple Justice Blog with my comments added. eAdvocate

3-2-2009 Washington:

Tammy Gibson was a mother who cared enough about her daughter that she was ready to beat William Baldwin to death. When everything was over, including her prosecution, she was ready to do it again. And her hope is that next time, she will have greater success. What do we do with Tammy Gibson?

Doug Berman asked the question at Sentencing Law & Policy, then asked some other blawgers what they thought about it. It was a great question.

According to police documents, Level-3 sex offender William A. Baldwin had moved into his uncle's home in Tacoma in early June. Following his move, county deputies distributed flyers around the neighborhood to alert residents of his presence. On June 19, Gibson went to the house in the trailer park and asked for Baldwin.

When Baldwin stepped outside, she claimed she was going to kill him because Baldwin had molested her children. Gibson then proceeded to hit Baldwin repeatedly with her bat, the document said, leaving him with an injured arm. "I kept swingin' and swingin', and swingin'," Gibson told investigators.

Contrary to what she had said to Baldwin, Gibson later told investigators Baldwin had not molested her children. But she did say that she recognized Baldwin from the flyer as the man who had chatted up her then-10-year-old daughter during the previous summer. Baldwin is the memorable height of 7 feet, 3 inches tall. "For him to be right there, in front of my house and talking to my child — made me crazy," she told KOMO. "And I told him I thought he was a piece of crap and I smacked him," she added. "I just didn't stop hitting him. I just told him that 'if it were up to me, I'd kill ya."'...

According to the ABC story, Gibson received a 3 month sentence for her efforts. One of her daughters, Rachael Porter, reacted:

"I think it's crap; that she was protecting her kids like she should have been. They locked her up for way too long."

Protecting one's children can be a very vague concept. Tammy made clear that she was by no means deterred.

"No, I'd do it again if not better," she told ABC News Seattle affiliate KOMO-TV. "I don't care if it hurts me, I don't regret it. It got him away from my kids and all the other kids in the neighborhood."

So many of the issues wrapped around sentencing, sex offenders, vigilantism and motherhood come into play here that this case is tantamount to a Rorschach test for criminal sentencing. Which side are you on, boys. Which side are you on?

VT- Man charged after alleged knife threat

4-3-2009 Vermont:

A Rutland man denied charges of menacing another man with a knife, saying he was trying to tell a sex offender to keep away from a mentally challenged teenage girl.

A knife is not needed to speak words, but it is used to intimidate or threaten someone.

Mark E. Kriskov, 47, of South Street, pleaded innocent Monday in Rutland District Court to a felony charge of aggravated assault with a weapon. If convicted, he could be sentenced to a maximum of five years in jail and a $5,000 fine.

Rutland City Police said they responded to a call at about 7:45 p.m. Saturday that Kriskov, also known as Johnny Est, had pulled a knife on Stanton Patrick in a South Street driveway.

Patrick and two other witnesses at the scene said Kriskov arrived in a pickup, got out, called Patrick a child molester and threatened him with a hunting knife, according to affidavits.

Police said Kriskov told them he pulled a knife because Patrick came at him with a baseball bat — something the two witnesses denied. Police said they could smell intoxicants on Kriskov and that his eyes were bloodshot and watery.

Kriskov's roommate pointed police to a hunting knife with a 3-inch blade, police said, and witnesses identified it as the one Kriskov brandished. Kriskov continued yelling that Patrick was a child molester as he was arrested, police said, and on the way to jail commented, "I should have busted him up."

Clearly a hate crime!

While a search of the Vermont Sex Offender registry did not turn up a Stanton Patrick, somebody by that name was arrested in Pittsford in 1996 for having violated probation stemming from charges in Maine of two counts of gross sexual assault and one of rape.

In court, Kriskov was ordered held without bail on an alleged probation violation, and Judge Thomas Zonay set bail at $10,000 on the assault charge. Kriskov said that with bail so high, he might as well plead guilty then and there before going on to defend his actions.

Kriskov again claimed that Patrick had a baseball bat, and said the knife he had was a plastic toy, the knife police found was not his, and he did not threaten to stab Patrick.

He also said he saw Patrick giving candy to a mentally challenged 13-year-old girl from the neighborhood, calling the situation "another Brooke Bennett waiting to happen."

Zonay told Kriskov if he was concerned, he should have called the police immediately.

"You're not allowed, under any circumstances, to take the law into your own hands," Zonay said. ..Source.. by Gordon Dritschilo Staff Writer