Victim of vigilante mob sues Philly police

3-23-2011 Pennsylvania:

PHILADELPHIA, March 22 (UPI) -- A man attacked by a mob who wrongly believed he had raped an 11-year-old girl has sued Philadelphia police, saying they encouraged street justice.

Michael Zenquis, 28, who filed a federal civil rights lawsuit Tuesday, names both the city and the police department as defendants, the Philadelphia Daily News reported.

Zenquis said he was beaten after police released a tip from an anonymous caller about a man nicknamed "Romeo," a name applied to him because of his voice. He ended up in the hospital after being hit with a baseball bat, a plank and fists.

"Not only was he beaten up by a bunch of civilians who jumped him out of the clear blue sky, he was also identified as a rapist and not just a rapist, but a child rapist," Zenquis' lawyer, Jonathan Feinberg, said. "He was labeled as this monster criminal with no basis whatsoever."

A day after Zenquis was attacked, another group of people surrounded a suspect, Jose Carrasquillo, who had been named as a "person of interest," beat him and held him for police. Carrasquillo is now serving a 30- to 66-year prison sentence.

Two of Zenquis' alleged attackers were arrested, and the father of the 11-year-old later apologized to him, while thanking the crowd that beat Carrasquillo. ..Source.. UPI.com

Transient severely beaten after false accusation of rape

10-12-2010 Florida:

PANAMA CITY BEACH – A man was beaten bloody and senseless by an unknown group of people after someone falsely accused him of raping an intoxicated woman outside a bar early Sunday morning.

About 12:44 a.m. Sunday, the Bay County Sheriff’s Office was called to Newby’s Too, 4103 Thomas Drive, in reference to a sexual battery, according to an incident report. However, the woman who was identified as the victim said she had not been raped, and a man the crowd had detained as the perpetrator was in serious condition from a severe beating.

A deputy said the 41-year-old transient had been beaten so badly that his eyes were swollen shut and he couldn’t see. He was in and out of consciousness and could not tell authorities his name. Several people were holding rags on the man’s head to soak up blood.

While EMS treated the man, deputies spoke to the supposed victim and others present. The woman said she did not have sex with anyone; she had gone to the parking lot to lie down in a van that belonged to her boyfriend’s buddy. She was hot, so she took off her pants, she said. She saw several people taking the injured man from the van, but she didn’t know what happened.

The woman’s boyfriend said he had sent her to his friend’s van because she was intoxicated, according to the report. He wanted her to sleep it off. Later, he sent his buddy to check on her, and that’s when he found out the other man had been beaten up for supposedly raping the woman.

The man who owns the van told a deputy he had gone outside to check on the woman and saw a man on top of her. He believed the man was in the process of raping her. The report said the man “notified several people, unknown to him” of the attack, and the man was caught and “taken away.” He said he was not aware someone had beaten the alleged attacker until later.

A witness told deputies that he was in the parking lot and saw the supposed perpetrator running through the lot. He heard someone say the man had just raped a girl, so he tackled the man. Several others came over and took the man aside, and he did not see what happened next, he said.

The injured man was taken to Gulf Coast Medical Center for treatment. He had several head injuries, the report said. His eyes were swollen shut, his nose was swollen and bleeding, and he appeared to have blood coming from his eyes. He was coughing up blood.

When he regained consciousness, he told a deputy that he didn’t know how he got in the van or how he got to Newby’s; he denied having sex with anyone. He said he thought he was climbing in the van to get a ride to the beach; the deputy pointed out that he was already at the beach.

The man said he drank a fifth of whisky and two cases of beer that night.

He didn’t know any of the people who had beaten him and couldn’t identify them.

The case is still under investigation. ..Source..

Man accused of beating neighbor (RSO) found guilty on all charges

10-9-2010 Maryland:

William Bryan Bolton Jr. was convicted of first- and second-degree assault, reckless endangerment and endangerment while intoxic

A Boonsboro man accused of beating his neighbor with a club in 2009 was found guilty on all charges Thursday at the end of a bench trial before Washington County Circuit Court Judge John H. McDowell.

William Bryan Bolton Jr., 50, of 8613 Sharpsburg Pike, was convicted of first- and second-degree assault, reckless endangerment and endangerment while intoxicated, according to court records. The first-degree assault conviction carries a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison.

McDowell ordered a presentence report prepared. Bolton could face up to 25 years in prison on the first-degree assault conviction.

Shortly before 10 a.m. on Oct. 4, 2009, Washington County Sheriff’s Department deputies went to the home of John Vincent Miller Sr. for a report of an assault.

“It was around Halloween time and he really looked like a scarecrow,” Deputy 1st Class Tom Routzahn testified about seeing Miller sitting on his porch. Miller was bleeding from a large cut over his eye and “his ear was about cut in half.”

Gas leak at sex offender's home 'suspicious,' fire officials say

7-16-2010 Ohio:

MIDDLETOWN — Fire investigators are saying a natural gas leak that occurred today, July 16, at a home on Queen Avenue looks “suspicious.”

Police and firefighters evacuated residents from a Middletown neighborhood for the second time in two days after a natural gas leak was reported about 9 a.m. at _____.

When police and firefighters entered the home to investigate, they found all the doors locked, candles lit, the TV on and the home’s furnace looked as if it had been tampered with, Middletown Deputy Fire Chief Tom Snively said.

“It is suspicious and we’ve turned it over to the police department to investigate,” Snively said.

Middletown police Lt. Rodney Muterspaw said police are trying to determine if any criminal activity is involved. He said there are no suspects at this time.

“We’re going to try to determine where the leak came from and to see how it came about,” Muterspaw said. “It was a pretty strong leak.”

Police were able to pinpoint the home on Queen Avenue because its gas meter outside was running. Muterspaw said when he arrived on the scene the odor of gas was so strong, he could smell it two streets away.

“It could have been a major disaster,” Muterspaw said.

Firefighters and Duke Energy employees have shut off gas to the house, and have ventilated the area. Residents were allowed to return to their homes around 10 a.m.

No one was inside the Queen Avenue home when police responded to the initial call. According to the Butler County Sheriff’s Department website, ______, a 49-year-old registered sex offender, lives at the residence.

Daniel Richardson, a neighbor who lives at ___, confirmed that information, saying he and others in the neighborhood received notices when English moved in more than five years ago.

Richardson said ___ pretty much kept to himself and that no one in the neighborhood “really knows him very well.” He said the home where the leak occurred had recently been remodeled after being gutted by a fire last summer.

Some curious and anxious neighbors stood on their porches as authorities continue to investigate. It is unclear how many residents were evacuated this morning, however the entire block of Queen Avenue was evacuated in all directions.

About 10 fire officials, three police officers and two Duke Energy representatives remain on the scene. ..Source.. Chelsey Levingston, Staff Writer

Accused rapist beaten in revenge

5-23-2010 Washington:

Two men were arrested early Sunday morning after they attacked another man who was accused of raping the wife of one of the assailants.

Issaquah police were called to the 400 block of NE Birch Street around 2 a.m. on the report of a rape. When they arrived, they found a 31-year-old Kirkland man unconscious and bleeding from cuts on his head. He was quickly taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle for treatment of his injuries.

Officers learned that the injured man was the suspect in the reported rape. He had been attacked by the woman's husband, a 31-year-old Renton man, and his friend, a 30-year-old Issaquah man, who were at the home when the reported rape occurred.

The two attackers were arrested, taken to the King County Jail and booked for first degree assault. The condition of the Kirkland man is not known. Issaquah police say that the rape suspect and the victim were acquaintances and thus believe that no break-in took place. ..Source.. by KOMO-TV STAFF

Cops: Sexual predator tortured with blow torch

5-23-2010 Florida:

Tyler Weisman is considered a crime victim, but getting tortured and robbed while looking for a hooker late Thursday may land him in prison, according to the state Department of Corrections.

Weisman, a 54-year-old registered sexual predator, was beaten about 9:30 p.m. when he was lured into a house on Orlando's west side "with promises of prostitution," according to Orlando police reports.

Convicted last year of molesting an 11-year-old girl in Seminole County, Weisman spent a year in jail and received 20 years of probation, records show.

But on Thursday night, police reports state, the former computer salesman turned down a crack-smoking prostitute's advances but remained at the house on Springdale Road when an ex-convict offered to get him "a younger girl."

The offer turned out to be a ruse.

Albert Brooks, who has served three sentences in state prison, thought his potential client was an undercover police officer, reports stated. He left the room and then returned with an aerosol can and cigarette lighter. Brooks "sprayed the contents of the can while holding a lighter to the fumes creating a sort of flame thrower" and burned the side of Weisman's face to force him to admit he was a cop, reports state.

Weisman managed to escape after getting beaten on the head, being robbed of $75 and losing his hearing aids and eyeglasses, reports stated.

Unable to tell police the exact address of the attack, Weisman led officers back to the house by describing a "Jesus" sign displayed in front of the building, reports state. Weisman, who could not be reached, was treated for his injuries at Florida Hospital South, reports stated.

No charges have been filed against Weisman, but he is now under investigation by state probation and parole officials. Notified of the incident Friday afternoon, state Probation and Parole Regional Director Barbara Scala in Orlando said the agency will conduct an in-depth review of Weisman's behavior to determine if he violated probation and warrants being sent to prison.

Scala noted that Weisman's probation requires him to wear a GPS monitor, which will show if he violated his 10 p.m.-to-6 a.m. curfew. Other conditions include not associating with criminals or visiting place where intoxicants and illegal drugs are used.

Brooks, who was accused of torturing Weisman, was arrested on charges of false imprisonment, aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and robbery with a weapon. He remains held in the Orange County Jail in lieu of $20,600 bail. ..Source.. Henry Pierson Curtis, Orlando Sentinel

Tavares man arrested on charge of attacking accused child molester

7-9-2013 Florida:

A 34-year-old Tavares man was arrested on a charge of battery and aggravated stalking over the weekend after he allegedly attacked a man accused of sexually molesting a relative.

The Tavares man, whose name is being withheld to protect the identity of the alleged sex-crime victim, was taken into custody after the altercation just outside the Lake County Jail against Brian Utterback, 33, of Leesburg, according to an arrest report. The Sentinel generally does not publish the names of the victims of sex crimes.

Utterback has been arrested on three counts of lewd and lascivious battery on a victim between 12 and 18 years old, according to an arrest affidavit. The sexual incidents reportedly occurred at Utterback's Leesburg home starting in September 2012, the report said.

On Saturday, one day after his arrest, Utterback was leaving the jail on Main Street in Tavares. The Tavares man was across the street and saw Utterback walking through the parking lot and made a threat on his life, according to an arrest report.

Then, the man struck the right side of Utterback's head and held him in a choke hold, the report said. The man then let Utterback go and ran away, the report said.

Two witnesses confirmed the battery, saying that the man had threatened Utterback that he would need to sleep with an eye open, the report said. ..Source.. by Ludmilla Lelis

Inmate allegedly extorted sex offenders to run drug trafficking ring

6-18-2013 Washington:

CENTRALIA, Wash. -- An inmate is now facing new charges after he was busted allegedly running an organized drug trafficking ring from inside prison.

According to the Centralia Police Department, 30-year-old Forrest Amos would extort personal information from sex offenders in prison in order to set up false phone lines for making collect calls. He would reportedly use those calls to set up sales of prescription pain-relief medication between suppliers, sellers and customers.

But, the Centralia Police Department intercepted those calls and launched a long and complex investigation into the ring in January, culminating in the serving of search warrants at New Beginnings Wellness Centers in Tumwater and Aberdeen June 17.

Man Threatens to Kill Neighbor Who is on Sex Offender Registry, Police Say

6-13-2013 Missouri:

The neighbor told police Daven has harassed him and his family since discovering his sex crime against a child.

A St. Charles County man faces criminal charges after he threatened to shoot and kill a neighbor because he is on the sex offender registry.

Eugene L. Daven, 52, of the 400 block of Keeney Drive in St. Charles County near St. Peters, was charged Saturday with unlawful use of a weapon, harassment and third-degree assault.

A St. Charles County deputy said Daven was yelling and cursing at his neighbor Saturday and threatened his life.

“I’ll put a bullet in you. I’ve got a gun,” Daven said. He then went inside and came out with a gun and pointed it at his neighbor.

“I’m going to shoot you through the heart because you touch little kids,” Daven told his neighbor, according to a court document.

The neighbor told a St. Charles County Sheriff’s deputy that since Daven discovered his is a registered sex offender, he has been harassing him and his family and telling everyone that he is a child molester. The man had been convicted of having sex with a 14-year-old.

The deputy found two bb guns in Daven’s home, and one matched the description given by the neighbor.

As Daven was being booked, he told officers, “When I get out I’m going to kill that (expletive).

Daven posted a $15,000 bond and was released from jail Tuesday. He has been ordered to have no contact with the victim. ..Source.. by Joe Scott

Riverside Trio Ordered To Stand Trial In Baseball Bat Beating Of Accused Rapist

6-9-2013 California:

A Riverside County father and teen daughter Friday were ordered to stand trial in a vigilante attack on a man the girl has accused of rape.

Judge Michael Rushton ruled Friday that David Ray Mills, 36, his 16-year-old daughter and her friend Andre Edwin Dickerson, 20, will face attempted murder and mayhem charges, the Riverside Press-Enterprise reported.

“Obviously, vigilante justice isn’t a defense to a criminal charge,” Rushton said before wondering aloud how a jury would react to the case.

All three pleaded not guilty to the Jan. 13 attack, when investigators say Miguel Esteban Cruz, 21, was lured to a Temecula park and beaten with a baseball bat.

Dickerson beat Cruz with a baseball bat as the girl and her father watched, Cruz told sheriff’s investigators.

Cruz suffered skull fractures, a lung injury, broken bones and missing teeth, investigator David Gorlicki testified.

The girl’s attorney David Grande read a text message exchange between the girl and Cruz in court, in which Cruz invited the girl to drink, smoke marijuana and have sex.

After telling him she wasn’t interested, the girl sent Cruz a text asking why he wanted to have sex with a 16-year-old.

“It’s the thing I do,” he wrote.

Grande said the girl didn’t report the rape because she feared retaliation.

Dickerson’s attorney called Cruz a predator after Friday’s hearing.

Sheriff’s officials say Cruz was investigated after the girl’s allegations came to light. He was charged in May with sodomy with a minor. He was arrested Friday and is being held on $50,000 bail.

The girl told her father and Dickerson of the alleged rape on the day of the attack. She said Cruz raped her after she passed out drunk on Cruz’s bed in November.

Dickerson and Mills are jailed on $1 million bail, each. The girl is at juvenile hall, also on $1 million bail. ..Source.. by CBS Los Angeles

Man fights Facebook accusations of rape

5-26-2013 Ohio:

TOLEDO, OH (Toledo News Now) - Chad Lesko says being threatened by a total stranger was his first clue something wasn't right.

"I was walking at Highland Park yesterday, a guy comes up to me and said, ‘You shouldn't be around here, this is a kids' area, you're a rapist.' I'm like, ‘Excuse me, no I'm not.'"

On Monday, someone posting as Nicole McCarthy posted on Facebook Lesko's picture, saying, "He's wanted by Toledo Police for 4 counts of rape. He raped three little girls and his own son."

It's a serious allegation which Lesko says isn't true.

"My girlfriend told me it was on Facebook," he said. "I was like, ‘Okay, what's going on? Send me the link.' Then my friend told me about it, too, so I went to the link. I was like, ‘This is not true.'"

While Toledo Police say Lesko is not wanted on rape charges, that one post has been shared more than 20,000 times.

"This is crazy, I'm scared to even walk down the street now because all of the drama that's been going on," he said.

According to Lesko, Nicole McCarthy is a fake account set up by the mother of his son, and he's hoping to clear his name and put this in the past.

"It's getting aggravating because I'm trying to live my life, I'm not trying to do anything bad, I've changed my life around." ..Source.. by Rob Wiercinski

Colorado mob attacks man falsely thought to be child molester

5-21-2013 Colorado:

A group called the American Indian Movement in Pueblo said police weren’t doing enough to solve recent attacks.

Residents took matters into their own hands and chased down a man they thought was a child molester, pelting him with rocks and leaving him with a bloody face, police in Colorado said earlier this week.

The man was questioned and released by Pueblo police, who said there was no evidence linking the man to earlier attacks in the neighborhood and that he had no background of sexual assault.

Residents had formed a group called the American Indian Movement and were patrolling their neighborhoods, saying cops weren’t doing enough to find a man suspected of two sexual acts involving children.

“Our lives our in danger,” member Rudy Reddog said at a local rally on Monday.

On Sunday, a mob chased a 54-year-old man it considered suspicious.

Pursuers surrounded him and punched him in the face, police Capt. Tom Rummel said. Responding officers shoved the man into a police car and whisked him to the station for questioning. He was not seriously injured.

“The primary officer on the scene said get him out of here,” Rummel said, according to the Pueblo Chieftain.

One incident involved the sexual assault of a girl in her home. In the other, authorities said, a man with the same description exposed himself to another child.

“We went through the right channels in contacting the police, but there hasn’t been much response,” said group member Alex Pacheco.

“We can’t wait around any longer without doing something. These are children that this man is after, and we can’t let any more children get hurt by him.”

Rummel said police had notified the media and posted warnings on social media about the attacks.

The man chased by the mob declined to press charges, Rummel said.

“He said folks were reacting to a bad situation, and he told the officer, ‘I don’t want to go that route,’” Rummel said. “He was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

His name was not released. Rummel said he cooperated with officers and gave them a DNA sample, which ruled him out as a suspect. ..Source.. by Deborah Hastings

Man To Be Sentenced For Transient Attack

9-6-2012 California:

Tanner Seth Hendee Pleaded Guilty To Assaulting Scott Kingston

A young man who pleaded guilty to punching a 61-year-old homeless man in Ramona and leaving the victim unconscious in a vacant house is scheduled to be sentenced Thursday.

Tanner Seth Hendee, 19, pleaded guilty July 23 to assault with force likely to produce great bodily injury in connection with the May 7 attack on Scott Kingston.

Medics found Kingston on his back in a house in the vicinity of the 100 block of 11th Street just before 5:30 p.m. May 7. At the time, authorities said Kingston suffered from head and possible spine injuries.

The exact motive was unclear but according to court testimony, Hendee and Kingston had clashed before. Hendee believed that Kingston was a sex offender, prosecutor Shanish Aloor said.

The state's Megan's Law online database of registered sex offenders lists a 61-year-old transient by the name of Scott Randall Kingston, with a 2005 conviction for sexual battery. ..Source.. by 10News.com