Criminal Justice Quote: Oklahoma City Police Officer Accused of Rape Fired

     Oklahoma City's police chief fired an officer accused of sexually assaulting 13 women while on duty…Daniel Holtzclaw was fired on January 8, 2015. He pleaded not guilty to 26 charges of sexual assault that include first-degree rape, sexual battery, forcible oral sodomy and indecent exposure...

     Police began investigating Holtzclaw in June 2014 after a woman filed a complaint. Chief William Citty called the charges against the former officer "the greatest abuse of police authority" in his 37 years on the force. Holtzclaw is free on $609,000 bail….

"Oklahoma City Policeman Facing Sexual Assault Charges," Associated Press, January 9, 2015 

Rape Underreported in Detroit

     Detroit police on Tuesday January 6, 2015 reported there had been 322 sexual assaults in the city last year, but the actual number was more than five times that: 1,845 reports according to the
Detroit News. Behind the vastly different numbers are two factors: Detroit police, like most departments, release statistics to the public using the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting method that doesn't count all sexual assaults. Also, the city uses old CRISNET reporting software which doesn't automatically update changes in investigations.

     "There's nothing nefarious going on," Police Chief James Craig said. "Nobody's scrubbing anything; this is just the way crimes are reported industrywide." The reporting method gives people a false impression about the scope of sexual assaults, said Jennifer Jones, director of the Sexual Assault Advocacy Center in Colorado, who added that rapes already are underreported. "Even if a victim does call the police, they're sometimes talked out of making a report," Jones said. "Between that and the way sexual assaults are reported, a lot of statistics get left out."

"Detroit Reports 322 Sexual Assaults Last Year; Actual Number 5 Times Higher," thecrimereport.org, January 8, 2015 

Criminal Justice Quote: Is Former NFL Star Darren Sharper a Serial Rapist?

     Former New Orleans Saints football player Darren Sharper has been indicted by an Orleans Parish grand jury on two counts of aggravated rape…Sharper's indictment stems from an alleged incident in September 2013. According to a police report, the rape happened in the Warehouse District on September 23, 2013 at ten in the morning. Later, police said a second victim claimed she was raped by Sharper and another man in the same apartment…

     Sharper, who remains in a Los Angeles jail, is under investigation for eight rapes and 11 druggings in Louisiana, Nevada, Arizona, and California. He is being held without bond in Los Angeles as he awaits two rape charges there. He also has been formally charged in two rapes in Tempe, Arizona.

     The 38-year-old Sharper spent 14 years in the NFL as a safety. He played for the Green Bay Packers, the Minnesota Vikings and then the Saints. He was a five-time Pro Bowl selection. He retired in 2010.

"Darren Sharper Indicted on Rape Allegations in New Orleans,"  USA Today, December 12, 2014 

New Orleans Detectives Ignore Rape and Child Abuse Cases

     A New Orleans' city inspector general's report claims that five police detectives failed to do substantial investigation of more than 1,000 cases of sex crimes and child abuse--with one detective being cited for stating a belief that rape should not be considered a crime. The report, released on November 12, 2014, examined the detectives' work between January 2011 and December 2013. It found the detectives filed follow-up reports [the first report after the complaint] for only 179 of 1,290 sex crime cases. In particular, the report found that some cases of potentially abused children and rape victims went completely without investigation.

     Police officials said the detectives were transferred to patrol duty and were under further investigation. The police also said two supervisors who oversaw the detectives have been transferred…

     The U.S. Department of Justice previously investigated the scandal-plagued police force and in 2012 the city agreed to a host of changes in policies. Among the federal probe's major findings were that the police force was rife with corruption and had numerous instances of excessive use of deadly force, discrimination and problems with its sex crimes unit. A federal monitor is overseeing compliance.

     The latest city report charged that a detective handling child abuse failed to investigate a case involving a 3-year-old brought to an emergency room due to an alleged sexual assault, closing the case without any charges even though the child had a sexually transmitted disease. The same detective closed with book with minimal or no investigation, and again with no charges, on two cases involving children brought to the emergency room with fractured skulls…

     Two detectives stood accused of writing six reports on the same day in 2013--to make it appear they had done follow-up reports years before to the old cases…In fact, these documents were written only after inspectors asked for the missing reports…

     The five detectives could face criminal charges and be fired…

"Report Claims Five New Orleans Cops Failed to Properly Investigate Over 1,000 Sex Crimes, Associated Press, November 13, 2014

     

Criminal Justice Quote: Rape Fugitive Caught

     Accused child rapist Gregory Lewis, the subject of a multi-state manhunt, was arrested on October 28, 2014 in upstate New York after fleeing from the police then crashing his vehicle into a river…Police said a New York Police trooper attempted to pull over Lewis' vehicle because it was missing a license plate. Lewis fled from the trooper and drove into Fort Edward Village…The trooper and Fort Edward Village police began searching for Lewis. A short time later a 911 call came in indicating that a vehicle had crashed into a river.

     Lewis was taken into custody at the scene of the crash. At that time the arresting officers recovered a handgun from the fugitive.

     Lewis had cut off a court-ordered ankle bracelet and fled Massachusetts after his September 2014 arraignment on two counts of statutory rape of a child and indecent assault and battery on a child under 14. He is accused of going on a multi-state crime spree in the weeks since that included alleged sexual assaults, kidnappings, and robberies.

"Fugitive Captured: Southbridge Man Accused of Child Rape Caught in New York," October 29, 2014 

Criminal Justice Quote: A Rapist On The Loose at the University of Florida

     The University of Florida has stepped up campus security and released surveillance video of a possible suspect after a fourth woman was assaulted in recent weeks. The latest incident was reported Sunday September 7, 2014 when a woman was tackled from behind near the campus library's parking lot. She managed to fight off the assailant and run away.

     Police say the string of assaults started at 9:30 PM August 30, when a 21-year-old woman told police she was beaten and almost raped by an unknown man on the Gainesville campus. A second was reported hours later, at 2 AM August 31, with a victim dragged into a wooded area. Witnesses to this assault chased the man away.

     A third woman was approached Friday September 5 by an unidentified man outside the school library…The woman in the third incident fought back. The assailant came up behind her and grabbed her. They had a brief conversation before she punched him in the face. The man fled the scene on foot…

     Police say the four victims all describe the man as white, in his late 20s or early 30s, about 6-foot-4 or 6-foot-5 and weighing 250 pounds.

"University of Florida Boosts Campus Security After String of Assaults," ABC News, September 8, 2014 

Criminal Justice Quote: Oklahoma City Cop Accused of On-Duty Sexual Assaults

An Oklahoma City police officers is being held on $5 million bond for allegedly committing a series of sexual assaults against at least six women while he was on duty. Twenty-seven-year-old Daniel Ken Holtzclaw was arrested Thursday, August 21, 2014 on complaints of rape, forcible oral sodomy, sexual battery and indecent exposure…Officer Holzclaw allegedly stopped the women, forced them to expose themselves, fondled them, and in one case, allegedly raped the victim. [On January 9, 2015, the police chief fired Holtzclaw who is free on $609,000 bail.]

"OKC Police Officer Accused in Sexual Assaults," KRMG News, August 22, 2014

Criminal Justice Quote: Serial Rapist on the Loose in Tulsa

     He breaks into homes from the back, either through a window or door. He tends to be covered, and attacks when it's dark. Police in Tulsa, Oklahoma know that much about the man they say could be behind a string of recent sexual assaults…They have no name and no photograph of the rapist. Victims have provided diverse descriptions of the rapist, ranging from a light-skinned black or Hispanic man to a tan white man…

     According to police, there have been eight connected cases of sexual assault in the city in June 2014. Investigators have linked these cases because of specific actions and statements the rapist made during the attacks. The victims were between 56 to 78-years-old. One of the victims was 29…

Dana Ford, "Facts are Short, Fear is Long in Tulsa as Cops Search for Serial Sex Attacker," CNN, July 1, 2014

Criminal Justice Quote: Judge Orders Serial Rapist Christopher Evans Hubbart to Live in Palmdale, California

     A man who raped and assaulted at least 40 women has been ordered to live in a remote California community, despite objections from residents there. Christopher Evans Hubbart, who police believe may have had as many as 100 victims, will rent a small house in a rural area near the city of Palmdale. [To the owner of this house, I recommend a good fire insurance policy.] A Santa Clara judge heard objections at an all-day hearing on Wednesday, May 21, 2014 but issued his order two days later.

     Hubbart, 63, will have to wear a GPS ankle bracelet when released on July 7, 2014. [Recently in California, a woman was raped and murdered by a couple of paroles wearing GPS bracelets.] Hubbart has admitted raping and assaulting about 40 women between 1971 and 1982. He was sentenced to 16 years in prison. Police believe the number of victims to be closer to 100. [That's about one month of prison time for each rape. Welcome to the great state of California where rapists and pedophiles run free.]

     Released on parole in 1990, he was arrested two months later for a new attack and returned to prison. In 1996, corrections officials transferred him to a state mental hospital. Doctors there recently concluded that he was fit for release…[Perhaps Mr. Hubbart should live next door to one of these shrinks.]

     Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey spent months fighting the decision to release Hubbart…..Judge Gilbert Brown would only say that the court had reviewed all of the emails, petitions, cards and letters submitted in protest before he had reached his decision. [How about this: if Mr. Hubbart rapes another woman, this judge goes to prison as an accomplice.]

"Judge in California Orders Serial Rapist's Release," BBC News, May 23, 2014 

Criminal Justice Quote: Home Invaders Rape Pregnant Woman

     A nightmarish scenario played out in Madison, Wisconsin on February 13, 2014 when three burglars repeatedly raped a woman who was six months pregnant in a horrifying home invasion. The Wisconsin woman and her blind husband were awoken around 5 AM by three assailants who charged into their bedroom with weapons drawn. "Someone's gonna die tonight!" one of the robbers threatened as they entered the room. One of the attackers yanked the male victim from the bed and viciously beat him….The female victim pleaded that she was pregnant and told the robbers that they could take whatever they wanted.

     But another burglar dragged her from the bed and into the hallway, pointed a gun at her stomach and grunted, "You're going to die tonight." She then had to allegedly endure all three men raping her, with one forcing her to commit oral sex during the attack.

     The suspects stole electronics, credit cards and the couple's wedding rings while they stuffed the bloodied victims in the house laundry room before fleeing the scene….In addition to the three men who broke into the home, three were arrested for their roles in assisting in the crime. The six suspects charged are African Americans--five are male, and one is a female who helped plan the crime, but did not participate in the actual home invasion.

     Shockingly enough, the assailants are thought to have targeted the wrong house….They were planning on robbing a man carrying large sums of cash in the same neighborhood, but went to a different home instead….

Scott Greer, "Horror: Pregnant Woman Gang-Raped in Vicious Wisconsin Home Invasion," The Daily Caller, March 13, 2014 

Criminal Justice Quote: The Sex Slave Trucker

     A Utah truck driver kept sex slaves in his semitrailer for months at a time while he traveled the country, filing down their teeth, forcing them to alter their appearance and beating them until they nearly passed out….Timothy Jay Vafeades, 54, made an initial appearance on March 12, 2014 in U.S. District Court in Fargo, North Dakota, and will be transferred to Utah for further proceedings.

     The charges against Vafeades include kidnapping, transportation for illegal sexual activity, and possession of child pornography, and could bring a life sentence if he is convicted….An arrest warrant filed on March 11, 2014 in Salt Lake City claims Vafeades kidnapped a 19-year-old female relative who had come from Florida in May 2013 to work with him on the truck, the "Twilight Express." After a week, the teen told Vafeades she wanted to go home, but she later informed authorities that he strangled her until she blacked out and used threats and violence to keep her with him for the next six months while they traveled to Washington state, Nevada, Texas, Tennessee and other places.

     Despite her pleas, Vafeades forced the teenager to have sex with him more than 100 times during their time together. He chipped down the girl's teeth and made her wear a fake set of teeth. He wore his own false teeth that featured vampire fangs….

     Vafeades was arrested at a Clay County Minnesota weight station on November 26, 2013 after officers noticed bruises on the teenager and turned up a 1999 restraining order barring Vafeades from contacting the girl. After his arrest, a second woman went to authorities to report she had been held captive in Vafeades' truck….

Michelle Rindels, "Utah Trucker Accused of Keeping Sex Slaves Arrested in Minnesota," Associated Press, March 13, 2014 

Criminal Justice Quote: Former NFL Player Darren Sharper Charged in Rape Cases

     Former NFL star Darren Sharper, wanted in New Orleans in connection with the alleged rapes of two women, has turned himself in to the Los Angeles authorities….Sharper made arrangements to surrender to Los Angeles police and did so on February 27, 2014…The Orleans Parish district attorney's office said Sharper, 28, and Erik Nunez, 26, each with two counts of aggravated rape. If convicted, the two men face a possible sentence of life in prison without parole.

     The New Orleans charges are in addition to charges Sharper already faces in California….He pleaded not guilty to the California charges, which included two counts of rape by use of drugs….

     Prosecutors in Louisiana said the two alleged rapes occurred on September 23, 2013 in a New Orleans apartment. The alleged rapes in California occurred in October 2013 and in January 2014….

Paul Vercammen and Saeed Ahmen, "Former NFL Star Darren Sharper, Facing Fresh Rape Charges, Turns Himself In," CNN, February 28, 2014 

Criminal Justice Quote: Rape Scandal in Missoula County, Montana

     ….The U.S. Department of Justice found Missoula County's prosecutors routinely discriminated against female victims, refusing legitimate cases, pushing sex crimes to the lowest of priorities and belittling women who came to them for help….The department began an investigation in 2012 into the county attorney's office, Missoula Police Department and the University of Montana's Office of Public Safety. Investigators interviewed more than 30 potential victims while reviewing policies and procedures for signs of gender bias and civil rights violations.

     The mother of a 5-year-old victim wanted to know why the boy who raped her daughter was only getting a slap on the wrist. She was stunned when the prosecutor reportedly told her, "boys will be boys"….Another woman claimed a prosecutor recited Bible verses to her, and other victims said they felt "judged" when they were grilled about their sexual histories….

Doyle Murphy, "'Boys Will Be Boys,' Montana Prosecutor Tells 5-Year-Old Rape Victim's Mom," New York Daily News, February 16, 2014   

Criminal Justice Quote: Rape as Punishment in India

     Police in India say a young woman has been ganged raped on the orders of a village council because she fell in love with a man from a different religion. On January 23, 2014, 13 men were arrested in West Bengal state.

     A series of rapes in India over the past year has sparked widespread outrage over chronic sexual violence in India and government failures to protect women. The West Bengal case is particularly troubling because the alleged rape apparently was sanctioned by a council made up of village elders. Such councils are not legally binding in India, but they are seen as the will of the local community. Those who flout the councils risk being ostracized.

     The victim told police that the village council in Subalpur village ordered her to pay a fine for having an affair with the man. When her family said they were too poor to pay, the council ordered the gang rape.

Irish Times, January 23, 2014

Criminal Justice Quote: The Suicide and Alleged Rape of a University of Missouri Student

     The University of Missouri is launching an independent investigation into allegations that several football players raped a MU swimmer. That swimmer, 20-year-old Sasha Menue Courey, killed herself three years ago, but a recent report airing on ESPN initiated new calls for an investigation. MU officials are upset with ESPN's report which suggests the University should have done more to investigate these allegations of rape….

     Courey went to the MU psychiatric ward in the spring of 2011 and was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder, She told the counselor a football player raped her in February of 2010. And a football friend of hers says he saw video of at least three football players assaulting her….

     Sasha's parents told ESPN they didn't trust MU officials since the university was slow to react to their request for information after their daughter's death.

Matt Stewart, "University of Missouri on the Defense After ESPN Reports Swimmer's Alleged Rape, Suicide," Fox News, January 27, 2014

     

Criminal Justice Quote: Prison Rape by Guards

     New data suggests that inmates have just as much to fear from their guards as they do from each other: Nearly half of all sexual assaults in U.S. jails and prisons are committed by corrections officers and staff. That statistic actually represents an uptick in reported cases of sexual assault. Accusations of rape against prison guards and staff rose 18 percent between 2006 and 2011--the most recent year for which data is available--according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics….

     According to the statistics, in cases where the accusation was found credible, 77.1 percent of the victims--and 80 percent of the perpetrators--were male. More than a third of the victims were 24-years-old or younger….

     Some experts think rape between guards and prisoners is actually occurring at an even higher frequency than the number of accusations suggest….

Robby Soave, "The Horrible Truth: Half of All Prison Rape is Committed by Guards," The Daily Caller, January 24, 2014




     

Criminal Justice Quote: Rape Victim Media Anonymity

     Rape is dealt with differently under the Scottish legal system from the way it is treated in England, particularly in how the crime is reported in the media. Up here, we are extremely careful about preserving the anonymity of the victim--another example of the superiority of Scots Law over the English version.

     Anonymity is vital--rape often results in victims of the crime being mentally scarred for life and the last thing they need is the added distress of having their names appear in the media. Even the successful conviction of an offender can be of little consolation to a woman violated in this manner, something that the psychologists have been examining for years. In some respects, being a rape victim is like no other type of victim: the ramifications run deep into the subconscious for years, perhaps for a lifetime. It can not be shrugged off in the way some other crimes are ultimately forgotten, buried under the pressure of getting on with life. For the victim and the family concerned, the anguish is horrific.

Les Brown and Robert Jeffery, Real Hard Cases, 2006

Criminal Justice Quote: The Problem of Rape in India

     The gang-rape of a Danish woman in one of New Delhi's most popular tourist districts is prompting concern for the safety of foreign travelers and raising questions over how much progress has been made in India after a year in which considerable attention has been focused on the prevalence of rape.

     Indian police said that a 51-year-old Danish tourist was gang-raped [on January 14, 2014] in the popular paharganj district after asking a group of men for directions to her hotel. Police have arrested two people in connection with the rape….

     The incident comes a year after the rape and death of a 23-year-old student in a bus in New Delhi that sparked mass protests across the country and a national dialogue on the position of women in society and the pervasiveness of rape.

Chelesa Sheasley, The Christian Science Monitor, January 15, 2014