Tuesday, October 31, 2006

Internet pervert's appeal rejected

The Missouri Southern District Court of Appeals Monday rejected Donal Wadsworth's appeal of his conviction on seven counts of attempted enticement of a child.
You may recall that while Wadsworth, 47, Fayetteville, Ark., was free on bond during his appeal he was arrested for similar crimes by the Fayetteville Police Department. He pleaded guilty and has been sentenced to 30 years in prison on those charges.
Wadsworth's primary point on appeal was that he should not have been charged with multiple counts since all of the crimes were with the same "victim," an underage girl named Cindy, who turned out to be Diamond Police officer Jim Murray.
The appellate opinion offers considerable detail on the conversations between Wadsworth and Murray:

The message continued with defendant asking Cindy what she would tell anyone who saw her with him and whether she was scared to meet a stranger. They talked about possibly meeting in Joplin. She said she would tell them he was her uncle; that she didn't know a lot of people in Joplin. She asked him if he would want to show her how to have sex. He responded, "[A] movie first." The discussion continued. Defendant explained in detail how they could perform oral sex with one another. After Cindy said her mother had told her to go to bed, he asked about what she was wearing; if she was wearing a bra and her bra size. When she told him she was "not nearly as big as some of the girls at school," he replied, "[B]ut i like small ones." At the end of the message defendant told Cindy, "[G]oodnight sweetie."


Details were also provided on Wadsworth's arrest:

On the afternoon of April 24, 2004, Detective Murray watched the residence he had represented to defendant as being where Cindy lived. He watched it from his residence, across the highway from the one he had described to defendant. Detective Murray had learned defendant's identity and the kind of vehicle he drove. He saw defendant drive by the residence. Detective Murray described what he observed when he first saw defendant's vehicle.
It was -- came in from the west, was going east, and then it turned south on Carver Road, which is approximately 60, 70 yards away from the trailer [where Cindy had been represented as living], or maybe 80 or 90, but he went south on Carver Road, and turned around, came back up to Highway V, crossed Highway V, went north on Carver Road, turned around, came back to V Highway, and then he went east on V Highway, and he went right by in front of the trailer.As soon as defendant had passed, Detective Murray got in his vehicle and followed defendant into Diamond, Missouri. He saw defendant buy gas. Detective Murray had his next contact with defendant "[a]bout 6:45" April 26 at Carver memorial site. He was asked the nature of the contact. Detective Murray answered, "Newton County deputies were set up in the park itself as well as across the road, and the police chief and I were set up behind the Newton County deputies across the road waiting for [defendant] to arrive."
Defendant's vehicle turned into Carver Park. Law enforcement personnel followed him. Defendant was approached and taken into custody. Detective Murray told defendant it was a good thing they caught him before Cindy's father; that the father was extremely upset. He told defendant what the father might have done. Defendant answered that he understood; that he had a daughter himself.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Prosecutor Dobbs and Detective Murray should be applauded for their continued success in these cases. Just think how many of these perverts "pass below the radar" and victimize real children. Good work, guys!