This blog features observations from Randy Turner, a former teacher, newspaper reporter and editor. Send news items or comments to rturner229@hotmail.com
Wednesday, June 09, 2010
Spectacular coverage offered by Crime Scene Blog
The best coverage I have seen of today's sentencing hearing for former Kanakuk Kamp director Pete Newman was provided by Kathee Baird at the Crime Scene blog. Be sure to check it out.
10 comments:
Anonymous
said...
All journalists were asked to shut down their cell phones, laptops, etc during the proceedings. This particular person did not abide by those rules, thus allowing her to get information out of the courtroom.
Judge Orr: You are a hero. You have stood up for the children! You have done the right thing before the law, and before the Lord. What you gave him was just. You are to be commended for having the backbone to be tough on such a pedophile. Too bad all judges across this nation aren't as wise as you. Taney Co. and Missouri are lucky to have you serving them.
Now that this is over, maybe Randy can cover the bankruptcy filing of Neosho's City councilwoman. It's only been three months since the filing was made.
And after all, he covered the last filing three years ago as top news...boy how times change.
Though there is no hard and fast profile of a pedophile, here are some general characteristics(according to the Mental Health Matters website) Describes Pete Newman very well. Let's not forget and protect children in the future:
Popular with both children and adults. Appears to be trustworthy and respectable. Has good standing in the community. Prefers the company of children. Feels more comfortable with children than adults. Is mainly attracted to prepubescent boys and girls. Can be heterosexual, homosexual, or bisexual. "Grooms" children with quality time, video games, parties, candy, toys, gifts, money. Singles out children who seem troubled and in need of attention or affection. Rarely forces or coerces a child into sexual contact. Usually through trust and friendship. Physical contact is gradual, from touching, to picking up, to holding on lap, to kissing, etc. Derives gratification in a number of ways. For some, looking is enough. For others, taking pictures or watching children undress is enough. Still others require more contact. Finds different ways and places to be alone with children. Are primarily (but not always) male, masculine, better-educated, more religious than average, in their thirties, and choose jobs allowing them greater access to children. Are usually family men, have no criminal record, and deny that they abuse children, even after caught, convicted, incarcerated, and court-ordered into a sex offender program. If married, the marriage is often troubled by sexual dysfunction, and serves as a smokescreen for the pedophile's true preferences and practices. Are often, but not always, themselves victims of some form of childhood sexual abuse. Even if the pedophile has no children, his home is usually child-friendly, with toys, books, video games, computers, bikes, swing sets, skateboards, rec room, pool, snacks - things to attract children to his home and keep them coming back. Usually the items reflect the preferred age of his victims. Some pedophiles recognize that their behavior is criminal, immoral, and unacceptable by society, and operate in secrecy. Pedo means "child" in Greek. Phile is a derivative of Greek, Latin, and French, meaning "love."
The Exclusive type of pedophile is attracted to children only. The Non-Exclusive is attracted to both children and adults.
A pedophile will not stop on his own, and will not turn himself in, because he does not take responsibility for his behavior and denies that he's doing anything harmful. He will abuse until he's caught.
A child not always recognizes when he or she is being abused, manipulated, or groomed by a pedophile. Unless the pedophile is a sexual sadist, he does not have to threaten a child into silence. The trust, gifts, secrecy, and "relationship" are enough. In some cases, the abuser will coerce the child into silence by saying that if anyone finds out, he would go to jail, or the child would, and maybe the child's parents. In other cases, threats to harm the child, pets, and family are used.
Pedophiles can be "treated" but never cured, because their sexual preference has always been, and always will be, children. Their urges will always be present. Therefore, treatment focuses on changing, curbing, or re-directing the acting-out behaviors of pedophiles. Known pedophiles, if not incarcerated, should be closely monitored for the rest of their lives.
Knowing the profile of a pedophile, does this mean that the little league coach who has a great rapport with kids and treats them to pizza at his house is suspect? Or that the teacher who throws pool parties is? Of course not. The majority of people who like and work with children are not pedophiles. It does mean that we should be observant of all the adults in our children's lives, whether they wear a white collar, a blue collar, or a clerical collar.
10 comments:
All journalists were asked to shut down their cell phones, laptops, etc during the proceedings. This particular person did not abide by those rules, thus allowing her to get information out of the courtroom.
I asked Sheriff Russell if I could put phone on vibrate in order to tweet. He said that would be fine.
k
I agree, it's a great account of what went on in the courtroom today.
As a journalist, sometimes you have to make judgement calls about how to capture accurate content for the benefit of the public.
Kudos to Kathee Baird for doing so.
Thank you to Kathee and Randy for keeping the information out here for those of us trying to keep up from out of state.
Judge Orr: You are a hero. You have stood up for the children! You have done the right thing before the law, and before the Lord. What you gave him was just. You are to be commended for having the backbone to be tough on such a pedophile. Too bad all judges across this nation aren't as wise as you. Taney Co. and Missouri are lucky to have you serving them.
Now that this is over, maybe Randy can cover the bankruptcy filing of Neosho's City councilwoman. It's only been three months since the filing was made.
And after all, he covered the last filing three years ago as top news...boy how times change.
Randy, where can we find Judge Orr's comments? I haven't been able to find what he said in the courtroom when he was handing down the sentence.
"When religion is used in sex abuse cases it can cause kids to lose their faith in God."
Who would have known that sex abuse had benefits!
Though there is no hard and fast profile of a pedophile, here are some general characteristics(according to the Mental Health Matters website) Describes Pete Newman very well. Let's not forget and protect children in the future:
Popular with both children and adults.
Appears to be trustworthy and respectable. Has good standing in the community.
Prefers the company of children. Feels more comfortable with children than adults. Is mainly attracted to prepubescent boys and girls. Can be heterosexual, homosexual, or bisexual.
"Grooms" children with quality time, video games, parties, candy, toys, gifts, money.
Singles out children who seem troubled and in need of attention or affection.
Rarely forces or coerces a child into sexual contact. Usually through trust and friendship. Physical contact is gradual, from touching, to picking up, to holding on lap, to kissing, etc.
Derives gratification in a number of ways. For some, looking is enough. For others, taking pictures or watching children undress is enough. Still others require more contact.
Finds different ways and places to be alone with children.
Are primarily (but not always) male, masculine, better-educated, more religious than average, in their thirties, and choose jobs allowing them greater access to children.
Are usually family men, have no criminal record, and deny that they abuse children, even after caught, convicted, incarcerated, and court-ordered into a sex offender program. If married, the marriage is often troubled by sexual dysfunction, and serves as a smokescreen for the pedophile's true preferences and practices.
Are often, but not always, themselves victims of some form of childhood sexual abuse.
Even if the pedophile has no children, his home is usually child-friendly, with toys, books, video games, computers, bikes, swing sets, skateboards, rec room, pool, snacks - things to attract children to his home and keep them coming back. Usually the items reflect the preferred age of his victims.
Some pedophiles recognize that their behavior is criminal, immoral, and unacceptable by society, and operate in secrecy. Pedo means "child" in Greek. Phile is a derivative of Greek, Latin, and French, meaning "love."
The Exclusive type of pedophile is attracted to children only. The Non-Exclusive is attracted to both children and adults.
A pedophile will not stop on his own, and will not turn himself in, because he does not take responsibility for his behavior and denies that he's doing anything harmful. He will abuse until he's caught.
A child not always recognizes when he or she is being abused, manipulated, or groomed by a pedophile. Unless the pedophile is a sexual sadist, he does not have to threaten a child into silence. The trust, gifts, secrecy, and "relationship" are enough. In some cases, the abuser will coerce the child into silence by saying that if anyone finds out, he would go to jail, or the child would, and maybe the child's parents. In other cases, threats to harm the child, pets, and family are used.
Pedophiles can be "treated" but never cured, because their sexual preference has always been, and always will be, children. Their urges will always be present. Therefore, treatment focuses on changing, curbing, or re-directing the acting-out behaviors of pedophiles. Known pedophiles, if not incarcerated, should be closely monitored for the rest of their lives.
Knowing the profile of a pedophile, does this mean that the little league coach who has a great rapport with kids and treats them to pizza at his house is suspect? Or that the teacher who throws pool parties is? Of course not. The majority of people who like and work with children are not pedophiles. It does mean that we should be observant of all the adults in our children's lives, whether they wear a white collar, a blue collar, or a clerical collar.
11:54, I was veerryy close to Pete and he FIT EVERY SINGLE DESCRIPTION you just listed, except I don't know if he was abused as a child or not.
Post a Comment