James VanCallis Charged in April Millsap’s Death

MACOMB COUNTY, MICHIGAN – Graphic testimony was heard in the preliminary exam Monday for James VanCallis, charged with the murder of Armada teen April Millsap. VanCallis, 32, is charged with first degree murder, felony murder, assault with the intent to commit sexual penetration, but first the judge must decide if the case should go to trial. Prosecutors say that about 15 witnesses are expected to testify. Some who took that stand said there was no doubt in their mind they saw VanCallis on the Macomb Orchard Trail the day she was fatally assaulted. There was also testimony from responding officers who gave graphic testimony. READ MORE HERE

Holland found guilty of child sex abuse, sodomy, sexual torture

BAY MINETTE, Alabama — Wendy Holland, the 35-year-old woman accused of multiple sex crimes involving a child, has been convicted of guilty of sex abuse of a child, sodomy, endangering welfare of a child and sexual torture. The Baldwin County District Attorney’s Office presented its case on Tuesday, which was highlighted with testimony from the child victim. The emotional statements were backed with similar testimony from participants in the family sex ring. Authorities have arrested 11 people total, eight of whom are related. READ MORE HERE

Prosecutors react to the conviction of Wendy Holland

Wendy Holland is first member of Alabama incest ring found guilty

Herrera-Martinez wanted on child molestation charges

Chino Valley police are looking for Jose Rogelio Herrera-Martinez, 41. They have a warrant for his arrest for child molestation, child abuse and forgery charges. He was born April 15, 1973, is 5-foot-7 and weighs about 175 pounds. He has long black hair that is usually worn in a ponytail or braided. His last known address was in Prescott Valley on Morning Star Road.

If you have information that leads to the arrest of No. 15 of “Catch 22,” Yavapai Silent Witness’ program to apprehend fugitives, you could earn a $500 cash reward. To earn the reward, you must call Yavapai Silent Witness at 1-800-932-3232 with your information within 90 days of this article’s publication. Remember, you never have to give your name. SOURCE

PHOENIX — A Maricopa County Sheriff’s detention officer is on administrative leave following sex crime charges dating back almost two decades. The Sheriff’s Office says 32-year-old Scott Andrew Dennison, who was charged Thursday, remains jailed on charges of sexual conduct with a minor and molestation of a child. According to court records, two female victims told Peoria police that Dennison molested them when they were children. Another victim alleges that Dennison engaged her in oral sex when she was between 4 and 5 years old. READ MORE HERE

WOONSOCKET, RHODE ISLAND — A Woonsocket police officer found guilty of physically abusing his young sister while in his care, was sentenced to 10 years at the ACI with six months to serve on Monday. Patrick Cahill, 26, of Woonsocket, was found guilty on one count of second-degree child abuse. Prosecutors proved that in August of 2012, Cahill physically abused his 9-year-old sister. She immediately told her mother about the abuse, who then reported the incident to Woonsocket police. “We alleged to the court that he in fact choked his sister,” Kilmartin said. “The judge, who conducted a jury-waived trial, did the fact-finding, concurred, and found him guilty.” Cahill has been on unpaid administrative leave since his arrest. READ MORE HERE

Woonsocket police officer found guilty of abusing sister, 9

Suspended cop convicted of abusing kid sister

A Utah father will serve 30 days in jail and 30 days of house arrest for chaining his 7-year-old son to a bed while the man was at work. State Judge Brandon Maynard insisted on jail time Monday despite a recommendation from prosecutors that 29-year-old Sammie Hodges from Logan only serve house arrest. Utah father Sammie Hodges, 29, chained his 7-year-old son to a bed while he was at work because he couldn’t afford daycare. The judge said he didn’t want to keep father and son apart, though. ‘My goal is not to undermine reunification efforts with your son, but rather to reinforce making good parenting decisions,’ Maynard said. READ MORE HERE

Dad repeatedly has sex with long-lost daughter, 13, after she finds him through Facebook

Growing up, she wondered what her father was like. So the schoolgirl, then 13, was thrilled when she eventually tracked him down through “friends and Facebook” postings. He was living in South Yorkshire, England. But it turned out the teen was better off not making contact – as she was repeatedly forced to have sex with him  “on a regular basis” over a six-month period, Sheffield Crown Court heard. READ MORE HERE

The grooming process

Studies of sexual offenders have found that deliberate tactics are often used to select victims and engage them in sexual abuse. This is described as the grooming process. Sexual offenders have often claimed to identify vulnerable children – for example, those who are less able to tell about the abuse, or who are unhappy or needy. There are a number of specific techniques that offenders use to mask their behavior prior to the assault, as well as during and after the assault. Many deliberately establish themselves as the kind of person you wouldn’t suspect to be a sex offender because they are “too nice” or an upstanding person in the community who helps a lot of people out. This is a powerful tactic as it allows offenders to become embedded in a community and be involved in a number of socially responsible activities such as youth groups, churches and schools, which can give the offender access to a number of potential victims without ever being suspected. This double life causes parents and others to drop their guards and to allow access to their children without suspecting anything. It is important to also note, that the majority of offenders are known to the family, and too often are family members. READ MORE HERE

Says it is ‘permissible’ to have ‘intercourse with female slave who hasn’t reached puberty’

Islamic State (IS) has published a shocking guidebook for its fighters on how to rape slave girls – even if they have not reached puberty. The Arabic manual, titled Questions And Answers On Taking Captives And Slaves, instructs IS fighters on how to buy and sell women and girls who have been captured in war as booty. The document, published by the Research and Fatwa Department of IS, gives its fighters the green light to turn captured women into slaves and concubines, and even give them as gifts to one another. READ MORE HERE

FATHER CHARGED WITH CAPITAL MURDER

Detectives aren’t releasing many details, but they believe the family’s front-loader washing machine played a part in a little boy’s death, saying his injuries appears to be consistent with having been inside the appliance. “From what we know about the washing machine … that door has to be shut, and then someone has to push a button on the outside to get that started,” said police spokesman Officer Joe Harn. “It does not start by automatically shutting that door.” The washing machine has been seized as evidence. Blocker’s friends are asking people not to be too quick to judge. READ MORE HERE

Texas boy found dead in washing machine; dad charged

Texas father arrested after son’s apparent washing machine death

Father, 28, is charged with capital murder

A Southern California father and his girlfriend have been found guilty of torture and child abuse for starving two of his children and beating a third. A San Bernardino County jury convicted 30-year-old Erik Austin Flores and 23-year-old Mariah Rita Sugg, of Hesperia, Wednesday. Each faces 20 years to life in prison when they’re sentenced January 8. Prosecutors say the 4-year-old and 5-year-old children suffered permanent height loss because of their malnutrition and resembled concentration camp survivors and zombies when they were found and taken in by authorities earlier this year. READ MORE HERE

A former Christian radio host was called a ‘wolf in sheep’s clothing’ on Thursday as he was sentenced to 40 years for raping an 11-year-old boy. John Balyo, 36, of Caledonia, Michigan, was arrested in a June as part of a sex trafficking ring bust, and in September, pleaded guilty to sexually abusing the child in a hotel room. At the sentencing hearing, Judge Robert Holmes Bell said it was difficult to reconcile Balyo’s public image as a newlywed expectant father, who was a camp counselor and missionary volunteer, with that of the sadistic pedophile which came to light in the police investigation. Police found Balyo’s lock-up where he stashed child pornography and practiced a sexual kidnapping fantasy with a child-sized mannequin. READ MORE HERE

A Utah mother has been arrested for allegedly taking pictures of her half-naked 5-year-old daughter and selling them to men. Starla Rae McCabe, 45, from Perry, Utah, has been charged with 10 counts of sexual exploitation of a minor. According to a probable cause statement obtained by Deseret News, police armed with a warrant searchd a Nintendo DSi video game system featuring a camera and discovered a cache of 19 photo s depicting McCabe’s 5-year-old daughter. READ MORE HERE