DCF lays off 500 workers, claims children will not be affected

The Florida Department of Children and Families began issuing layoff notices Thursday to nearly 500 employees — a move officials said would save taxpayers $48 million while preserving the agency’s protection and care of abused and neglected kids. The layoffs are a result of budget cuts passed by the Florida Legislature and signed into law Thursday by Gov. Rick Scott. They come as the department has faced sharp criticism for its handling of the Barahona case in south Florida.

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http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2011-05-26/news/os-dcf-layoffs-20110526_1_dcf-information-technology-abuse

The Saskatchewan ICE (Internet Child Exploitation) Unit has charged seven men from across the province with possession and distribution of child pornography. This comes after the unit began an investigation into online activities of child abuse images in the province. Police executed nine search warrants between February 1 and April 21 at several locations, including Saskatoon, Regina, Moose Jaw, Raymore and Churchbridge.

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http://www.globaltoronto.com/Seven+Saskatchewan+charged+with+child+pornography/4850957/story.html

LANCASTER, S.C. — A Lancaster woman is charged with letting her son drown in a bathtub.Yasika Patterson, 25, is in jail, charged with homicide by child abuse.Her 18-month-old son, Randell McIlwain, was found dead on May 19 in the family’s home on Pinta Drive, south of Lancaster.

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http://www.wsoctv.com/news/28051108/detail.html

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2011/05/27/2331491/woman-wanted-for-murder-by-child.html

SAN FRANCISCO—A former California college professor has been convicted of sexually abusing a child. Kenneth Kyle pleaded guilty on Thursday in federal court in San Francisco to crossing state lines in August 2009 to have sexual contact with a minor. Authorities say Kyle and 21-year-old Tessa Van Vlerah of Ballwin, Mo. took photos while sexually abusing a 13-month-old girl during Kyle’s visits to the St. Louis area.

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http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_18153984?nclick_check=1

Harlan County, KY—- A Loyall pastor has been arrested and charged second-degree rape, first-degree sexual abuse and two counts of second-degree sodomy involving a minor under the age of 14. Jeremy D. Caraway, 36, a pastor at the Loyall Church of God, was perp walked from his home on Sunday after an investigation by the Kentucky State police. He is alleged to have had sex with the young female member of his congregation. The arrest warrant states that they had sex in his church.

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http://deadkidsofmyspace.com/

SANTA MONICA, CA — Circumcising a boy under the age of 18, even for religious reasons, may soon be against the law in Santa Monica. A proposed ban on circumcision is already on the November ballot in San Francisco. Now supporters of the MGM Bill, which stands for male genital mutilation, are hoping to do the same in Santa Monica.

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http://www.ktla.com/news/landing/ktla-circumcision-ban-santa-monica,0,857021.story

In the last two years 75 people have been prosecuted for federal sex crimes against children in the Houston region, part of a nationwide crackdown on the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Houston said Wednesday. Launched in 2006 by the U.S. Department of Justice, Project Safe Childhood coordinates federal, state and local resources to catch and prosecute individuals who exploit children online, as well as to identify and rescue victims.

Rodney Tollefson – Charged With Raping Relative For 15 Years, Using Screwdrivers And Bottles During Attacks

Jackson County, WI – Rodney Tollefson, a 40-year-old Wisconsin man, has been jailed on charges that he sexually assaulted a female relative over a 15-year period – sometimes using bottles and screwdrivers during his attacks. According Wisconsin authorities, an investigation was launched in mid April when a woman mentoring the victim told Sheboygan County deputies of the horrific ordeal her friend had lived through.

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http://www.theweeklyvice.com/2011/05/rodney-tollefson-charged-with-raping.html

Mom Killed Her Own Daughter, Emma Leigh Barker

LANCASTER, Calif. — A mother who initially claimed she was assaulted and her 18- month- old daughter kidnapped has been convicted of suffocating the little girl and dumping her body near a freeway. Stacey Barker, 24, was convicted of one count of first degree murder, assault on a child and child abuse.

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http://www.ktla.com/news/landing/ktla-lancaster-toddler-mom-convicted,0,1767690.story

Castle Rock mom held without bond in kids’ slayings

CASTLE ROCK, CO — The Castle Rock mother accused of killing her two young children in a murder-suicide attempt went before a judge in Douglas County Tuesday morning where she was ordered to be held without bond. Kelli Murphy, 41, faces charges of first-degree murder and child abuse. Her wrists were covered in bandages as she made her first court appearance.

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http://www.kdvr.com/news/kdvr-castle-rock-mom-to-face-murder-charges-in-childrens-deaths-20110523,0,2994681.story

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A man accused of shooting and killing a Louisville hip-hop dance creator is the father of a toddler who was found dead in a parked car over the weekend.Police said Kenneth Brown shot LaShawn “Sugar Shizz” Talbert in August 2010 during a drug deal in Okolona. Talbert was credited with starting a dance that became popular through the Internet.