COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – A Cookeville man will spend four years behind bars for using a belt to whip his young stepdaughter. 22-year-old Jon Swearinger pleaded guilty to child abuse, and was sentenced to four years in prison.

Sex abuse victim and campaigner, Michelle Stubbs, has rejected an apology from the State Government and returned a copy of it to every member of the Barnett Government. The apology was issued by the State Government as a part of WA Redress, which was set up in 2008 to acknowledge and apologise to adults who were abused or neglected as children while in State care.

MORGANTOWN — The state police have arrested a Monongalia County man and charged him with felony child abuse. John Anthony Kelch faces two counts of child abuse causing risk of injury. Authorities said Kelch physically and verbally abused two male juveniles in his home, located on East Brockway Avenue in Morgantown.

Wilmington, Del. —Approximately one in four girls and one in six boys will be sexually abused before they reach the age of 18, according to Attorney General Beau Biden. That is a number the state hopes to see dramatically decrease after kicking off a new training program designed to teach Delawareans how to spot possible signs of child sexual abuse.

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – A Springfield man has been arrested after police say he stabbed a 12 year-old boy with a pair of chopsticks. Police Cdt. Melissa Rodriguez told 22News that Vo Duc Au, 31, of Springfield is being charged with two counts of assault and battery by means of a dangerous weapon.

WINONA, Minn. – For the fourth time in 12 years, a baby has been found floating in the Mississippi River. Officials in Winona County recovered a body on Monday. In November of 1999, a little girl was found near Red Wing. Then a boy, believed to be that baby’s brother, was discovered near Frontenac in 2003.

CANYON COUNTRY, CA — The mother of a boy molested by a registered sex offender in Canyon Country is upset after she says the state failed to inform her that her son’s attacker was released from prison. Caroline Mason says she received several frantic calls on Tuesday from neighbors who spotted 50-year-old Greggory Babb roaming the streets near her home, the Santa Clarita Valley Signal is reporting.

Controversy has exploded over “Caylee’s Fund,” the newly founded foundation started by George and Cindy Anthony. The Anthony’s, who are the grandparents of slain Florida toddler Caylee Anthony, have started the foundation in their granddaughter’s name just weeks after their daughter, Casey Anthony, was acquitted by a Florida jury on charges that she murdered the 2-year-old child and tossed her body in a heavily wooded swamp just steps from the Anthony’s home.

In 1999, an estimated 3,244,000 children were reported to Child Protective Services (CPS) agencies as alleged victims of child maltreatment. Child abuse reports have maintained a steady growth for the past ten years, with the total number of reports nationwide increasing 45% since 1987 (Nation Committee for the Prevention of Child Abuse (NCPCA) 2000 Annual Fifty State Survey).

ANOKA, Minn. – The Anoka County Sheriff’s Office has amended charges against the mother of a 3-year-old boy who died from violent child abuse. On Wednesday, officials charged Elizabeth Moorman with second-degree manslaughter instead of child neglect.

It was the hope to prevent future victims of abuse that led author Jeanne Byrns to write her memoir, “The Eyes Have It” (published by Trafford Publishing). Detailing her years of abuse – physical, sexual, mental and emotional – Byrns opens her life to the reader in this deeply personal exploration.

MARTINSBURG, W.Va. — The trial for a Berkeley County man accused of starving two children in his care and locking them in the basement of his home was postponed until Jan. 24 to allow his new attorney more time to prepare for the case.

HEBER CITY — The co-founder of a nonprofit group that helps women and children in Third World villages, pleaded guilty Wednesday to sexually abusing children. Lon Harvey Kennard Sr., 68, of Heber City, pleaded guilty to three first-degree felony counts of aggravated sexual abuse of a child.

Police have arrested a private elementary school principal on seven counts of child molestation dating back 15 years. Police Chief Christopher Boyd says Robert Adams was arrested Wednesday morning at his Folsom home. He says Adams suffered a medical incident and was taken to a hospital. READ MORE HERE: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2011/09/07/national/a095636D84.DTL#ixzz1XJEr8pGk