Many of the people considered to be on the front lines in Pennsylvania’s fight against child abuse do not understand what they should do or have not been trained in reporting suspected cases, a new survey says. Hospital staff, clergy, teachers and other people known as mandatory reporters — those required to call the state’s abuse hot line any time they suspect a child has been abused — were among those expressing frustration in the survey.

The child suffered three broken ribs, a broken leg, a broken hand and severe bruising over most of his body. The man accused of beating the child is Rian Butcher. He entered an Alford Plea to the court last week. That means he believes there is enough evidence that would probably lead a jury to convict him, but he is not admitting guilt. A Brown County judge sentenced Butcher to 210 days in jail, five years probation and a three-thousand dollar fine.

Dover AFB, Delaware—– Air Force Staff Sergeant Christopher Brandli, 27, was arrested for possession and transportation of child pornography. Brandli’s computer was seized along with other media from his dorm room. The hard drive contained 47 pornographic photos and 27 pornographic videos of prepubescent to adolescent girls.

LOS ANGELES — Police are looking for additional victims after a man employed as an in-home caregiver has been arrested for molesting an autistic child. Jeremy Shawn Stockton is charged with multiple counts of lewd acts against a child under the age of 14. Stockton was arrested after the boy came forward with details of the molestation.

PASADENA, Texas — Police have arrested a man after his disabled 10-year-old son was found dead inside a box in the family’s SUV. Jeffrey Singer was arrested Sunday after driving to a relative’s home with the body of his son, Jonathan.
Family members say Jonathan was blind and suffered from Cerebral Palsy.

BLACK RIVER FALLS, Wis. — The name of the man who killed a Jackson County third-grader in 1989 is expected to soon be released. District Attorney Gerald Fox said the man responsible for the death of 9-year-old Jennifer Wesho is dead and isn’t related to Wesho.

A Chalmette woman was taken into custody Saturday night after she attempted to murder her 6-year-old and 10-year-old daughters. Sandra Lightell, 36, was arrested at her home in the 2600 block of Charles Drive around 5:15 p.m. Police say that another one of Lightell’s daughters called authorities after receiving a voicemail on her phone from her mother saying that she might smother the younger children.

A Maryland man has come forward with allegations that the Rev. Philip DeRea, an Aurora priest and chaplain for the Indy 500, sexually abused him over the course of eight years. The man, now in his early 40s, filed a lawsuit Thursday in federal court in Chicago that details the abuse, which occurred in the Washington, D.C. area in the 1980s. It also claims the priest acknowledged the molestation in emails last year and tried to give the man money in exchange for his silence.

Not too many persons who were abused as a child can find the strength to face their past, live with the hurt and then find the strength to come public with their story. At 30, Akil Johnson is speaking up. He has given a face and a voice to an issue that speaks to the very heart of every community – the protection of children.

SACRAMENTO, Calif — A Sacramento piano teacher has been arrested on suspicion of child molestation.Hao “Henry” Nguyen, 41, was booked into the Sacramento County Main Jail on one charge of committing a lewd act with a child and one count of oral copulation with a child.

WEIRTON — It is a case of child abuse that is hard to forget for investigators in Weirton. A 3-year-old girl was so severely injured that first responders could not waste one more minute to have her rushed to a hospital. Weirton Police received a call on Feb. 21, four days after an alleged child abuse that was so bad, the young girl had to be immediately flown to a Pittsburgh hospital.

A woman and seven men, including one from East Anglia, have appeared in court charged with being involved in a worldwide internet child abuse ring. The eight defendants face a total of 113 charges at Portsmouth Crown Court including rape and sexual assault of children aged under 13 and making and distributing indecent photos of children. Kerry Maylin, prosecuting, told the court the case involved the alleged abuse of two children aged under 13.

MUNCIE — “Forgiveness is something I would like,” said Daniel, who was convicted five years ago of molesting his 10-year-old daughter.The man — whose last name is not being used because doing so would identify his victim — hastily added that he hoped his family forgave him “more for their sake than mine,” noting that lingering anger and bitterness can cause not only problems for maintaining relationships but also illnesses.

It’s been almost a year since five siblings with special needs, all under 10 years old and victims of abuse and neglect, have been living in temporary foster care homes. Social workers with the Department of Public Health and Social Services have been trying to find a stable home for the children, but haven’t been successful. They’ve even tried to reunite the children with their birth mother, but determined the reunion may not be the best solution.