Recently in molestation Category

PASADENA - The trial for a Monrovia man accused of luring underage girls via the Internet and molesting them has been postponed until next month, court officials said. 
 
Gregory Scott Serrano, 34, was initially scheduled to go on trial Feb. 9, officials said, however it has been rescheduled for March 2.
 
Serrano has been charged with 20 counts of child molestation in the alleged crimes, which officials allege date back to June of 2006. 
 
In addition to the local charges, Serrano has been indicted on 23 federal charges, United States Attorney's officials said. 
 
Serrano was jailed in March of last year after a 15-year-old girl reported the alleged molestation to her parents, officials said. 
 
Serrano's alleged victims range in age from 13 to 17 years old, officials said.
 

A man accused of molesting four girls at a San Gabriel elementary school was cleared of three of the accusations Thurssday. In the fourth charge, the jury could not reach a verdict. City News Service reports below:

ALHAMBRA - An outside contractor who had been accused of inappropriately touching three female students at an elementary school in San Gabriel was acquitted today of three charges, but jurors deadlocked on a count involving a fourth girl.
The Alhambra Superior Court jury deliberated just over a day before acquitting Daniel Roy Smith, 43, of Fullerton, of two felony counts of lewd act on a child and a misdemeanor
child annoying charge.
The panel deadlocked 9-3 in favor of acquittal on a third lewd act charge, according to defense
attorney Leonard Levine.
"We're hopeful that the remaining count will be dismissed," Smith's attorney said.
The prosecution is expected to announce at the next hearing Feb. 13 whether it wants to retry Smith on the charge, which involves a girl who was 7 at the time.
"We'll look at the decision on whether to retry him," Deputy District Attorney Steven Ipson said this afternoon.
The other charges on which Smith was acquitted involved another 7-year- old girl, a 10-year-old girl and an 11-year-old girl, according to Ipson.
Smith was an outside contractor who was hired in connection with an astronomy presentation at Washington Elementary School.
"Our simple argument was that he didn't commit any acts of molestation," Levine said.
Smith had been jailed on $600,000 bail, but his bail was reduced to $75,000 following the jury's verdict, according to his attorney.

The Los Angeles Times reports that the U.S. Attorney's Office in Los Angeles has opened up a probe of Cardinal Roger Mahoney for his role in the sex abuse scandal that rocked the Archdiocese in recent years. Here's a portion of the story that appears on the Time's Web site this afternoon:

The U.S. attorney in Los Angeles has launched a federal grand jury investigation into Cardinal Roger M. Mahony in connection with his response to the alleged molestation of children by priests in the Los Angeles Archdiocese, according to two law enforcement sources familiar with the case.

The probe, in which U.S. Atty. Thomas P. O'Brien is personally involved, is aimed at determining whether Mahony, and possibly other church leaders, committed "honest services fraud" by failing to adequately deal with priests accused of sexually abusing children, said the sources, who requested anonymity because they are not authorized to speak publicly about the investigation.

The state's case against Virgil Cleon Harper went to a Jury Wednesday after both sides presented closing arguments.

Harper, a substitute teacher in Azusa, is accused of nine counts of sexual molestation involving youngsters in his classroom.

Our reporter Bethania Palma attended Wednesday's court session and interviewed Harper. These excerpts are from her story:

Deputy District Attorney Miji Vellakkatel<NO1>cq <NO>told the jury there was solid evidence Harper touched the 9-and-10-year-old boys and girls in a sexual manner.
"The truth lies in the evidence," he said. "He touched a total of 17 body parts that are sexual in nature.
The fourth graders had stated Harper touched genital areas, rear ends, breasts and thighs, Vellakkatel said.
Defense attorney Victor Salerno said the accusations were false and added they resulted from peer pressure and a "snowball effect."

<snip>

Harper said he had been a teacher and substitute teacher for years in various settings, including high schools and colleges. At one point he taught at Oregon State Penitentiary in Salem.
He also worked as an adjunct professor at APU and served on the city's architectural barriers commission.
Harper said he began teaching at grade schools about a year ago so he could get more hours.
He said if cleared of charges, he would not teach children again "unless there are cameras or another adult present."

This from staff and wire reports:

LOS ANGELES  -- An Altadena man made his first court appearance today on
charges that he molested two 9-year-old girls, including one of his students,
while he was working as a teacher about 20 years ago.

Mark Walter Sonnenburg, 53, is scheduled to be arraigned Oct. 20 on three
felony counts filed last Friday involving the two alleged victims, according to
Sandi Gibbons of the District Attorney's Office.

One of the girls was a student at Eagle Rock Montessori School,
where he taught at the time, Gibbons said.

He had more recently taught at The Walden School in Pasadena where he worked until March, according to a statement released by that
school.

"We have determined that these allegations do not involve any former or current
student from our school and are based on a time more than two decades ago,"
Walden School's statement says. "Prior to learning of the allegations, the
school never received any information, complaint or allegation of this kind
involving Mr. Sonnenburg -- before or during his tenure at the school."

The Walden School said it had been contacted by authorities during the last
school year, had been fully cooperating with the investigation and conducted
its own independent investigation.

Sonnenburg was arrested last Friday by officers from the Los Angeles Police
Department's Northeast Division. He has remained jailed since then in lieu of
$300,000 bail.

From Fox News 

NOVI, Mich. --  A 33-year-old Clarkston man faces two 20-year felonies after authorities say he arranged a meeting for sex with an online contact he believed was a 14-year-old girl and showed up wearing a T-shirt that read: "World's Greatest Dad."

Daniel Allen Everett was arraigned Tuesday in Novi district court on charges of child sexual abuse and using the Internet to attempt child sexual abuse.

Magistrate Andra Dudley set bond at $50,000 cash.

Gregory Scott Serrano, 33, of Monrovia, entered a not guilty plea at his arraignment Friday in his child molestation and child pornograhpy case, according to officials from the district attorney's office:

PASADENA -- A Monrovia man suspected of luring 10 teenage girls via the Internet to molest them and take pornographic pictures of them appeared in court last week, officials said.
Gregory Scott Serrano, 33, entered a not guilty plea Friday at the Pasadena Superior Court, Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office officials said.
Serrano is charged with 20 counts of child molestation stemming from the alleged molestations, which are believed to date back to June of 2006, said United Stated Attorney Joey Blanch, who is prosecuting the case.
The alleged victims are between 13 and 17 years old, Blanch said.
Serrano allegedly used social networking Web site such as MySpace.com and Netlog.com to meet the underage girls, Blanch said.
He was arrested March 12 after a 15-year-old girl told her parents that Serrano had molested her, officials said.
In addition to the local charges, Serrano has also been indicted federally on suspicion of 23 crimes including using the Internet to entice minors, producing and possessing child pornography and destroying evidence.
If convicted on the federal charges, Serrano could face life in prison, Blanch said.
Serrano is due back in court June 30 for a pre-trial conference, officials said.

El Monte police are investigation allegations that a custodian at a local elementaty school inappropriately touched a young girl in late April.

The unidientified custodian is now on paid administrative leave as police continue to investigate, according to school district officials.

Here's an excerpt from a story running in tommorrow's paper:

 EL MONTE -- A custodian at a local elementary school is currently on paid administrative leave as police investigate allegations that he inappropriately touched a student earlier this year, police and school district officials said.
The alleged incident occurred April 25 at La Primaria Elementary School, 4220 Gilman Road, said El Monte police Detective Ernie Cramer.
The name of the custodian, a man in his 60s, was not released, he said. He has not been arrested.
The investigation involves "inappropriate touching above the clothes," said Cramer.
A girl in the 3rd grade came forward and told school officials that the custodian had touched her inappropriately earlier in the day, Cramer said.
School officials immediately contacted the girl's parents and the El Monte Police Department, he said.
Mountain View School District Director of Special Projects Alan Morier said it's district procedure to place any employee being investigated by police on paid administrative leave.

These blurbs come from the City News Service wire. They are written in an easy-to-read format for radio. I've supplied links to related content:

1. A former Bell police officer is due in a federal courtroom in downtown L- A this afternoon on charges of forcing a woman to have sex with him following a traffic stop just over a year ago. 33-year-old Feliciano Sanchez of Pico Rivera is accused of stopping the woman in Bell last May, then driving her to a remote location and forcing her to perform a sex act.
2. Meanwhile ... a Bell High School teacher is being accused of having sex with a 17-year-old female student. 37-year-old Alex Diaz was arrested May 21st on suspicion of having sex with a minor. Diaz and the teen were allegedly caught in the back seat of a car in a Carson parking lot. He's out of custody on 20-thousand-dollars bail.

This from the U.S. Attorney's office:

A San Gabriel Valley man was indicted today for allegedly using
social networking sites on the Internet to convince high school-age girls to have sex with him and pose for pornographic pictures.

Gregory Scott Serrano, 33, of Monrovia, was indicted by a federal grand jury in Los Angeles on charges of production of child
pornography, using the Internet to entice minors to produce child
pornography and to meet for sex, receipt of child pornography,
possession of child pornography and attempted destruction of evidence.

The indictment lists 10 teenage girls as victims. However, authorities believe there are other girls who may have been victimized by Serrano.

The investigation into Serrano began in March after a 15-year-old girl reported that Serrano had taken pornographic photographs of her. According to court documents, Serrano posed as a 19-year-old and contacted the teenager after reading her profile on netlog.com and MySpace.com. After courting her via emails and cellular telephone conversations, Serrano pressed the teenager to meet him in person.

Some of serrano's usernames included: Greg Scott, Purein10citi, citigreg1116, serranogreg, and latinoload1116.

*Serrano is charged with 23 counts in state court and 22 federal counts. Bail in the case has been set at $820,000. He's residing at the Pitchess Detention Center in Castaic.

*Here's what Serrano listed on his resume at LinkedIn.com

Gregory Serrano's Experience

• Owner

  Primerica Financial Services

  (Public Company; Financial Services industry)

  Currently holds this position

• Culinary Delivery Specialist

Chili's Grill and Bar

(Public Company; 5001-10,000 employees; eat; Restaurants industry)

1994 -- 2001 (7 years)

**Here's an excerpt from the 

SAFE_-_Serrano_indictment.pdf: 

Beginning in or about January 2007, and continuing until in or about March 12, 2008, in Los Angeles County, within the Central District of California, and elsewhere, defendant GREGORY SCOTT SERRANO knowingly used a facility of interstate commerce, namely, the Internet and the telephone, to attempt to persuade, induce, and entice an individual who had not attained the age of 18 years, namely, S.A., a 13 and then 14-year-old girl, to engage in a sexual activity for which a person could be charged with a criminal offense, namely, lewd acts on a child, in violation of California Penal Code Section 288(C)(1), and production of child pornography, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2251(a). 

***Here's some of Greg Serrano's Web sites:

WIndows live here.

MySpace here.

Friendster here.

LinkedIn here. 

****Netlog site here.

This comes from Monica Rodriguez at the Daily Bulletin:

POMONA - It's now difficult, if not impossible, for registered sex offenders to move here.

City Council members have unanimously approved an urgency ordinance that essentially prevents additional registered sex offenders from moving into the city.

Under the new regulation, just about every part of the city would be excluded.

Cleon V. Harper, 65, of Azusa was picked up by Azusa PD on suspicion of 10 counts of child molestation.

Harper was a substitute teacher for a fourth-grade class at WR Powell Elementary School. Children complained to their parents after sitting in Harper's class.

The arrest was the culmination of a week-long investigation by Azusa authorities.

This guy may have been a professor at APU, according to a cursory records search.

Here's comments from Rate My Professor.

A V. Cleon Harper is also listed as a city commissioner on Azusa's website Architectural Barriers Commission.

Another guy who shares the name sits on the board of a group known as "Stepping Stones for Women"  The Motto of the group: "Providing handles of hope to single mothers and their children."

RUMOR CONTROL

A 16-year-old was wounded in a driveby shooting in County territory on Sunday, January 13. The shooting was in front of his home on Peck Road, not at a school.

A Canyon High School student was killed and another teen wounded in another shooting incident January 26, also on Peck Road.

A suspect has been arrested in the Jan. 13 shooting. Monrovia Police have also arrested two gang members as suspects in a shooting that took place on Cypress Avenue.

Investigations are continuing and arrests are being made as the recent flare-up of gang violence continues throughout the region.

Crime Scene responds.

When he was shot on Jan. 13, Day Day was bicycling just outside the grounds of Calvary Church and within a block or two of the Catholic School. CLARIFIED 13:25:52 1-30-08

Sammantha Salas, who was killed on Jan. 26,  attended Alhambra High School as was reported here yesterday and confirmed by district officials there. No arrest has been made in the shooting of Salas.

At least he wasn't dressed in a clown suit.

An update on this from Pasadena Star-News court reporter Molly R. Okeon:

ALHAMBRA — A 42-year-old Fullerton man accused of inappropriately touching five girls during a San Gabriel elementary school assembly Monday was charged Friday with five felony counts of lewd acts on a child.
Daniel Roy Smith was scheduled to be arraigned in court late Friday afternoon, said Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office spokeswoman Sandi Gibbons. Smith is being held on $500,000 bail.
Gibbons said she believes Smith is facing a maximum of 16 years in prison, if convicted.
Smith, an outside vendor hired by Washington Elementary School to give an astronomy presentation, was arrested Wednesday amidst the allegations, which allegedly occurred while teachers and parents were present but went undetected because of the large crowd of students watching the planetarium exhibit, school district officials have said.