Boise, IDAHO

Saying he had "never harmed or touched a child" in collecting child pornography for five years, lowercase judge sentenced Neil to 32 months - with only 8 months in prison, the rest in a treatment facility.

Feb 12, 2008 - Ronald Neil, 41, a Borah High School teacher, pleaded guilty in federal court in Boise Tuesday to possessing child pornography on a school district laptop computer he had at his home.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents discovered Neil’s activity after an unrelated investigation revealed that Neil’s personal credit card and home e-mail address had been used to purchase access to child pornography Web sites.

The transactions dated back as far as the fall of 2002. Neil also obtained pornographic images from other individuals using peer-to-peer file sharing software and Windows Messenger.

He had two computers at home and when agents entered the house, one of the computers was in the process of downloading a pornographic video involving teenage males. Analysis of the laptop computers turned up at least six videos and 50 still images that depicted young boys, some of them prepubescent, engaged in sexually explicit conduct.

He was arrested in September and resigned in December. He will be sentenced May 14.
Full Name: Ronald Keith Neil

The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children has been able to identify eight of the children. As a high school teacher, a tennis coach, and liaison for the American Field Service’s international exchange program at Borah, Neil had contact with many teenagers.

Federal agents are asking that anyone with relevant information — particularly information that would help identify the children in the pictures — call Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Boise, at 685-6674.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Press Release (dated Feb 12, 2008)

Feb 12 - Community reacts to former Borah High School teacher's child porn confession

For months, Sheridan had been wondering why one of his favorite teachers was not at school. His mom, Shannon Shayne, said "my son kept asking me if I had heard anything... would I call the school, ask the school what was going on, so I did and everybody said they couldn't tell us anything at this time."

When word spread about what happened, the Borah High community was in disbelief.

SENTENCED (Sorta) May 15 - Neil was sentenced to 32 months. He will have to register as a sex offender. Only 8 months will be incarceration. The rest will be in a sex offender treatment facility. Guidelines call for a sentence of 4 to 5 years. However,

U.S. District Court Judge B. Lynn Winmill said it was the shortest sentence he has ever handed down for this type of crime. That was because Neil had not touched or harmed a child. Letters from Neil's students help sway the judge in his leniency.

Child Pornography and Educators
TT - List sentenced for child pornography.
TT - List guilty but not yet sentenced for child pornography.

TT - Too bad those sexually violated children from Russia and elsewhere who were abused for Neil's entertainment didn't have a chance to write a letter. But children like that don't get to write letters; they're lucky to still be alive. Neil downloaded the images for five years and cited his own own sex abuse as an excuse. Neil reportedly locked himself in his home in shame and guilt over his abuse when he was a child.

It's fortunate that Neil's abuser didn't take photographs or movies to pass on to any filthy pervert who wanted to enjoy his humiliation and pain and was willing to pay money for it.

Lowercase U.S. District Court judge B. Lynn Winmill (pictured) was appointed by Bill Clinton. Lowercase judges are those unworthy of the capitalization of a title.

Rice Lake, WISCONSIN

Six children and she does something stupid like this.

GUILTY VERDICT Feb 8, 2008 - A jury found
Jane M. Dettmering, 39, guilty in the June 2006 arson of her family's home. She was a speech therapist for the Barron Area School District.

The school district had chosen not to renew Dettmering's contract shortly before the suspicious blaze took place at the home, and the family also had a sizable mortgage on the residence.

Dettmering’s two older children told investigators that much of their personal clothing and toys, which were in the house two days before the fire, had been removed from the house and stored in the garage.

Background
The March 2007 story of her arrest is illuminating.

She allegedly told authorities that she had left the home with three of her children in her van between 3 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. that day and headed into Barron to buy chocolate milk for the kids. She later realized that she had forgotten her check card and retuned to the residence.

Upon arrival, she saw smoke coming from an upstairs window, and immediately drove her children to her daycare provider, who lives approximately 4.5 miles away.

The daycare provider told police that it was about 3:45 p.m. when Dettmering dropped the children off.

Dettmering then returned to her residence and made several trips into the home to retrieve personal items and other property in the master bedroom area of the house. Afterward, (approximately 4:28 p.m.) she then drove to a neighbor's residence and reported the fire.

Investigators found two sources of the fire. Special agents also looked into the Dettmering's credit and financial records and found that they had a "sizable" mortgage on the home and at least $70,000 in student loan debt.

TT - There's a picture of her in the March 2007 school newspaper, and you can't help thinking how devastating it must be for her husband and five children, and her whole family. And how very lucky that there were no injuries of fire department personnel.

SENTENCING scheduled for May 1, 2008.

SENTENCED May 2, 2008 - Dettmering was sentenced to five years in prison, stayed, followed by 15 years of extended supervision. The judge stayed sentence and placed her on probation, meaning she will go to prison if she violates terms of probation.. She will have to pay more than $115,000 in restitution aspart of her probation. She will serve one year in jail - not prison.

Her attorney said incarceration would cause "chaotic collateral consequences" on Dettmering's husband and six children and the students she teaches.

May 7 - The local paper explained judge James Babler's decision to sentence her to one year in jail and probation.

Judge James Babler explained that the lengthy period of probation was for Dettmering to pay an estimated $115,000 restitution to American Family Insurance. Her jail time will be served with work release privileges.

The judge had difficulty in deciding the sentence.

Babler said he had great difficulty in deciding on a sentence for Dettmering, partly because she was not a typical criminal.

He said he’d gotten a number of letters from community members attesting to her good character. Some said Dettmering couldn’t be guilty, said Babler. He added that Dettmering was highly educated and that she was at low risk to re-offend.

TT - she doesn't have another house to burn down. Babler is now on our lowercase judge list for those judges who don't deserve the honorific capitalization of a title.

A Wise Man

HERO OF THE DAY

We often rag on judges who sentence child pornographers and molesters to probation or ridiculously low sentences and then justify their actions with inanities. From time to time, however, there are judges who exhibit decency and respect for law, the victims and their families.

Circuit Court Judge Robert McGinnis sentenced Crystal Wells, a 33-year-old math teacher and the married mother of two daughters, to five years in prison on each of six counts of unlawful transaction with a minor for having sex with a 15-year-old male student. The sentences will run concurrently. However, he was clear about the need.

After her attorney argued for probation, saying that it would do no good to anyone, the judge was unmoved.

McGinnis disagreed, citing the impact statements and facts of the case, with the boy's mother and supporters of the victims' family, and Wells family and church members present, McGinnis formally sentenced Wells to five years on each count to be served concurrently.

If Wells' offense had been a single incident; if she had ceased contact with the victim after a confrontation by the boy's family; if she had not been a teacher, the offense may have warranted probation, McGinnis said."I have to treat this the same as I would a male teacher and a female student," McGinnis said. "I am not sure anyone benefits from jail."

Citing the reduced charge from the original charges in the guilty plea and concessions already made by the commonwealth, the judge said there would be no probation at the time being. Wells is also shielded from prosecution from possible criminal charges in Nicholas County involving the same victim."A significant break has already been cut with the plea," McGinnis said. "Probation is denied ... you are in custody."

For his respect for children and their parents in his service to law and decency, we applaud him.

The function of wisdom is to discriminate between good and evil. - Cicero

Tampa, FLORIDA

NAMES IN THE NEWS -

FLORIDA Apil 8, 2008 - Today a Florida judge decided that skank Debra Lafave can be released from house arrest three months early. Assistant State Attorney Mike Sinicore strongly objected to Lafave's house arrest being ended early. "This is a very egregious offense," Sinicore said. "There's absolutely no reason for you to mitigate this sentence at all."

The judge's name is J. Rogers Padgett. (pictured right)
Thirteenth Judicial Circuit; Hillsborough County Courthouse; Tampa, FL

Other Tampa, Florida teachers arrested since last November for sex with their students. TT entry

Pinellas District teachers Discipline Records from the Florida Department of Education.
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PENNSYLVANIA April 9, 2008 - Lebanon County (PA) Judge Bradford H. Charles sentenced Stephen A. Spiese, 57, a part-time teacher at Lebanon Valley College and actor, for child pornography. Spiese admitted that he has viewed child pornography for years.

After acknowledging letters of support for Charles, mostly from the artistic community, the judge noted the lack of any previous criminal record. "There is not one bit of evidence you ever acted inappropriately," he told Spiese.

But Charles said what Spiese did in downloading child pornography was not a victimless crime. "You made it possible for an eight-year old girl to be raped," he said.

Outrageously, Charles then sentenced Spiese to one month to one year in Lebanon County prison and 11 years of state probation. TT - entry

The video where the 8-year-old is raped depicts more than 75 girls and boys, some as young as about 1, being raped or forced to perform sexual acts with adults.

Judge Bradford H. Charles
52nd Judicial District of Pennsylvania
Lebanon County Court of Common Pleas link
No biographical information or picture available.

Bethel, MINNESOTA

QUOTE OF THE DAY

Judge Rosenbaum, after listening to the feedback from both sides of the court room, summed up his thoughts prior to sentencing Ostrander to 15 years in federal prison.

“Mr. Ostrander, your sister and mother say you are a good person. You spoke about sin, and I will tell you, whether you sinned is between you and the Lord. It’s not up to me to judge in that regard. I don’t care if you are a good person.

“I will sentence you based on the acts in violation of federal law. It extracts consequences.

“You have committed theft of innocence, a crime you are profoundly guilty of. As a teacher, father and husband, you have responsibilities. And what you did to these children was a straight up crime. You did it for your own purposes.

“I categorically reject your counsel’s argument that you did not touch, molest or penetrate the victims. The pain is real in every sense. I am profoundly sad for your family. The penalties fall on (all) the families.

“The judge is following the law because you failed to do so. There are victims on both sides of the room, but the perpetrator is standing right in the middle.

“You were nothing but a predator who preyed on people who had every reason to trust you,” the judge concluded.

-- from the judge sentencing Barry Ostrander

for child pornography and a hidden camera in a bathroom

TT link to Ostrander