Andrews, NORTH CAROLINA

SUICIDE on day he was to be sentenced.
More charges were pending in cases going back to 1969.

June 24, 2008 - Robert Hugh Rayburn, 69, a retired school teacher, was found dead on Monday, the day he was to be sentenced charges of sexual molestation of minors. He died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound and was found by a family member.

Rayburn pleaded guilty on March 31 to two counts of indecent liberties with a child. The charges stem from an incident between Rayburn and a 14-year-old boy on March 15. He was to have been sentenced on that charge.

OTHER CHARGES, OTHER VICTIMS On April 21, he was indicted on nine charges for sexual offenses from 1969-76. Those indictments include five offenses of crime against nature involving a young boy from 1969-73. Four indictments are for indecent liberties with a child for a female under age 16. The incidents occurred between Dec. 8, 1975, and Dec. 7, 1976, according to the indictments.

Rayburn taught for 36 years in Andrews, beginning in 1960. He retired in 1996.

Port Charlotte, FLORIDA

Dead of gunshot wound to the head.

Jan 13, 2008 - Dale Bowe, 46, Director** of Port Charlotte High School's marching band, was arrested accused of performing nonconsensual sex acts on two teenage male students.

According to a Charlotte County Sheriff's Office report, a 16-year-old boy reported a sexual battery to Port Charlotte High's school resource officer on Tuesday. Bowe was told to leave school property and remain off-campus during the investigation. On a trip to Walt Disney the 16-year-old boy said Bowe had performed oral sex on him against his will.

On Thursday, a 15-year-old boy came forward and told detectives about another alleged sexual battery, this time at Bowe's house. While they were there, Bowe allegedly performed oral sex on the boy without his consent. [WINK reports that the Orlando Police Department is investigating but no charges have been filed yet in connection with the second boy.]
Full Name: Dale Eugene Bowe

WINK News: Neighbors react to teacher's arrest
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LEGAL INFORMATION (from the story):""Sexual battery" means oral, anal or vaginal penetration by, or union with, the sexual organ of another, or the anal or vaginal penetration of another by any other object; however, sexual battery does not include an act done for a bona fide medical purpose. -- definition of sexual battery given in Florida Statutes."
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Charlotte County Sheriff's Office site No press release at this time.

Jan 14 - At the time of his resignation Bowe was under investigation on similar allegations stemming from an incident in Orlando. Orlando law enforcement officials notified the school district, [spokesman for the Charlotte County Public Schools Mike] Riley] said.When district personnel confronted Bowe about the allegations, he immediately resigned.

Jan 14 - The Sun-Herald: The 15-year-old said he had known Bowe since middle school and regularly communicated with him by phone and through MySpace.com, a social networking Web site.

BACKGROUND Jan 15 - ** Bowe was not a certified teacher. He was substituting as a band teacher after the band director took another job. His previous work experience centered mostly around banking.

NEW INVESTIGATION Jan 24 - The Orange County Sheriff's Office sex crime unit has begun an investigation after learning that Bowe may have been molesting young boys on Disney trips in Central Florida.

ARRESTED AGAIN March 22 - Bowe was arrested again Friday on charges of unlawful sexual activity against a minor.

BONDS OUT March 29 - Bowe bonded out. Bowe is accused of two felonies in Orange County, both for having sexual contact will one of his students while on a trip to Disney World. One felony is sexual activity with a 16 or 17 year old, the second felony is sexual battery. Bowe had earlier been arrested in Charlotte County. In Charlotte County he is accused of sexual assaulting another student. That student was allegedly visiting bowe's Port Charlotte home at the time of the assault.

NEW ACCUSATIONS May 16 - WINK reports on "disturbing new allegations of sexual abuse" by Bowe. They posted the following:

Document 1 Affidavit for Arrest Warrant Page one
Document 2 Page two
Document 3 Page three
Document 4 Page four

DEAD OF GUNSHOT WOUND June 3 - WINK:

The Sheriff's Office says 46-year-old Dale Bowe was found dead yesterday with a gunshot wound to the head. They are still investigating if this was a suicide.

Herald Tribune: He was found dead at 2:40 PM Monday by investigators responding to a report of a man with a gun at the home he shared with his wife, who may have been, according to the Tribune, a witness to his death.

Top Story

TOP STORY OF THE DAY

Shawn Mofle, 41, a Webster City, IOWA teacher arrested in January on child pornography charges, committed suicide in a South Dakota jail where he was being held. He was scheduled to be arraigned today.

While he was investigated originally for videotaping seventh-grade basketball players in the locker room, he was later charged with possesion of and producing child pornography. He also faced sex charges for engaging in oral sex with a minor in 2003, and making videotapes of those acts.

Webster City, IOWA

Due to be arraigned, Mofle committed suicide in his jail cell.

Jan 17, 2008 - Shawn Mofle, 41, Webster City Middle School 7th grade basketball coach, turned himself in to police. He is a suspect in a child pornography investigation.

A search was executed at his Webster City home in which police seized computer hard drives and video equipment. Police say what they seized were the alleged production and or possession of child pornography. Mofle is on administrative leave pending the completion of the investigation by the police and school district.

ARREST WARRANT Jan 16 - The material witness arrest warrant was issued by police on Jan 15. The warrant indicates that Mofle is "a material witness to a felony" and that he would not willingly make himself available for subpoena.

INDICTED Mar 1 - Shawn Mofle was indicted in federal court in Sioux City Thursday on eight counts of making and possessing child pornography. Two new charges date back to 2003, according to the indictment filed against him. He’s now also accused of engaging in oral sex with a minor April 21 and July 16, 2003 and making videotapes of those acts, according to the indictment filed against him.

Mar 2 - Police were alerted when Mofle's stepson brought the videotape to them.

On Jan. 12 one of Mofle’s stepsons found a mini DV cassette that had video of boys showering in a locker room. The boy replaced the cassette, according to investigators, and talked to a family friend. The boy was advised to take the video to school or to the police. He found the video camera in Mofle’s bedroom the next day and switched the cassette with a blank one, and then he took the cassette with the locker-room footage to police.

Prosecutors say Mofle hid a video camera in a duffle bag and pointed it at his team while they showered. The indictment reads, "For the purpose of producing visual depictions." Mofle will be arraigned March 6.

SUICIDE March 6 - Shawn Mofle committed suicide today in a South Dakota jail. He was scheduled to appear in court later today. Chief Deputy Myron McDaniel of the U.S. Marshals Service in Cedar Rapids said it appeared that Mofle hanged himself.

Ocala, FLORIDA

FOUND DEAD OF SELF-INFLICTED GUNSHOT WOUND.

Jan 29, 2008 -
Jerry Bonds, 65, a substitute at Belleview Elementary School, was arrested after a month-long investigation. Bounds was charged with two counts of lewd and lascivious behavior on a victim under 12,

According to police, the second grader,said that on two separate occasions, once in November and the other in December, Bounds touched her inappropriately. She said he also requested that she wear a skirt the next time he was a sub in her class.

The victim came forward because she told her parents she was too scared to return to school after the holiday break because Bounds told her not to tell anyone about the incidents or they would both be in trouble.
Full Name: Jerry Michael Bounds

Marion County Sheriff's Office. Look for press release.

Jan 31 - Bounds was found dead inside his home. He died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Substitute teacher charged with lewd acts commits suicide

Central Florida 13 reports that deputies said they were preparing to arrest him again on charges involving two children at another school.

Dunnellon, FLORIDA

Suicide after police issue an arrest warrant.

Jan 13, 2008 - Randolph Markham, 28, a third-grade teacher at Romeo Elementary School, accused of engaging in sexual activity with a child younger than 12 years, has been found dead of an apparent suicide.

In August 2007, Markham was named a suspect in a lewd and lascivious offense. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement investigated the allegations and issued a warrant for Markham's arrest on Wednesday. Markham did not turn up as scheduled to turn himself in. A few hours later he was found.

Markham died as a result of carbon monoxide. He left notes claiming innocence. Fumes inside the shed where he was found were so thick the person who discovered him was overcome.

The allegations occurred in Levy County during a time frame from 1993 through 2003 and did not stem from Markham's work as a teacher or take place at the school or on school property.

Locations given are always the school location.

Charleston, SOUTH CAROLINA

SUICIDE.

Nov 15, 2007 - Scott Knight, 38, a West Ashley High School teacher, was arrested, accused of harassing a student.

The student says he made vulgar sexual advances and continually insulted her boyfriend, saying he wasn't good enough for her.

Knight is the second Charleston County School District teacher to be arrested this week. Larry Smith, a teacher at Military Magnet School, was arrested, accused of assault of a high and aggravated nature against a student. TT - Link

The School District responded to the arrests with a press release.

Dec 24 - Knight faces new charges of criminal sexual conduct and assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature. A woman claims that Knight lured her into his bedroom, after he claimed he had gifts for her. She claims he closed and locked the bedroom door and then pushed her down on his bed. She claims he sexually assaulted her.

Odd note: Investigators are still trying to figure out the connection between the two and how this woman ended up in Knight's apartment

Dec 27 - Knight crashed his car into a tree 8 a.m. Thursday in an apparent suicide, authorities said. A suicide note was found in his car.

Allentown, PENNSYLVANIA

Jan 10, 2007 - Keith Snyder, 55, a teacher at Southern Lehigh High School, was found dead in his home after he failed to appear court for the third day of his trial. (No cause of death known yet.)

Arrested in 2005, he was charged with seven counts of corruption of minors and one count each of solicitation of a minor to pose nude and tampering with evidence.

He pleaded guilty in August to three counts of corruption of minors, and all other charges were dropped as part of the plea agreement. He withdrew the plea in October and requested a trial.

Jan 11 - It appears to be a suicide. He was found dead in a car idling in his garage.
Jan 16 - Police have determined it was a suicide. Snyder left a notebook for police to find with additional e-mail they hadn't known about. They think he operated for years without being caught.

Boulder, COLORADO

Nov 9, 2005 - Laurence Reed Senterfit, 44, teacher and licensed counselor as well as a foster parent, was pleaded guilty to five felony counts of exploiting children and was released on bond. The Boulder County district attorney was considering no prison time for the offenses. Police found videotapes and photos of nude children.

UPDATE: Nov 22, 2005 Senterfit committed suicide in his home. The newspaper account of his suicide included the fact that police had found a hidden camera in his bathroom, 19 videotapes with 114 episodes of children in various stages of undress. Police were able to identify 15 children between the ages of 8 and 17.

Why they accepted his guilty plea and dropped most of the charges is unknown especially after police found children who reported similar abuse going back 15 years.