TheTrenchcoat Chronicles

Category: Social Media Crime

  • Canada’s sex offenders not affected by purge

    Canada’s sex offenders not affected by purge

    MySpace kicks out sex offenders — but not in Canada:

    This is a great article from Canada.com that explains while 29,000 registered U.S. sex offenders were located and removed from MySpace’s userbase, no such purge will happen in Canada.

    “We can’t even work with any private companies or law-enforcement agencies because we simply can’t get hold of the data,” said John Cardillo, CEO of Sentinel Tech, who said predators are more free to use Canadian social networking sites to lure young victims.

    The public does not have access to the national sex offender registry — a database that provides Canadian police services with information to investigate crimes of a sexual nature.

    “When the bad guys have to cover their tracks, they get caught,” Cardillo said, who added it was only in May that MySpace began to use his Sentinel Tech’s technology, after signing a seven-figure deal reached with MySpace’s owners, News Corp.

    But because Canada’s federal government has not publicly released the names of registered sex offenders, those people are able to travel on the information highway, virtually undetected, Cardillo said. “We can’t see who they are so we can’t see where they are.”

    I’d like to hear from Canadians on whether or not they think the sex offender registry should be made public.

  • Media fueling MySpace hysteria

    Media fueling MySpace hysteria

    Sexual predator gets close to his target on MySpace:

    The headline is kind of misleading, but I’m getting ahead of myself.

    30-year-old Andre Johnson of Eastlake, Ohio was already on probation for improper sexual conduct with a 14-year-old. Apparently, that wasn’t enough of a deterrent. He’s now accused of breaking into the bedroom of another 14-year-old girl and raping her.

    He denies that the sex was rape, but admits he was so drunk and high that he barely remembers the evening.

    Like that makes it better.

    And here’s where MySpace comes into play.

    The two originally met through the teen’s older sister, but detectives say the relationship was further established by chatting back and forth on MySpace.

    So while Mr. Johnson is a grade A scumbag and deserves everything he gets, MySpace was barely involved in this incident and was not the conduit for this predator to meet his victim.

    Sensationalistic journalism at its worst.

  • Shefelbine’s father has charges increased

    Shefelbine’s father has charges increased

    Shefelbine Charge Changed:

    David Shefelbine, the father of alleged serial predator Scott Shefelbine, had his charges increased for assaulting a Connecticut news reporter.

    During his brief arraignment Tuesday in the same court in Rockville, David Shefelbine said nothing as Assistant State’s Attorney Elizabeth C. Leaming increased the charge he faces to third-degree assault. Lori Beth Leavitt, Shefelbine’s attorney, entered a routine not guilty plea and a request for a jury trial.

    Shefelbine the elder is accused of punching reporter Erin Cox after she asked him to comment on his son’s bail being revoked.

    Maybe father and son will have adjoining cells.

  • The 29,000

    The 29,000

    29,000 sex offenders found on MySpace:

    It has been confirmed by MySpace that there are in fact 29,000 registered sex offenders on MySpace. My apologies to AG Roy Cooper of North Carolina for saying that he pulled that number out of thin air. Mr. Cooper’s New England counterpart, Connecticut AG Richard Blumenthal, is stating that the number was provided to him by top MySpace officials. MySpace is still declining to comment.

    If there are 29,000 registered sex offenders on MySpace that are stupid enough to use their real names, I can only imagine how many are on there that are flying below the radar. Not to mention the predators that are on there that have never been caught.

    However, I still don’t think that more legislation is the answer. What is needed is more vigilant parenting. Parents need more education on how to navigate MySpace and how to check up on their kids’ MySpaces.

    We can’t allow the government to raise our children.

  • AG Cooper strikes again

    AG Cooper strikes again

    Cooper cracks down on predators:

    The North Carolina Attorney General is up to his old tricks again. Putting unreal expectations on MySpace and allowing parents to continue to shirk their responsibility.

    The rules on how children use social networking sites like MySpace.com could soon be changing.

    State lawmakers are working on a bill that would require parents to give permission before their children use those type of Web sites. North Carolina attorney general Roy Cooper will testify before a House committee Tuesday about the need for tougher laws.

    Cooper says online sites are a playground for predators, citing that as of this July, more than 29,000 registered sex offenders have been found using MySpace.com and that’s jut those who are using their real names.

    I think he got that number from the Department of Pulling Things out of Your Ass. That’s the first I’ve heard the 29K figure. According to this article, 29,000 is what Cooper is claiming that MySpace has told him. MySpace has yet to confirm.

    MySpace.com is currently open only to users age 14 or older, but the company doesn’t perform any kind of verification. Cooper wants social networking sites to require parents’ permission before children can join, including procedures to verify the parents’ identity and age.

    Again, he doesn’t tell us how he expects MySpace to do that.

    “It wont’ be a perfect system. Just like any other kind of age verification system, you’ve got kids who fake driver’s licenses, you’ve got kids who fake their age to get into an R-rated movie,” Cooper said. “Those kinds of things are going to happen on the Internet as well, but the key is to put a barrier up to better protect kids on the Internet and we think this will be important.”

    Except it’s not against the law to sneak into an R rated movie. And isn’t that up to the parents to make sure their underage kids don’t see R rated movies?

    If passed, Senate Bill 132 would also ban North Carolina sex offenders from social networking sites, enhance the criminal penalty for soliciting minors for sex over the Internet and expand the law regarding child pornography to include indecent exposure.

    I’d like to see how they’re going to keep SOs off sites like MySpace. Enhancing the penalty for child solicitation isn’t going to stop predators from approaching kids. It may even put kids more at danger.

    On the next election day, Attorney General Cooper’s slogan should be “Long on ideas. Short on solutions.”

  • Werribee teens plead guilty

    Werribee teens plead guilty

    Werribee DVD youths plead guilty, avoid jail:

    Seven of the teens from Werribee, Australia who filmed themselves sexually assaulting a mildly developmentally challenged girl have pleaded guilty. If you remember, the suspects also sold the DVD, entitled C*nt: The Movie, to their classmates over MySpace. Let me refresh your memory…

    The DVD was shot in June last year when the 17-year-old girl, who has mild developmental delay, was taken by the youths to the edge of the Werribee River.

    It includes footage of the sexual act, of men urinating on the girl and throwing a cup of urine on her. It also shows them setting her hair alight three times.

    They throw her top and jacket into the river and tell her: “You’re walking home topless.”

    You would think the judge would throw the book at them. Not so. Since they have pleaded guilty, they will avoid any jail time and will be sent to an “adolescent sexual rehabilitation program”.

    Let’s hear from the judge…

    The judge said the youths’ guilty plea was a strong indication of their remorse.

    “The idea is that the defendants now have some rehabilitation and education in how not to treat women,” the judge said.

    Personally, I think the judge let them off way too easy. I think the only thing they’re remorseful about is that they got caught.

    However, I want to hear from my Aussie readers to see what they feel about the sentence. Is it enough?

    Thanks to Alan for the tip.

  • Shefelbine trial moved

    Shefelbine trial moved

    Shefelbine Cases Moved To Rockville:

    Everyone’s favorite repeat arrestee and all around creepy guy, Scott Shefelbine, is having two of his cases moved from Hartford to Rockville, CT. However, it’s not because of any change of venue requests.

    Judge Thomas P. Miano said that he was transferring the cases for administrative purposes to Rockville, where seven other cases are pending against Shefelbine. Miano said that the move did not preclude the defense from filing a change of venue motion.

    So Judge Miano is basically saying “Look here Slapnuts. Since you have seven other cases pending against you in Rockville, we’re going to let them have these two as well”. So, basically, Shefelbine only has to make one stop before he heads to the joint.

    Rockville may not be his last stop, though. His defense attorney may file a change of venue request due to all the pre-trial publicity. Maybe if her client’s father didn’t punch out a reporter, there wouldn’t be so much publicity.

  • American Teens Gone Wild

    American Teens Gone Wild

    Voyeurs ‘R Us: What parents need to know about Stickam:

    This is a great article from Amy Tiemann at Wired about every parent’s worst nightmare on the internet, Stickam.

    Common sense tells most parents that the whole idea of live video chats involving minors is a ridiculously risky business to start out with. As Stickam’s corporate relationships are being untangled in the press, a parent’s visit to the site reveals that there is already plenty to be worried about.

    My first question is where did the “age 14 and older” guideline come from? What possible reason could there be for anyone under age 18 to interact in live, unfiltered audio/video chat with online strangers or “friends?” No matter where the age restriction is set, it is blatantly unenforced. Stickam’s FAQ says, “While Stickam has established rules keeping children under the age of 14 from becoming a member, it is easy for children to lie about their age and thus gain access to content which may be inappropriate and unintended for them. It is up to parents to properly supervise their children’s online activities.”

    A close reading of Stickam’s privacy policy suggests that the video content that users post to the site can be recorded, repurposed, and commercialized by anyone. To quote the policy, which spells out the agreement between the user and Advanced Video Communications:

    “Any Personal Information (including video content) that you disclose on the Website (for example, on message boards or chat rooms, or within your personal profile page) becomes publicly available and can be collected and used by others. Your account name and other profile information (but not your email address) is displayed to other internet users when you upload videos or send messages through the Website, and you can be contacted by other users who send you comments. Any videos or other content that you submit to the Website (including any Personal Information contained therein) may be distributed through the internet and other media.”

    Does this mean that a 14-year-old’s Webcast make-out session (or worse) can be incorporated into an “American Teens Gone Wild” video sold worldwide? Could Stickam channels be fed to paying customers on DXLive or other adult sites? Think of all the stupid things each of us did as teens that thankfully faded into the past. Now in a highly sexualized environment, young teens are giving up their personal privacy to create online videos that will live on indefinitely to be used by anyone, for any purpose.

    As far as protection goes, it seems that families are on their own.

    I agree wholeheartedly with everything she says concerning Stickam. I never allowed my kids to have webcams, and I always looked funny at the parents that did. And now with Stickam’s alleged ties to porn, if they were still underage would be even more reason for them not to have one.

    And like I’m fond of saying, where are the attorneys general now regarding Stickam? It’s always better to stop a problem before it happens.

  • A Shefelbine strikes back

    A Shefelbine strikes back

    Defendant’s Father Punches Reporter:

    The saga of alleged serial predator Scott Shefelbine took a bizarre twist today. After his bail was revoked, his father, David Shefelbine, punched out a reporter…a female reporter.

    VERNON – After his son was jailed today, David Shefelbine punched a television reporter in the face outside Superior Court in Rockville.

    Erin Cox, from WTNH Channel 8, was asking him for a comment on the judge’s decision involving Scott Shefelbine, 32, when David Shefelbine, 67, swung his right arm and punched her.

    Vernon police were called, interviewed witnesses and viewed footage of the alleged assault taken by photographers for Channel 8 and WVIT Channel 30. Cox went to Rockville General Hospital at 2:35 p.m. to be evaluated.

    Police went to Shefelbine’s Tolland home after the incident to question him, but he refused to answer the door, police said. He later turned himself in at Vernon police headquarters, accompanied by his lawyer. He was charged with second-degree breach of peace and released without having to post bail.

    I’m not surprised he didn’t have to post bail. He should have a $1.5M credit.

    It also seems that a lack of respect for women runs in the family.

  • Marshals, please take Mr. Shefelbine into custody

    Marshals, please take Mr. Shefelbine into custody

    That’s the quote from Judge Stanley T. Fuger Jr. when he ordered the bail of Scott Shefelbine revoked.

    In his ruling, which came at noon, Fuger said he found the parents’ testimony not believable. The judge said he believed Shefelbine and his parents fabricated evidence and conspired to lie in order to keep him out of jail.

    Shefelbine’s mother sobbed. He showed no emotion, stood and faced the marshals and held out his hands.

    I’ve seen mothers in denial about their kids before, but Mrs. Shefelbine takes the cake.

    Since Shefelbine’s bail was revoked, doesn’t that mean that his family loses that $1.5M that they posted? If I was on the verge of losing $1.5M because of an ungrateful son, maybe I would fabricate evidence, too.

    But let’s not lose sight of something. Shefelbine should have had his bail revoked a long time ago. He was arrested multiple times for pretty much the exact same thing. His bail should have been revoked after his second arrest. The first arrest of his that I posted about was back in October 2006. Why in God’s name did it take 9 months to finally get him off the streets?

    And why is no one asking these questions to Conn. Attorney General Richard Blumenthal? You know him, he’s the guy who started all the MySpace hysteria. He likes to brag about how much he does to keep Connecticut’s children safe, yet a serial predator like Shefelbine is allowed to walk free.

    Maybe I’ll have to ask him that question myself.

    Thanks to A Mom for the link.