Tag: connecticut

  • 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    Since Shefelbine’s bail was revoked, doesn’t that mean that his family loses that $1.5M that they posted?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 His bail should have been revoked after his second arrest.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.

  • As the Shefelbines turn

    As the Shefelbines turn

    This story gets more bizarre with each passing day.

    Yesterday, the mother of Scott Shefelbine testified in her son’s bail revocation hearing. Her alibi for her son was that he was at church and not trying to molest a 14-year-old girl. Was church really the best thing she could come up with?

    Scott D. Shefelbine was not in West Hartford on the evening of April 19 trying to hook up with a 14-year-old girl, but at Victory Tabernacle Church in Middlefield praying for the Virginia Tech massacre victims, his mother told a Rockville Superior Court judge Wednesday.

    Gail Shefelbine’s offer of an alibi for her 32-year-old son, accused of sexually assaulting several teenage girls, came during the second day of a hearing on the state’s effort to send Shefelbine to jail until his trial.

    The defense offered a dated church bulletin as evidence of the April 19 visit to Victory Tabernacle.

    Gail Shefelbine also said that on May 13 and May 20 she was at church with her son – at St. Thomas the Apostle Roman Catholic Church in West Hartford. Under cross-examination, she acknowledged that she unsuccessfully sought after the fact to obtain a dated church bulletin to offer as proof of the May 13 visit.

    The defense Wednesday presented a May 20 church bulletin from St. Thomas and date-stamped photographs of Gail and Scott Shefelbine in front of the church. Gail Shefelbine testified they posed for the shots as further proof they were there May 20.

    Shefelbine’s mother also said an elderly nun at the church wrote on the bulletin “Gail and Scott were here.”

    The electronic monitor shows that Shefelbine was out of his house from 4:45 to 5:53 p.m. May 20. Gail Shefelbine and Cooney testified that they arrived at the church late and stayed only about a half hour, leaving before communion because as non-Catholics they could not partake.

    Leaming wasn’t buying it. “You arrived late, left early and you drove all the way to West Hartford to attend Mass?” Leaming asked. Yes, Gail Shefelbine responded.

    Leaming also asked whether “anything on [the May 20 church bulletin] proves you were at that church on that date?” Shefelbine responded that she did not know. When Leaming asked her whether date stamps on a digital photo, such as those of her and her son at the church, could be manipulated, she replied: “I have no idea.”

    For those of you who aren’t Catholic, this is an old Catholic trick that most of us did when we were kids. Back in the day when you could send your kids to church alone, my parents would always make me bring back a church bulletin to prove that I was there. So I would go to church, grab a bulletin, and then run off to the mall. It worked on Mom but not Dad, and I sure as hell wouldn’t use it as a defense in criminal proceedings.

    His sister’s explanation wasn’t much better.

    The girl and her sister have identified Shefelbine in court, but said he looked different in May. They said he didn’t have a beard as he does now.

    Cindy Shefelbine, the suspect’s sister, testified on Wednesday that her brother has had a beard for nearly a year. Photos taken in May, just a day or two before the victim said she saw Scott Shefelbine, were shown in court on Wednesday. The pictures depict that he did have a beard.

    Channel 3 Eyewitness News reporter Susan Raff reported Cindy Shefelbine appeared agitated when asked about her brother’s whereabouts.

    Cindy Shefelbine said her brother was with her at church the day that one of the victims said Scott Shefelbine came to her home. Prosecutors asked whether Cindy Shefelbine felt her brother was being unfairly prosecuted and she said she didn’t know what that meant.

    So their best explanations for Shefelbine’s whereabouts are church and a beard. Are you sure it wasn’t the one-armed man? Or maybe Shefelbine was saving babies from burning buildings at the time? Good luck with that.

    Proceedings are scheduled for today as well.

  • Update on Scott Shefelbine

    Update on Scott Shefelbine

    Prosecutors Want Shefelbine’s Bond Revoked:

    Just a quick update on Scott Shefelbine’s bail revocation hearing. No decision was made yesterday, but one is expected today.

    But let’s throw some weaselly lawyer in for good measure.

    The most recent victim said she met Shefelbine online and they met in West Hartford Center. After that, she said he went to her home one day and told her he was at his therapist’s office on Prospect Avenue in Hartford and that he decided to walk over.

    Shefelbine’s attorney, Jeffery Denner, questioned the meetings, pointing out that the time the girl said Shefelbine was at her house, he was still at a therapy session.

    “The evidence speaks for itself and Mr. Shefelbine was not in their houses. If they say he was, they are mistaken,” Denner said.

    What about the other bajillion victims? Are they mistaken too?

  • More details on Scott Shefelbine

    More details on Scott Shefelbine

    State Wants Sex Suspect Jailed:

    Today a hearing was scheduled to see if the most infamous MySpace predator, at least on this site, Scott Shefelbine would have his bail revoked. You know, since he’s been arrested on the same child sex charges multiple times and been bailed out by his parents every time. I haven’t heard how the hearing went or even if it took place, but this article points out some of Shefelbine’s more extreme behavior.

    The warrants for Shefelbine’s arrests paint a picture of a then-31-year-old man portraying himself to teenage girls and their parents as 17 or 19, then pressuring the girls for sex. When the girls would resist, according to the warrants, Shefelbine would grow angry and abusive.

    On one occasion, according to a warrant, Shefelbine placed his knee on a girl’s chest, causing pain and making it difficult for her to breathe, until she agreed to have sex. On several occasions, one of the girls told police, Shefelbine would strike her with a bottle until she agreed to have sex.

    That sounds pretty much like a rapist to me. I hope to God his bail was revoked because Shefelbine is nothing short of a monster.

  • David Leonard gets 20 years

    David Leonard gets 20 years

    Man gets 20 years in prison for sexual assaulting MySpace members:

    David Leonard, the sex offender from Connecticut with at least a dozen arrests…no, not that one, the other one…has been sentenced to only 20 years behind bars. He pleaded no contest to multiple sexual assault charges.

    The article states that he’s expected to enter other pleas to other charges. Hopefully, he’ll receive more sentences because 20 years for everything he’s done is a joke.

    Speaking of jokes, look what his lawyer had to say.

    Leonard’s lawyer, special public defender Jeffrey C. Kestenband, said he “grudgingly” endorsed the plea bargain. He said Leonard is a considerate and intelligent person who is committed to addressing his problems.

    I wonder if he said that with a straight face.

  • Scott Shefelbine may have bail revoked

    Scott Shefelbine may have bail revoked

    Prosecutor asks judge to revoke bail of alleged sex predator:

    Finally, someone in the Connecticut legal system has some sense. The assistant state’s attorney handling the case of alleged serial predator Scott Shefelbine is trying to have his bail revoked on the grounds he violated his terms of release. He’s been arrested multiple times for various sex offenses, usually involving MySpace. His parents have paid his bail each time, racking up to a whopping $1.5M.

    My only question is, what took you so long?

    A judge will rule on the motion on July 10th.

  • Conn. SO arrested for MySpace profile

    Conn. SO arrested for MySpace profile

    Second man accused of parole violation by posting MySpace profile:

    21-year-old William Santos of Waterbury, CT was arrested for violating his parole by having a MySpace profile. Santos is a convicted sex offender. Of course, Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal uses this one arrest to pat himself on the back.

    “This arrest demonstrates that many of these convicted sex offenders are violating their parole and socializing in the same space as millions of children,” Blumenthal said. “As astonishing and appalling as the discovery of thousands of sex offenders on MySpace, these convicted felons using their real names are only the tip of the predator iceberg.”

    Tip of the iceberg is an understatement. Yet while Mr. Blumenthal breaks his arm trying to pat himself on the back, Connecticut is home to the two of the most prolific MySpace predators, David Leonard and Scott Shfelbine. Both have had multiple sexually related arrests, and one of them is even walking free right now. What’s being done about men like that, Mr. Blumenthal?

  • Scott Shefelbine arrested again, parents pay bail again

    Scott Shefelbine arrested again, parents pay bail again

    Suspect Faces New Charges:

    This is just un-frekain’-believable. 32-year-old Scott C. Shefelbine of Connecticut and multiple arrestee on creeper charges has been arrested yet again. This idiot just can’t stay out of trouble. He was already out on bail for his previous charges, and I believe he’s already paid over $1M in bail.

    Shefelbine told the 14-year-old girl he was 17, police said. He is accused of establishing the relationship by sending Internet instant messages to the girl. The relationship progressed to Shefelbine’s meeting with the girl, police said.

    The Internet messaging and meeting in West Hartford allegedly occurred in 2007. Shefelbine has been under electronic monitoring by the bail commissioner’s office in the Tolland Judicial District since his initial arrest last fall on a host of sexual assault and risk of injury to a minor charges.

    During an arraignment in Superior Court in Rockville in October 2006, a judge ordered Shefelbine to have no contact with girls 18 and under and to not use the Internet. Shefelbine was also ordered to wear a monitoring device on his ankle.

    To make matters worse, his parents posted his bail AGAIN. So not only is he out again. His parents have put up even more change for this alleged serial pedophile to walk free. Not only that, but why wasn’t he denied bail? Hasn’t he proven time again his willingness to re-offend?

    And I know I bring this up every time Shefelbine or David Leonard gets arrested, but this keeps happening in Connecticut. The state where Attorney General Richard Blumenthal keeps ripping on MySpace for not doing enough to protect children from sex offenders. What are you doing, Mr. Blumenthal to keep the children safe? Whatever it is, it doesn’t appear to be working.

    Thanks to Dee for the tip.

  • David Leonard charged once again

    David Leonard charged once again

    Sex-Assault Suspect Faces More Charges:

    David Leonard is one of the few recurring characters here. You can check out his previous transgressions here, here, and here. This scumbag has had so many charges of child molestation leveled against him, I’ve lost track if this is a new charge or not. I believe it is, but don’t quote me on that.

    VERNON — A local man in custody the past year on charges that he had sex with several underage girls he met on the social networking website MySpace.com has been charged with having sex with a 15-year-old Plymouth girl.

    David F. Leonard, 23, of Vernon, was charged Tuesday by state police with two counts of second-degree sexual assault and two counts of impairing the morals of a minor. During his brief arraignment before Judge Patricia L. Harleston, his bail was set at $75,000 and the case was continued to July 13. Leonard is being held, with bail totaling $715,300.

    In the new case,

    Well, that clears that up.

    the 15-year-old girl told state police that she met Leonard through another website, FaceTheJury.com. Leonard had sex with the girl on several occasions – at her Plymouth home, his dormitory room at Central Connecticut State University and his brother’s dormitory room at the University of Connecticut, police said. The arrest warrant served Tuesday is for the incidents that allegedly occurred in Leonard’s brother’s dorm room at UConn in Storrs.

    Police found the Plymouth girl after executing a search warrant on Leonard’s computer and finding images of the girl in various states of undress. The girl had sent the photos to Leonard via America Online’s instant messaging service.

    Police also found five photographs of Leonard’s penis that they say he sent to the girl via instant messaging.

    I want to say that this is the 11th or 12th charge against him. And as far as I know, all of his acts took place in the state of Connecticut. The same state where Attorney General Richard Blumenthal has pressured MySpace into implementing all sorts of impossible age verification checks. I guess when Leonard gets sentenced, it will be a litmus test to see how Mr. Blumenthal really handles child molesters.

    Thanks to Debbie for the tip.

  • Conn. MySpace SO arrest

    Conn. MySpace SO arrest

    Sex Offender Accused Of Using MySpace:

    Now that the AGs have the names of the sex offenders on MySpace, it’s time to round them up.

    Our first contestant is 30-year-old Christopher Montefusco (MySpace deleted). Of course, it happens in the MySpace predator capital of the U.S., Connecticut.

    Montefusco, 30, of West Haven, was convicted of first-degree sexual assault on Aug. 30, 1996. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison, suspended after two and half years served. Montefuso had two years of special parole remaining on his sentence when he was picked up by state Department of Correction officials Wednesday, Blumenthal said. Special parole usually involves close supervision and sometimes mandatory participation in support programs.

    While Blumenthal had no details about Montefusco’s underlying criminal charge, he said that one of the conditions of Montefusco’s parole was that he not use a computer, the Internet or access social networking sites such as MySpace without first obtaining permission from his parole officer.

    Of course, Attorney General Blumenthal is using this one arrest to stroke his own ego…

    “The results here demonstrate the urgent and clear need for this kind of information from MySpace and other social networking sites,” said Blumenthal, one of two attorneys general serving as chairman of a national task force on Internet safety. “Clearly, offenders like this are just the most visible tip of the predator iceberg.”

    Still no word from Mr. Blumenthal’s office about what they’re going to do about parents who don’t monitor their children’s internet usage.