TheTrenchcoat Chronicles

Tag: MySpace

  • Pretty Predator

    Pretty Predator

    Pamela Rogers

    “Pamela Rogers Faces New Accusations”: (Video of news article in the link)

    There are new accusations Wednesday against convicted sex offender and former Warren County teacher Pamela Rogers. Rogers was arrested after the district attorney said she recently sent a pornographic video of herself to her teenage victim.

    Rogers served six months in jail for having a sexual relationship with at 13-year-old student. She was released from jail on February 26. On April 12, police arrested Rogers for violating her probation. Rogers reportedly made contact with the victim and his family through a MySpace website, referring the young victim by his basketball jersey number.

    But it’s ok because she’s an attractive woman. [/sarcasm]

    She’s not the brightest crayon in the box, is she?

    Link via Digg.

  • Phoenix woman uses MySpace to have sex with teenage boys

    Phoenix woman uses MySpace to have sex with teenage boys

    Woman Accused Of Being Online Predator:

    Police in the Phoenix, Arizona suburb of Goodyear say a 36-year-old woman used the web to pull a kind of “bait and switch” on teenage boys. The woman is now in jail.

    Neighbors say there are plenty of kids in this new west Valley neighborhood where Peggy Ross lives.

    Goodyear police claim 36-year-old Peggy Ross used the popular website myspace.com posting a phony profile to lure teenage boys to chat rooms, then to her home.

    Cmdr. Ralph Mclaughlin says the picture she posted on myspace.com was not hers, but that of an unknown teenage girl.

    Investigators say a 15-year-old boy eventually came forward, claiming he had sex with Ross who police say has three children of her own.

    Police believe other boys were victimized but reluctant to come forward, perhaps because the suspect is a woman.

    Again, this is no different from any of the male predators that have been seen on this site.

  • Florida man uses MySpace to have sex with 14-year-old girl

    Florida man uses MySpace to have sex with 14-year-old girl

    MySpace contact results in man’s arrest:

    BROOKSVILLE A 24-year-old Spring Hill man has been charged with sexual battery after he met a 14-year old girl on a popular Internet site, then had sex with her, according to an arrest affidavit from the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office.
    James M. Tarduno, 3137 Wiltshire Ave., was arrested Tuesday and faces charges of lewd and lascivious battery on a child 12 years of age or older, but younger than 16.

    The victim told investigators that she met Tarduno on MySpace.com, a popular social Internet site frequented by young people.

    The two corresponded for a month online and through text messages on cell phones, then made arrangements to meet for sex, according to the report.

    Tarduno met the victim at her house last Friday and they walked to Tarduno’s home, where they had sexual contact in the driveway, the report said. They also had sex in Tarduno’s station wagon, police said.

    Tarduno later admitted to the sexual offense when contacted by investigators.

    Like this story wasn’t creepy enough…

    According to the report, Tarduno worked in security at Eckerd Youth Alternatives E-How-Kee Camp, a camp in Brooksville for troubled youngsters.

    Tarduno started as a night watchman at the camp earlier this year and had no direct contact with youngsters there, said Lou Anne Banks, a spokeswoman for Eckerd Youth Alternatives, when reached Tuesday afternoon.

    Banks said Tarduno passed law enforcement background checks at the time of his application. She said Tarduno ‘no longer works with us as of this morning.’

    When I was 24, I dated one girl who was 21 and another who was 19. 19 is still a little young for a 24-year-old, but she was still LEGAL!!!

    I’ll never understand how any legal adult in their right mind would want to have sex with a 14-year-old girl.

    I couldn’t find the MySpace of the suspect at this time.

  • Question about Pamela Rogers

    Question about Pamela Rogers

    Pamela Rogers

    I have a question. Why is it that Pamela Rogers is not being viewed as a predator like any other teacher that would have sex with a 13-year-old student?

    If it was a male teacher and a female student, we’d all be crying out for his blood. But since she’s an attractive female and the student is male, it’s considered “no big deal” and brings cries of “I wish I had teachers like that when I was 13”.

    Pamela Rogers is a predator, plain and simple. No different from any of the other scumbags that have been profiled here.

  • Teens’ secret MySpace lives

    Teens’ secret MySpace lives

    Mom finds her teen’s secret life on MySpace:

    Another parent with no clue, waking up to the harsh reality of their kids and the internet…

    Q: My 15-year-old daughter has a MySpace website (I overheard her talking about it on the phone with a girlfriend), and I was able to check it out last week. I was astonished with what I found a group picture with a bunch of her best friends, apparently at a party, most with a can of beer in their hand. She wasn’t holding a beer, but she was surrounded by kids who were. I also read some (but not all) of the notes on the site from her friends, and many were OK, but some were suggestive of other parties and some skipping of school. This is all news to me, and I don’t know how to approach her. I’m furious, but I’m also concerned and want to let her know that this behavior is not fine with me. But will she think that I was snooping? How is the best way to handle this?

    Who cares if she thinks you were snooping? You’re the parent. If your kids do not practice common sense or good judgment online, then it’s your job as a parent to watch out for them.

    Or you can click the article link for the lengthy answer by a professional.

  • Congressman wants FTC to do parents’ job

    Congressman wants FTC to do parents’ job

    Suburban congressman wants FTC to warn parents about MySpace:

    So, Congressman Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) wants the Federal Trade Commission to issue a national consumer alert warning for parents to look at the web pages their children are posting on MySpace. Isn’t that basically wasting taxpayers’ money on something that used to be known as common sense?

  • Cops Catch Conn. College Creeper

    Cops Catch Conn. College Creeper

    CCSU student held in MySpace case :

    Is Conn. like the MySpace predator breeding ground?

    A Central Connecticut State University student was arrested Tuesday morning after police said they discovered he had made contact with a 12-year-old Newington girl on MySpace and used the connection to set up a sexual encounter with the girl and a 12-year-old friend. David Leonard of New Britain, was arrested by the Newington detectives at his home on charges of third-degree sexual assault and resisting arrest.

    Lt. Stephen Clark of the Newington Police Department said detectives first began investigating the incident after they received information from a Department of Children and Families worker about the victim’s encounter with Leonard.

    Police said the relationship first began in summer 2005 when one of the victims used her sister’s screen name and began corresponding with Leonard using the popular Internet profile and chat program, myspace.com. The relationship eventually led to phone conversations via cell phone and eventually he established a meeting time with the two girls, police said.

    According to the incident reports, Leonard proceeded to meet the girls at a local school and the three went into a wooded area together. Once they were in the area, Leonard proceeded to kiss and fondle both victims.

    Assistant State’s Attorney Louis Luba Jr. said that during investigations, Leonard indicated to police that he had believed the girls were actually 14 years old, stating that he was unaware of their actual age.

    This is the second time Leonard has been in trouble for possible involvement with a minor. He was scheduled to face charges of second-degree sexual assault and risk of injury to a minor for what is believed to be a similar case in Tolland Superior Court today, but the case was continued until April 19 because of Tuesday’s arrest.

    Several facts stated in Leonard’s MySpace profile indicate that he has had several other established Internet relationships with females under the age of 18 as well. His site, which was last accessed by the user on Monday, contains a list of 17 friends, of which nearly a dozen are females registered as under the age of 18.

    In his profile, Leonard admits to being a CCSU student from New Britain, but claims to be only 18 years old himself. His actual age is 22.

    So, telling the cops you thought they were 14 makes it right? For someone so dumb, how did you get into college?

    And Mr. A brings us Davey’s MySpace profile. Nothing is funnier than reading the comments of a MySpace creeper when his friends find out that he’s been busted.

  • Is MySpace finally getting serious?

    Is MySpace finally getting serious?

    MySpace.com hires child safety czar from Microsoft:

    News Corp. is set on Tuesday to name a security czar to oversee child safety measures on MySpace.com, the popular teen dating and music site that has provoked an outcry among parents who fear they have not done enough to thwart sexual predators.

    Hemanshu (Hemu) Nigam, now director of Consumer Security Outreach & Child Safe Computing at Microsoft Corp., will head up safety, education, privacy and law enforcement oversight programs for MySpace and other Fox Web properties.

    The appointment is effective May 1, News Corp.’s Fox Interactive Media, the parent of MySpace, said in a statement.

    The move is one of several responses MySpace and its owners have taken in recent months to respond to harsh criticism by parent groups, legal authorities and politicians.

    Nigam brings strong credentials to his new role. He has more than 15 years of experience in online safety, including serving as a Federal prosecutor against Internet child exploitation for the U.S. Department of Justice.

    He was also an advisor to a Congressional commission on online child safety, and an advisor to the White House on cyberstalking.

    Prior to Microsoft, Nigam was vice president of worldwide Internet enforcement at the Motion Picture Association of America, where he oversaw the global strategy to combat online video piracy for seven major Hollywood studios.

    Impressive credentials outside of that stint with the MPAA.

    MySpace reaching out to parents:

    MySpace has also hired more employees to handle security and customer care–roughly 100 people, or one-third of its workforce, scout out inappropriate content or underage members.

    Again, that is rather impressive, but will it be enough? Only time will tell.

  • MySpace getting serious about safety?

    MySpace getting serious about safety?

    National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, the Advertising Council and MySpace Partner to Promote Online Safety:

    The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children(R) (NCMEC), the Advertising Council and News Corporation, parent company of Fox Interactive Media and MySpace, announced today a joint effort to promote online safety through the deployment of a series of national public service advertisements (PSAs). The PSAs, part of an ongoing Ad Council campaign, will begin running today through News Corporation’s broad network of distribution channels, and are designed to raise awareness about Internet safety and education.

    Sponsored by NCMEC and created pro bono by ad agency Merkley + Partners, the PSAs are designed to educate parents and guardians about measures they can take to better protect their children online, and to educate teens on how to be smart and maintain safe online relationships. The PSAs direct parents, guardians, and teens to visit www.cybertipline.com to learn about safe and responsible use of the Internet, as well as how to report threats.

    The PSAs will air on primetime on FOX, and across Fox Interactive Media’s network of websites including MySpace, FoxSports.com, IGN.com, Fox.com, AmericanIdol.com, Rotten Tomatoes and AskMen. The PSAs will also air on the 28 Fox Networks Group broadcast, cable and satellite services. Fox broadcast and cable networks running the campaign will include FOX, FX, National Geographic channel, Fox Movie Channel, Fox Reality, FUEL TV, FSN, SPEED, Fox College Sports Atlantic, Fox College Sports Central, Fox College Sports Pacific, Fox Soccer Channel and (in Spanish) on Fox Sports en Espanol. All Fox-owned-and-operated regional sports networks will likewise televise the PSAs. Additionally, Fox All Access radio and the New York Post will run the campaign.

    Normally, I would say this is just a PR move on Newscorp’s part, but I have tremendous respect for the NCMEC.

    Hopefully, this will make parents more aware of what’s going on online, but excuse me if I don’t hold my breath.

  • Letavec pleads not guilty

    MySpace suspect pleads not guilty of sex with teen:

    One of our earliest inductees to the Rogues Gallery, Stephen M. Letavec, pleaded not guilty yesterday to charges of traveling across state lines to molest a 14-year-old girl in Conn. that he met through MySpace. But here’s where it gets weird…

    He has been in custody since his arrest in Pennsylvania in February. The teenage girl’s mother and a girlfriend met Letavec and even welcomed him into their homes.

    The girlfriend’s mother allegedly allowed him to spend 13 hours with the alleged victim and her daughter in their home while the mother wasn’t there, according to court documents.

    Huh?

    What parent would let their 14-year-old daughter be befriended by a 39-year-old father of four that she met on MySpace?

    His MySpace has since been deleted and the cache has expired, however the always intrepid Mr. A has a mirror of it here.

    Mr. A also found this, where Letavec offers some kind of defense, stating that the girl claimed she was 18, and he was trying to help her out with family problems. Surprisingly, I’ve had commenters leave comments on my site about another man accused of traveling across state lines to engage in sex with a minor, who said the exact same thing.

    Will this become the MySpace molester’s mantra? That remains to be seen.