No Pride: Old Dominion University pressures transgendered professor to resign for simply doing research on Minor Attracted Persons

Silencing unpopular research is nothing new. See the Rind study from the 1990s or California's suppression of research proving low reoffense rates among so-called "high risk" offenders. So, simply research those who choose not to sexually offender and refer to themselves as Minor Attracted Persons (MAPs) is offensive? So instead of getting info from the the proverbial horse's mouth, we continue to rely on horses' asses like Lauren Book or Laura Ahearn to feed us myths and other nonsense as they have done for years. We truly live in a society where facts do not matter, instead relying on what simply makes us "feel" safe. 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2021/11/24/allyn-walker-odu-professor-resigns/

ODU professor steps down after firestorm over research into ‘minor-attracted people’

Allyn Walker, an assistant professor of sociology, was previously placed on administrative leave.

By Nicole Asbury

November 24, 2021 at 7:28 p.m. EST

Old Dominion University professor Allyn Walker, whose research into adults who are sexually attracted to minors drew protests and threats, has agreed to step down, Walker and the school announced in a joint statement Wednesday.

Walker, an assistant professor of sociology and criminal justice, had been placed on administrative leave Nov. 16. They now will remain on leave until the expiration of their current contract in May.

Walker’s research into “minor-attracted people” and their use of that term had been met with an outcry from students and others online, who claimed that such language destigmatized sex offenders. Walker has maintained that their work was intended to better understand would-be sex offenders and prevent child sexual abuse.

“That research was mischaracterized by some in the media and online, partly on the basis of my trans identity,” Walker said in the statement Wednesday. “As a result, multiple threats were made against me and the campus community generally.”

ODU professor placed on leave amid uproar over research into ‘minor-attracted persons’

Walker’s book “A Long, Dark Shadow: Minor-Attracted People and Their Pursuit of Dignity,” published in June, challenges “widespread assumptions that persons who are preferentially attracted to minors — often referred to as 'pedophiles’ — are necessarily also predators and sex offenders,” according to the University of California Press.

ODU students said they learned about the book earlier this month, and Kayla Foster, a senior studying criminal justice, thereafter started an online petition that called for Walker’s removal. Foster told The Post that Walker’s book gave pedophiles “a pat on the back” for not acting on their attractions.

As of Wednesday, when Walker stepped down, her petition had amassed more than 14,000 signatures.

ODU President Brian O. Hemphill said Walker’s resignation would be “the best way to move forward.”

“The safety and security of individual Monarchs and our collective campus are of the utmost importance,” Hemphill said in the statement. “For ODU, these will always remain top priorities as we pursue our mission in a caring, inclusive, and supportive community, one that respects academic freedom and remains willing to discuss controversial ideas in an atmosphere free of intimidation or violence.”

Other researchers, however, defended Walker’s scholarship and had called on ODU’s administration to do more to support them.

A letter addressed to Hemphill and other administrators Monday, signed by more than 60 professors in sexual abuse prevention, mental health, human sexuality and criminology, said the public backlash “reflects a misunderstanding and mischaracterization of Walker’s research.”

“We are strongly committed to creating a world without child sexual abuse,” they wrote. “In order to accomplish this daunting goal both ethically and effectively, it is essential to have a complete understanding of the issue, and this requires dissemination of research findings even when they contradict popular assumptions.”

Justin Lundy intentionally inflames and misreads viewers by claiming trailer park is becoming a "sex offender sanctuary"

The article misleads people believe the entire trailer park is going to become a haven for "sex offenders" and of course, the internet gangsters on social media are in full force. This isn't just a one-off story either, judging by Justin's Facebook account. 

Maybe he should spend less time working on bringing that MC Hammer hairdo into the 21st century and less time inciting hatred and ignorance in his viewers. 

https://wcyb.com/news/local/neighbors-concerned-about-plans-for-a-registered-sex-offender-sanctuary-in-wise-county

Neighbors concerned about plans for a registered sex offender sanctuary in Wise County

by JUSTIN LUNDY | WCYB Staff

Monday, July 5th 2021

WISE COUNTY, Va. (WCYB) — An East Stone Gap community is concerned after learning a sanctuary for registered sex offenders might be intentionally relocated to their neighborhood.

Longtime resident Vernon Porch Jr. has an 8-year-old daughter. Porch says he plans to leave the mobile home park.

"Most of the time we have eight kids here just playing at my house and we can't live here anymore if it's going to be like this," Porch said.

According to Virginia state law, registered sex offenders must live more than 500 feet from a church, school or daycare.

East Stone Gap Baptist Church is about 1,000 feet away from the mobile home park. Head pastor Lonnie Brooks says that's still too close for his own comfort.

"I know the state police came and measured all of that to check that they were within those boundaries," Brooks said. "But it still seems very close."

Wise County Commonwealth's Attorney Chuck Slemp says he's also concerned about the safety of the East Stone Gap community.

"Obviously we're looking at it from every angle to determine what law enforcement or our county can do," Slemp said. "We're ready to step up enforcement and step up additional patrols. We'll do whatever we need to do for the safety of the community and residents in that community."

We reached out to Inby Home Trailer Park LLC for comment and have not yet received a response.

A public meeting about the proposed sex offender sanctuary is scheduled to take place on July 20 at 6:30 p.m. at the Taylor-Lewis Baptist Community Center.

Civilian Virginia State Police SOR employee charged with possessing CP

On the one had, the pics were of someone just shy of her 18th birthday (and she's being charged with making the pics); on the other hand, this guy worked for the agency that adds people to the public registry in VA, so you'd think he would know what happens to those convicted of a sex offense. 

https://swvatoday.com/news/article_0ad662fa-b286-11eb-86e3-d7d9a02eac1c.html

VSP employee charged with possessing child porn in Wythe

By JEFFREY SIMMONS | Staff May 11, 2021

Wythe County man who made sure men and women on Virginia’s sex offender registry were following the rules has been charged with crimes that could ultimately land him on registry

Shane Alan Underwood, 47, of Speedwell was arrested on May 5 and charged with seven counts of possessing child pornography, according to arrest warrants obtained by Virginia State Police Trooper B.R. Edwards.

In a criminal complaint, Edwards said investigators searched Underwood’s cell phone in March and found seven images of possible child porn. Underwood, who’s on unpaid leave, was a civilian employee with the state police’s firearms and sex offender investigate unit, according to a VSP spokesperson.

Police were able to identify the female in the images who confirmed she was 17 during the offense dates – Dec. 4, 2019, to Dec. 4, 2020. Now an adult, the female named in the complaint, 18-year-old Keilee Jude whose birthday is Dec. 4, is facing Bland County charges of possessing child porn.

Jude and 41-year-old William Dean Blankenship were arrested in February after police searched a Bland County residence and reported finding drugs and cell phones containing pornographic images of Jude and two other juveniles – one 17 and one 16.

“Both the phone that Mr. Blankenship identified as his and the phone Ms. Jude identified as hers contain dozens of pictures depicting Ms. Jude nude or performing sexual acts while under the age of 18,” a deputy wrote in court documents.

The search warrant related to Underwood was sealed by a Wythe County judge.

In addition to his state police job where he verified information reported by sex offenders, Underwood also worked for GFS Secure Solutions but is now on a leave of absence, according to court documents.

A Linkedin page under his name said he had 17 years of experience in corrections, law enforcement and security.

“States he will appear in court and has a steady job,” a magistrate wrote when setting Underwood’s bond at $5,000. “Very cooperative and polite.”

Given a court-appointed attorney to represent him, Underwood has a June 24 preliminary hearing set in Wythe County General District Court.

If convicted of possessing child porn, Underwood faces a maximum five-year prison sentence on each count.

BLM/ Cancel Culture activists bash Sheriff's Office for accepting "All Lives Matter" cake from Black Registrant

BLM and Cancel Culture find the phrase "All Lives Matter" offensive because not all lives matter to these activists. They certainly don't care about black lives when that black life says All Lives Matter, as is the case in this story.

To summarize the story, black man gives cops an All Lives Matter cake, pic was posted on social media, BLM/ Cancel Culture activists were triggered and dug up dirt on the black man, discovered he's a Registered Person, and went on the attack.

So, black lives only matter if they blindly support BLM? All of a sudden, a black man's records are taken into account? Records don't count when BLM is protesting for George Floyd. The hypocrisy of BLM and "Cancel Culture" is why I don't support them despite being liberal.

http://www.smithmountaineagle.com/news/article_3f8eaaa0-cd46-11ea-a6ca-8f9766046184.html

Bedford County Sheriff’s Office responds to post of registered sex offender presenting “All Lives Matter” cake
Staff Reports Jul 23, 2020 Updated Jul 23, 2020

The Bedford County Sheriff’s Office today responded to discussion concerning an image posted on its Facebook page last week of a registered sex offender holding a cake that appears to say “All Lives Matter.”

The original post is dated July 14 and shows Chris Pannell of Bedford giving the cake to the sheriff’s office. According to the Virginia Sex Offender Registry, Parnell’s date of conviction was Jan. 4, 2008, in Bedford Circuit Court under the aggravated sexual battery statute.

The original post reads (in italic):

Sheriff Miller and the men and women of the BCSO would like to thank The Patterson Family for the food donation yesterday that fed the employees. The barbecue, slaw, and brownies were delicious.  We also appreciated the prayer that was give to us by this family.

Additionally, Chris Parnell came by yesterday with a cake showing his support for law enforcement.  Who doesn't love a good cake??

We understand that there is a vast majority of citizens in Bedford that support and appreciate the hard work done by the dedicated men and women of the Sheriff’s Office.  Thank you for your outpouring of support, we enjoy hearing positive comments from our community.

As of Tuesday night, the original post received hundred of likes and more than a hundred comments, mostly positive.

However, there were several comments visible that called out the sheriff’s office with remarks such as “So the people who swore to serve and protect have a registered sex offender holding an ‘All Lives Matter’ cake,” and, “This seems like the police are purposely doing this to rile up the community. Why would they post something like this during such a heated time in a long awaited, continued movement?”

In response to multiple comments about the photo, the sheriff’s office posted the following response today (in italic):

There has been much discussion on our Facebook page about a post from last week.  The photo shows a member of our community donating a cake to the Sheriff’s Office.  Although many appreciated this citizen's actions, others questioned his motives and bring up his past.

The Sheriff’s Office appreciates all our citizens. We further believe that even those with a prior criminal history should have the opportunity to turn their life around and fix the errors of their ways after their debt to society is paid.

The photo from last week reflects our relationship with the citizens of Bedford County, a relationship of mutual respect.  We respect our citizens and understand that, just as individuals can make mistakes, they can also become contributing members of society.  We appreciate the friendly gesture by Mr. Pannell and his attempt to build bridges during this difficult time for many members of our nation.  The posting of this photo was meant as nothing more as a word of thanks for that effort.  We apologize to anyone that may have misconstrued Mr. Pannell's actions or the actions of BCSO by posting it.

This isn’t the first time that a local sheriff’s office posted an “All Lives Matter” message that received backlash. The phrase is often used as a response to “Black Lives Matter,” in which opponents say the “All Lives Matter” phrase ignores the issues that the black community are facing.

A sheriff’s office in the area recently posted an image of a black person’s hand and white person’s hand crossed with pinkies locked and the words “All Lives Matter” below.

The sheriff’s office posted a follow-up post after receiving backlash in comments and explained that a volunteer had posted the image over a weekend and will have additional training about posting sensitive subjects.

The Smith Mountain Eagle had seen this post but cannot verify if it came from the Bedford County Sheriff’s Office’s Facebook page as it is not visible on the page.

This loser falsely accused me of being convicted multiple times for multiple sex offenses, and could not
back up his claims with evidence. Apparently, he thought because there are two Derek Logues on the registry,
that means multiple offenses. What a dumbass!

Rachel Cardin from Virginia's News 3 seems shocked registered persons might enjoy a day at the beach

Just wait until this reporter finds out that unlike Kim Jong Un in "The Interview," we pee and poop like non-RSOs. I can see the headline now:

"Can we can SOs from the can? Live on-the-scene exclusive interview with John on the john."

https://wtkr.com/2019/05/22/sexual-predators-living-among-us-could-be-sharing-the-beach-with-your-child/

Sexual predators living among us could be sharing the beach with your child
POSTED 12:00 AM, MAY 22, 2019, BY RACHAEL CARDIN, UPDATED AT 10:24AM, MAY 22, 2019

HAMPTON ROADS, Va. – The Virginia State Police monitors the state’s sex offender registry, which currently has 32,000 violent and non-violent offenders.

Of that number 10,674 are living among us — 3,011 of whom are in Hampton Roads.

The misconception, troopers say, is that every sex offender is a child molester. That is not the case, but of the more than 3,000 registered sex offenders in our area, 75 percent of them are violent offenders: convicted of crimes like rape, molestation or a sexual crime involving a child.

Violent offenders do have stipulations upon their release or end of parole. Many are banned from schools, school buses and day-care centers, or anywhere children might be.

Sex offenders are, however, allowed in public places. That means a sex offender, convicted of a violent or non-violent crime, could be walking next to you at the mall, playing with your dog at the park or laying in the sand next to your family at the beach.

Troopers have 47 officers and 36 civilians assigned to the sex offender unit in the state. These people make sure sex offenders register with the state and they check in to be sure the information in the registry is correct and up to date.

A registered sex offender has to let the state know within three days of any address, name or mailing address changes. They have to be constantly notifying troopers of their whereabouts; where they work, where they go to school and so on. An email or social media change has to be registered with the state within 30 minutes of a change.

Troopers say many sex offenders have served their time and they stay in compliance with all their requirements because they do not want to catch another charge, and possibly go back to jail. There are some, however, who do not like to follow these rules, which is why troopers routinely check in on these offenders.

Parents must be vigilant and aware of their surroundings when it comes to being in a public place with your children. Troopers encourage parents to look up the address of their home, work and their child’s school or day-care so you know where the sex offenders are.

Rachel DePompa and NBC12 Virginia is seriously doing their readers "hard" with their sweeps week scare story

This sweeps-week article in itself is Shiitake -worthy, but that typo "do them HARD" is the best screw-up I've seen for a while. To make matters worse, the article was updated two days later and the typo is still there!

http://www.nbc12.com/2018/12/12/sex-offenders-find-ways-skirt-facebooks-ban/

Sex offenders find ways to ‘skirt’ Facebook’s ban
Social network launches investigation, responds to findings

By Rachel DePompa | December 12, 2018 at 4:00 PM EST - Updated December 14 at 7:57 AM

RICHMOND, VA (WWBT) - One-and-a-half billion users are on Facebook every day. And among those profiles are people who are not allowed to be on the platform, according to Facebook.

Those are people like 56-year-old Robert Gale Wojda, of Richmond’s Northside. Wojda has been convicted of child exploitation offenses in Florida, Ohio and Virginia.

“Part of his probation was that he was no supposed to be on social media of any kinds, whatsoever," said Richmond Police detective Mary Gary Ford. And yet there he was using Facebook to engage in sexually explicit conversations with minors. “Thankfully his probation officer just checked and she found a Facebook profile for him with his photo and you could tell he was actively like posts."

According to Ford, court filings and the Virginia Attorney General’s office, Wojda admitted to sending explicit photographs through Facebook. Ford actually spoke with Wojda and got his consent to search his phone. On it she found sexual conversations with a 14-year-old girl in Georgia.

“It was a very traumatic experience for her and she was isolated and alone and kind of containing all this inside herself for along time,” added Ford. She says Wodja is far from the only predator using social media.

“The frightening part is the number of people doing what they’re doing and that’s just what’s being reported,” said Ford.

Facebook has a specific policy that bans convicted sex offenders, but in less than two hours NBC12′s investigation easily tracked down 16 different registered sex offenders in Virginia with what appeared to be active Facebook profiles. NBC12 only searched halfway through the letter "c" in the alphabet on the sex offender registry.

NBC12 found offenders of all races and of varying ages all with profiles active within the last year. Some of their criminal records included labels like “sexually violent offender.”

The investigation found offenders convicted of “rape” in Henrico County. Others convicted of “carnal knowledge of children as young as 13” and even a person accused of “enticing a minor to perform in pornography.”

Facebook immediately launched an investigation and disabled the accounts after NBC12 reported the findings.

A spokesperson said, “Facebook’s Terms of Service explain that we prohibit convicted sex offenders from using Facebook and disable accounts that violate this policy as soon as we’re aware. We respond to reports from our community but also take action and disable these accounts when we identify them ourselves. We disabled the accounts you shared as soon as we confirmed they were in violation of our terms of service.”

“You never know who you’re talking to on the other side of the computer,” said Briana Valentino, a forensic interviewer with Greater Richmond SCAN (Stop Child Abuse Now). “Kids are very accessible to people who mean do them hard.”

She often interviews the children abused by predators. And more often than ever before, she finds the abuse started online.

“What we tend to see for kids who’s experienced trauma online, it’s a lot of internalized behavior. Feelings of guilt, feelings of shame. That they are the one’s that have done something wrong,” said Valentino.

Ford often works with SCAN and is investigating multiple active cases in Central Virginia. She has the unenviable job of talking to child predators like Wojda.

“He indicated that looking at adult pornography just doesn’t do it for him," Ford said.

Wodja ultimately pleaded no contest to electronic solicitation of a minor and is now serving 20 years in a Virginia prison. His capture is a victory for investigators like Detective Ford.

But she knows there are more predators out there. That’s why she needs parents to help and have age-appropriate, non-judgmental conversations with their children and teens.

“They this is something that could happen. If it does, just stop what you’re doing, come to me. Talk to me. we’ll work it out together. You’re not in trouble," said Ford.

Ford says there are steps you can take to be proactive.

First, don’t let children have their phones in their bedrooms at night. And consider this rule: tablets and computers should only be used in open areas of the house.

Also parents should research and know the apps that are out there and what’s currently popular with teens.

To report a sex offender on Facebook click on this link. The site says you’ll need to provide one of the following types of information with your report:

A link to a listing in a national or state sex offender registry.
A link to an online news article.
A link to a court document. 

No Dice: Megan Dice of ABC 13 (Lynchburg/ Roanoake VA) offers dirty tricks, not treats, for Halloween

There's no worse way for people to ruin my birthday than to propagate Halloween Hysteria over people forced to register as "sex offenders." And out of the myriad of poorly-written scare pieces, this one was the absolute worst. The headline is the worst part of all. If someone is this terminally stupid, I doubt any degree of education would educate her. But if you want to try, her Twitter page is @MeganJDice.

http://wset.com/news/local/bus-stop-pedophiles-how-close-is-a-sex-offender-around-your-children

Bus stop pedophiles: How close is a sex offender to your children?
by Megan Dice
Monday, October 30th 2017

LYNCHBURG, Va. (WSET) -- With Halloween coming up, state police said they are working with probation and parole officers to check on supervised sex offenders.

Sex offenders who are on supervision cannot participate in giving out candy to trick-or-treaters.

But the question many have is, 'what about every other day?'

Nicole Mcqueary said she had no idea that one of her neighbors is a registered sex offender and that it worries her as her seven-year-old catches the bus every single morning, and it also hits close to home for her as she was the victim of an assault.

"Just uncomfortable, uneasy, you know, not only do I have my child here, I watch other kids and these kids have ADHD, some of these kids are disabled. I don't really feel like their mind is really capable of discerning people," she said. "I'm 32, and it happened when I was about 17, and I can just say that it causes me to be extra cautious with my child. I fear that somebody will do this to my child, you can't stop a sex offender."

So, do schools check bus routes against the sex offender registry?

Lynchburg City Schools said they do not check their routes against the sex offender registry because they still need to pick up kids in neighborhoods where sex offenders live.

Comparing the sex offender registry to some of LCS' bus routes, we found that one offender, convicted of forcible sodomy, aggravated sexual battery, and other charges, was just .2 miles away from one of the bus stops.

Another offender is working near a bus stop and a daycare on Bedford Ave. in Lynchburg.

That offender is convicted of carnal knowledge, which means inappropriately touching a child.

Virginia law requires every adult convicted of an offense occurring on or after July 1, 2006 shall forever be prohibited from residing within 500 feet of the premises of any place he knows or has reason to know is a child day care center, primary, secondary, or high school.

500 feet is about the full length of a football field, plus another half.

State law does not specifically address the issue of offenders living near bus stops.

"When it came to the bus stops, the problem we had with imposing that law was that the buses in rural areas will stop in front of every house and you could not make every single house a zone in and to itself," said Sen. Steve Newman, (R) 23rd District. "We do encourage schools and bus stops that are aggregated to move to an area that does not have an individual close to them, but you can't have every bus stop included."

The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children recommends you teach your children to tell an adult if they are approached by someone acting strange as well as a safe place to go if they need help after getting off at the bus stop.

If you have a concern at a bus stop location, you should contact the school system or police.

To search the sex offender registry, click here.

To learn more about Virginia laws regarding the sex offender registry, click here.

Virginians can't risk Trumptard Ed Gillespie as Governor

I'm sure a certain blonde Virginia "advocate" might vote for this clown, but anyone who actually cares for the rights of registered citizens will avoid this guy like the plague. Virginia is for losers.

Trump is endorsing this clown. Need I say more?

http://www.richmond.com/news/virginia/government-politics/gillespie-ad-blasting-mcauliffe-rights-restoration-policy-as-soft-on/article_3534923b-31d4-5217-97e9-8271ee93ac48.html

Gillespie ad blasting McAuliffe rights restoration policy as soft on sex offenders draws outrage from Democrats
By GRAHAM MOOMAW Richmond Times-Dispatch  Oct 23, 2017

A marquee policy initiative of Gov. Terry McAuliffe took center stage in the Virginia governor’s race Monday as Republican Ed Gillespie attacked McAuliffe’s approach to felon rights restoration as charitable to the point of being dangerous and Democrat Ralph Northam pushed back by saying Gillespie should be “ashamed” over his “fearmongering campaign.”

The Gillespie campaign rolled out an ad Monday highlighting the case of a sex offender whose rights were restored late last year, months after he was arrested for having a massive child pornography stash. Gillespie said the case of John Martin Bowen of Accomack County illustrates the flaws in McAuliffe’s expansive approach to rights restoration with minimal screening of individual cases. Northam, the current lieutenant governor, has praised the policy.

In the ad, Gillespie says he supports rights restoration for offenders who have “paid their debt to society and are living an honest life.”

“But Ralph Northam’s policy of automatic restoration of rights for unrepentant, unreformed, violent criminals is wrong,” Gillespie says in the 60-second ad that sharpens the law-and-order message the GOP nominee has already emphasized with ads opposing sanctuary cities and stressing the dangers of the Latino gang MS-13.

Responding to Gillespie’s ad, McAuliffe, who has used his executive authority to restore rights to more than 168,000 people, accused the Republican of spotlighting one sexual predator to “sensationalize” the issue, adding that Gillespie “has jumped in the gutter with (President) Donald Trump.”

“This is one of the most divisive campaigns that I have ever seen,” McAuliffe said on a conference call with reporters.

McAuliffe’s office said Bowen’s rights were restored because he completed his sentencing obligations for an earlier sex crime, but he lost his rights again when he was convicted of the new charges and sentenced to 15 years. The Virginian-Pilot reported in June that Bowen already had a 2001 conviction for molesting a child before he was arrested last year with “one of the largest caches of child pornography ever recovered in Virginia.”

“He had been re-arrested, but he hadn’t been convicted of anything,” McAuliffe said when explaining why Bowen’s rights were restored last December.

The Northam campaign responded to the Gillespie ad with similar outrage.

“Since he has no positive ideas, he’s resorted to lying about Dr. Northam,” said Northam spokesman David Turner. “It is a new low for him to accuse a pediatrician and children’s hospice medical director of favoring felons who have hurt children. Ralph believes all Virginians who have served their time and are law-abiding should have their rights restored, and that’s never changed.”

Though Virginia is one of only a handful of states that constitutionally strip felons of their voting rights for life unless they’re restored by the governor, there is broad bipartisan consensus that those who have done their time and no longer pose any danger to society should regain the rights to vote, hold public office, serve on juries and notarize documents. Then-Gov. Bob McDonnell, a Republican, took steps to make that process easier, but McAuliffe reached for a more sweeping reform last April when he restored the rights of 206,000 felons at once through a single executive order.

Republican leaders in the General Assembly successfully sued the governor, arguing he had overstepped his authority by effectively invalidating the felon disenfranchisement policy enshrined in the Virginia Constitution. Nevertheless, McAuliffe pressed forward with a streamlined review system that has allowed him to continue to restore felons’ rights at a rapid pace.

Though Republicans lost a second legal challenge against McAuliffe’s revised system, they have still argued that the restoration policy should draw a distinction between violent and nonviolent offenders and require felons to pay all victim restitution and court fees before regaining their rights.

Scrambling the typical partisan views on guns, Gillespie criticized McAuliffe’s approach Monday for making it easier for felons to get their gun rights restored. On a press call, Gillespie said the existing approach puts Virginia communities “at risk” from violent felons who can legally own guns.

“I believe that my policies will keep Virginians safer,” Gillespie said.

The McAuliffe administration has long rejected the argument that its rights restoration policy puts guns in the hands of potentially dangerous people, noting that ex-offenders whose civil rights are restored still have to petition a judge to regain the right to have firearms. That process allows local prosecutors to argue a case before the judge if they believe a particular felon shouldn’t be trusted with guns.

Even with the additional safeguards in place, McAuliffe’s policy puts the onus on the legal system to weed out reformed felons from those who may still pose a threat, said Loudoun County prosecutor Jim Plowman, a Republican who sued the McAuliffe administration to obtain a list of names showing the felons restored under the governor’s original order.

“What the administration is doing now is putting judges in the very precarious position of having these restored felons, many of them violent felons, walking into court with the cloak of gubernatorial review that they drape over themselves,” Plowman said on the call with Gillespie.

Gillespie has said he’ll look to amend the Virginia Constitution with a new felon voting policy with input from McDonnell and former Gov. L. Douglas Wilder, a Democrat. A Republican-sponsored constitutional amendment died in committee in the 2017 legislative session. Gillespie said formally adopting a new policy through legislative action would minimize swings that could come with leaving it up to the individual views of each governor.

The rights restoration debate has veered into racially charged territory in the past, with critics calling the disenfranchisement policy a vestige of Jim Crow laws meant to suppress the black vote.

“On the heels of his despicable attacks on our Latino friends and neighbors, Gillespie is now declaring loud and clear that he’s a strong supporter of racist laws that disproportionately block black Virginians from the ballot box,” said Anna Scholl, executive director of the left-leaning advocacy group Progress Virginia.

Democrats have compared debt repayment requirements to poll taxes, the financial barriers that historically blocked many African-American voters from democratic participation.

State Del. Greg Habeeb, a Salem Republican who sponsored the amendment to ease the constitutional ban on felon voting but with stricter rules than those adopted by McAuliffe, said Northam was among the many Democrats who supported requiring restitution payments in earlier attempts to reform the law.

“For those very same people to play the race card now on a policy that was their own proposal, ... that’s politics at its worst,” Habeeb said on the Gillespie call.

Asked for his response to the concerns that a more restrictive policy would disproportionately affect African-American voting power, Gillespie said, “That’s something that would be taken into account in the legislative process.”

Bowen, the sex offender whose mugshot appears in Gillespie’s TV ad, is white.

Worst US District Judge in America gets praise for promoting vigilante violence from the bench

Apparently this judge has a long history of stupid remarks and getting "benchslapped" for apparently screwing up trials. But when you advocate straight up murder from the bench, you're at least worthy of an award. A SHIITAKE award! In fact, here are some cases he screwed up:

United States v. Cherry, 720 F.3d 161, 167-69 (4th Cir. 2013); United States v. Echlin, 528 F. App’x 357, 363 (4th Cir. 2013); United States v. Garries, 452 F. App’x 304, 309-11 (4th Cir. 2011) (per curiam); Murphy v. United States, 383 F. App’x 326, 334 (4th Cir. 2010) (per curiam); United States v. Dabney, 71 F. App’x 207, 210 (4th Cir. 2003) (per curium).

He's a senile old crone appointed by Reagan. I'd say that's reason enough to bench this clown. However, the comment section in the article is full of Trump-humper praise for this idiot.

By the way, I was almost tempted to add Mary Devoy to the nominees list. She claims to want to reform the laws but at times she seems to be more in tune with people like this guy than with REAL activists like me.

http://pilotonline.com/news/local/crime/child-porn-producers-should-be-shot-federal-judge-suggests-in/article_72590f10-a747-5185-a671-0d5c8dd09464.html

Child porn producers should be "shot," federal judge suggests in a Norfolk courtroom
By Scott Daugherty
The Virginian-Pilot
14 hrs ago

From the bench this week, a federal judge unafraid of offering blunt opinions said that anyone who produces child pornography should be shot.

An exact quote of what Senior U.S. District Judge Robert Doumar said Tuesday during a case involving the collection of child porn was not available, but in an interview Thursday, he reiterated the comment multiple times.

“I said it. I said that they should be shot,” said Doumar.

He stressed he was referring to producers of “baby pornography” and noted that the case at hand involved particularly heinous images. The pornography included photos of very young children, penetration, bestiality and various other forms of physical and emotional abuse, prosecutors said.

“I feel very strongly on this,” he said. “They are not fit to live in our society.”

That said, Doumar, whom President Ronald Reagan nominated to a lifetime appointment on the bench more than 35 years ago , went on to explain that he did not “actually want to go kill them.”

The maximum punishment for producing child pornography is life in prison, and Doumar acknowledged that is all he can legally do when it comes to sentencing producers.

In 2014, Doumar sentenced a Virginia Beach man to life in prison plus 40 years on charges he was responsible for videos that captured the sexual abuse of seven children under 5 in Hampton Roads. At the time, he called Robert H. Scott Jr. the “epitome of evil” and offered a hint at what he thought was a truly appropriate punishment.

“Life in prison is not a satisfactory solution,” Doumar told Scott, “but it is the solution available.”

Doumar is known in legal circles for telling colorful stories from the bench. During many sentencing hearings in drug cases, he has recounted an extended history of China and the opium trade and compared it to the United States and its drug policies. He fears for the future of the country if drugs are legalized.

The judge’s penchant for interrupting attorneys, however, has drawn the ire of lawyers and even the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals.

In 2015, American Civil Liberties Union attorneys representing a transgender boy who sued the Gloucester County School Board over his right to use his school’s male restroom asked the appellate court to reassign their case to another judge. The attorneys complained that Doumar repeatedly said in court that their client had a “mental disorder” and that they were more interested in gaining media attention than representing the boy’s best interests.

“I’m having a huge problem with everybody knowing that he desires to be a male and, in fact, his attorney advertising that to the world,” said Doumar, who eventually ruled against the boy.

The case remains on appeal. Regardless of what happens, however, Doumar said he will not be involved with it anymore.

“I’ve removed myself from the transgender case,” he said in the interview.

Last year, a panel of three federal appeals judges criticized Doumar’s handling of a 2013 trial in which the head of a defunct Newport News brokerage firm was convicted of defrauding investors out of $1.75 million.

Fourth Circuit Judge Stephanie Thacker took Doumar to task for repeatedly claiming during Jeffrey Martinovich’s first sentencing hearing that the federal guidelines were mandatory – even though the Supreme Court had ruled they were not and attorneys for both sides had reminded him they were not.

In the same 32-page opinion – which was joined by Judge Henry Floyd – Thacker also criticized Doumar for repeatedly interrupting defense attorneys and prosecutors during the trial.

“Here, we are once again confronted with a case replete with the district court’s ill-advised comments and interference,” she said before referencing five other cases in her footnotes.

Doumar’s latest comments came Tuesday during the sentencing hearing of John M. Bowen, a convicted sex offender busted with one of the largest caches of child porn ever recovered in Virginia.

According to court documents, federal investigators found potentially 1.7 million pieces of child pornography on Bowen’s computers, along with a handmade sex doll that resembled a small child.

During the hearing, Doumar questioned what, if any, benefit mental health treatment has on sex offenders. He said he had tried to research the matter but couldn’t find definitive answers. “Does it do any good?” Doumar asked Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathleen Dougherty. “I’m curious about that.”

A 2014 study funded by the U.S. Justice Department noted that some research had found limited and even no benefits to treatment. The author’s review of several studies, however, determined it was “reasonable to conclude, albeit cautiously, that certain types of treatment can produce reductions in recidivism for certain sex offenders.”

Mary Davye Devoy, an advocate for "reforming" Virginia’s Sex Offender Registry, said Doumar’s comments were “upsetting for sure.”

She agreed people who molest babies on camera deserve the “full extent of the law.” But she said it was inappropriate for a judge to advocate from the bench for more than the law allows. She said a person who hears such comments might believe he or she has the judge’s blessing to act outside the law.

“A person saying that on the streets is one thing. A judge on the bench is another,” Devoy said. “It may be time for him to retire.”

Ohio finally decides to ban bestiality after hick cop from Virginia makes dubious claim of link between bestiality and CSA

No folks, this isn't The Onion. That was my first thought, too. I don't have a problem with a bestiality ban, but where I do take offense is the testimony from Fairfax Virginia Police Detective Jeremy Hoffman. His entire argument is based on his "personal observations. (In the Concord NH Monitor, Hoffman claims, “These people not only choose a victim who had no voice, they chose victims who would never have a voice. During my investigations in Virginia for sexual offenses related to animals, evidence was obtained showing that out of 20 offenders, five had committed sexual offenses against children, six possessed or had possessed child pornography, three solicited sex from a minor, and at least one committed sexual offenses against adults.”)

This isn't a sex crime law; however, the manner in which this bill passed is Shiitake-worthy, and this story hit the AP so it was reposted across America.

https://www.mydaytondailynews.com/news/local-govt--politics/sex-with-animals-ohio-officially-illegal/2BsXTX901ljLjzWQ6BXdMN/

Sex with animals in Ohio officially illegal
POLITICS By Lynn Hulsey - Staff Writer

Updated: 12:32 p.m. Wednesday, March 22, 2017 |  Posted: 11:04 a.m. Tuesday, March 21, 2017

It is no longer legal in Ohio to have sex with animals.
Ohio’s law banning bestiality went into effect Tuesday.

“It’s a crime that defies explanation to the rational person,” said Mark Kumpf, director of the Montgomery County Animal Resource Center. “We’re dealing with a different species.”

Previous efforts in 2011 and 2015 to ban it did not gain enough support in the Ohio General Assembly so Ohio was one of the few states that didn’t have an actual law on the books outlawing bestiality.

The bestiality ban finally got enough votes to pass in December after being folded into a bill that also bans local jurisdictions from raising the minimum wage or regulating pet stores.

The new bestiality ban:

* Prohibits a person from engaging in sexual conduct with an animal and related acts.

* Provides for the seizure and impoundment of an animal that is the subject of a violation.

* Authorizes a sentencing court to require an offender to undergo psychological evaluation or counseling.

* Makes bestiality a second degree misdemeanor punishable by up to 90 days in jail and a $750 fine.

State Senators Jim Hughes, R-Upper Arlington, and Jay Hottinger, R-Newark, sponsored the bill banning bestiality. Hughes had been trying since 2011 to get a ban in place and was supported by a variety of animal welfare groups.

“I think this is something that is sickening and perverse and we don’t want Ohio to be the place you can come and have sex with an animal,” Hughes, R-Upper Arlington, said in an earlier interview.

Eight states and Washington D.C. still do not have laws against sexual conduct with animals.

Officials in those states might be more likely to ban sex with animals if they realized the connections between bestiality and child sex abuse, said aid Fairfax Virginia Police Detective Jeremy Hoffman, who spent years focused on internet crimes against children.

“I found that people who were engaged in crimes against children were also engaged in sexual crimes against animals,” Hoffman said. “It was people from everyday walks of life. There was no stereotype that you could pin to any of them.”

Like children, animals are incapable of consent and unable to tell on their abuser, said Hoffman.

He and Kumpf said state’s may mistakenly think animal cruelty laws are enough. But Kumpf said abused animals do not always sustain the kind of injuries that would lead to a cruelty conviction. The one case he recalls where the county confiscated a dog that had allegedly been sexually assaulted by a male resulted dismissal of the charges.

“It’s important that we have this as one of the tools in the box to deal with folks,” said Kumpf.

Oh, look, now Virginia has their own 666 bill! I see a trend here

When I reported on Wisconsin's SB 666, I said that ALL sex offender bills should have a similar designation. Coincidentally, it seems the state with the slogan that implies they are the state for losers also have a 666 bill. Maybe this RSO laws are 666 is finally catching on. (Okay, so the House version is HB1190, but c'mon, SB 666 just stays with you.)

So what is Virginia's SB 666? Apparently, it will ban registered citizens from buying those obnoxious "specialty license plates" that benefit children's programs. I personally can't see why a registered citizen would bother buying one, especially one that benefits a children's charity. I wouldn't buy a Lauren Book license place, for example, much less subject a car to having such a tacky piece of pressed metal. But, different strokes for different folks.

It seems another activist has already done a very detailed analysis on this stupid bill. Check out the following link

http://restoringintegritytovirginiaregistry.blogspot.com/2016/02/legislative-predator-hysteria-continues.html

Virginia wants to remind us Virginia is indeed for losers as they add over 5000 names to the registry overnight!

It is 2016, and just like last year, the New Year began with a nomination right off the bat (it should have been up yesterday, but I was having a Football binge). If you live in Virginia and your conviction was between 1980 and 1994, your life was just made worse.
http://www.dailyprogress.com/starexponent/approximately-names-added-to-virginia-sex-offender-registry/article_74e33d82-b09b-11e5-aad7-7773eb9c218d.html

Approximately 5,604 names added to Virginia Sex Offender Registry

Posted: Friday, January 1, 2016 10:22 am
STAR-EXPONENT STAFF
The Virgina State Police recently added approximately 5,604 names to the Virginia Sex Offender and Crimes Against Minors Registry.
The so-called "Supplement" to the list includes information on individuals not previously listed who were convicted of certain sexual offenses on or after July 1, 1980, and before July 1, 1994, according to a state police news release.
The public can view the names at ********
Creating the additional list complies with “Robby’s Rule,” legislation passed in 2015 by the Virginia General Assembly. State legislators also amended an existing law, Code Section 9.1-918 Misuse of registry or supplement information; penalty, to include the additional names.
The Virginia State Police Sex Offender Investigative Unit and Criminal Justice Information Services Division (CJIS) spent the past six months researching and verifying names and personal information required by law to be included on the Supplement, according to the news release. State law requires the name of each convicted offender to include their “year of birth, date of the conviction, the jurisdiction in which the conviction occurred, the person's age on the date of the conviction, the offense of which he was convicted, and the Code of Virginia section of the conviction.”
The Supplement differs from the full Sex Offender Registry, established in 1994, as it does not provide convicted offenders’ photographs nor are those listed “subject to the registration requirements" of other previously listed convicted sex offenders.
State law permits those listed on the Supplement to “petition the circuit court in which he was convicted or the circuit court where he then resides for removal of his name and conviction information from the Supplement if the offense he was convicted of would qualify for removal from the Registry under Code Section 9.1-910, according to the state police.

Delores Ann Harris says she is dumb for believing the system works after she's convicted for harassing Registered Citizen

Delores Ann Harris claims she was dumb for believing "the system works." In this case, the system worked, and she was convicted for harassing a Registered Citizen. I guess by working she meant she expected to get off.

I wonder, however, why a convicted criminal like Harris does not have a mugshot posted anywhere. If her victim was even suspected of a crime, his mug would be all over the internet. In fact, I am amazed the victim wasn't plastered on the media just because of his status.

If anyone has a pic of Delores Ann Harris, email it to iamthefallen1@yahoo.com

http://www.nvdaily.com/beck/2015/03/area-woman-convicted-for-harassing-sex-offender

AREA WOMAN CONVICTED FOR HARASSING SEX OFFENDER
FRIDAY, MARCH 13TH, 2015 @ 11:00 PM

FRONT ROYAL – All she wanted to do, Delores Ann Harris told a jury Friday, was to protect herself and her granddaughter from a man who had been convicted 21 years ago of aggravated sexual battery, a man who has been on the state’s sex offender registry since 1997.

But the convicted sex offender in the courtroom was the victim in the jury trial. And Harris, 61, was the defendant, charged with misusing information from the sex offender registry.

It took the jury only 23 minutes to find Harris guilty and even less time to impose a $1,500 fine on her for actions that the prosecution described as a campaign of harassment against Scott Costello, 43.

“The commonwealth realizes that Mr. Costello is not a sympathetic victim,” Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Michael Fleming told the six-member jury during closing arguments.

But, Fleming said, the state law is clear: The state sex offender registry, including details about Costello, can be easily viewed on a website but the information displayed must not be used “for purposes of intimidating or harassing” another person. Violations are categorized as class one misdemeanors carrying penalties of up to one year in jail and a maximum penalty of $2,500.

Harris represented herself at the trial. In an interview after the jury verdict, she continued to deny she had done anything wrong.

“I was dumb for thinking the judicial system would work,” Harris said.

The jury heard testimony from Costello and Rebecca Griffin about a contentious relationship between them and Harris, who was Griffin’s neighbor in an apartment building in Front Royal at the time of the offense. 

No one disputed that Harris informed the state police that Costello was staying in an apartment with Griffin, his fiancée. At the time, Costello had a different address on the sex offender registry, which would have required him to re-register if he had moved in permanently with Griffin.

In his closing argument, Fleming recounted testimony from Master State Trooper Jerry Bosserman, who could not find evidence that Costello had moved in permanently with Griffin.

Fleming said Harris persisted in her complaints, but Bosserman couldn’t determine that Costello’s visits to Griffin’s residence had violated any laws.

“Trooper Bosserman said he felt he was on the verge of harassing Mr. Costello,” Fleming said.

Harris denied earlier testimony from Griffin that she had yelled out the window at Griffin that Costello was going to prison for 20 years and asking how her sex life would be after he was gone.

“My only concern was the safety of myself and my granddaughter,” Harris told the jury.

The guilty verdict was costly for Harris. She had been convicted of the same offense in general district court and fined only $50 and sentenced to one year unsupervised probation.

Harris appealed her conviction to circuit court, where her combined fine and court costs from the jury trial will exceed $2,000.

Harris, who has moved out of the apartment building, said she plans to file an appeal with the state Court of Appeals.

"You're probably innocent of this crime and all, but we might stick you in civil commitment anyways."

Here at the Shiitake Awards, we sift through dozens of crazy stories throughout the year, and it seems every time we think we've reached the pinnacle of stupidity, a new crazy story comes around that seemingly outdoes the other. 

I won't publish the entire article-- it is a mile long. I suggest you click the news article link and read the full story. Imagine spending decades in prison for a crime you didn't commit. Now, imagine having insult added to injury by being civilly committed. 

Considering how infrequently a prosecutor goes to bat for a convicted person, this story is even more amazing.

http://www.richmond.com/news/article_9adedc25-eba7-5167-aff2-dc65ae98a7fc.html

Prosecutor backs man believed innocent of 1986 sexual assault

Posted: Saturday, February 7, 2015 11:30 pm
By FRANK GREEN Richmond Times-Dispatch

Michael Kenneth McAlister’s prison term ended last month.
But this Richmond man, who some former investigators believe is innocent of a 1986 abduction and attempted rape, now faces possible indefinite confinement as a violent sexual predator.
McAlister’s saga will take a new turn March 3 at a hearing scheduled for Richmond Circuit Court that could see him serving additional decades, if not the rest of his life, inside the Virginia Center for Behavioral Rehabilitation in Burkeville.
That doesn’t sit well with Richmond’s top prosecutor, who does not believe McAlister’s record should lead to imprisonment or commitment as a violent sexual predator.
“We put the innocent guy in prison, and now we want to civilly commit him,” Michael N. Herring, Richmond commonwealth’s attorney, said in an interview last week.
If efforts to force McAlister into the state’s sex offender treatment facility proceed, Herring said he will tell the court that he believes McAlister did not abduct and attempt to rape a young woman in South Richmond 29 years ago — the crimes that make him eligible for further commitment after his sentence has ended.
In addition, Herring said he will work with McAlister’s lawyers to try to clear his record of the 1986 crimes.
“I’m going to sit down with the governor’s office and sit down with the attorney general’s office — whatever it takes,” Herring said.

Virginia wants to publicly shame Registrants (and their children) who want to get involved with their kids' educations

Some of you might find this hard to believe, but some people on the registry -- wait for it-- have kids! I know, it is a shocker, right? Even more amazing is the fact that registered people actually want to do the typical parenting thing. 

What makes this bill unique isn't a ban on allowing registered persons on school grounds, but the process by which a registered person can petition to be exempt from the law to see his own kid. This is the actual text of the bill as it relates to this petition:

C. Every adult who is prohibited from entering upon school or child day center property pursuant to subsection A may after notice to the attorney for the Commonwealth and either (i) the proprietor of the child day center, (ii) the superintendent of public instruction and the chairman of the school board of the school division in which the school is located, or (iii) the chief administrator of the school if such school is not a public school, petition the circuit court in the county or city where the school or child day center is located for permission to enter such property. The court shall direct that the petitioner shall cause notice of the time and place of the hearing on his petition to be published once a week for two successive weeks in a newspaper meeting the requirements of § 8.01-324. The court may permit any person who attends the hearing to testify regarding the petition. For good cause shown, the court may issue an order permitting the petitioner to enter and be present on such property, subject to whatever restrictions of area, reasons for being present, or time limits the court deems appropriate.

[You can find the full text of the bill HERE]

What does this mean? The registered person wanting to be involved with his kid's school life has to petition the court, and that hearing will be released to the media. It is nothing but a form of humiliation for the registrant AND his kid. That is Shiitake-worthy. 

I'll allow the ACLU to finish critiquing this bill: 

http://wavy.com/2015/01/20/aclu-questions-new-sex-offender-bill/

ACLU questions new sex offender bill

By Stephanie Harris

Published: January 20, 2015, 11:25 pm  Updated: January 20, 2015, 11:26 pm

13Click to share on Twitter Click to share on Google+ 7Share on Facebook Click to share on Pinterest

VIRGINIA (WAVY) — Their faces and address are already public, now one Virginia lawmaker wants registered sex offenders to face public hearings before going inside schools.

To have access to Virginia public schools, House Bill 1366 would require violent sex offenders to pay for a newspaper ad publicizing a personal court hearing. It would run once a week for two weeks. Then anyone could attend the hearing and testify against them.

The bills author, Delegate Jeff Campbell, says it’s about safety, but the ACLU says it crosses the line of civil rights.

“The public hearing is simply an invitation for an angry mob to gather at a school and get in the way of a parent’s right to be involved in the education of his or her child,” said ACLU of Virginia’s Executive Director Claire Gastanaga.

Gastanaga said there is no real proof that registries and restrictions like this keep kids safer. He said the most direct impact of the bill would be on parents with kids in school who want to go and meet with the kids’ teachers.

Delegate Campbell disagrees: “I disagree totally, what it does is it gives parents of the other children a say in who is around their children.”

The ACLU is also concerned that paying for the ad would be hardship. 10 On Your Side checked with the Virginian-Pilot. They could not quote us on an ad without exact wording, but said it costs $8.11 per line, per day.

That is an acceptable amount, according to Delegate Campbell: “The public’s right to know who is around their children and to have a say in whether they agree in that or not trumps that individual’s right to free access to the school,” he said.

Currently, sex offenders must inform school superintendents before they go inside a Virginia school.

Delegate Campbell said there was an incident last year in Wise County where a parent did that and got permission to attend sporting events, but then started showing up to school at other times. Parents got upset and that is the reason for his bill.

A subcommittee unanimously passed the bill on Monday, but there is no set date yet for it to go before the full committee.

Manassas City cops sought to make child pornography to prosecute child pornography

Prince William Co VA's DA Paul Ebert

I honestly can't write a headline worthy of the insanity that has surrounded this crazy case. Here's the rundown-- A 17 year old boy takes a picture of his penis and sent it to a 15 year old girl (the girl sent naked pics of herself to the boy but was not charged for some reason). The girl's parents call the cops, and the cops charge the 17 year old boy with possession AND manufacturing child porn. It isn't enough we're wasting resources on a such a silly investigation, but a funny thing happened on the way to trial. It seems the police came up with a brilliant idea-- they were going to take the kid to the hospital, give him a shot of something to give him an erection, and take a picture of the boy's erect penis to compare with the photos he sent to his girlfriend. 

Yes, this actually happened:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/local/wp/2014/07/09/in-sexting-case-manassas-city-police-want-to-photograph-teen-in-sexually-explicit-manner-lawyers-say/

Foster said the case began when the teen’s 15-year-old girlfriend sent photos of herself to the 17-year-old, who in turn sent her the video in question. The girl has not been charged, and her mother filed a complaint about the boy’s video, Foster said. The male teen was served with petitions from juvenile court in early February, and not arrested, but when the case went to trial in juvenile court in June, Foster said prosecutors forgot to certify that the teen was a juvenile. The case was dismissed, but police immediately obtained new charges and also a search warrant for his home. Police also arrested the teen and took him to juvenile jail, where Foster said they took photos of the teen’s genitals against his will.

The case was set for trial on July 1, where Foster said Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Claiborne Richardson told her that her client must either plead guilty or police would obtain another search warrant “for pictures of his erect penis,” for comparison to the evidence from the teen’s cell phone. Foster asked how that would be accomplished and was told that “we just take him down to the hospital, give him a shot and then take the pictures that we need.”

Then, after the story broke, the Manassas City PD released a statement justifying their actions:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/local/wp/2014/07/09/manassas-city-police-release-statement-on-teen-sexting-case/

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Juvenile Sexting Case

On January 23, 2014 Manassas City Police was contacted by a parent of a 15 YOA female juvenile who was sent pornographic videos by a 17 YOA male suspect after repeatedly being told to stop.  Upon further investigating the incident charges of manufacturing and distributing child pornography were brought against the 17 YOA male suspect on January 28, 2014 after consultation with the Commonwealth Attorney’s Office.  The matter was set for trial on June 4th 2014 where charges were nolle prosqui by a Prince William County Assistant Commonwealth Attorney.

The circumstances on the decision to dismiss charges and bring forward new charges cannot be released at this time due to this incident being an active investigation and involving juveniles.  New charges of manufacturing and distributing child pornography have been brought forward and a court date is pending.

It is not the policy of the Manassas City Police or the Commonwealth Attorney’s Office to authorize invasive search procedures of suspects in cases of this nature and no such procedures have been conducted in this case.  Beyond that, neither the Police Department nor the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office discusses evidentiary matters prior to court hearings.

###

Adrienne E. Helms

Crime Prevention Specialist &

Public Information Officer

Manassas City Police Department

9518 Fairview Ave

Manassas, VA 20110

Thankfully the police did not follow up with this crazy warrant (though apparently the case is still being prosecuted). 

The prosecutor, Paul Ebert, has already been on a similar award list, Radley Balko's list of "Worst Prosecutors in America" on The Agitator, a privilege he has had at least three times now. Add a potential Shiitake award to the list. 

By the way, did you know that John Wayne Bobbitt and his demented penis-severing wife Lorena lived in Manassas when she chopped it off?