Christian Pleads Guilty to Trafficking Counterfeit CDs

A member of the Tony Alamo Christian Ministries church faces a Jan. 8 criminal sentencing for trafficking in counterfeit musical compact discs.

Leslie Ray "Buster" White, 58, of Texarkana, Texas, pleaded guilty in September to one count of trafficking the counterfeit CDs. He will be sentenced in federal court in the Eastern District of Texas.

White reached a plea agreement with prosecutors and was released from custody so he could attend religious services at the Alamo compound in Fouke.

That request was part of the plea agreement because Alamo is a convicted felon. When a person is convicted of a felony, federal criminal guidelines restrict their association with other convicted felons, U.S. District Judge David Folsom said.

The agreement asks for an exception to the rule and allow White to "attend organized religious church services of Tony Alamo."

Alamo remains in federal jail in Texarkana after he was arrested in September. The evangelist is accused of taking minors across state lines for sexual purposes.

Christian Missionary Sentenced for Sexual Abuse of Daughter

A Christian missionary who impregnated his 17-year-old daughter was sentenced to 12 1/2 years in prison Monday.

The 44-year-old man was convicted by a Pima County jury last month of four counts of sexual conduct with a minor and one count of child abuse.

According to court documents, the daughter called the Tucson Police Department last summer and told detectives that her father had been sexually abusing her since the age of 12.

The girl said that her father and mother were Christian missionaries who traveled from state to state and much of the abuse had occurred in Colorado and Arizona. Since she was now 18 she felt she could report the abuse, and she wanted to prevent it from happening to anyone else, she said.

Her father started out molesting her when she was 12. By the time she was 15 her father was forcing her to have sexual intercourse or oral sex on a daily basis, the girl said.

Her mother learned of the abuse by reading her daughter's diary, but instead of confronting the father, the girl said her mother threw the diary out a car window.

Her mother witnessed them engaged in a sexual act when she was 15, and a family meeting was held, the girl said. Her father was told it wasn't right for fathers and daughters to have sex, but the abuse continued, she said.

She became pregnant at 17 but had a miscarriage after her father instructed her to take pills he'd obtained in Mexico, the girl told detectives.

She said her father told her God told him to have sex with her and she should think of him as her husband. Her father also often quoted Scripture during the acts.

Episcopalian Boy Scouts Leader Sentenced for Molestation

Former West Lake Hills Boy Scout leader Martin Turner was sentenced to five years in prison Tuesday for molesting pre-teen boys, something prosecutors said he did to at least 12 children over more than 30 years.

After state District Judge Melissa Goodwin announced the sentence, the oldest of Turner's known accusers took the stand before a packed courtroom.

"Martin, I have lost a child, and that does not come close to the pain and suffering you have inflicted upon me," said Sam Meacham, 41. He said he had a daughter born with severe brain damage who died at 5.

Meacham recounted that Turner first met his family at St. Michael's Episcopal Church in West Lake Hills and later, after his family moved close to Turner's house, "Martin took an interest in me, playing sports with me."

He said that Turner put "his hand in my pants" several times in 1978 — "in his home, on his couch."

Baptist Pastor Sentenced for Child Pornography

A former pastor escaped jail time but was ordered to register as a sex offender for possession of child pornography, 10TV News reported on Thursday.

John W. Adams was arrested in July 2007 during an Internet investigation led by Upper Arlington police. Investigators said Adams was caught downloading child pornography at his north Columbus home.

Adams was the former pastor of the Calvary Freewill Baptist Church in Darbydale.

In September, Adams pleaded guilty to a felony charge of pandering sexually-oriented material involving a minor.

On Wednesday a judge sentenced Adams, 67, to three years probation, which prohibits him from accessing the Internet and having unsupervised contact with children, 10TV News reported.

He was also ordered to register as a sex offender for the next 25 years.

Deacon Sentenced for Child Pornography

A former Gainesville church deacon maintained his innocence of child pornography charges Thursday before being sentenced to 11 years and three months in federal prison.

Marvin D. Bridges, 37, addressed U.S. District Court Judge William C. O’Kelley in a sentencing hearing on charges of receiving and possessing child pornography. Bridges was convicted by a federal jury in Gainesville following a three-day trial in October.

"I am innocent of these charges, and me and my family will continue to do everything we can to prove my innocence," Bridges told the judge.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Corey Steinberg said the evidence presented at trial showed "there was child pornography all over this defendant’s computer, and it was put there at all times of the day and night, and there is just no other explanation but that the defendant put it there."

Prosecutors said some 1,900 illegal still images and 114 illegal videos were found in a search of Bridges’ computer, which was seized from his home in September 2007 during the course of a larger U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement investigation dubbed "Project Flicker."

"Project Flicker" targeted several illegal Web sites that trafficked in child pornography and tracked individuals who used the Web sites.

Bridges, who operated a pressure-washing business, was a deacon at Victory Baptist Church on Skelton Road.

Pastor Sentenced for Fondling 9 Year Old Girl

A northern Idaho district judge has rejected a plea agreement and sentenced a former pastor who pleaded guilty to fondling a Priest Lake girl to two to five years in prison.

First District Judge Steve Verby cited Steven D. Bicknell's betrayal of the trust placed in him as a spiritual leader as an aggravating factor when he sentenced Bicknell on Tuesday.

"The violation of trust when you're in a position as a minister or pastor is even more damaging because those individuals are individuals that we need to be able to trust," the Bonner County Daily Bee quoted Verby as saying. "We, as a society, must be able to have faith in people who are placed in trust of dealing with our souls, our development."

Prosecutors said Bicknell touched the breasts of a girl in 2005 and 2006 when she was 9 and 10 while he was a pastor at Priest Lake Community Church.

Bicknell, 57, pleaded guilty in October to felony battery in an agreement that would have required him to serve 60 days in jail.

Verby rejected that deal, but retained jurisdiction. That means he will review the case and Bicknell could be released after serving six months.

"I hope that in time, somewhere down the line, that like the good book says that we take so faithfully, that you will find it within your heart to forgive as we have been forgiven," Bicknell said in apologizing to the victim and her family.

Presbyterian Church Elder Sentenced for Molestation

A former Abington church elder will do jail time for having multiple improper sexual contacts with a 13-year-old girl he was mentoring.

Norman Brooks, 61, of Roslyn, was sentenced to three to 23 months in Montgomery County Prison, which he will start serving on Jan. 2, and a five-year probationary sentence.

Brooks, who held numerous volunteer positions at Carmel Presbyterian Church including youth group leader, also was fined $1,000, directed to undergo and complete any psychiatric treatment recommended by the probation department and ordered to perform 200 hours of community service.

In addition, Brooks was ordered to have no contact with the girl, her family, youth groups or the church.

“This young lady was betrayed by the trust she and her family placed in you and by your actions, which were more than reprehensible,” Judge Thomas C. Branca told Brooks. “This young lady will be dealing with the impact of your crimes for a long time.”

Claiming he was “filled with remorse,” Brooks apologized to the girl and her family, who were not present at the sentencing.

Brooks, who has no prior criminal history, said he did not know why he did it but that he was undergoing therapy to deal with the problem.

Since his arrest, Brooks said his wife has filed for divorce, kicking him out of the family home, he has lost his job at Abington Memorial Hospital and he voluntarily left Carmel Presbyterian Church and has had to find a new church.

Catholic Priest Sentenced for Sexual Assault

A Roman Catholic priest charged with sexually assaulting a young woman in Holyrood last summer has been given a suspended sentenced.

Rev. Patrick Robert Offin apologized for his actions this afternoon in provincial court in St. John’s after pleading guilty to one count of sexual assault in provincial court in St. John’s.
The charge stemmed from an Aug. 21 incident at the priest’s house.

Offin — from Ghana, West Africa — was serving a two-month stint at Holy Cross parish in Holyrood at the time.

Hindu Priest Sentenced for Rape

A woman raped by a Hindu priest has tried to kill herself several times and says she has been ostracised by the community after she was attacked.

The 41-year-old was raped by Shashikant Vyas in February this year, and now says her life has been ruined as friends and neighbours blame her for bringing about the prosecution of the priest.

Vyas is facing a spell behind bars for raping the woman, ripping off her clothes, pinning her down, and leaving her with multiple injuries to her arms and breasts after he attacked her.

She fled after the rape and was helped by a passerby who called the police in to arrest Vyas.

The woman has tried to kill herself at least four times, and the latest attempt on Sunday has left her in hospital with burns to her head, arms and chest.

She will need to have multiple skin grafts to repair the damage, and it is believed her injuries are life changing.

Her husband and son have also turned on her since she was raped, refusing to speak to her and defending Vyas' actions even after he admitted carrying out the attack.

Shashikant Vyas has been sentenced to four-and-a-half years in jail .

Vyas, 61, pleaded guilty to pinning down the 41-year-old in the attack on February 1, leaving her with scratch marks all over her arms.

Christian Sentenced for Crime Spree

A Dowagiac man who broke into his neighbor's garage, stole her deceased husband's truck, drove it while he was drunk, hit a tree and went through the windshield, will spend the Christmas holidays behind prison bars.

Timothy Bowker, 41, of 61078 M-51, got five to 20 years for the crime spree he committed June 10 while on parole from a prior conviction.

The neighbor was a woman who helped him out time and again and had known him ever since he was 3 years old.

The neighbor, Carol Goodman, who lives on Thomson Road, Niles, told Judge Michael Dodge Friday morning in Cass County Circuit Court that Bowker is a good man when he is off drugs and alcohol.


Bowker began crying and said he was on cocaine and other stuff and admitted he is a "broken man."

He said he tried repeatedly to kick the habit through different treatment programs. He said ever since his son was born he began doing drugs and drinking. His son is now 12.

He referred to Goodman as a "truly good woman." He said he prayed to God and has done Bible studies.

"I can't find the answer, but I saw God," he said asking for 14 months.

Catholic Priest Sentenced for Embezzlement

An Omaha priest who stole more than $83,000 from an Omaha parish has received probation.

Judge Russell Bowie sentenced Rodney Adams to three to five years of probation. Adams must also pay $23,000 in restitution over the next five years. The defense has established a restitution account at Wells Fargo bank for anyone who wants to help Adams pay back the church. He also must complete 500 hours of community service.

Adams told the court that he spent the last six months in therapy for manic depression and a spending addiction.

He has been on administrative leave since resigning as pastor of St. Bridget and St. Rose parishes in May.

The archdiocese chancellor, the Rev. Joseph Taphorn, said Adams will get a new assignment by the end of the year, one that does not involve handling any money.

Adams had taken the money only from St. Bridget.

Christian Sentenced for Theft

A 33-year-old Gardnerville woman who faked cancer for sympathy and attention was sentenced Monday to four years in Nevada State Prison because she bilked thousands of dollars from friends who felt sorry for her.

District Judge Michael Gibbons told Erika Williams she must serve one year before she is eligible for parole. He gave her credit for 96 days in custody.

“This is a really sad day,” Gibbons said. “I don’t like doing this but I have to protect everyone else.”

She pleaded guilty to one count of obtaining money under false pretenses.

Dana Dolan said she met Williams as her dental hygienist and also at Bible study.
When Williams started feigning cancer, Dolan said she felt the woman was alone and offered friendship.

Messiah Sentenced for Sexual Conduct with Minor

The leader of an apocalyptic northeastern New Mexico sect was convicted today of 1 count of criminal sexual contact of a minor and two counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

Self-described Messiah and leader of The Lord Our Righteousness Church Wayne Bent faced two counts each of criminal sexual contact of a minor and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

The allegations involved 14- and 16-year old sisters in July and August 2006.

Baptist Minister Sentened for Accepting Bribes

A former New Jersey Assemblyman who is also a Baptist minister has been sentenced to 15 months in federal prison.

Alfred E. Steele pleaded guilty in October 2007 to accepting $15,500 in bribes in exchange for steering public contracts to an insurance brokerage that was really a front for the FBI.

Steele was arrested with 10 other public officials and one private citizen in a bribery scandal from northern New Jersey to the shore.

At his sentencing on Monday, the 54-year-old Steele also was ordered to pay a $10,000 fine and serve two years of supervised release after completing his prison term.

Steele, a Paterson resident, was once one of Passaic County's most prominent political leaders.

He resigned from the Assembly and from his post as a Passaic County undersheriff following his arrest.

Pastor Sentenced for Molestation

A Pastor caught molesting his foster daughter when he accidentally left his webcam on has had his sentence reduced by six months on appeal.

The Court of Appeal in Brisbane heard a woman who regularly "chatted" with the man on the internet noticed he had left his webcam operating and saw him indecently deal with his 10-year-old foster daughter.

The woman sent a message to the man telling him what she had seen. He sent a message back denying he had touched the girl.

The court was told the man and his wife, who had adult children and were pastors at a church, had been foster parents for 10 to 15 years when the girl came to live with them.

Police said the girl initially denied the man had molested her on February 9 her but later admitted he had touched her. She had not wanted to complain because she liked his wife and feared she would be moved.

After a trial in the Ipswich District Court, the man, 50, was found not guilty on two counts of indecently dealing with a child aged under 16 years but guilty of two others, including the incident with the girl.

He was sentenced to 18 months in jail.

The man, who cannot be named because it could identify the victim, appealed on the grounds the two convictions were unsafe and unsatisfactory.

In a unanimous judgment, the Court of Appeal upheld the appeal in relation to one count and quashed the conviction but dismissed the appeal against the February 9 offence.

Justice Hugh Fraser said that as the man was now convicted of only one charge, his jail sentence should be reduced to 12 months.

He said the offence was made worse because the man had intended to capture the images of him molesting his foster daughter but had not meant to transmit them.

Mormon Sentenced for Sexual Abuse of a Child

A Southern Utah man was sentenced in 5th District Court on Monday to one to 15 years for each of two second-degree felony counts of sexual abuse of a child.

Wayland Wightman Wyler, a former member of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, pleaded guilty to both counts back in June, after being incarcerated for eight months awaiting trial.

Prior to sentencing a 90-day diagnostic evaluation was made of Wyler, 41, and a therapist did a psycho-sexual evaluation. Deputy County Attorney Troy Little said both then made recommendations to the court.

Wyler was originally arrested in March 2006 on charges of sexually molesting a female relative multiple times over three years, beginning when she was 8 years old. After bailing out on the charges, Wyler failed to appear in court last October, Little said.

Wyler had a warrant out for his arrest because of the appearance failures, said Iron County Det. Mike Crouch. He was arrested again after being hospitalized, treated and released for carbon monoxide poisoning, reportedly after being found unconscious in his garage with a vehicle running.

Pastor Sentenced for Murder

Former Hickman Community Church pastor Howard "Doug" Porter, convicted of murdering an 85-year-old rancher in a vehicle crash in April 2004, was sentenced to life in prison without possibility of parole this afternoon in Stanislaus County Superior Court.

Porter sat stoically as one of Craig’s family members got up to speak. He nodded in agreement to some of the things the man said about Craig, then sat immobile while the man accused him of taking Craig’s life.

Jurors also said Porter is guilty of two special circumstances that require a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole: murder for financial gain and murder to silence a witness to theft.

Craig enlisted Porter’s help in 1999, when the rancher inherited $2 million from a brother and struck a deal with the preacher to build an agricultural museum. Authorities said Porter siphoned $1.1 million from Craig, using the money to supplement his lifestyle and subsidize a family compound in La Grange.

Craig was crippled March 5, 2002, when Porter’s truck veered off Lake Road and slammed into a tree. Craig drowned April 22, 2004, after his truck, driven by Porter, veered off an embankment and plunged into the Ceres main canal.

Muslim Sentenced for Smuggling Drugs

A woman caught smuggling drugs worth more than £18,000 into Armley jail in her knickers has been jailed for four years.

Atia Ashraf, 24, hid heroin, crack cocaine and cannabis wrapped in a sausage shape finger of a latex glove which was discovered in her knicker elastic, Leeds Crown Court heard.

Ashraf had got through prison security measures but was stopped by police in the jail and strip-searched.

The court heard Ashraf is a well-educated, strict Muslim who is anti-drugs.

Ashraf had denied three counts of possessing drugs with intent to supply but was convicted by a jury at Leeds Crown Court after a trial.

Catholic Sentenced for Theft of $350,000

A principal who fed her gambling addiction by stealing more than $350,000 from St. Elizabeth Seton Catholic school in north Minneapolis was sentenced Friday to three years in prison,

Joyce A. Klevence, 68, who left the school 18 months ago, was convicted on seven counts of theft by swindle for stealing from the school, which has 93 students in kindergarten to eighth grade. Restitution will be determined at a later date.

Her attorney asked that she be spared prison time, but Hennepin County District Judge John Holahan Jr. countered that the theft was "particularly egregious" because its victims were countless schoolchildren. He gave Klevence more time than recommended by state guidelines.

"It's also particularly troubling that you were in a position of trust," he told her.

Standing before the judge, Klevence turned and addressed members of the school and apologized for the first time, reading from a statement she had prepared.

"I am very, very sincerely sorry for the pain that my actions have caused," she said. "I would ask for forgiveness, but I do not expect it right away as it has been difficult to forgive myself. I will let it be in God's hands, as I know He has forgiven me."

Christian Sentenced for Rape of Child

Judge Joseph Calabrese sentenced Allocco, of Baldwin, to serve 4 to 12 years in prison for his crimes. Prosecutors recommended a sentence of 5 to 15 years.

Allocco pleaded guilty in March to second- and third-degree rape, forcible touching and possessing a sexual performance by a child. He was then rearrested in April after he sent a sexually graphic text message to a 15-year-old and charged with endangering the welfare of a child, prosecutors said in court.

"This is a man standing here who has a serious, serious illness," said Allocco's lawyer, Charles Ferzola of Westbury. "The only thing that's going to help him is therapy."

Calabrese said he will recommend that the defendant undergo therapy in prison for his sexual issues.

Allocco was first arrested in 2004, when he was charged with the statutory rape of a 14-year-old girl he met in church. The rape occurred in Allocco's car near Bethpage State Park, prosecutors said. Two years later, Allocco raped his 17-year-old former girlfriend near her home, prosecutors said.

He also admitted to forcibly touching a 20-year-old Nassau Community College classmate while driving her home from a club meeting in May 2007. Only after that classmate came forward did Allocco's former girlfriend tell police that she had been raped, and that Allocco had numerous child pornography photos and videos on his computer.

Baptist Minister Convicted for Making Threats

A community activist who ran for Congress from prison, where he had been sent for warning that a judge could be tortured by God, can post bond while he appeals his conviction, an appeals court has ruled.

After being convicted and sentenced to probation in 2007 for paying people to vote in a Benton Harbor recall election, Edward Pinkney wrote an article in a small Chicago newspaper saying the judge who handled the case could be punished by God with curses, fever and "extreme burning" unless he changed his ways.

Another judge considered the article a threat and sentenced Pinkney to three to 10 years in prison for violating his probation. Pinkney, who says he's a Baptist minister, and his attorneys say he was only paraphrasing some Bible verses from the book of Deuteronomy.

Christian Convicted for Theft of $130,000

A Greencastle woman convicted of stealing more than $130,000 from a former employer was given a 2 ½-year sentence in Putnam County Circuit Court on Thursday, but will likely never spend a day in jail.

Tamera S. Wade, 45, was ordered by special Judge Thomas K. Milligan of Montgomery County to spend 18 months of her sentence as a direct commitment to Putnam County Community Corrections -- house arrest -- and the rest on probation.

Perhaps the most compelling testimony during the hearing Thursday came from Wade's son Tyler, 19, a Wabash College freshman.

"She's been a great mom," he said, making eye contact with his mother from the witness stand. "Without a strong household, I don't think the successes I've obtained would have been possible."

Also speaking on Wade's behalf was Mark Miller, the pastor at Greencastle Christian Church, where Wade and her family worship. Miller said Tyler Wade had come to speak to him after his mother's arrest.

Christian Sentenced for Running Ponzi Scheme

Emotions boiled over today as investors for the first time faced the orchestrator of an Easley-based pyramid scheme that fleeced them of $12 million over the past several years.
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"May you rot in hell!" investor Russell Burrell yelled to a seated Daryl Batts, who was sentenced to 10 years in prison in the scheme amid a packed federal courtroom in Anderson.

Federal marshals surrounded Burrell as he approached Batts, who was seated at the defendants table, and blamed him for ruining his marriage and forcing his son to fight in Iraq instead of pursuing his dream to go to school to become a minister.

"I don’t even want to live," Burrell said, at one point growling at Batts loudly. "Do you know what you did to me, man?!"

U.S. District Judge Ross Anderson listened to testimony from more than a dozen victims who say that the 46-year-old former youth minister used deceit, religion and the good name of an established insurance company to fool them into giving him money that he never invested.

One by one, 20 investors stood to share their stories of loss of betrayal they felt after Batts assured them that their money was safe -- oftentimes praying with them as they shared their skepticism.

Some said they had forgiven him, others said they were still trying to.

"He did it with a smile on his face and a Bible in his hand and on his knees praying," said investor Joanie Benjamin, who told the judge that she gave Batts $85,000 after going online to view what she thought were legitimate investment statements.

"He hid behind God," investor Susan Hunter told the judge, imploring him to send Batts to jail immediately because Batts has spent the past six months having parties while on house arrest. "He used religion every day to swindle people. A thief with a gun ... at least you know what you’re dealing with."

Frank Eppes, Batts’ defense attorney, told the judge that Batts would pay taxes on his income and donate money to his church, the YMCA and Clemson’s athletics booster club, IPTAY.

Christian Sentenced for Murder

A Suffolk man was sentenced to 34 ½ years in prison as his mother sobbed uncontrollably in the courtroom on Wednesday.

Larry Lavelle Darden, 20, received 33 years in prison for his role in the shooting death of Deshawn Parker on Jan. 18, 2006. He received an additional year and a half for an assault on another prisoner at Western Tidewater Regional Jail on Aug. 21, 2008.

Darden was 17 years old when he and another man, Brandon Artis, both fired weapons at Parker on South 10th Street. Although it was Artis who fired the fatal shot, it’s all the same in the eyes of the law, ruled Circuit Court Judge Rodham T. Delk.

“I would like to apologize to the victim’s family and my family,” Darden said just before the sentence was read. “I was wrong for doing what I done.”

Darden’s defense attorney called three witnesses, including his mother. Two of the witnesses said they had attended church with Darden when he was about age 9-13, and had always known him to be respectful and kind. His mother, Mary Gibbons, agreed.

Amish Man Sentenced for Murder

An Amherst circuit judge today sentenced convicted killer Timothy Wright Jr. to 63 years in state prison for fatally shooting a Naola man in a jealous rage in May.

In October, a jury convicted Wright, 22, of first-degree murder in the May 3 slaying of 19-year-old Justin Baumgardner. The jury recommended the 63-year sentence.

Wright was accused of firing a handgun into Baumgardner’s pickup after he left Monacan Park, where Wright confronted him.

Wright’s sister, Hannah Wright, 20, testified that her brother, clad in an orange jail coverall and shackled at the ankles, was a “guardian angel” to her and her six siblings while all eight grew up and were home-schooled in a Mennonite-Amish family.

“He’s the best brother I’ve ever seen anybody have,” she testified.

Christian Convicted of Rape & Multiple Homicide

Brian Nichols opened doors to demons attaching themselves to his spirit by drinking a six pack of beer a day, by smoking pot and by spending thousands of dollars for sex with Asian prostitutes at Atlanta massage parlors, the convicted murderer’s former pastor testified on Thursday.

And those very demons, said Donnie Moore, the pastor at Nichols’ former church — Word of God Christian Center in Gwinnett County — ultimately pushed Nichols into the jealous rage that compelled him to rape a former girlfriend in August 2004 and stoked the rage that drove him to murder four people on March 11, 2005.

But Nichols’ life is still worth saving, said Moore, as he testified in the sentencing phase of the 12-week-long murder trial, where prosecutors are seeking the death penalty and Nichols’ defense team is asking the jury that convicted him on Nov. 7 to instead sentence him to life in prison.

Moore compared Nichols to the Apostle Paul, who became a changed man and devoted his life to Christ after years of persecuting Christians. Moore said there is “concrete” evidence that Nichols can change his life.

“As long as he [can] hear the words that would touch his soul…. to be all that he can be in Christ, I think there’s value there” in saving Nichols’ life, said Moore. The pastor testified that he talked to Nichols Wednesday night about restoring his once-strong Christian faith.

Moore said that Nichols once was a faithful member of his church — he even played the part of a reporter in a church play about the crucifixion of Christ. But Moore had no idea that, during that same period, Nichols was leading a double life of beer, drugs, and hookers.

Jehovah's Witness Sentenced for Installing Camera in Restroom

An electrician has been sentenced to 30 months' probation and ordered to write a letter of apology for installing a hidden camera in the ceiling of a women's restroom at the Prince George, B.C., airport.

The court heard that Ron Ballard, 50, of Prince George is a voyeur with an "aberrant sexual attraction" to women's washrooms that includes enjoyment in counting the stalls.

He no longer works at the city airport.

The judge ordered Ballard to continue counselling and prohibited him from using any kind of camera or entering any women's washroom.

His letter of apology to the airport's female staff is to be posted in their restroom.

Ballard was arrested in May 2007 soon after an airline employee noticed a hole and a camera in the ceiling of the washroom used mostly by staff.

The judge noted, from the pre-sentence report, that even counting women's washroom stalls provided Ballard with sexual gratification.

The judge also noted that Ballard has been thrown out of a Jehovah's Witness congregation and the couple has moved to Williams Lake.

Muslim Sentenced for Murdering Teenager

A D.C. Superior Court judge today sentenced a District man to 23 years in prison for shooting a teenager in the head and the back as the youth was walking away from an argument.

Judge Geoffrey M. Alprin gave Daniel Richard Proctor Jr., 21, just shy of the maximum 24 years agreed to in September when Proctor pleaded guilty to the second-degree murder of Cequawn Brown of Capitol Heights.

Prosecutors said that on the night of Sept. 25, 2006, Brown -- who in two days would have turned 17 and was an 11th grade student at Eastern High School -- got into an argument with Proctor, then 18, on a sidewalk along 53rd Place SE. As Brown walked away, prosecutors say, Proctor pulled a gun and shot the youth once in the back of the head. Then, as the teen lay bleeding, prosecutors say, Proctor approached him and shot him a second time in his back.

During today's hearing, Brown's mother tearfully asked Proctor why he killed her son.

"If you had an argument, wasn't there another way to handle this?" Nika Brown said, turning to Proctor. "Why didn't you come to me if you had a problem with my son? Couldn't there have been a better way to handle this versus killing my son?"

Proctor has never said what the dispute was over. One police report said Proctor had accused Cequawn Brown of stealing items from several back yards in the neighborhood.

Proctor, wearing an orange prison jumpsuit and a traditional Muslim skullcap on his head, apologized to Brown's family and his own, who also were present in the courtroom.

"I do think about what I did," he said. "This was stupid. It could have been avoided. I just reacted in a non-positive way. I asked Allah to forgive me."

Minister Convicted of Bigamy and Forgery

Roderick Sangster, who is due to be sentenced on Friday, walked into a police station in the south of England shortly after 10am, Warwickshire Police said.

Last month Sangster, a former church minister and police officer, was found guilty in his absence at Warwick Crown Court of entering into a bigamous marriage and committing forgery. A warrant had been out for his arrest.

The jury heard he wed Janet Wallace while still married to his wife, Jill Sangster, leaving them both thousands of pounds in debt.

The court heard that Mrs Sangster, who lives in Perth, Scotland, but is originally from Doncaster, South Yorkshire, was forced to declare herself bankrupt after discovering that he had run up a debt of £30,000.

Lutheran Pleads Guilty to Embezzlement

A Hanover area woman accused of embezzling more than $68,000 from her McSherrystown church pleaded guilty to two felony counts last week.

Katrina Wischmann, 40, of 56 Preakness St., was sentenced to 10 years under county supervision, said Adams County District Attorney Shawn Wagner. Wischmann will serve one month in prison, six months on house arrest and the rest on probation as part of a plea agreement reached with the district attorney's office.

She is also to pay St. Paul's Lutheran Church, from where she stole the money, $12,500 within one year of sentencing. The church had been reimbursed $55,000 through insurance. As part of the plea agreement, Wischmann was also sentenced to pay that back to the insurance company.

Catholic Priest Pleads Guilty to Child Molestation

A former Roman Catholic priest pleaded guilty on Tuesday to molesting a 12-year-old boy two decades ago.

George Miller, 70, of Oxnard entered his guilty plea in a San Fernando courtroom to one count of committing a lewd act on a child under the age of 14.

Miller also admitted to sexually assaulting three other boys whose cases couldn't be charged because of statute of limitation problems, prosecutors said.

Miller faces up to three years in prison when he is sentenced Jan. 30. His attorney, Steven Cron, did not immediately return a phone message seeking comment.

Miller pleaded guilty to a charge of molesting a boy between March 1988 and March 1989 while he was assigned to Guardian Angel Church in Pacoima. He was charged with six counts, but the remaining charges will be dropped after he is sentenced.

Christian Woman Sentenced for Child Sex Abuse

It's a month behind bars for a Princeton mother convicted of sexually abusing a teen boy.

In Mercer County court this afternoon, Mindy Keesecker was sentenced to two one-to-five year prison terms. But both were suspended.

Instead, she'll spend the next 30 days in jail.

She'll be on probation for five years and will have to register as a sex offender for the next ten years. Investigators say Keesecker had a relationship with a teen boy while serving as a church group chaperone.

She pleaded guilty in November to two counts of first degree sexual abuse.

Baptist Sex Offender Senteced for Failure to Register

A convicted child rapist has admitted that he attempted to have indecent contact with an 8-year-old girl in Upper Providence and that he failed to notify authorities that he operated a church in rented space at the Pottstown YWCA.

Guy Carlton Jones, 43, of the 100 block of South Mennonite Road, Upper Providence, pleaded guilty in Montgomery County Court on Monday to charges of attempted indecent assault and failing to comply with reporting requirements of Megan's Law in connection with incidents that occurred between February 2007 and February 2008. Under a sentencing agreement, Jones faces a sentence of about four to 10 years in state prison and 10 years' consecutive probation when he's sentenced next year by Judge William R. Carpenter.

Jones, who was convicted in 1991 in Philadelphia of raping an 8-year-old girl and who served a 3½ of a 10-year state prison sentence for that crime, was arrested by Pottstown police on Feb. 17, 2008, and charged with violating reporting provisions of Megan's Law.

Specifically, prosecutors alleged Jones failed to notify the state police Megan's Law Unit that he was volunteering as pastor of the City of Refuge Community Baptist Church for which Jones rented space at the YWCA at 315 King St.

Christian Convicted (again) as Child Sex Offender

Glenn Keeton, a former children’s gymnastics instructor, will spend the next 15 weekends in the Cherokee County Jail and the next three years on probation with intensive supervision.

Judge David Rogers on Monday handed down the sentence. Rogers, from Wilson County, was assigned to the case.

Keeton, 44, of Riverton, pleaded no contest in July to felony lewd and lascivious behavior in the presence of a child. He was found guilty of intentionally exposing himself to a 12-year-old girl on May 27, 2007, at his house. He also was found guilty of failing to register as a sex offender; he had a 1993 conviction in California after pleading no contest to that charge.

The charge of lewd and lascivious behavior carried a sentence of presumptive probation, but Keeton potentially faced nearly 4 1/2 years in prison for failing to register. His attorney, Gene Barrett, filed a motion to depart from the sentencing guidelines. Barrett called six character witnesses, including Keeton, his parents, his pastor and his boss, to support his motion. All argued against sentencing Keeton to prison.

Barrett had dropped an earlier motion for Keeton to withdraw his pleas when parties agreed that the charge of lewd and lascivious behavior would result in no prison time.

“Our church welcomes him,” said Keeton’s pastor, Audie Tash. “Our church loves him. Glenn is an asset to the community.”

In response to a question from Barrett, Keeton said he has a strong faith in God.

Baptist Pleads Guilty to Embezzlement

Former Greenwood County Magistrate’s Office clerk Toni Cole will be spending quite a bit more time at home during the next 18 months.

It’s a prospect she almost certainly welcomes as opposed to the alternative.

Cole pleaded guilty Monday morning at Newberry County Courthouse to one count of embezzlement of public funds $5,000 or more. Judge Mark Hayes sentenced Cole to 18 months of home incarceration, with five years’ probation and 400 hours of community service upon the completion of her house arrest.

The sentence was suspended down from 10 years in prison.

Cole’s plea brought an end to the criminal aspect of the 2006 magistrate’s office saga that saw Cole’s arrest, the arrest and eventual acquittal of former magistrate’s office part-time judge Lisa Cain on charges of misconduct in office and the resignation of then-Chief Magistrate Joe Cantrell.

Cain, who was found not guilty during a July jury trial, does have a lawsuit pending against Cole and others. Cole reportedly told Greenwood County Sheriff’s Office investigators that she had confided in Cain that she had stolen money from the magistrate’s office and that Cain had, in turn, advised her on how to steal without getting caught.

A jury took less than an hour to find Cain not guilty on July 30.

Cole admitted, in July and again Monday, to stealing $22,958.05 from the magistrate’s office between February 2004 and April 2006. It was revealed in court Monday that Cole paid the entire amount back to the magistrate’s office last Tuesday.

Cole, who was represented in court Monday by attorney Townes Jones, expressed remorse for her crimes, sobbing as she apologized to Hayes during sentencing.

“I just want to say that I’m so sorry for what I did,” Cole said, weeping as family, friends and her pastor stood behind her before Hayes. “There’s not a good reason for what I did. I really hurt a lot of people. A lot of people. My family, my friends, people I worked with. I am so sorry. Your honor, I don’t know what to say. If I could go back, I would lose everything.

Several friends of Cole spoke on her behalf, as did Beulah Baptist Church Pastor David Cobb. Friend Kim Tucker spoke highly of the fallen magistrate’s office clerk.

Christian Sentenced for Rape

A man who admitted to posing as a home buyer and raping a real estate agent inside a Hilliard condominium was sentenced Monday to 15 years in prison.

The attack occurred on March 6.

Egan Collier, of Galloway, clutched a Bible and sat silently Monday as prosecutors revealed the details of the violent attack.

"The suspect grabbed her hair with his left hand and put a box cutter to her neck and face area with his right hand," said assistant prosecutor Kathleen Russo.

According to prosecutors, Collier met the agent earlier in the day, and then returned to the condo with the supplies he used to restrain her.

After returning to the condo, prosecutors said that Collier forced the woman onto the floor where he tied her legs with tape and raped her.

Christian Pleads Guilty to Lying Under Oath

Wiping tears from her eyes, former Detroit mayoral chief of staff Christine Beatty pleaded guilty today to two felonies that will have her serve 120 days in jail and pay $100,000 in restitution to the City of Detroit for lying to a jury.

Beatty, 38, was ordered to serve the same amount of jail time but pay one-tenth the restitution imposed upon her ex-boss and lover, former Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick. She also will be on probation for five years. A previous demand that Beatty wear a tether during her first year of probation after her release from jail was dropped.

"I lied under oath ... regarding information that was relevant to the case," an emotional Beatty told the judge, referring to her testimony in a police whistle-blower suit that eventually led to the release of intimate text messages between her and Kilpatrick. "I did so with intent to mislead the court and jury."

Kilpatrick and Beatty had been charged with lying under oath in the case that cost the city $8.4 million. The plaintiffs argued that Kilpatrick and Beatty fired the officers for investigating and reporting alleged misconduct by Kilpatrick's executive protection unit, in part for fear that they would discover the affair between Kilpatrick and his chief of staff. The text messages illuminating the affair and the firing of the officers originally were subpoenaed in the lawsuit but weren't introduced in the 2007 trial. They were first published in January and led to Kilpatrick's resignation and plea.

Beatty attended Cass Tech with Kilpatrick and had worked for him since he was elected to the state House. She was accompanied to court by the Rev. Griffin, pastor of the Rose of Sharon Church of God in Christ. No family members accompanied her to court. Both her mother and sister work for the city.

Friends of Beatty say she is struggling but is remaining strong in belief that her faith will carry her through.

Rev. Griffin has counseled her throughout the ordeal and has been by her side at numerous court appearances.

Christian Pastor Sentenced for Rape of 7-year-old

A former Putnam County pastor was sentenced to a maximum of 45 years in prison this morning after pleading guilty to videotaping himself sexually abusing three relatives and his stepdaughter.

Putnam County Circuit Court Judge O.C. Spaulding sentenced Paul D. Smeltzer, 40, to 17 to 45 years in prison on three counts of sexual assault.

Smeltzer, of Scott Depot, pleaded guilty in September to videotaping himself sexually abusing his 7-year-old niece in January 2007.

In September, he also pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting his stepdaughter in May 2004. She was 12 at the time of the abuse.

"I know I've sinned before God," Smeltzer said in an address to the court.

"I hope you also know God and will show the mercy God always shows us," he said.

Spaulding sentenced Smeltzer to 15 to 35 years for one count of sexual assault in the first degree and 1 to 5 years for each of two counts of sexual assault in the third degree.

Smeltzer worked as a part-time pastor at the First Christian Church of St. Albans Disciples of Christ. He joined the parish in December 2006.

Smeltzer and his family moved to West Virginia, his wife's home state, in 2003, according to an article published in the Gazette when he became pastor at the church in St. Albans.

Prior to moving to West Virginia, Smeltzer worked at churches in California and served as a leader for the student ministry at Community Bible Church in Mira Mesa, Calif.

"You had problems in California," Spaulding said Monday alluding to similar charges against Smeltzer during his time on the West Coast.

"I don't see where you solved the problems," Spaulding said.

In addition to his sentencing, Smeltzer will face up to $30,000 in fines. He also will pay for all or a portion of the costs for any psychological treatment the victims may seek.

Pentecostal Man Sentenced for Sex with Child

It was too little, too late for a Sussex man when he confessed he sexually assaulted a young girl over a three-year-period in what Judge Henrik Tonning referred to as "abhorrent" ways.

While details of the assaults are protected under a publication ban so as not to divulge the identity of the victim, there was no sexual intercourse involved in the crime and there was no "overt" sexual gratification for the convicted man, Tonning said.

John William Shay, however, was repeatedly inappropriate in his actions and comments toward his victim and compromised her sexual integrity.

Shay's admission on the "eve of his sentencing," Tonning said Thursday, did little to prove remorse. Shay was convicted of the sex crime last month after a trial.

Defence lawyer Al Levine called for house arrest for his client, but Tonning said Shay's behaviour must be deterred. He sentenced him to nine months in provincial jail, as requested by Crown prosecutor Kelly Winchester.

Winchester said the case is aggravated by the reality that Shay, a 46-year-old first-time offender, sexually assaulted a child when he was in a position of trust, and it was a repeat occurrence starting when the child was eight years old.

The court received a letter from Shay's supervisor with the natural gas pipeline who said there is work available for Shay in Alberta, as well as two letters from church leaders speaking of Shay's commitment to the Calvary Pentecostal Church in Sussex.

"Unfortunately, the majority of people who come to court for these types of offenses are the last people you expect to be here," Tonning said in reference to the strong Christian faith Shay claims. The judge said church-going people are no exception to the names that fill his docket.