This Day In History

Aug 29 1958

Michael Jackson born in Gary, Indiana.

...Coincidentally,

Aug 29 1996
California becomes the first state in the nation to require the surgical or chemical castration of persons who have committed two or more sexual assaults on minors.

Aug 29 2005
Category 3 storm Hurricane Katrina attacks the Gulf coast with 145-mph winds. Cities in Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi are declared disaster areas. Parts of New Orleans are submerged, some residents are left to scramble to their rooftops awaiting rescue. News organizations report widespread panic and looting, crowds abandoned on elevated freeways, and rumors of rape in the Superdome.

(Amazing pictures here...)

L.A. Officials Receive Video of Men Sexually Assaulting Disabled Women

Los Angeles, California (CNN) -- Los Angeles County Sheriff's investigators made a public appeal Thursday in seeking at least four men who were videotaped sexually assaulting at least 10 women who appear to be severely disabled, including women in a care home.

The video came from 11 DVDs that an anonymous tipster dropped off last March at the Sheriff's Department headquarters in Monterey Park, California, said Sgt. Dan Scott.

The video was shot by a security camera and a handheld camera, Scott told reporters at a news conference.

One segment shows a woman victim wearing a diaper while in a wheelchair, Scott said.

Several locations are depicted in the video, including at least one place that appears to be a residential care facility, authorities said. Authorities don't know when or where the sexual assaults occurred.

Sgt. Diane Hecht told CNN that detectives are "starting from scratch" in their inquiry.

"We have victims, and we just don't know if the assaults are continuing. We have four suspects, and we need the public's help to take them into custody as soon as possible," Hecht told CNN.

"This is extremely serious. These women are developmentally disabled. It's awful to take advantage of anyone, but especially someone who could not defend themselves," Hecht said.

The more than 100 hours of video shows a sequence of at least 10 women being sexually assaulted by at least eight men, and investigators were able to develop composite drawings of four of the suspects, authorities said.

"The extremely disturbing videos are not being released to the public, but photos from portions of the video are being released in an effort to identify some of the suspects and at least one room depicted," the Sheriff's Department said in a statement.

Detectives asked the tipster to call the anonymous Crime Stoppers communication system at 800-222-8477 and provide details on the video's origins. Investigators said members of the public can also call the special victim bureau's hot line at (866) 247-5877. Information can also be provided anonymously by texting the letters TIPLA plus your tip to CRIMES (274637) or by accessing the Crime Stoppers website at www.lacrimestoppers.org.

Cheshire home invasion Survivor Appears on Oprah

CBS News- A Connecticut doctor whose wife and two daughters were killed in a gruesome 2007 home invasion said on Thursday's episode of "The Oprah Winfrey Show" that while he has had suicidal thoughts he chose not to kill himself because he hopes to be with his family in the afterlife.

In court earlier this month, before a man convicted in the killings was sentenced to death, Dr. William Petit said he had struggled with suicidal thoughts, nightmares and flashbacks. Winfrey asked Petit why he decided not to kill himself after all.

"Religious reasons," Petit answered. "I thought in the afterlife, if I was going to meet up with my family, if I did that (commit suicide) then maybe I would never meet up with them again. I wasn't willing to take that chance. I thought that they would not approve and they would want me to go forward."

Petit was the sole survivor of the home invasion. His wife, Jennifer Hawke-Petit, and daughters, 17-year-old Hayley and 11-year-old Michaela, were killed. The mother and youngest daughter were sexually assaulted. Authorities say their attackers tied the girls to their beds, poured gasoline on or around them and set the house on fire.

Steven Hayes of Connecticut was convicted of sexually assaulting and strangling Jennifer Hawke-Petit and killing her daughters. He was sentenced to death. Another defendant, Joshua Komisarjevsky, is to go to trial next year.

Petit told Winfrey he thinks his wife would want him to continue his medical career. He also told Winfrey that he is not considering forgiveness right now.

"I don't think you can forgive ultimate evil," he said. "I think forgiving the essence of evil is not appropriate."

Police: Abducted Mich. Girl's Death Was Homicide

NEWPORT, Mich. -- Taylor Manley should have been home when her father returned from his job on the overnight shift at an auto supply plant.

He had spoken to her by phone about 12:30 a.m. Wednesday. But when Robert Manley arrived at his home near Evart, in a rural area of Michigan's northern Lower Peninsula, the 15-year-old was nowhere to be found and the front door appeared to have been forced open.

Robert Manley called 911, and authorities soon issued an Amber Alert for his missing daughter.

Hours later, Taylor's body and the body of 38-year-old Raymond R. Bush were found about 170 miles away in his minivan, parked in a lonely cemetery in the small, southeastern Michigan community of Newport.

Bush was shot once in the head. Taylor was shot multiple times. At least one .22-caliber slug was to her head. She also was shot in the chest.

"It appears he shot Taylor, then shot himself," said Lt. Mary Kapp, commander of the state police post in Monroe. Bush's death was ruled a suicide, while Taylor's was ruled a homicide, according to the Wayne County medical examiner's office, which performed the autopsies.

Authorities believe Bush abducted the girl, on the morning that she had stayed home from school to testify against him in a sexual assault case.

The sexual assault "wasn't sexual contact with force," said Clare County Prosecutor Michelle Ambrozaitis, whose office was handling the case, but was based on Bush's behavior and actions. Michigan's legal age of consent for sex is 16.

"He was preying upon her," Ambrozaitis said. "Predatory conduct."

The relationship between Bush and Taylor started in Monroe County where the girl and her mother once lived, said Taylor's grandfather, Joseph Manley.

Clare County Sheriff John Wilson described Bush as a friend of Taylor's family.

Bush befriended Taylor and her mother about a year ago, when they were living in the Newport area, Ambrozaitis said. His relationship with the girl turned sexual after Taylor and her mother moved north, she added. Bush, of Newport, had a tattoo of the girl's name on the back of his neck.

Taylor had recently transferred into Evart Public Schools, Superintendent Howard Hyde said. She had moved in with her father in recent weeks to get away, her grandfather said.

"We've never seen him, never met him and never talked to him," Joseph Manley said of Bush.

Taylor was living with her mother in Clare County, when in July they reported the sexual contact to authorities. Bush was arrested and arraigned on the charges in September, and was free after posting $50,000 bond, Wilson said.

Third-degree criminal sexual conduct is a felony involving sexual penetration that may be charged when it involves a child at least 13 years of age and under 16. It's punishable by up to 15 years in prison.

Bush, charged with two counts of third-degree criminal sexual conduct, was to appear Wednesday morning in district court for a preliminary examination that would determine if he was to stand trial. Taylor was to scheduled to testify. When Bush failed to show, an arrest warrant was issued.

An ex-girlfriend of Bush told investigators that he called her late Wednesday morning and said he fatally shot Taylor and planned to kill himself, according to state police Detective Sgt. George D. Pratt.

Bush later stopped at the ex-girlfriend's home in Newport, where she saw a young woman's body in the van, Pratt said. The woman called police after getting the first call and again after seeing Bush.

Troopers found the van and bodies about 5:25 p.m. Wednesday in St. Charles Cemetery, about 35 miles southeast of Detroit.

"I'm devastated," Ambrozaitis said. "She was just a vibrant young woman. She had a lot of spunk and a lot of promise. It's senseless."

Arrest Made in Fairfield Lewd Behavior Case

(11/01/10) FAIRFIELD - Fairfield police say they have arrested a man who engaged in lewd sexual behavior in two stores.

The incidents allegedly took place in Kohl's and Marshall's stores where police say Jean Leconte, 22, of Bridgeport, exposed himself to female victims while they were shopping. In one of the incidents, police say Leconte also masturbated.

Police have charged Leconte with fourth-degree sexual assault and public indecency in connection with the incidents.

Authorities say Leconte is also facing similar charges in Trumbull.

Man Sentenced to 20 Years for 2003 Rape of Darien Jogger

STAMFORD -- A man who pleaded guilty to ambushing and raping a Darien woman as she was jogging was sentenced to 20 years in prison Thursday, nearly seven years after the attack.

Jose Amaya, 40, formerly of East Hartford, pleaded guilty to first-degree kidnapping and first-degree sexual assault in October. Amaya fled the United States and was extradited from Mexico in April. He was sentenced Thursday morning in state Superior Court in Stamford, said the prosecutor, State's Attorney David Cohen. After spending 20 years in prison, Amaya will spend 10 years on special parole.

In April 2003, authorities said, Amaya and Alejandro Mendez ambushed a 38-year-old woman as she was on a Sunday morning jog near Ring's End and Long Neck Point roads. The men punched and kicked her, smashed a bottle over her head and dragged her into their vehicle. They then drove her to a secluded spot of Noroton Heights and sexually assaulted her, authorities said.

The woman escaped and ran to a nearby church, authorities said.

Mendez pleaded guilty to his role in the attack and will serve 15 years.

An accomplice in the incident, Mendez was arrested in June 2003 in Los Angeles, and was sentenced to 15 years in prison two years later after pleading guilty to first-degree sexual assault and kidnapping.

Prosecutors at the time of the attack said both men were illegal immigrants working as day laborers in Norwalk. Within a month of the attack, police said they suspected Amaya had fled to Mexico. He could be deported after his release from prison, prosecutors have said.

Police: Officer Pretended To Be His Twin For Sex

ONLY in my state! LOL

MILFORD, Conn. -- An Orange police officer is accused of pretending to be his twin brother in order to engage in a sexual encounter with a woman.

Officer Jared Rohrig, of Milford, was arrested Friday in connection with the sexual assault.

Police said a woman told police that she went to meet Rohrig's twin brother, Joe, whom she was in a relationship with. The woman got into a hot tub with Jared Rohrig, thinking it was his brother, police said.

Police said the hot tub activity moved into one of the home's bedrooms, where the two began having sex.

"During the sexual intercourse, she realized the male she was with did not have a tattoo on his left buttocks. (LMAO) The female victim said she immediately began to cry and asked where his tattoo went," according to the arrest affidavit.

The woman said Joe, whom she had been having a sexual relationship with since March 2009, has a tattoo of a cowboy, according to the affidavit.

Police said when the woman tried to leave after realizing Jared Rohrig was not Joe, Jared Rohrig pushed her down onto the bed, covered her face with a pillow and continued having sex.

Rohrig was charged with sexual assault in the first degree and criminal impersonation. His bond was set at $50,000 and he is scheduled to appear in court on Sept. 8.

He was put on paid leave from the Orange Police Department.

Horribly Sad..

Quarter of men in South Africa admit rape, survey finds

One in four men in South Africa have admitted to rape and many confess to attacking more than one victim, according to a study that exposes the country's endemic culture of sexual violence.

Three out of four rapists first attacked while still in their teens, the study found. One in 20 men said they had raped a woman or girl in the last year.

South Africa is notorious for having one of the highest levels of rape in the world. Only a fraction are reported, and only a fraction of those lead to a conviction.

The study into rape and HIV, by the country's Medical Research Council (MRC), asked men to tap their answers into a Palm Pilot device to guarantee anonymity. The method appears to have produced some unusually frank responses.

Professor Rachel Jewkes of the MRC, who carried out the research, said: "We have a very, very high prevalence of rape in South Africa. I think it is down to ideas about masculinity based on gender hierarchy and the sexual entitlement of men. It's rooted in an African ideal of manhood."

Jewkes and her colleagues interviewed a representative sample of 1,738 men in South Africa's Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal provinces.

Of those surveyed, 28% said they had raped a woman or girl, and 3% said they had raped a man or boy. Almost half who said they had carried out a rape admitted they had done so more than once, with 73% saying they had carried out their first assault before the age of 20.

The study, which had British funding, also found that men who are physically violent towards women are twice as likely to be HIV-positive. They are also more likely to pay for sex and to not use condoms.

Any woman raped by a man over the age of 25 has a one in four chance of her attacker being HIV-positive.

One in 10 men said they had been forced to have sex with another man. Many find it difficult to report such attacks to the police in subcultures where the concept of homosexuality is taboo.

South Africa's government has been repeatedly criticised for failing to address the crisis. Only 7% of reported rapes are estimated to lead to a conviction. Jewkes said: "There's been a lot of concern about the way the criminal justice system works, because it's still woeful."

Before his election as president, Jacob Zuma stood trial for the rape of a family friend. His supporters demonstrated at the court house, verbally attacked his accuser and sang "burn the bitch, burn the bitch". Zuma was eventually acquitted.

Jewkes added: "The social space for debating these gender issues is now smaller than it was a few years ago. We need our government to show political leadership in changing attitudes. We need South African men, from the top to the grassroots, to take responsibility."

Anti-rape campaigners said the shocking figures demonstrated the need for reform. Dean Peacock, co-director of the Sonke Gender Justice project, said: "We need to make sure the criminal justice system is held to account. We have lots of discussion in this country, but not enough action is taken to ensure that perpetrators will face consequences."

Zuma, a polygamist, was criticised for emphasising his Zulu tribal identity and singing militant songs during this year's election campaign. He made comments that outraged anti-Aids and gender campaigners.

Peacock added: "We're at a complicated moment in South African history with revived traditionalism and there's a danger of gender transformation being lost.

"We hear men saying, 'If Jacob Zuma can have many wives, I can have many girlfriends.' The hyper-masculine rhetoric of the Zuma campaign is going to set back our work in challenging the old model of masculinity."

Carrie Shelver, an activist with People Opposing Women Abuse, said: "Generally there's a deficit of understanding and commitment to women's rights by the leadership of this country. It's simply not on people's agenda."

A report published by the trade union Solidarity earlier this month said that one child is raped in South Africa every three minutes, with 88% of rapes going unreported. It found that levels of child abuse in South Africa are increasing rapidly.

Pastor Raped a Young Girl, Tried to Rape a Woman...

COUNCIL Bluffs, Iowa. -- A pastor in Council Bluffs has been accused of sexually assaulting at least two women and one girl during the past six years.

An affidavit out of Pottawattamie County details allegations against Efrain Umana.

Umana was arrested in Lincoln and paid bond Thursday to be released from Pottawattamie County Jail, said Pottawattamie County Attorney Matt Wilbur

According to the affidavit, Umana took a young girl to his church in 2003. He told the girl he was looking for keys. Once at the church, Umana took the girl to the church's sound room, locked the door and took his pants off, according to the affidavit. He then told the girl, age 10 or 11 at the time, to do the same. The girl refused and Umana took off her pants and had sex with her, according to the affidavit.

In 2007, Umana had sex with a woman at her home while the woman's husband was at work, according to the affidavit.

In 2008, Umana called a woman into the church's pantry to help him with food items, according to the affidavit. Once inside, Umana did not turn on the lights and forced himself on the woman, who then pushed the minister off her and turned on the lights, according to the affidavit.

Other allegations against Umana include forced touching and kissing while inside the church.

Umana has been booked on several charges.

A church member told KETV the pastor left the church abruptly and went to Lincoln where Umana joined another church.

Teens Charged As Adults in Locker Room Sexual Assault Case

(CNN) -- Four teenage boys in Tampa, Florida, were charged as adults Wednesday on allegations of sexually assaulting a 13-year-old boy.

Charged with four counts each of sexual battery were Randall John Moye, 14; Raymond A. Price-Murray, 14; Lee Louis Myers, 14; and Diamante J. Roberts, 15. CNN is naming the defendants because they were charged as adults.

Hillsborough County prosecutors allege the four boys raped the 13-year-old victim multiple times over two months with a broomstick and hockey stick.

At a bond and arraignment hearing, the defendants appeared before Hillsborough County Judge Wayne Timmerman to hear the counts against them read in court.

Prosecutor Kimberly Hindman described to the court how two defendants held down the victim while the other two defendants violently sodomized him with the sticks. "The victim screamed and cried, telling them to stop," Hindman said.

The prosecutor said the victim's screams could be heard outside the boys' locker room at Walker Middle School, in southern Tampa, where the alleged assaults took place.

Multiple people witnessed the attacks, but no one reported the incidents, including the victim, Hindman said.

The school began an investigation after a fight that began on the football field and continued until a coach broke it up in the locker room, said the prosecutor. During the fight, the victim said, "I'm tired of them getting on me," Hindman said.

When school officials questioned the defendants, all four admitted in a written statement that they had sexually assaulted the victim.

The defendants "all implicated themselves in a sexual-battery incident," Hindman said.

The victim did not acknowledge the attacks until questioned. School officials contacted authorities, who initially charged the four as minors with sexual assault and false imprisonment.

Several students witnessed the incidents over the two months, said the prosecutor, who added that she could not understand why no one reported the attacks.

The victim made a statement in court, telling the judge how his father was angry and his mother couldn't stop crying when they heard about the attacks.

Defense attorneys told the judge their clients were good students and had never been in trouble before. Attorney Tim Taylor, representing Randall Moye, said his client's family is among the finest in the community.

Taylor presented six character witnesses, including his client's mother, Jeanne Myers, who said her son wants to attend college. The prosecutor asked her about her son's written statement about the attacks. Myers said her son described clowning around in the locker room with a hockey stick. She added that he told her about holding down the victim for a few seconds.

The victim finished the academic year at home instead of returning to school, authorities said.

The judge set bond for each defendant at $15,000, with ankle monitors for all but one, who has left the area. The four boys were taken into custody in court and booked into the adult jail. The judge warned the four to have no contact with one another, the victim or any witnesses in the case.

The defendants could spend up to 120 years in prison if convicted on all four counts.

N.C. Man Accused of Arranging Wife's Rape on Craigslist

(CNN) -- A North Carolina man is accused of arranging to have his wife raped through personal ads on the Web site Craigslist, police said Wednesday.

The 25-year-old man, of Kannapolis, North Carolina, was arrested in connection with the incident that occurred at his home early Sunday, police said in a statement.

Police responded to the home at about 2:45 a.m. after receiving a 911 call indicating a male armed with a knife appeared in the couple's bedroom and sexually assaulted the man's wife, authorities said.

The man was present at the time of the assault, and two young children were in the home, but were unharmed and unaware of the incident, the police statement said.

"During the investigation, investigators interviewed the victim and her husband," the statement said. "Investigators became suspicious when they noticed there was no sign of forced entry to the home. Investigators also developed information that led them to note specific inconsistencies in the initial statement provided by [the man]."

But on Tuesday, police found that the man "had responded to at least two personal ads on Craigslist.com in an effort to arrange for someone to come to his home and have sex with his wife using some type of scare tactic."

"Investigators believe [he] arranged this incident without the knowledge or consent of the victim," the police statement said.

The woman was taken to a hospital after the assault, where she underwent a forensic examination and was interviewed, police said. She suffered no serious physical injuries and was released shortly afterward.

Police did not release the identity of the victim. CNN is not naming the victim's husband in an effort to avoid identifying her. The incident remains under investigation, police said.

The man faces charges including first-degree rape, two counts of first-degree sexual offense and one count of attempted first-degree sexual offense, according to the police statement.

Kannapolis is about 26 miles northeast of Charlotte, North Carolina.

Mom Dated Sex Offender

Mom dated sex offender 4:08
The mother of missing Nevaeh Buchanan, 5, dated a sex offender and failed a polygraph test, claiming she was tired.

And Around Mother's Day, How Lovely..

A 17-year-old boy accused of killing his mother last week intentionally strangled her to death and sexually abused her corpse before dumping her body in a trash can, according to a juvenile court document released Monday.

Johnson City Juvenile Court Judge Sharon Green ordered Codey Wayne Miller, 17, held at the Upper East Tennessee Juvenile Detention Center pending a June 5 status hearing, when she will hear motions in the case, including prosecutors’ request to transfer the teenager to adult Criminal Court for trial.

Miller is charged with first-degree murder, felony murder and abuse of a corpse in the death of his mother, Sherry R. Cooper, 36, at her Lake Terrace housing development apartment on Thursday.

Assistant Public Defender Ivan Lilly, appointed to represent Miller, waived the teen’s detention hearing after telling Green that details from the homicide had not been released to news media or Miller’s family.

State law allows juvenile judges to grant media access to juvenile hearings on some cases, including murder, and Green granted a request from the Press. She also released documents that are public record in the case due to the charges involved, which allowed Miller's name to become public record. Most juvenile records are sealed by state law.

Christopher A. Johnson, 36, 1355 Breedlove Ave., Memphis, is also charged along with Miller. He’s being held on charges of felony murder and abuse of a corpse. Washington County Sessions Judge Robert Lincoln arraigned Johnson by video Monday morning and appointed attorney Jim Lonon to represent him.

If convicted as an adult, Miller faces life in prison as would Johnson. If his case remains in juvenile court and his case is handled there, Miller could only be held in custody until he is 19 years old.

Johnson is accused of watching Miller kill Cooper sometime on May 7. According to a court affidavit, Johnson did not intervene in the killing or contact authorities after it happened.

Police also wrote in the court document that Johnson retrieved a trash can from outside the residence and “instructed the juvenile to place the victim’s body inside the trash can.”

One or both of them put the can back outside, according to police, but Cooper’s body was not discovered until around 1:30 a.m. May 9.

When police responded to 2472 Mint Hill Road about 1:30 a.m. Saturday on a death investigation, Tony Hyder was sitting over top of Cooper’s body in the side yard of the apartment building crying, according to the police report. Hyder, 58, 446 S. Broadway St., was apparently Cooper’s boyfriend.

Investigators remained silent Monday about details of the killing, including what prompted them to charge Miller and Johnson with felony murder. Felony murder requires that the killing occurred during the commission of one of a list of specific crimes that include acts of terrorism, arson, rape, robbery, burglary, theft, kidnapping, aggravated child abuse, aggravated child neglect, aircraft piracy or discharging a bomb.

“We’re not releasing that until we get the autopsy back,” said Johnson City Police Lt. Steve Sherfey. He did confirm that Cooper suffered no trauma, no knife wounds and no gunshot wounds.

“The autopsy has not been done. They should be doing that (Tuesday),” he said. An investigator in the case will likely be present for that procedure, Sherfey said.

District Attorney General Tony Clark said earlier in the day that he planned to petition Johnson City Juvenile Court to transfer the boy to adult court for trial, and Assistant District Attorney General Kelly McCoy told Green the state will file that motion.

Johnson remains jailed on a $150,000 bond.

Rapist's Mom Dies At Courthouse After He Was Let Free

SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. -- A child rapist who admitted to preying on nearly 20 children is now a free man. Kareem Merthie was released during a hearing in Seminole County Friday morning.

Merthie's mother collapsed in the hallway outside the courtroom. Deputies were unable to revive Ruth Merthie, and she was pronounced dead at a hospital.

Before collapsing, Ruth Merthie was in the courtroom while a psychiatrist testified about her son's improvement. She got up and walked out but collapsed several minutes later.

"Excuse me, I need to get to hospital to see my mother," Merthie said.

Kareem Merthie was convicted when he was 16-years-old. He was locked up in juvenile detention for more than 4 years and spent another five years in a state mental hospital for violent sex offenders.

The 26-year-old preacher's son admitted to preying on children as young as four years old. He told investigators he raped them at his father's church in Sanford.

Kareem Merthie had nothing to say to reporters when he left the Seminole County Courthouse. Circuit Court Judge O.H. Eaton Jr. ruled that Merthe be released from a state mental hospital for violent sex offenders.

Three different psychologists testified in the case and each with a different opinion on Merthie's mental state. One doctor still says he's a threat.

"Are you testifying that he is safe to be released?" asked State Attorney Anne Perrin.

"No, I am not testifying that he is safe to be released," replied a doctor.

"The two other doctors say he doesn't meet the criteria anymore," said Defense Attorney Tom Summerville.

In the end, the judge's decision came down to state law. By definition, Merthie no longer meets the criteria of a violent, high-risk sex offender.

He is free to go live with his uncle in a neighborhood on Alexander Avenue in Sanford.

Kareem Merthie does have to register as a sexual predator so neighbors will know he is living there. Neighbors say they are not happy about it.

"Yes, we don't want him around here, too many children round here," said neighbor Anthony Robinson. "Sooner or later, you did it once; you did it 20 times, you're going to do it again."

Merthie was released and will not be monitored, because he was a juvenile at the time of the rapes.

Police: MySpace Predator Could Have 100 Victims

RIVERSIDE -- Authorities believe there may be dozens of victims of a MySpace scam that targeted teenage girls thoughout California, Canada and the United Kingdom.

32 year old Joshua David Threlkeld is accused of posing as a 14-year-old girl to get teens to model for photos, then having sex with them.

At least ten victims have been identified in Orange, San Bernardino, Los Angeles and Riverside counties. Investigators believe there could be up to 100 more.

Threlkeld was arrested Friday, following an investigation that began in February with a report from two teenage girls who said they were contacted by a man who posed as a 14 year old girl using the name Sarah Miller on MySpace, according to sheriff's Sgt. David Gutierrez

The girls were asked if they wanted to pose for photos with a man named "Josh" who ran a modeling agency called "Model-508 Studio," according to sheriff's officials. The two girls were picked up in Moreno Valley and driven to Orange County where the man photographed them. One of the girls was asked to pose during a second photo shoot in Palm Springs. Officials say that's when the man had sex with the girl.

"When she became despondent because she wouldn't be paid for modeling, Threlkeld offered her money for sex," sheriff's Detective Matthew Weinstein wrote in the declaration in support of an arrest warrant.

"Desperate to get money because her mother was on welfare and ... behind on rent," the girl agreed and got into a shower with the defendant, where she gave him oral sex and allowed him to do the same, as well as another sex act, the detective alleged.

The girl was allegedly paid $120 and taken home, Weinstein said.

Authorities were alerted after a friend of one of the girls learned about the alleged incidents and told her own mother, who contacted that girl's mother, according to court documents.

Investigators were able to track down a man who fit the description of "Josh" using MySpace. His neck tattoos made him easy to track down, according to Guitierrez.

Police searched Threlkeld's Orange County home and seized computers, cell phones, and cameras.

Investigators with the Sexual Assault Felony Enforcement Team checked the suspect's MySpace site, `Model-508 Studios," and determined it was an online solicitation site for nude modeling work, and was apparently geared toward girls between 13 and 17 years of age, authorities said.

According to Weinstein, Threlkeld was successful in getting many girls to send him graphic, revealing poses of themselves.

Weinstein's declaration states that Threlkeld, in an interview with detectives, admitted to being "sick" and taking nude photos of girls and sending those photos to them in order to entice them into taking more sexually explicit photos for him.

Threlkeld said he need help for his "addiction," Weinstein wrote.

"He claimed the original two victims were `jealous' and he did not know what they would say about him," Weinstein wrote.

Threlkeld is scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday on charges of kidnapping to commit rape; aggravated sexual assault of a minor by force; penetration by force, violence, duress, menace or fear; communicating with a minor with the intent to commit a specified offense; and arranging a meeting with a minor.

More charges in connection with additional alleged victims, plus child pornography charges, may be forthcoming, authorities indicated.

Teens Charged With Raping 89-Year-Old Woman

PASCO COUNTY, FL -- Sheriff's detectives have arrested a 15-year-old boy and a 14-year-old boy and charged them with attempted murder, sexual battery, grand theft auto and burglary of a residence.

Detectives say the suspects invaded an 89-year-old woman's home in the Palm Terrace Gardens subdivision in Port Richey early Wednesday morning.

They say the two sexually assaulted her and then tried to smother her with a pillow before ransacking the home.

Sheriff Bob White told reporters, "Ladies and gentlemen, this could have been your mother, could have been your grandmother, could even be your wife or your sister. And when these kinds of crimes occur in our county, it affects us all."

Investigators also believe the suspects, along with an another teen, stole the same victim's Pontiac Sunfire on April 2nd.

Asked why the elderly victim was targeted, Sheriff White said, "I suspect it was more opportunity, her age, the proximity, where she lives...I suspect that to be pretty accurate."

The two suspects are from the same neighborhood. Deputies say the victim did not know the teens.

They say she did know the third teen, who was charged with stealing her car. He's the one, deputies said, who tipped them off to the other two suspects, who were arrested Thursday night.

"They've made their admissions. They know what they've done," said detective Sean Kennedy who added, "They never said they were sorry."

Deputies say both suspects have also been charged with burglarizing Georgia's Smokeshop and Jasmine Discount Beverages in Port Richey.

ABC Action News has not identified the suspects because they are still considered minors.

The State Attorney will try to persuade the court to charge the pair as adults.