Articles Posted in Internet and Sex Crimes

A Seminole man was sentenced to 20 years in a Florida state prison today for molesting two (2) girls he lured through MySpace.Hillsborough Circuit Judge Wayne S. Timmerman also ordered Edward Oberwise, 40, to serve 10 years of Sexual Offender probation when he is released.The judge was outraged at Oberwise’s apparent lack of remorse – the defendant only mentioned he was sorry after repeated promptings by Timmerman.

“You are sorry you got caught,” Timmerman said. “I have no sympathy.”

The sentence was the maximum Timmerman could impose under an agreement prosecutors struck with Oberwise in exchange for him waiving his right to a Jury Trial.

Timmerman found Oberwise guilty of five (5) counts of Lewd and Lascivious Battery in August. Without the cap, Oberwise faced up to 75 years in prison.

The girls were 12 and 14 when the crime occurred. The Tampa Tribune does not identify the victims of sex crimes.

In a letter read by her mother, the older victim said she was still having nightmares and flashbacks about the incident and cringes every time she drives by the parking lot where the assaults occurred.

The younger girl and her mother didn’t speak. But at trial, the girl testified that she met Oberwise through her MySpace page and the two began to text and e-mail.

She agreed to meet him at a park near her FishHawk Ranch home and took her older friend along because she didn’t want to meet him alone.

The pair said they sneaked out of their homes and met Oberwise on Jan. 3, 2008. He drove them to a nearby grocery store parking lot.

Oberwise molested one girl in the back seat while the other stayed in front acting as a lookout, testimony showed. The girls then exchanged places.

Ultimately, the younger girl’s mother discovered the relationship while checking her daughter’s cell phone. Deputies then set up a recorded conversation between the girl and Oberwise in which he admitted the sexual conduct.

During his bench trial, Oberwise denied any sexual activity. He admitted meeting the girls but said he left because they were so young.

Oberwise testified the girls stole $15 in beer money and that he only admitted to the sexual conduct during the recorded conversation because he was mad about the theft.

During that call, the girl set up a second meeting. Oberwise was arrested when he arrived at that meeting.
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Every-once-in-awhile, we read about an arrest that, when juxtaposed against the time/background/location, really makes us wonder what is going on in our society. This happened earlier this week when Charles James Brown, 61, a security guard at All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg was arrested on five counts of Sexual Performance by a Child, otherwise known as Possession of Child Pornography. For the complete story, check out the article in Monday’s St. Pete Times.While deputies were serving a search warrant at Brown’s residence in Clearwater, at approximately 2:00 p.m., he was in the process of downloading more child pornography, according to Pinellas County Sheriff’s spokeswoman Marianne Pasha.

Brown, who was hired by All Children’s Hospital in 2005, had a “very solid” work history as a full-time security officer, said hospital spokeswoman Cindy Rose. He had a background in military and police work and passed all background checks before being hired by the hospital. At this point, detectives have found no evidence to suggest that Brown acted inappropriately while at the hospital, says Pasha.
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The Polk County Sheriff’s Office just concluded a Prostitution sting which focused on the use of Craigslist’s online “adult services classifieds.” According to Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd, his agency’s investigation revealed that “Craigslist, despite saying they’re cleaning up their exotic section, continues to facilitate prostitution, and they derive proceeds from prostitution.” Judd says that “Craigslist encourages organized prostitution around the country by providing an outlet to sell sex services.”

For the complete story which was featured in today’s The Ledger of Lakeland.

While I generally like Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd, I think we really need to second-guess whether, during these difficult economic times, he should have led an investigation where Polk County Sheriff Detectives prowled the personals sections last week for Lakeland, Tampa and Orlando adult services advertisements.The San Francisco company has been at the center of a national controversy about its erotic services section, prompting it to make changes to how advertisers post.
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In another “what’s-wrong-with-the-Tampa-Bay-area” story, a 59 year old Lakeland man was arrested for Lewd Conduct after employees at the Lakeland Public Library reported that a man was acting suspiciously. The police were called out to the library and found Johnney Keen sitting at a table in the libary. A few moments later, officers observed Keen, who was holding a book as a distraction while watching young girls at the library, begin to put his hand inside his shorts and fondle himself.For the complete story, please read the original Bay News 9 story.

Police then requested permission from Keen to search his home. Note to all current and future clients: DO NOT GIVE LAW ENFORCEMENT CONSENT TO SEARCH YOUR HOME WITHOUT SPEAKING WITH AN EXPERIENCED CRIMINAL ATTORNEY.

Affer conducting their search of Keen’s home and his personal computer, the Lakeland Police Department arrested Keen again and charged him with forty (40) counts of Possession of Child Pornography (otherwise known as “Sexual Performance by a Child“).
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I sincerely hope this guy has NINE lives because this ridiculous defense is going to cost him this one. A Florida man had over 1,000 images of Child Porn on his home computer. When questioned by investigators with the Martin County Sheriff’s Office, Keith Griffin of Jensen Beach stated that he was downloading music and that his cat must have jumped on his keyboard when he briefly left the room.

For more information, check out the full USA Today story.

A neighbor is currently taking care of the cat. The Martin County State Attorney’s Office has conducted their investigation and determined that no charged will be filed against the cat.Had the cat been charged with Possession of Child Pornography, he could have contacted the Blake & Dorsten, P.A. in Clearwater which handles Crimes Against Children, Internet/Computer Crimes and other Sexually Motivated Offenses.
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