Author: webmaster

SEPTEMBER 16–A group of five young Florida men is facing an assortment of criminal charges for battering and falsely imprisoning a man who they targeted in a “To Catch a Predator”-style sting that was recorded and “uploaded to a website for public viewing for profit,” according to court records. As alleged in arrest affidavits, the video vigilantism occurred around 2 AM Friday at a home in Largo, a city in the Tampa Bay area. The victim arrived at the residence allegedly expecting to meet a minor for a sexual encounter. The…

BALDWIN COUNTY, AL. (WALA) – A local pastor is speaking out after court documents show he allowed People Forced to Register (PFR) to volunteer at a car wash that was too close to a school or daycare. According to the documents, Dennis Potter is accused of allowing six PFR to volunteer to help wash cars on Sept. 14. The Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office said the car wash happened near a school or daycare. By law, PFR cannot be within 2000 feet of. Potter, who owns Outcast Ministries Inc., a non-profit…

Alissa R. Ackerman   Jul 15 Moral panic occurs when people react to a societal problem with intense fear or outrage toward something they perceive as a threat to their values or safety. Moral panics can happen whether a perceived threat is real or exaggerated. Media accounts fuel and amplify our emotions, and our feelings then turn certain people into villains or monsters. Nowhere is this phenomenon more prevalent than in the study of sex crimes and the people who commit them. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, there were…

Defendant had 100K X followers, and as a result O’Leary “was flooded with unwanted communications.” Reason: Eugene Volokh | 7.14.2025 5:01 PM From Judge Beth Bloom’s order today granting default judgment in O’Leary v. Armstrong: Defendant posted on X Plaintiff’s private cell phone number and encouraged the public to harass Plaintiff, stating “[h]ave you ever wanted to call a real life murderer?! You can NOW! @kevinoleartyv is waiting for your call.” Following the post, Plaintiff began receiving communications from strangers who had obtained his number directly from Defendant’s post. On March 20, 2025…

The Catholic Church has issued a warning to its clergy in Washington state: Any priest who complies with a new law requiring the reporting of child abuse confessions to authorities will be excommunicated. The new law, which will take effect on July 27, eliminates the long-standing confidentiality of the confessional, forcing Catholic leaders and lawmakers into a highly charged standoff over religious liberty and child protection. However, the Archdiocese of Seattle and several bishops argue that the law not only contravenes church doctrine but crosses constitutional lines, while supporters maintain…

The magazine’s Ethicist columnist on whether to disclose information about a neighbor on the sex-offense registry. I recently reneged on an offer to buy a house because I discovered that a registered person lived across the street. I found this information on a public website that is available for our state and county. This discovery raised many questions for me. First, the sales contract of the home specifically said the seller and seller’s agent are not obligated to divulge information about any nearby neighbors on the sex-offense registry. It’s unclear…

CHULA VISTA, Calif. — A San Diego judge sentenced former ‘teacher of the year’ ____ to 30 years to life of prison Friday. ____ broke down in tears as she read a prepared statement in a Chula Vista courtroom, admitting to sex crimes against two former students at Lincoln Acres Elementary School in National City “I shamed the title of teacher,” she said, sobbing as her family members watched from the courtroom gallery. San Diego Superior Court Judge Enrique Camarena said ____ was able to groom the 11 and 12-year-old…

Just 33% of facilities queried said they deploy these tools to divert people with substance use and mental health issues to non-jail settings By: Alexandra Duncan & Julie Wertheimer  A survey of administrators at U.S. jails shows that only about one-third of facilities use information from behavioral health screening and assessment tools to divert people from jail. Most facilities do conduct screenings and assessments, but few use them for diversion purposes. That represents a significant missed opportunity to connect people to the care they may need. The Pew Charitable Trusts invited more than…