Wednesday, October 25, 2006

Aren't They Worth It?

From the Seattle Post-Intelligencer(Tuesday, October 24, 2006):
A Whidbey Island man has pleaded guilty to charges of using the Internet to entice a 14- year-old girl to travel for sex -- a plan that went awry when she flew to Washington, D.C., instead of Washington state.

Airport police at Dulles International Airport contacted the FBI in January 2005 after the girl, who lives in Chicago, showed up upset in Washington, D.C. She had decided to use her own money to fly sooner than had been agreed upon, authorities said.

John Leonard Young, 46, of Coupeville faces at least five years in prison but could serve up to 30 years after he is sentenced in January.

In a plea agreement filed Monday, Young admitted to talking with the girl over the Internet and telephone for about two weeks, the U.S. Attorney's Office said in a statement.


Sometimes stupidity is its own reward. This girl missed being used by a predator through her own sheer stupidity, and managed to fall into safe hands. No thanks to her parents, let's add! Where the heck were they? Maybe they didn't talk with her much, or perhaps they figured "she is such a good girl she'll never do something like this," eh? But ... missing Washington State and aiming for Washington, D.C. is evidence that the parents do not have an Einstein on their hands. This is a child that very much needed watchful eyes over her. So, where were they?

Some of their communications were later recovered and were found to contain "bold, detailed discussions about sex."


Very nice. Can you imagine speaking with a 14-year-old-girl about sex? Having "The Talk" is trauma enough for most adults of children, much less chatting about "doin' it" with a kid! And I'm not talking about your own child, or someone under your guardianship, but some cute chick at the Mall, or somebody's little sister at the Library. Is that something you could do? The creep is 46! Aside from engaging in rape, just what possible connection could he have with her? Sorry, but I can't think of many things I'd discuss with a 14-year-old stranger, and having sex with them ain't one of them!


Young urged the girl to remove the hard drive of her computer to cover their tracks and arranged for the girl to visit him Jan. 21, the statement said.


Dead giveaway! ooOOOooooh! Exciting! Adventure! I can see how all of that would lure an impressionable girl to him. To anybody else that little gem is an admission.

"Young used a business credit card to pay for a plane ticket for the girl to travel to Seattle to be with him," the statement said.


And we have a gotcha! Ahhh, evidence. So now we see that even the sickos can be terminally stupid! And Young certainly fits that bill. Sick, stupid, evil. In all ways a winner, this Young.

After the girl arrived in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 12, the FBI obtained a search warrant for the computers in Young's mother's home, where he was staying. Authorities said they recovered his communications with the girl and more than 50 images of child pornography.


I wonder how Young felt when he learned that the F.B.I. had been contacted? She goes to the wrong place, gets upset and contacts the police (maybe she was worried about him?) who get in touch with the Feds. Lord! Now that's funny! Be nice to see a picture of that moment, wouldn't it?

They don't execute child molesters, or sexual predators of children. They should, but they don't. But a nice 30-year stretch should calm his ardor for the youngsters a tad, don'cha think?

This is a problem, made more difficult to stop by the internet, and it needs to be addressed. One fantastic organization online is trying to improve our awareness of this. Absolute Zero is, in their own words, "A community of individuals pledged to fight paedophiles on the web. We are committed to the safety and emotional well-being of all children. This site will serve as a resource for those committed to our fight wherever you may be in the world." A valiant effort, and I urge you to visit and even join! But more needs be done, and quickly! We need to alert our own children to the fact that this is no game. This is not an adventure but a real-life horror in the offing. We must watch our children like hawks until they are ready to go out on their own. Any hint of impropriety by a correspondent in their online chats or emails should be scrutinized. And they should be brought before the police if they are suspicious looking in the least!

Trust me, if someone is investigated, and they are innocent, they will adjust the ways they interact with younger folks. Maybe that's the problem and it's easily solved. If the person is on the brink of stepping over the threshold into predatory activity, a knock on the door by an Investigator might scare him off forever. For the full-blown predator, this may be the first time Law Enforcement gets a look at him. This will cool his ardor fro a moment, but will not stop him. But now he's on the radar screen.

You adults out there: watch those kids! Know what they're up to! It's your responsibility! Not mine, not the government's, not the police's responsibility! It's yours! If you fail, you will have to live with that the rest of your life. So keep an eye out for changes. And don't be afraid or embarrassed to talk to the cops. Believe me, they want to know what's going on more than you. They get to deal with the victims of these criminals. That's hard for anyone, but the police see far more victims than we'll ever know. So help them stop these predators before they can do real damage!

To help, and to learn, go ahead and visit Absolute Zero. Also, take a look at The Cyber Tipline, a part of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. Remember, there are plenty of resources on the Web that can help you protect your kids. So get involved. Take charge. They're your kids, for heaven's sake!

Aren't they worth it?

4 comments:

Jack Steiner said...

Sick people.

benning said...

You ain't just whistling "Dixie"!

Brooke said...

I'm with you, Benning... These sick SOBs should be executed. period. the. end.

camojack said...

Guys with a case of "short eyes" do not fare well in prison.