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Orlando Sex Offenses Law Blog

Preacher withdraws appeal, endures despite sex offender status

A preacher in Jacksonville, Florida who is currently on probation for a sexually-based crime has rescinded his appeal to allow children into his Sunday sermons until he completes a therapy program for sex offenders. The preacher has enrolled in the program, and he seems to be making a concerted effort to comply with both his probation and the limits of being registered as a sex offender.

As part of his three-year probation, the man cannot have unsupervised contact with a minor. That seems to have prompted some confusion during the preacher's appeal. Since he restarted his Sunday sermons, his church has routinely seen 150 people attend his services.

Internet sting leads to the arrests of 40 Florida residents

It was an initiative called "Operation Red Cheeks" by the Osceola County Sheriff's Office, an internet sting that has led to 40 people being accused of a variety of web-based sexual crimes. The charges include a variety of internet sex crimes, including online solicitation of a minor. The week-long investigation had police officers pose as either minors or the parents of children in instant messaging chat rooms, ultimately arranging a contact point that allowed police to detain the suspects.

That is one of the most important things to remember about this case - the 40 Florida residents arrested in this sting are only suspects at this point. They have not been convicted of a crime, and have a right to a fair and unbiased trial. Until the accusations against them are proved to be true, the people arrested are innocent until proven guilty.

Woman accuses 22-year-old ex-boyfriend of forced entry, rape

A 22-year-old man from Orlando, Florida has been accused by his ex-girlfriend of breaking into her home and then forcibly having sex with her. The accusation of rape is a very serious charge, and the 22-year-old man will face felony charges that include domestic violence sexual battery and burglary with assault.

The woman claims that her ex-boyfriend was at her door just before she was leaving for work last Friday. He was asking to see her child, which she refused. The woman then claims the man forced his way into her home before the two sat down at a table. The two talked, and soon thereafter the 22-year-old man went to the woman's bedroom.

Increased rules and regulations for sex offenders in Lake County

Commissioners in Lake County, Florida pushed through a new ordinance earlier this month that will prevent registered sex offenders from living within 500 feet of another sex offender. The new restriction comes on the heels of an October ordinance that applied two bans to sex offenders regarding day-care centers, parks or playgrounds. The bans prevent offenders from living within 2,500 feet or being within 300 feet of the aforementioned areas.

With more than 400 people in Lake County who have gone through the sex offender registration process, these are impactful new restrictions. They apply only to a registered person whose victim was under the age of 16, but the newest ordinance cannot be applied retroactively. That means the ban does not apply to sex offenders who are currently living within 500 feet of another registered person.

Doctor seeking massage license accused of lewd molestation

A faculty member of the College of Medicine at the University of Florida Jacksonville campus is being charged with molestation after giving a babysitter a massage. The 45-year-old is a doctor at a medical center in Jacksonville, in addition to his duties as a professor.

An arrest report indicated that the doctor told the babysitter he was in the process of becoming a massage therapist, and he had to give massages in order to acquire his license. The alleged lewd act occurred after the babysitter was lying down on a bed and received the massage.

Assistant swim coach accused of child porn possession

Law enforcement officers in Tampa have accused a 52-year-old resident of Lutz, Florida of possession of child pornography. The defendant worked as an assistant swimming coach for Berkeley Preparatory School, which fired him after he was arrested. He had worked at the school since 1999.

The 52-year-old has not been arrested before in Florida according to state records. He is accused of having photo and video files constituting child pornography on a computer in his home. Approximately 100 counts of child pornography possession were lodged against him, according to a spokesman for the Hillsborough sheriff's Office.

Family vouches for 20-year-old Brazilian accused of lewd assault

A 20-year-old Brazilian man is being held in Broward County after allegedly committing sexual assault aboard a cruise ship. The incident happened on the final day of a holiday cruise, when a 15-year-old girl says the man - and his 15-year-old accomplice - coerced her to go to a private room where they allegedly raped her.

The man was denied reduced bail by a Broward County judge, and the rape case will be heard again on January 13. The 20-year-old man had the support of his parents who were in court to vouch for their son, but the judge was not ready to hear from witnesses at the most recent court appearance. According to his attorney, the man has no history of criminal activity and his family is well-respected in the city of Sao Paulo.

Woman takes prison sentence, avoids sex offender registration

A 27-year-old teacher pleaded no contest to two aggravated child abuse charges in December and avoided sex offender registration after being accused of engaging in a sexual relationship with one of her students. The woman would have had to face a total of 90 years in prison - 30 years for each aggravated child abuse charge, and 30 years total for two counts of aggravated battery she was also charged with - but will serve just three years instead. After the woman's prison sentence is complete, she will have five years of probation.

Avoiding sex offender registration was very important to the 27-year-old teacher. The teacher was offered another deal by prosecutors which would have spared her jail time but also would have labeled her a sex offender.

Man arrested for alleged sexual assault, no formal charges filed

A 36-year-old man was arrested at his apartment for allegedly sexually assaulting his girlfriend. The couple, returning from a Christmas Eve party, began to fall asleep when the man decided to check his girlfriend's cell phone.

Police did not go into details about what the 36-year-old man found on the phone, but he allegedly began yelling at his girlfriend and then beat her once he looked through her phone. The alleged sexual assault took place immediately after the man dragged the woman out to his balcony, when the woman was forced to have sex with the 36-year-old, according to the report.

Florida authorities arrest 48 people with child pornography

State police and investigators partnered in an effort named "Operation Amalgamate" - an allusion to the merging of multiple entities into a single entity - have arrested 48 people since July on child pornography charges. Local authorities announced these results of a wide-ranging sweep of 17 counties in Florida, and there may yet be more arrests.

There are a variety of ways for child pornography charges to emerge, and all are extremely serious. Sometimes investigators will perform stings on known pornographic sites, or set up their own sites to increase the likelihood of an arrest.