learn what to look for in child predators and child predator Board teaches educators to spot child predators
By Yuwa Vosper
yvosper@dailyworld.com
Assistant Attorney General Toby Aguillard is constantly prosecuting sex offenders, who he said are “the last people expected to commit these crimes.”
The St. Landry Parish School Board set up an inservice Monday for administrators to learn what to look for in child predators and child predator Web sites that can lure unsuspecting children.
Superintendent Lanny Moreau explained the importance of the in-service. He said principals need to know more about the signs of child predators to share with employees.
Aguillard said, “Since April, 143 people were arrested as a part of a summer crackdown, which is an idea of how many sexual predators we are seeing.”
While giving his speech, he told stories of cases involving child predators. In one case, State of Louisiana v. Stephen Anderson, an 11-year old girl in a rural neighborhood received a computer. She immediately found a Web site and met what she thought was a 15-year boy online.
Without her parents’ knowledge, the girl sent the “boy” nude photos via e-mail. When the police made contact with the male, he was not 15, but a 60-year-old pedophile just out of prison with almost 17 other juveniles on his computer.
Another alarming case involved Matthew Sanders. Aguillard said his office began receiving information that he may kill a child.
Once they gained a warrant, they searched his mother’s house to find a binder containing a database of names of 9- to 10-year-old girls in his neighborhood.
The binder had detailed information about the girls, including their addresses and even their parents’ work schedules. Aguillard said Sanders obtained all of this information from MySpace.com.
Aguillard noticed that Sanders targeted one 10-year-old girl, even setting up a secret surveillance of her from his house. He had learned her mom’s work schedule and bought a Taser and rope.
“The 10-year old didn’t have a MySpace, but the older sister did with pictures of her little sister at school and playing soccer,” Aguillard said.
Aguillard advised parents to tell children about Internet safety and guarding their information, because not all the predators have been caught.
He said, “MySpace is fine, but the problem comes when children put so much information that anyone can find them, especially their names, addresses, phone numbers, and school information.”
Setting up your account as private helps, but parents still should constantly monitor their children’s sites because Aguillard said, “predators can easily infiltrate the site.”
North Elementary Principal Jerome Robinson listened attentively.
He said he feels the in-service taught him the best defense to protect his students and his children.
Some child predator cases hit close to the area. In the case State of Louisiana v. Douglas Frye, Frye lived in Lafayette and set up a master/slave relationship, causing one girl to commit suicide. The most recent incident involved former Lafayette High coach Arthur W. Goodly.
Federal Programs Director Clifton Carmon said he thinks presentations dealing with sexual predators are extremely important, because teachers work with children every day.
He said, “We work with children, and we must do everything we can to protect those entrusted to our care.”
Eunice Elementary School principal Irma Trosclair said her school has firewalls blocking questionable sites, but she still feels it is important to warn parents and students of the dangers of the Internet.
“Our responsibility as a school is to make children aware, she said, “ Some children are raised by their grandparents, and we need to get the word out to them as well.”
Aguillard said the generational gap has created problems because many educators and parents are unaware of the dangers created by social networking sites like MySpace.
They need education on what their children know for firsthand defense, because as he said during his presentation,
“the Internet is a pedophile’s playground, and parents have no clue.”
SOME POPULAR SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES
www.MySpace.comwww.connectU.comwww.facebook.comwww.meetup.comwww.studentcenter.comwww.friendster.comwww.xanga.comwww.tickle.comwww.eCrush.comwww.zerodegrees.com
- Students must be informed that if they choose these resources, not only will their friends be looking at them, but their parents, teachers, college admission, and future employers as well.
Source: Learning and Leading with Technology
Tips for Parents:
- Look on www.lsp.org to find sexual offenders in your neighborhood and area.
- Constantly check your children’s MySpace or other social networking site for suggestive pictures, too much personal information (i.e.: cell phone number, address, schedule), and look at the people they are allowing into their friends or chat circle.
Source: Assistant Attorney General Toby Aguillard
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