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According to court records, Jayrico Hamilton pleaded guilty to three counts of lewd and lascivious conduct on Monday. The former teacher at Bright Horizons Child Care and Learning Center was arrested last year after multiple parents came forward and said their children were sexually abused by Hamilton. He is currently being held in the Orange County jail without bond. Hamilton is expected to be sentenced in May.  “The guilty plea provides validation for the victims that something terrible happened. A crime was committed. And it’s not the children’s fault,” said Jeff Herman, a nationally recognized trial lawyer for victims of […]

Numerous states are continually working to give a voice to victims of childhood sexual abuse. Following in the wake of New York passing the Child Victims Act, New Jersey and Maryland are bringing similar bills to fruition. In New Jersey, the senate passed a bill that will allow victims to file a lawsuit up until age 55. In addition, the law, if signed, would open up a two year window for victims of any age to file lawsuits and seek justice. In Maryland, the House of Delegates has passed a preliminary approval of a bill that will completely null the […]

The New York Child Victims Act is now law.  It is great news for victims but it also creates many new issues for these same people.  Prior to passage of the CVA, victims had to file their civil cases before they turned 23 years old.  Of course, most survivors of child sexual abuse did not meet this overly restrictive deadline.  Having no legal recourse, many victims have spent decades trying to move on and suppress these memories.  Now seemingly overnight, anyone who was sexually abused as a child in New York and the ability to file a civil lawsuit and […]

Parents of accused pedophile’s alleged victims want accountability   COOPER CITY, Fla. – Christopher Falzone quickly went from teacher to accused pedophile. Last week, we showed you the allegations from students at Sheridan Hills Elementary that led to him being fired from the Broward School District in 2014. But somehow, just a year later, he was hired at Renaissance Charter School in Cooper City, which is sponsored by the Broward School District.   https://www.local10.com/education/attorney-says-charter-school-did-bare-minimum-to-screen-accused-pedophile

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Although the Broward District Schools Police Department’s chief of police informed an accused pedophile that his termination had disqualified him from future employment with Broward County Public Schools, the former substitute teacher found a job with a charter school in Broward County and applied for a Florida educator certificate, records released Thursday show.    https://www.local10.com/education/accused-pedophile-got-job-at-charter-school-despite-broward-schools-disqualification-records-show

ABILENE, Texas — New court documents reveal more disturbing details about a former Abilene church daycare worker accused of multiple child sex crimes. Benjamin Russell Roberts, 25, was arrested on March 28 and charged with possession of child pornography, indecency with a child by contact and continuous sexual abuse of children. Roberts worked at Wylie Baptist’s CDC and childcare programs at two other Abilene churches. Police originally discovered Roberts after a child pornography investigation led them to his address in north Abilene. According to court documents, Roberts admitted that a child from his neighborhood slept over at his house and at […]

SIOUX CENTER, Iowa | After former elementary teacher Curtis Van Dam was arrested in October and charged with having sexual contact with an 11-year-old boy, emotions ran high in this Sioux County city. Parents of children attending the private Sioux Center Christian School, where Van Dam taught, were upset. So were others in the community, Sioux Center police Chief Paul Adkins said. Van Dam’s arrest and ensuing flood of media coverage did more than cause emotional outbursts. It led to more victims coming forward. Through interviews with children, investigators had identified other potential victims and contacted them. But there were […]

AGOURA HILLS, CA – A day care facility owner in Agoura Hills has been arrested on suspicion of lewd or lascivious acts on a minor, authorities said Tuesday. Paul Lopez, 72, was taken into custody last Wednesday and booked at the sheriff’s Malibu/Lost Hills Station, the sheriff’s department reported. He was released after posting a $100,000 bond. Lopez owns and operates The Small Wonder Academy day care facility. “The day care (facility) has been in existence for several years, and provides care for children ages three months to four years,” a sheriff’s statement said. The investigation was conducted by the […]

It might have seemed harmless enough. Some San Jose middle school parents didn’t like the way a physical education teacher and coach was photographing their girls at events. The principal had told the coach to stop after a similar complaint a year earlier. But after a second complaint, the principal seized the coach’s school-issued computer, confronted him and alerted police, who investigated and last month arrested the former coach on child molestation and pornography charges. For school officials who, under California law, are required to report suspicions of child abuse to authorities, experts say the lesson is clear: Don’t hesitate to […]

MEDFORD, Ore. (AP) – The operator of a child care facility in Medford is being held on $2 million bail after police said he sexually abused two young children in his care.   Detectives say 32-year-old Andrew Conaway owns the Family Friendly Daycare with his wife. Conaway was arrested Wednesday after authorities determined that he abused two children, both under 6 years old. Medford police said in a news release they believe the abuse occurred at the daycare. The Associated Press could not immediately locate contact information for the facility or Conaway’s residence. The Oregon Secretary of State’s online directory […]