According to California’s Sex Offender Management Board, the number of sex offenders on the Megan’s Law website is nearly 17,000 less than than the number of registered sex offenders in the state. That’s because Megan’s Law exempts some registered sex offenders, including those convicted of sexual battery or a misdemeanor…
Two female teachers, one in Fremont and the other in San Jose, are both facing sex abuse charges alleging inappropriate sexual contact with male students. On Thanksgiving Day 2016, Washington High School PE teacher Corine Audiat was arrested for unlawful sex acts with a minor. Corine Audiat is also known as Cory…
John Loyd is serving a 40-year prison sentence for sexually molesting four fifth-grade girls. His victims ranged in age from 9 to 11 years old. Three of the children were molested at Paradise Valley Elementary School during a three-year period from 2012-2014. And the fourth victim was molested from 2003…
There will be no more hiding behind arbitrary time limits, also known as statutes of limitations, for predators who commit sex abuse crimes in California. The Governor signed SB 813, which amends the penal code so that the following sex abuse crimes have no time limits to prosecute: rape; spousal…
Merced County Superior Court Judge David Moranda sentenced Gary Bettencourt, former Pacheco High School drama and English teacher, to eight years and four months in prison on Friday, September 23, 2016 (Merced County criminal case number: 16CR-00639A). Bettencourt last month pleaded no contest to sexually abusing two former students more…
An Orange County, California jury awarded former Olympic swimming hopeful and USA Swimming National Team member Dagny Knutson $617,810 for the financial and emotional harm caused by her former attorney, Richard Foster. Knutson trusted Foster with her swimming career when she retained him in late 2010, but the aquatics insider…
Tips to keep your child safe from coaching sex abuse at USA Swimming clubs and YMCA pools Despite recent stories of USA Swimming coaching sex abuse, swimming is one of the most popular Olympic sports, and the success of famous athletes such as Michael Phelps and Missy Franklin…
Why childhood sex abuse may cause repressed memories in adulthood, and why victims may take years to come forward. The human brain is a complex organ. It has nearly full control over the functioning of both the body and the mind. However, a traumatic event can deeply change the…
How childhood sex abuse leads to PTSD Post-traumatic stress disorder, commonly known as PTSD, is a grave psychological condition triggered by a traumatic or horrifying event in a person’s life, such as childhood sexual abuse. The person’s life may have been placed in mortal danger, or they may…
Administrative negligence harms innocent O.B. Whaley molestation victims This case started with a single victim. In January 2012, authorities arrested Craig Chandler on suspicion of molesting a young child at O.B. Whaley Elementary School, where he had worked as a teacher for nine years. As the investigation proceeded, it became clear that…