22 Arrested in Child-Sex Sting in Florida

22 Men Arrrested In Undercover Child Sex Sting

22 Arrested Undercover Child-Sex Sting

Posted: 11:57 am EDT May 10, 2011Updated: 1:42 pm EDT May 10, 2011

POLK COUNTY, Fla. -- Twenty-two men were arrested and charged for traveling to meet a minor for sex during an undercover operation, according to the Polk County Sheriff's Office.

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Investigators said the undercover operation named "Operation Last House Call," began on April 18 and ended on May 8.

During the investigation, officers said that nearly every suspect answered advertisements posted by undercover detectives on the Internet. The websites used included, Craigslist, Backpage, MyYearbook, and OkCupid.

The common theme of the ads was: "Mom/stepparent/aunt/guardian seeking guidance for my daughter/stepdaughter/niece," for girls between the ages of 9 and 14 years old. Investigators said that eight of the 22 suspects were arrested after chatting online via AOL instant messenger, with undercover detectives posing as children, and then going to the location to have sex with the "children."

When the suspects arrived at the undercover location, they were placed under arrest.

Fourteen of the 22 suspects answered online ads, expressing an interest in going to the house to engage in sexual acts with the young girls, and some of them saying they were willing to "teach" the children how to have sex. Some of the men also said they were interested in having sex with the "mom" and the "child" at the same time.

Eleven of the 22 suspects have criminal histories. One is a registered sex offender, and another suspect has a permanent injunction against him for dating violence, detectives said.

Investigators said that several of the men admitted to owning and looking at child pornography and being sexually aroused when looking at child porn. Four of the suspects are from other states, including Maryland, Virginia, Texas, and Missouri.

“These men showed up to our undercover location with gifts and clothing for children, along with condoms and sex toys they planned on using when having sex with the children. Once again, we saw men soliciting our undercover detectives to have sex with children within minutes of initiating online chats with them. Their behavior is despicable, and we hope that this operation is the very last time any of them make a ‘house call’ to have sex with a child,” said Sheriff Grady Judd of the Polk County Sheriff's Office.

One of the suspects sent flowers to the two "women" who wanted him to participate in a "rite of passage" ceremony with their 11-year-old daughter, investigators said. He sent chocolate candy to the "daughter."

Deputies said 18-year-old George T. Drage said, while he was being handcuffed, "My mom’s gonna kill me and tomorrow is Mother’s Day too."

"And this operation is what I'd like to call our 'Poster child perverts of the day.' They presented tulips, candy, and condoms, whips, masks, sex toys, all to entice or use while they had sex with children as young as 9 years old," Judd said.

Investigators arrested 25-year-old Stephen K. Allen of Orlando, 27-year-old Shawn M. Bartmann of Lakeland, 29-year-old Joseph C. Bolinao of Orlando, 58-year-old David R. Cohen of Maryland, 48-year-old Brian L. Detty of Clearwater, 18-year-old George T. Drage Orlando, 36-year-old Brian S. Fenn of Bartow, 24-year-old Sean I. Giuliani of Land ‘o Lakes, 60-year-old Grammatas Grammatas of Holiday, 24-year-old Nicardo Hamilton of Spring Hill, 41-year-old Nicholas Hillman of Seffner, 52-year-old Andre Jezierski of Winter Park, 39-year-old Anthony Lampp of Fort White, 61-year-old Robert Langley of Ocoee, 41-year-old Richard Lightfoot of Missouri, 29-year-old Rene Mercado of Texas, 45-year-old Richard Misenhelder of Gulf Port, 67-year-old James Rosenthal of Clearwater, 33-year-old Brian Rudolph of Orlando, 39-year-old Chad Siperly of Brandon, 34-year-old Jay Stroup of Viginia, and 36-year-old Malcolm Watkins of Orlando.

"You're Acting Like A Two Year Old!" Baez Tells Casey Anthony

http://www.wftv.com/video/27826830/index.html

According to the Orlando Sentinel:
At the 22 minute mark, an exchange takes place between Casey Anthony and her attorney, Jose Baez in which Baez tells her she is "acting like a two year old."
Note:   22:35 minute mark the exchange between Casey Anthony and Jose Baez:

Baez:   “Really”
Casey: “Really”
Baez then says:  "you’re acting like a 2 year old”


Caylee Anthony, 2, was killed in late Spring, 2008.  Her mother, Casey Anthony, is standing trial for the murder.

Ii is difficult to hear, but if it is true, it is an interesting choice of words by Jose Baez.

For Day 2, Casey was seated next to Cheney Mason, rather than Baez.

Joshua Davis: Indication of Death?

The following was posted on the Find Joshua Davis Facebook Page.

Although there have been no updates, investigation continues. Law Enforcement certainly monitors Facebook.

Sabrina Benitez
mothers day jst wasn't da same witoit yu here wit me joshy.. i thawt of yu nonstop.. its hard qoin day by day not knowin where ur at, or who has yu. bt i trust qod i kno he's holdinq yu tiqht protectinq yu from all harm. mommy misses yu more then you'll ever kno. i can't wait to be bak wit yu so my heart can finally be whole aqain. lord pleasesend all anqels his way to watch iver him, & quide him home. qive the detectives the clues they need to solve dis case & brinq him home in jesus name amen.. mommy loves & misses yu so much dad

Note that if he is being "held tight" by God, he is dead.
Note that he is protected from "all harm"
Note the expression to "watch over" is something considered distant.  We saw the same expression in the Jonbenet Ramsey "ransom" note. 


Note also the request to "give the detectives the clues they need" to"solve the case", comes before "bring" home';  
Note the last name entering the statement is "dad"


Is this  an admission that the child is dead?   (see prior analysis)

Casey Rejects Plea Offer

Headlines can  be misleading...


Judge Perry simply asked Casey if she wanted to seek a plea; she said 'no'


Jose Baez objected to...


all the jurors. 


They weren't the right racial mix, he said. 


Rejected. 






CLEARWATER, Fla. -- Jury selection for the Casey Anthony murder trial began Monday morning in Clearwater, nearly three years after Caylee Anthony was last seen alive.

Judge Belvin Perry is searching for 20 jurors in all, including alternates, which he will bring to Orange County for what's estimated to be a six- to eight-week trial.

Perry started the day by asking Anthony if she might try to cut a last-minute plea deal. She said she would not.

A majority of the more than 60 potential jurors who were questioned Monday were excused for various hardships, primarily financial.

Court administrators made the location of jury selection public around 6 a.m., 936 days after Anthony's indictment on a murder charge. WESH.com was first to break the news.

Perry was mindful of the burden a lengthy trial could place on the 110 potential jurors.

"In coming here today for jury duty, we are mindful of the enormous inconvenience we will be imposing," Perry told the pool.

The defense quickly moved to strike the jury pool for lack of minorities.

"It should be representative of the population of Orange County. I don't think this pool does," defense attorney Jose Baez argued.

Perry denied the request.

Perry excused dozens of potential jurors for financial hardships, and one man who said his mind was made up that Anthony was guilty.

Court administrators say they're happy with the number of people who've said this will not be a hardship. That process picks up again at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday. WESH.com will provide live coverage.

 

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RAW VIDEO: Booking

 

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RAW VIDEO: Jury Instructions

New Mugshot, Booking

Anthony had to take a new mugshot photo when she was brought in to Pinellas County.

WESH 2 News has obtained the video of Anthony being brought in and booked into the Pinellas County Jail.

She was placed up against a counter and searched before being checked in.

She then had her mugshot taken so she could be registered as an inmate in the jail.

This mugshot joins the host of other mugshots taken of Anthony during her time behind bars.

Jury Sequestration

 

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RAW VIDEO: First 6 Mins Of Trial

Once a jury is seated, court officials must deal with the matter of keeping them locked down.

Jurors will not be able to read newspapers and will only have access to a select few television stations that do not cover news.

WESH 2 legal analyst, retired Circuit Judge O.H. Eaton Jr., said sequestering the jury for such a high-profile case will be no easy task.

"I think you'll see one of the most professional security systems we've ever had in Florida working on this case," Eaton said.

Eaton said jurors will be guarded 24 hours per day and their every move will be watched.

Phone calls to family members may be allowed, but only under supervision.

"That's why it costs so much money. When the jurors are in court, they're being of course taking care of by armed deputies. When they leave the courthouse, they're taken in an armed van, taken to the motel, watched over by the deputies. Their television access is limited, their access to other people is limited," Eaton said.

Jurors will be paid $30 per day during the trial. Their meals, lodging and laundry will be paid for.

Perry's Concerns

 

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RAW VIDEO: Perry's Concerns

Perry said Monday that there's one issue that concerns him about the case -- a database of 478 chemicals used by Dr. Arpad Vass of the Oakridge National Laboratory that Vass claims signal decomposition.

Baez wants to see the list, but has not obtained it.

Prosecutor Jeff Ashton said that the FBI owns the list, and it could have been obtained through a request.

In an order issued early Monday by Perry, he allowed the evidence in the trial, but said late Monday afternoon that he may not allow Vass' testimony if the database is not obtained.

"It is very troubling to me," Perry said on the issue of the database.

Perry said he had staff attorneys researching the issue and was willing to call the FBI himself to resolve the matter.

He said he was concerned about appellate issues.

"I have no plans to do this again," Perry said.

Opening statements in the case are scheduled for May 17.

Read more: http://www.wesh.com/casey-anthony-extended-coverage/27829893/detail.html#ixzz1LwaVjZ5l

Casey Anthony Trial: Day 1

Judge Perry showed a great deal of patience and skill in initially screening jurors today in Day One of the Casey Anthony trial.

Previously, he had denied the defense's attempt to keep the air sample technology out, and, though hard to believe, refused another Baez request for more time delay. Baez' desperation was apparent in previous attempts for more time, but Perry has reached a limit: no more delay tactics.

It is interesting to listen to Judge Perry's initial screening of prospective jurors, especially of mothers.

One mother of a 5 year old sought to be excused after describing her son as her priority, while both she and her husband are in school. She said, "Being a mom is different than being a dad" but her reasoning did not rise to the level of dismissal. Should she be interviewed by defense and prosecution, it will be interesting to see what the defense makes of such a caring young mom.


WFTV reported on Casey's demeanor in the beginning of what should prove to be a 2 month trial:

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. -- Casey Anthony cried in court as Orange-Osceola Chief Judge Belvin Perry read the charges against her during jury selection for her high-profile murder trial on Monday in Pinellas County.

The search for the 12 jurors and 8 alternates began in Clearwater. Perry kept the location secret until early Monday morning.
Casey was booked into the Pinellas County Jail just before 6:30pm on Sunday (booking info) .
Casey is accused of murdering her 2-year-old daughter, Caylee Marie Anthony, putting the body in the trunk of her car, and then discarding it in a wooded area behind her home. Caylee was reported missing in the summer of 2008.
Casey sat with her attorneys by her side, wearing a light blue shirt, gray slacks and her hair pulled back into a ponytail. Her parents, George and Cindy Anthony, were not there.
Casey, 25, is charged with first-degree murder, and any juror that couldn't recommend death would be disqualified.
Monday is being spent on identifying jurors in the first panel that qualify for "hardship dismissals," meaning they had some personal reason that would preclude them from devoting the 6-8 weeks the trial is expected to last. Those potential jurors that aren't dismissed for hardship reasons are being notified to come back for further rounds of questioning later in the weeks.


Pinellas County
Defense attorney Jose Baez objected to the first panel of about 100 people in its entirety, saying that it wasn't representative of Orlando's demographics because it had only two Hispanic and four African-American jurors.
Perry denied the objection and questioning of the panelists began.
By 6:00am, Orange County officials confirmed Pinellas County would be the location for jury selection in Casey's murder trial. It's not clear if either visitors or potential jurors had any idea what they were walking into as they arrived to a sea of television cameras and curious onlookers Monday morning.
However, defense attorneys Jose Baez and Cheney Mason quickly moved inside to begin jury selection.
"We are about to begin jury selection in the case of the state against Casey Anthony," Perry stated.
As Perry began explaining the instructions to the jury pool, Casey began to cry.
"Do not discuss this case among yourselves," Perry ordered to the selected jury.
However, there was a little humor when the lights inside the courtroom went out briefly while Perry read the indictment.
Judge Perry did not waste any time in regards to questioning potential jurors.
"We will go through the 110 people today," he stated.
Perry wants opening arguments to begin on May 17.
Casey could face the death penalty if convicted of first-degree murder. She also is charged with aggravated child abuse, aggravated manslaughter of a child and providing false information to law enforcement. She has pleaded not guilty and says a babysitter kidnapped Caylee.
After 12 jurors and 8 alternates are picked to hear Casey's case, they will face several restrictions after they're brought back to Orlando for the trial.
The court will provide hotel rooms, food and transportation for the duration of the trial.
During that time, the court will have control over where the jurors go, what they read and watch on television, and how often they speak with their families.
Restrictions are not always so tight. In most capital cases, the jury is only sequestered during deliberations.
It's been 20 years since Orange County sequestered a jury for an entire trial.
Perry also announced on Monday that air tests that prosecutors said prove Caylee's body was in Casey's car trunk will be admitted into trial (read judge's order).
The question originated in Casey's mother's mind when Cindy Anthony made a 2008 call to 911, saying it smelled like there was a dead body in the trunk.
Cindy's story soon changed as her daughter faced murder charges. She later said it was a rotten pizza in the trunk.
WFTV tested that theory in 2008, but now a much more scientific test is being allowed as evidence for the first time ever in a murder trial.
It's called a "gas chromatograph" and prosecutors say the machine can prove the existence of the smell of death.
Casey's tears may have been a realization that her defense team has lost every single battle over the admission of evidence in the case, from pictures, to testimony, to air samples.

Casey Anthony Trial: It's Pinellas County

The guessing is over: it's Pinellas County. Although most experts say the best jurors are males who know little of this case, because there is little to defend Casey with, it may be that the best strategy is to find jurors who feel empathy...

not with Casey,

not with Cindy or George,

but jurors who feel sorry for Jose Baez

He will be front and center of the defense non-strategy.

The defense will want jurors who are easily bored and distracted, with low attention spans, low IQ, and who may perceive Baez as the "David" versus the State's "Goliath."

As prosecution presents circumstantial evidence, there is little the defense can say as rebuttal. But when the state presents scientific evidence, Baez can hope for jurors who will quickly be lost and even annoyed by the science. Expect to hear him ridicule the science (remember "junk science"?) rather than counter. Defense experts cost money and the defense was all about saving money for themselves.

Look for questions about background and look for Judge Perry to grow very impatient with Baez sinking every single juror that Prosecution gives the thumbs up to.


The Defense wants a juror with ADHD who hears "blah, blah, blah" when the prosecution talks about the chloroform, air science, and death bands.

We will cover any of Baez' statements this evening. .

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. -- The search for the 12 jurors and 8 alternates who will sit in Central Florida's highest profile murder trial in decades is set to begin in Pinellas County, WFTV learned Monday. The jury selection location will be in Clearwater. Chief Judge Belvin Perry kept the location secret until early Monday morning.

Most people around the state know something about the Casey case. That's part of the challenge in locating an impartial jury.

Casey is accused of murdering her 2-year-old daughter, Caylee Marie Anthony, putting the body in the trunk of her car, and then discarding it near their home.

WFTV’s jury expert Dr. Randy Fisher said Casey's defense team will work to find potential jurors who've heard as little media coverage about the case as possible.
"It typically tends to create a perception of guilt in the defendant, since most of the media coverage tends to come from the prosecution,” said Fisher.

"You don't get the best juror, you get the best juror you can, because a whole lot of other jurors would be much worse,” said WFTV’s legal analyst Bill Sheaffer.
Everyone will be on alert for jurors who want media attention---to write a book on the trial.

He said jury experts are critical to capital cases.
Fisher profiled the type of juror the defense should look for.

"The ideal potential juror would be a male who doesn't know much about the case, and hasn't discussed the case,” said Fisher.

An ideal juror for the defense should mildly oppose the death penalty, but not so much that they're disqualified. The defense also does not want jurors with prior experience on a jury, Fisher said.

"There's something about going through the jury process that changes one and makes one more conviction prone,” said Fisher.
He said the state's ideal juror is a woman who knows about the case and has been on a jury before.

"Women are primarily responsible for child rearing and tend to react negatively to the facts of Caylee's death,” said Fisher.

this is the standard thinking of jury selection on mothers that kill.  However, it may be that Baez seeks out females who view him as the underdog:  females without children.  He may seek female jurors who have come from difficult backgrounds and who appear to have not overcome.  About the last thing he wants is a female who was exploited, only to overcome and become a success in life; either career success or maternal success;  this would be the worst possible juror.  Baez will seek the lowest possible denominator to counter the Prosecution's scientific evidence.


Once a jury is selected, jurors will be transported to Orange County to begin trial proceedings. Casey's trial is expected to last two months, possibly longer.

Chief Judge Belvin Perry still hasn't announced whether air tests that prosecutors said prove Caylee's body was in Casey's car trunk will be admitted into trial.
WFTV will be covering the Casey Anthony trial everyday, from every angle. Stay with WFTV and WFTV.com for the latest developments.

Announcements for May 8, 2011

                                                       Happy Mother's Day to All!

   We will not be hosting a show today but hope to return next week, May 15th, and will be covering the Casey Anthony trial, which begins tomorrow.

We will cover the trial each evening with a new post up after 5PM EST with updates and our focus upon statements analyzed.

Blog Talk Radio has become a great source of information on breaking news stories.

The Simon Barrett Show will continue its coverage of the trial each Sunday afternoon at 4PM EST.

The Levi Page Show will have extensive coverage of the trial, as we also expect Dr. Lillian Glass will likely have much analysis.  Levi has great guests and varies between legal and criminal experts.

We hope to hear the opinions of Pat Brown and Susan Murphy Milano as well as Ray Guidice's energetic and intellectually stimulating opinions.  He will be with Nancy Grace and info for him is available on FaceBook, and hopefully will have time for Blog Talk Radio, as Ray, "unplugged" from the time constraints on HLN, is a fascinating commentator.

WFTV is a great resource of information, as Bill Shaeffer provides excellent analysis, especially from the legal perspective.   WESH has also done a good job and "The TV Guy" at Orlando Sentinel is always good for a humorous and personal perspective on the ins and outs of the case.  Mark NeJame will be doing some commentary which should be fascinating.

There are many more great resources, so please feel free to post them.

Please share television info as well as live links here in our comments section.  Please also posts actual statements you wish to be analyzed.

Heather and I wish everyone a Happy's Mother's Day, especially those who have embraced this most noble and challenging of professions.

We know of no greater calling than to nurture a life and contribute to society a Godly seed; nor do we know of a more exhausting, never ending job, who's rewards are often postponed, yet pay marvelous, life long dividends of gratitude, than motherhood.