A tiny Texas community is bracing itself for more revelations in a child abuse case, in which children as young as five were allegedly given powerful painkillers and prompted to perform sex shows for adults.
Two people have already been convicted in the case and a third is set to stand trial on Monday, near the town of Mineola.
Jamie Pittman and Shauntel Mayo were sentenced to life in prison.
Patrick Kelly, 41, is charged with aggravated sexual assault of a child, tampering with physical evidence and engaging in organised criminal activity.
Kelly also faces a life sentence if convicted,
In all, six adults have been charged in connection with the case, including a parent of three of the children.
Mineola, about 80 miles east of Dallas, was the location for the sex shows, which were performed in a building where prosecutors say four children were trained to perform in front of an audience of 50 to 100 once a week.
The Mineola police department first investigated a complaint in June 2005, when a foster mother said one of the girls described dancing provocatively toward men.
Permanent custody of three of the children was eventually given to foster parents, Margie Cantrell and her husband, John.
This week, prosecutors in California charged John Cantrell with sexually assaulting a child in the state 18 years ago.
John Cantrell had been called to be a state witness against Patrick Kelly in his upcoming trial.
The building in which the abuse allegedly occurred is being turned into a church.
| By Anonymous, 06-22-08, 10:37 PM |
No this is not normalit is a shame that anyone would do this to a child. But before you condem America, remember that too many people now want their freedom to do what they want. We Christians are becoming a minority. So there a lot of us who think this is horrible. We are now a nation of other religons who do not stand for what is right but is helpful to their agenda. So for the moral people in America! We do not approve nor condone this trash. |
| By OZ, 06-22-08, 09:58 PM |
Child abuse twists in Texas town An Australian Atheist says:
I thought America was supposed to have good “Christian” moral standards and was busy with its army delivering sexual liberation for Aghanistans women in order to stop abuses by the “Muslim” Taliban.
O.K.so this is just one more small town in Texas.A state that claims it also had problems with a “Mormon” sect and child abuse.So just how widespread is child abuse in America?
No american comments are posted here perhaps its simply “normal” now and so nobody is surprised?
Is it the same in other small towns ongoing regular public events untill finaly some Mother actualy complained ?
Is it any
wonder many in amerika and the world say no longer god bless america-but like reverand Wright -“goddam america.
no american has even bothered to comment on this article .
perhaps it is considered to be “normal” now.
america
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| By Anonymous, 06-23-08, 12:13 AM |
Future abusers in the making.This is the result of too much freedom. America had become a nation of drug addicts and drunkards. In this scenario,I wouldn’t be surprised that many children are even being abused in their family home. The perpatrators are being dealt with,given life sentences,meaning they’ll be out in 20 years and free to commit more crimes. What about the abused children,will they grow up to be the abusers of innocents. That’s what they were taught. |
| By SleeplessinSeattle, 06-23-08, 01:06 AM |
Why are only those adults being prosecuted???Why not each and every one of the animals who watched, too??
My God. I wouldn’t have believed that you could get a crowd together of that size, even in a large city, of perverts so heartless — let alone for weekly “shows”?! How is it that there wasn’t even ONE witness who cared about what was happening to those kids? I think each and every person that can be found who was involved in ANY way — should be imprisoned too.
Or line 'em up. Predators like that should not be free to roam the earth. I am about as peaceful and anti-violence as they come, but, I COULD PULL THE TRIGGER for what they have done to those kids' lives. Not only was their innocence stolen, their trust irreparably broken, theit entire outlook on the world skewed, but also normal sibling relationships were taken from them all.
Come on Texas, FIND EACH AND EVERY ONE who had knowledge of this disgusting crime and prosecute them all!! |
| By SleeplessinSeattle, 06-23-08, 01:23 AM |
And another twist.People talk. Many people had to have heard rumors. I don’t believe that they only heard rumors that it was a Swinger’s group. This happened in a DAYCARE, right?
Wouldn’t anyone with even half a brain want to investigate or shut down a daycare that hosted adult “Swinger’s parties” at night???
This whole story makes me sick. I can’t imagine how so many people had to have had at least partial knowledge and did NOTHING.
Oh, and to the poster who wondered if this is commonplace in the US:
There must be pockets of filth here — probably as well as there are in other places. But it sure isn’t commonplace, or I’d move my family to another country! I’m a 48 yr old American Mom. Only once in my life has this kind of thing ever actually touched my life, though certainly it hits the news far too often.
I was a Girl Scout leader and I heard a rumor about one of the girls in my troop. I devoted a meeeting to “Feeling Safe and Getting Help." She watched me the entire evening as I talked about a person’s right to decide about their own body, the right to say,“NO” to anything that makes you uncomfortable, and that if someone tells you “not to tell” it is usually because THEY have done something wrong and are afraid for others to know. I told them to tell someone they trust, and if that person doesn’t help, tell someone else. She went to me after the meeting, and I called the school counselor who had training. I privately asked her 2 days later if she was getting the help she needed and she nodded. We moved soon after, but that little girl still haunts me. |
| By red, 06-23-08, 10:13 AM |
Lufkin, Angelina County, TexasChild abuse in Angelina County is an ongoing crime. In general, in Texas women and children are considered second class citizens. To some Christian men, the man in any group has the right to rape the women and beat the children (the old biblical approach of spare the rod, spoil the child). It’s the patriarchal society, another name for the good ole' boy system that reigns in Texas and the U.S. overall. As a society Americans don’t respect women or children so abuse abounds. |
| By P Smith, 06-23-08, 11:21 AM |
This is what happens when...This is what happens when christians rationalize their behaviour.
If people had a sense of personal responsibility isntead of thinking “I can be forgiven for anything by praying to god!" this sort of thing wouldn’t happen.
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| By P Smith, 06-23-08, 11:22 AM |
This is what happens when...This is what happens when christians rationalize their behaviour.
If people had a sense of personal responsibility isntead of thinking “I can be forgiven for anything by praying to god!" this sort of thing wouldn’t happen.
|
| By chademe, 06-23-08, 11:30 AM |
not typical of this state or countryRed, you obviously have no idea what you’re talking about and have never been here. The people who did this are being prosecuted, and most Texans would agree that they people who did this should be executed. |
| By chademe, 06-23-08, 11:33 AM |
Christians didn't do thisWhere in this story does it say that Christians are responsible for this? P Smith, Christians don’t rationalize their behavior by saying God will forgive us. The Bible specifically states that this rationalization is not acceptable. |
| By I'm an American, 06-23-08, 11:38 AM |
No, this is not normalAustralian atheist,
This is no more normal in American society than it is in Australian society.
It’s is a good thing that American’s are intelligent enough to know that not all daycare centers in Australia allow children to be sexually abused like the Mornington Child Care Centre and Nursery School did.
We even go one better here...we prosecute the heck out of the monsters that do such a thing to child.
Instead of paying a little money to the parents of the children who were used and abused and then mess up the case so bad that it can not be prosecuted.
Might want to check the dirt around your own back door before pointing at others. |
| By ze_cat, 06-23-08, 08:12 PM |
nothing newI don’t believe this type of behavior is new. It used to be hidden 'under the rug' so to speak. With the media as it is now, we hear everything bad from all parts of the world. There is good in bad in all societies - how dare you blame the Christians. |
| By Anonymous, 06-23-08, 07:23 PM |
| >>> “I thought America was supposed to have good “Christian” moral standards”
At least we don’t let dingos eat our babies.
(isn’t stereotyping fun?) |
| By laylainky, 06-23-08, 04:55 PM |
America wake upWhether Christian or not, this is a crime against humanity. Anyone who knew, suspected or participated in this should be held accountable. Any low life scum who knew of these events should be prosecuted and restrained from children the rest of their lives. This country needs to draw a harder line between right and wrong. |
| By Anonymous, 06-23-08, 05:23 PM |
lie dectorsWhen I was a child my abuser managed to pass a lie detector test and I was returned to him with strict admonitions to “stop lying." He was apparently not admonished to stop molesting me, because he continued in every way he could find that didn’t leave clear evidence. The only thing I won was that he stopped raping me outright because it left too much evidence.
The problem with lie detector tests is that anyone without a conscience and anyone who has spent significant time practicing certain techniques can pass them. There’s also the risk of false positives. There’s a reason that lie detectors aren’t legally admissible. I wish that police and cps would stop using them so heavily in investigations because it allows the most dangerous offenders, the smart, predatory ones with little or no conscience, to “prove” their “innocence” so that they may reoffend again and again. |
| By Dag, Norway, 06-24-08, 05:22 AM |
Prosecute the onlookersI thought Texas was a state with tough punishment for crime. How come only six people are accused for this? It must be possible to track down some of the onlookers, who are guilty for letting this continue for a year. 10-15 years behind bars would be adequate. Or are there too many “good citizens” among them, so they can’t be touched? |
| By Texas Tanataliser, 06-22-08, 10:23 PM |
Texas abuse caseThere is another twist to this story.
The accused man’s lawyer says he has passed a lie detector test.
Not admissable in court but..interesting. |
| By `~` galljdaj+, 06-23-08, 10:48 AM |
More evidence that a person from Texas should never...... , hold a National Possition of Public trust!
Lil petty theives like the lying lil coward of a name theif, comes from such conditions, and claim “it was for fun”. |
| By Anonymous, 06-23-08, 11:33 AM |
What a base bullshit comment.
P Smith;87836:
This is what happens when christians rationalize their behaviour.
If people had a sense of personal responsibility isntead of thinking “I can be forgiven for anything by praying to god!" this sort of thing wouldn’t happen.
Where does personal accountability come from?
If you believe there is no God THEN TO WHOM ARE WE ALL RESPONSIBLE TO?
Christians believe they will be judged for all actions in life without a doubt sexually abusing a child puts them oin the list for a one way ticket to a warm spot.
If there is a hell praying to God is not the end all be all to redemption for acts of this nature.
By the way to all who have commented Child abuse is a problem of all societies and people no one is immune to this type of behavior.
Perverts come in all shapes sizes religions sexs and races how we deal with them is what matters.
Teaching and educating children to speak out on these matters from a very young age is how you combat it.
Parents must get to know and spend time with their children!
Real Child abuse happens in front of the T.V. daily when we use the idiot box to keep them busy! |
| By KK, 06-23-08, 06:03 PM |
To OZI am an American and I can assure you that this type of abuse and behavior is condemed by the majority of us here. Just the same as all other countries, we have monsters here who would hurt other people including children, but we also have good people. the fact that peolpe in this small hick town seemed to have looked the other way instead of helping this children is horrible to me and I pray that they will get what is coming to them and that those poor children are truly getting the help they need. I don’t believe it has anything to do with religious belief, but rather the fact that there are some horrible people out there in all countries and they claim all different religions. |
