Recent Posts in Sex Crimes Category

In Muskogee, police say that they have arrested a piano and voice teacher that showed pornographic material to a 13 year old student.  The teacher, 43 year old Michael George Dunn, was charged this past Thursday with two felony counts of lewd molestation.  Following his arrest, he was jailed under a $100,000 bond.

 For the past 21 years, Dunn has worked as a piano and vocal lessons teacher for adults and juveniles.  He was charged after he forced a child to view pornography.  Court documents state that Dunn used his desktop computer to show the 13 year old graphic images and talked to the child about homosexuality.

If he is convicted of his sex crime charges, he could be sentenced with 3 to 20 years of prison for each offense.  Dunn was investigated by authorities after a parent told police about a possible crime committed against her son.

People who have been charged with sex crimes in Phoenix need help from a Phoenix criminal defense attorney.  Contact the Knowles Law Firm today to get the representation you deserve. 

This week, a former student from Arizona State University has filed a lawsuit against the state Board of Regents.  She claims that she was sexually assaulted by a fraternity on campus nearly two years ago.  When she reported the incident, she said that it was not properly investigated by the school.

At this time, the woman is seeking an unspecified amount of damage.  However, in her suit against Arizona State University, she claims that the University's police department and disciplinary office failed to follow sexual harassment guidelines.  These guidelines are outlined by Title XI and combat gender discrimination in education.

According to the plaintiff, while attending a costume theme party in 2008, she was sexually assaulted by two members of the Sigma Chi fraternity.  The ASU Police Department has reports from the incident that say the woman reported the assault a day after it happened and that she was intoxicated when receiving treatment from Tempe St. Luke's Hospital.

ASU said that it would not comment on the pending litigation as it is the University's policy.

Charged with a sex crime in Phoenix?  If so, you should contact our law firm and seek immediate assistance from a Phoenix criminal defense lawyer.

This Thursday, a man who was wanted for the rape of a child was deported back to Mexico after being arrested in Phoenix.

US Marshalls say that 29 year old Miguel Manuel Hernandez-Beltran was arrested in Phoenix last month.  Police were on the lookout for Hernandez-Beltran after they were made aware that he molested his 7 year old nephew 15 times in 2005.  The molestation occurred in Cuidad Juarez, Mexico.

After reports were made to Mexico authorities, it is believed that Hernandez-Beltran illegally entered the United States near El Paso, Texas.  He eventually made his way to Phoenix.

One June 28^th, Hernandez-Beltran was ordered to be removed by an immigration judge.  He will be sent back to the Republic of Mexico where authorities are waiting to charge him with sex crimes.

If you have been charged with a sex crime involving a minor in the city of Phoenix, it is important that you hire a Phoenix criminal defense lawyer as soon as possible.  Contact the Knowles Law Firm today!

Police report that a 19 year old boy by the name of Sonny Dwayne Thompson remains in the Muskogee County Detention Facility without bond.  Thompson was arrested and charged Friday with 11 sex related felonies.  His alleged victims were five boys ages 6 to 14.

Some of the sex crimes Thompson was charged with include:  forcible oral sodomy, lewd molestation, first-degree rape, indecent proposal to a child under 16 and rape by instrumentation.  Most of the charges are alleged to have occurred between June 1 and June 25.

When questioned by police, one of the young boys said that Thompson had befriended him and took him to his house where other boys were spending the night on June 25^th.  Many of the crimes allegedly took place on that evening.

Police seized Thompson's laptop and his cell phone.  They said that the 19 year old had child pornography on his phone which contained images of the victims.

When people have been charged with sex crimes, especially crimes involving children, they are facing some of the toughest legal penalties, which is why they need to obtain representation from a Phoenix criminal defense lawyer.  If you have been charged with sex crimes, contact the Knowles Law Firm now!

This Monday, a Phoenix doctor was accused of inappropriately touching a female patient.  Now, reports indicate that the doctor, 54 year old Galen Johnson, has been in the process of closing his practice for the past two months. 

According to reports, the doctor worked as a gynecologist for 10 years at a health center that is located near 99^th Avenue and Indian School Road.  During the past two months, Johnson was "ramping down" from his position at the health facility.  On Monday, the doctor was placed under arrest for sexual abuse and physical assault of a female patient.

Documents from the Maricopa County Superior Court show that police suspect two separate incidents of sexual assault and sexual abuse.  One incident allegedly took place on April 27^th and another on May 18^th while Johnson was performing a routine checkup on a patient.

Court documents state that Johnson inappropriately touched a 28 year old patient that was eight months pregnant.   Officers stated that Johnson grabbed the woman's buttocks during the first incident and during the second incident he allegedly put his hand down her shirt and touched her breast.

Johnson was arrested on June 14^th and questioned by police.  He was later booked in the Fourth Avenue Jail, but was released without posting a bond.

Have you been charged with a sex crime?  Now is the time to contact the Knowles Law Firm and discuss your case with a Phoenix criminal defense lawyer.

In Phoenix, it is reported that the top prosecutor for Maricopa County plans to seek the death penalty for a man that was charged with shooting and killing a police officer in May 2010.

County Attorney Rick Romley made an announcement last week Thursday.  He confirmed that he had decided to seek the death penalty in a case involving 30 year old defendant, Danny Ledezma Martinez.

According to court documents, Martinez was indicted on 11 counts, including first-degree murder.  He stands accused of fatally shooting Officer Travis Murphy with an AR-15 rifle.  The shooting took place on May 26^th in front of a residence in central Phoenix.

This is not the first time Martinez has been in trouble with the law.  He served 5 years for attempted sexual assault and was released in 2003.  He also served 3 years for charges of felony weapons misconduct before being released in April of 2009.

If you have been charged with a serious crime in Phoenix, contact the Knowles Law Firm and set up an initial consultation with a Phoenix criminal defense attorney immediately.

In Phoenix, a 15 year old Liberian refugee was placed on probation after being charged with sex crimes.  The juvenile was charged after allegations surfaced that he participated in the gang rape of an 8 year old girl in Arizona. 

Several boys came together to rape the young victim in a storage closet in a Phoenix apartment complex.  The ages of the rapists were 9, 10, 13 and 15. 

The oldest in the attack, an unidentified teenager, pled guilty to criminal charges of kidnapping, sexual assault, sexual conduct with a minor and also attempted sex with a minor.  He told police that he held the girl down while the other boys attacked her. 

The youngest of the boys were found incompetent to stand trial and the 13 year old is due back in court on June 14^th.  The outcome of his case will largely depend upon a psychological evaluation.

All of the children involved in the incident, including the girl, are refugees from Liberia.  They have all been placed in foster care and remain there at this time.

If you have been charged with a sexual offense in Phoenix, you need to speak with a Phoenix criminal defense lawyer from the Knowles Law Firm. Contact our law office today.

This past Friday, it was reported that a man was unable to pay his $1 million bail, so he had to remain in police custody.  The man, 42 year old Thomas Jay Pollard, was charged with rape and other criminal offenses.

Last Thursday afternoon, police in Phoenix arrested Pollard, who was staying at a residential motel on the 500 block of North Main Street.  Police say that Pollard had been living at the motel for some time.

Police arrested Pollard after a 45 year old woman, who rents another room at the hotel, called for help and reported that she was raped.  The woman said that Pollard sexually assaulted her while she was intoxicated, unable to consent to intercourse and unable to fight him off. Once police arrived at the scene of the crime, they had the woman escorted to a local hospital so she could be examined.

On Friday, Pollard was arraigned on two counts of first degree rape, strangulation and also fourth degree sexual assault.

If you have been charged with sex crimes in Phoenix, it is important that you retain the services of a Phoenix criminal defense attorney as soon as possible.  Without help from a criminal defense lawyer, you may have to serve time in jail and face other harsh legal penalties.  Contact the Knowle Law Firm today to discuss your case.

Last month authorities arrested Rabbi Bryan Bramley for allegedly raping a 7-year-old girl back in 2000.

Bramley was arrested outside Temple Beth Shalom Synagogue in Gilbert, but because the rape occurred in New York City, he was apprehended by U.S. Marshals and detectives from the New York Police Department.

The incident is alleged to have occurred while the victim was spending the night at Bramley's family home, during the time he was studying to became a rabbi. The victim didn't report the crime until last year at the age of 17.

Bramley was being held at the Maricopa County Jail pending his extradition to New York.

At the Knowles Law Firm, we can provide you with committed and aggressive criminal defense representation if you have been accused of committing a sex crime. All sex crimes are vigorously prosecuted, but sex crimes against children in particular warrant harsh penalties, including incarceration in state prison, thousands of dollars in fines, and mandatory registration as a sex offender, possibly for life. At our firm, we believe that even if you were accused of a sex offense it does not mean that you actually committed the crime or that you are guilty. It's our job to secure the best possible outcome to your case, either by proving your innocence, getting the charges reduced or dismissed, or accepting a plea bargain in exchange for a lighter sentence. Regardless of how serious your charges may be, you can trust a Phoenix sex crimes defense attorney at our office to remain by your side every step of the way, protecting your rights and aggressively fighting your charges.

Interested in learning more about our criminal defense services? Contact the Knowles Law Firm today at (888) 332-5621 or (602) 702-5431.

Ten registered sex offenders have been arrested by Yuma County Sheriff’s deputies for failing to register their e-mail addresses and online user names, a requirement of the their sentences.

Over the course of two days, with help from the Yuma Police Department, U.S. Border Patrol, U.S. Marshals, and Yuma County Adult Probation, officers were able to make their arrests.

The arrests are the culmination of a month-long investigation. As part of their sex offender registration requirement, all of the men were required to report their username and email address if they joined a social networking site.

Since their arrest, each of the ten sex offenders has been booked in the Yuma County Jail.

Teens in Arizona may soon face criminal charges for “sexting,” a term used to describe sharing explicit photos, videos, or chats through a text message or online.

On Wednesday, a state Senate panel endorsed a bill that would result in misdemeanor charges for any minor found sending nude or explicit pictures of themselves to others, or for having or keeping such pictures on their cell phones. The law also makes it a misdemeanor offense to pass around explicit photos to anyone other than the intended recipient.

The vote in the Public Safety and Human Services Committee was unanimous, and the bill now moves to the full Senate.

The bill also gives prosecutors the option of holding teenagers accountable for their actions without charging them with child pornography—a much more serious offense. If a teen were to be convicted of child pornography, they could be ordered to register as a sex offender, possibly for life.

The bill focuses solely on underage “sexters.” An adult with explicit photos or materials of a minor still faces felony child pornography charges.

If your son or daughter has been arrested for sexting, a Phoenix criminal defense attorney who not only has experience defending clients against sex crimes, but who also has practice in juvenile defense, can provide your child with the skilled representation and dedicated legal counsel he or she needs during this unsettling time. To learn more, contact the Knowles Law Firm, P.C. today.

A sex tourism case has reached its conclusion with the defendant being sentenced to six and a half years in federal prison.

Charles A. Soderman of Marathon, Florida was arrested in Yuma after detectives uncovered evidence that he was planning to fly to Mexico to engage in illicit sexual activities. During the trial, prosecutors revealed evidence that showed Soderman flew from Florida to Arizona and then traveled to the Mexican border with the intent to have sex with a boy as young as 6.

Soderman’s arrest was part of the U.S. Immigration and Custom Enforcement’s undercover operation to stop sex tourism into Mexico.

In addition to the prison sentence, the Phoenix judge presiding over the case also ordered Soderman to register as a sex offender once he’s released from prison. Soderman was also ordered to a lifetime of supervised release.

A months-long investigation has reached a turning point with the arrest of a Phoenix man who allegedly used the Internet to sexually exploit children.

Police arrested John Christopher Fredrickson, 45, at his Phoenix home after serving a search warrant.  Fredrickson allegedly sent sexual images of himself to what he thought was a minor.

According to police, throughout the four-month long investigation Fredrickson, using several identities, allegedly used a web camera to lure minors for sexual exploitation.

Police were able to trace Fredrickson’s location and online usage to both his home and his office. 

He was booked in the Maricopa County jail and faces one count of aggravated luring of a minor for sexual exploitation and three counts of furnishing harmful items to minors.

The investigation is still going, and anyone with information about Fredrickson is asked to contact detectives at the Phoenix Police Department.