Child Sexual Abuse

When you dedicate your event to raising money for a special-care nursery for infants born prematurely, as the Antietam Healthcare Foundation did in 2005, donors will probably get a warm and fuzzy feeling. But the announcement that this year's fourth annual Festival of Trees will raise money to help comfort the victims of child-sexual abuse - and catch their abusers - could force some in the community to confront a subject they'd rather not think about. But think about it they should, because unlike the infants in that special nursery, the victims of child sexual abuse don't have a professional medical staff protecting them from harm.

Washington County District Court Judge Dana Moylan Wright raised bail from $200,000 to $750,000 for a Smithsburg man accused of child sexual abuse, during a bond review hearing Friday. Ercy Theodore Stottlemyer Jr., 40, of 11438 Orange Blossom Court is also charged with attempted second-degree sex offense, fourth-degree sex offense and two counts of second -degree assault, according to court records. Earlier this week, a man reported to the Washington County Sheriff's Office that another man had attempted to sexually assault his 5-year-old daughter, according to the application for statement of charges.

A 42-year-old Hagerstown man has been charged with sexual child abuse after his teenage son came forward, claiming the incidents began when he was 5. Hagerstown City Police brought charges of parental child abuse, second-degree offense and second-degree assault against the father Wednesday. The man's name is being withheld to protect the identity of the victim, who is now 15. The teen told police he was about 5 years old when his father forced him to perform oral sex with him. The teen also told police his father made him snort a white powder up his nose before the sexual encounters.

Editor's note: The names of the mothers interviewed and of the offenders are not being printed to protect the identities of the children. laurae@herald-mail.com When her father-in-law was sentenced in April to serve five years in prison for molesting her 8-year-old daughter, authorities assured Tammy that he would serve half his sentence behind bars. But the Hagerstown woman recently received a letter notifying her that he will be eligible for parole after 15 months.

A child advocacy center in Washington County may become a reality if area police, prosecutors and social workers have their say. "This would be a safe, central place for sexually abused children that is child-friendly," said Stephanie Andrews, a social worker with the Washington County Department of Social Services. In Huntsville, Ala., it's called The Little House. "At such a place, a child victim could be interviewed just once by everybody ... in a quiet, safe place," Andrews said.

A Tennessee man nearing the end of a 25-year prison sentence for rape earned an additional three years Monday for a sexual offense against a child that occurred during a 1998 visit at the Maryland Correctional Training Center. Randall Patrick pleaded guilty in Washington County Circuit Court to contributing to the condition of a child. Additional charges of child sexual abuse and assault were dropped in exchange for the plea. According to Washington County State's Attorney Kenneth Long, the incident occurred July 26, 1998, when a woman and her 8-year-old daughter visited Patrick at MCTC.

These are the major components of the following sex offenses as prescribed by Maryland law. - First-degree rape. Sexual intercourse with another person by force or threat of force; against the will and without consent; with a dangerous or deadly weapon; inflicts serious physical injury; or while committing a felony burglary. - Second-degree rape. Sexual intercourse with another person by force or threat of force; against the will and without consent; if victim is mentally or physically incapacitated; or if the victim is under 14 and defendant is at least four years older - First-degree sex offense.

WASHINGTON COUNTY - A local grandmother thinks people convicted of child pornography possession should register as sexual offenders. Anne Catir admits she might be too overprotective after raising her own granddaughter, but "today, you can't be too careful," she said. Former Maryland State Police trooper Brian H. Murphy, who was found guilty Tuesday of five misdemeanor counts of possession of child pornography, cannot be ordered to register as a sexual offender when he is sentenced, a Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services spokeswoman said.

A man who had been held in a Pennsylvania state prison was in Washington County District Court on Monday for a bond hearing on child sexual abuse charges from a decade ago, court records said. William Thomas Berry III, 28, formerly of Hagerstown, is being held on charges of sexual abuse of a minor, sexual abuse of a minor as a continuing course of conduct and child abuse, court records said. Berry was being held on an interstate detainer from Pennsylvania, although Washington County Assistant State's Attorney Michele Hansen said she did not know what sentence he had been serving in that state.

A Washington County District Court judge on Thursday lowered the bail for a Brunswick, Md., man accused of child sexual abuse from $300,000 to $200,000. Jeffrey B. Mallery, 38, of 417 Brunswick St., was charged Tuesday by the Washington County Sheriff's Office with sex abuse of a minor, sex abuse of a minor as a continuing course of conduct and eight counts each of third- and fourth-degree sex offense and second-degree assault, according to court records. "This comes out of the blue .... My client is shocked at these allegations," Mallery's attorney, Richard Healy, told Judge Dana Moylan Wright during a bond-review hearing in Hagerstown.

A Hagerstown man accused of child sexual abuse and making child pornography had his bail raised from $650,000 to $1.2 million at a bond review hearing Monday in Washington County District Court. Joseph Charles Peer, 56, also is charged with child sex abuse as a continuing course of conduct, which carries a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison, as well as perverted practices and sodomy, court records said. On Friday, a co-worker of Peer's went to Hagerstown police headquarters and said he had been at Peer's home about four months earlier, at which time Peer showed him pornographic images on a computer, the statement of probable cause said.

CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. -- A few seconds of surveillance video tape showed just how fast a child predator can strike. Eleven-year-old Carlie Brucia was walking by a car wash in Sarasota, Fla., four years ago when a man walking in the other direction confronted her, grabbed her by the wrist and led her away. These were the last images of her alive. Joseph P. Smith, a man with a long criminal history for drug offense, was convicted and sentenced to death for Brucia's kidnapping, rape and murder.

WASHINGTON COUNTY - A local grandmother thinks people convicted of child pornography possession should register as sexual offenders. Anne Catir admits she might be too overprotective after raising her own granddaughter, but "today, you can't be too careful," she said. Former Maryland State Police trooper Brian H. Murphy, who was found guilty Tuesday of five misdemeanor counts of possession of child pornography, cannot be ordered to register as a sexual offender when he is sentenced, a Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services spokeswoman said.

WASHINGTON COUNTY ? A local grandmother thinks people convicted of child pornography possession should register as sexual offenders. Anne Catir admits she might be too overprotective after raising her own granddaughter, but "today, you can't be too careful," she said. Former Maryland State Police trooper Brian H. Murphy, who was found guilty Tuesday of five misdemeanor counts of possession of child pornography, cannot be ordered to register as a sexual offender when he is sentenced, a Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services spokeswoman said.

When you dedicate your event to raising money for a special-care nursery for infants born prematurely, as the Antietam Healthcare Foundation did in 2005, donors will probably get a warm and fuzzy feeling. But the announcement that this year's fourth annual Festival of Trees will raise money to help comfort the victims of child-sexual abuse - and catch their abusers - could force some in the community to confront a subject they'd rather not think about. But think about it they should, because unlike the infants in that special nursery, the victims of child sexual abuse don't have a professional medical staff protecting them from harm.

Child sex offender: One convicted of a sex crime involving a person who was younger than 18 years old at the time of the offense. The offense must have occurred on or after Oct. 1, 1995. The offense may have occurred before Oct. 1, 1995, if the offender was in the custody of a supervising authority, such as a prison, on Oct. 1, 2001. Child sex offenders are required to register for life, updating their registration information every year. Such offenders have been convicted of crimes that include first- through third-degree sex offense, child sexual abuse, and first- and second-degree rape.

Editor's note: The names of the mothers interviewed and of the offenders are not being printed to protect the identities of the children. laurae@herald-mail.com When her father-in-law was sentenced in April to serve five years in prison for molesting her 8-year-old daughter, authorities assured Tammy that he would serve half his sentence behind bars. But the Hagerstown woman recently received a letter notifying her that he will be eligible for parole after 15 months.