(09/04/09 – Initial BadBadTeacher.com Report)

Wesley “Wes” Owens, 52, a teacher at Antioch Upper Grade School in Antioch, Illinois has reportedly been arrested on allegations of having an “inappropriate relationship” with a female former student.

According to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office, Owens was charged today with two counts of criminal sexual assault.

It is alleged that the improper relationsip had occurred several years ago when the girl was 15 years of age and that the alleged victim had been sexually abused by Owen starting in 1997.

Reportedly, Owens came to the attention of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office by way of Wheaton police who received a tip regarding the alleged relationship between Owens and the former student.

Investigators contacted the victim, who now lives in Massachusetts, and she acknowledged that a relationship between Owens and herself had taken place. Sheriff investigators then flew the alleged victim to Lake County to take her sworn statement after which they arrested and charged Owens.

Following his arrest, Owens was being held in the Lake County Jail in lieu of $100,000 bond.

09/08/09 – Additional Charges Filed

The McHenry County State’s Attorney’s Office has filed four additional charges against Wes Owens. The new charges include two counts of criminal sexual assault and two counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse.

The “tip” which resulted in the investigation of Owens and his initial arrest reportedly came from Kenneth Lee Johnson, a former social studies teacher at Antioch Upper Grade School, who was earlier this summer sentenced to three-and-a-half years in prison for possession of child pornography.

Reportedly, Johnson did not receive any reduced sentencing or other benefits for making a report about Owens.

10/26/09 – Grand Jury Indictment

A McHenry County grand jury has reportedly indicted Wes L. Owens on three additional charges.

According to the McHenry County State’s Attorney’s office, Owens initially faced only four charges in McHenry County. However, a review of police reports and other evidence revealed more allegations from the former student, leading to the three added counts from the grand jury.

11/09/09 – Court Appearance

Wes L. Owens made a court appearance today and formally pleaded not guilty and asked for a jury trial on four counts of criminal sexual assault and three counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse.

Owens’ attorney Albert Wysocki said outside court Monday that Owens intends to fully fight the charges.

(09/03/08 – Initial BBT Report)

Stephen W. Shaffer, 55, who prior to retirement taught science at Somerset Area Junior High School in Somerset, Pennsylvania has been arrested on allegations of raping and sexually assaulting one of his former students in 2001, when the girl was 13 and 14-years-old.

Shaffer is charged with rape, statutory sexual assault, sexual assault, aggravated indecent assault, indecent assault, endangering the welfare of children, indecent exposure and corruption of minors on allegations that he engaged in a sexual relationship with the girl when she was in eighth grade.

It is alleged that in early 2001 that Shaffer attempted to get the girl to touch him in a sexual manner and that in April of that year that he raped her on couch in the basement of his home.

Police say that the charges are based upon on consistent interviews with the victim and love letters, cards and notes from Shaffer that indicate a physical relationship existed between the two.

Earlier this year, Shaffer surrendered his teaching certificate as the state’s Department of Education investigated a “personal, romantic and sexual relationship” with a student.

Following his arrest Shaffer was reportedly released on bond under the conditions that he surrender his passport and deed to his home within 48 hours. He is also to have no contact with the victim or her family and must stay at least 500 yards away from them.

10/08/08 – Preliminary Hearing

A preliminary hearing was held for Stephen Shaffer today and the judge bound him over for trial on charges of rape, statutory sexual assault, aggravated indecent assault, indecent assault, endangering the welfare of children, indecent exposure and corruption of minors.

Shaffer was bound over in spite of what media reports are calling “often inconsistent testimony from the now 21-year-old woman and a lack of physical evidence.”

Shaffer remains free on bond pending resolution of his case.

Jury Returns Guilty Verdicts

A Somerset County Court jury has found Stephen Shaffer guilty on two counts of indecent assault and one count each of endangering the welfare of a child and corruption of minors.

The jury found Shaffer not guilty of raping the eighth-grade student in 2001.

Shaffer faces a maximum of 14 years in prison at sentencing which was set for January 6th.

Reportedly, Shaffer will be required to register as a sexual offender under Megan’s law for 10 years.

References:

Ex-teacher found not guilty of raping student (10/20/09)

Retired W. Pa. teacher convicted on sex charges (10/21/09)

Teacher accused of sex assault faces trial (10/08/08)

Former Somerset teacher charged with rape (09/03/08)

Former Somerset teacher charged in rape (09/03/08)

(11/16/07 – Initial BBT Report)

Kerry Lynn McJunkins, 38, of Lexington, Kentucky has been arrested on a warrant from Douglas, Arizona where McJunkins is alleged to have molested two boys in the late 1980’s.

Reportedly McJunkins was a teacher at a private school operated by the Bible Baptist church in Douglas, Arizona. At the time McJunkins was reportedly 18-years-old. One of the alleged victims was 10-years-old when the sexual abuse allegedly started in 1987. It is further alleged that McJunkins sexually abused this victim for four years.

James Pitts who reportedly has been the pastor of the Bible Baptist church in Douglas for the last 30 years says he hired McJunkins in the late 1980’s and fired him in 1991, after McJunkins became very arrogant and his behavior changed.

The alleged victim has been quoted in media reports as saying, “Everything I’ve done in my life has been affected by what he has done to me. I was threatened and I was scared, and it carries over you when you’re young and it carries with you until your older but at one point I realized he couldn’t hurt me any longer.”

The alleged victim came to this “realization” in 2006 and went to police with his complaints about McJunkins.

Little if any information has been released on the second alleged victim.

Immediately following McJunkins arrest by Lexington Police he was held on $100,000 bond. He was subsequently released on $20,000 cash bond to await an extradition hearing in which Arizona authorities will seek to have him returned to Arizona to face charges.

Reportedly police were tipped off to McJunkins’ location by his alleged victims, who tracked him down in Kentucky.

McJunkins was working at a Lexington church, but church officials indicated that his role did not put him in contact with children.

07/21/09 – Guilty Plea and Sentencing

Kerry McJunkins has entered into a plea deal with prosecutors, pleading guilty to one count each of molestation of a child and sexual conduct with a minor. As part of the plea deal, six additional charges were dismissed.

McJunkins was sentenced to five years in prison, lifetime probation and required to register as a sex offender.

McJunkins was taken into custody immediately following sentencing and Cochise County, AZ jail records indicate that McJunkins is in fact currently held in the county jail.

10/19/09 – News Report of Sentencing

On 12 October, 2009 The Sierra Vista Herald published a report titled, “Court Sentencing” which revealed the names and sentences of those criminal court case concluded between June 1 and August 31st, 2009.

That report reflects the 5 year prison sentence Kerry McJunkins received beginning on 20 July, 2009, as well as the lifetime probation imposed as part of his sentence.

McJunkins online record at the Arizona Department of Corrections indicates that he will be eligible for release on parole on 12/14/2011 and that his maximum sentence end date, if denied parole, is 06/13/2014.

References:

Kerry McJunkins Record at Arizona Department of Corrections

Court sentencings (10/12/09)

Former Lexington church worker arrested on Arizona warrant (11/16/06)

Accused Ariz. Molester Arrested In Ky. (11/16/07)

Former Lexington church worker arrested on Arizona warrant (11/16/07)

Former Douglas man arrested in Kentucky for sexually assaulting a Douglas boy (11/16/07)

Sexual Assault Suspect Out Of Jail (11/15/07)

Douglas man arrested 20 years after alleged sex crime (11/14/06)