Photo ID for Your Child Is Urgent
May 12, 2010 by Dan
Filed under Features, Safety Tips
By MEC
May 12, 2010
One of the most important tools for law enforcement to use in the case of a missing child is an up-to-date, good-quality photograph.
Noted below are some tips for parents and guardians regarding such a photograph?
- The photograph should be a recent, head-and-shoulders color photograph of the child in which the face is clearly seen. It should be of “school-portrait” quality, and the background should be plain or solid so it does not distract from the subject.
- When possible the photograph should be in a digitized form, and available on a compact disk (CD), as opposed to just a hard copy. This minimizes the time necessary to scan, resize, and make color corrects before disseminating it to law enforcement.
- The photograph should be an accurate depiction of the child, not overly posed or “glamorized.” Nor should other people, animals, or objects be in the photograph. The photograph should not be taken outside, out of focus, torn, damaged, or very small.
- The photograph should have space for accurate, narrative description useful to identify the child such as name, nickname, height, weight, sex, age, eye color, identifying marks, glasses, and braces.
- The photograph should be updated at least every six months for children 6 years of age or younger and then once a year, or when a child’s appearance changes.
- All copies of child’s photograph and information should be maintained in an easily accessible, secure space by the parents or guardian. The photograph and data should not be stored in a public database.
Download the Best Practices Guide for Child ID Kits
Source: Missing Kids
Editor’s Note: We would like to know what you think. dan@goldcoastchronicle.com
Americans Sung ‘God Bless America’ at Randolph School in Huntsville, Alabama
By Hank Richards
GCC/Staff
May12, 2010
It’s an extreme pleasure to dial a published telephone number and reach the person in charge of an organization on the first attempt.
This actually happened on grandparent’s day last Friday when I called Dr. Byron C. Hulsey, the Headmaster at the Randolph School, in Huntsville, Alabama.
Randolph School began its mission in 1959 with a handful of elementary classes in an antebellum home.
Within a few short years, the school relocated to a spacious 17-acre campus with a mission that complimented the Huntsville industries in U.S. missile defense, rockets and space age technology at the Redstone Arsenal, home of the Marshall Space Flight Center (NASA).
Numerous scientists and engineers, including the legendary space pioneer Dr. Wernher von Braun, sent their children to Randolph.
The school’s rigorous college preparatory curriculum and successful alumni rapidly attracted Huntsville’s business community.
In 1981, a local Fortune 500 company donated a computer lab, one of the first of its kind in a high school setting and in 1998, Randolph attracted national attention for successfully integrating laptop computers and a wireless network into their classroom structure.
Randolph School is listed as an IBM reference site for its outstanding technology program and has received national accolades as a Blue Ribbon School of Excellence.
The school is directed by Dr. Byron C. Hulsey, the man who answers his own telephone while managing a $12 million annual budget.
Hulsey has enjoyed an accomplished academic career. He is a graduate of the Woodberry Forest School in Virginia, having earned his B.A. degree from the University of Virginia in 1990, where he received the prestigious Jefferson Scholarship.
Being a Texas native, he went on to earn both, an M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Texas in Austin where he was a Patterson-Banister Fellow in American History.
In the summer of 2006, he moved to Huntsville, Alabama to begin work as Randolph’s Head of School. He and his wife, Jennifer, have two children.
When asked by Richards to explain the success of the Randolph education model, Hulsey replied, ‘we emphasize honor, integrity and character and demand discipline and diligence . . . I feel gratified that Randolph is a safe place; by a safe place I mean it’s safe to embrace opportunities and perhaps to be disappointed at times but safe enough to offer an academic environment where our children can achieve success in arts and athletics and engage in those opportunities that commit to overall excellence; safe enough to have the support of a hands-on community and proactive faculty who believe in the values at Randolph that contribute to unparalleled personal growth.’
One of Hulsey’s many tasks include setting aside a unique day in the spring each year for grandparents and special friends of the K-4 classes to visit the school.
The guests are treated to programs that feature musical selections presented with hand chimes, a variety of songs that include ‘God Bless America’, classroom visits with student demonstrations and a picnic lunch on the south lawn of the campus.
With this year’s exhibit, each classroom demonstrated its learning accomplishments using group projects such as a life-cycle by actually hatching baby chicks in school; presenting the world of computer photo graphics of a class in progress in real-time and so much more.
Approximately 600 people turned out for the celebration that concluded with a picnic lunch under the shade trees on the south lawn of the campus.
The guests found the students receptive when demonstrating the advantages of attending a school with a student/ teacher ratio of approximately 10 to 1.
Randolph’s faculty strives to help students become young men and women of character who are self-motivated, intellectually curious and articulate, characteristics necessary to become responsible decision-makers.
Randolph, the only independent college prep school in North Alabama, has been twice named a National School of Excellence by the U.S. Department of Education and is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS).
For more information view the school website at www.randolphschool.net. To schedule a campus tour or to learn more about Randolph, contact Glynn Below, Director of Admissions, at (256) 799-6103 or e-mail the Admissions Office .
Source: Examiner
Editor’s Note: Contact Hank Richards by email at editor@pronlinenews.com or call him at (256) 417-6084.
Richards is a prostate cancer survivor and a nationwide public speaker on the issue. If you would like to schedule him for your speaking venue, call the listed number above.
We would like to know what you think. dan@goldcoastchronicle.com
Have an “Open Heart” on Mother’s Day
by Jane Seymour
May 9, 2010
Today is Mother’s Day ! It’s important to show our appreciation to those special women in our lives who have shaped who we are today and loved us no matter what. What are you doing to celebrate this year?
I started Keep Open Heart Web site because of my mother’s Open Heart philosophy. Throughout my life I have heard amazing stories from people who live their lives with an Open Heart and my hope is that through this site we will be able to collect and share so many more.
Here are some examples that I hope will inspire you and your family on this Special Day.
In January of 2006 my Mother got really sick from diverticulitis, I was afraid I was going to lose Her. At the time I was only a junior in High School.
I had already lost my dad when I was 8 years old. My mom and I have always been very close we can tell Each other anything. She is my best friend!
I have been epileptic since I was 11 years old and I was scared that she wasn’t going to be there for me. I didn’t realize at the time that she already thought about that.
As my mom and best friend she made plans to be sure that if anything happened. I would be taking care of.
It’s been 4 years and I am so grateful that God has allowed me to still have her in my life.
Today I am only able to get her a card and take her out to dinner for Mothers Day.
As a mom she has always told me that all I had to do was say that I loved her. She didn’t need cards or gifts.
Her birthday is next month and I still have not figured out what to get her. No matter what I get her she will always be grateful for the thought.
I Love my Mom and someday I hope that if I became a mom I can be like her.
Kimberly
Hollywood, FL
I honor my mother.. I was so blessed to have her as a mother, teacher,freind,helpmate,leader in our community,helpful to the needy, baby sitter for my children, and most of all, she taught me the love of our heavely father.thanks you mother, you have been gone from this life for 12 yesars and I Thank God for every remembrance of you…..
Mary Fern Farley
Living with an Open Heart has helped me through the years- To overcome adversity, hardships, anxiety, fears and tears. I didn’t have great parenting to lead me on the path of life- But through sacrifice and blessings, I overcame great strife!
Rather than harbor resentment and dwell in self pity- I’ve put my time and talents into improving my city.
Through coaching and fundraising and donating my time- I’ve found that I can help others, out of the darkness climb. Whether for the Special Olympics or the Relay for Life- I’m now involved with all my kids and yes too, my wife.
Teaching kids new skills and rules, I’ve seen it change their lives- All my time and effort are rewarded when a hug arrives. It doesn’t take great brains or skill, of this I am quite sure- But the sacrifice pays dividends that over time endures.
There is one requisite ingredient that helping does require- Having and keeping an Open Heart- love and peace is the desire.
Through humble and strained beginnings, I’ve learned that an Open Heart- Brings love and hope and opportunity- for the giver and receiver a new start! We can all afford an Open Heart and the treasures it does bring- Yes it takes some vulnerability, but oh how it makes hearts sing!
James,
Chicago, IL
My mom passed away October 12, 2009 after a long battle of illnesses. Although we knew it was coming it did not make it any easier.
After her death I found comfort in giving back to others like my mom always did during her life. She loved to quilt and had many finished and unfinished projects.
After us each family member received a quilt I decided to call some of my moms friends to come and select one for them.
They were all moved by being able to have a part of my mom’s legacy. We also had an estate sale and donated all the proceeds to 3 different children’s hospitals in her memory. This was another rewarding experience for me.
So for Christmas I purchased 4 Open Heart pendants so that I, my daughter, my daughter-in-law and my son’s girlfriend would each have one to wear to spread the word of living with an open heart. Thanks for inspiring me to carry on the same tradition you and your Mother inspired.
Pamela,
Hammond, LA
The summer before I started my first year of college is when my Mom and I started getting really close. Perfect timing right? We get close and I have to move away.
We decided to get matching Open Heart rings to keep each other close while I’m away. Anytime I am having a bad day, needing some encouragement, or just needing to know someone is there, I can always call my Mom to talk.
The Open Heart ring makes it that much easier to remember she is always there for me. It’s almost like she isn’t just my mom anymore, she is my best friend. Leaving for college was extremely hard, but having the Open Heart ring on my finger made a little bit easier because it reminded me that I wasn’t alone.
Samantha,
Oklahoma City, OK
I have four wonderful daughters, three that were born to me, and one step-daughter. She lost her mom, at the age of three, from cancer. Growing up my daughters and our family faced much heartbreak.
My husband became disabled at the age of 33 from a work injury. He has had 18 surgeries. My sister died a tragic death and then her youngest son died in the Iraq War. At times, I felt like giving up.
Then I would look at my daughters, they loved me and depended on me to be strong. When you open your heart, love heals the hurt. As children they learned from my examples.
I did not want them to give up and close their hearts. So, now my daughters are young women, graduated from college, living on their own. They struggle because of our current economy.
I wish I could do more for them. It saddens me that I cannot shelter them from the worries of the world. Yet, I know that I have shown them by opening their hearts, love does find its way.
Debra,
Princeton, WI
MY OPEN HEART LESSON BEGAN WITH THE BIRTH OF MY SON 23YRS AGO, HE WAS BORN WITH HEART PROBLEMS, BECAUSE OF THE LACK OR OXYGEN, HE AS LEARNING DISABLITIES. LEARNING TO OPEN MY HEART AND GIVE AND GIVE HAS BEEN A LIFE EXPERIENCE.
I HAD ONE CHILD BEFORE HIM, SHE WAS FINE. BEING A MOTHER OF A DISABLIED SON IS REWARDING, I HOPE MY STORY WILL BRIGHTEN OTHER MOTHERS OF DISABLITED CHILDREN. NEVER GIVE UP, OPEN YOUR HEART IT WILL WORK OUT, THEY WILL BECOME YOUR BEST FRIEND YOUR LOVE OF YOUR LIFE.
JACKIE,
MYRTLE CREEK, OR
It was Christmas Eve of 2005 when I got a call from my grandmother in Oklahoma to tell me that my dad had had a heart attack and that he was being rushed to the hospital via ambulance.
My heart felt like it was being ripped right out of my chest! I was waiting by the phone for any news. The next call I received was from my mother calling me from my dad’s bedside about an hour later to tell me that they were going to have to take him into surgery immediately, because they did not know if he was going to make it.
The next thing I hear is my mom saying “He flat lined they are trying to bring him back”. I fell to my knees and began immediately praying, “Please Lord don’t take him from me, but if you do need him, please just let me get there to tell him goodbye”. My husband and I drove 12 hours and we were continuing to get updates along the way. My dad made it through the surgery and he is still here with me today. I kept my heart open and God blessed me abundantly. Paula West Jordan, UT
– Paula,
West Jordan, UT
Source: Keep an Open Heart
Editor’s Note: There is a lot more to read. Just visit Keep an Open Heart and you can tell your story and read others.
You can contact Mrs. Jane Seymour at keepanopenheart.com.
We would like to know what you think. dan@goldcoastchronicle.com
America Is This What We Have Come To?
By Scotty Starness
YC/Staff
May 6, 2010
The P.C. police strike again. Five Live Oak High School students were sent home due to wearing t-shirts that showed the American flag on them during…Cinco de Mayo.
Who did this upset? An assistance principle named Miguel Rodriguez.
The school administration is attempting to claim the boys wanted to ‘start a fight’ even though they were sitting around, eating their school lunch and talking among themselves.
The idiot, Miguel Rodriguez, claims he didn’t want any fights to break-out between Mexican-American students and the guys wearing the American flag t-shirts.
Why would Mexican-Americans be upset by the American flag being worn in America in an American high school?
Here’s the kicker. More than 100 students were witnessed wearing the Mexican colors of red, white and green on their shirts and some had the Mexican flag painted on their faces.
How many of these trouble-making students were sent home? ZERO!!!
I wonder if Miguel Rodriguez demanded that the school remove the American flag flying up on the flagpole that’s planted on American land.
I find it amazing that we have one group that was allowed to express their pride and first amendment rights and one group was demonized for the same thing. Land of the free, home of the politically correct.
Political correctness is what will be the downfall of America. We have to tip-toe around special interests groups due to the fear of being labeled racists or bigots. It’s time the majority spoke up and out against this blatant BS.
Martin Luther King wanted equal rights for everyone. Today, we have special rights for protected groups.
Allowing these special rights to special groups creates special problems. The school violated one group’s rights and protected the other group’s rights.
Political correctness strikes again.
Source: Scotty Starnes
Editor’s Note: We would like to know what you think. dan@youngchronicle.com
Sometimes It Takes a Picture To Get Our Attention!
By Dan Samaria
Publisher/YC
Apr. 30, 2010
I recently received this from one of my readers.
Remembering hearing a picture is worth a thousand words.
After reading this, I hope it will get people to think about how dangerous it is and what can happen when using a cell phone while driving.
We would like to know what you think. dan@goldcoastchronicle.com
This is a true story….
The Honda crotch rocket rider was traveling at approximately 85 mph.
The VW driver was talking on her new cell phone when she pulled out from a side street, apparently not seeing the motorcycle. The rider’s reaction time was not sufficient enough to avoid this accident.
While looking at these photos see if you can find the motorcycle?
The car had two passengers and the bike rider was found INSIDE the car with them.
The Volkswagen actually flipped over from the force of impact and landed 20 feet from where the collision took place.
All three involved (two in the car and the bike rider) were killed instantly.
This graphic demonstration was placed at the Motorcycle Fair by the Police and Road Safety Department…
You need to pass this on to your friends, especially those that drive cars and motorcyles.
Parents you need sit your teens down show it to them especially if they have a cell phone and will be driving for the first time.
Save a life…
Stop talking and texting on Cell phones while trying to drive.
The life you save may be your own…or mine.
Hero of the Week: Navy Ensign Zachary Eckhart
By James L. Agnew
Sheriff of Goochland County, VA
Apr. 26, 2010
Editors Note: The local newspaper, Richmond Times Dispatch, refused to run this story.
We thought this young man deserved at least this recognition. This was posted by James Agnew in Political Christian.
We would like to know what you think. dan@youngchronicle.com
On Monday, April 12, my niece, Sarah, received a call that all military spouses and family members dread. Her beloved husband, Ensign Zachary Eckhart, was missing as a result of a Navy plane crash in the mountains of northern Georgia.
Navy officials told Sarah about 9:30 that night that Zach’s plane had crashed in rugged terrain. She learned that three servicemen were confirmed dead and one was missing.
As family members received the news, we prayed fervently and searched the internet for any information about the crash, all of us holding onto the remote chance that Zach, somehow, had survived the crash.
Unfortunately, we learned the next day that all four aviators had perished in the T-39 aircraft based at the Pensacola Naval Air Station. Sarah, married for a scant 18 months to the love of her life, was devastated by the news.
Zach was an ensign in the United States Navy and he was nearing the end of his Naval Flight Officer training at Pensacola.
From the time he was a little boy, Zach wanted to be a Navy flier like his dad, Brad, a retired navy commander. Zach knew what he wanted in life and pursued it aggressively.
After high school, Zach enrolled at Virginia Tech where he majored in aerospace engineering and marched with the Highty-Tighties, the regimental band of the Corps of Cadets at Virginia Tech.
He excelled in his studies and as a leader in the Corps. He also met a fine young lady named Sarah, whom he later married in a beautiful ceremony at the War Memorial Chapel along the drill field at Tech.
On that gorgeous southwest Virginia fall Saturday, I had the pleasure of witnessing the union of two very fine young people in a simple, yet majestic military wedding.
I was struck by the camaraderie of their friends, those who had endured the rigors of the cadet corps.
They proudly wore their uniforms, some still in the uncomfortable looking cadet dress blues and others, recently graduated, in the uniforms of all of our armed services.
I was struck, too, by the memorial to the seven VA Tech graduates who had won the Medal of Honor, an enormous number from one school.
There was no doubt in my mind that Zach would uphold the honor of the Corps of Cadets and the names of those seven men on the wall of the chapel.
On Friday, we gathered with Sarah again, this time at the base chapel in Pensacola to say goodbye to Zach and the other three men who perished on the T-39.
Family members and friends from around the country; Navy, Marine and Air Force aviators; and all the members of Zach’s squadron gathered to honor the memories of these fine men and to give solace to one another.
Retired Navy Lt. Cmdr. Charles McDaniel, Marine Capt. Jason Paynter, and Marine Lt. Shawn Nice also gave their lives in the accident.
Navy and Marine speakers at the memorial service reminded us that members of our armed forces are incredibly stoic about the dangers they face.
While their mission is perilous, their job is to complete that mission despite the dangers, despite the arduous hours, despite the toll on family relationships, and despite the distance from home.
The assembled family members were stoic too; at least until a formation of Navy jets flew over us as a bugler finished “Taps”. When one of the aircraft peeled off in the missing man formation, we gasped simultaneously, and most wept openly.
While I feel a deep and intense sadness over Zach’s death, I know that he understood and accepted the risks of defending us, and I am greatly encouraged about the future of our country.
The men and women I met in Pensacola are the very best the United States has to offer.
It was an honor to have been in the presence of such fine, dedicated, and highly motivated patriots, people who consistently put themselves in harm’s way to defend the freedoms that so many of us take for granted.
My heart grieves for Sarah and Zach’s family, but I am comforted that so many young American men and women are willing to serve us. They and their families deserve our unending prayers and our undying support and respect.
Source: Political Christian
America: We Need to Pray For Alabama Judge Roy Moore
By Dan Samaria
Publisher/YC
Apr. 26, 2010
I received this e-mail from one of my readers, it was sent unnamed. We need to pass this on to all your friends. This Former Judge is a true Hero and he needs our prayers. His name is Judge Roy Moore.
We would like to know what you think. dan@youngchronicle.com
Some of you may be wondering what has happened to Alabama Judge Roy Moore since he was removed from the bench for refusing to remove the Ten Commandments from his courtroom wall?
In case you forgot he was sued by the ACLU for displaying the Ten Commandments in his Courtroom. He was stripped of his judgeship and now they are trying to strip his right to strip his right to practice law in Alabama!
Judge Moore wrote the following Poem that sums it up quite well:
America the beautiful,
or so you used to be.
Land of the Pilgrims’ pride;
I’m glad they’ll never see.
Babies piled in dumpsters,
Abortion on demand,
Oh, sweet land of liberty;
your house is on the sand.
Our children wander aimlessly
poisoned by cocaine
choosing to indulge their lusts,
when God has said abstain.
From sea to shining sea,
our Nation turns away
From the teaching of God’s love
and a need to always pray.
We’ve kept God in our
temples, how callous we have grown.
When earth is but His footstool,
and Heaven is His throne.
We’ve voted in a government
that’s rotting at the core,
Appointing Godless Judges;
who throw reason out the door.
Too soft to place a killer
in a well deserved tomb,
but brave enough to kill a baby
before he leaves the womb.
You think that God’s not
angry, that our land’s a moral slum?
How much longer will He wait
before His judgment comes?
How are we to face our God,
from whom we cannot hide?
What then is left for us to do,
but stem this evil tide?
If we who are His children,
will humbly turn and pray;
seek His holy face
and mend our evil way:
Then God will hear from Heaven;
and forgive us of our sins;
He’ll heal our sickly land
and those who live within.
But, America the Beautiful,
If you don’t – then you will see,
A sad but Holy God
withdraw His hand from Thee.
~~Judge Roy Moore~~
This says it all. May we all forward this message and offer our prayers for Judge Moore to be blessed and for America to wake up and realize what we need to do to keep OUR America the Beautiful.
Pass this on and let’s lift Judge Moore up in Prayer. He has stood firm and needs our support.
“IN GOD WE TRUST”!
White House and Obama Bring Kids to Work Day
By Natasha T. Metzler
Apr. 23, 2010
WASHINGTON – Michelle Obama told a group of curious kids visiting the White House Thursday about her daughter Malia’s most frequent question about Dad’s job: What’s he doing to help tigers?
Asked about her family’s favorite animal, the first lady said they talk about tigers at least once a week, because Malia, 11, is concerned about what President Barack Obama is doing to save the endangered animals.
“He tells her he’s working on it and there are a lot of people who are thinking about it,” she said. “But I think, the Obama household, we’re trying to save the tigers.”
Mrs. Obama spent about an hour taking queries from children of executive office employees who visited the White House for Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day.
The children asked Mrs. Obama about life in the White House, her campaign against childhood obesity, the White House garden – and whether she could make school recesses longer. She dodged that last one.
One detail she shared: The playlist on her iPod includes songs by Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, Rihanna, Beyonce, Usher and Sting.
The kids cheered an appearance by the first family’s dog, Bo, and leapt out of their seats to pet him.
The employees’ children were scheduled for a tour of the White House that included seeing a demonstration by the Secret Service, making a healthy snack with the pastry chef, visiting the White House athletic center and learning about beekeeping and composting at the first lady’s garden.
Source: Yahoo News AP
Editor’s Note: We would like to know what you think. dan@youngchronicle.com
President Adams 184 Year Old Letter Discovered
By David Abel
Apr. 21, 2010
QUINCY — Paul Hines, an assistant city solicitor, was combing through dozens of old boxes in the musty basement of City Hall, searching for records to defend the city from a lawsuit, when he made an unexpected find.
A dust-covered box in one of the 126-year-old building’s former jail cells was filled with old scrapbooks.
As Hines leafed through the brittle pages earlier this month, he came upon a letter from 1826 that addressed the burial of John Adams and his wife, Abigail, in First Parish Church across the street from City Hall.
And when he flipped over the sheet of yellowing paper with neat, cursive handwriting, Hines saw it was signed by the second president’s son, John Quincy Adams, who at the time he wrote the letter was serving as the nation’s sixth president.
“It was very exciting,’’ Hines said. “I was wondering whether anyone knew this existed, and when the last time it was seen. I thought we should take it out of those conditions, so it could be shared and preserved.’’
He immediately brought the scrapbook to Mayor Thomas Koch, and yesterday, Koch and Hines announced that the city would be sending that book and others to a company in Vermont that specializes in preserving rare books and papers.
Adams penned the letter, dated Sept. 8, 1826, two months after his father died on the young nation’s Independence Day. He was seeking permission from the supervisors of the church, which he called a “temple,’’ to bury his father and mother there.
“I have considered it a duty devolving upon me to erect a plain and modest monument to his memory: and my wish is that divested of all ostentation it may yet be as durable as the walls of the Temple to the erection of which he has contributed, and as the Rocks of his native Town which are to supply the materials for it,’’ Adams wrote.
He added: “I have many reasons for desiring that this may be undertaken without delay and . . .that both my parents may not remain for an indefinite time without a stone to tell where they lie.’’
John and Abigail Adams, as well as John Quincy and Louisa Catherine Adams, remain buried in the church today.
Ed Fitzgerald, executive director of the Quincy Historical Society, said the letter might be useful for biographers of the Adams family, because it provides rare insight into the feelings between the two presidents.
Fitzgerald also noted that Adams’s language seeking a “plain and modest monument’’ reflects the family’s New England heritage.
“We do think this is an important piece of work,’’ he said. “I think it’s reflective of New England culture, in that he wanted the monument devoid of ostentation.’’
At a City Hall press conference, Koch said about $8,000 in state historical preservation money would protect the scrapbook for years to come. He said the city has already spent tens of thousands of dollars in state funds to preserve other scrapbooks found in the basement.
Koch said the city is seeking a better place to store the remaining boxes and is considering how best to display Adams’s recently discovered letter and other historical documents.
“It’s kind of a neat day for us,’’ he said.
© Copyright 2010 Globe Newspaper Company.
Source: Boston.com
Editor’s Note: David Abel can be reached at dabel@globe.com. A letter written by President John Quincy Adams about burial plans for his father and mother was rediscovered in the basement of Quincy City Hall. (Pat Greenhouse/Globe Staff).
We would like to know what you think. dan@youngchronicle.com
Sex Offender Pleads Guilty to Killing Teens
By Emanuella Grinberg
Apr. 19, 2010
(CNN) — Calling capital punishment in California an “empty promise,” the father of murdered teen Chelsea King said he supported a deal to take death off the table for his daughter’s killer in order to bring closure to the community.
“We stand here because of a despicable evil act committed against our beautiful daughter, Chelsea, committed against our family and committed against our community,” Brent King said in a news conference Friday.
”While our unequivocal first choice is the death penalty, we acknowledge that in California that penalty has become an empty promise.”
San Diego County District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis said the family’s blessing contributed to a plea deal with registered sex offender John Gardner III in Chelsea’s death and two other cases.
Gardner, 31, pleaded guilty Friday to the murder of King, the murder of Amber Dubois, and assault with intent to commit rape of a third person.
King, 17, was last seen alive leaving Poway High School in suburban San Diego on February 25.
Her car, with her cell phone inside, was found at Rancho Bernardo Community Park, where she was known to run on the trails.
Her disappearance sparked a massive search that ended a few days later with the discovery of her remains in the park. Dubois, 14, disappeared in February 2009 while walking to school in Escondido.
She was considered a missing person for more than a year, until her remains were found in March.
Prosecutors revealed in court Friday that Gardner led authorities to Dubois’ body in exchange for assurances that it would not be used against him in court.
In exchange for his guilty pleas, Gardner is to be sentenced to two consecutive terms of life without the possibility of parole.
He also waived his right to appeals, ensuring that he will die in prison, Dumanis said at the news conference.
Superior Court Judge David Danielsen accepted the plea and scheduled sentencing for June 1. A gag order is in place until then.
The surprise change of plea came during a hearing Friday, after prosecutors charged him with murder with a special circumstance of rape for Dubois’s death.
Gardner was facing the death penalty on one charge of murder with a special circumstance of rape for King’s death.
Dressed in dark blue jailhouse garb, his wrists chained, Gardner nervously responded “yes” several times to the judge’s questioning of whether he understood his rights and was entering his plea willingly.
He cast his gaze downward as the judge read brief descriptions of how he raped and murdered Dubois and King. Gardner made no statement.
According to court documents, on February 13, 2009, Gardner abducted Dubois and brought her to a remote area of Pala, where he raped and stabbed her, and buried her in a shallow grave.
Gardner admitted to attacking King while she was running and dragging her to a remote area, the documents said.
He raped and strangled her, and also buried her body in a shallow grave.
Gardner also admitted to attacking another female on December 27, 2009, while she was running.
In a news conference after Friday’s hearing, Dubois’ father, Moe, expressed gratitude over the case’s resolution.
“As you can imagine, this turn of events in the case came as a surprise to all of us when we were informed about the details yesterday,” he said.
”As a parent I am thankful [for] the work put forth by the district attorney’s office and the defense team in coming forth with a resolution in the case and allowing us to have justice and closure for Amber’s case.”
Without the plea deal, Dumanis said her office did not have enough evidence to charge Gardner in the death of Dubois.
Her remains were not found until Gardner led authorities to her body, three days after he was charged in King’s death, Dumanis said.
“The only promise made to him in exchange for this information was that we could not use it against him in court. This was a somber decision,” the district attorney said in a press conference after Friday’s hearing, surrounded by tearful family members.
“To end the anguish of the unknown for the Dubois family and to bring Amber home, we agreed we would not use this information against Gardner in court.”
Further efforts to collect evidence linking Gardner to Dubois’ death were unsuccessful, Dumanis said, leaving her office otherwise unable to pursue charges against him — until he offered to plead guilty.
“Accepting this plea has been an extremely difficult decision. We have the evidence to pursue a murder charge against the defendant for Chelsea’s murder, but not for Amber’s murder,” she said.
“By accepting this guilty plea, we are obtaining a conviction for the murder of Amber that we otherwise would not have been able to obtain.”
The prosecutor also echoed the sentiments of King’s father on the death penalty in California, where 13 executions have been carried out since the U.S. Supreme Court reinstated capital punishment in 1976.
“Most of us realize a death sentence at this time is a hollow promise in California. Even if death was imposed, Brent, Kelly and their family would have to endure a preliminary hearing, a trial, decades of appeals and the pain of reliving the murder over and over again,” she said.
“In addition, as parents they realized what Amber’s parents were facing. Her case would have no legal closure.”
A resolution for the Dubois family also figured into the King family’s decision to support the plea, Brent King said.
“We find ourselves in a position to help give another grieving family a measure of closure. The Dubois family has been through unthinkable hell the past 14 months.
We couldn’t imagine the confession to Amber’s murder never seeing the light of day, leaving an eternal question mark,” he said.
“There’s nothing, nothing satisfying about this moment. It’s only one more unbearably painful day that we’ll have to carry in our memory as long as we live.”
Source: CNN
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