Found Safe TN - SLP, 14, Madisonville, Monroe County, 13 Jan 2019 #4 *ARRESTS*

[MCDRAW]

Just throwing my two cents in -

But I think there is 0% chance BTR is a good Samaritan. He lied to the police. He hid SP from his mom. He kept the tape for himself. I also think it is suspicious that he 'bonded' with SP so quickly while talking to her online. Most thrity-somethings aren't interested in getting to know or chatting with someone so much younger online that she would have time to build trust in him.

Thank you! I agree.

 

[Jim_M]

Sometimes even moving from one county to another within the state causes issues. That’s what’s happening here in Kansas a lot .

Lucas Ugh ... he’s what brought me here. We are coming on the year anniversary. Never forgotten baby boy.

Lucas's sweet smile despite all the pain he endured still makes me very emotional.

That is amazing. A year coming up. Very sad. 9/11 will mark 18 years in 2019.

 

[MsMarple]

Criminal complaint
Delete if I overlooked it.

WARNING GRAPHIC

As horrible as it is, thank you for the pdf of the complaint. I've been out of town so I'm just catching up.

It makes perfect sense now - I couldn't figure out why the person harboring SLP didn't immediately come forward if they had possession of an incriminating video. Ugh.

IMO - and I'm still behind - it's crystal clear that Rogers had an agenda that did not include helping or "saving" SLP. I do wonder if, beyond his own prurient wants, if he had something in mind. By that I mean selling the video, either to a media outlet or worse, some online freak site.

Whatever, I can see how SLP fell into the hands of yet another predator; that's all she's ever known - being preyed upon - and by all appearances she learned that no one believed her. So enter a "kind" ear and all hell ensues. MOO.

Back to catching up...

 

[Jim_M]

RSBM

IMO - and I'm still behind - it's crystal clear that Rogers had an agenda that did not include helping or "saving" SLP. I do wonder if, beyond his own prurient wants, if he had something in mind. By that I mean selling the video, either to a media outlet or worse, some online freak site.

Whatever, I can see how SLP fell into the hands of yet another predator; that's all she's ever known - being preyed upon - and by all appearances she learned that no one believed her. So enter a "kind" ear and all hell ensues. MOO.

Back to catching up...

BBM inside quote
Someone correct me if I'm wrong. LE should have 3 'files' for the video, right? The one would be on SLP's 'destroyed' phone. The second would be on BDR's phone. And the third would be on BDR's laptop.

Now, have they been able to ascertain the location of, and recover, SLP's phone(s)? Would they (LE) inform us in either event, finding or not finding the phone(s)?

I sincerely hope that these video files remain securely locked up. Perhaps destroyed once the trials conclude. That would help eliminate further harm coming to SLP. IMO she does not need any more horror.

 

[MsMarple]

BBM inside quote
Someone correct me if I'm wrong. LE should have 3 'files' for the video, right? The one would be on SLP's 'destroyed' phone. The second would be on BDR's phone. And the third would be on BDR's laptop.

Now, have they been able to ascertain the location of, and recover, SLP's phone(s)? Would they (LE) inform us in either event, finding or not finding the phone(s)?

I sincerely hope that these video files remain securely locked up. Perhaps destroyed once the trials conclude. That would help eliminate further harm coming to SLP. IMO she does not need any more horror.

Good point - does LE have SLP's "smashed" phone? So far we don't know, right?

Also, just thinking... if BDR uploaded the video somewhere nefarious then the LE/Feds will certainly know. Hopefully he was caught before he did anything (other than using it for his own purposes). Bleagh.

 

[Jo in Calif]

IIRC she emailed the video to him so they would not need her phone it would be in her email to his email. I don't believe she texted it to him.

BBM inside quote
Someone correct me if I'm wrong. LE should have 3 'files' for the video, right? The one would be on SLP's 'destroyed' phone. The second would be on BDR's phone. And the third would be on BDR's laptop.

Now, have they been able to ascertain the location of, and recover, SLP's phone(s)? Would they (LE) inform us in either event, finding or not finding the phone(s)?

I sincerely hope that these video files remain securely locked up. Perhaps destroyed once the trials conclude. That would help eliminate further harm coming to SLP. IMO she does not need any more horror.

 

[Forpsy]

Good point - does LE have SLP's "smashed" phone? So far we don't know, right?

Also, just thinking... if BDR uploaded the video somewhere nefarious then the LE/Feds will certainly know. Hopefully he was caught before he did anything (other than using it for his own purposes). Bleagh.

RE SLP's smashed phone
Would the very act of smashing it destroy LE's ability to track the phone for location?

 

[Jo in Calif]

I think they tracked his location from the ip address on his email address. She emailed the video to him.

RE SLP's smashed phone
Would the very act of smashing it destroy LE's ability to track the phone for location?

 

[Forpsy]

I think they tracked his location from the ip address on his email address. She emailed the video to him.

I mean in general though. If someone grabs me and smashes my phone and then takes me and my smashed phone with them, can they still track my location?

 

[Eleanor Rigby]

That was my point earlier, though. In many cases the law doesn't cover what happens "next" after the teacher reports it to their superior. You would think that means that there is a chain of accountability there that is ongoing, but I am not so sure. Granted, my situation occurred in the earliest days of mandated reporting being brand new; it was right on the heels of the Lisa Steinberg tragedy. But as I read through the post with several states' laws, I honestly did not see anything that differentiated them from the law that in place back then. Is it poor training then or is it a loophole in the law that allows for the chain to be broken?

When I was teaching, I witnessed some troubling behavior by a young child that I discussed with the school principal. She told me she would report it; however, unbeknownst to us, the law had recently changed to require that only the adult witness could report the suspected abuse, and it had to be done by phone rather than written report. Of course, I made the call, and then followed up to find out that it had been investigated with a home visit. I was so glad to be able to have had the direct contact and to know that the information had gotten to the child protection workers and they had followed through with it. IMO, this is a good method that gives the teacher / witness peace of mind, and, most importantly, the best result for the child. I'm very sad to think that SLP could have been one of the children that the system failed.

 

[human]

That's the sticky wicket isn't it? Not sure there is any viable solution to this as the toothpaste is out of tube. On the one hand you don't want to deprive a child of the vast information store of the net but on the other hand it's a fire hose of good, bad and downright deadly.

I grew up in a time when there was no internet and having one landline phone in the house was not something all families had. My home life wasn't good so riding my bicycle to the public library and perusing the stacks was a magical experience. I'm probably not saying anything that hasn't been said on this forum a thousand times. It's just so frustrating seeing variations of this same type of scenario play out over and over again.

Years ago I read the book Silicon Valley Snake Oil by a early computer expert. He said kids could learn more talking with their aunt on the front porch.

Bill Gates and Silicon Valley parents severely limit their children’s use of electronics.

In SLP’s situation, there was no one to guide her with electronics. With other kids, a three dimensional learning world is critical to learning

 

[human]

That was my point earlier, though. In many cases the law doesn't cover what happens "next" after the teacher reports it to their superior. You would think that means that there is a chain of accountability there that is ongoing, but I am not so sure. Granted, my situation occurred in the earliest days of mandated reporting being brand new; it was right on the heels of the Lisa Steinberg tragedy. But as I read through the post with several states' laws, I honestly did not see anything that differentiated them from the law that in place back then. Is it poor training then or is it a loophole in the law that allows for the chain to be broken?

In MN, the person who witnesses or is told of the abuse must report to child protection. You do not report to anyone else.

And I found that you must be very insistent. In MN, the average length that a child protection worker stays at the job is two years.

 

[human]

Sorry, but that is just not how most of the state laws are written. It is how most people's perception of mandated reporting is but it is not how it truly is. Most administrators want to at least have a heads up before LE or CPS is called. As a young teacher, if I had called CPS without consulting my principal I would have lost my job.

If a teacher reports abuse to a principal and the principal fails to further the report, the teacher is not responsible, the way most state laws are written. Under the law, the teacher is responsible for notifying the superior and it goes from there. Again, I understand the perception but then there is reality.

In MN, the person who witnesses or is told of the abuse reports directly to Child Protection. Telling your principal does not count

 

[gngr~snap]

It's been 10 yrs since I worked in pediatrics. When a Pediatrician found signs of abuse, they brought the chart to us to call DFACS!
Our "superiors" NEVER made the call.
I guess schools and Pediatric Offices do things very differently.
I will say it felt "odd" reporting abuse of a child by reading it from a chart and not actually laying eyes on that child myself.
I did what I was told to do.
In most of the cases the child was admitted to the hospital and a follow up was done 100% of the time.
There were a few where x rays proved the parents story to be untrue, in those cases a LE officer was sent to pick up the child and deliver him to the ER!
MOO

 

[Eleanor Rigby]

In MN, the person who witnesses or is told of the abuse reports directly to Child Protection. Telling your principal does not count

That was my experience also, but in a different upper Midwest state. Like with so many other things, maybe there are regional differences in the laws regarding the reporting of suspected child abuse or neglect by school staff. JMO.

 

[StarEyes]

Criminal complaint
Delete if I overlooked it.

WARNING GRAPHIC

That’s the first time I’ve read the criminal complaint by the FBI agent. I feel so much deep sorrow for SLP and some mean rage and disgust towards RP. I also canNOT believe her Mom didn’t believe her. Wtf! SLP has so much courage. She was failed miserably.

As far as BDR, idek. He did tell the FBI agent that he had the video. Did he not hand the agent his phone/computer and show him the file and let the agent have it? Why wouldn’t the agent want it right then? Maybe I’m confused on that. I know the FBI returned that evening and found SLP. I can’t determine if BDR had nefarious intent, tbh. I’m very conflicted on that. I’m so happy he went and got SLP. I’m just not sure why there wasn’t a plan to take her and the video to the police within a day or so, once she was safely away from RP. Could things have went sideways, and end up placing her back home with RP....idk. The Good Ol’ Boys Club is alive and strong here in the south. It can be daunting to be believed as a woman. Idk anything about the TN police in that area and how convincing RP could be to wiggle out of it. You’d think the video would be an irrefutable nail in his coffin, but I can see it being pegged as fake and sending SLP right back home with him. I can see where she’d feel that it was too great a risk for her. Especially at 14, if your Mom doesn’t even believe you..... It’d mess with your mind.

All of the above is me thinking out loud, my experiences and is ONLY JMO.

 

[Curiousobserver]

The actions of this man are repulsive. He is 31 and engaging with a teenage girl online, whom he is more than twice the age of. After she confides to him that she is being raped, he persuades her to get a video of the rape rather than contacting authorities right then and there. He then tells her to send him the video instead of reporting it to LE or social services. Pretty telling that he wanted that video for his own gratification, especially since he never turned it over to anyone IMO. He then drives 1400 miles to stash her away in a basement in Wisconsin. At no point during any of this does he reach out to LE. What reasonable and prudent adult would take any of these actions? He obviously had an agenda of his own. And if I am wrong here and his underlying motives were somehow not nefarious, then he's one of the most ignorant people that I've ever heard or read about.

It would be interesting to see/hear from his teachers and friends. He might not be too bright, at least not bright enough to have thought this through and have an agenda. I mean he is 31 and living in his mom's basement playing video games, not a hedge fund manager.

 

[Quill]

In MN, the person who witnesses or is told of the abuse reports directly to Child Protection. Telling your principal does not count

Edited to add: I'm going to ask some teacher friends (next chance I get) what exactly their current protocol is. Of course, I now live in a different state/region than I did back when I taught, but I do believe the state law is similar. The laws I have read all "read" the same and I did a little digging last night, but the protocols surely have evolved with time.

Edited again: I am finding that many of the state law's still read with the original text that I remember, but protocols have (thankfully) changed, at least in the state I originally taught in as well as the state I live in. The wording in the state laws was what really threw me. Having been in that situation in the past where the principal didn't want to make "trouble", I always felt that the policies were counter- productive to the law. I'm always glad for an opportunity to learn and researching this has been interesting, to say the least. I'm also glad that many teachers now have the states behind them in making that report personally.

 

[MsBetsy]

In MN, the person who witnesses or is told of the abuse reports directly to Child Protection. Telling your principal does not count

Yes, I believe it's like that everywhere. There can be precious time wasted if it's not reported immediately.
You do not have to go to an administrator or fill out any paperwork.
In fact you are required to call, fax, or email the hotline as soon as abuse is suspected.
As a teacher you can inform an administrator afterwards. Imo

 

[insearchoflight]

That’s the first time I’ve read the criminal complaint by the FBI agent. I feel so much deep sorrow for SLP and some mean rage and disgust towards RP. I also canNOT believe her Mom didn’t believe her. Wtf! SLP has so much courage. She was failed miserably.

As far as BDR, idek. He did tell the FBI agent that he had the video. Did he not hand the agent his phone/computer and show him the file and let the agent have it? Why wouldn’t the agent want it right then? Maybe I’m confused on that. I know the FBI returned that evening and found SLP. I can’t determine if BDR had nefarious intent, tbh. I’m very conflicted on that. I’m so happy he went and got SLP. I’m just not sure why there wasn’t a plan to take her and the video to the police within a day or so, once she was safely away from RP. Could things have went sideways, and end up placing her back home with RP....idk. The Good Ol’ Boys Club is alive and strong here in the south. It can be daunting to be believed as a woman. Idk anything about the TN police in that area and how convincing RP could be to wiggle out of it. You’d think the video would be an irrefutable nail in his coffin, but I can see it being pegged as fake and sending SLP right back home with him. I can see where she’d feel that it was too great a risk for her. Especially at 14, if your Mom doesn’t even believe you..... It’d mess with your mind.

All of the above is me thinking out loud, my experiences and is ONLY JMO.

BBM

Investigators found the file on SP’s gmail account, which led them to arrest RP. Then they tracked down BDR through his email address because SP had emailed him the video. So he (BDR) wasn’t the one to turn in the video. They found the video in his possession after his arrest.

Sexual Exploitation Charges in Missing Tennessee Teen Case