Mercyneal--I'm following the Mohler case through the system. Along with that, I've been paying close attention to arrests for sexual abuse and child




in the Kansas City/Independence area. It seems as if LE been extremely busy. I have been shocked at the speed of some convictions--albeit ones where the perp pleads guilty. There is one man, though, Martin Cordry, who was arrested in December 2008 but not even indicted until March 2010. I don't get it.
http://www.justice.gov/usao/mow/news2010/cordry.ind.htm
Another thought on the pleas. I'm finding that prosecutors--both state and federal--seem to be using the rationale of preventing a victim from having to testify in allowing a quick plead. This "closes the case" a bit too fast IMO. There's very little media coverage--sometimes only a press release. Because of this, other victims and the general public are rarely made aware of the charges. The pleas also allow for far shorter prison terms. I'm just not certain that this is the correct approach for pedophiles. I wish they'd have no choice but to go through the messy trial, hard as this is on many victims. JMO
I was especially surprised to see one of our local DA's comment to the press on the day James Auchincloss was arraigned. Mr. Auchincloss is a bit of a local "celebrity" as he is Jackie Kennedy Onassis' half brother. He and a couple of his friends were found to have a large amount of child




of little boys. When questioned outside the courtroom at the arraignment, the DA said that their office would consider a plea from Mr. Auchincloss:
http://www.mailtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090923/NEWS/909230329
"It's possible that the Jackson County District Attorney's Office and Caplan will strike a plea deal before the pre-trial conference, in which case the case would not go to trial, Deputy District Attorney David Hoppe said.
Hoppe said it's unclear whether an agreement would be reached, or whether either party would seek one out...."
another link about the indictment and facts of the case:
http://www.mailtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090826/NEWS/908260319/-1/NEWSMAP
I can't tell you how concerned I am about this case, on many levels. The man only lives a few blocks away from me and his attorney, Carl Caplan, represented our children's rapist (you can see his photo at the first link). Still, I have no new information since this hit the press last year. It's a well-reported fact that Mr. Auchincloss had photos of local boys in his possession. I live nearby and have nine sons. I would very much like more than a short and sweet article stating that Mr. Auchincloss has pleaded guilty to two counts and accepted 2 years of probation (or some such sentence).