Home
Blog
Radio
Missing Persons
Crime
May 20, 2024, 07:35:09 PM
Welcome,
Guest
. Please
login
or
register
.
1 Hour
1 Day
1 Week
1 Month
Forever
Login with username, password and session length
News
:
NEW CHILD BOARD CREATED IN THE POLITICAL SECTION FOR THE 2016 ELECTION
Home
Help
Login
Register
Scared Monkeys Discussion Forum
>
Missing Persons - High Profile
>
Missing Persons - High Profile - Archives
> Topic:
Somer Renee Thompson #1 10/19/09 - 10/29/09
Pages:
«
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
»
Go Down
« previous
next »
Print
Author
Topic: Somer Renee Thompson #1 10/19/09 - 10/29/09 (Read 769392 times)
0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.
cw618
Monkey Junky
Offline
Posts: 4984
Re: Somer Renee Thompson 7 yo, Orange Park FL Last seen 10/19/09 (Body Found)
«
Reply #1480 on:
October 24, 2009, 10:20:16 PM »
kuhn flyer
http://offender.fdle.state.fl.us/offender/flyer.do?personId=36025
794.011(2)(a), 794.011(2)(b), circled in red from snip of flyer/ see below
not sure which applies, 1995 or the 2002 ruling
his victim was a female minor
what do u call it the hinky meter, mines in earthquake mode
If conviction in 1995 or later: notice the Adjudication Date
794.011(2)(a) Person 18 Or Older Commits Sexual Battery And/Or Injures Sexual Organs Of A Victim Less
Than 12
(2)(a) A person 18 years of age or older who commits sexual battery upon, or in an attempt to commit sexual
battery injures the sexual organs of, a person less than 12 years of age commits a capital felony,
punishable as provided in ss. 775.082 and 921.141.
(1) As used in this chapter:
(h) "Sexual battery" means oral, anal, or vaginal penetration by, or union with, the sexual organ of another
or the anal or vaginal penetration of another by any other object; however, sexual battery does not include
an act done for a bona fide medical purpose.
794.011(2)(b) Person Under 18 Commits Sexual Battery Upon Or Injures Sexual Organs Of A Victim Less Than 12
(2)(b) A person less than 18 years of age who commits sexual battery upon, or in an attempt to commit sexual
battery injures the sexual organs of, a person less than 12 years of age commits a life felony, punishable
as provided in s. 775.082,s. 775.083, s. 775.084, or s. 794.0115.
(1) As used in this chapter:
(h) "Sexual battery" means oral, anal, or vaginal penetration by, or union with, the sexual organ of another
or the anal or vaginal penetration of another by any other object; however, sexual battery does not include
an act done for a bona fide medical purpose.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If conviction in 2002 or later: notice the Adjudication Date
794.01 ( 8 )(b) Commits Sexual Battery; Coerces Child by Adult
( 8 ) Without regard to the willingness or consent of the victim, which is not a defense to prosecution under
this subsection, a person who is in a position of familial or custodial authority to a person less than
18 years of age and who:
(b) Engages in any act with that person while the person is 12 years of age or older but less than 18 years
of age which constitutes sexual battery under paragraph (1)(h) commits a felony of the first degree,
punishable as provided in s. 775.082, s. 775.083, or s. 775.084.
(1) As used in this section, the following definitions shall apply:
(a) "Deviate sexual intercourse" means sexual conduct between persons not married to each other consisting
of contact between the penis and the anus, the mouth and the penis, or the mouth and the vulva.
(b) "Performance" means any play, motion picture, photograph, or dance or any other visual representation
exhibited before an audience.
(c) "Promote" means to procure, manufacture, issue, sell, give, provide, lend, mail, deliver, transfer,
transmute, publish, distribute, circulate, disseminate, present, exhibit, or advertise or to offer or agree
to do the same.
(d) "Sadomasochistic abuse" means flagellation or torture by or upon a person, or the condition of being
fettered, bound, or otherwise physically restrained, for the purpose of deriving sexual satisfaction from
inflicting harm on another or receiving such harm oneself.
(e) "Sexual battery" means oral, anal, or vaginal penetration by, or union with, the sexual organ of another
or the anal or vaginal penetration of another by any other object; however, "sexual battery" does not
include an act done for a bona fide medical purpose.
(f) "Sexual bestiality" means any sexual act between a person and an animal involving the sex organ of the
one and the mouth, anus, or vagina of the other.
(g) "Sexual conduct" means actual or simulated sexual intercourse, deviate sexual intercourse, sexual
bestiality, masturbation, or sadomasochistic abuse; actual lewd exhibition of the genitals; actual physical
contact with a person's clothed or unclothed genitals, pubic area, buttocks, or, if such person is a female,
breast, with the intent to arouse or gratify the sexual desire of either party; or any act or conduct which
constitutes sexual battery or simulates that sexual battery is being or will be committed. A mother's
breastfeeding of her baby does not under any circumstance constitute "sexual conduct."
(h) "Sexual performance" means any performance or part thereof which includes sexual conduct by a child of
less than 18 years of age.
(i) "Simulated" means the explicit depiction of conduct set forth in paragraph (g) which creates the
appearance of such conduct and which exhibits any uncovered portion of the breasts, genitals, or buttocks.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
794.011(2)(b) Person Under 18 Commits Sexual Battery Upon Or Injures Sexual Organs Of A Victim Less Than 12
(2)(b) A person less than 18 years of age who commits sexual battery upon, or in an attempt to commit sexual
battery injures the sexual organs of, a person less than 12 years of age commits a life felony, punishable
as provided in s. 775.082,s. 775.083, s. 775.084, or s. 794.0115.
(1) As used in this chapter:
(h) "Sexual battery" means oral, anal, or vaginal penetration by, or union with, the sexual organ of another
or the anal or vaginal penetration of another by any other object; however, sexual battery does not include
an act done for a bona fide medical
LE might want to check him again
Edit-fix typo/smiley. MB
«
Last Edit: October 25, 2009, 11:55:03 AM by MuffyBee
»
Logged
goodmorn,goodnite, got to go, as always its been wonderful, talking with you, and most of all have a great day, and dont forget to smile
dsntslp
Scared Monkey
Offline
Posts: 343
Re: Somer Renee Thompson 7 yo, Orange Park FL Last seen 10/19/09 (Body Found)
«
Reply #1481 on:
October 24, 2009, 10:21:18 PM »
Looks like Clayton's grandfathers obit here:
http://chronicle.augusta.com/stories/042606/obi_79052.shtml
Logged
Through thick and thin, I'll stick with Tim!
cw618
Monkey Junky
Offline
Posts: 4984
Re: Somer Renee Thompson 7 yo, Orange Park FL Last seen 10/19/09 (Body Found)
«
Reply #1482 on:
October 24, 2009, 10:22:48 PM »
not sure how the smileys, got there sorry
Edit-fixed. Smileys can appear when you type a ( and then the numeral 8 next to it, without space. I went in and added a space between the ( and the 8's. MB
«
Last Edit: October 25, 2009, 11:56:38 AM by MuffyBee
»
Logged
goodmorn,goodnite, got to go, as always its been wonderful, talking with you, and most of all have a great day, and dont forget to smile
cookie
Monkey Mega Star
Offline
Posts: 15663
Re: Somer Renee Thompson 7 yo, Orange Park FL Last seen 10/19/09 (Body Found)
«
Reply #1483 on:
October 24, 2009, 10:24:16 PM »
Quote from: Brandi on October 24, 2009, 10:03:02 PM
http://www.legacy.com/gb2/default.aspx?bookid=4411066215029#
Link to Somer Thompson's guestbook.
there are a lot of entries....hopefully this will bring the family some comfort knowing that so many people care about them and their loss of Somer...makes me so sad...
Logged
dsntslp
Scared Monkey
Offline
Posts: 343
Re: Somer Renee Thompson 7 yo, Orange Park FL Last seen 10/19/09 (Body Found)
«
Reply #1484 on:
October 24, 2009, 10:26:32 PM »
Maybe it isn't his (Clayton's) grandfather, none of the other family names seem to match.
Logged
Through thick and thin, I'll stick with Tim!
cw618
Monkey Junky
Offline
Posts: 4984
Re: Somer Renee Thompson 7 yo, Orange Park FL Last seen 10/19/09 (Body Found)
«
Reply #1485 on:
October 24, 2009, 11:33:30 PM »
clayton w graham doesnt seem to be anywhere, and no warrents, at least i couldnt find a warrent
i used info circled in red from snip of flyer/ see below
zipcode search in texas nothing
https://records.txdps.state.tx.us/DPS_WEB/SorNew/PublicSite/Search/index.aspx?PageIndex=Results&SearchType=Zipcode
name search texas nothing
https://records.txdps.state.tx.us/DPS_WEB/SorNew/PublicSite/Search/index.aspx?PageIndex=Search&SearchType=Name
National search
http://www.nsopw.gov/Core/Conditions.aspx
the national search of graham clayton, takes you to this flyer,and has him listed in
in bandera tx... per fla LE
http://www.nsopw.gov/Core/ResultDetails.aspx?index=0&x=22014E3B-81D1-4183-9789-D239AE0418CC
Vehicle Information from flyer
Vehicle Make:
YAMAHA
Vehicle Type:
MOTORCYCLE
Vehicle Color:
BLACK
Vehicle Year:
1991
Vehicle Body:
MOTORCYCLE
Tag Number:
more info
http://scaredmonkeys.net/index.php?topic=6325.msg994864#msg994864
82836A
Logged
goodmorn,goodnite, got to go, as always its been wonderful, talking with you, and most of all have a great day, and dont forget to smile
Brandi
Monkey Mega Star
Offline
Posts: 25374
Re: Somer Renee Thompson 7 yo, Orange Park FL Last seen 10/19/09 (Body Found)
«
Reply #1486 on:
October 25, 2009, 02:23:20 AM »
Logged
linds1980
Scared Monkey
Offline
Posts: 144
Re: Somer Renee Thompson 7 yo, Orange Park FL Last seen 10/19/09 (Body Found)
«
Reply #1487 on:
October 25, 2009, 04:02:36 AM »
http://www.timesleader.com/news/Town_still_in_shock_over_girl_rsquo_s_slaying_10-25-2009.html
Posted: October 25
Updated: Today at 3:20 AM
Town still in shock over girl’s slaying
No one has yet come forth with information about death of 7-year-old Florida child.
RON WORD and TAMARA LUSH Associated Press Writers
ORANGE PARK, Fla. — Dozens of parents, their young children in tow, have filed past the mountainous makeshift memorial for a 7-year-old girl found slain in a landfill some 50 miles from her suburban neighborhood.
They were angry, sad and many afraid as they waited for detectives to scour the area for clues to what happened to Somer Thompson as she walked home from school Monday.
“We have to protect our children,” sobbed 37-year-old Patricia Navarro, who brought her two children, ages 9 and 16 months, to Somer’s neighborhood on Saturday morning. “We have to catch this person and put him away.”
Navarro gazed at the mountain of Hannah Montana balloons, stuffed animals and candles that have burned so long that the wax has melted into the grass.
Missing child posters featuring the slain girl’s face, framed by her thick brown bangs, still plaster nearly every utility pole along the mile-long route from her elementary school to her suburban Jacksonville home. The posters — and a large Crimestoppers signs offering rewards for tips that could solve the case — are a jarring sight amid the Little League games and Halloween decorations throughout Orange Park.
Vonda Durden, 60, visited the site from Woodbine, Ga., with her 14-year-old granddaughter.
“It’s a nice-looking neighborhood, nice houses, nice people,” she said, shaking her head. “And you can’t even let a little child walk these streets.”
Somer was last seen alive walking along the sidewalk in front of a vacant house, and authorities said they’re searching for anyone who saw what happened to the 7-year-old after that. Investigators sifted through evidence from that vacant house and the Georgia landfill where her body was found Wednesday.
So far, no witnesses have come forward to say they saw Somer attacked or abducted, Clay County Sheriff’s spokeswoman Mary Justino said.
Logged
trimmonthelake
Monkey Mega Star
Offline
Posts: 43428
Re: Somer Renee Thompson 7 yo, Orange Park FL Last seen 10/19/09 (Body Found)
«
Reply #1488 on:
October 25, 2009, 08:03:06 AM »
http://jacksonville.com/news/georgia/2009-10-25/story/memorial_for_somer_reward_money_grow
Memorial for Somer, reward money grow
More people show their love and support for the slain Orange Park girl.
* By Paul Pinkham
* Story updated at 2:26 AM on Sunday, Oct. 25, 2009
ORANGE PARK - They are trees of life. And death.
Of hopes and dreams.
Of loss and despair.
Around and taped to the two oaks across the street from Somer Renee Thompson's home is an ever-widening collection of candles, posters, balloons, flowers and hundreds of stuffed animals - a tribute to a little girl lost then found in a Georgia landfill, a life cut short by an unknown evil.
The growing memorial began shortly after the 7-year-old disappeared Monday while walking home from school with friends in her suburban neighborhood. Back then, the posters said things like "Somer Please Come Home" and "Amber Alert" - signs of hope the girl would be found.
Many of those signs are still there, but alongside are messages of despair and vengeance, of heaven and angels, that began appearing Wednesday when Somer's body was found at the Folkston, Ga., landfill where her neighborhood's trash ends up. The signs track the police investigation, from missing child to murder.
"Our Joy Left Upon This Mound." "Justice For Somer." "Whoever Did This, We Are Going To Get You."
The massive memorial is the first thing Somer's family sees when walking out the front door in the morning, the last thing before locking up at night.
It's become a gathering spot for well-wishers, reporters and the nightly vigil that has drawn perfect strangers to the spot.
Saturday night, a woman set up luminarias on the street, and a young boy handed out candles for the dozens of people gathered. Drivers in a steady stream of cars shouted "We love you."
"I haven't been able to think about anything else," said Lori Childers, who traveled from her home in Riverside to deliver a teddy bear and a card. She doesn't know Somer's family, but raised three children of her own and wanted to do what she could. She wished she could do more, like find the killer.
'We're coming for you'
Detectives have finished gathering evidence at the landfill and the vacant home near where she was last seen, police said Saturday. It is being processed by labs in Florida and Georgia.
But there was no news on whether they are any closer to identifying who killed Somer.
"We're coming for you, buddy," Somer's mother, Diena Thompson, said Saturday night after thanking those who showed up for the vigil and leading them in "You Are My Sunshine," Somer's favorite song. "Detectives are busting their ***** to find it, because it's an it."
Afterward, the gatherers, many of them children, stayed behind and sang impromptu songs of hope.
Clay County Sheriff Rick Beseler is hoping the investigation gets a boost from the Fox Television show "America's Most Wanted," which has put together a segment on Somer and is featuring the case on its Internet site. It was unclear Saturday when the TV segment would run.
And the reward pot grew as an Orange Park business owner chipped in $2,500 to the $30,000 being offered by Crime Stoppers and the Justice Coalition for information leading to a suspect. Howard Cummins of Howard Construction challenged other businesses to do the same.
Clay County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Mary Justino said investigators have received 1,100 tips, 200 of which remain active. More than 2,000 people have been contacted by investigators, and 50 have been directly interviewed.
Dominick Pape, special agent-in-charge of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement office in Jacksonville, said investigators have ruled out any connection between a reported abduction attempt Oct. 10 in the same area and Somer's Oct. 19 disappearance. He said the blue Nissan reported in that case belongs to an FDLE member who stopped to help the girl after she almost got hit by a car and stayed with her until determining she was safe.
Diena Thompson met Saturday morning with Bruce Tarkington, the pastor who will conduct Somer's funeral at First Baptist Church of Orange Park.
"They spent the morning talking about Somer ... sharing stories about her so that Pastor Tarkington could speak from his heart at the services," Justino said.
The family is asking people to bring purple balloons to release after Tuesday's funeral.
Logged
~241~ "The Longer You Love,The Longer You Live,The Stronger You Feel,The More You Can Give."
~ Peter Frampton
klaasend
Administrator
Monkey Mega Star
Offline
Posts: 74276
Re: Somer Renee Thompson 7 yo, Orange Park FL Last seen 10/19/09 (Body Found)
«
Reply #1489 on:
October 25, 2009, 09:42:13 AM »
http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2009-10-25/story/is_it_a_different_world_for_our_kids
Is it a different world for our kids?
2009: A 7-year-old Orange Park girl goes missing as she walks home from school. 1974: Five girls, ages 6-12, disappear in Jacksonville in a three-month span.
* By Mark Woods
* Story updated at 2:32 AM on Sunday, Oct. 25, 2009
Once upon a time, parents didn't have to think twice about letting their kids walk home from school or bike to the playground.
But now? It's a different world.
That's what we keep saying while trying to make sense of the senseless, the fliers with smiling young faces, the string of children we never knew but now refer to by their first names.
Maddie, Caylee, Haleigh, Christopher and now Somer.
It's a different world. More dangerous, more evil.
How can you not feel that way after what happened last week? A first-grader disappeared on her walk home from school in Orange Park. A frenetic search ensued. And then, 48 hours after Somer Thompson was last seen, came the news that sent waves of emotions - sadness, anger, fear - throughout South Georgia and North Florida.
A body was found in a landfill in Folkston.
The news spread nearly instantly, not just locally but nationally. People near and far reacted, saying it was horribly sad. Saying it was sickening. Saying it was another sign of the times, of a world that is dramatically different from the one they grew up in.
But is it?
Or does the technology of today - the 24-hour news cycle, the Internet, the Amber Alerts and sexual predator maps - make it seem different?
If you go into The Times-Union library, to the shelves where stories written before the digital age are filed alphabetically by subject, you'll find a series of manila folders labeled "MISSING PERSONS." Pull out the one from 1974-75 and you will find 70 pages of yellowed newspaper clippings.
One starts with this sentence: "In 1974, some 3,093 Duval County residents were reported to police as missing."
The story says that eventually police found 2,913 of them. Many were runaways. Some were adults. But, it becomes clear by flipping through the pages, some were neither.
Thirty-five years ago, in October 1974, the big story in Jacksonville was the ongoing search for five girls, ages 6 to 12, who had disappeared in a three-month span.
There were front pages with pictures of children, some with gap-toothed smiles, each identified by single names. Jean, Annette, Mylette, Virginia, Ann.
There were descriptions of massive searches, shocked neighborhoods and worried parents.
There were quotes from people, wondering what had happened to the world they lived in.
(snipped)
Logged
klaasend
Administrator
Monkey Mega Star
Offline
Posts: 74276
Re: Somer Renee Thompson 7 yo, Orange Park FL Last seen 10/19/09 (Body Found)
«
Reply #1490 on:
October 25, 2009, 09:44:31 AM »
http://www.news4jax.com/news/21418015/detail.html
Mother Praises Efforts To Find Killer
Investigators Complete Search Of Landfill, Vacant Home
POSTED: Sunday, October 25, 2009
UPDATED: 9:13 am EDT October 25, 2009
ORANGE PARK, Fla. -- The mother of a 7-year-old Florida girl found slain in a landfill praised the hard work of authorities combing through evidence to find clues to her daughter's killer.
"These detectives -- excuse my language -- are busting their (expletive) to find it. Because it's an it," Diena Thompson said Saturday, referring to the killer of her daughter, Somer.
Thompson spoke to dozens of mourners and supporters holding a vigil outside her home. They gathered around a huge makeshift memorial of Hannah Montana balloons, stuffed animals and candles that have burned so long that the wax has melted into the grass.
"I just want you guys to know I really do love you," Thompson said. "I can't believe the support I've been given."
Dozens of parents, their young children in tow, have filed past the memorial. Many were angry, sad and afraid as they waited for developments in the search for what happened to Somer as she walked home from Grove Park Elementary School on Monday.
Diena Thompson interview
"Tell your babies your love them. Tell your family you love them, not just your babies, everybody. Tell everybody you love them because it doesn't take but two seconds," Diena Thompson told Channel 4's Casey Black. "You can do the stranger danger -- I did do that with my kids, I told them -- but kids are going to be kids. Who knows the circumstances of how he got her to wherever he got her. It puts into light into short and you never know when it's going to be the last time."
Logged
klaasend
Administrator
Monkey Mega Star
Offline
Posts: 74276
Re: Somer Renee Thompson 7 yo, Orange Park FL Last seen 10/19/09 (Body Found)
«
Reply #1491 on:
October 25, 2009, 09:57:14 AM »
WESH has the days/dates wrong, hope it doesn't cause problems for anyone. I believe they meant Monday the 26th and Tuesday the 27th:
http://www.wesh.com/slideshow/news/21393608/detail.html
Logged
no rose colored glasses
Monkey Mega Star
Offline
Posts: 45869
Zoe you will always be in my heart and soul
Re: Somer Renee Thompson 7 yo, Orange Park FL Last seen 10/19/09 (Body Found)
«
Reply #1492 on:
October 25, 2009, 09:57:25 AM »
Thank-you for all the updates, and that is a beautiful pic of Somer, Brandi
Logged
suzyinpgh
Scared Monkey
Offline
Posts: 143
Re: Somer Renee Thompson 7 yo, Orange Park FL Last seen 10/19/09 (Body Found)
«
Reply #1493 on:
October 25, 2009, 10:12:15 AM »
I hope they find her book bag and lunch box, they could have the perps fingerprints on them. Maybe there is also some evidence under her finger nails. I'm hoping they have something rock solid to get the rotten ba$++++.
Logged
klaasend
Administrator
Monkey Mega Star
Offline
Posts: 74276
Re: Somer Renee Thompson 7 yo, Orange Park FL Last seen 10/19/09 (Body Found)
«
Reply #1494 on:
October 25, 2009, 11:50:57 AM »
Quote from: suzyinpgh on October 25, 2009, 10:12:15 AM
I hope they find her book bag and lunch box, they could have the perps fingerprints on them. Maybe there is also some evidence under her finger nails. I'm hoping they have something rock solid to get the rotten ba$++++.
Me too
Logged
Fanny Mae
Monkey Mega Star
Offline
Posts: 16655
Re: Somer Renee Thompson 7 yo, Orange Park FL Last seen 10/19/09 (Body Found)
«
Reply #1495 on:
October 25, 2009, 11:55:16 AM »
Sad...sad...it is all just so sad.
Logged
Jesus loves the little children, all the children in the world.
Red and yellow, black and white, they are precious in his sight. Jesus loves the little children of the world.
Words: C. Herbert Woolston (1856-1927) Music: George F. Root (1820-1895)
Heart
Monkey All Star Jr.
Offline
Posts: 7717
Re: Somer Renee Thompson 7 yo, Orange Park FL Last seen 10/19/09 (Body Found)
«
Reply #1496 on:
October 25, 2009, 12:29:00 PM »
Investigators Continue Work Sunday On Somer Thompson Case
Mike Lyons Created: 10/25/2009 8:57:45 AM Updated: 10/25/2009 10:34:48 AM
ORANGE PARK, FL -- Investigators from the Child Abduction Response Team continue to follow up on tips and leads on the Somer Thompson case Sunday. More than 1,150 calls from citizens from all across the United States have been received.
Members of the Clay County Sheriff's Office, FDLE, FBI, U.S. Marshall's Service and many more are actively vetting each working lead says Sheriff's Office spokesperson Mary Justino.
" It is undoubtedly a day of somber reflection and prayer in many Clay County households and churches", says Justino.
There are two major community events in the area this afternoon to help raise funds for the family. One event will. be on the grounds of the Orange Park Town Hall located at Park Avenue and Kingsley Avenue in Orange Park from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The other event will be held from 1-4 p.m. on the property of the Tutor Time business located at Hodges Boulevard at JTB Blvd.
There is also a charity pool tournament for Somer Thompson's family at Solids and Stripes Billards at 175-5 Blanding Blvd, 1/4 mile past the OP Mall). It will be held at 2 p.m. Call 272-7799 for more information. All proceeds will be presented to the family on Monday.
Interested persons can still contribute to the reward funds
http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/local/news-article.aspx?storyid=147164&catid=3
Logged
Heart
Heart
Monkey All Star Jr.
Offline
Posts: 7717
Re: Somer Renee Thompson 7 yo, Orange Park FL Last seen 10/19/09 (Body Found)
«
Reply #1497 on:
October 25, 2009, 01:13:49 PM »
Long before killing of Somer Thompson, Tampa Bay parents feared letting kids walk to school alone
By Tom Marshall, Times Staff Writer
In Print: Friday, October 23, 2009
Some take the bus home, others get driven by their parents or walk.
But you won't see many kids leaving Cannella Elementary School alone. It just doesn't happen. Not anymore.
"I see parents walking with their children in the morning and the afternoon," said parent Rhonda Hodgdon, whose 11-year-old son attended the school in suburban North Tampa last year. "We're almost shocked when we see a kid by themselves."
Tampa Bay parents and teachers say the days of kids walking alone to school ended long before the death of 7-year-old Somer Thompson, who left her school in Orange Park on Monday and never got home. Her body was found two days later in a Georgia landfill.
Districts and families have been raising their guard at least since the death of Jessica Lunsford, whose 2005 kidnapping and murder in Homosassa prompted new security measures in schools.
These days, if students must travel by foot, they do so in watchful packs. Schools have coached them since the early grades on what to do if a strange adult approaches, said Cannella guidance counselor Gigi Gregory.
"Run," she said. "Run like the dickens. Run to your neighbors, or run to a house."
Cannella kids aren't even allowed to travel from their classrooms to the school library alone.
"I can tell you if we saw a really young student walking home alone, we would definitely do something about it," Gregory said.
Parents say they're all too familiar with the state Web site that finds 73 sexual offenders or predators living within 3 miles of Somer Thompson's school in Orange Park, a Jacksonville suburb. No suspects have been found in Somer's death, but Clay County Sheriff Rick Beseler said Thursday that police have questioned more than 155 registered sex offenders in the surrounding area so far.
The number of offenders near Somer's school isn't unusual, even for middle-income neighborhoods like North Tampa, Land O'Lakes and Dunedin. There are 58 offenders living near Cannella Elementary, 24 near Lake Myrtle Elementary in sparsely populated Pasco County, and 110 living within 3 miles of Dunedin Elementary in Pinellas.
"I basically look it up online myself," said Bonnie Desmond, whose children attend Dunedin elementary and middle schools.
She moved to the town to put her kids within a few blocks of school after losing bus service in Clearwater. They walk to school with a large group of kids and get picked up in the afternoon by teenage siblings.
"There's a serious concern whenever your kids are out of your sight," Desmond said.
Parent Karen Mariscal had no idea there were so many sexual offenders in the area surrounding her daughter's school. But she always drives 7-year-old Hannah to Dunedin Elementary, just to keep her safe.
"I see those little kids walking home all the time by themselves and I wonder, 'How can those parents let them do that?' " Mariscal said. "Anything could happen."
Pasco guidance counselor John Thomas said teachers at Lake Myrtle Elementary constantly teach students about "stranger danger" and the need to be careful between home and school.
But Carol Conaway, a vice president of the Florida PTA , said schools need to prepare kids for threats closer to home, too.
"The majority of children are not hurt by a stranger," she said. "Much more frequently, the perpetrator is someone they know."
The Tampa Police Department assigns two detectives to a unit charged with keeping track of sexual offenders and predators in the city, said spokeswoman Andrea Davis. ("Predator'' usually refers to a severe or repeat sex offender.)
She said school resource officers go out of their way to notify parents and teachers when a predator arrives in the neighborhood. But not every offender on the state's Web site poses a threat to children.
"Most offenders and predators who have targeted children, they're not going to be allowed to live near a bus stop or school," Davis said.
Still, some neighborhoods are tougher than others. Last year Rhonda Hodgdon had to move her son 4 miles across Tampa from Cannella to Oak Grove Elementary on N Armenia Avenue.
In doing so, she moved him from a neighborhood with 58 sexual offenders to one with 235.
On Thursday, for the first time ever, she let her 11-year-old walk home on his own.
"And of course I'm standing out there watching for him," Hodgdon said. "It's literally not a full block away, but you still watch. Because you just don't feel safe."
http://www.tampabay.com/news/education/k12/long-before-killing-of-somer-thompson-tampa-bay-parents-feared-letting/1046171
Logged
Heart
Brandi
Monkey Mega Star
Offline
Posts: 25374
Re: Somer Renee Thompson 7 yo, Orange Park FL Last seen 10/19/09 (Body Found)
«
Reply #1498 on:
October 25, 2009, 02:09:18 PM »
Quote from: no rose colored glasses on October 25, 2009, 09:57:25 AM
Thank-you for all the updates, and that is a beautiful pic of Somer, Brandi
Thank you. I like to think of it as a tribute to her life. I prefer celebrating the life of a deceased one, rather than dwell on the death in sadness.
That's why my images are usually colorful and happy.
It may not be the way others feel.
Logged
cw618
Monkey Junky
Offline
Posts: 4984
Re: Somer Renee Thompson 7 yo, Orange Park FL Last seen 10/19/09 (Body Found)
«
Reply #1499 on:
October 25, 2009, 04:09:35 PM »
Quote
Edit-fixed. Smileys can appear when you type a ( and then the numeral 8 next to it, without space. I went in and added a space between the ( and the 8's. MB
thanks, and thanks for the other mess ups u fixed, good mod u r
have some info on 1080 gano, and an idea
http://www.realtor.com/property-detail/1080-Gano-Ave_Orange-Park_FL_32073_b0aaed03
Property Information for 1080 Gano AveProperty Features Financial History
Single Family Residence
Year Built: 1960
3 Bedrooms
1 Bathrooms
Approximately 1,440 Sq Ft
Lot size: 20,691 Sq Ft
Stories: 1
County: Clay
Roof type: Asphalt
Source: Public Records Last sold for $120,100 on 4/25/2005
Last assessed at $95,533 on 2008
Previous sales
$120,100 on 4/25/2005
Previous assessments
$95,533 on 2008
$97,616 on 2007
$95,209 on 2006
my idea not sure i should, but anyway, was thinking of mentioning this to LE
a buddy i fish with, called an was asking, how to upload the fish pic, i took with
his phone last sat. i didnt know how , while he was fiddling with the pic, he zoomed
in, and he noticed that 2 people seem to be arguing in the back ground, asked me if i knew that, no i didnt notice that. anyway long story short
wonder if someone caught something on their phone,and are not aware they did
people are always taking pics of kids ya know
Logged
goodmorn,goodnite, got to go, as always its been wonderful, talking with you, and most of all have a great day, and dont forget to smile
Pages:
«
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
»
Go Up
Print
Scared Monkeys Discussion Forum
>
Missing Persons - High Profile
>
Missing Persons - High Profile - Archives
> Topic:
Somer Renee Thompson #1 10/19/09 - 10/29/09
« previous
next »
Jump to:
Please select a destination:
-----------------------------
FORUM RULES
-----------------------------
=> Forum Rules and Tips
-----------------------------
Polls, Polls and more Polls
-----------------------------
=> Missing Persons Polls
=> Current Events/News Polls
=> Crime and Trial Polls
=> Just For Fun Polls
-----------------------------
Missing Persons - High Profile
-----------------------------
=> Missing Persons High Profile
===> Dylan Redwine, 13yrs old, last seen 11/19/12, Vallecito, CO
===> Kyron Horman - Portland Oregon
===> Caylee Marie Anthony - Florida (BODY FOUND)
=====> Caylee's Law - by State
=======> Caylee's Law - text
=======> ALABAMA
=======> ALASKA
=======> ARIZONA
=======> ARKANSAS
=======> CALIFORNIA
=======> COLORADO
=======> CONNECTICUT
=======> DELAWARE
=======> DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
=======> FLORIDA
=======> GEORGIA
=======> HAWAII
=======> IDAHO
=======> ILLINOIS
=======> INDIANA
=======> IOWA
=======> KANSAS
=======> KENTUCKY
=======> LOUISIANA
=======> MAINE
=======> MARYLAND
=======> MASSACHUSETTS
=======> MICHIGAN
=======> MINNESOTA
=======> MISSISSIPPI
=======> MISSOURI
=======> MONTANA
=======> NEBRASKA
=======> NEVADA
=======> NEW HAMPSHIRE
=======> NEW JERSEY
=======> NEW MEXICO
=======> NEW YORK
=======> NORTH CAROLINA
=======> NORTH DAKOTA
=======> OHIO
=======> OKLAHOMA
=======> OREGON
=======> PENNSYLVANIA
=======> PUERTO RICO
=======> RHODE ISLAND
=======> SOUTH CAROLINA
=======> SOUTH DAKOTA
=======> TENNESSEE
=======> TEXAS
=======> UTAH
=======> VERMONT
=======> VIRGINIA
=======> WASHINGTON
=======> WEST VIRGINIA
=======> WISCONSIN
=======> WYOMING
=====> Caylee Marie Anthony Murder Trial Archives
===> Sierra Lamar, 15yrs old, Morgan Hill, CA Missing Since March 16, 2012
===> JO ANN (JODIE) BAIN AND 3 DAUGHTERS MISSING 4/27/2012(2 murdered 2 safe)
===> Isabel Mercedes Celis, 6 yrs old missing 4/21/12 Tucson, AZ (Body Found)
===> Jennifer Kesse - Orlando/Ocoee, Florida
===> Susan Powell 28yrs old, missing 12/6/09 West Valley City, Utah
===> Michelle Loree Parker, Last Seen 11/17/11, Orlando, FL
===> Celina Cass, 11yrs old missing 7/25/11 New Hampshire
===> Aliayah Lunsford, 3yrs old, Weston, West VA, missing since 9/24/2011
===> Lisa Irwin, 10mo old missing since 10/4/2011 KC, MO
===> Robyn Gardner missing in Aruba August 2, 2011
=> Missing Persons - High Profile - Archives
-----------------------------
Virginia Area Missing and Murdered - possible connections
-----------------------------
=> Morgan Dana Harrington, 20yrs missing VA Tech 10/17/09(BODY FOUND)
=> Hannah Elizabeth Graham missing since 9/13/14 Charlottesville, VA
=> Alexis Murphy, missing since 8/3/13 Charlottesville, VA
=> Samantha Ann Clarke 19yrs. old Orange Va. Last seen 09/13/10
=> Dashad Sage Smith missing since 11/20/12 Charlottesville, VA
=> Cassandra Morton 23, Lynchburg, missing 10/10/09 body found 11/29/09
-----------------------------
High Profile Crimes and Trials (not missing persons)
-----------------------------
=> Jodi Arias trial - for the murder of Travis Alexander
=> Trial of George Zimmerman - 2nd Degree Murder of 17yr old Trayvon Martin
=> Scott Peterson Appeal of Murder Conviction
-----------------------------
Missing, Exploited and True Crime
-----------------------------
=> Missing Exploited and True Crime
===> Missing Persons Forum
=====> Missing Found or Presumed Deceased
=====> Missing Found Safe
=====> Missing Endangered Runaways
=====> Resourses, Search Groups and Fundraisers
===> Crimes Against Children, Elderly and the Disabled
===> Crimes of Passion/Anger
===> Serial Killers and Their Possible Victims
===> Unsolved Crimes
=====> Finally Solved
===> Haleigh Marie Cummings - Florida
===> Adji Desir - Florida
===> Somer Renee Thompson 7 yo, Orange Park FL 10/19/09(BODY FOUND)
===> Tracy Ocasio - Orlando/Ocoee, Florida
===> Shaniya Nicole Davis, 5 Fayetteville, NC Missing 11/10/09(BODY FOUND)
===> Holly Bobo, 20yrs old missing Parsons, TN 4/13/11
===> Hailey Dunn - 13yrs old - Colorado City, TX missing 12/27/10 (Body Found)
===> Elizabeth Olten - 9yrs, Jefferson City, MO missing 10/21/09 (BODY FOUND)
===> Lindsey Baum - McCleary, WA 6/26/09
===> Amber Leeanne Dubois 14yrs old - Escondido, CA(BODY FOUND)
===> Chelsea King, 17, Missing 2-25-2010 Rancho Bernadino CA (BODY FOUND)
===> Sandra Cantu, 8 years old - Tracy, CA(BODY FOUND)
===> Madeleine McCann - Portugal
===> Christine Marie Sheddy - missing since 11/13/2007 - Maryland(BODY FOUND)
===> Nevaeh Amyah Buchanan 5yr Monroe Michigan(BODY FOUND)
===> Gabriel Johnson 8 mo., last seen 12/26/09 Tempe AZ-San Antonio TX
===> Stacy Ann Peterson missing & Kathleen Savio murdered - Illinois
===> Zahra Clare Baker - 10yrs old Hickory, NC (Body Found)
-----------------------------
Natalee Holloway
-----------------------------
=> Natalee Holloway
=> Important Case Documents
===> Joran Statements/PV's
===> Paulus Statements/PV's
===> Deepak Statements/PV's
===> Satish Statements/PV's
===> Misc Statements/PV's
=> LCD Archive
=> Shango/Simian and other Codetalkers
-----------------------------
Current Events and Musings
-----------------------------
=> Monkey Musings / Open Discussion
=> Pop Culture Main
===> Hugely Popular TV Shows
===> Movies and Television
===> Social Media
===> Music
===> Books
===> Scared Monkeys Radio with Dana Pretzer
=> Health and Medical Issues
=> Food and Product Recalls
=> News of the Day
=> Business News
=> Sports
=> Political Forum
=> Religion (discussion and debate)
-----------------------------
The Monkey Lounge
-----------------------------
=> The Monkey Lounge
===> Fashion & Decorating
===> What's Cooking? Recipes
===> Games
=> Inspirational
===> Memorial - Gone but Never Forgotten
===> Gratefulness - Light a Candle in Prayer
===> Inspirational scriptures, songs, stories and prayers
-----------------------------
Natalee Discussions (2005 ARCHIVE)
-----------------------------
=> Natalee Holloway
=> Theory and Speculation
=> Links and References Only
=> Natalee Breaking News Archive
-----------------------------
General Discussions (2005 ARCHIVE)
-----------------------------
=> News Issues
=> Chit Chat
Loading...