Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont(BODY FOUND)

[2NJSons_Mom]

And in addition, the 14 year old was identified as a relation to Jacques & Brooke, but I do not believe it has been reported that she is Denise's daughter....I could be wrong about this, though.

[Sea Searcher]

A police timeline for anyone interested..

I'm reading between the lines and I think there's a lot more info still to come out..
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Times Argus
This is a printer friendly version of an article from www.timesargus.com
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Article published Jul 5, 2008
Details in police's case reveal chilling, devious planning by victim's uncle

By Daniel Barlow Vermont Press Bureau

MONTPELIER – When Brooke Bennett's face became known across Vermont last week, it was as a missing 12-year-old girl from Braintree and the focus of the state's first Amber Alert.

Speculation was that she had run off with someone from the Internet. But soon police began conducting what appeared to be a recovery operation and a missing girl case unfolded to reveal allegations of repeated sexual assaults against children.

The following timeline of the case begins with the earliest known e-mails made public by police between Michael Jacques, Bennett's uncle who is now accused of kidnapping her, and a juvenile female that he had allegedly groomed for sex and used as an accomplice in Bennett's disappearance.

The timeline concludes with the discovery of Bennett's body Wednesday and police charging her uncle with her abduction.

Information presented in the timeline is compiled from police reports, police statements, court documents and various news reports on the case over the last 10 days. Many of the claims contained in the timeline are still alleged acts and have not been proven in court.


May 8:

Michael Jacques, posing as a man known as "E" and using an e-mail address referencing a Chevy Truck, sends an e-mail to a juvenile female, whom police say Jacques has been sexually abusing for several years. "E" claims to be hunting wild zebra in Africa and expresses strong romantic love for the juvenile female.

12:28 p.m.: The girl responds, stating, "i love you and that will never change."

Jacques, now posing as a man named Rauel Domingo and using a different e-mail address, e-mails the juvenile girl inquiring about her recent sexual history. She responds later that day, detailing a sexual encounter with a juvenile male. Police say the two e-mail accounts for "E" and Domingo were only accessed at Jacques' home and work.



May 28:

Jacques, posing as Domingo, e-mails the juvenile girl and asks her to "come up with a plan that make it so that Nobody knows where she is." He suggests kidnapping Bennett before June 7 or waiting until June 16.

The girl e-mails back suggesting a ruse where Bennett is lured to a location by a "hot guy." She writes that she wants to see Bennett "suffer."



June 16:

Jacques orders $1,033.45 in sex toys from a Web site. The delivery address is his home in Randolph.



June 20:

2:20 p.m.: Jacques, posing as "E", e-mails the juvenile female and mentions the possibility that Bennett's kidnapping might be delayed from Monday until Wednesday or Thursday. He encourages her to convince Bennett to attend the "party" they are planning.

5:50 p.m.: "E" sends the girl another message, saying they have run into some "unexpected problems" and doesn't want to risk Breckenridge - the name for a real or imagined child sex ring - "being in danger." He again encourages her to convince Bennett to come to the "party" and also inquires about a recent sexual encounter the girl had with a juvenile male.

5:56 p.m.: Jacques, posing as Domingo, e-mails the female juvenile, asking her if she would assist in the "take-down" of Bennett the following week. "Just remember the reasons why it must be done and remember that it will go PERFECTLY if everyone does what they are suppose to do," he wrote.



June 21:

11:34 p.m.: The second juvenile female responds to the message from Domingo, writing that she will help with "the tie down."



June 23:

1:34 p.m.: Jacques, posing as "E", e-mails the juvenile girl and asks her to collect some of her boyfriend's semen to plant as evidence in Bennett's disappearance. "Text me when it's done and simply say 'it's done,'" he wrote. "Very important, thanks."



June 24:

11:40 p.m.: Jacques logs onto Bennett's MySpace profile and posts a message making it appear that she has run away to meet a boyfriend. He edits the entry again at 11:52 p.m.

According to police, Bennett spent the night at Jacques' home.



June 25:

9:20 a.m.: Bennett is dropped off at the Cumberland Farms in Randolph by Jacques and another unnamed female juvenile. Footage from the security camera shows Jacques and Bennett inside the store, although they go in separate directions when they leave.

9:45 a.m.: Bennett is seen by a witness at the Randolph Village Laundromat.

9 p.m.: Bennett's grandmother reports her missing to the Vermont State Police.

9:26 p.m.: Jacques makes the first of four phone calls that evening to Raymond Gagnon, a close friend and Bennett's former stepfather, who is now living in Texas. Jacques supplies Gagnon with Bennett's MySpace username and password. Gagnon logs onto her profile twice later, police say, and changed her password to the account.

10:36 p.m.: Jacques again logs onto Bennett's MySpace profile and edits the fake entry he posted there the night before.

When questioned by police that evening, Jacques says he dropped Bennett off at Cumberland Farms and that she was to be picked up by a friend and driven to a nearby hospital to visit with a sick friend or relative. After dropping her off, Jacques said he bought a coffee at Dunkin Donuts. That story is backed up by the other juvenile female with Jacques.



June 26:

1 a.m.: Jacques leaves a message for a state police detective inquiring about the state of the investigation.

Sometime during the day, Jacques tells state police that he found one of Bennett's sneakers on the side of a road in Brookfield. Police later find blood, semen and torn girl's underwear nearby - evidence they now believe Jacques planted.

5:25 p.m.: An Amber Alert - the state's first - is issued by state police for Bennett. The FBI becomes involved in the case.

The second juvenile female, whom Jacques is accused of sexually assaulting over a period of five years, tells police she lied to them about going to Dunkin Donuts with Jacques after dropping Bennett off.

Forensic analysis begins on Jacques' laptop computer. Police first discover the "Chevy Truck" e-mail alias that he used in communication with the second juvenile female. Jacques tells police that the hard drive for his desktop computer is missing because it malfunctioned and he brought it to a Best Buy in Lebanon, N.H. to be repaired or replaced.



June 27:

10:30 a.m.: Police announce the discovery of Bennett's sneakers at a press conference in Burlington. They ask anyone who saw her that morning in Randolph on June 25 to come forward.

Police dive teams search the area of Sunset Lake near the Floating Bridge in Brookfield. Police say they are focusing on a person that Bennett may have been communicating with via MySpace, but stopped short of calling it abduction.

After a police inquiry, representatives of Best Buy say there is no record of Jacques dropping off a computer hard drive.



June 28:

Forensic examination of Jacques' laptop reveals the series of e-mails between Jacques and the second female juvenile.



June 29:

2:20 p.m.: After being confronted with the e-mails retrieved from Jacques' computer, the juvenile female admits to helping Jacques get Bennett back to his house on June 25 after dropping her off at Cumberland Farms. She also tells police about the so-called Breckenridge program, her introduction to the program when she was 9 years old and that Jacques is her "trainer."

She also tells police that she and Bennett watched television for a short time that day at Jacques' house. When Jacques asked Bennett to go upstairs with him, the juvenile female left the house with her boyfriend. She did not see Bennett again.

4:15 p.m.: Jacques is arrested for aggravated sexual assault.



June 30:

3 a.m.: Gagnon calls his landlord in Texas and asks him to dispose of a safe in his apartment. The landlord later told police he put it in a nearby dumpster, but the safe is not located.

1 p.m.: Police announce that the investigation into Bennett's disappearance had shifted to Jacques' property along East Bethel Road in Randolph. K-9 units, search and rescue teams and an aerial unit assist in the unsuccessful search of his property.

Jacques pleads innocent to the aggravated sexual assault charge in court and is held on $250,000 bail.

4 p.m.: Police identify Jacques as a "person of interest" in Bennett's disappearance during a press conference. Evidence collected from Jacques' computer contributed to the change in direction of the investigation, according to police.

State police and the FBI interview Gagnon, who admits to accessing Bennett's MySpace profile and possessing a "vast amount" of child pornography, all stored in a safe at his home in Texas. This pornography includes photographs of the second juvenile girl and the girl's juvenile boyfriend and he states that he and Jacques had a sexual encounter with her during the summer of 2007 in South Royalton.



July 1:

Police arrest Gagnon and charge him with obstruction of justice.

During a search along Crocker Road in Randolph, police find an area where the "ground was recently disturbed." The area is secured and a search begins.



July 2:

Court papers related to Gagnon's arrest are unsealed, revealing that the second juvenile female told police that she and Jacques picked up Bennett after first dropping her off on June 25.

4:45 p.m.: Police find Bennett's body in a shallow grave off of Crocker Road, a short distance from Jacques' home. Police say her death is "clearly suspicious" and that foul play is suspected.

5:32 p.m.: The U.S. Department of Justice announces that Jacques has been charged with kidnapping Bennett.

7 p.m.: More than 300 people attend a ceremony in Randolph to mourn the loss of Bennett.



July 3:

10 a.m.: Prosecutors hold a press conference in Burlington, announcing that they do not believe any other children are at risk of sexual abuse in the case. An autopsy on Bennett's body is conducted to determine a cause of death.

[KC]

So, there are two teenage girls helping these scumbags?  And why did the one girl want Brooke to suffer?  Guess she got what she wanted and now perhaps she needs to be charged with aiding and abetting?  Hard to say when she's been so abused but wanting to hurt another goes to the core of someone's being.  So sad.

[klaasend]

http://www.wcax.com/global/story.asp?s=8623432

Brooke's Parents Speak


 
Brooke Bennett



 
Cassandra Gagnon


 
Jim & Janet Bennett
 
 
Braintree, Vermont - July 5, 2008

"I actually viewed her yesterday and it's just.... I felt her. I felt that she was still with me. It's been awful," says Cassandra Gagnon, Brooke's mother.

It's a nightmare she says she'll never wake up from.

Her daughter, 12 year old Brooke Bennett, was murdered after allegedly being kidnapped by her uncle, 42-year old Michael Jacques.

"I'm very angry. I'm very, very angry. I'm very angry at my brother-in-la, very, very much so. Words can't describe the anger I've had," she says.

"You don't expect that kind of thing from family. It's just very hard to comprehend all of it," says Jim Bennett, Brooke's father.

Police have yet to connect Jacques to Brooke's murder.  He's currently facing federal kidnapping charges and could receive the death penalty. Brooke's father and step-mom would like to see that happen.

"I hope they put him away forever and he rots in hell," says Janet Bennett, Brooke's stepmother.

Brooke's mother isn't so sure....

"I hate that I've got so much anger in me, but I think the death penalty is what he deserves, but I think that is a sweet justice for him," she says.

Both parents say they'll likely never forgive Jacques. Brooke's mother says she's currently just trying to forgive herself.

"I have already burned myself. If I could change this I would."

Cassandra Gagnon says she's offended by those who criticize her for letting Brooke stay with Jacques-- a registered sex offender.

Gagnon says she never allowed her daughter to visit Jacques house if another adult wasn't present.

"They have no idea. I could have been right next to her and someone could have grabbed her. I was at work and I knew where my children were. They always talk to me, so if people want to judge me, that's their choice, but to hell with them."

A family torn by conflicting emotions as they remember the 12 year old girl with an unforgettable smile.

"Her smile, yeah. She had a beautiful smile.  A sweet girl," says her dad.

[sleddogs]

Vermont is for Lovers, Liberal Judges, Pedophiles and Stupid Parents

http://www.townhall.com/Common/PrintPage.aspx?g=a13c1c99-7935-4171-ae01-16e8a9a408e0&t=c

[bleachedblack]

Vermont could get second look at death penalty

 July 6, 2008
MONTPELIER, Vt.—It's been more than 50 years since the state of Vermont sentenced anyone to death and 54 years since its last execution, but the man charged with abducting 12-year-old Brooke Bennett could become the second Vermonter to end up on federal death row in recent years.

Even though police haven't released a cause of death for Brooke or even said she was murdered, federal prosecutors have said they might seek the death penalty against Michael Jacques, 42, of Randolph, the man charged with kidnapping her.

Vermont Law School professor Michael Mello, an expert on the death penalty, said it could be the first time federal prosecutors seek the death penalty using changes to federal law included in The Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006.

"This is a big deal," Mello said of the legal implications of a death case against Jacques. "What the Adam Walsh amendment was intended to do, in effect, is to make virtually any kidnapping with death resulting a federal capital offense."

Federal prosecutors charge that Jacques, Brooke's uncle, used fictitious e-mail identities to help orchestrate the June 25 abduction of the 12-year-old girl. After dropping Brooke off at a Randolph convenience store, Jacques and a 14-year-old witness identified as Juvenile 1 picked her up again and took Brooke back to Jacques' home.

Juvenile 1 told police she felt Brooke was going to be initiated into a "program for sex." The girl said the last time she saw Brooke, Brooke was going upstairs with Jacques. Brooke's body was found July 2 buried in a shallow grave about a mile from Jacques' home.

Prosecutors have suggested no motive for the alleged kidnapping. Jacques has not yet appeared in federal court to enter a plea in the case.

State prosecutors have turned the case over to the U.S. Attorney's office. The investigation into Brooke's death isn't complete and it will be months before a decision is made on whether to seek the death penalty against Jacques.

Vermont hasn't executed a prisoner since 1954 and the last death sentence came in 1957, although the sentence was commuted and the inmate later released.

In effect, the Legislature outlawed the death penalty in 1965 although it technically remained a part of state law until 1987. But the state's death penalty law was invalidated in 1972 by the U.S Supreme Court decision that commuted all death sentences in the country at that time.

The last time the Vermont Legislature gave the death penalty serious consideration was in 1987, said state Sen. Vince Illuzzi, R-Essex-Orleans, who introduced the legislation. Instead, the Legislature enacted the aggravated murder law, which carries with it a mandatory sentence of life without parole.

Illuzzi said he felt the state's lack of a death penalty made Vermont's U.S. Attorney more likely to get involved in cases such as Brooke's death.

"It fills what some might consider to be a void in the law," Illuzzi said.

In two cases over the last decade, the office of Vermont's U.S. Attorney has prosecuted death penalty cases.

In the first case, from 1998, an Ohio man faced the death penalty for sending a bomb via a delivery service that killed a Fair Haven teenager. But Chris Dean, 45, agreed to serve a sentence of life without parole in exchange for the government's dropping the death sentence.

In 2005, a jury in federal court in Burlington sentenced Donald Fell to death for the 2000 carjacking murder of Terry King, 53, of North Clarendon, who was kidnapped when she arrived at a Rutland supermarket early one morning in November 2000 and then beaten to death in New York state.

In the King case, Vermont's U.S. Attorney didn't want to seek the death penalty, but was ordered to do so by former U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft.

Just last week, while the search for Brooke was intensifying, the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York upheld Fell's death sentence. Fell, 28, is now housed at the U.S. Bureau of Prison's death row in Terre Haute, Ind.

In 2006, Congress passed and President Bush signed the Adam Walsh Act. It is named for 6-year-old Adam Walsh, who was abducted from a Florida shopping mall in 1981 and later dead. The act is designed to protect children from sexual and other violent crimes and take into account the use of the Internet in committing such crimes.

Affidavits in Jacques's case detail how he allegedly used Brooke's MySpace page and e-mails to plot her abduction.

No matter what happens in Brooke's case, Mello said her death could re-ignite the capital punishment debate in Vermont.

"No state without the death penalty is ever farther than one hideous crime from bringing it back," Mello said.

http://tinyurl.com/6oc9zt

[katiekatie2u]

 

klaasend
I had the very same sick feeling that this was not going to end well!!
the poor girl never had a chance.. not with those family dynamics...
 her mother had to of known that her sister was married to a predator... and now it looks like the mom also had herself a predator husband of her own... such a waste.. what a beautiful girl... those stunning eyes just reach out to you....

Its so sad 

[KC]

Cassandra is offended at criticism?  OMG get a grip.  Your daughter would be alive if you were in any way a reasonable parent.  Why isn't she out there saying how wrong it was for her to let her daughter be around that creton?  Her sister (Denise) believed the convicted sexual predator's statement that the child porn on the computer was not his and he didn't know what the KY was for...and the "unidentified female" in their house coming from their bedroom in a towel had just used their shower...is this the "other adult" she's referring to? 

[ldstlou]

Hope this link works. Got it from the Burlington free press sight, it is the Fed affidavits. Very graphic at times although I think the very worst of it was blacked out.

I think whoever wrote the article on the timeline may have misread the affidavit. There are 2 juveniles, 1st being the girl who I believe after reading the affidavit is Jacques daughter, which would be Brooke's cousin. The 2nd juvenile is a boy, I believe the 1st juvenile's boyfriend.

Click here to read the affidavit in the case of Michael Jacques

http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080703/NEWS/80703026

[klaasend]

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,377281,00.html

Ex-Stepfather of Brooke Bennett Accused of Obstruction, Child Pornography
Monday , July 07, 2008


BURLINGTON, Vt.  —

Alabama authorities have lodged child pornography charges against the ex-stepdad of a Vermont girl who was found dead last week.

Federal prosecutors made the charge public on Monday as 40-year-old Raymond Gagnon was in court on another charge — obstructing justice — in Burlington, Vermont.

Gagnon, of San Antonio, Texas, is accused of having someone throw out his laptop computer a week ago while authorities were searching for Brooke Bennett. After being missing for a week, she was found in a shallow grave near the home of an uncle, Michael Jacques, who has been charged with kidnapping her.

The charges in Alabama are that Gagnon — who was 12-year-old Brooke Bennett's stepfather for about five years — had child pornography stored at his former home in Cullman, Alabama.

Federal prosecutors say he also tried to access Brooke's MySpace account on or about June 26th. That's the day after Brooke was reported missing in Vermont.

Jacques, 42, of Randolph, was scheduled for preliminary hearing in the same court later Monday. He was already in custody when he was charged Thursday with kidnapping her.

Prosecutors say Jacques could face the death penalty if convicted under federal law of kidnapping resulting in Brooke's death.

Neither Jacques nor Gagnon has entered a plea.

State police say it could be up to eight weeks before autopsy results are available.

Gagnon married Brooke's mother in 2000, but they later divorced. A preliminary hearing on evidence against him is scheduled for July 17.

[2NJSons_Mom]

Vermont kidnap suspect held as ’danger’ in Brooke Bennett case

By Associated Press  |   Tuesday, July 8, 2008  |  http://www.bostonherald.com  |  U.S./ Northeast Region
BURLINGTON, Vt. - The Vermont 12-year-old found dead last week near her uncle’s home was killed, a prosecutor said yesterday.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Craig Nolan made the disclosure at a hearing at which the judge ordered the uncle, Michael Jacques, held until his trial on a federal kidnapping charge.

“He has a very serious criminal history demonstrating an extreme danger to the community,” Nolan said at the U.S. District Court hearing.

Jacques, 42, is accused of kidnapping Brooke Bennett on June 25. After a weeklong search, she was found in a shallow grave about a mile from his home in Randolph.

Nolan said the death was a homicide, but said nothing about how she died. State police say it could be up to eight weeks before autopsy results are available.

Because the girl was killed, prosecutors could seek the death penalty against Jacques if he is convicted.

Federal public defender Michael Desautels did not ask U.S. Magistrate-Judge Jerome Niedermeier to release Jacques, a registered sex offender who was convicted in 1993 of kidnapping and raping a woman he supervised at a fast food restaurant.

Jaques planned to initiate Brooke into a child sex ring after taking her from outside a Randolph convenience store on June 25, another underage girl who said she was a witness told authorities.

Brooke’s stepfather, Raymond Gagnon, 40,of San Antonio, Texas is charged with obstruction of justice in the case. Gagnon did not contest his continued detention during a hearing earlier yesterday in the same court.

Gagnon is accused of having someone throw out his laptop computer a week ago while authorities were searching for Brooke.

While he was in court, federal prosecutors in Alabama charged him with possessing child pornography at his former home in Cullman, Ala.

In affidavits filed in Vermont, the FBI said Jacques changed a posting to Brooke’s MySpace [website] account the night she was reported missing. Gagnon also accessed the account that night, but denied changing the posting, according to the affidavit.

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/national/northeast/view.bg?articleid=1105542

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Feds say Vt. girl was killed; uncle ’extreme danger’ to community
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[2NJSons_Mom]

A somber scene at Brooke Bennett’s wake

By Associated Press   |   Wednesday, July 9, 2008  |  http://www.bostonherald.com  |  U.S./ Northeast Region

Photo by AP
RANDOLPH, Vt. - Amid sprays of flowers, snapshots from her short life and somber greetings, mourners Tuesday remembered 12-year-old Brooke Bennett at a wake in the building where she just graduated from seventh grade.

Filing past a series of photo collages and the girl’s open casket, friends and acquaintances — some wearing lapel buttons with her smiling face, a "Brooke" ribbon extending from the bottom — shared condolences and tearful embraces with her mother and other family members in an auditorium at Randolph Union High School.

"There’s a lot of anger, and also a lot of sadness that it happened to her, because she was such a sweet girl," said classmate Kelsey Tracy, 13, wiping away tears after she emerged from the wake. "She was never mean to anyone."

Hundreds were expected to pay their respects Tuesday night and at a funeral scheduled for Wednesday. The early arrivals stood on line in a hallway, where collages of Brooke were posted on a table, before writing in a guest book and then advancing toward the stage in the front of the auditorium, where Brooke’s body — clad in a yellow dress — lay in the casket.

"There’s a lot of emotion, that’s for sure," said Chadwick Morse, 29, of South Royalton, a co-worker of Brooke Bennett’s father, James Bennett. "It definitely brings it home."

The small-town character of the girl’s community makes the loss all that much harder, according to Randy Garner, of the Day Funeral Home, which was handling the arrangements.

"Everybody here is really very, very close," he said.

"It’s like it’s happened to you. It’s a personal experience, because everybody knows somebody in the family and you tend to think that in small communities things like this don’t happen, but they do, and we just have to realize that," he said.

Brooke’s uncle, Michael Jacques, 42, remained jailed on a federal kidnapping charge, but he hasn’t been charged in her death. Her cause of death hasn’t been released, but federal prosecutors said Monday she was slain.

Her former stepfather, Raymond Gagnon, 40, of San Antonio, is charged with obstruction of justice for allegedly having an acquaintance throw out his laptop computer as authorities were searching for Brooke. He has also been charged in Alabama with possession of child pornography.

Attorney General William Sorrell said Tuesday it’s still unclear whether any sex ring existed. According to court documents, Jacques was planning to induct the girl into a sex ring when she disappeared after being seen at his home.

Asked if such a ring exists, Sorrell said: "We don’t know for sure. However, we’re not aware of any active organization trying to recruit children in Vermont for sex with adults. Law enforcement would be the first to raise alarm bells if that was the case.

"We don’t know if there is, in fact, a Breckenridge society or something under a different name. What the investigation has found so far, as reflected in the filings in federal court, is that e-mails that allegedly were from members of this Breckenridge society originated from Jacques’ home computer, or his workplace," Sorrell said.

Federal prosecutors in Alabama have charged Gagnon with possessing child pornography at his former home in Cullman, Ala.

U.S. Attorney Thomas Anderson declined comment Tuesday on whether Gagnon had images of Vermont children in what an affidavit said were child pornography images found on his computer.

According to the FBI, Jacques changed a posting to Brooke’s MySpace [website] account the night she was reported missing. Gagnon also accessed the account that night, but denied changing the posting, according to an affidavit.

Jacques and Gagnon, who have yet to enter pleas, are due back in U.S. District Court in Burlington on July 17. Telephone calls to their lawyers weren’t returned Tuesday.

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/national/northeast/view.bg?articleid=1105908

Related Articles:
Vermont kidnap suspect held as ’danger’ in Brooke Bennett case
/news/national/northeast/view.bg?articleid=1105542
Feds say Vt. girl was killed; uncle ’extreme danger’ to community
/news/national/northeast/view.bg?articleid=1105459

Brooke Bennett’s stepdad faces fed rap
/news/national/northeast/view.bg?articleid=1105315

[Nut44x4]

Federal authorities search San Antonio landfill for evidence in case against Vermont kidnapping, slaying

Web Posted: 07/10/2008 04:05 PM CDT

An ongoing federal investigation into the kidnapping and slaying of a Vermont girl has led authorities to a San Antonio landfill, where FBI investigators this afternoon are sifting through heaps of garbage in search of a safe belonging to the girl's former stepfather, officials said.

Erik Vasys, a spokesman for the San Antonio division of the FBI, said investigators have searched over the last week for the safe, which apparently was the hideaway of a harddrive belonging to local resident Raymond Gagnon, the former stepfather of 12-year-old Brooke Bennett, whose disappearance June 25 sparked massive nationwide attention and triggered the state's first Amber Alert. The search for her ended with the discovery of her body July 2.

Vasys declined to say how many agents are at the landfill or for how long they have searched the Allied Waste Services Tessman Landfill, at 7000 IH-10 East, between FM 1516 and Foster Road. He did, however, say that today is not the first day that investigators have scoured through the trash, everything from bulky household items to brush.

"(We) continue to assist the FBI in Albany and the Vermont State Police in the investigation into the kidnapping and murder," of Brooke, Vasys said. "The focus of our assistance is the recovery of hard drives related to the investigation."

Gagnon, 40, who was living on the Northwest Side for the last year, was once married to Brooke's mom. He was arrested two weeks ago in Vermont, where he traveled as soon as he learned that Brooke had been reported missing, and has been implicated in an alleged child sex ring that also involved Brooke's uncle. He has been charged with obstruction of justice, and authorities said he asked his landlord in San Antonio to dispose of the safe shortly before his arrest.

Michael Jacques, 42, Brooke's uncle, is accused of orchestrating her abduction with plans to initiate her into a child sex ring. He has been charged with her kidnapping.
http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/crime/stories/MYSA071008.EN.landfill.evidence.41745e6b.html

[klaasend]

I hope they can find that safe and laptop.  These monsters need to be put away forever.

[Bearlyhere]

I hope they can find that safe and laptop.  These monsters need to be put away forever.

[Bearlyhere]

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,380541,00.html

Parole Officer Recommended Release of Vermont Girl's Sex Offender Uncle

Friday, July 11, 2008
AP

 MONTPELIER, Vt. —  Reversing what it said last week, the state Department of Corrections now says it recommended the release from probation of a convicted sex offender accused of kidnapping 12-year-old Brooke Bennett.

Michael Jacques, 42, was released from probation in 2006, after serving more than four years in prison and being supervised for eight years for kidnapping and sexually assaulting an 18-year-old woman in 1992.

Click here for photos.

Gov. Jim Douglas said Thursday that the Corrections Department's recommendation was a mistake.

"That's why I've asked the corrections commissioner to look at the procedure for making these determinations, making sure there's adequate oversight, and that it's not just one or two people in the department making the recommendation on such an important manner," he said.

Corrections Commissioner Rob Hofmann said that a probation officer had recommended in 2004 that Jacques be discharged from probation, after not supporting a release request the year before.

"Mr. Jacques has satisfied and fulfilled all case specific conditions of probation put in place to reduce his risk of re-offense," wrote probation officer Richard Kearney.

In 2004, with Kearney's recommendation, Judge Amy Davenport ruled that Jacques' probation end in 2006, as long as no violations occurred and despite strong objections from prosecutors.

"According to Mr. Jacques' probation officer, he is a 'probation success story,"' Davenport wrote in her order. "He is married and has a child. He and his wife own a home in which they reside. He has been very successful in his employment and is now in a position which entails significant responsibility."

Last week Jacques was charged with orchestrating the abduction of his niece Brooke, who disappeared June 25 and was found dead a week later. Her body was discovered in a shallow grave about a mile from his home.

In the earlier case, the state urged that Jacques be supervised for the maximum of 20 years given the brutality of the crime. Corrections Commissioner Rob Hofmann said the duration of Jacques' probation was indeterminate.

According to a police affidavit, in the 1992 case Jacques abducted the high school senior after she left a Barre bar, handcuffed her, put a rope around her neck and cloth in her mouth and forced her to engage in sex acts. He told her he had killed a girl in Arizona seven years earlier and at one point held a knife to the woman's throat, the affidavit said.

Davenport agreed with the state's assessment of the brutality involved, but disagreed with the state that he should spend another eight years on probation.

Jacques had completed a sex offender treatment program in 2000.

"The primary purpose of the probationary portion of the defendant's sentence was to ensure that defendant received appropriate rehabilitative treatment and to monitor him to ensure that he did not relapse and once again pose a threat to others," she wrote.

At his weekly news conference earlier in the day, the governor said Brooke's case warranted a serious discussion about the appropriate penalties for certain heinous crimes.

Jessica's Law, a tougher sex offender registry law and civil confinement, which would keep certain sexually violent inmates beyond their maximum prison terms should be on the table, he said. Death penalty for sexual assault on a minor with death resulting, which Douglas said a number of people are calling for, and chemical castration for violent sexual predators, also should be part of the discussion, he said.

Jessica's Law is named after a 9-year-old Florida girl who was kidnapped, raped and murdered by a convicted sex offender in 2005. It requires a mandatory minimum sentence of 25 years and electronic surveillance of sex offenders who prey on children under 12.

But Douglas stopped short of calling a special session of the Legislature, saying based on previous actions on his sex offender proposals he did not have confidence that the Legislature would be effective.

"I'm not going to call the Legislature back unless and until there's complete agreement on a package so it can be handled expeditiously," he said.

Senate President Pro Tem Peter Shumlin said he would be open to a special session but said none of the governor's suggestions would have helped in this case.

He said he plans to ask the Senate Judiciary Committee to meet up to six times between now and Nov. 15 to examine why Jacques was released from probation; if sex offender laws passed since his 1993 conviction would have changed the alleged outcome; and what else can be done to make Vermont more safe.

Senate Judiciary Chairman Richard Sears, D-Bennington, said the question to be asked is: "How do we keep kids safe from people they should be able to trust ... I don't think you do that in a two-day special session."

[Bearlyhere]

http://www.foxnews.com/video2/video08.html?maven_referralObject=2225384&maven_referralPlaylistId=&sRevUrl=http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,380961,00.html

Sex Predator Set Free

[yuknomenot]

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,380541,00.html

Parole Officer Recommended Release of Vermont Girl's Sex Offender Uncle

Friday, July 11, 2008
AP

 MONTPELIER, Vt. —  Reversing what it said last week, the state Department of Corrections now says it recommended the release from probation of a convicted sex offender accused of kidnapping 12-year-old Brooke Bennett.

Michael Jacques, 42, was released from probation in 2006, after serving more than four years in prison and being supervised for eight years for kidnapping and sexually assaulting an 18-year-old woman in 1992.

Click here for photos.

Gov. Jim Douglas said Thursday that the Corrections Department's recommendation was a mistake.

"That's why I've asked the corrections commissioner to look at the procedure for making these determinations, making sure there's adequate oversight, and that it's not just one or two people in the department making the recommendation on such an important manner," he said.

Corrections Commissioner Rob Hofmann said that a probation officer had recommended in 2004 that Jacques be discharged from probation, after not supporting a release request the year before.

"Mr. Jacques has satisfied and fulfilled all case specific conditions of probation put in place to reduce his risk of re-offense," wrote probation officer Richard Kearney.

In 2004, with Kearney's recommendation, Judge Amy Davenport ruled that Jacques' probation end in 2006, as long as no violations occurred and despite strong objections from prosecutors.

"According to Mr. Jacques' probation officer, he is a 'probation success story,"' Davenport wrote in her order. "He is married and has a child. He and his wife own a home in which they reside. He has been very successful in his employment and is now in a position which entails significant responsibility."

Last week Jacques was charged with orchestrating the abduction of his niece Brooke, who disappeared June 25 and was found dead a week later. Her body was discovered in a shallow grave about a mile from his home.

In the earlier case, the state urged that Jacques be supervised for the maximum of 20 years given the brutality of the crime. Corrections Commissioner Rob Hofmann said the duration of Jacques' probation was indeterminate.

According to a police affidavit, in the 1992 case Jacques abducted the high school senior after she left a Barre bar, handcuffed her, put a rope around her neck and cloth in her mouth and forced her to engage in sex acts. He told her he had killed a girl in Arizona seven years earlier and at one point held a knife to the woman's throat, the affidavit said.

Davenport agreed with the state's assessment of the brutality involved, but disagreed with the state that he should spend another eight years on probation.

Jacques had completed a sex offender treatment program in 2000.

"The primary purpose of the probationary portion of the defendant's sentence was to ensure that defendant received appropriate rehabilitative treatment and to monitor him to ensure that he did not relapse and once again pose a threat to others," she wrote.

At his weekly news conference earlier in the day, the governor said Brooke's case warranted a serious discussion about the appropriate penalties for certain heinous crimes.

Jessica's Law, a tougher sex offender registry law and civil confinement, which would keep certain sexually violent inmates beyond their maximum prison terms should be on the table, he said. Death penalty for sexual assault on a minor with death resulting, which Douglas said a number of people are calling for, and chemical castration for violent sexual predators, also should be part of the discussion, he said.

Jessica's Law is named after a 9-year-old Florida girl who was kidnapped, raped and murdered by a convicted sex offender in 2005. It requires a mandatory minimum sentence of 25 years and electronic surveillance of sex offenders who prey on children under 12.

But Douglas stopped short of calling a special session of the Legislature, saying based on previous actions on his sex offender proposals he did not have confidence that the Legislature would be effective.

"I'm not going to call the Legislature back unless and until there's complete agreement on a package so it can be handled expeditiously," he said.

Senate President Pro Tem Peter Shumlin said he would be open to a special session but said none of the governor's suggestions would have helped in this case.

He said he plans to ask the Senate Judiciary Committee to meet up to six times between now and Nov. 15 to examine why Jacques was released from probation; if sex offender laws passed since his 1993 conviction would have changed the alleged outcome; and what else can be done to make Vermont more safe.

Senate Judiciary Chairman Richard Sears, D-Bennington, said the question to be asked is: "How do we keep kids safe from people they should be able to trust ... I don't think you do that in a two-day special session."

Perhaps the judge, the probation/parole officer(s), the correction's officer(s)/commissioner and her closest relatives (Cassandra, Denise) should be carefully checked out.  Somebody has something to gain/hide here.  Otherwise, Brooke would be alive and her habitually perverted relatives would have been locked away for life.  IMO.

[2NJSons_Mom]

Library confrontation points up privacy dilemma



Children's librarian Judith Flint was getting ready for the monthly book discussion group for 8- and 9-year-olds on "Love That Dog" when police showed up.

They weren't kidding around: Five state police detectives wanted to seize Kimball Public Library's public access computers as they frantically searched for a 12-year-old girl, acting on a tip that she sometimes used the terminals.

Flint demanded a search warrant, touching off a confrontation that pitted the privacy rights of library patrons against the rights of police on official business.

"It's one of the most difficult situations a library can face," said Deborah Caldwell-Stone, deputy director of intellectual freedom issues for the American Library Association.

Investigators did obtain a warrant about eight hours later, but the June 26 standoff in the 105-year-old, red brick library on Main Street frustrated police and had fellow librarians cheering Flint.

"What I observed when I came in were a bunch of very tall men encircling a very small woman," said the library's director, Amy Grasmick, who held fast to the need for a warrant after coming to the rescue of the 4-foot-10 Flint.

Library records and patron privacy have been hot topics since the passage of the U.S. Patriot Act after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks. Library advocates have accused the government of using the anti-terrorism law to find out — without proper judicial oversight or after-the-fact reviews — what people research in libraries.

But the investigation of Brooke Bennett's disappearance wasn't a Patriot Act case.

"We had to balance out the fact that we had information that we thought was true that Brooke Bennett used those computers to communicate on her MySpace account," said Col. James Baker, director of the Vermont State Police. "We had to balance that out with protecting the civil liberties of everybody else, and this was not an easy decision to make."

Brooke, from Braintree, vanished the day before the June 26 confrontation in the children's section of the tiny library. Investigators went to the library chasing a lead that she had used the computers there to arrange a rendezvous.

Brooke was found dead July 2. An uncle, convicted sex offender Michael Jacques, has since been charged with kidnapping her. Authorities say Jacques had gotten into her MySpace account and altered postings to make investigators believe she had run off with someone she met online.

Flint was firm in her confrontation with the police.

"The lead detective said to me that they need to take the public computers and I said `OK, show me your warrant and that will be that,'" said Flint, 56. "He did say he didn't need any paper. I said `You do.' He said `I'm just trying to save a 12-year-old girl,' and I told him `Show me the paper.'"

Cybersecurity expert Fred H. Cate, a law professor at Indiana University, said the librarians acted appropriately.

"If you've told all your patrons `We won't hand over your records unless we're ordered to by a court,' and then you turn them over voluntarily, you're liable for anything that goes wrong," he said.

A new Vermont law that requires libraries to demand court orders in such situations took effect July 1, but it wasn't in place that June day. The library's policy was to require one.

The librarians did agree to shut down the computers so no one could tamper with them, which had been a concern to police.

Once in police hands, how broadly could police dig into the computer hard drives without violating the privacy of other library patrons?

Baker wouldn't discuss what information was gleaned from the computers or what state police did with information about other people, except to say the scope of the warrant was restricted to the missing girl investigation.

"The idea that they took all the computers, it's like data mining," said Caldwell-Stone. "Now, all of a sudden, since you used that computer, your information is exposed to law enforcement and can be used in ways that (it) wasn't intended.'"

© Copyright 2008 CSC Holdings, Inc.

http://www.optimum.net/News/AP/Article?articleId=440501

[Bearlyhere]

http://www.wcax.com/Global/story.asp?S=8740829&nav=4QcS

A Vermont Rally for Jessica's Law

A small crowd turned out in Saint Albans Saturday to rally for Jessica's Law here in Vermont. The measure is on the books in 40 other states. It would require tougher sentencing for convicted pedophiles.

Supporters of a mandatory minimum sentence for sexual assault on a child say they have gathered 12,000 petition signatures gathered from around Vermont. This is not the first time that the issue has brought out calls for change. It is, though, the first one since the murder of 12-year-old Brooke Bennett. The man charged with kidnapping her was a registered sex offender who was also facing charges for sexually abusing another child. But not everyone who supports tougher sentences is insisting on the 25 years contained in Jessica's law.

"These cases need to be reviewed individually, however I think we need to have a minimum fifteen year mandatory sentence for pedophiles. Jessica's Law is 25 years. That's very aggressive... But we need to take steps to set up something that's mandatory for sentencing," said Maura Kelley, a substitute teacher who lives in Hinesburg.

Rally organizer Paul Beaudry, who hosts radio talk shows, has been pushing Jessica's Law on the air. He said initially, mandatory sentencing had support from both major political parties. "We had six lawmakers sign it, three Democrats, three Republicans," he said. "So it was a bipartisan bill. And (Rep. Bill) Lippert along with (Rep. Gaye) Symington made sure it went nowhere."

Rally organizers admit they won't get anywhere with Jessica's Law unless they can elect more lawmakers who support it. Vermont's legislature recently rejected mandatory sentencing, but did enact changes that include a possible life sentence for second-time child sex offenders.