John Gardner III’s surprise admission on April 16 that he took the lives of North County teenagers, Chelsea King and Amber Dubois, saved his own life. Gardner avoided the death penalty but agreed to spend the rest of his life in prison in striking a deal with prosecutors that allowed them to link him to Amber’s death for the first time. Gardner told prosecutors that he would take them to Amber’s remains if they didn’t use it against him. They found her remains north of Pala Reservation on March 6 but lacked DNA and other evidence to charge him with her death. He still could have faced the death penalty for Chelsea’s murder, but prosecutors and the girls’ families agreed to the plea deal to bring closure to Amber’s case (she had been missing since Feb. 2009).

The proposed Chelsea’s Law got a big endorsement in Sacramento on Tuesday. The new law is designed to increase penalties for first-time offenders convicted of committing sexually violent crimes against children. Those penalties include mandatory life sentences for certain violent attacks and lifelong GPS tracking for those who are released from prison.

Chelsea King was found dead in Feb. in Rancho Bernardo Community Park. Convicted sex offender John Gardner is being held in jail in connection to the case. The Poway teen was 17 years old at the time of her death.

An Oregon jury awarded $1.4 million to Kerry Lewis, who was abused by a former scout leader. The jury also decided the Boy Scout organization is liable for punitive damages to be decided in a separate trial. The Boy Scouts had fought to keep the "perversion files" (names of alleged child molesters who were scout leaders) confidential, but in February the Oregon Supreme Court approved the release of more than 1,000 files kept on alleged pedophiles from 1965 to mid-1984 to be used in the Portland trial.

Vaughn Robert Biby, a 46-year-old registered sex offender, was arrested in his home when officers making a check of sex offenders found "tens of thousands" of pieces of child pornography. Biby, who pleaded guilty in 1995 to seven counts of child molestation and the use of a minor for child pornography, has his arraignment scheduled for April 23.

Claude Foulk, 62, the former head of one of the nation's biggest state mental hospitals, pleaded not guilty to molesting an adopted foster son, and there are allegations of abuse involving five other boys, including another foster son. The DA said that since the news of Foulk’s arrest broke last week, four new alleged victims have come forward, bringing the total to 13 in cases that span from 1965 to 2006. Authorities say they can press charges in only one case because of the statute of limitations. Foulk was fired as executive director of Napa State Hospital after his arrest last Wednesday. Long Beach police said the charges stemmed from a victim who was 10 when he was taken in by Foulk in 1992. The alleged molestation continued until 2004. The investigation was sparked when one of the victims, now in his 40's, reported sexual abuse to police in September after learning that Foulk was head of the Napa hospital.

24-year-old Jarred Mitchell Harrell has been charged with the murder of 7-year-old Somer Thompson. She disappeared on Oct. 19, 2009 as she was walking home from school. Her body was found two days later in a Georgia landfill. Harrell has been in custody since Feb. 11, 2010 when authorities arrested him in Mississippi on child pornography charges in Florida. Harrell was then extradited to Florida.

The Boy Scouts of America has long kept an extensive archive of secret documents that chronicle the sexual abuse of young boys by scout leaders over the years. The "perversion files", a nickname the Boy Scouts are said to have used for the documents, have rarely been seen by the public, but that could change in the coming weeks in an Oregon courtroom. The lawyer for a man who was molested in the 1980's by a scout leader has obtained about 1,000 Boy Scout sex files and is expected to release some of them at a trial that began Wednesday. The lawyer said the files showed how the Boy Scouts have covered up abuse for decades. The attorney for the Boy Scouts said the that the files helped scouting leaders weed out sex offenders, especially repeat offenders who may have changed names or moved in order to join another local scouting organization.

A San Diego middle School student said a man grabbed her yesterday as she was on her way to school, and in La Mesa, police arrested a 54-yr.-old transient accused of accosting a young student who had been walking to school a day earlier. He was booked into the County Jail. Meanwhile, police are investigating an assault on an 11-yr.-old girl who was walking to school yesterday in City Heights. In Escondido, police continued to look yesterday for a man who was seen lurking a week ago around an elementary school and a middle school that border Kit Carson Park.

A New Jersey man, age 51, is accused of raping and beating his five daughters, and impregnating three, and even moving at one point to avoid child welfare investigators. His former wife testified that he believed he was a prophet whose apocalyptic visions drove him to try to create "pure" family bloodlines by impregnating three of his teenage daughters. The allegations include that the man ordered all children to be born at home, without medical care; punishment included beatings and depriving them of food; they were kept out of school and isolated from the outside world. The names of the husband and wife are not being released at this time, to protect the identities of their children, who are now over 18.

A registered sex offender, William Harris, 59, of Carlsbad, has been booked on suspicion of performing a lewd act in front of a 5-year-old girl, at Dog Beach. After allegedly performing the act, Harris ran away, and the father used his cell phone to videotape him getting into his van. The father filed a complaint with the Sheriff's Dept., and gave them a copy of the video. Deputies identified Harris from the video, searched his home, and he was arrested on a felony charge. Harris has previous convictions for lewd or lascivious acts with a child under 14 years old, indecent exposure, and annoying or molesting children.

Investigators are working to identify more than 100 children allegedly abused by a Delaware pediatrician, Dr. Earl Bradley, 56. Authorities want parents of Dr. Bradley's patients to provide photos to compare with videos they claim Bradley used to document his sexual abuse. Some families are struggling with whether to find out if their children are among the victims. Bradley is being held in lieu of $2.9 million bail and is charged with 471 separate crimes. If convicted, he could become one of the most notorious pedophiles in the nation’s history.

Director Roman Polanski lost his bid yesterday to be sentenced without returning to the U.S. when a judge ruled that the director must be present in court if he wants to resolve his 32-year old sexual-abuse case. The judge reiterated that Polanski is a fugitive from justice. A lawyer for Polanski said the ruling will be appealed. Polanski was indicted on six felony counts, including rape by use of drugs, child molesting and sodomy. He later pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful sexual intercourse.

Of the 36 boys surveyed at East Mesa, a boys-only facility in east Otay Mesa, 14% said they had been the victim of sexual misconduct by a staff member in the past year. When asked about the sexual encounters, 3% said the staff member used force. A national survey released this month questioned nearly 92,000 children in 195 juvenile facilities as part of the Prison Rape Elimination Act of 2003, which requires federal authorities to analyze the prevalence of sexual victimization behind bars each year. Nationwide, 10% of the youth reported an incident involving staff, and 95 percent said the incident was with a female staffer.

Authorities say that Dr. Earl Bradley, 56, a well-known Delaware pediatrician, may have molested more than 100 children. Colleagues joked about his carnival-like office filled with toys and a merry-go-round. There had been complaints and investigations dating back almost a decade. Despite the warnings, Delaware's medical board only recently suspended Bradley's license - after he was arrested. Governor Jack Markell said "the system failed", and plans to order an independent review of the state's handling of the case. Bradley is being held in lieu of $2.9 million bond after being charged with more than 30 felonies, including rape. Authorities have said that he videotaped some of the attacks, some of which occurred in exam rooms with Disney themes. Bradley closed an office in Milford in 2005 after police investigated him. The case is even more chilling because some alleged victims are not more than 6 months old.

A 13-year-old Liberian boy, charged in the reported gang rape of an 8-year-old girl in Phoenix, was released from custody yesterday and turned over to his parents as he continues lessons to make him competent to stand trial. Four boys, ages 9 to 14, lured the girl to an empty storage shed July 16, restrained her, and took turns raping her, police said. All the children involved are refugees from the West African nation of Liberia. The juvenile judge granted the youth’s release to his parents on several conditions. Prosecutors are seeking to have the boy tried as an adult.

A 15-year-old Richmond girl was forced into a car with four males while walking down a street Friday around 5 p.m. They drove around for several hours before stopping at an unknown spot, where two of the suspects raped her. Police have few leads on the suspects, who were in the their late teens to early 20's. Another gang rape of a teenager had occurred in Richmond, also.

Dr. Earl Bradley, 56, a pediatrician charged with sexually abusing his patients, likely attacked more than 100 children at an office he had decked out with a merry-go-round and a ferris wheel. Bradley is being held in prison on $2.9 million bond. He has been charged with 33 felony counts relating to 7 victims.

Steven Robert Deck, 55, a retired California Highway Patrol Lieutenant from Carlsbad, was convicted yesterday in Orange County of attempting to commit unlawful sexual acts with a person he thought was a 13-year-old girl. Deck was arrested in 2006 with 12 other men during a sting operation by Laguna Beach police that targeted older men trying to meet young girls over the Internet. He had been free on bail. He had previously worked in San Diego also.

Swiss officials said a decision would be made "early next year" about whether Roman Polanski, the 76-year old filmmaker, would be extradited to the United States. Polanski has been under house arrest in his chalet in Switzerland. He has been a fugitive from the United States, from which he fled in 1978 after pleading guilty to having sex with a 13-year-old girl.

Joseph H. Gardner, 26, was arraigned yesterday on charges that he sexually assaulted a 3-year-old girl in Kingston. He had been charged this summer with raping another child, but was free on bail. In the earlier alleged rape, the self-described construction worker was freed on $10,000 cash bail, far less than Plymouth prosecutors sought, on Sept. 15. They were disappointed that Judge Thomas Brownell set bail at $10,000 instead of the $200,00 they originally sought. He had been charged with breaking into the Kingston house of a distant relative and raping a 6-yr. old girl.

Steven M. Bimson, 65, a Rotary Club member who molested three boys from abusive families, including two who lived with him in San Diego, was sentenced Monday to more than 179 years to life in prison. The prosecutor said that Bimson found 12- to 15-year-old boys from "unfortunate circumstances", brought them to live with him, then molested them on a nightly basis. The crimes occurred in the 1990's. One victim finally called police in 2006 after hearing that Bimson had received a license for foster care.

Burrell E. Mohler, Sr., 77, and his four sons were arrested and are facing various charges of sexually abusing children from 1988 through 1995. His sons are: Burrell E. Mohler, Jr., 53; Jared L. Mohler, 48; Roland N. Mohler, 47; and David A. Mohler, 52. The charges include sodomy and forcible rape. A daughter of one of the accused came forward in mid-August with the allegations and told investigators that she and the other alleged victims buried glass jars around the property filled with messages "about what was happening to them". Authorities are searching a rural property outside Bates City, east of Kansas City, MO, where members of the Mohler family once lived. Authorities believe they may find bodies and the aforementioned buried glass jars.

A missing 5-year-old, Shaniya Davis, whose mother was accused of offering her for sex, was found dead off a heavily wooded road in a rural area Monday, ending a weeklong search. Two people have been charged in her disappearance, one of them her mother, Antoinette Davis, 25. Police charged Davis with human trafficking and felony child abuse, saying Shaniya was offered for prostitution. Authorities also charged Mario McNeill, 29, with kidnapping after they said he was seen in surveillance footage carrying Shaniya at a Sanford hotel. Shaniya’s father, Bradley Lockhart, said he raised his daughter for several years but last month decided to let her stay with her mother. He said "I should've never let her go over there".

Aaron Zendejas, 24, pleaded guilty to charges related to letting a man molest and photograph children in his care. His hearing is scheduled for Dec. 1,when he could be sentenced to 15 years to life. He is accused of being paid to bring a 3-year old boy to Jared Yaffe, 30, of Santee, CA, who faces 20 counts related to child molestation, kidnapping for sexual acts, and production of child pornography. If convicted, he faces 129 years to life. Yaffe is accused of victimizing several children and teenagers between March and September 2008.

Daniel Herrera, 53, worked for San Diego Unified School District since 1985, volunteered at Whitman Elementary School in the arts program, worked as a special education bus monitor, volunteered at Catholic churches and managed dance groups. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison for child molestation. He pleaded guilty to three counts of committing lewd acts on two children. He had been molesting these children from 1988 to 2005. Other potential victims have since come forward, but the statute of limitations have run out for them.

Eight years after horrifying post-9/11 duties in New York, former Chula Vista Fire Captain, Robert Eugene Bryant, Jr., 37, pleaded guilty, on Oct. 1st, to charges of child pornography. He was the youngest fire captain in Chula Vista's history, and decorated with a medal of valor. Bryant is due for sentencing in December. Prosecutors say he faces up to five years in federal prison, he will have to register as a sex offender, precluding any further public safety work.

Donald Edward Nelson, 59, a convicted American pedophile who had fled the U.S., was arrested in Jerusalem. He was convicted last year in a California court on 52 counts of sexual abuse of minors and sentenced to 110 years in prison. He will be deported in the coming days.

Anita Kaczmarczyk, 44, and her husband Mark, 58, are charged with molesting and sexually assaulting four children at the daycare facility they ran out of their Mission Valley apartment. Both husband and wife face up to 60 years to life in prison if convicted. According to evidence presented at a preliminary hearing in April, an investigation started in September 2007, when one of the alleged victims, who ranged from a few months to just over 2 years old, suffered genital injuries. Eventually, all victims were shown to have genital injuries. The couple’s trial is set for February 24.

Phillip Garrido, 58, and his wife Nancy, 54, have pleaded not guilty to 29 charges of kidnapping, rape, and false imprisonment charges. Bail for Phillip Garrido has been set at $30 million and Nancy is being been held without bail, in El Dorado County jail. The couple are accused of kidnapping 11-year-old Jaycee Dugard from her home near South Lake Tahoe in 1991, then holding her captive in a backyard jumble of tents and sheds for nearly two decades, at the couple’s home near Antioch, in the east San Francisco area. Authorities said Garrido fathered two daughters with Dugard. The couple were arrested Aug. 27, 2009. Phillip Garrido had previously been in prison for rape, for which he spent 10 years. Garrido constantly invoked God and considered himself to be some sort of prophet. "Molesters commonly turn to religion to rationalize their behavior", said Ken Lanning, a former FBI profiler who specializes in kidnapping and child-abuse cases.

Peter Bitner, 64, was arrested in Honolulu, Hawaii on an arrest warrant issued in San Diego in 1993. He was living and working under his true name at a medical insurance office. He is accused of sexually abusing two small children, 16 years ago. He is being returned to San Diego to face charges, and if convicted, could face up to 20 years in prison. Officials said that from Aug. 1992 to March 1993, in San Diego, Bitner was a baby sitter and molested a 4-year-old girl and a 2-year-old boy who are step siblings.

John Jackey Worman, 42, was sentenced to 120 years in prison Aug. 12, 2009, for making a huge cache of child pornography that shows him sexually assaulting a dozen children, including infants, at a girlfriend’s in-home day care. The FBI found him with more than 1 million images of child pornography when they arrested him in 2007. An ex-girlfriend, Concetta Jackson, 46, of Collindale, who procured some of the victims for him, is in prison awaiting sentencing on one child pornography count. Another ex-girlfriend, Dorothy Prawdzik, 45, of Drexel Hill, was sentenced to 30 years in prison for participating in making the videos. The sentencing judge described him as a psychopath, and Worman says he has no remorse and says "I am totally at peace with everything I've done".

Authorities have arrested Arthur Le land Sayler in connection with one of the biggest child porn rings of today. Stretching from Mexico to Canada and all over the United States. When arrested Sayler was in possession of 4 million photos and videos of child pornography. In addition to the photos and videos, 15 hard drives full of child porn where found as well. Sayler has worked for numerous computer companies taking him to Kearny Mesa, Costa Mesa, Orange County, Santa Clara and all over San Diego. Sayler is in La Mesa State Penitentiary in Tijuana awaiting trial. Authorities say it may take a year to convict him.

Stephen L. McPherson, 39, and his wife were indicted on charges related to illegal sexual acts with three girls while they served as house parents of Hope Haven Children's Home, a Christian based facility operated by Union Mission Ministries, in Virginia Beach. McPherson pleaded guilty in January to charges of forcible sodomy and object sexual penetration. McPherson and his wife had undergone the same screening process as everyone else, such as criminal background checks, character references, interviews and spending time with the staff.

Willie Kendall Williams, 27, is being held without bail for charges of kidnapping with the intent to commit a sex crime, forcible oral copulation, rape with a foreign object, and car theft. Williams abducted a pregnant 16-year-old girl who was walking down east main street and forced her to perform sex acts on himself. If convicted of all charges Williams faces 30 years to life in prison.

Jordan Arnold, 21, recruited children to work as prostitutes and would list them on craigslist. Christopher Black, 21, and Jessica King, 20, were friends of Arnolds and helped him take the pictures and solicit male customers. Arnold pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to engage on sex trafficking of children and one count of coercion and enticement of a juvenile into prostitution. Arnold was sentenced to 6 years in prison, while the other two received five years and eight months.

Charlie Williams, 37, is being charged with one count of rape by force, three counts of lewd and lascivious acts with a child under14 and another under 16. Williams is related to the young girl he raped who was 12 at the time. The other two girls were between 12 an 15. Williams started molesting the girls in 2004.

Monsey Rabbi Israel Weingarten was found guilty of abusing his daughter through much of her childhood. The trial was traumatic for his daughter, now 27. Weingarten acted as his own attorney and put his daughter through a grueling cross examination. He was sentenced to 30 years in prison.

Pauletta Santaua, 20, has appeared in videos and photos with a girl under 15-years-old. The photos where taken by a Gary Lee Whiteside of Spring Valley. Santaua had pleaded guilty in Jan. on one count of committing a lewd act on a child under the age of 14. Whiteside, 65, faces 50 felony charges of molesting and photographing nine girls who were between the age of 11 and 15, and possessing child pornography. Whiteside could face multiple life terms if convicted.

Garth Jason Gumienny, 34, has been arrested on suspicion of molesting another child. Gumienny is a registered child molester. Gumienny is suspected of molesting his roommate's son. Gumienny's arrest came after the police interviewed the roommate’s boy. He was booked on suspicion of 10 counts of child molestation.

Dennis Tasker, 61, a former upstate police officer, is charged with multiple counts of sex abuse involving at least one child. State police say Tasker performed sexual acts on a child during a 12- to 18-month period.

Timothy Whiteside, 44, was arrested on numerous counts of aggravated sexual assault on a child, as well as additional sexual related charges. This arrest was the result of an extensive investigation, by the Riverside County Sheriff’s Dept., of multiple juvenile victims at numerous locations throughout the Hemet & San Jacinto Valley. Whiteside would target girls between the ages of 10 and 14. Investigators are seeking other victims. Anyone who may have information about the case or has had negative contact with Whiteside is urged to call the Judge at the Hemet Sheriff's Station at 951-791-3421.

James Anthony Reid, 31, has pleaded not guilty to all 15 charges against him. According to court records, the offenses include five counts of first-degree sex abuse, four counts of first- degree rape, and six counts of sodomy. Reid's victims were both boys and girls ranging in age from 5 to 12. The attacks on the children occurred in the northern part of Mobile County in the Citronelle and Chunchula areas.

Vincent Gerber, 38, faces four felonies in two separate cases; two counts of child molestation and sexual misconduct with a minor. Gerber and his wife, Marsha, hosted a party on Dec. 28 at his home where they bought and allowed underage girls, to be drinking at their home. Two teen girls 13 and 15, have told police that Gerber had touched them. The 13-year-old said she fought Gerber as he tried to put his hand down her shorts. Gerber also tried to put his hands up her shirt. The 15-year-old told police she got drunk at the party, threw up, then went to bed. Gerber followed the girl into the bedroom and had sex with her.

Gary Lee Whiteside, 66, pleaded guilty to molesting young girls, and is expected to be sentenced to 60 years to life in prison. Authorities said he would ask girls from distressed families to model for him at his El Cajon photography studio, and over a period of time, groom them to take off their clothes and engage in sexual activities. Investigators said they found hundreds and possibly thousands of pictures and videos of girls alone, with each other and with him performing sex acts. He had volunteered for his church and worked with police departments in El Cajon and La Mesa.

Jatten Heinen, 20, of Wahpeton is accused of touching four girls at a YMCA. The girls range in ages between 6 and 8. Heinen faces four counts of gross sexual imposition and one count of attempted gross sexual imposition. Heinen had only worked at the YMCA for about one year.

Dean Arthur Schwartzmiller, 63, was arrested in Everett Washington after he allegedly molested two 12-year-old boys in San Jose. Schwartzmiller shared a home with a Fred Everts, who is a convicted sex offender. The home they shared is walking distance to at least two elementary schools. San Jose police raided the home to find computers everywhere, three ring binders, with thousands of pages describing in handwriting how they had sexually assaulted their victims. The total number of sex acts recorded total more than 36,000; which are grouped into categories such as, cute boys, blonde boys, boys who say no and so on. They also had boys in age categories. Police believe there are hundreds of victims in a number of states. Schwartzmiller faces charges in San Jose, Oregon, Idaho, Arkansas, Washington, New York, Brazil, Nevada and Texas. Schwartzmiller was convicted of molesting a 14-year-old boy back in 1978 for which he spent time in an Idaho prison. Schwartzmiller preys on the innocent, weak, oppressed and those who are in need.

Mark Kaczmarczyk, 57, and wife Anita Kaczmarczyk, 43, have been arrested in Taipei. The two are being charged with molesting six children who attended their day care, held in a San Diego apartment in 2007. The Kaczmarczyks fled to Taiwan, avoiding an arrest warrant. Mark is being held on a 2 million dollar bail, and Anita 600,000 dollar bail.

Richard P. DeArment, 44, of Spring Valley is charged with two counts of committing lewd acts on a child younger than 14. If convicted, he could spend up to 25 years to life in prison. DeArment had molested a girl, then 4, and another, then 2-years-old.

William F. Anderson, 70, was convicted of child molestation. Anderson is guilty of molesting an employee's daughter who took martial arts classes at his home. Anderson was sentenced to 14 years in prison.

Archie Lee Thomas has been convicted on numerous charges including rape and assault with intent to commit rape. Thomas was a door-to-door salesman in El Cajon. Thomas forced his way into his victim’s home, who was 14 at the time, and dragged her around the house before brutally raping her. Thomas has been sentenced to 80 years to life in prison.

Robert "Eric" Buss, 38, faces up to 18 years in prison for performing lewd acts on a child under 14 and one count of performing lewd acts on a child between the ages of 14 and 15. Buss sponsored boys in BMX bicycle racing. Buss would pay their entry fees and travel with them to races throughout Southern California.

Wayne Albert Bleyle, 54, was a  Respiratory Therapist at Childrens Hospital, he is being accused of sexually abusing five seriously ill or brain-damaged children. Additional charges of modeling children to create child pornography, and additional counts of distributing or offering to distribute child pornography have been added against Bleyle. Christopher Alan Irvin of City Heights, a 32-year-old nurse who had worked under Bleyle, is being charged with molesting patients under his care. Irvin is being charged with distributing child porn as well. Bleyle did, however, admit in a telephone interview to molesting a comatose and brain-damaged child as early as 1996.

Chester William Owen Jr., 54, has been found guilty of three counts of molesting a relative who lived with him when she was a teenager. Owen, an unemployed engineer who volunteered for children's Boy Scout and school activities, was also found guilty of battering his relative after she became an adult. Owen had domestic violence charges against him in 2003 as well.

Daniel Meraz 24, a day care worker is being accused for molesting a young girl and her friends at a YMCA after-school program. Meraz would take one at a time into his office, shut the door and blinds while fondling the young girls. If convicted, Meraz faces a potential life prison term.

Robert "Bo" Jack, 28, pleaded guilty to two counts of child molestation. Jack a resident of Escondido had drugged a 13-year-old girl while she slept at a friends house in Poway. Once she was drugged enough he fondled and touched her repeatedly. Jack received the maximum penalty.

Dr. John Scott McClintock, 41, a pediatric plastic surgeon, was accused of molesting six boys, ages 9 to 15. McClintock was later convicted on 30 counts of child molestation and possessing child pornography. McClintock a physician in Chula Vista faces at least 60 years in state prison.

Eugenio Chipkevitch, 47, was detained after 35 videotapes, with more than 50 hours worth of footage of him abusing boys between 10 and 16 years of age, were found by police. Doctor Chipkevitch is also a therapist who worked with young children.

Judge Ronald C. Kline, 61, was charged with four counts of lewd conduct with a child under the age of 14. Kline was in possession of child pornography, and was molesting a neighbor boy.

Geoffrey Cornish, 52, a Solana Beach therapist who specialized in treating adolescents has pleaded guilty to 20 felony charges of molestation. Cornish was molesting a 13-year-old boy in his office while the mother waited in the adjacent room. Cornish who is HIV positive was having sex with the boy. Cornish, pleaded guilty and is in prison for 23 years.