The Life of a Private Investigator!

Gresham Outlook Readers Choice Awards for 2010

Congratulations to my dear friends and fellow business owners: 

Dina Dinucci voted Best Barista @ Park Place Coffee and Crepes

www.parkplacecoffee.com

    Christina Hinton-Smith voted Best Photogragher @ Photos By Chris

www.photosbychris.com

Tracy Gabriel voted Best Child Care and Learning Center @ Pixie Day Care

 www.pixiedaycare.com

I am blessed to count these women among my friends. They inspire me to achieve great success!

The cost of child abuse!

Victims’of child abuse (sexual abuse, physical abuse and neglect) pay a severe price but do you actually know what it costs society. 

 

In 2008, Prevent Child Abuse American conducted a study to determine the direct and indirect costs childhood abuse and neglect have on American. The study concluded that it cost an estimated $103.8 billion dollars annually to respond to child abuse.

 

Because this area of interest is related to my specialty as a private investigator I get to chat with folks daily about this topic.  I never meet someone who does not care but I am always surprised at how little people know or understand. Child abuse in particularly sexual abuse is not something people want to discuss.  I think the way to gain the attention of American is to point out the financial price we all pay for the perpetrators crime . 

 

I wonder what would happen if Americans put more resources and emphasis on prevention.

 

For more information about this topic click this link

 

http://www.pcaiowa.org/child_abuse_costs.html

Sounds like a scary movie "Human Trafficing."

As an expert in sex abuse litigation you would think that nothing surprises me but every once in a while something does. The concept of human trafficing is frightening.  I liken it to a scary movie because it is. At any point a child can disapear off the street,  never to be seen again.  How is that possible in the year 2010!"Portland has the second highest standing in the country for sex trafficking with over 50 percent of those victims being children. It is a serious problem in East County which is being addressed on several fronts by leaders from the County, the Sheriff’s Department, school districts and churches, as well as other agencies and nonprofits. 

Today in the United States, it is estimated that 300,000 minors are being trafficked for sexual exploitation. Ninety percent of the victims are American citizens. Second only to the drug trade, human trafficking is the largest criminal industry in the world, and the fastest growing crime on the planet. In 2007, human slave traders made more money than Google, Nike and Starbucks combined. Human trafficking is a worldwide problem, but has dramatic impacts right here in Multnomah County."

Priest Who Was Sexually Abused by a Known Pedophile May Not Have Committed Suicide

Victims of child sex abuse and their supporters who are members of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAPNetwork.org), the nation's largest support group for men and women sexually abused in religious organizations, are writing California Jesuit Provincial Fr. John P. McGarry on behalf of the family of Fr. James Chevedden, a Jesuit priest who died in 2004 after reporting that another Jesuit, Brother Charles Leonard Connor, sexually abused him in 1998.  

According the coroner's report, Chevedden committed suicide when he fell from a parking garage in San Jose on his 56th birthday, minutes after he completed jury duty service.  There was no suicide note.  http://www.bishop-accountability.org/news2005_07_12/2005_08_06_Bunting_BehindA.htm

Chevedden's family and SNAP are writing the California Province of Jesuits to urge them to cooperate with law enforcement because of their concerns of continued cover-up of sex abuse and the threat that Brother Charles Leonard Connor poses at the Los Gatos Jesuit facility where he currently lives. 

Chevedden was sexually abused by Brother Connor at the Los Gatos facility in 1998, while Chevedden was healing from two broken feet.  Connor also molested two mentally retarded men at the facility over a 30-year period.  Connor was arrested and the California Jesuits settled civil sex abuse cases with the men in 2002 for $7.5 million. http://www.bishop-accountability.org/ma-bos/settlements/SettlementLosGatos.html

"Brother Connor has been sexually abusing vulnerable men at the Sacred Heart facility for a lifetime," the letter says.  "It does not matter that Connor is old - research and our own personal experience have shown that these men do not stop abusing.  He must be removed from this facility and sent somewhere where he has NO access to vulnerable men."

SNAP last week wrote a letter to the San Jose Police Department, asking them to reopen Chevedden's case, due to conflicting and lost evidence and a wrongful death lawsuit against the Jesuits that settled in 2007.  The Jesuits admitted that church officials "lost," "gave away," "disposed of," or "made inaccessible" crime scene evidence in Chevedden's case, including a bible, rosary, note pad, glasses and e-mail correspondence.

Deputy Chief Donald Anders acknowledged receiving the letter and said that he would look into the matter.

"We believe that new evidence may have been unearthed or found as a part of the discovery process in the Chevedden's wrongful death lawsuit," the letter says.  "It is your obligation to ensure that San Jose Police are given anything that may even be considered remotely relevant to the case."

Contact:
Joelle Casteix of Newport Beach, SNAP SW Regional Director, (949) 322-7434 cell
John Chevedden of Redondo Beach, CA, Brother of James Chevedden
Dawn Krantz-Watts, Private Investigator Hired by The Chevedden Family 503-577-7979
Paul Chevedden, (323) 292-5332, Brother of James Chevedden
Ray T. Chevedden, father of James Chevedden
Barb Dorris of St. Louis, MO, SNAP Outreach Director (314) 503-0003

Memorial Day-Thank you to my Brother and all our Armed Forces!

Our country first began the tradition of Decoration Day to honor the Union soldiers following the end of the American civil war.

Today we recognize this day as Memorial Day to honor all of our American soldiers who have been a casualty of war, both past and present. We also recognize the many soldiers who still sacrifice for our Country. Men and Women who have dedicated themselves to the armed forces since our Country was formed.  Take a moment to reflect on what that sacrifice has meant for our Ccountry and for yourself. Because of those men and women we all enjoy freedoms than many others in our world do not.

This blog post is dedicated to my Brother, Brian Krantz. He proudly serves his country in the Army National Guard! Keep him in your prayers with all the other soldiers so that they return home safely.  Brian will be in IRAQ for the next year. I admire his courage and I will be praying that he comes home safely. 

Love,

You Sister, aka Inspector Watts

Breaking News In Portland, Oregon

For immediate release, Tuesday, March 3

Statement by Barbara Blaine of Chicago, SNAP Founder and President, 312-399-4747

Today a three judge Federal Appeals panel in Portland, OR ruled that John Doe's sex abuse and cover-up case versus Father Andrew Ronan and the Vatican can proceed.  We applaud this sound ruling and this brave victim. Nothing else has forced Catholic officials to reform their secretive, reckless and callous decades old patterns in child sex abuse and cover-up cases. Despite hundreds of criminal prosecutions, thousands of civil lawsuits, tens of thousands of news accounts and hundreds of thousands of victims, bishops continue to put their reputations above children's safety and protect secrets and predators, not parishioners and children. This is one key hurdle in a long process and we know that the Vatican defense lawyers will keep fighting tooth and nail for years to prevent the Pope and his colleagues from having to face tough questions under oath about how much they knew and little they did to stop child molesting clerics. We hope this decision will prod others who saw, suspected or suffered child sex crimes into coming forward, getting help, calling police, reporting predators and safeguarding kids. SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, is the nation's oldest and largest support group for clergy abuse victims. We've been around for 20 years and have more than 8,000 members across the country. Despite the word "priest" in our title, we have members who were molested by religious figures of all denominations, including nuns, rabbis, bishops, and Protestant ministers.

Our website is www.SNAPnetwork.org

David Clohessy, SNAP National Director 314-566-9790
Barbara Dorris, SNAP Outreach Director 314-862-7688S

See copy of ruling in attached link

http://andersonadvocates.com/ViewFile.aspx?ID=230

Valentine Day Blog - Part 1

20 yrs today my day was all planned out; cookies to deliver, a job to get too and a boyfriend to see. I dressed in red; I looked fabulous. I delivered cookies to my Grandparents who I adored beyond words. I arrived on time at work hoping to sneak out early. At some point my Mom needed a ride to something and my boyfriend called to say he would be late for dinner so off I went to get my Mom.

During the drive a woman in a big old chevy nova crossed 4 lanes of traffic, she hit me head-on. Yikes, the damage one car can do to another is not something you can even fathom, I didn’t really understand in the moment of impact how truly hurt I was. I do remember a stranger holding my hand while we waited for help (I wish I could remember his name he was an Angel)?

Suddenly I was in an ambulance pissed because the EMT was cutting off my beautiful dress. I remember thinking “I hope this does not take long because I have things to do and date” that was the last thing I remember before I stopped breathing.

I woke up in ICU alone, I could see the clock on the wall, Valentines Day was over, where was everyone. I was panicking inside because I could not move or talk. The Doctor came in to tell me I might never talk again. I was terrified thinking I am in a nightmare but it was real.

Don’t ask me why I just knew I would be ok! I would run, laugh and talk until I could not think of anything else to say. Since that day I have lived my life doing just that! As I write this I am choked up and yet grateful. Every person from that day touched my life and the people who supported me during that time will always be in my heart. The people who I have met in my journey since, I know have been around a better person because of that wreck.

So if you have something you have been meaning to do, someone you owe an apology, someone you need to tell you love or just cookies to deliver, DO IT. Life is short, each day is a gift! Every year for the last 20 years I try to remember I have been given a gift! 20 years does not diminish a life lesson like that.