Inmate, accused of sex crimes, dies in the Harnett County jail

12-21-16 North Carolina:

LILLINGTON A Harnett County inmate awaiting trial on felony sex charges was found dead in his cell on Tuesday morning.

Charles Robert Johnson, 53, was discovered unresponsive during Harnett County Detention Center cell checks at about 6:07 a.m., according to a sheriff’s office release. EMS units were summoned to treat Johnson at the detention center, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Officials did not observe any obvious signs that pointed to a cause of Johnson’s death, the release said.

The State Bureau of Investigation was notified of Johnson’s death and is now in charge of the investigation, the release said. An autopsy has been ordered to determine the cause of death.

Johnson had been confined to the jail since Aug. 16, and was awaiting a Jan. 24 trial on several felony sex charges involving possession of child pornography and a statutory sexual offense with a child. ..Source.. by Chris Cioffi

Sex offender hangs himself in jail

6-13-16 North Carolina:

A Gaston County sex offender has died after he was found hanging in his jail cell last week, less than three hours after his arrest.

John William Gluth Jr., 44, was charged June 7 for failing to report his new Gastonia address to the Sheriff's Department. He was given a $250,000 bond.

He didn't live to see his first court appearance.

Found hanging

"He was found hanging in his cell," said Darrell Griffin, assistant chief of the Gaston County Sheriff's Office. "He was unresponsive and not breathing."

Gluth died Friday at CaroMont Regional Medical Center.

Gluth went to his cell, alone, at 11:49 a.m. that day while other inmates congregated in a common area. A deputy doing routine checks found Gluth at 12:19 p.m., unresponsive and not breathing with a bed sheet tightened around his neck, Griffin said.

Officials: Sex offender kills self as police approach home

12-4-15 North Carolina:

BESSEMER CITY, N.C. — Officers were trying to talk to a convicted sex offender Friday morning inside a home on North 12th Street in Bessemer City moments before he killed himself.

Neighbor's heard the shots from inside this house that brought an end to a new investigation into Brian Drake, who got out of prison in April.

Police with guns drawn converge on a Bessemer City home. We are talking to worried neighbors.

In 2011, he admitted to showing porn to a 13-year-old girl, then having sex with her. He was sentenced on 14 felony counts.

Authorities this week were investigating a claim of sex offense allegedly committed by Drake, who was not charged.

Anson Co. Sheriff: Registered sex offender killed 2-year-old girl, self

11-25-2014 North Carolina:

ANSON COUNTY, N.C. — Anson County deputies said the man who killed a 2-year-old girl and then himself in a murder-suicide was a convicted sex offender from Kentucky.

Investigators came to the home on Horne Store Road Monday around 5 p.m. Monday after someone called 911. "Yes, I need some help over here ... Anson County, I need y'all help. Please hurry," said the 911 caller.

She said her brother-in-law had committed suicide. Investigators discovered George Rufus Harris, 33, shot to death in a shed behind the home. Inside a bedroom, they found the body of that 2-year-old girl and they found a suicide note.

“He admitted he killed the child regretted it and was going to take his own life,” said Sheriff Tommy Allen.

Officers didn’t have a motive, but said Harris was a registered sex offender who was wanted for a probation violation and failing to report. Eyewitness News checked and found he was convicted of sexually abusing a 14-year-old.

Sheriff - Brunswick inmate kills self in cell

9-11-2014 North Carolina:

A Brunswick County jail inmate who earlier this week led police on a car chase apparently killed himself in his cell, an official said.

Michael Rago, 33, was found unresponsive in his jail cell at 11:14 a.m. Thursday, said Brunswick County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Emily Flax.

"He is the victim of an apparent suicide," Flax said in a new release. "During the initial stages of these investigations, there have been no indication of foul play, nor have there been any apparent violation of (sheriff's office) policies and procedures."

Rago and Elizabeth Ashley Ventiquattro, 35, both of Ocean Isle Beach, were arrested Monday after security officers accused the two of shoplifting and returning stolen merchandise for cash at the Walmart in Southport, said Southport Police Chief Jerry Dove.

Family member IDs inmate who died Tuesday

8-14-2014 North Carolina:

Local officials were still mum on details two days after an Onslow County Jail inmate was found dead of an apparent hanging this week.

Dana Scott Hill, 39, of Jacksonville, died Tuesday in Jacksonville, according to his obituary. A family member as well as an acquaintance of Hill’s, neither of whom wanted to be identified, confirmed that Hill was the inmate who died on Tuesday in the jail.

Hill was in custody after being charged Aug. 7 with three charges of statutory rape, three charges of indecent liberties with a child, statutory sex offense and crime against nature. Hill had a court date set for Aug. 13, according to the North Carolina Court System.

Vinelink, an online system that allows users to check an individual’s custody status, had Hill listed on Wednesday as “out of custody” for “other reasons.” Officials at the Onslow County Jail confirmed Hill was no longer under their custody on Thursday but confirmed no other details.

Former NC teacher implicated in sexual abuse commits suicide

6-16-2014 North Carolina:

DURHAM — A former teacher accused of sexual abuse decades ago at Carolina Friends School has committed suicide, the school said in an email Monday to alumni, parents and staff.

The former teacher, Charles William “Bill” Butcher, 71, died Thursday in West Jefferson. His death came a day after the school emailed a letter naming Butcher and a former principal who were suspects but not criminally charged.

Five former students, all male, had alleged that they were fondled by a former principal during a six-year period from 1969 to 1975. One of the five also said he was inappropriately touched by a former teacher, identified as Butcher, in 1976. The allegations were reported by former students in the fall of 2012.

The school had hired child and sexual abuse experts and reported the allegations to law enforcement in Orange County, where the school is located. The actions would have been misdemeanors and thus could not have been prosecuted decades later, the school had said.

Friend "shocked" over suicide of accused child molester who worked at church

2-21-2014 North Carolina:

SALISBURY, NC (WBTV) - A house parent in a Rowan County church school took his own life after being confronted with allegations that he had sexually abused young girls in the school.

Twelve years ago, there were similar allegations but nothing was done and many in the community want to know why.

According to the Rowan Sheriff's Office, Danny Kesler (59) took his own life after leaders at the City of Refuge School at Bible Missionary Baptist Church confronted him over allegations made by three teenaged girls at the school.

The girls had said that Kesler had inappropriate sexual contact with them.

Terry Rollins was friends with Danny Kesler. Rollins runs a knife store in Kannapolis and he says Kesler visited often, sometimes bringing children from the City of Refuge.

"Him and his wife had given up everything to operate this children's home for the church and they were faithful in doing it," Rollins told WBTV.

Rollins was shocked to hear of the new allegations and of Kesler's suicide just minutes after being confronted by church leaders.

Local Alleged Sex Offender Apparently Commits Suicide

10-12-2012 North Carolina:

The Henderson County Sheriff's detectives were on the scene Friday investigating a self-inflicted gunshot wound at 3567 Evans Rd. in Hendersonville.

Richard David Serena, 50 years of age, has been identified as the victim and is deceased. Mr. Serena had been charged recently by the Henderson County Sheriff's Office with two counts of indecent liberties with a minor, one count of crime against nature, and one count of second degree sex offense. Mr. Serena was out on bond pending trial.

According to reports earlier in the week, Serena had been charged with sex offenses earlier this year...and was out on bond, awaiting trial on those charges as well.

The sheriff's department's investigation is continuing. ..Source.. by WHKP Radio

Pender inmate found dead in cell

8-1-2012 North Carolina:

A Pender County jail inmate was found hanging in his cell Wednesday morning, an apparent victim of suicide, according to a news release.
Damien Manley

Damien Billy Manley, 21, was pronounced dead at the jail in Burgaw about 2:30 a.m.

According to Chief Deputy Keith Hinkle, a jail officer was making the rounds when he came upon Manley about 1:42 a.m.

Hinkle said Manley, who was housed alone, had used the cover from his mattress to hang himself.

The officer attempted to revive Manley but was unsuccessful.

Hinkle said the last time Manley was seen alive by jail staff was at 1:21 a.m.

According to a press release from Sheriff Carson Smith, the State Jail Inspectors Office was notified of the death and the State Bureau of Investigation was asked to conduct an investigation.

An internal investigation is also underway, Smith said.

“Preliminary indications are that the jail officers on duty followed state rules, Sheriff’s Office procedures and medical staff guidance in their classification and monitoring of the inmate,” the release states.

Manley, of Rocky Point, was jailed July 24 on suspicion of first-degree burglary, assault on a child under 12 and contempt.

He was being held on a $60,000 bond. ..Source.. by CONUS TOC SOURCE

Teacher being investigated for sex crimes at time of death

4-23-2012 North Carolina:

REDELL COUNTY, N.C. — A former Iredell County teacher was being investigated for 24 counts of molestation with a student at the time of his death, Iredell County deputies said.

Deputies confirmed Monday afternoon that they were one day away from charging 31-year-old Alan Payne, but he killed himself during the investigation.

On Monday, parents asked why the school did not tell them about the investigation.

“This is appalling,” said one student’s mother, who asked not to be identified to protect the identity of her daughter. “She was devastated to find out he had committed suicide and then to have the information trickle down that he was accused of such a horrendous crime. She doesn’t know what to think.”

The accusations against Payne include two dozen counts of rape, indecent liberties and sex with a minor, a 14-year-old student. He was allegedly involved with the student for more than eight months.

Iredell-Statesville Schools suspended Payne as soon as the investigation began, but parents were never told anything, not even after Payne was found dead.

“It doesn’t make sense to me,” she said. “They should have been honest from the beginning. When they called parents on Wednesday night and told them of his death, they should have told the whole truth. Without the knowledge, we can’t help our kids, and they neglected to be responsible.”

The district responded, saying it did not release the information as a matter of policy.

The school district said it does not disclose accusations without sufficient evidence because false accusations could damage reputations.

As for the investigation into Payne, deputies were able to release the report detailing the accusations because the case is now considered closed. ..Source.. by WSOC

Autopsy: Man who killed former girlfriend at Duke clinic committed suicide

Posted in Related Deaths

5-10-2010 North Carolina:

The Durham man who exchanged gunfire with police in May after fatally shooting his former girlfriend at a Duke clinic died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.

Burnett Taylor, 51, died of a contact gunshot wound to the right side of his head, the autopsy report states.

Taylor was confronted by police about two blocks from the clinic at 3116 N. Duke St. where 40 minutes earlier he had fatally shot 49-year-old Charlene King six times.

When police confronted Taylor, the autopsy states, he was holding a gun to his head.

Shots were also fired by police, the autopsy report states. The autopsy describes a second gunshot wound to the left hip. ..Source.. by Staff Reports

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Man shoots, kills girlfriend at Duke health clinic

5-6-2010 North Carolina:

DURHAM (WTVD) -- A Duke Medicine employee was shot and killed by a gunman who came to her workplace in Durham Tuesday afternoon.

The shooting at the Duke Health Center at North Duke Street happened just before 3 p.m. at the corner of N. Duke Street and Frasier Street. That's north of I-85 near the Durham Regional Hospital.

Panicked 911 calls immediately began flooding into emergency operators.

"We're all hiding in a room here," a doctor told a 911 operator.

Click here to listen to the calls

"The guy with the gun came in and somebody fell through the door," said another caller. "A man came in behind her and shot."

Witnesses reported hearing four shots. They said medical staff were attempting to give the woman CPR, but she was unconscious.

Durham police identified the victim as 49-year-old Charlene Bullock King. Relatives told ABC11 that she worked at the center for 27 years as a phlebotomist. They said the gunman was her ex-boyfriend.

Police identified him as 52-year-old Burnette Taylor of Durham.

"Charlene was very sweet, very sweet," King's stepson Steven Shealey said. "She didn't deserve this at all. Even at one point when I was going through some things with my fiancé, she took me in."

He said she had recently had a fight with Taylor and decided to leave the relationship.

"I guess he realized he had lost something that was a jewel, something that was precious as she was, and that's why he couldn't let go," Shealey said.

After the shooting, Durham police quickly swarmed the area trying to find Taylor who took off on foot.

"We happened to have officers training not too far from here at that point in time, so they were able to respond at a very quick rate," Durham Police Chief Jose Lopez said.

Witnesses reported the gunman ran into a wooded area behind a house on Carver Street. They reported hearing multiple gunshots before Taylor was seen lying on the ground.

As police tracked Taylor, Lopez said he "engaged police officers in a gun battle" at Carver and Broad streets.

Taylor was shot by officers and Lopez said he was taken to Duke Hospital where he later died.

Lopez said the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation would be assisting in the case - as is standard in any officer involved shooting.

Taylor had a long criminal record. According to the North Carolina Department of Corrections, he was a registered sex offender after convictions for second-degree rape and kidnapping in 1993. He also has convictions for car theft, larceny of firearms, resisting arrest, and drunk driving.

After serving time for those crimes, he was released and apparently began dating another woman, who late-last year accused him of assault. The woman even requested a temporary restraining order, describing a violent episode in which Taylor beat her unconscious. In court documents she wrote, "He continued to slap, kick, punch me with his fists. Blackening both my eyes, fracturing my ribs, my liver was cut due to a kick."

Probation officers put out warrants for Taylor's arrest beginning in November of last year.

State correction officials say Taylor's probation officer made every attempt to locate him, but officers never managed to track Taylor down, until six months later when Durham police officers shot him Tuesday.

Officials with the North Carolina Department of Correction also say their revue shows the probation officer made numerous attempts to find Taylor over the last six months, at his last known address and his family members, but Taylor was willfully fleeing supervision.

Meanwhile, Duke Medicine reopened on Thursday after it cancelled all appointments for all services at the Duke Health Center at North Duke Street for Wednesday. ..Source.. by WTVD.com

Standoff ends with self-inflicted gunshot, police say

1-24-2012 North Carolina:

A four-hour standoff between police and a West Marion man ended Tuesday afternoon when officers stormed the home to find that the resident had shot himself.

George Elmer Painter III, 47, of 70 W. Wilhelmina St. was taken by ambulance to The McDowell Hospital, where he was loaded aboard MAMA, Memorial Mission’s helicopter, and transported to the Asheville facility. EMS Director William Kehler said Painter was in critical condition late Tuesday afternoon. Lt. Rusty Jenkins of the Marion Police Department stated that Painter suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head from a .25-caliber handgun.

Painter is an accused child sex offender. Detective Sgt. Rick Gutierrez of the Marion Police Department arrested him in September on two counts each of first-degree statutory sex offense and taking indecent liberties with a child.

Gutierrez said the suspect handcuffed, blindfolded and molested a 5-year-old girl.

His charges are still pending in McDowell County Superior Court.

Jenkins said Painter’s wife came to the Police Department shortly before 10 a.m. Tuesday, requesting assistance at the West Wilhelmina Street residence due to domestic-related issues.

When an officer arrived at the house, Painter approached a window with a gun in his hand, Jenkins stated in a news release. When asked to drop the weapon, Painter retreated from the window and the officer called for assistance.

Jenkins tried several attempts to contact Painter by cell phone and even by loud speaker from a patrol car and by bullhorn.

“George, I need you to answer your telephone, friend,” Jenkins pleaded. “All I’m here to do is talk to you.”

Painter’s aunt was standing by at the scene in case he wanted to talk to a family member instead of police.

Each request for contact was met with silence.

On a couple of occasions, a team of officers crept their way up to the mobile home.

“We were trying to see if we could hear anything, but there was nothing,” the lieutenant stated.

Authorities obtained an arrest warrant for Painter on the grounds that he violated a court order. When released from jail on bond for the pending sex charges, he was told not to be in possession of a firearm.

Close to 1:30 p.m., McDowell County sheriff’s deputies and Marion police officers, all armed and some dressed in tactical gear, stormed the residence and found Painter on the living room couch, suffering from the self-inflicted wound.

EMS paramedics were already on the scene and immediately began to treat Painter.

The hours-long commotion brought West Marion residents out onto their porches and out into the streets. They watched, waited and speculated as to the goings on.

Anna Staten, who lives next door to the Painters, was among the crowd of spectators. She said officers made her leave her house until they knew everything was safe and secure.

“Before he was charged, you couldn’t get (Painter) to say anything to you,” she stated. “He just got out of jail not too long ago. Now, every once in a while, he will come around wanting to buy a couple of cigarettes. … (Painter’s wife) is as antisocial as he is.”

On the scene Tuesday were members of the Marion Police Department, the McDowell County Sheriff’s Office, McDowell County EMS, Marion Fire Department, McDowell County Emergency Management, the N.C. State Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). ..Source.. by Richelle Bailey | McDowell News

Florida man commits suicide in Smokies days before trial in Key West

1-24-2012 North Carolina:

A Key West, Fla., man who steadfastly maintained his innocence on child pornography charges and was set to stand trial there Monday morning killed himself Friday afternoon in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

The body of Charles Dale Lee, 56, was found on the North Carolina side of the National Park shortly before 5 p.m. Friday, said Molly Schroer, public information officer with the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

According to a press release, National Park dispatchers received a report of a person lying beneath the observation deck at Newfound Gap who did not appear to be breathing. Park rangers responded and found Lee's body with a fatal gunshot wound to the head, and a suicide note was also found in the Lee's vehicle, officials said.

Schroer said Lee's next of kin in Florida have been notified.

Lee's attorney, Richard Wunsch of Key West, Fla., said he did not know why his client chose to travel to the park to end his life. Lee was 22 counts of possession of child pornography, and Lee adamantly maintained his innocence, Wunsch said.

"It wasn't a situation where a guy says, 'I did this — minimize my prison time.' He said he was not guilty of these charges and maintained that from the beginning," Wunsch said. "He was a decent guy with no criminal history accused of very serious crimes."

According a story from the July 21, 2009, edition The Citizen newspaper in Key West, Lee had been arrested days earlier and charged with the child porn counts.

Officers alleged that images found on a computer owned by Lee contained photos of naked underage females, some of them engaged in sex acts, according to an arrest warrant. ..Source.. by Lance Coleman

Sex offender kills self

8-29-2011 North Carolina:

RALEIGH -- A convicted sex offender with a history of child molestation offenses dating back to 1995 was scheduled to appear in court Monday on charges of attempted rape and indecent liberties with a child.

Someone instead called 911 Monday morning after finding Michael Assaad Lahoud, 54, dead inside his car at a North Raleigh parking lot.

"It was a suicide," Melanie Shekita, a Wake prosecutor said Monday afternoon. Raleigh (police) are calling it a self-inflicted gunshot wound."

Lahoud was charged between late 2008 and 2009 with 11 counts of indecent liberties with a child and one count of attempted rape.

"He was supposed to plead guilty to some of those and go to prison," Shekita said.

Lahoud would have spent between eight and 10 years in prison for the offenses, Shekita said.

The police were notified at 7:53 a.m. about a dead person in the parking lot of an office complex at 7008 Harps Mill Road, Jim Sughrue, a Raleigh police spokesman, said Monday afternoon.

Lahoud of 1905 Grove Point Court was given a deferred prosecution for indecent liberties in 1995, then convicted of four counts of indecent liberties, one in 2002 and three in 2004, according to the N.C. Sex Offender Registry. Prison records show he received probation and suspended sentences and never served time in prison for the offenses.

In 2008, Lahoud's neighbors were baffled by the news of his arrest. They described him as a quiet, churchgoing, hard-working general contractor.

Investigators think the offenses involved at least four juveniles - one girl and three boys.

They think the offenses took place between 2001 and 2006, court records show.

One of the victims, who was 15 when Lahoud was arrested, told investigators that he was fondled by Lahoud at least five times.

Three other teens also told investigators Lahoud fondled them on multiple occasions when they were younger. ..Source.. by NewsObserver.com

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Sex offender landlord dies on eve of court appearance

RALEIGH (WTVD) -- Police say they're investigating the death of a Raleigh landlord accused of molesting a tenant's children.

Michael Lahoud, 55, of 1905 Grove Point Ct., Raleigh, was expected to appear in court Monday and likely would have been sentenced to 10 years behind bars.

Those who knew Lehoud, say he hated jail and after two months behind bars, he and his family came up with his $2.5M bond.

A mother of one of his alleged victims told ABC11 Eyewitness News, she believed he had molested hundreds of children and knew of over 30.

She said Lehoud molested her son ten years ago when he was a young boy.

After learning of Lahoud's death, the woman says she was happy to tell her son he was found in his car at an office complex on Harps Mill Road near his north Raleigh home. He had been shot to death and although his death is an apparent suicide.

"I've seen jubilation in my son's voice today, and a light that came back that was never there -- that that man took." she said choking up. and a light that came back that was never there - that that man took."

The woman says she is celebrating the news.

"We're celebrating today, celebrating," she said. "This is a celebration. My son and I had this conversation yesterday. We knew we would never see the cuffs on that man."

Even though Lahoud is dead, his latest victims will never get to see him accept responsibility.

"I feel sorry for the children who were expecting to see justice today because they didn't," she added.

Melanie Shekita, the attorney who was prosecuting Lahoud, said it's a sad situation for everyone involved.

"The case has ended. Obviously we couldn't go forward with it," said Wake County Assistant Prosecutor Melanie Shekita. "For me, it means another child will never be molested again by him, but it's a sad situation by all involved."

Lahoud, who was listed on North Carolina's sex offender registry, had multiple convictions for indecent liberties with minors. In each case, plea agreements kept him out of jail.

In 2002, he was sentenced to a year of probation for an offense in 2001.

In 2004, he was sentenced to two years of probation for offenses in 1994, 1998, and 2001.

He was rearrested on indecent liberties charges in 2008 and a charge of attempted second-degree rape was added in early 2009.

According to a search warrant filed in his case, Lahoud managed rental properties around Wake County.

While out on bond, he tried to open a daycare center in one of the buildings he owned. He lined up investors but a judge stopped the plan. ..Source.. by Ed Crump

Accused sex offender kills himself

3-4-2011 North Carolina:

WHITSETT — A Whitsett man accused of raping a child killed himself Thursday night at his home on Cook-Stewart Road when sheriff’s deputies knocked on the door.

Ryan Gohn, 24, was the subject of an ongoing Guilford County Sheriff’s Department investigation involving sex offenses with a child. The sheriff’s department obtained warrants on Gohn, charging him with three counts of first-degree rape of a child, three counts of first-degree sex offense of a child and one count of indecent liberties with a minor, according to a sheriff’s department release.

Deputies attempted to serve those warrants to Gohn as well as warrants to search at his home on Cook-Stewart Road at about 10:30 p.m. Thursday.

“When deputies approached Mr. Gohn’s residence, they knocked and announced their presence at which time they heard a single gunshot and a woman scream from inside the residence,” the release states.

When deputies went into the house, they found Gohn dead from a single self-inflicted gunshot wound. The woman wasn’t injured.

While deputies had their weapons drawn when they entered the house, they didn’t use them. The woman is also a witness to the incident. As a result, sheriff’s department officials won’t be asking an outside law enforcement agency to investigate, said Guilford County Sheriff’s Col. Randy Powers.

The sheriff’s department only asks another agency to investigate if deputies fire their weapons, Powers said.

“No one had to fire any shots,” he said. ..Source.. by Times-News

Pediatrician Facing Claims of Sex Abuse Dies at Home

2-19-2011 North Carolina:

Dr. Melvin D. Levine, 71, a pediatrician and a leader in the field of learning disabilities, died in North Carolina a day after a sexual abuse and malpractice suit was filed against him in Boston.

The North Carolina medical examiner’s office confirmed that Dr. Levine’s death at his home in Rougemont, N.C., had been reported by the Orange County Sheriff’s Office on Friday, but it said that there would be no statement this weekend on the cause of death. Dr. Levine’s lawyer, Edward Mahoney, said he did not have details on the cause or timing of the death.

“This entire episode is a tragedy,” Mr. Mahoney said. “Throughout it, Dr. Levine never wavered that his care and treatment of all children was appropriate in all respects, and he steadfastly denied the allegations against him.”

Dr. Levine was a leading advocate for children with learning disabilities, whose fame spread through his books, including “A Mind at a Time”; his PBS series, “Misunderstood Minds”; national lectures; and an appearance on “The Oprah Winfrey Show.”

With Charles Schwab, he founded a nonprofit group, All Kinds of Minds, that has trained thousands of teachers nationwide. Dr. Levine’s approach emphasized that whatever their learning disabilities — or learning differences, as he called them — all children had strengths they could build on as well.

While Dr. Levine had been dogged by complaints of sexual abuse of patients for years, none were proved or widely publicized.

So it came as a shock in medical and education circles three years ago when a Boston lawyer, Carmen L. Durso, filed a lawsuit accusing Dr. Levine of sexually abusing five former patients when they were boys. Mr. Durso held a news conference at his office on Thursday to announce a new medical malpractice and sexual abuse suit against Dr. Levine, charging him with abusing 40 patients, all boys, while he was a doctor at Children’s Hospital Boston, from 1966 to 1985.

The lawsuit, filed in Suffolk Superior Court in Massachusetts, claimed that Dr. Levine had “stroked, massaged and manipulated the genitals of his patients in a manner which was not medically necessary.” It sought certification as a class action, on behalf of an estimated 5,000 boys whom Dr. Levine treated while at the hospital.

Mr. Durso said Saturday that he would make no statement this weekend, out of respect for Dr. Levine’s family.

Dr. Levine was never convicted of any abuse charge, and he never faced criminal charges.

There were, however, accusations against him in North Carolina as well as Massachusetts. In March 2009, as the North Carolina medical board was investigating such charges, Dr. Levine agreed that he would never again practice medicine.

Dr. Levine, a Rhodes scholar, was chief of ambulatory pediatrics at Children’s Hospital Boston before moving to the University of North Carolina. He is survived by his wife, Bambi. ..Source.. by Tamar Lewin

Durham Man Wanted On Sex Charges Found Dead

7-29-2010 North Carolina:

A Durham man charged with several sex charges was found dead in Chatham County, according to police.

Kammie Michael, spokesperson for the Durham Police Department, says 48-year-old Michael Anthony Coleman was found dead Wednesday night from an apparent self-inflicted wound.

No other details about his death were released.

Coleman had been missing since July 24. He was facing three counts of third-degree exploitation of a minor. ..Source.. by MyNC.com

Inmate hangs himself in Buncombe jail

2-21-2010 North Carolina:

ASHEVILLE — An Asheville man facing child sex offense charges committed suicide by hanging himself Saturday in the Buncombe County jail, authorities said.

Michael Todd Aidt, 36, of Hensley Drive, was found hanging by a sheet in his cell by a detention officer who was conducting supervision rounds around 8:30 p.m., Lt. Ross Dillingham said.

He said officers immediately removed Aidt from the sheet, and on-site detention medical personnel attempted to revive him, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Aidt had been jailed since Dec. 6 following an armed standoff with deputies at a mobile home on Dillingham Circle off Riceville Road. Deputies responded to a call after a suspect barricaded himself inside the residence with a shotgun.

The standoff ended peacefully after deputies deployed a chemical into the home and the suspect exited, Dillingham said.

Aidt was charged with two counts of first-degree rape of a child younger than 13, two counts of statutory rape of a child younger than 16, and one count of sex offense in incidents dating from 2005-2009, according to arrest warrants. He was being held on a $500,000 secured bond.

Terrie Lynn Davis, 35, of Hensley Drive, was charged in December with two counts of accessory after the fact to Aidt’s alleged crimes. Davis told the victim not to report the rapes, according to arrest warrants. ..Source.. by Clarke Morrison

NC- Inmate Charged With Sex Crime Commits Suicide

8-17-2009 North Carolina:

Inmate Dies 2 Days After Suicide Attempt

ROCKINGHAM COUNTY, N.C. -- A Rockingham County inmate arrested last Tuesday died after he tried to hang himself on Wednesday.

Authorities said James Michael Younger, 52, had been charged with indecent liberties with a child.

He was being held on a $1 million bond at the Rockingham County Detention Facility when deputies found him.

Younger was taken to the hospital to be treated, but died Friday evening. ..Source.. by WXII 12.com