Monday, March 27, 2006
Previous Posts
- Please have fare ready.
- The week will not survive!
- The Heavy Hand of the State (shadows, too?)
- Again with the messes!
- You may be experiencing delays.
- ...last call?
- Tonight we sail for Singapore!
- What men of dogs are these?
- Go back to the past.
- Will the author yield?
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1 Comments:
Mr. S has a mug shot!!!! Can you believe? He looks scary.
go to www.kare11.com
A long-time band director at Spring Lake Park High School is facing the potential of more than 30 years in prison, after authorities in Anoka County filed three criminal counts against him.
Fifty-five-year-old Michael William Schleicher is charged with two counts of first degree criminal sexual conduct, and one of soliciting a child, after he was caught in an internet sting.
"This all came to light when he started an internet conversation back in February with a person who he thought to be a 13-year-old female, who was actually an adult male doing his own vigilante work," explained Captain Rob Bredsten of the Anoka County Sheriff's Department.
That vigilante was actually living in the Grand Cayman Islands. Investigators say he went to a Yahoo chat room and claimed to be a girl from Tennessee. Schleicher, logged on as "MrHolland2005," then initiated sexually charged chats with the intended victim, according to the criminal complaint.
"In the course of these conversations, he mentioned he was a band teacher in Minnesota, and back a number of years ago he had sexual relations with one of his students," Bredsten said.
The vigilante notified Minnesota's Bureau of Criminal Apprehension about Schleicher's activities.
"We don't see that very often," says Kevin Smith, spokesman for the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, which includes the BCA.
Agents assumed the identity of the 13-year-old girl, and engaged the suspect in more sexually explicit chat. During these conversations, investigators say Schleicher sent pornographic images of himself via his web cam.
"They executed a search warrant at his house March 2," Bredsten said. "Mr. Schleicher was home at the time, and he acknowledged that he in fact did have sexual relations with a former student, he identified that student to us."
Authorities then contacted the one-time student, now 27, and she confirmed a sexual relationship with Schleicher that was carried out inside Spring Lake Park High School. It began in 1993, when she was just 14 years old.
Bredsten said in this particular case, it helped to get assistance from someone in the public posing as an underage child.
Smith said, "This gave the BCA and Anoka County the opportunity to be proactive in an investigation and pull this person off the street."
It's common these days to see regular citizens use the web to hunt for predators. PrevertedJustice.com is probably the best known group. It often works with police to prosecute alleged predators.
But the Minnesota Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force says such efforts can present a problem, since citizens alone cannot collect the forensic evidence needed to prosecute the cases.
For example, in February investigators charged 23-year-old Titipa Andrews with soliciting sex from a child under the age of 15. The case started with a citizen pretending to be underage, but the arrest only came after investigators took over the account.
As for the Schleicher case, administrators at Spring Lake Park High School sent a letter home with students updating their parents. Schleicher has been on leave since March 2. The letter assures parents the school is safe and secure but urges them to talk to their kids about a difficult and confusing situation.
If convicted of the charges, the band teacher faces more than 30 years in prison. He is out of jail after posting a portion of $100,000 dollars bail.
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