Latest news with #ChildAdvocacyCenter
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Yahoo
Man accused of sexually assaulting 14-year-old girl in CT extradited from New Hampshire
A man was extradited from New Hampshire last week to face charges alleging he sexually assaulted a 14-year-old girl in Connecticut last April. Michael Parkinson, 39, of Claremont, New Hampshire was extradited on Friday and charged with second-degree sexual assault and illegal sexual contact with a victim under 16, according to the Connecticut State Police. According to the arrest warrant affidavit, the girl disclosed the allegations to a therapist two days after the alleged incident, but she would not immediately identify who sexually assaulted her. The therapist notified the Connecticut Department of Children and Families before the agency alerted the state police. On May 2, 2024, the girl told a school counselor she was ready to identify who assaulted her and alleged that Parkinson had abused her, the warrant affidavit said. During a forensic interview at the Child Advocacy Center in New London several days later, the girl told officials that the alleged incident took place on April 20, 2024, during a sibling's 11th birthday party in Colchester. The girl said Parkinson walked in on her in the bathroom and asked to lift her hoodie, but she told him no, the warrant affidavit said. She said he later entered her bedroom where she was lying in bed and 'plopped' down next to her, according to the warrant affidavit. The girl claimed that Parkinson asked if it was OK to move her hand and she agreed, but she alleged that he took her hand and put it in his pants, the warrant affidavit said. The girl claimed that her brother then walked by in the hallway and Parkinson allegedly asked him to come in and turn the lights off, which he did before leaving, according to the warrant affidavit. The teen alleged that Parkinson touched her inappropriately, the warrant affidavit said. The girl then alleged he encouraged her multiple times to get on her back in an attempt to sexually assault her, but she told him no each time, according to the warrant affidavit. The teen claimed that Parkinson had never tried assaulting her before the incident, according to the warrant affidavit. She alleged he would sometimes put his hand up her shirt when she was in the basement and that her mother would be in the room at times and not know it was happening, the warrant affidavit said. The girl said she never told anyone about what happened in the basement. During the investigation, the girl's mother turned over the teen's diary to police after finding an entry detailing the alleged assault. In it, the girl wrote that Parkinson allegedly tried assaulting her and that he had been acting 'weird' the past few months and was touching her, according to the warrant affidavit. The girl said she knew what was going to happen the moment he asked someone to turn off the lights, the warrant affidavit said. In the diary entry, the teen said she conducted a Google search to find out what it was called when someone touched her the way she alleges she was touched, according to the warrant affidavit. She said the search turned up 'sexual assault,' which was defined as someone touching one of multiple parts of someone's anatomy without consent, 'which he definitely did to all of them,' she wrote. 'I just feel like he has some untamed sexual desires because stooping so low as a 14-year-old girl? thats (sic) a little messed up,' the diary entry read, according to the warrant affidavit. 'I think he is 38 which is a 24-year age difference.' The girl alleged in her diary entry that Parkinson asked if he could take a photo of her, the warrant affidavit said. The mother obtained a protective order against Parkinson on May 28, 2024, that was put in effect for a year, the warrant affidavit said. He allegedly called her about two weeks later and left her a voicemail. 'Hey, just wanted to say I love you and I regret everything I've ever done and I want you to know if I could change it I would,' Parkinson allegedly said, according to the warrant affidavit. Investigators said they recorded the voicemail as evidence. According to the warrant affidavit, Parkinson left Connecticut after the incident and went to New Hampshire. On June 11, 2024, he was arrested after sending text messages to family members saying he had a firearm, which was a violation of the protective order, the warrant affidavit said. Parkinson was arrested by officers with the Claremont Police Department in New Hampshire. In their report, police said he was found with a firearm and was also charged with contacting the mother in violation of the order, the warrant affidavit said. State police had authorities in New Hampshire ask Parkinson if he would be willing to speak about the allegations, but he declined, the warrant affidavit said. During a text message conversation with a friend, Parkinson was encouraged to continue seeking therapy so he never does anything to 'hurt another soul again,' the warrant affidavit said. After affirming that it would never be an issue again, the friend asked him why it was a problem in the first place, according to the warrant affidavit. 'It wasn't and that's what bothers me the most,' he allegedly responded, the warrant affidavit said. 'It wasn't even sexually driven. I had no interest in (redacted) but still I did it and I can't determine why.' Parkinson later on in the conversation allegedly went on to say he has suppressed 'it' for 22 years and has been in and out of therapy, the warrant affidavit said. He also went on to say that he could not apologize for what he did because it would lead to his arrest, according to the warrant affidavit. Screenshots of the conversation were turned over to state police investigators. Parkinson was held on a $250,000 bond following his arrest and was expected to appear in Norwich Superior Court on Monday.
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Northeast Child Abuse Conference held by The Child Advocacy Center
ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — The Child Advocacy Center of Greater Rochester continued its work in recognizing April as Child Abuse and Prevention Awareness Month with the Northeast Child Abuse Conference. The Child Advocacy Center hosted the two-day conference at the Rochester Riverside Convention Center on Tuesday and Wednesday. Stefanie Szwejvka, Vice President of Prevention Services at the Child Advocacy Center, spoke to News 8 about the event. 'Education is absolutely at the core of this conference. Part of what we aim to accomplish is a renewed commitment and a renewed momentum,' Swejvka said. 'This is hard work for our professionals who are doing this and it's really, really easy to get buried in some of that vicarious trauma.' Flower City Challenge returning for 15th year 'You don't have to be one of the professionals here today to keep kids safe and to prevent child abuse and child sexual abuse to happen.' Wednesday's speaker, Sharon Cooper, a Forensic and Developmental Pediatrician, spoke to the importance of having difficult conversations about such a sensitive topic with those who may not work directly with children. 'You have to be mindful that not everybody is where we are. If we are too blatant or too nonchalant about really significant trauma, it traumatizes the listener. We want to be mindful and careful to be as helpfully digestible information so that individuals can listen and try and figure out where's my role in solving this problem,' Cooper said. Additional information about The Child Advocacy Center of Greater Rochester and upcoming events can be found on their website. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Balloon Glow and fireworks show in West Plains
WEST PLAINS, Mo. — The Child Advocacy Center has announced a hot air balloon and fireworks show to help children in need. According to a Facebook post by the City of West Plains, the Balloon Glow starts on Saturday, Apr. 12, at 3 p.m. at the Heart of the Ozarks Fairgrounds. Event goers can expect a night filled with glowing balloons, live music, fireworks and food vendors. The event recommends bringing your lawn chair or blankets for seating. Entertainment Lineup: 3-6:30 p.m. – Kids Zone 4 p.m. – ThunderShine 5:30 p.m. – Thomas Russell Bryant Band 7 p.m. – Simply Seger Tribute Band 7 p.m. – Hot Air Balloon Glow 8:30 p.m. – Fireworks Finale Link for tickets & more information: Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Yahoo
Cambria County announces April as Child Abuse Prevention Month
EBENSBURG, Pa. (WTAJ) — Cambria County Commissioner Scott Hunt adopted a resolution to declare April as Child Abuse Prevention Month. Members of the Children and Youth Services and the Circle of Support Child Advocacy Center planted pinwheels, the national symbol for child abuse prevention, in the front lawn garden of the Cambria County Courthouse. The commissioner followed that up with the proclamation. The issue may be at the forefront of minds in the month of April, but preventing child abuse is a year-round effort. 'All the children in your life be a trusting adult for them,' Diana Grosik, the executive director of the Child Advocacy Center said. 'Any child that has a trusted adult outside of their family relationship, that is huge.' If you suspect a child is being abused, call the child abuse hotline at 1-800-932-0313 or visit the Child Advocacy Center resources page on how to report the child abuse. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Painting the town blue helping raise awareness for child abuse
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — April is child abuse awareness month and the Child Advocacy Center (CAC) in Springfield is teaming up with area businesses to spread awareness and 'paint the town blue.' Blue ribbons, clothing, and pinwheels are all symbols of child abuse awareness. The Child Advocacy Center supports children and teens who have suffered from child abuse serving 14 counties across Southwest and South Central Missouri with locations in Springfield and West Plains. Local restaurant Retro Metro is offering two blue specials during the month of April their Bleu Bramell Burger an 8 oz burger with bacon jam and melted bleu cheese crumbles and ocean water cocktail made with coconut blue Curacao, Amaretto, Malibu, Bacardi, and fresh lime juice. Pineapple Whip is participating during the first week in April offering their blue lemon berry as the secondary flavor at all locations. The West Plains location of the CAC will be hosting a balloon glow and fireworks show on Saturday, April 12th at the Heart of the Ozarks Fairgrounds. The event will food, live music, hot air balloons, and a fireworks show. Gates will open at 3:00 p.m., live music starts at 4:00 p.m., the balloon glow starts at 7:00 pm and the fireworks show follows at 8:30 p.m. The Alamo Drafthouse will be hosting a benefit screening of the movie 'Megamind' on April 26th at 12:30 pm with a portion of each ticket sold going towards the CAC. You can even purchase a blue drink while you watch. The purchase of a Blue Long Island or a Blue Rasp Lemonade will donate one dollar to CAC. Last week, CAC saw a record-breaking day of giving at Jersey Mikes on S Glenstone. During the fundraiser, 100% of proceeds benefitted the Child Advocacy Center. For information on how you can help the Child Advocacy Center and donate on their website. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
