Joseph Von Britton – Repeat Sex Offender Attacks Elderly Neighbor

“25% of all sex offenders re-offend within 15 years”

………Sarah Tofte

A convicted sex offender was arrested Wednesday on charges that he tried raping his 82-year-old neighbor last month.

Police say 49-year-old Joseph Von Britton broke into the woman’s home on Middletown Avenue before dawn on April 27 and covered her face with a pillow and blanket, police said. DNA evidence left at the scene lead investigators Von Britton, police said.

He is charged with criminal attempt to commit first-degree sexual assault, first-degree unlawful restraint and first-degree burglary.

The victim, who lived alone, told police she fought back by grabbing the man’s hand and screaming for help, police said. The attacker ran away after a brief struggle, police said.

A police dog led officers to a home 100 yards away from the victim’s home, but the resident could not be reached, police said. Investigators received news on Monday of the positive DNA match at the state forensic lab, police said.

Von Britton was convicted of first-degree sexual assault in 1995 and of third-degree and fourth-degree sexual assault in 1993, according to the state sex offender registry.

Joseph Von Britton – Repeat Sex Offender Attacks Elderly Neighbor

“25% of all sex offenders re-offend within 15 years”

………Sarah Tofte

A convicted sex offender was arrested Wednesday on charges that he tried raping his 82-year-old neighbor last month.

Police say 49-year-old Joseph Von Britton broke into the woman’s home on Middletown Avenue before dawn on April 27 and covered her face with a pillow and blanket, police said. DNA evidence left at the scene lead investigators Von Britton, police said.

He is charged with criminal attempt to commit first-degree sexual assault, first-degree unlawful restraint and first-degree burglary.

The victim, who lived alone, told police she fought back by grabbing the man’s hand and screaming for help, police said. The attacker ran away after a brief struggle, police said.

A police dog led officers to a home 100 yards away from the victim’s home, but the resident could not be reached, police said. Investigators received news on Monday of the positive DNA match at the state forensic lab, police said.

Von Britton was convicted of first-degree sexual assault in 1995 and of third-degree and fourth-degree sexual assault in 1993, according to the state sex offender registry.

Joseph Von Britton – Repeat Sex Offender Attacks Elderly Neighbor

“25% of all sex offenders re-offend within 15 years”

………Sarah Tofte

A convicted sex offender was arrested Wednesday on charges that he tried raping his 82-year-old neighbor last month.

Police say 49-year-old Joseph Von Britton broke into the woman’s home on Middletown Avenue before dawn on April 27 and covered her face with a pillow and blanket, police said. DNA evidence left at the scene lead investigators Von Britton, police said.

He is charged with criminal attempt to commit first-degree sexual assault, first-degree unlawful restraint and first-degree burglary.

The victim, who lived alone, told police she fought back by grabbing the man’s hand and screaming for help, police said. The attacker ran away after a brief struggle, police said.

A police dog led officers to a home 100 yards away from the victim’s home, but the resident could not be reached, police said. Investigators received news on Monday of the positive DNA match at the state forensic lab, police said.

Von Britton was convicted of first-degree sexual assault in 1995 and of third-degree and fourth-degree sexual assault in 1993, according to the state sex offender registry.

Horace Mann Williams – Repeat Sex Offender Faces 1330 years in prison

“25% of all sex offenders re-offend within 15 years”

………Sarah Tofte

A convicted sex offender could be sentenced to more than a millenium in prison for molesting two girls, a prosecutor said Thursday.

Horace Mann Williams, 44, is facing a penalty of up to 1,330 years in prison when he is sentenced Friday at the Murrieta Courthouse, said Deputy District Attorney Burke Strunsky.

Williams previously spent six years in prison for sexual molestation in the early 1990s.

He was convicted in February of 11 felony counts of lewd acts upon a child under 14 and one count of digital penetration of a child under 14, along with a sentence-enhancing allegation of multiple victims.

Outside court, jurors said they convicted Williams because he showed a pattern of behavior typical for child molesters.

“After a first offense and after a parole violation, he couldn’t stay away from girls,” one juror said.

In his closing argument, Strunsky noted that over nearly 10 years, three girls made similar accusations against the defendant.

“Three separate girls who didn’t know each other come in with remarkably similar stories,” Strunsky said.

Williams molested one girl on various occasions between 1999 and 2000.

He molested another girl on four to 10 occasions during the summer of 2005. The then 13-year-old girl came forward in November 2005.

According to a probation officer’s sentencing memorandum filed with the court, Williams is not eligible for parole and should receive consecutive time for each count and enhanced sentences for having prior strike offenses, having multiple victims and committing multiple offenses against multiple victims

Horace Mann Williams – Repeat Sex Offender Faces 1330 years in prison

“25% of all sex offenders re-offend within 15 years”

………Sarah Tofte

A convicted sex offender could be sentenced to more than a millenium in prison for molesting two girls, a prosecutor said Thursday.

Horace Mann Williams, 44, is facing a penalty of up to 1,330 years in prison when he is sentenced Friday at the Murrieta Courthouse, said Deputy District Attorney Burke Strunsky.

Williams previously spent six years in prison for sexual molestation in the early 1990s.

He was convicted in February of 11 felony counts of lewd acts upon a child under 14 and one count of digital penetration of a child under 14, along with a sentence-enhancing allegation of multiple victims.

Outside court, jurors said they convicted Williams because he showed a pattern of behavior typical for child molesters.

“After a first offense and after a parole violation, he couldn’t stay away from girls,” one juror said.

In his closing argument, Strunsky noted that over nearly 10 years, three girls made similar accusations against the defendant.

“Three separate girls who didn’t know each other come in with remarkably similar stories,” Strunsky said.

Williams molested one girl on various occasions between 1999 and 2000.

He molested another girl on four to 10 occasions during the summer of 2005. The then 13-year-old girl came forward in November 2005.

According to a probation officer’s sentencing memorandum filed with the court, Williams is not eligible for parole and should receive consecutive time for each count and enhanced sentences for having prior strike offenses, having multiple victims and committing multiple offenses against multiple victims

Horace Mann Williams – Repeat Sex Offender Faces 1330 years in prison

“25% of all sex offenders re-offend within 15 years”

………Sarah Tofte

A convicted sex offender could be sentenced to more than a millenium in prison for molesting two girls, a prosecutor said Thursday.

Horace Mann Williams, 44, is facing a penalty of up to 1,330 years in prison when he is sentenced Friday at the Murrieta Courthouse, said Deputy District Attorney Burke Strunsky.

Williams previously spent six years in prison for sexual molestation in the early 1990s.

He was convicted in February of 11 felony counts of lewd acts upon a child under 14 and one count of digital penetration of a child under 14, along with a sentence-enhancing allegation of multiple victims.

Outside court, jurors said they convicted Williams because he showed a pattern of behavior typical for child molesters.

“After a first offense and after a parole violation, he couldn’t stay away from girls,” one juror said.

In his closing argument, Strunsky noted that over nearly 10 years, three girls made similar accusations against the defendant.

“Three separate girls who didn’t know each other come in with remarkably similar stories,” Strunsky said.

Williams molested one girl on various occasions between 1999 and 2000.

He molested another girl on four to 10 occasions during the summer of 2005. The then 13-year-old girl came forward in November 2005.

According to a probation officer’s sentencing memorandum filed with the court, Williams is not eligible for parole and should receive consecutive time for each count and enhanced sentences for having prior strike offenses, having multiple victims and committing multiple offenses against multiple victims

Donald Edward Holcomb – Repeat Sex Offender

A judge has ordered a convicted sex offender to be under house arrest and to wear an ankle bracelet with GPS monitoring after the man was arrested last week in connection with the attempted abduction of an 11-year-old girl.

Donald Edward Holcomb, 61, 157 Kerri Lane East in the Aurora community near Boaz, was released about 5 p.m. Monday on $2,500 bond after he was charged with enticing a child into a vehicle for illegal or immoral purposes, a Class C felony.

District Attorney Jimmie Harp said he filed a motion Tuesday to request conditions be placed on Holcomb’s bond after he was contacted by The Times about Holcomb’s release.

The Times was contacted by the child’s grandmother with concerns about his release.

Etowah County District Judge William Russell signed an order late Tuesday afternoon that orders Holcomb to be placed under house arrest and wear an ankle bracelet with GPS monitoring. He will be monitored by Etowah Court Referral pending trial.

“The device cannot be removed, and if it is tampered with, it alerts the Sheriff’s Department,” Harp said.

The monitoring system is connected to a phone line and also sounds an alert if the person being monitored goes beyond 500 feet of the assigned phone line, Harp said.

A tip led to Holcomb’s arrest three days after he allegedly tried to grab an 11-year-old girl in the parking lot at West End Grocery in Walnut Grove and tried to get her to go with him.

He told her, “Come on, I want to show you a magic trick,” Sheriff Todd Entrekin said.

The girl told authorities she struggled and pulled away from the man and he left.

Holcomb’s bond was set at $2,500, which is standard for a Class C felony.

Entrekin said convicted sex offenders should have more stipulations set if they are released on bond.

“The safety of our children is our first priority,” he said.

In Harp’s motion, he said Holcomb poses a danger to himself and to the community.

The child’s grandmother, who is not being identified, said a petition is circulating in the Walnut Grove community to protest Holcomb’s release from jail.

Holcomb was convicted in Marshall County of second-degree rape involving a 14-year-old girl in 1994.

The woman said her granddaughter is a “sensible girl” and knew what to do when she was approached.

“Parents and grandparents should watch out for their children and be vigilant every minute and make sure the kids know what to do,” she said.

She said after this incident she has checked the state Web site that identifies convicted sex offenders in a community and found that 13 with Altoona addresses are listed.

“I was shocked,” she said.

A similar incident is under investigation in Attalla, Police Chief Joe Hereford said.

Hereford said people should check the Alabama Department of Public Safety Web site to identify any convicted sex offenders who might be living in their area. Those without Internet access can contact their local law enforcement agency, he said.

“People should check that Web site out and know who is living around them,” Hereford said.

Holcomb first registered as a sex offender in Etowah County in January after the 2005 law went into effect requiring that all those convicted before 1996 register. The law now states that those convicted before 1996 cannot be “grandfathered” under the law and all convicted sex offenders must register.

Harp said he could not comment specifically about Holcomb because he has not been convicted but that generally a Class C felony can carry various sentences, depending on prior convictions.

For someone with one prior conviction, a Class C felony can carry from two years to 20 years in prison. Three prior convictions can carry up to a life term in prison, he said.

Donald Edward Holcomb – Repeat Sex Offender

A judge has ordered a convicted sex offender to be under house arrest and to wear an ankle bracelet with GPS monitoring after the man was arrested last week in connection with the attempted abduction of an 11-year-old girl.

Donald Edward Holcomb, 61, 157 Kerri Lane East in the Aurora community near Boaz, was released about 5 p.m. Monday on $2,500 bond after he was charged with enticing a child into a vehicle for illegal or immoral purposes, a Class C felony.

District Attorney Jimmie Harp said he filed a motion Tuesday to request conditions be placed on Holcomb’s bond after he was contacted by The Times about Holcomb’s release.

The Times was contacted by the child’s grandmother with concerns about his release.

Etowah County District Judge William Russell signed an order late Tuesday afternoon that orders Holcomb to be placed under house arrest and wear an ankle bracelet with GPS monitoring. He will be monitored by Etowah Court Referral pending trial.

“The device cannot be removed, and if it is tampered with, it alerts the Sheriff’s Department,” Harp said.

The monitoring system is connected to a phone line and also sounds an alert if the person being monitored goes beyond 500 feet of the assigned phone line, Harp said.

A tip led to Holcomb’s arrest three days after he allegedly tried to grab an 11-year-old girl in the parking lot at West End Grocery in Walnut Grove and tried to get her to go with him.

He told her, “Come on, I want to show you a magic trick,” Sheriff Todd Entrekin said.

The girl told authorities she struggled and pulled away from the man and he left.

Holcomb’s bond was set at $2,500, which is standard for a Class C felony.

Entrekin said convicted sex offenders should have more stipulations set if they are released on bond.

“The safety of our children is our first priority,” he said.

In Harp’s motion, he said Holcomb poses a danger to himself and to the community.

The child’s grandmother, who is not being identified, said a petition is circulating in the Walnut Grove community to protest Holcomb’s release from jail.

Holcomb was convicted in Marshall County of second-degree rape involving a 14-year-old girl in 1994.

The woman said her granddaughter is a “sensible girl” and knew what to do when she was approached.

“Parents and grandparents should watch out for their children and be vigilant every minute and make sure the kids know what to do,” she said.

She said after this incident she has checked the state Web site that identifies convicted sex offenders in a community and found that 13 with Altoona addresses are listed.

“I was shocked,” she said.

A similar incident is under investigation in Attalla, Police Chief Joe Hereford said.

Hereford said people should check the Alabama Department of Public Safety Web site to identify any convicted sex offenders who might be living in their area. Those without Internet access can contact their local law enforcement agency, he said.

“People should check that Web site out and know who is living around them,” Hereford said.

Holcomb first registered as a sex offender in Etowah County in January after the 2005 law went into effect requiring that all those convicted before 1996 register. The law now states that those convicted before 1996 cannot be “grandfathered” under the law and all convicted sex offenders must register.

Harp said he could not comment specifically about Holcomb because he has not been convicted but that generally a Class C felony can carry various sentences, depending on prior convictions.

For someone with one prior conviction, a Class C felony can carry from two years to 20 years in prison. Three prior convictions can carry up to a life term in prison, he said.

Donald Edward Holcomb – Repeat Sex Offender

A judge has ordered a convicted sex offender to be under house arrest and to wear an ankle bracelet with GPS monitoring after the man was arrested last week in connection with the attempted abduction of an 11-year-old girl.

Donald Edward Holcomb, 61, 157 Kerri Lane East in the Aurora community near Boaz, was released about 5 p.m. Monday on $2,500 bond after he was charged with enticing a child into a vehicle for illegal or immoral purposes, a Class C felony.

District Attorney Jimmie Harp said he filed a motion Tuesday to request conditions be placed on Holcomb’s bond after he was contacted by The Times about Holcomb’s release.

The Times was contacted by the child’s grandmother with concerns about his release.

Etowah County District Judge William Russell signed an order late Tuesday afternoon that orders Holcomb to be placed under house arrest and wear an ankle bracelet with GPS monitoring. He will be monitored by Etowah Court Referral pending trial.

“The device cannot be removed, and if it is tampered with, it alerts the Sheriff’s Department,” Harp said.

The monitoring system is connected to a phone line and also sounds an alert if the person being monitored goes beyond 500 feet of the assigned phone line, Harp said.

A tip led to Holcomb’s arrest three days after he allegedly tried to grab an 11-year-old girl in the parking lot at West End Grocery in Walnut Grove and tried to get her to go with him.

He told her, “Come on, I want to show you a magic trick,” Sheriff Todd Entrekin said.

The girl told authorities she struggled and pulled away from the man and he left.

Holcomb’s bond was set at $2,500, which is standard for a Class C felony.

Entrekin said convicted sex offenders should have more stipulations set if they are released on bond.

“The safety of our children is our first priority,” he said.

In Harp’s motion, he said Holcomb poses a danger to himself and to the community.

The child’s grandmother, who is not being identified, said a petition is circulating in the Walnut Grove community to protest Holcomb’s release from jail.

Holcomb was convicted in Marshall County of second-degree rape involving a 14-year-old girl in 1994.

The woman said her granddaughter is a “sensible girl” and knew what to do when she was approached.

“Parents and grandparents should watch out for their children and be vigilant every minute and make sure the kids know what to do,” she said.

She said after this incident she has checked the state Web site that identifies convicted sex offenders in a community and found that 13 with Altoona addresses are listed.

“I was shocked,” she said.

A similar incident is under investigation in Attalla, Police Chief Joe Hereford said.

Hereford said people should check the Alabama Department of Public Safety Web site to identify any convicted sex offenders who might be living in their area. Those without Internet access can contact their local law enforcement agency, he said.

“People should check that Web site out and know who is living around them,” Hereford said.

Holcomb first registered as a sex offender in Etowah County in January after the 2005 law went into effect requiring that all those convicted before 1996 register. The law now states that those convicted before 1996 cannot be “grandfathered” under the law and all convicted sex offenders must register.

Harp said he could not comment specifically about Holcomb because he has not been convicted but that generally a Class C felony can carry various sentences, depending on prior convictions.

For someone with one prior conviction, a Class C felony can carry from two years to 20 years in prison. Three prior convictions can carry up to a life term in prison, he said.

Frank M. Cuthbert – Repeat Sex Offender Child Rapist

“25% of all sex offenders re-offend within 15 years”

………Sarah Tofte

Deputies charged a Baltimore man with rape and gross sexual imposition Monday.

Frank M. Cuthbert, 38, was charged with one count on each offense. The alleged offenses occurred against two minor children who were 7 and 12 years old at the time; the children are now 8 and 13 years old.

Police conducted a search warrant at Cuthbert’s home on May 2. The Fairfield County sheriff’s office removed several computers, videotapes and CDs in addition to two .22-caliber weapons. All evidence recovered will be sent to the Bureau of Criminal Identification & Investigation for review of any type of pornography.

Cuthbert is a Tier II registered sex offender who transferred from Franklin County. In 1993, he was found guilty of gross sexual imposition and abduction, according to the sheriff’s office.

Cuthbert may face up to 20 years in prison.