Tuesday, September 30, 2003

BEAVER COUNTY: Coach wanted for kid porn

Police in Fairfax County, Va., are searching for a 61-year-old man accused of videotaping children at a nudist colony in South Beaver.

A warrant has been issued for Ralph D. Shipler who is charged with three counts of child pornography.

On Sept. 24, police in Fairfax received information from South Beaver police that Shipler had been detained for photographing unclothed children at a nudist colony. South Beaver police contacted the FBI who in turn contacted police in Fairfax.

On Sept. 28, police and FBI agents searched Shipler's home and found video images of young girls in various stages of undress. Police expect 28 additional charges to be filed against Shipler.

Shipler, who is a soccer coach in Fairfax, is white, 5 feet 10 inches tall, weighs 230 pounds and has brown hair and blue eyes. He was last seen driving a 1995 Mazda Protege with Virginia license plate ZRJ9921.

BEAVER COUNTY: Shop owner guilty

A Midland pizza shop owner pleaded guilty last week in federal court to a charge of sexual exploitation of a minor.

William P. Monac III, 37, of Ohio Avenue in Midland, took nude photos of a teenage girl who once worked for him and posted them on the Internet.

A 2001 police search of Monac's house, business, car and computer uncovered hundreds of child porn photographs.

He will be sentenced Dec. 19.

SCOTT: Online date leads to arrest

Scott police arrested an Army Reservist and hotel manager from New Jersey after he drove to Scott Park to meet someone he thought was a 14-year-old girl.

Thomas Lee Heeter, 31, of Riverton, N.J., was wearing his Army fatigues when he was arrested at 7 p.m. Friday and charged with statutory sexual assault, involuntary deviate sexual assault, aggravated indecent assault, indecent assault, exploitation of children, corruption of minors and unlawful contact with a minor.

Scott Police Chief Stanley Butkus said Officer James Stoker, using the identity of a 14-year-old girl, entered a Yahoo chat room Sept. 21. Heeter responded and subsequently arranged a meeting at Scott Park. Heeter provided a photo of himself and a description of his car.

After surveillance determined that Heeter was in the park on Friday, officers moved in to arrest him in a restroom at Scott Park Lodge.

Heeter was arraigned in Night Court on $50,000 straight cash bond.

Scott police then contacted New Jersey State Police, who obtained a warrant to seize Heeter's computer. New Jersey plans to charge Heeter with child pornography, Butkus said.

He added the arrest should send a message to Internet users everywhere.

"If you go into a chat room, you never really know who the person you're talking to really is," Butkus said.

E-mail this story   Print this story