A recent case in Los Angeles County sheds light on the safety concerns of social networking, giving parents and teenagers a new reason to be concerned.
A man who pleaded no contest to four counts of child molestation in Pomona Superior Court was sentenced to five years in prison last week, according to San Gabriel Valley Tribune.
Los Angeles County district attorneys alleged that 47-year-old Achilles Corelleone met a 14-year-old Covina boy on the social networking website Myspace.com, where he engaged in molestation acts with the boy between July and October of last year. Corelleone was arrested by the Covina Police Department last October, after authorities conducted an investigation. The boy's father prompted the investigation after he had begun to suspect something inappropriate was going on between his son and Corelleone.
The Los Angeles Times reports that Corelleone, also known as Arlan Gene Reynoldson, allegedly engaged in oral copulation and sodomy with the young boy. Corelleone will now have to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life, which could be considered the worst punishment of all among Los Angeles criminal defense attorneys. Registering as a sex offender can be devastating. FindLaw states that sex offenders might be subjected to certain residency restrictions and may have trouble seeking employment after they're a known sex offender.
Law enforcers in Los Angeles County encourage members of social networking sites to take precautions when talking to strangers over the internet. It's recommended that parents talk to their children about privacy settings on sites like Myspace.com and Facebook.com. More information about social networking among teenagers can be found in Wired Magazine.
Related Resources:
- Sex Offenders and Sex Offenses: Overview (FindLaw)
- Sex Offenders After Prison: Sex Offender Monitoring (FindLaw Blotter)
- Facebook Safety: Board Works On Kids and Safety Policy (FindLaw's Law and Daily Life Blog)
- Los Angeles Criminal Defense Attorneys Directory (FindLaw)
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