MS - Long Beach police officer (Patrick Klis) arrested, charged with sexual battery of a 15-year-old juvenile

Patrick Klis

Original Article

04/05/2014

By Gareth Clary

LONG BEACH - Patrick Anthony Klis, a police officer with the Long Beach Police Department, has been arrested and charged with three counts of sexual battery of a juvenile, according to a news release Saturday from Harrison County Sheriff Melvin Brisolara.

Brisolara said investigators received information on Thursday that Klis was having sexual relations with a 15-year-old juvenile.

Investigators were able to recover evidence and conduct interviews, which led to an arrest warrant being issued for Klis.

He was taken into custody at the Long Beach Police Department and booked into the Harrison County Adult Detention Facility.

Bond was set at $300,000 by Circuit Court Judge John Garguilo.

The Department of Human Resources was called and took custody of the 15-year-old victim.

MS - Ex-Harrison County deputy (Bobby Joe Chandler) accused of sexual battery of a juvenile

Bobby Joe Chandler

Original Article

03/17/2014

By ROBIN FITZGERALD

GULFPORT - A Harrison County deputy who once served as deputy warden at the county jail has been accused of sexual battery.

Bobby Joe Chandler, 64, of Gulfport, was arrested Saturday on a charge that alleges sexual involvement with a girl who is a juvenile.

Sheriff Melvin Brisolara confirmed the arrest Monday.

"He was terminated today," Brisolara said.

Chandler was booked at the Hancock County jail and held on a $100,000 bond.

Booking him at a neighboring jail is standard procedure to ensure his safety, the sheriff said.

Chandler had been promoted to deputy warden at the Harrison County jail Feb. 1, 2008.

Brisolara said Chandler served in that capacity less than a year and was named maintenance manager of buildings used by the sheriff's office, including the jail and work center.

"He didn't work in the enforcement part," Brisolara said, "but under the state Constitution, he was still considered a deputy."

The attorney general's office is investigating the case.

MS - Sex crimes have lasting impact on victims and offenders

Original Article

02/18/2014

By Christina Garcia

Some Sex offenders spend a life time being monitored by law enforcement. Their victims are impacted for life. Advocates see firsthand what happens after a person is sexually assaulted. There are specific laws in place to protect people from sexual predators. But not all are in agreement that the laws apply to every person convicted of a sex crime.

Sex crimes affect everyone involved. Victim's lives are changed forever. Even the offenders are impacted dramatically because their offenses are public knowledge. For victims it could mean enduring painful memories plus a number of psychological issues.

"Hyper vigilance, suicidal, scared of people in general scared of new relationships," said Stephanie Piper the Gulf Coast Women's Center for Nonviolence Sexual Assault Victim's Advocate.

Last year, the Gulf Coast Women's Center for Nonviolence helped 271 sexual assault victims.

"People feel really safe once their perpetrator's been arrested because they can't come back and hurt them," said Piper.

To keep people safe from sex offenders after they're released, depending on the severity of the sex offense, those convicted are required to spend a minimum of 15 years on the registry with the worst cases registering for the rest of their lives.

Sex crime convictions impact where offenders can live, work and how the public views them. Law enforcement officials say a common stigma associated with sex offenders is that they are all pedophiles, but that's not always the case. Criminal defense attorney Michael Crosby handles between four to eight sex crime cases every year. He worries that the law on registering may be excessive for certain cases.

"I think that in a consensual situation, I think that the jury should be able to consider the honest mistake issue, with respect to whether or not it truly was, should merit a crime under the laws or merit a conviction," said Attorney Michael Crosby.

Crosby also says it's not uncommon for clients to say they thought the person they were having sex with was over the age of 18.

He says the State of Mississippi should be able to consider an honest mistake as a defense if the defendant had consensual sex with someone they thought was over the age of 18.

"I believe that there should be more discretion to allow a jury to make a decision if that man or woman in the case, whoever the defendant is, if they made an honest mistake, legitimate mistake about the age of the child," said Crosby.

But not everyone agrees.

"It's going to be harder to prove what somebody believed then what actually was. So if there is a child that's 10-years-old and her offender thinks or believes that she's 18 he can say, "I believe that she's 18' and get off on raping her," said Piper.
- Many people are also ruined for life based on no evidence just an accusation!

Piper says the point of the registry is to protect the victims, most of who are under the age of 30 especially since so few sexual assault cases ever make it to trial because victims either refuse to pursue a charge or there isn't enough evidence.

"I want more people on that registry. I want more people to be convicted, so they can go on the registry. We don't have enough," Piper said.

MS - Veteran Gautier police officer (Robert Brian Hill) pleads guilty to sex crimes

Robert Brian Hill

Original Article

02/07/2014

By MARGARET BAKER

PASCAGOULA - A 20-year law enforcement officer pleaded guilty Friday to three counts of sexual battery and one count of touching of a child for lustful purposes.

Circuit Judge Robert Krebs deferred Robert Brian Hill's sentencing until March 27, during which time a pre-sentence investigative report will be conducted.

In exchange for the plea, the state opted not to prosecute 11 charges of touching of a child for lustful purposes by a person in a position of trust or authority over the child.

Hill, 47, was arrested in September 2011 on 15 felony charges accusing him of having sex with a minor or touching her inappropriately while in a position of authority.

He was indicted on 12 counts of touching a child for lustful purposes and three counts of sexual battery.

The alleged incidents, all involving a girl under age 14, occurred between March 1, 2011, and July 3, 2011. At the time of his arrest, Hill had worked in Gautier for three years. Pascagoula police assisted in the investigation.

Among those present when Hill pleaded guilty Friday was the victim and her family.

"I have a hard time trusting anyone," the victim said. "I don't know who to trust anymore. I don't know how you can hurt someone you say you love so much."

Hill worked for two years as a patrol officer in Gautier, then was assigned in May 2011 to work as an agent at the Narcotics Task Force of Jackson County. Hill remained a narcotics agent until he was placed on administrative leave in July 2011 as a result of the allegations against him.

Prior to working in Gautier, Hill was a police officer in Philadelphia, Miss. Prior to that, authorities said, he served as a law enforcement officer at agencies in Sebastian County, Ark., and in McNairy County, Tenn.

Assistant District Attorney Angel Myers served as prosecutor on the case.