Posted Wednesday, August 14, 2019 12:00 pm

Local pastor charged in Maryland with sexual abuse of minor

A 42-year-old former pastor of a fundamentalist Baptist church turned himself in to authorities in Baltimore County on Aug. 8, Maryland, to face charges he sexually abused a 16-year-old girl.

Cameron Shane Giovanelli, of Orange Park, also was charged with perverted practice and a fourth-degree sexual offense involving a girl.

He was released on his own recognizance.

According to the Baltimore Sun, the accuser was a member of Calvary Baptist Church in Dundalk, Md., and the granddaughter of an associate pastor and a babysitter to Giovbanelli’s children. The woman, now 29, said she was abused in 2007.

The woman wrote on Twitter she was relieved charges finally were filed, saying: “I have cried. I have prayed. I have watched my character, integrity and my family being shredded for speaking up. Today, God’s timing was revealed. Today, Cameron Giovanelli was arrested for sexually abusing me in high school.”

Giovanelli now lives in Orange Park. He recently worked as an associate pastor at Immanuel Baptist Church in Jacksonville.

Middleburg man 1 of 4 sentenced for child exploitation enterprise

The creator and lead administrator of a highly sophisticated Tor-network-based website dedicated to the sexual abuse of children recently was sentenced, along with three others, for their roles in this global child exploitation enterprise, the U.S. Department of Justice reported.

Patrick D. Falte, 29, of Franklin, Tennessee, was sentenced to 35 years in prison for engaging in a child exploitation enterprise, three counts of advertising child pornography, and three counts of distributing child pornography.

Andrew R. Leslie, 24, of Middleburg was sentenced to 30 years in prison; Benjamin A. Faulkner, 28, of Ontario, Canada, was sentenced to 35 years in prison; and Brett A. Bedusek, 35, of Cudahy, Wisconsin, was sentenced to 20 years in prison – all for engaging in a child exploitation enterprise.

Leslie already had been sentenced to 60 years for exploiting a 2-year-old and a toddler for pornography at his Middleburg home in March 2018.

Chief U.S. District Judge Waverly D. Crenshaw of the Middle District of Tennessee also sentenced each defendant to a lifetime of supervised release. Falte had previously pleaded guilty to the charges in June 2018, and Faulkner, Leslie and Bedusek had pleaded guilty in November 2018.

“The Giftbox Exchange proved a haven for sophisticated predators to produce and spread deplorable depictions of child sexual abuse,” said Asst. Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski.

“These sentences affirm that layers of anonymity on the dark web will not prevent the Department of Justice from identifying and holding accountable those who exploit children.”

“The sentences imposed on these despicable individuals should insure that they never have another opportunity to abuse another child,” said U.S. Attorney Don Cochran for the Middle District of Tennessee. “With all that we have, we will continue to hunt down the evil and abominable like-minded individuals who delight in abusing children and will bring them to justice.”

Four arrested during CCSO drug raid at Keystone Heights

KEYSTONE HEIGHTS – Four people were arrested on drug-related charges following a raid Aug. 9 by the Clay County Sheriff’s Office SWAT and Street Crime and Narcotics units.

Duane Carl Damon, 46, of Keystone Heights, was charged with selling methamphetamine and failing to appear for a court hearing for driving with a suspended license; April Angel Canipe, 36, of Starke, was arrested for failing to appear to answer a charge of possession of less than 20 grams of marijuana; Chipley Robert Turner, of Keystone Heights, was arrested for possession of methamphetamine; and, Clarence Alex Sumner Jr., 56, of Keystone Heights, was charged with owning or renting a house used for drugs.

The investigation into the activities at 6355 Bowdoin Ave. recently started after a drug-sniffing dog alerted deputies to the presence of methamphetamine during a traffic stop. The car was seen leaving the house on Bowdoin Avenue. The sheriff’s office then used a confidential informant to buy meth at the same house to set up the sting.

Man charged with DUI after speeding, crashing on College Drive

ORANGE PARK – Jess Walther was taken to jail on Aug. 8 after the Clay County Sheriff’s Office said he was driving under the influence and left the scene of an accident that resulted in injuries.

The Orange Park man, 43, also was charged with attempting to run from the police after he was clocked driving 77 mph in a 45-mph zone on College Drive. Walther’s SUV eventually crashed and overturned at the corner of College and Peoria Road.

According to the arrest report, Walther tried to run from the scene while carrying a glass bottle.

Although Walther refused to a breath analyzer test, he was booked for DUI. His bond was set at $108,262.

CCSO waiting in parking lot as man leaves store with cart of clothes

ORANGE PARK – A Jacksonville man was caught trying to walk out of an Orange Park Mall department store without paying for a cart of clothes, the Clay County Sheriff’s Office said.

Torrey Laval Turner, 30, was charged with grand theft between $300-$4,999 and trespassing after store security saw him stuffing a bag and shopping cart with clothes, including underwear and socks. When Turner saw a sheriff’s office squad car in the parking lot, he left the cart at an exit and left the store. He was arrested outside.

According to the store, there were 31 items in the cart, valued at $1,070.65.

Jacksonville woman arrested for DUI, heroin possession

FLEMING ISLAND – A woman seen swerving on U.S. Highway 17 near Black Creek wound going to jail Aug. 9 after being caught with heroin, the Clay County Sheriff’s Office reported.

Tammy Lynn Bugely, 37, of Jacksonville was charged with possession of heroin and drug paraphernalia, driving under the influence and attempting bring a syringe into the jail.

According to the arrest report, Bugely’s “normal faculties” appeared impaired when she was stopped. Deputies also noticed what looked like fresh needle marks on her arm.

CCSO’s drug-sniffing dog, K-9 Chief, alerted deputies to heroin inside the car.

Once at the jail, officers then found another syringe she had been hiding.

Undercover sting leads to man going to jail for selling LSD

ORANGE PARK – A 20-year-old man was booked into the Clay County Jail after undercover agents with the sheriff’s office said he sold them LSD on Aug. 8.

Michael Lawrence Hawkins was charged with trafficking lysergic acid diethylamide. His bond was set at $400,006.

Agents with the Organized Crime Unit paid $320 for 1.2 grams of LSD last month, according to the arrest report.

Fleming Island man dies in head-on collision near Gainesville

GAINESVILLE – A Fleming Island man and a Starke woman were killed when their cars collided head-on on State Road 26 east of Gainesville last Monday.

Frank Latorre, 61, was driving a Chevrolet Malibu and Morneca Campbell, 22, was in a Volkswagen Passat when one of the cars veered over the center line. Latorre was wearing his seatbelt; Campbell wasn’t.