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March 21, 2005

Child Sodomy Suspect Confesses To More Abuse

March 21, 2005 [Associated Press]

NEW YORK -- A man who was charged with raping and sodomizing seven children in Queens has confessed to assaulting more children, authorities said.

Michael Flory, 48, was arraigned Friday on five charges of rape, criminal sexual acts and sexual abuse against five girls and two boys aged between 7 and 11 years old. Some of them lived near Flory's former home in College Point section of Queens.

He allegedly raped, sodomized and otherwise sexually abused the children in his home and in his van between March 1 and March 11.

He was arrested when one of alleged victims reported being abused, police and prosecutors said. Other parents who lived near Flory's former home in College Point, Queens, spoke to their children and discovered they also had been abused.

Authorities are also investigating whether he assaulted any of the three children he has with his wife, with whom he lives in West Hempstead in Long Island.

Police officials said Flory, an unemployed auto mechanic admitted the additional crimes when he was questioned after being arrested. It was unclear how many other children may be involved in the assaults.

He faces first-degree rape and other charges and could face as many as 50 years in prison if convicted.

Posted by Nancy at 04:46 AM | Comments (0)

Crisis Center offers two groups for child victims of abuse

March 21, 2005 [Jacksonville progress]
By Lauren LaFleur - Progress News Writer

Approximately one out of three girls and one out of five boys will be sexually abused before the age of 18, according to the Crisis Center of Anderson and Cherokee County's Web site, www.mycrisiscenter.com

"Approximately one half of batterers also intentionally injure their children physically and/or sexually," the site states, but "regardless of whether children are physically abused, the emotional effects of witnessing domestic violence are very similar with the psychological trauma associated with being a victim of child abuse."

For just those reasons, the center will begin two special groups this week - one aimed at teenage victims of sexual abuse and the other designed for child victims of domestic violence and sexual abuse.

"The reason we decided to do kids groups is because sometimes peers give feedback that a parent or counselor can't," said Amanda Cordova, Crisis Center counselor and facilitator for the two new groups.

TASA - or Teens Against Sexual Abuse - is designed with the female teenage victim of sexual assault in mind.

"We're hoping (through the group's work) they can build trust and understanding," Cordova said. "Also, we want them to develop some social skills and self-esteem and self-responsibility."

The group will meet 3-4 p.m. every Tuesday, beginning Tuesday through April 26, at the Crisis Center in Jacksonville.

The group will be led by Cordova and counselor Sherrie Saenz.

The second new group - Kids Interactive Discovery Station, or KIDS - will also meet for six weeks, 3-4 p.m. Thursdays at the center's Jacksonville location.

The group is designed for kids ages 5-6 years old who are victims of domestic violence or sexual abuse, Cordova said.

"We are planning on using some play therapy technologies in the group," Cordova said. "In play therapy, children will work their problems out through play, because that's their natural environment."

Cordova and Saenz will both facilitate the KIDS group.

For more information about either group, or to sign up for the groups, call the Crisis Center at 903-586-9118 or 1-800-232-8519

Posted by Nancy at 04:27 AM | Comments (0)