By Dr. Duane Dobbert
The 2007 abduction of then 13-year-old Ben Ownby from his bus stop in Missouri suggests that child sexual predators "cruise" bus stops looking for any child that is unescorted. While this appears to be an opportunistic behavior, it is not.
Michael Devlin, arrested and convicted for the abduction of Ownby, was also convicted of abducting, sexually assaulting, and holding Shawn Hornbeck captive for a few years.
Both Ben and Shawn were abducted at the time of their puberty thus suggesting that Michael Devlin is afflicted with hebephilia. In contrast to pedophilia, in which the afflicted person's fantasy love group is prepubescent children, a person afflicted with hebephilia's fantasy love group is youth who have arrived at sexual maturity. Further, there is a gender preference.
Michael Devlin's fantasy love group is boys who are at sexual maturity, yet sexually inexperienced. It is this "virgin" quality that precipitates recurrent, intense, sexual arousal in the hebephile. Michael Devlin possessed the delusion that these boys, once they had their sexual encounter with him, would love him equally in return.
The abduction of Ben, the second boy, lends credibility to the diagnosis. Shawn was no longer "just" arriving at puberty and had been sexually assaulted by Devlin for years. Devlin was no longer intensely sexually aroused by Shawn and needed a new young man who was just reaching puberty and was a virgin.
Devlin was not opportunistic; he was premeditated. He was locating a specific age and gender. He is not aroused by girls or women, nor prepubescent or post-adolescent males. His fantasy love group is middle school age boys.
Consequently to meet his intrinsic psycho/sexual needs, he had to search out a specific fantasy lover from his fantasy love group. It just happens that Ben was his victim. Devlin could have found an unescorted pubescent boy at age group soccer practice, little league baseball, boy scouts, etc.Devlin abducted Shawn and Ben because they met his intrinsic psycho/sexual needs, not because they happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Dr. Dobbert presented the accredited seminar "The First Line of Defense Against Sexual Predators" and the workshop "Law Enforcement & School Transportation Collaboration on Amber Alerts" during the 2009 STN EXPO in Reno, Nev.
Showing posts with label school bus stop. Show all posts
Showing posts with label school bus stop. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Friday, September 11, 2009
Teens in "Miracle in Missouri" Case Recount Their Ordeal on 48 Hours
By Lisa Hudson
You may recall the shock, joy and sadness that came with the "Miracle in Missouri" back in January 2007. At the time, 13-year-old Ben Ownby went missing on January 8, 2007 when he did not return home from school and authorities came to believe he was abducted after exiting his school bus.
Four days later, a series of tips led to police to the apartment of Michael Devlin and they were stunned to find not just Ben but another teen, Shawn Hornbeck, who had been missing for 4.5 years. The elation that came with the boys' rescue was tempered when the full horror of what they went through at the hands of Devlin was made public. Devlin ultimately was charged with 80 counts of sexual assault, kidnapping and attempted murder and was sentenced to 72 life terms, and an additional 170 years in prison for his crimes.
In the wake of the incredible outcome to the Jaycee Lee Dugard case, the CBS-TV news program 48 Hours recently provided a fresh update to their original September 2008 piece where both Shawn and Ben discuss their ordeal. A video and transcript of the is online.
You may recall the shock, joy and sadness that came with the "Miracle in Missouri" back in January 2007. At the time, 13-year-old Ben Ownby went missing on January 8, 2007 when he did not return home from school and authorities came to believe he was abducted after exiting his school bus.
Four days later, a series of tips led to police to the apartment of Michael Devlin and they were stunned to find not just Ben but another teen, Shawn Hornbeck, who had been missing for 4.5 years. The elation that came with the boys' rescue was tempered when the full horror of what they went through at the hands of Devlin was made public. Devlin ultimately was charged with 80 counts of sexual assault, kidnapping and attempted murder and was sentenced to 72 life terms, and an additional 170 years in prison for his crimes.
In the wake of the incredible outcome to the Jaycee Lee Dugard case, the CBS-TV news program 48 Hours recently provided a fresh update to their original September 2008 piece where both Shawn and Ben discuss their ordeal. A video and transcript of the is online.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Sex Offender Arrested After Jaycee Lee Dugard Surfaces 18 Years Later
Registered sex offender Phillip Garrido, 58, and his 54-year-old wife Nancy were arrested in a kidnapping case that spans almost two decades. On June 10, 1991, Jaycee Lee Dugard was abducted on the way to her bus stop while her stepfather watched. On Aug. 27, Dugard walked into a San Francisco Bay area police station and told detectives who she was. The story of what has happened since the day she was kidnapped 18 years ago is still unraveling.
The case was featured on America's Most Wanted.
UPDATE:
Garrido has admitted to fathering two girls, 11 and 15, with Dugard, who spent the last 18 years hidden in a collection of shacks in Garrido's backyard. Dugard has expressed guilt over bonding with the registered sex offender, while Garrido, during a jailhouse phone interview, has said he has "completely turned my life around" in the past several years:
"You're going to find the most powerful story coming from the witness, from the victim," he said. "If you take this a step at a time, you're going to fall over backward and in the end you're going to find the most powerful, heartwarming story."
How the story of a man who kidnapped an 11-year-old girl, kept her hostage for 18 years, raped her and forced her to give birth to two of his children at home, and never allowed any of them to see a doctor, will be considered "heartwarming" is anyone's guess.
The case was featured on America's Most Wanted.
UPDATE:
Garrido has admitted to fathering two girls, 11 and 15, with Dugard, who spent the last 18 years hidden in a collection of shacks in Garrido's backyard. Dugard has expressed guilt over bonding with the registered sex offender, while Garrido, during a jailhouse phone interview, has said he has "completely turned my life around" in the past several years:
"You're going to find the most powerful story coming from the witness, from the victim," he said. "If you take this a step at a time, you're going to fall over backward and in the end you're going to find the most powerful, heartwarming story."
How the story of a man who kidnapped an 11-year-old girl, kept her hostage for 18 years, raped her and forced her to give birth to two of his children at home, and never allowed any of them to see a doctor, will be considered "heartwarming" is anyone's guess.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
An Introduction to the Topic of Sexual Predators
After catching a presentation by Dr. Duane Dobbert at another conference a few years back, Bill Paul, the founder of School Transportation News, invited him to speak at the 2007 STN EXPO. Here is a video clip of Duane's keynote address at the conference.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Parents Concerned Over Bus Routes Changes
Families in Memphis, Tenn., are fuming over some recent changes to the school district's bus routes. In an effort to lower costs to the tune of $6 million, 200 bus routes were cut. The changes could lead to longer walks home for some students and new dangers along the way. One parent recently discovered 18 registered sex offenders living in his area. The parents are understandably upset.
“What happens to these children today is what’s going to affect them in the long run and it’s going to scar them for life,” said one parent.
In the city of Memphis, there are 1,679 registered sex offenders, which creates numerous opportunities for dangerous situations.
“What happens to these children today is what’s going to affect them in the long run and it’s going to scar them for life,” said one parent.
In the city of Memphis, there are 1,679 registered sex offenders, which creates numerous opportunities for dangerous situations.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Welcome to Another First Step
By Stephane Babcock
For over two years now, I have had the distinct pleasure of knowing a gentleman by the name of Dr. Duane Dobbert, a 40-year veteran of the criminal justice professional serving in clinical, corrections, administrative, training and consulting capacities. He has written three books, is a professor of both Florida Gulf Coast University and Capella University, and has spoken on the subject of sexual predators all around the country. My first conversation with Duane, as he often asks to be referred to as, was 45 minutes that changed how I saw the world around me. Now, I have never been naive, but the conversation left me with a sickening feeling in my stomach and a new knowledge that there are monsters all around us and we must be alert and ready to do what we can to protect our children from them.
I am a father of four wonderful children, which I must, of course, thank my wife for (Thanks Baby!). My wife and I have always told our children to stay together, watch out for strangers and to scream at the top of their lungs if anyone ever touched them. But, when we went to one of the many parks in our city, I would only keep an eye on my kids. I have learned, through Duane, to take a step back and watch who's watching my kids.
Look around the next time you are at a park, a children's sporting event or the food court of your local mall on a rainy day. Look for men that seem out of place, who are not a parent or grandparent, but are watching a group of children, or one specific child, intently. Now, I am not saying that every person that watches children in public is a pedophile that is preying on children, but there are definitely those out there that take advantage of large, ominous crowds to watch children and fantasize about what Duane describes as their "fantasy love child." I know, it sounds disgusting and vile, but this is how these predators think. There are specific age ranges that they are looking for when searching for their next victim, although they believe these children will love them and want to stay with them forever.
This blog is here to inform you. It is here to help you pull our nation's head out of the sand concerning sexual predators. As a father, this is something that I am passionate about. My children mean everything to me and I will do whatever I can to protect them. This blog will give the necessary tools to whoever has the same mission, whether it be a parent, a police officer, a social worker, a teacher, an attorney, a superintendent or a school bus driver. We are all soldiers in the same battle and we need to be armed with the knowledge and understanding to fight against these monsters.
For over two years now, I have had the distinct pleasure of knowing a gentleman by the name of Dr. Duane Dobbert, a 40-year veteran of the criminal justice professional serving in clinical, corrections, administrative, training and consulting capacities. He has written three books, is a professor of both Florida Gulf Coast University and Capella University, and has spoken on the subject of sexual predators all around the country. My first conversation with Duane, as he often asks to be referred to as, was 45 minutes that changed how I saw the world around me. Now, I have never been naive, but the conversation left me with a sickening feeling in my stomach and a new knowledge that there are monsters all around us and we must be alert and ready to do what we can to protect our children from them.
I am a father of four wonderful children, which I must, of course, thank my wife for (Thanks Baby!). My wife and I have always told our children to stay together, watch out for strangers and to scream at the top of their lungs if anyone ever touched them. But, when we went to one of the many parks in our city, I would only keep an eye on my kids. I have learned, through Duane, to take a step back and watch who's watching my kids.
Look around the next time you are at a park, a children's sporting event or the food court of your local mall on a rainy day. Look for men that seem out of place, who are not a parent or grandparent, but are watching a group of children, or one specific child, intently. Now, I am not saying that every person that watches children in public is a pedophile that is preying on children, but there are definitely those out there that take advantage of large, ominous crowds to watch children and fantasize about what Duane describes as their "fantasy love child." I know, it sounds disgusting and vile, but this is how these predators think. There are specific age ranges that they are looking for when searching for their next victim, although they believe these children will love them and want to stay with them forever.
This blog is here to inform you. It is here to help you pull our nation's head out of the sand concerning sexual predators. As a father, this is something that I am passionate about. My children mean everything to me and I will do whatever I can to protect them. This blog will give the necessary tools to whoever has the same mission, whether it be a parent, a police officer, a social worker, a teacher, an attorney, a superintendent or a school bus driver. We are all soldiers in the same battle and we need to be armed with the knowledge and understanding to fight against these monsters.
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