Midwest becomes a pipeline for human trafficking

7/6/07 -- Kansas City, MO - It can't happen here. New York or Los Angeles, sure, but not here in Kansas City. It only happens someplace else, right?

"Human trafficking is more prevalent in this region than most people know," said Janel D'Agata Lynch, program manager for community services at Catholic Charities of Kansas City-St. Joseph.

"Local people were shocked when the news broke about the massage parlor raids in Overland Park, Kan., and earlier this year, the central Missouri boy who was found, along with a second boy, in the St. Louis area.

"Human trafficking is not always 'some place else,'" D'Agata Lynch said.

(Click here to read article - 3rd party link)

Miami Federal Jury Convicts Brothers For Trafficking of A Minor For The Purpose of Engaging in Prostitution - Tulsa, OK Connection

7/6/07 -- Miami, FL - A federal jury in Miami convicted two men on charges of sex trafficking of a minor.

Darryl John Jennings, 41, of Tulsa, Oklahoma, and his brother, Luroy Jennings, 49, of Dallas, Texas, were found guilty of two counts of sex trafficking of a minor. A third person, Sammy Lee Carpenter, 45, of Tulsa, Oklahoma, pleaded guilty on June 11 to four counts of sex trafficking of a minor and enticement of a minor to engage in prostitution.

Sentencing before United States District Judge Cecilia M. Altonaga is scheduled for Sept. 4. Carpenter faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years' imprisonment, while Darryl and Luroy Jennings each face a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years' imprisonment.

(click here to read article - 3rd party link)

Int'l: Underage sex workers hit Palmerston North

7/6/07 -- Palmerston North, New Zealand - Prostitution law reform has seen more Palmerston North working girls - some underage - setting up shop at home or in motels, according to one of the city's leading brothels.

However, the Prostitutes' Collective says the work environment is much improved and advertising by solo prostitutes is down.

Four years after prostitution was decriminalised, Candy's Gentlemen's Club co-owner Janelle Grice has labelled the law reform a failure.

(click here to read entire article - 3rd party link)

D.A. Prater to Make Meth. Mom Take Responsibility for Child's Death

6/26/07 -- OKC, OK - Newly elected Oklahoma County District Attorney David Prater is not bowing to public pressure and vows to make a drug addict mother take responsibility for the death of her unborn child.

The mother, 30-year old Theresa Lee Hernandez has been incarcerated in the Oklahoma County jail since September of 2004.

Just 6-months earlier, Hernandez had experienced premature labor and gave birth to a stillborn baby boy. Hernandez was 32 weeks pregnant.

The state of Oklahoma, and more importantly D.A. Prater, believe if not for Hernandez's long time drug addiction, her baby would have survived. Because of that claim, Hernandez was charged with first degree murder.

Since Hernandez's arrest, her case has drawn the attention of groups and individuals who feel she should not be prosecuted for murder because she herself is a victim of the drugs that killed her baby. Additionally, many feel that by prosecuting Hernandez, other expectant mothers with drug addictions may not seek medical attention during their pregnancy.

Those critical of Prater's decision to prosecute include, YWCA Oklahoma City chief executive officer Janet Peery, Planned Parenthood of Central Oklahoma, the American Public Health Association, the Oklahoma chapter of the National Association of Social Workers, and the National Advocates for Pregnant Women.

In an article published by the Daily Oklahoman, Prater cautions Hernandez's supporters that they likely do not know the complete history of this case that led to his decision to prosecute.

Prater told the Oklahoman that Hernandez has lost custody of 5 children over the years to the Oklahoma Department of Human Services. Two of Hernandez's children suffer from developmental disabilities as a result of her drug and alcohol addictions.

Prater says Hernandez has had several opportunities over the years to seek treatment for her methamphetamine addiction, but she choose not to.

Prater told the Oklahoman, "This is the most serious case of child abuse you can imagine, when the child actually dies ... This is clearly a murder, in my opinion.”

Prater says that not prosecuting Hernandez would send the message that his office is unwilling to protect unborn children.

JohnTV.com applauds D.A. Prater's decision to hold the mother responsible and to acknowledge the real victim of this crime - the child - a truly innocent victim of its mother's choices.

This case seems so very clear to JohnTV.com. If the mother knowingly poisoned her child after its birth nobody would protest her prosecution. Why should the exact same action be protected prior to birth?

If our justice system were to allow a mother to avoid prosecution for killing her own baby, because her defense attorney labeled her a victim to addiction, how would we ever support the prosecution of drug addicts when they commit lesser offenses against the community?

Hernandez's criminal history includes larceny and drug possession, but not prostitution. JohnTV.com feels compelled to follow and speak out about this case because so many Oklahoma street prostitutes are addicted to meth. and are often pregnant. The children of these addicts deserve a voice that demands justice - that voice is Oklahoma County District Attorney David Prater.

KFOR News Channel 4 Reports on Delivery Driver Arrest

6/26/07 -- OKC, OK - Last night KFOR News Channel 4's Ali Meyer reported on the arrest of Lowe's delivery driver Joseph "Joe" Crabtree (see story dated 6/21/07).

Crabtree was witnessed by Oklahoma's own Video Vigilante, Brian Bates, to solicit a known street prostitute in a public park and then take her to a restaurant parking lot where the two were caught engaged in a sex act.

Crabtree later admitted to paying $100 for both oral and vaginal sex from the prostitute.

You can view KFOR's report above.

You can see the video, as Bates shot it, already on YouTube, by clicking here.

Delivery Driver with Hooker Busted by Video Vigilante

6/21/07 -- OKC, OK - If you were expecting a delivery from Lowe's last night and it didn't show up, we may know why.

It seems "Joe the delivery guy" was caught on tape procuring a street prostitute and then engaging in a lewd act in the back of his delivery van.

And, as usual, a call to OCPD can often result in the caller being made to feel like the criminal - A responding police supervisor (an obvious subscriber to Bill Clinton's definition of 'sex') questioned the video evidence and made false statements regarding the law (it's pretty bad when the accused pimps know more about the law than the police supervisors).

Yesterday afternoon, Brian Bates, aka the Video Vigilante was documenting several street prostitutes in the area of SW 38th and South Robinson Ave. in Oklahoma City (Hey, if the cops won't do it somebody has to).

That was when Bates witnessed a Lowe's truck attempt to make a pickup (of the curb crawler kind) rather than a delivery. (click video above left or here).

Deciding the Lowe's customers waiting for delivery of their gas grill, washing machine and other appliances could wait a bit longer, the driver invites a known street prostitute into the cab of the vehicle.

Apparently the two hit it off and drove straight to a popular Mexican restaurant near SW 36th and South Walker Ave.

Unfortunately, this was no dinner date.

The driver escorts his by-the-hour best friend to the cargo area of his truck (how romantic).

Bates, knowing two's company and three's a crowd, decides to place a call to Lowe's corporate office and then to 911 and turn this little rendezvous into a real party.

Hearing moans coming from the truck, Bates could only assume the two were either engaged in prostitution related sexual activity or that the prostitute was being harmed (hey, before you laugh, several prostitutes in the area have been murdered in recent years).

When Bates opened the cargo door he was relived to find the hooker unharmed though a bit, shall we say... disheveled.

Not one for small talk, the hooker takes off without a word.

To the contrary (and most likely to his detriment), The driver was all about talking. He freely identified himself as Joseph "Joe" William Crabtree, 30. A married man with three kids who claims he's too broke to replace his lost wedding ring. This, despite the fact he admitted to paying $100 for "half and half" (use your imagination folks).

When police arrived, the supervisor proceeded to enact his best Bill Clinton impersonation by questioning the validity of Bates' video evidence, stating "I'm trying to see them having sex ... right now I haven't seen them having sex ... I saw him with his britches down..."

Feeling the supervisor was actually trying to find a reason to arrest Bates, he placed a cell phone call and left the line open so the third party could witness the conversations between Bates and the cops.

The supervisor, who obviously is not up on his communications law 101, proceeded to tell Bates he had to let the officer know a third party was listening in on their conversation and that the officer had to give consent to be recorded. Bates attempted to correct the officer, by reminding him Oklahoma is a single party consent state, but the officer wasn't in a listening mood.

Eventually Crabtree was placed under arrest and booked into the Oklahoma County jail. His employer's van was whisked away by no less than a parade of three wreckers.

As of 8:30am this morning, Crabtree was still being held in jail on a hold for Oklahoma City.

Bates pointed out that Crabtree was engaged in a lewd act within 1,000' of both a church and a school, making the crime a felony.

Bates says it is also important to note that when Lowe's was contacted, they seemed very concerned and expressed they do not condone the driver's activities.

Additional Resources:

Video of OKC police consorting with street prostitutes in OKC.

OKC Police Officer Guilty of Harassing Video Vigilante.

Retired Cop Caught with Hooker.

OKC Vice Outed as Incompetent; Former D.A. a Liar!.

Hypocrisy of Oklahoma City Vice - Caught in a Lie!. *While these video examples may be considered negative toward the OCPD, Bates reminds readers he has and continues to witness and meet very professional police officers who take pride in serving the community honorably.

Edmond Deacon to Face Trial on Underage Porn Charges

6/16/07 -- OKC, OK - A former Edmond Church of Christ deacon, accused of secretly videotaping his daughter and her teenage friends nude, is set to face a jury this September.

As previously reported, Edmond resident Jason Adam Fly, 46, was arrested in January after friends of Fly's daughter reported to police that they believed Fly was secretly videotaping them changing clothes.

Fly's arrest was followed by four felony charges; One count of possession of child pornography, two counts of procuring a minor for sexually explicit images and a single count of using electronic equipment in a clandestine manner.

Fly appeared before Oklahoma County judge Fred Doak on February 23 for his preliminary hearing.

Investigators testified that they spoke with Fly while investigating the allegations against him and executed a search warrant on his Edmond residence.

In December of 2006, Fly's teen daughter had three female friends over at their home. At some point, one of the teenagers saw an image on Fly's computer screen of another one of the girls changing clothes. The girls told their parents, who in turn contacted police.

Fly was questioned by police and arrested soon thereafter on 25 felony complaints. Fly was released from jail after posting a $40,000 bond.

As a result of the investigation by Edmond police, it was learned that Fly had at least two concealed cameras in his home. One camera was located in his daughter's bedroom and one or two other cameras were located in her bathroom.

Police found over 400 videos and still images of teen girls nude in the Fly home. Police said the images were of young girls in various stages of undress in the bedroom, using the toilet and taking a bath.

Fly reportedly told police he had cameras in his daughter's bedroom and bathroom, but also had cameras in his son's bedroom and the home's foyer. However, police found no evidence to support that claim. Fly said the cameras were in place to monitor his son who he had recently been having problems with him sneaking out and using alcohol.

Allegedly, when police asked Fly to produce the cameras, he said he had destroyed them after the girls had contacted police.

Police testified at the preliminary hearing that they also found a video that appeared to show a girl as young as 10-years old performing oral sex on an adult male.

Fly's attorney at the hearing, Jerry Colclazier, argued that charges of producing pornography depicting a minor were unwarranted. Colclazier told the court that the images of the teens in the Fly's residence were not sexually explicit and only contained nudity and therefore should not be considered porn.

Colclazier further argued that there was no evidence Fly had shot the video of the pre-teen engaged in sexual intercourse.

Unimpressed, the judge bound Fly over for jury trial, to be held on September 24. Additionally, the state requested and was granted three additional charges against Fly; (count 5) use of electronic equipment in a clandestine manner, (count 6) possession of obscene material involving participation of a minor, (count 7) possession, procuring/manufacturing child pornography.

Apparently, also unimpressed with his performance at the preliminary hearing, this past May, Fly fired Colclazier and hired local attorney Mack Martin.

JohnTV.com will continue to follow this case and bring you latest.

Video Vigilante's Personal Blog Featured in Gazette's CFN

6/13/07 -- OKC, OK - This week's Oklahoma Gazette features a Chicken Fried News story about Oklahoma's own Video Vigilante's personal blog.

In April, Brian Bates (aka the Video Vigilante), began a personal blog at ByBatesBlog.blogspot.com.

Bates says the blog was in response to fans and critics alike inquiring about his life outside of his activism.

"People ask all the time about what I do when I'm not documenting street prostitution in Oklahoma city. I hope the blog dispells the idea that I spend 24-hours a day taping prostitution. The fact is that I'm a family man who tries to instill his passion for giving back to the community in his family," said Bates.

Another 20-Days, Another Half Million Views on YouTube

6/13/07 -- OKC, OK - JohnTV.com has had another astounding couple of weeks on YouTube. In the last 20 days our videos have been viewed by just over half a million individuals (555,699 to be exact).

JohnTV.com began publishing videos by Brian Bates, Oklahoma's own Video Vigilante, in October of 2006. As of today, we have 51 videos posted on YouTube.com.

Bates' videos expose the graphic realities of street prostitution and its negative impact on Oklahoma City.

You can see a category listing of all the videos here.

OKC Police Indifference to Street Prostitution a Cause for Concern

6/13/07 -- OKC, OK - Some say police officers patrolling prostitution infested areas of South Oklahoma City are making their community worse by befriending the hookers and their pimps.

JohnTV.com has posted a video (click thumbnail image above) that shows graphic examples of police consorting with hookers and the hookers becoming so emboldened they mock the officers and do not even try to hide their illegal activities; activities that literally hold families hostage in their own homes.

The video is broken down into two parts. Part 1 depicts a day when police were called to arrest a street prostitute with outstanding warrants. The police Lt. who arrived on scene did not bother to arrest the soliciting prostitute on her warrants. Instead, the officer chatted with the hooker and instructed her to work a few blocks away and in another police district. The officer then attempted to intimidate Brian Bates, aka the Video Vigilante, and founder of this site, by parking next to him and staring at him.

The second part shows several hookers soliciting in a neighborhood park. A police officer arrives on scene. Instead of checking the hookers for warrants or running them off, the officer jokes with the hookers. One of them tells the officer how much she has missed him. The same hooker refers to another officer as her husband and says she's having his baby. As the officer leaves the hookers to solicit, the hookers tell him they are being harassed and to look after them.

More information to come. Click here to be taken to a larger version of the video above.