Local man backs out of Met Gala invite at last minute

City resident, Ed Brush, took to his favorite social media app, MySpace, today to explain his last minute decision to back out of Monday night’s Met Gala extravaganza.

“It is with great sadness and a heavy heart that I was unable to attend this year’s Met Gala event at New York’s famed Metropolitan Museum of Art.  Ultimately, a number of considerations led to this very difficult decision.

“Firstly, I did not have time to make it to J.C. Penney to pick up my suit for the event.  Organizers suggested I’d be fine wearing nothing more than a tasteful blazer.  When I explained that I can’t get any of my old blazers to button anymore, they suggested I accessorize with a strategically worn white tube sock.  When I realized that all my tube socks have holes and the elastic is worn out, I decided to ditch that idea,” Brush said.

Having settled on a blue blazer over a flesh colored bodysuit, Brush next set about arranging transportation to the event.

“The second thing that happened was I learned that I would not be able to catch a ride on AOC’s Fighting Oligarchy tour jet, and that if I wanted to rub elbows with the champagne socialists, I’d have to ride coach.  Being a man of the people, I had no problem travelling coach.  However, apparently wearing a flesh colored bodysuit through the airport tends to attract the attention of TSA, and they detained me for questioning.  Strangely enough, telling them who I was and where I was going failed to hasten the proceedings.

“Anyway, sorry AOC, Kamala, Alex, Whoopi, Rihanna, Nicole, Lisa, I’ll have to catch up to you next year,” Brush concluded his message.

City council approves resolution to buy man’s living room

The city council of Dowagiac, Michigan approved a resolution last evening to proceed with the purchase of a city resident’s living room.  Despite protestations from the owner, Ted Lunsford, the resolution passed by a 7-0 vote. 

The city of Dowagiac is planning to add a turn lane and expand a high traffic intersection.  Unfortunately for Lunsford, his living room sits squarely in the middle of the proposed turn lane.

“Tell me, what am I supposed to do without a living room?” Lunsford asked the council during public comments on the motion.  “Where am I gonna put my recliner and how am I gonna watch football?  I already got cars passing four feet outside my window.  Some smartass motorist stops and asks me the score of the Lions game.  Now you want to take that whole corner of my home.”  

“It’s in the way of progress, Mr. Lunsford.  We made you a very generous offer based on the market rate per square foot.  Additionally we’ve offered to cover the cost of moving your living room to a place of your choosing,” the council president said shortly before calling for a vote.

“Where am I gonna put it?”     

“That’s your problem, Mr. Lunsford.  We’re all tired of waiting in traffic at that congested intersection just so you can sit in your cozy recliner and watch tv.  Now, all in favor of turning Mr. Lunsford’s living room into a right turn lane say ‘Aye,’” the council president said and the measure unanimously passed.

Per the resolution, Lunsford has 30 days to vacate his living room.  With no long term solution in sight, Lunsford plans to relocate his three-piece sectional, La-Z-Boy recliner, 46-inch flatscreen and 30-gallon exotic fish aquarium to the garage for the time being.  However, city officials have warned him not to get too comfortable, as they are already eyeing his driveway and garage for a potential future offramp.

Masters patron left hanging on attempted McIlroy fist bump

Masters patron Phil Rickle left The Masters golf tournament in a huff Sunday after tournament champion Rory McIlroy left him hanging on a congratulatory fist bump.  Claiming to be one of McIlroy’s biggest fans, Rickle told reporters he’d never root for the Northern Irishman again after being rebuffed on national television.  

A highly emotional McIlroy had just sunk the winning putt and was sharing an embrace with his wife and daughter when the snubbing occurred.

“Look, I get it that McIlroy wanted to share the moment with his family and all, but he can’t take a second while he’s hugging his wife to reach out and knuckle bump his biggest fan while I’m standing there offering it. I mean, he left me hanging in front of the whole world.  I looked like the biggest boob.

“I followed the dude around all day Sunday and yelled out ‘MASHED POTATO!’ and ‘BOOM SHAKALAKA!’ after every shot.  I shouted ‘DESHAMBLES!’ every time Bryson screwed up.  I was there for Rors.  I don’t see why he couldn’t spare a quick bumpy knuckles with his homie,” Rickle said.

Following the tragic Masters experience, Rickle is currently weighing his options.

“I’ll probably start following Bryson.  Maybe I’ll get a little more appreciation over at LIV.”

Snapchat teachers arrested

Morgan County, Indiana public school teacher Brittany Fortinberry faces up to 10 counts of child molestation, 9 counts of dissemination of matter harmful to a minor, 6 counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor and 4 counts of sexual misconduct with a minor following accusations that she forced multiple teenage boys, some as young as 13, into group sex with her.  

According to 13WTHR, court documents allege, “one of the victims, a middle school boy, accused Fortinberry of drugging him repeatedly and having sex with him when he was 13. He said Fortinberry would have him bring his friends to her house, where she would allegedly give the teens drugs and then have sex with them…Fortinberry was paying teen boys between $100 and $800 for photos of their genitals…All of the teens said Fortinberry would send them nude and explicit photos and videos on Snapchat and an app called Session.” 

FOX59 reports, “Detectives interviewed a woman who claimed to be friends with Fortinberry since 2022, court documents said.

“The woman went on to state that Fortinberry supported her as she went through a divorce by helping with her children. The woman reportedly told detectives that she noticed Fortinberry would allegedly act differently around one of her children.

“Some of Fortinberry’s alleged actions included purchasing expensive gifts for the teen, according to court documents. After observing this behavior change, the mother decided to prevent her child from interacting with Fortinberry any longer. However, she later learned that Fortinberry had reportedly added the minor on Snapchat and the two had continued communicating on that app.

“The woman went on to state her child said Fortinberry had allegedly sent him videos of her using vibrators and engaging in sexual activities with other men.

“The minor added that Fortinberry allegedly drugged him with ‘shrooms, weed, and that she would make him drink a bottle,’ when they were together.

“The victim said it tasted like alcohol and that he had difficulty remembering anything after consuming it. The victim said Fortinberry would purchase vapes and marijuana for several other victims.

“The victim added that Fortinberry allegedly forced other victims to watch her engage in intercourse if they refused to participate, court documents show.

“Detectives spoke with another victim who informed them that he was in 7th grade when he met Fortinberry.

“This victim recounted Fortinberry ‘snapping’ him all of the time after meeting her. Fortinberry is also alleged to have purchased vapes, marijuana and THC cartridges.

“Court documents show that the victim remembered Fortinberry supplying capsules containing shrooms and that it would make him feel ‘funny.’ The victim reported there were four other people there during this particular interaction.

“The victim said Fortinberry would then begin to touch him and the others inappropriately. The victim recounted another experience where Fortinberry allegedly made him watch as she had sex with another underage victim.

“In another instance, one of the victims reported that Fortinberry invited a group of teens to her home and had sex with all of them while making one wear the mask from the horror film ‘Scream.’”

Once again the Snapchat app appears to have been instrumental in enabling a predator to groom and abuse multiple victims, all of whom lived in her community.  

“All of the teens said Fortinberry would send them nude and explicit photos and videos on Snapchat” and a “victim recounted Fortinberry ‘snapping’ him all of the time after meeting her.”

If the allegations are true, a single individual was able to devastate multiple children and families and an entire community by utilizing a smartphone and a social media app.  We’re not talking about Jeffrey Epstein or a coordinated child sex ring, we’re talking about a lone public school teacher.

The scale of the damage is incredible, but if you think this is an isolated incident, representing one bad apple in the classroom, think again.

The Miami Herald reported on January 30, 2024, “Miami-Dade teacher posts inappropriate video on Snapchat…Wesly Alvarez, 45, was charged with computer pornography…The video shows him exposing himself in front of a school bathroom mirror.”

Northern News Now reported on January 2, 2025, “Former Duluth teacher charged for messaging minor over Snapchat ….  Scott Johanik, 32, of Duluth was charged with messaging a minor that related or described sexual conduct.” 

Valley News Live reported on January 16, 2025, “Snapchat data reveals communications between former Fargo teacher and minor in court….  Investigators took the stand on day three of a criminal trial against a former Fargo school teacher.

“Ashley Peterson is charged with promoting a sexual performance by a minor and contributing to the deprivation of a minor. Snapchat data was at the center of the courtroom Thursday.”

The Valley News Live site featured another pair of child predators, one of whom was employed by the local public schools, and, of course, Snapchat featured in the story.

On March 24, 2025, Valley News reported, “Former Lake of the Woods school employee and husband accused of having sex with teen….  A couple from Williams, Minnesota, is accused of engaging in a sexual relationship with a teen girl.

“Kraig and Jennifer Stokke are each charged with one count of 3rd degree criminal sexual conduct in Lake of the Woods County. According to court records, Jennifer Stokke is an employee at Lake of the Woods Public Schools….  The victim told investigators that Jennifer has gone to great lengths to hide their previous communications to include, changing phone numbers and phones and by deleting her Snapchat account.”

Fox11 reported on February 12, 2025, “Former Logan County teacher charged with soliciting student through Snapchat, records say….  A former Logan County Schools teacher has been criminally charged after being accused of sending sexually explicit messages to a student on social media, court records said.

“Charles Stephen Wallace, 32, of Chapmanville has been charged with soliciting a minor using a computer, according to a criminal complaint filed in Lincoln County Magistrate Court.

“The complaint identified the victim as a 17-year-old female from Lincoln County attending classes at Chapmanville Regional High School where Wallace worked as a choir teacher and director.”

10WBIR reported on December 9, 2024, “Former KCS teacher charged with sending sexual content to boy via Snapchat….  A former Knox County Schools teacher is accused of sending sexual material to an underage boy via Snapchat.

“A Knox County grand jury indicted Kristin M. Brown, 34, earlier this month on five counts of exploitation of a minor by electronic means. She originally was due in Knox County Criminal Court on Dec. 6; the date was changed to Dec. 11, records show.

“The crimes are alleged to have occurred between December 2023 and March 5, records state. The counts specifically state the alleged victim was under age 13 and that she exposed the boy by electronic communication to ‘material containing sexual activity’ for her own gratification.”

News12 Brooklyn reported March 3, 2025, “Ex-Brooklyn math teacher pleads guilty in student Snapchat sexting case….  A Brooklyn high school math teacher pleaded guilty to convincing students to send him sexual pictures and videos.

“Winston Nguyen, a former teacher at St. Ann’s in Brooklyn Heights, accepted the charges that included one count of inducing a minor to engage in a sexual performance, as well as five additional counts of actions that were injurious to a minor.”

A simple Google search of “Snapchat teacher” without quotes opened up this horror show.  This list only draws from the first two pages of results.  Despite the fact that the search terms don’t include any mention of “abuse” or “sex abuse” or “sex material,” these accounts are almost exclusively all that is contained in the search results as far as the eye can see.  It seems if you put “Snapchat” and “teachers” together, you’re going to get a whole lot of depraved and felonious behavior.  To be fair, if you put “coach” and “Snapchat” together, or you put “pastor” and “Snapchat” together, you’re most likely going to get similar results.  So one common denominator that makes all this deviance and perversion possible appears to be Snapchat.  It’s the perfect DIY tool for a would-be predator, streamlining all the features a predator needs into one easy-to-use app.

Granted, no one makes the news for “snapping” images of a beautiful cake they baked, so news about Snapchat is going to skew towards its worst abuses.  However, the sheer volume of instances of adults using the app to prey on minors is staggering and should cause Snapchat’s corporate leadership to take greater steps to track predators or to remove features that enable criminality to thrive on their platform.  Additionally, the app represents such a public nuisance, it should be within the scope of federal authorities to force the company to put a stop to the criminal behavior on its app.

Local business owner calling on Pentagon to remove him from group sext chat

The owner of a local bakery is pleading with the Trump administration today to remove him from a group sext chat that he maintains is adversely affecting his mental health and physical well-being.  Cake baker, Kevin Krinkle, says he’s been so repulsed by the message content that he’s having trouble sleeping and his business is suffering. 

“It’s hard to believe that a group of such depraved individuals is responsible for our national security.  I’m having nightmares after reading what they plan to do to our allies and some of the messages have caused me to become violently ill at work.  Nobody wants to buy a cake from a vomiting baker.”   

Krinkle is unaware of how he came to be added to the group chat, but he’s decided to speak out after viewing a thread called “Roofie the Houthis.”

“I won’t go into the unspeakable things they plan to do to these individuals.  I’m no fan of the Houthis, but I’m pretty sure the Pentagon’s plans would constitute a war crime and make Abu Ghraib look like a summer day camp.” 

The violent sext chats don’t just focus on terrorists and adversaries, but also include America’s allies.

“What they talk about doing to the French is beyond disgusting, and there are even plans afoot to conquer Canada and rename it ‘The Gimp.’” 

The Pentagon says they’re looking into the matter and officials promise to maintain the highest security regarding all future group sext chats.

Terror In The Shrubbery

Jack Hayward is reeling today following a report by his insurance company that his landscaping presents a clear and present danger to his home and property. 

Up until today, Jack thought he was pretty much crushing it, and then in one brief moment his whole life was turned upside down when a group of insurance underwriters informed him that among his shrubbery lurk heretofore unimagined terrors. 

Apparently, a seemingly innocent shrub, situated under a window, can serve as a launching pad for a criminal caper that could potentially undo everything Jack’s ever worked for. 

While it’s true that neighborhood kids like to utilize his shrubs to hide and seek, and on at least one occasion some homeless person may have spent the night curled up behind his lilac bush, it never occurred to Jack that shrubs are especially useful for concealing nefarious deeds. 

Nevermind the alarm system and security cameras Jack installed to thwart potential break ins, an accomplished second story man can utilize a pyramidal arb to launch himself like a pole vaulter onto a lower roof and quickly gain access to upper story windows. 

Apparently, the thieves take advantage of the shrub cover to cart off your 55 inch television and exercise equipment, because the whole point of the danger shrubs pose is that the bad guys can do all this without attracting the attention of neighbors or passersby.

A skilled burglar disguised as a juniper bush can enter and exit a house undetected by cloaking stolen merchandise in bush clippings.   

Tree limbs, too, are nothing to trifle with, according to the underwriters. A tree limb, it seems, is nothing more than a bony hand reaching out to dismantle a house one shingle at a time. 

One never knows when an angry oak will lower a wooden fist and severely scratch or dent one’s guttering.  

The news filled Jack with such revulsion and dread that he immediately climbed out on his roof and stood atop the peak risking life and limb in an attempt to prune away all tree limbs encroaching on his home’s airspace.  

With bushes yanked and tree limbs tamed, Jack was finally able to rest easy, at least until the next alert of impending catastrophe comes along.

Trump steps in to mediate ongoing Hall & Oates dispute

Following the success of his Russia-Ukraine deal and repairing the rift between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf, America’s unifier-in-chief, President Donald Trump, is now turning his attention to resolving the ongoing feud between veteran rockers Daryl Hall and John Oates.  The popular musicians have been embroiled in a bitter legal dispute since November 2023.

As far as Daryl Hall is concerned, the rock duo’s personal and professional partnership is beyond repair.  “That ship has gone to the bottom of the ocean,” Hall told a reporter for The Times.

However, the Hall & Oates differences have not yet been subjected to the extraordinary healing power of an intense Trump White House negotiating session.

“I’m confident we can get a deal,” the president said.  “The world needs Hall & Oates together making their beautiful music.  What’s that song of theirs, The Sound of Silence?  That’s all we’re getting out of them these days – silence, and that’s a shame.” 

“That’s Simon & Garfunkel, Mr. President.”

“Oh yes.  Well they’re wonderful too.  Maybe I’ll work on getting them back together as well.  I mean Piano Man, In The Air Tonight – the world loves their music.  For the sake of lasting peace in the world, we need them back together.” 

However, a brief White House meeting with Oates in front of reporters appeared to take an ugly turn when the president excoriated Oates for not taking the deal.  

“Oates, come on, take the deal on the table.  What are you without Hall?  I’m sorry but you’re being very disrespectful to me, Hall and everyone here today.  I can tell you, years ago when I put this deal in front of John Ford Coley, he went running back to England Dan.  Now get with it, Oates.”

Snapchat predator roundup

Years ago, when the digital landscape consisted almost entirely of dimly lit arcades at the mall, where video game machines flashed bright colors and emitted primitive robot noises, some people suspected that the adult men who frequented those places were not to be trusted around children.  Whether or not those fears were justified, nobody could have imagined that there would one day be a place in the digital world where it was absolutely certain that children utilizing that space would eventually be solicited by men for immoral purposes.  One of those places is Snapchat.  From time to time, this blog has sought to draw attention to the Snapchat predators arrested or convicted for crimes committed against children in one area of one state during one brief period of time.  What follows is a rundown of those Snapchat predators and their offenses for the last six months.      

For immediate release, February 24, 2025, U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of Indiana:

Larry Goldsmith., 26, of Indianapolis, has been sentenced to 20 years in federal prison, followed by a lifetime of supervised release after pleading guilty to transportation of a minor with intent to engage in sexual activity.

According to court documents, in 2020, Goldsmith began messaging a 14-year-old girl living in Michigan through the social media applications Spot-a-Friend and Snapchat. Goldsmith knew of the child’s age at the time yet engaged in sexually explicit conversations with her. 

At the end of August 2020, the child got into a verbal argument with her mother and expressed to Goldsmith that she wanted to run away from home. Goldsmith drove over four hours to Michigan and picked her up at a business near her home. Goldsmith was 21 years old at the time.

On the way back to Indiana, Goldsmith engaged in sexually explicit conduct with the child at a rest stop in Michigan and then transported her across state lines to a home he rented in Indianapolis.  During their time living together, Goldsmith had sex with the child numerous times and impregnated her.

After committing these offenses, Goldsmith continued his sexual abuse of minors by committing essentially the same conduct with another child in Georgia – where he drugged and raped a 13-year-old. In 2022, Goldsmith pleaded guilty to those crimes in Georgia and was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison, which he is currently serving.

“Goldsmith is no longer a danger to children and families in our community,” said John E. Childress, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. “He is a manipulative, child predator who used the tools of social media to abuse a vulnerable child over and over again. I commend the outstanding work of local law enforcement agencies in Indiana and Georgia, along with the FBI, to bring the victim home safely.”

From WRTV Indianapolis, August 26, 2024:

An Indianapolis man will spend the next 44 years in federal prison after he was found guilty of exploiting a child on Snapchat, despite already being a registered sex offender and on probation.

Sonny Applegate, 27, was sentenced to 44 years in federal prison and a lifetime of supervised release to follow after pleading guilty to two counts of sexual exploitation of a child and one count of committing a felony offense while required to register as a sex offender.

According to court documents, Applegate was convicted in 2020 of possession of child pornography. His four year prison sentence then was suspended to probation.

Despite being on probation, Applegate reoffended.

Between August 1 and Sept. 12, 2022, Applegate used Snapchat to communicate with an 11-year-old from Missouri. Applegate engaged in graphically explicit sexual chat with the child and routinely demanded that they create and send him images and videos of themselves engaged in sexually explicit conduct that he directed.

During a routine probation check, the phone being used to communicate with the child was located.

“Every family should know that social media apps like Snapchat are not safe spaces for young children and are often hunting grounds for predators who seek gratification from their exploitation,” said Zachary A. Myers, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana “The federal prison sentence imposed here ensures that the public will be protected from this offender for many decades to come. Other online predators should take notice that the Indiana Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, including the FBI, and our federal prosecutors, will work tirelessly to hold them accountable and make our children safer from abuse.”

From 13 WTHR, Indianapolis, October 3, 2024:

A California man has been accused raping a 12-year-old Indiana girl after they met on Snapchat.

Bernardo Revelez Tapia, 43, has been formally charged with two counts of rape, two counts of child molesting and two counts of strangulation, according to online court records.

The Greene County Sheriff’s Department said it began investigating a report of a missing 12-year-old girl on Sept. 23, 2024. The family allegedly told police the girl met an older man online and made a plan over Snapchat for him to pick her up.

Police said shortly after the report was made, the girl returned home. Investigators determined Tapia picked the girl up outside her home and took her to a Bedford, Indiana, motel. 

Tapia was charged Sept. 25. The next day, he was arrested by Indiana State Police in Elkhart, Indiana, and taken to the Lawrence County Jail. 

“An ongoing investigation is still underway for possible charges in Greene County,” the sheriff’s department said in a statement, adding that Tapia is a registered sex offender in California.

Tapia, who is from San Jose, California, will be back in court for a pretrial conference Dec. 18. His jury trial has been scheduled to start March 26, 2025.

Bedford is approximately 80 miles south of Indianapolis.

From Fox59 News, Indianapolis, August 13, 2024:

An Indianapolis man faces more than 10 felony charges after police were notified of child porn being uploaded and shared to young girls on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Jayden Edwards, 24, was charged last month in Marion County with child exploitation and possessing child porn after Indy police were given a digital tip that CSAM had been uploaded to his X Corp (Twitter) account. He is now being held on a $40,000 cash bond.

Detectives then requested all files and data associated with the account, which yielded an email and several IP addresses connected to Edwards. The files provided by X Corp also reportedly included media files uploaded by the account and messages sent to other users.

In these messages, IMPD discovered that Edwards was allegedly messaging underage girls and asking if they wanted to see any “rape or [child porn] videos” accompanied with a pizza emoji. The account then sent messages discussing having sex with the underage girls.

The account reportedly sent the victims child porn videos to help describe the sex acts he wanted to do and photos of a man believed to be Edwards himself were sent to one 13-year-old victim. Detectives also found conversations involving bestiality and incest.

Court documents detail how, upon investigating Edwards further, they found a Snapchat account linked to him named “yfan_jay.” After receiving full data for this account, police found even more child pornography as well as videos depicting children and dogs in a sexual manner.

IMPD officers found Edwards on July 16 sitting in a 2019 silver Impala along Meridian Street and detained him after confiscating a black iPhone he was using. Edwards reportedly told officers he lives with his parents in Indy and uses the email address yfan_jay2@outlook.com.

During an interview at the police station, court documents claim Edwards admitted he had an addiction to child porn and would regularly masturbate to it. He reportedly told police he used to distribute the videos on X before his account was shut down due to a violation.

“[Edwards] continued by saying he has seen child pornography ranging from the ages of babies to teenagers,” court docs read. “[Edwards] said he distributed child porn several times during chat conversations of X and Telegram and also had an unknown number of videos saved to his phone.”

Edwards was charged that same day in Marion Superior Court 32 with 10 counts of child exploitation – a level 4 felony – and one count of possession of child porn – a level 5 felony.

For immediate release, October 31, 2024, U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of Indiana:

Shawn Riedesel, 29, of Burnsville, Minnesota, has been sentenced to 440 months in federal prison, followed by 25 years of supervised release, after pleading guilty to two counts of sexual exploitation of a child. Riedesel must also pay $69,000 in restitution to his victims. Upon his release from federal prison, he must register as a sex offender wherever he lives, works, or goes to school, as required by law.

According to court documents, between December 2021 and July 2022, Shawn Riedesel enticed and coerced at least three underage girls to produce and send sexually explicit images and videos. He also met at least one child in person for sex on multiple occasions. While he was committing these crimes, Riedesel began a teacher preparation program through Teach Kentucky and stayed in a dorm room on Bellarmine University’s campus, while also living at another residence in Louisville. Riedesel was not enrolled as a student at Bellarmine University. 

In late June of 2022, a witness learned of inappropriate electronic communications between Riedesel and a 15-year-old Indiana girl over a school computer. The child told Riedesel she was fifteen, and she initially believed he was a 19-year-old boy. In fact, he was a 29-year-old man who used an end-to-end encrypted email program to communicate.

The witness used the child’s email account to continue the conversation. Riedesel indicated that he and the child had previously had sex in person, and that he would help the victim run away from home so that they could meet and engage in specific sex acts. He was concerned the victim’s parents might know what he looked like, and that he would be in trouble for having sex with a child. The witness contacted the Indiana State Police to investigate.

Investigators learned that Riedesel had crossed state lines on multiple occasions to have sex with the child, including over multiple days at an Indiana hotel, her parents’ house in Indiana while they were away, and a church. Riedesel also picked the child up from her home in Indiana and transported her across state lines to his dorm room in Louisville to have sex.

On July 2, 2022, Riedesel was arrested when he arrived to meet the child at her parents’ house. Investigators seized his iPhone and conducted court-authorized searches of the device as well as his dorm room and residence. Investigators found printed sexually explicit images of the Indiana child affixed to a wall in his dorm room, arranged in the shape of a heart.

State Police collected an additional iPhone, an iPad, and multiple computers and digital storage devices during the searches. Investigators were able to access the data contained on some of Riedesel’s devices, including thousands of sexually explicit images and videos of children obtained online, and images of Riedesel engaged in sex acts with his Indiana victim. The child later informed investigators that he forced her to watch the “huge collection” of child sexual abuse material he kept hidden on his computer, including recordings of the sexual abuse of prepubescent children and infants. While staying at a hotel to have sex with the Indiana victim, Riedesel saved a “shopping list” on his iPhone that included condoms, sex toys, a pacifier, coloring books, and crayons.

Investigators found sexually explicit conversations between Riedesel and other underage girls on his iPhone, including sexually explicit video calls with another underage girl he recorded engaged in sex acts. His iPhones also showed that he coerced and enticed a 13-year-old girl to send him images and sexually explicit videos of herself. He told her he’d like to have sex with children even younger than her, and that “they should warn kids about guys like me. Cause we turn innocent underage girls into sex toy for us using their insecurities to lure them into trusting us. Then once they trust us they will do anything sexual for us…I mean that’s what grooming is.” He further stated that, “[s]ome pedos try to hide the fact that their grooming a girl, but she only feels betrayed when she finds out. I like to be open an honest with what I’m doing . . . I’m doing these things to turn you into my sex slave.”

“Pedophiles like this would-be teacher use technology to find, groom, and exploit our children—from across the river and across the country,” said Zachary A. Myers, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. “This time, investigators were able to access the digital evidence needed to identify additional victims and secure a serious federal prison sentence. However, many companies are designing their technology to make it impossible to conduct court-authorized searches—hampering our ability to rescue children and hold sexual predators accountable. Together with our law enforcement partners at the FBI and Indiana State Police, our office will continue to do all we can to secure necessary evidence and make our children safer by removing these heinous offenders from our communities.”

While the previous case makes no mention of the offender using Snapchat, it was included because it provides a startling glimpse of what families, the public and law enforcement are up against.  The mindset, motivation and determination exhibited by this individual is truly terrifying.  How does someone become so far removed from what is decent and socially acceptable and embrace a life of such utter depravity?  If it were just this one man, the mind might be able to comprehend how sometimes, in rare instances, an individual can be led so pathologically astray.  But here we have multiple predators working a limited geographical area during a brief snapshot of time.  Expanded out across all jurisdictions and multiple social media platforms over time, the scope of the problem begins to look incredibly daunting.  This is the stranger danger we were told is extremely rare.  Imagine all the damage these men have done that they’re not even being held responsible for, all the SA victims and all the CSAM images.  Then multiply that by thousands of jurisdictions over several years.  If this is not one of the most urgent problems of our time, it’s hard to think of what is.  With all due respect to the social media misinformation issue that seems to occupy so much of the media’s reporting, we’ve got a much bigger problem that deserves way more of our attention and resources than it is currently receiving.

Speculation grows that Ludvig Åberg is a simulation

Fresh off a victory at the Genesis Invitational, Ludvig Åberg appeared to really step into his element on Monday night when he helped guide The Bay GC to two victories in TGL golf action.

While he ranks among the best in the world on traditional golf courses, his ability to interface with TGL’s massive, high-tech simulator has left some scratching their heads in wonder.

Stepping into the simulator, the young Swede appears to benefit from a strange symbiotic relationship with the highly advanced tech.  His play is so close to perfection that some wonder if his kinship with the virtual golf format extends beyond someone who merely possesses game.

Case in point: Åberg squared off against Rory McIlroy in the singles portion of Monday night’s competition.  McIlroy, who is no slouch with a driver in his hand, executed what appeared to be an excellent drive, which sailed down the middle and landed in the fairway’s “speed slot,” enabling the ball to roll out for some extra distance.  

However, Åberg casually executed the drive to even greater perfection by catching the speed slot even further down the fairway, permitting the ball to roll so far that Åberg had time to stroll over to the sideline, put his club away, and update his Instagram before the ball finally came to rest.  At nearly 400 yards and the longest in TGL’s brief history, it made McIlroy’s effort look like that of a junior golfer.  

In the two holes in which they faced off against each other, McIlroy looked thoroughly human as he summoned all his talent and skill to throw at the super Swede.  For Åberg’s part, he appeared unfazed and played like he was running an algorithm orders of magnitude greater than anything McIlroy could muster. 

Throughout the night, Åberg was an AI supersoldier throwing darts and draining putts.  He nearly recorded TGL’s first hole in one.  If Åberg isn’t already a product of the simulation, he may merge with it soon.

Press reports Trump team on track for record number of “self-owns”

According to press reports, during its brief time in office, the Trump administration has already committed 511 “self-owns,” putting it on track to become the most “self-owning” administration since Woodrow Wilson.  President Trump heads up the “self-own” list with Elon Musk and administration spokesperson Karoline Leavitt occupying the second and third spots

“With our democracy hanging in the balance, documenting “self-owns” is more crucial than ever,” said HuffPost senior self-own sleuth Ed Mazza.  HuffPost has documented 327 “self-owns,” putting it well ahead of its closest media rivals on the “self-own” beat.  “Hilarious self-owns” lead the list with “epic self-owns” running close behind.

Perhaps the most “epic” or “meta self-own” came when President Trump was asked about his propensity to “self-own” and he mistook the reporter to say “cell phone.”

“Of course I have a cell phone.  What is this guy talking about?  Fake news.  Fake news,” the president remarked in what turned out to be a spectacular, reality-bending self-own.  

In addition to “self-owns,” the media has issued a record number of “brutal reminders.”  It appears the late night talk shows dominate the “brutal reminder” list, with Seth Myers pumping out scathing brutal reminders on almost a nightly basis.