July 2012 Archives

Last month, former Deer Valley school bus driver Brian DiCamillo was arrested on accusations that he tried to pay a student $1 to sleep with him and took exploitative photos of another young boy. He’s been charged with sexual exploitation of a minor, child prostitution, and supplying obscene materials to a minor.

Now DiCamillo’s wife, Jenifer DiCamillo, has pleaded not guilty to child abuse charges stemming from her alleged failure to report her husband’s alleged crimes. According to authorities, Jenifer witnessed her husband sexual abusing the minors, but never notified authorities.

A Mesa man who’s been arrested for domestic violence told police that his wife put a “spell” on him, The Arizona Republic reports.

Police were called to the home of David Burnes, after the man allegedly threatened to kill himself then punched his wife in the face. Burnes was arrested on suspicion of assault, disorderly conduct and preventing the use of a phone in an emergency.

Camp is a right of passage for many kids. It’s the first time they get a taste of freedom by staying away from home for a few weeks. However, that freedom comes with a few caveats, one of which involves bullying.

Bullies don’t stop being bullies once they leave the classroom and head outdoors. Bullying can cause a child both physical injury and emotional trauma. As a parent, it’s your job to make sure cases of bullying are nipped in the bud. That task can be more difficult when your child is away at camp. To help you out, below, we’ve included a few things to keep in mind when dealing with a bully.

A Gilbert man was arrested last week after his wife found child pornography in the house the couple shared, AZfamily.com reports.

Jeremy Todd Baland’s wife notified Gilbert police after finding a binder full of child pornography in the attic. Baland has been charged with ten counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, according to authorities.

Pro wrestler John Cena’s drawn-out divorce battle may have finally come to an end, TMZ reports.

Elizabeth Cena’s attorney, Raymond Rafool, has announced that Liz and the WWE star have managed to work things out. Cena filed for divorce back in May, but things quickly turned ugly.

Last week, Yavapai County sheriff’s deputies arrested a 34-year-old Paulden man for abusing his two sons, ABC News reports.

According to authorities, Jaccob Billiter was angry at his 6-year-old son for drinking from an irrigation system. As punishment, he allegedly hung the boy uspide down and whipped him with a garden hose. Billiter has been charged with two counts of child abuse, aggravated assault, disorderly conduct, and two counts of neglect of a minor.

A Valley woman has been sentenced to five years in prison for allegedly locking her stepdaughter in a bathroom for two months, AZfamily.com reports.

Andrea Gould, also known as Andrea Bass, was found guilty of two counts of attempted child abuse. Gould will now spend the next five years in prison. On top of that, she'll be on lifetime probation, authorities say.

On Monday, former NFL star Andre Rison was sentenced in federal district court in Phoenix to five years' probation for failing to pay child support, The Arizona Republic reports.

In April, Rison pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor child support violation. The former wide receiver was also ordered to pay $322,992 in child support restitution.

A Phoenix father has been arrested on child abuse charges after his 10-year-old daughter was found dead in a small box, AZfamily.com reports.

According to authorities, David Deal often locked his daughter Ame Deal in a wooden trunk as punishment. In July 2011, Ame was found dead in the chest. Police believe the girl may have suffocated while locked in the trunk.

Yet another Phoenix parent has been accused of giving alcohol to a young child. Is it the heat?

Phoenix police arrested 36-year-old Valerie Marie Topete, after she allegedly gave her 2-year-old son beer, AZfamily.com reports. Topete has been charged with one count of child abuse over the incident.

The mother of baby Gabriel, an Arizona boy that’s been missing for more than two years, has requested that her felony child abuse charge be dropped before her case goes to trial in September, The Associated Press reports.

Elizabeth Johnson has been charged with child abuse, kidnapping, custodial interference, and attempted custodial interference in the 2009 disappearance of her son, Gabriel Johnson. Johnson has pleaded not guilty to all of her charges.

Just seven years after Tom Cruise bounced on Oprah’s couch in ecstatic (unsettling?) joy, TomKat are calling it quits. The reason for the split is hotly debated, but most sources point to Cruise’s deep ties to Scientology.

Interestingly, Katie Holmes has requested sole legal custody of the couple’s daughter, Suri, Fox News reports. Generally, both parents are granted joint legal custody unless one parent is deemed unfit. Is Holmes alleging that Cruise’s devotion to Scientology makes him unfit to parent Suri?