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Tuesday, August 5
Scioto County Daily News
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  • Public Safety

    🍔 BURGER BRAWLS! FAST FOOD FURY LEADS TO POLICE CALLS

    SCDN File Photo

    💥 ER Eruption Lands Woman in Jail — Spotlight on Violence Against Healthcare Workers

    BAD BEHAVIOR

    🚨“ON DUTY… AND OUT OF LINE?” — SHERIFF’S DEPUTY CAUGHT IN LATE-NIGHT DOMESTIC DRAMA! 

    Police

    🚨 “Paranoia, Panic, and Cocaine” — Drug Crisis Escalates as Rehab Chaos Unfolds Across Scioto County 🚔 

    Busted Arrests Portsmouth Scioto County Mugshots

    Busted! 08/04/25 New Arrests in Portsmouth, Ohio – Scioto County Mugshots

    Ohio House Bill 247

    🐶 Dog Drama Sparks Big Bite Debate! Ohio House Bill 247

    👊 BROTHERS BRAWL IN THE BURG! ONE HAULED OFF TO JAIL 🚓 

    Two toddlers. Two apartments. Two terrifying wake-up calls. What’s going on behind closed doors? 

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    💥DOMESTIC VIOLENCE SHOCKER: MAN LEFT BLOODY, WIFE BUSTED AFTER BEDROOM ATTACK!🚓 

    🚨CRISIS CALLS: First Responders Save Lives in Two Close Calls 🚨 

    Deadly Crash 2 SCDN

    Tragedy on Local Road: Woman and 6-Year-Old Killed in Horrific Head-On Crash

    Teen Plots to Drag Friend into Woods and Stab Him 

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    🚨Warrant Wonderland! Man Nabbed with FOUR Outstanding Warrants After Traffic Stop in Wheelersburg🚔 

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    Bad Decision: Woman Tries to Hide Drugs During Warrant Arrest 

    Mental Health

    Text Message Saves Man After Suicide Attempt at Franklin Furnace Gas Station

    Celsius ASTRO VIBE

    🚨 SPIKED ENERGY ALERT! 🚨 That Energy Drink You’re Sipping Might Be Straight Vodka

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    Busted! 08/01/25 New Arrests in Portsmouth, Ohio – Scioto County Mugshots

    Children in Danger

    Toddler Hospitalized After Getting Hold of Marijuana Vape 

    “I’ll Just Let Myself In”: Welfare Check Leads to Oversleeping Discovery 

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    🚨 TRAFFIC STOP TURNS INTO JAIL DROP: MOM BUSTED ON MULTIPLE CHARGES 🚗👶 

  • Lawrence County
  • Politics
    West Virginia SNAP

    🚨No More Free Pop? West Virginia Bans Soda from SNAP—Should Ohio Be Next?🚨 

    We Don’t Do Roads!: Scioto Commissioners Clarify Who’s Really in Charge of Road Repairs 

    “I’m Not Here to Replace Cathy”: New Commissioner Merit Smith Says He’ll Lead with Life Experience 

    Merit Smith

    Merit Smith Chosen to Fill Late Commissioner Cathy Coleman’s Seat 

    Scottie Powell

    “Run on Vision, Not Attacks”: Powell Offers Advice to Candidates Vying for Cathy Coleman’s Seat 

    🌿 Bamboo Gets Fast-Tracked at City Hall — But the Homeless Crisis? Still Stuck in Neutral 

    Who Will Carry Cathy’s Torch? GOP to Choose Coleman’s Replacement July 29 

    Cathy Coleman

    Commissioners Back Senior Housing Project Championed by Late Commissioner Cathy Coleman 

    “Bad and Quirky” Lucasville House Targeted for Demolition as County Cracks Down on Blighted Properties 

    ‘A Great Addition to Heaven’: Commissioners Honor Cathy Coleman, Reflect on Her Legacy and Who Might Carry It Forward 

    Cathy Coleman

    Scioto County Mourns Commissioner Cathy Coleman 

    🚨TRIAL TWIST! Horton Corruption Case on Ice—For Now 

    Cathy Coleman

    Remembering Scioto County Commissioner Cathy Coleman

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    🏥 Scioto County Approves Hospital Tax to Keep Medicaid Dollars Local 

    No Kings

    Scioto Dems Snort at “Well-Funded” No Kings Protest Claim

    Cathy Coleman

    Cathy Coleman Still Fighting: Family Shuts Down Hospice Rumors, Says Recovery Still Underway

    County May Tap Opioid Settlement Funds to Finish MARCS Tower Project 

    Cathy Coleman

    ‘Small Steps, Big Faith’: Commissioner Cathy Coleman Edges Closer to Recovery 

    Cathy Coleman

    ‘Praise God!’: Commissioner Cathy Coleman Shows Remarkable Progress After Harrowing Weeks

    Cathy Coleman

    Cautious Hope and Harsh Realities: New Details Emerge on Commissioner Cathy Coleman’s Condition 

  • Feel Good
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    Creative Ways To Host Outdoor Events This Summer

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    What Activities To Offer at a Family Fun Center

    Shawnee State University SSU

    Shawnee State University Joins New Athletic Conference, Adds Football to Lineup 

    BREAKING: Commissioners Make Shocking Decision—Halloween to Remain on Halloween 

    Escape to the Hills: A Summer Reading List Set in Appalachia 

    Scioto County Champs: Lady Trojans and Word Wizards Bring Home the Gold 

    “I Held Those Keys Tight” — One Man’s Harrowing Journey from Addiction to Hope 

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    Tips for Selecting the Color of a Quinceañera Dress

    The Day the Streak Ended: Lakers’ 1987 Record Broken

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    Night Fishing: Who Is It for and How Do You Start?

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    Kid Misses Bus, Deputy to the Rescue 

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    Hidden Gems: Community Strategies for Mental Wellness

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    Man Says He’s Trapped in Armory 

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  • Obituaries
    David M. Bentley

    David M. Bentley, 73 of South Portsmouth

    Barbara Williams

    Shirley Ann Frazee, 80 of Beaver

    Robert Cecil Wilson

    Robert Cecil Wilson, 78 of Portsmouth

    Betty Rosemary Lore

    Betty Rosemary Lore, 64 of Lucasville

    Mary C. Hall

    Mary C. Hall, 73 of Piketon

    Paul Alva Winn

    Paul Alva Winn, 46 of Lucasville

    Pamela Lykins Jenkins

    Pamela Lykins Jenkins, 69 of Portsmouth

    Sophia and Olivia Boggs

    Andrea Gail Walters 43 of Wheelersburg

    Patricia Ann Bennett

    Patricia Ann Bennett, 85 of Minford

    Brian Richards

    Brian Richards of Upper Twin Creek

    Ann Thomas, 89 of Scottsboro

    Barbara Williams

    Marion Emma Wickersham, 80 of Otway

    Sheila Ann Puckett-Free

    Sheila Ann Puckett-Free, 50, of Rarden

    Gail Lynn Harris

    Gail Lynn Harris 70 of sciotoville

    Erik Lael Bryant

    Erik Lael Bryant, aged 54 of Wurtland

    Wanda F. Bender

    Wanda F. Bender, 94 of Portsmouth

    David Gershon McFadden, 84 of Wheelersburg

    Leroy Slusher

    Leroy Slusher, 89 of Minford

    Joseph Michael Ober

    Joseph Michael Ober 53 of Oberling

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Why We Publish Those Awful Abuse Stories?

Cyn Mackley by Cyn Mackley
5 years ago
in Opinion
Ohio child sex abuse
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Why do we publish those awful stories about child sex abuse, pornography, and trafficking in Ohio and around the world? A commenter on one of our stories said we were turning into “pedo central” and that she thought SCDN was supposed to be “a news site.”  She’s certainly not the only one to express that opinion, though stories on the topic are often the most popular ones on the site. We’ve put up stories about the Census, Lawrence-Scioto the Solid Waste Management District, property tax delinquencies, decriminalizing pot in Portsmouth, COVID, and other important topics this week but when you look at the web traffic numbers, these horrible stories of abuse get about 10 times as many hits. And that’s a good thing. I’ll tell you why.

Child sexual abuse and trafficking in our area is a problem. A big one. As prevalent and real and ugly as the opioid epidemic. The opioid epidemic that people ignored for so long because they didn’t want to believe that doctors would do something like that. Their friends, relatives, and neighbors simply couldn’t be involved in drug abuse. Despite the shocking number of local arrests involving child pornography, abuse, and trafficking in our area, some people still don’t want to believe.

Nationwide,

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David M. Bentley, 73 of South Portsmouth

Shirley Ann Frazee, 80 of Beaver

Robert Cecil Wilson, 78 of Portsmouth

I mean, I get it. It’s ugly. Who wants to see that? Sometimes when prosecutors present a case, they hesitate to show awful, graphic evidence to a jury because they know it will overwhelm them and cause them to shut down. Sometimes, I think stories like this do that to people.


Why Do We Run These Stories?

Why do we run these stories? – Because the problem is reaching epidemic proportions and the COVID-19 lockdown has made it even worse.  Children are traded for pills and cash. Videos of that sexual abuse are transmitted all over the country and the world for the gratification of other predators. The abuse never ends.

What’s the deal with stories that aren’t ‘local’? – When it comes to child trafficking, pornography, and sex abuse, there is no such thing as local. The Internet put an end to that. A predator in Canada can entice, blackmail, and abuse 12-year-old girls all over the US and the world. In the past few days, I’ve seen a dozen reports from the Department of Justice about men using ‘sextortion’ schemes to trap children into sending them sexual images and even harming themselves. They target little girls all over the country. We put their names, photos, and social media handles out there so you can check them. Check with your kids. Has this person contacted you, ever? Have you ever seen these social media handles? Does someone I know communicate with this person?

Predators don’t just target kids. They make friends with their parents and guardians, too. That’s how they work.


Please Support This Local Business

The Monsters Are Real

Why so many stories on this topic? –  We monitor Project Safe Childhood, the State of Ohio, plus local and regional police and the Sheriff’s offices. I think I look at between twenty to thirty cases of child pornography, trafficking, and sex abuse EVERY SINGLE DAY in Ohio and everywhere else. We run a fraction of them. Maybe 5% of what see most days. And remember, those are just the people who get caught. So many of these cases have details so disturbing we can barely figure out how to write about them.

Yesterday, was a particularly bad day for me. I’ve been in this business longer than many of you have been alive and I cried for a good 20 minutes after reading some of the arrest reports yesterday. The pastor abusing the infant and the man who “sextorted” approximately 100 little girls made me so angry my hands wouldn’t stop shaking.

How in the world could I live with myself if I didn’t tell you these monsters are among us. They are our pastors, our doctors, our teachers, our friends, and our relatives. They come at our babies through us, through our church, through the Internet. The crimes they commit are so vile that you’d rather not think about them. I sure as hell wish I could forget them. But I can’t forget and I cannot allow you to forget. We have children to look out for. We need to be aware of the monsters.


Just Like A Virus

They are as deadly and prevalent as COVID-19. Like that virus, they are invisible to the naked eye. It’s easier to read about a virus than a pastor who repeatedly rapes a baby and takes a video of it. You can’t put on a mask, stand six feet apart, and wash your hands to avoid a predator. If a virus was decimating our children and teens, you’d want to know.

I have as much responsibility to tell you about this as the county has to issue tornado and flood warnings. I’m sorry if it upsets you. I’m sorrier still that this happens to little children every single hour of every day in every corner of the world. That includes your corner. Child sex abuse happens every day in Scioto County, Ohio.

As we have learned from the opioid epidemic that’s ravaged our town, ignoring an ugly problem does not make it go away.

Tags: ChildrenCyberFamilyFeaturedOhiosafety
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