How Could You? Hall of Shame-Charles McMullen UPDATED

This will be an archive of heinous actions by those involved in child welfare, foster care and adoption. We forewarn you that these are deeply disturbing stories that may involve sex abuse, murder, kidnapping and other horrendous actions.

From Pensacola, Florida, Florida Department of Law Enforcement supervisor Charles McMullen  “is on trial for allegedly molesting four young boys, including two foster children who lived with his family.

Charles McMullen faces one count of sexual battery of a child under 12, seven counts of lewd and lascivious molestation on a child under 12 and one count of promoting the sexual performance of a child.

Prosecutor Anne Patterson gave the 10-person jury a rough timeline of the case in her opening statement Monday afternoon in Santa Rosa County court.

She said authorities began investigating McMullen on Oct. 28, 2016, after a verbal argument between the biological mother of one of the foster children and McMullen’s wife, Tammy McMullen, in the presence of the boy led the child to spontaneously say McMullen often touches his genitals.

From there, investigators spoke separately to the other boy in foster care, who said he had been raped by McMullen while he lived in the family’s Pace home.

McMullen was then arrested and when his photo started appearing in news coverage, two more victims came forward and accused McMullen of assaulting them while they lived in the same Pace neighborhood. The boys were friends with McMullen’s biological son of about the same age, Patterson said.

She told the jury the evidence would be difficult to listen to, but ultimately the two sets of boys — the foster children and neighbors — weren’t friends and didn’t have a chance to corroborate stories. She said they have no motivation to lie about what happened to them.

But defense attorney Ryan Cardoso said in his opening statement that the boys’ stories are full of holes. He said he didn’t intend to discredit the children, but two of them came from abusive or difficult backgrounds, and he said many potential pieces of evidence — such as one of the foster boys’ alleged disclosures of prior abuse from another man in his life — were not investigated.

One of the boys — the one who claimed that McMullen raped him — reportedly had injuries to his genitals that Patterson said were likely caused by the abuse. Cardoso said he expects the defense’s medical expert to testify during the week-long trial that those injuries could have been caused by going to the bathroom.

“What I’m asking you today is to give us a chance,” Cardoso said to the jury.

He said the McMullen house was busy and crowded with kids between the couple’s biological children, children they had adopted from the foster care system and other they were still fostering, at one point with seven children in the home.

He claimed it would be difficult for McMullen to have the opportunity to assault the boys in such a busy home.

“We’re not asking you to call kids liars … but what they’re saying is not true,” he said.

The jury heard a team of officials would often come to the home to assess the children, including guardians ad litem, Florida Department of Children and Families case workers and medical foster care officials.

DCF spokeswoman DaMonica Rivas said in a statement Monday that McMullen does not represent the foster care system as a whole.

“DCF is forever grateful for the thousands of individuals and families throughout the state who have opened their homes and hearts to children in care,” the statement reads. “The heinous allegations against this individual do not reflect the high expectations of the department for anyone providing care to a child who is in need of a safe and loving home. Any time DCF receives allegations of inappropriate behavior by a caregiver, the department will take immediate action to investigate and hold those responsible fully accountable.”

FDLE supervisor Molly Akin was called to the stand Monday afternoon and was asked to give details on her responsibilities in her role. She took over from McMullen in early 2017 when he was fired from FDLE amid the child sexual abuse allegations.

Akin said the position entails investigating all aspects of cybercrime, including child exploitation and child sex crimes.

The trial is expected to continue for a week and will resume Tuesday morning.”

Ex-FDLE supervisor on trial for allegedly abusing 4 young boys, including 2 foster kids

[PNJ 6/25/18 by Emma Kennedy]

REFORM Puzzle Piece

Update:“Former Florida Department of Law Enforcement supervisor Charles McMullen is guilty of nine child sex offenses surrounding his time as a foster parent and child sex crime investigator.

A Santa Rosa County jury heard six days worth of testimony and evidence beginning with jury selection Monday and returned with a guilty verdict late Saturday.

McMullen himself testified Friday night and into Saturday, according to prosecutor Anne Patterson, as the defense wrapped up its case.

The four victims were aged between 8 and 10, two of them foster children in McMullen’s home and two his biological son’s friends.

Authorities were alerted to the abuse when one of the foster children spontaneously announced McMullen, known to him as “Mr. Chuck,” often touched his genitals. His foster mom and biological mom had been in an argument in the presence of a child caseworker about a surgery the boy needed. When the discussion got heated, the boy answered that nobody touches his genitals, except Mr. Chuck.

The Florida Department of Children and Families worker immediately contacted her supervisor and they began interviewing the other children in the home.

The McMullen home was busy, the jury heard, as the couple had biological children, foster children and had adopted some children after fostering them, at one point equating to seven children at the house.

One of the other foster children said he had been raped by McMullen. He was taken for a medical exam where it was found he had injuries consistent with rape, Patterson had said in her opening statement.

McMullen was arrested in November 2016, and soon after two more boys – the biological son’s friends – came forward saying they also had been abused when the McMullen family lived at a different address in their neighborhood. The boys, all living in the same area, would congregate at the McMullen house which is when the abuse would happen.

Patterson had argued that there was no benefit to the four boys testifying against McMullen, and they didn’t know each other well or have a chance to corroborate their stories though they told similar accounts of having been touched.

McMullen’s defense attorneys, Jim Jenkins and Ryan Cardoso, had said the circumstances surrounding the children’s recollections were true – they had been on the couch together under a blanket for “cuddle time”, and the foster children had been in McMullen’s bedroom to give him what they called massages – but they said the accusation of molestation was not true.

Jenkins said Sunday that McMullen strongly maintains his innocence and will be filing an appeal at the appropriate time.

“Mr. McMullen, having been a highly respected law enforcement officer for more than 25 years, respects and understands the judicial process,” Jenkins said. “He sincerely appreciates how attentive all the jury members were during what were six consecutive, exceptionally long days of trial. His family, friends and fellow churchgoers, many of whom were in court in support of Mr. McMullen throughout the entire trial, were shocked and deeply saddened by the verdict.”

It took the jury about three-and-a-half hours to return with the verdict Saturday night. McMullen was found guilty of one count of sexual battery of a child under 12, seven counts of lewd or lascivious molestation, and one count of promoting sexual performance of a child.

McMullen is scheduled for sentencing July 10.”

Ex-FDLE child sex investigator found guilty of child sex crimes

[PNJ 7/1/18 by Emma Kennedy]

Update 2:“A former Florida Department of Law Enforcement supervisor is headed to prison for the rest of his life for child sexual abuse.

Tuesday, Charles McMullen was sentenced to eight consecutive life terms and an additional 15 years to run concurrent to the life sentences.

McMullen was charged with one count of sexual battery of a child under 12, seven counts of lewd and lascivious molestation on a child under 12 and one count of promoting the sexual performance of a child.

McMullen was first arrested in November 2016 after an 8-year boy told investigators that McMullen had been touching him inappropriately on a frequent basis, followed by another 8-year old boy that made similar allegations and also claimed he was forced to touch McMullen.

Two additional victims came forward after seeing McMullen in the news.

McMullen investigated similar cases during his five year employment with the FDLE. He previously worked as Chief of the Cybercrimes Unit for then-Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum and for the Escambia County (AL) Sheriff’s Office.”

Former FDLE Agent Sentenced To Life For Abusing Young Boys
[North Escambia 7/10/18]