It’s all about the details in child abuse investigation training

Photo: Retired detective Mike Johnson, known as Detective Mike, an expert in child abuse case investigations, speaks to a Public Safety Seminar at Northcentral Electric Cooperative on Tuesday, Dec. 10. (Bob Bakken/desotocountynews.com)

Statewide, figures indicate nearly 10 percent of Mississippi children have experienced some form of abuse or neglect. 

A case in point, in late September, a U.S. District judge in Oxford sentenced Joshua Chasestefan Anderson, a 29-year-old DeSoto County man, to 30 years in prison for videoing his sexual assault of at least two minors. In addition to jail time, Anderson was also sentenced to a life term of supervised release and will be required to register as a sex offender wherever he resides, is employed, attends school, or is a temporary resident.

According to court documents, while investigating the sexual assault of an adult acquaintance, Southaven Police Detective William Boliek uncovered videos Anderson had made and kept of the sexual assaults of at least two minors on his cell phone. Anderson was identified by a distinctive physical trait on his left hand. Anderson was charged with the sexual exploitation of minors and pleaded guilty on an earlier occasion.

Local officials, including the DeSoto County District Attorney’s Office and Healing Hearts Child Advocacy Center, have both seen a growing number of child abuse and neglect cases. This week, they partnered to provide a Public Safety Seminar for law enforcement, Child Protection Services, and others who investigate abuse and neglect cases.  The seminar was held at Northcentral Electric Cooperative’s headquarters in Olive Branch.  

Retired police detective Mike Johnson was a presenter for the seminar. Johnson is a nationally-recognized expert on all aspects of child abuse and exploitation, specializing in abuse investigations, detection and prevention efforts for organizations serving youth. He spent nearly three decades as a lead detective in the area for the Plano, Texas Police Department. Johnson was also the Youth Protection Advisor/Director for the National Office of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA).

Johnson said he came to conduct a skills-based training on the investigation of child sexual abuse. 

“It all needs to be coordinated in the investigation and intervention on behalf of children,” Johnson said. “We need to meet all of their needs, not only just the arrest of the perpetrator who may have done something wrong, but we need to make sure these kids get therapy and support, and the mother who is not offending in these cases is supported.”  

In Mississippi, statistics have 9.6 percent of children have been victims of child abuse and neglect, compared to a national average of 9.3 percent. 

District Attorney Matthew Barton said a grand jury meets to consider cases each month and child abuse cases appear on a all-too common basis.  

“It’s on every grand jury list at least once, and one in a year is one too many,” Barton said. “We’re seeing too much of it. It’s scary, it’s alarming, and it’s happening way too much.”

Misty Gray, executive director for Healing Hearts Child Advocacy Center, said the center also sees a growing number of child sexual abuse, human trafficking, and child pornography cases. 

Its primary goal is to reduce the trauma experienced by children during investigations of abuse and to facilitate their healing and recovery. Gray said Healing Hearts was grateful for the interest in the seminar.  

“That just reassures us that our community members, our law enforcement, Child Protection Services, whatever their partnership is, that they are interested in and making sure that the children that we serve are receiving the best practices and best investigation that we can give them,” said Gray.  

“We’ve been very happy with the turnout,” Barton added. “We were very happy the Sheriff’s Department brought more people than anyone and that shows they certainly care.”

Johnson stressed three things about evidence gathering in abuse cases: getting all of the details, corroboration, and working toward a confession. The details component is very important, Johnson said. 

“I like to say ‘details, details, details,’ because details are very basic in law enforcement,” said Johnson. “For law enforcement, it leads to evidence and it leads to our ability to follow up on that to Child Protection Services. I pound that really, really hard.”

The other featured speaker during the two-day seminar was Amanda Dollar, Director of Workforce Development for Mississians Against Human Trafficking. Dollar was an organizer of a number of task forces, including the Northwest Mississippi Anti-Human Trafficking Task Force. 

Barton said his office wants to annually provide the seminar to fill what he sees as a need in DeSoto County.