Posted on 07/17/2007 6:25:29 AM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin
(Court to decide if deviant imaginings make man a predator)
Waukesha, WI - When Michael Monyelle stands trial next month, prosecutors aim to show that he is among the state's most dangerous sexual predators and should be committed - perhaps for the rest of his life - for treatment as a "sexually violent person."
But what landed Monyelle in hot water wasn't anything he did.
It was what he thought.
He told his parole agent that he was having deviant thoughts about children, and his disclosures are being used against him by prosecutors who contend he is apt to act on his thoughts.
"I started to look at the shoes and I saw a little girl about 7, I think," Monyelle told his agent of his visit to a thrift store shortly after his release from prison for having consensual sexual contact with two underage girls when he was 19 and 20, according to court records. "I couldn't get a good look, so I went around to the other side to get a better look.
"That is all I did...Sometimes I have thoughts of kidnapping kids, too.
"I see kids on the street and I look and I have (deviant) thoughts. But I keep on going to where I was going."
Because of his sexual contact with the girls a decade ago and with a 9-year-old boy when he was 16, Monyelle's thoughts show he is a danger, according to a commitment petition.
Monyelle "is dangerous to others because his mental disorder makes it likely he will engage in acts of sexual violence," the petition says.
The 1994 law that enables authorities to commit sex offenders to secure inpatient treatment as "sexually violent persons" typically is used when they are about to be released from prison and are considered a risk to re-offend because of inadequate treatment while incarcerated.
Monyelle, however, finds himself facing possible commitment under the law primarily because he shared disturbing thoughts with his agent while he was under supervision in the community.
A 'judgment call'
Linda Morrison, executive director of the Wisconsin Coalition Against Sexual Assault, termed the decision to seek a commitment under such circumstances "a judgment call."
"These cases are very complicated," Morrison said. "You've got to start somewhere to look for markers that are indicators of possible future violence.
"The judgment here is that the thoughts he is expressing are indicating what is in his head and what could lead to violence."
Monyelle, 30, of Waukesha, was placed on 10 years of probation in 1997 on two counts of second-degree sexual assault of a child for relationships he had with two girls, one 16 and the other 14. Both girls willingly participated in the sex but were legally underage.
In 1999, Monyelle had his probation revoked and was sent to prison because of inadequate participation in a treatment program for sex offenders.
In 2004, he was paroled with a requirement that he participate in treatment. The following year, he was taken into custody three times, according to court records, for having deviant thoughts about children that he did not report to his treatment group and delayed reporting to his agent.
Kids trigger thoughts
Some of the thoughts, he said, concerned his sister's young children, whom he encountered at her home.
"I haven't told her that I'm sexually attracted to the kids," he said in the statement. "I have sexual thoughts about all the children."
He also reported having sexual thoughts while at work, once when a woman with an infant child walked past.
"I have sexual thoughts about little and older girls and boys, anything sexual," he wrote in the statement.
His parole was revoked in June 2005 after he provided the statement, and he has been in custody since. In April 2006, the state attorney general's office filed a petition to have Monyelle committed indefinitely for treatment under the sexually violent person law.
The three standard assessments used in such cases set Monyelle's potential for re-offending in the years ahead between 49% and 70%. The results, according to psychologist Anthony Jurek, indicate "that it is likely (more likely than not) that (Monyelle) will engage in sexually violent behavior in the future."
The prosecutor in the case, Assistant Attorney General Jeffrey Gabrysiak, has indicated in a motion that he intends to use Monyelle's remarks to his agent about his deviant thoughts in his upcoming trial.
Monyelle's attorney, R. Steven Prifogle, could not be reached for comment. However, court records indicate that a psychologist retained by the defense, Luis Rosell, has concluded that Monyelle "does not pose a serious risk for sexual violence" and can be safely returned to Waukesha on parole, which would expire in August 2008.
If prosecutors convince a jury that Monyelle is a danger to act out on the thoughts he expressed, he will be committed indefinitely for treatment and can petition once a year for a supervised release.
I strongly oppose arresting people based on thoughts or art they like or books they read - no matter what psycholgists or criminologists say.
But this case is different - he’s already a convicted child molester out on parole on certain conditions, the most important of which is not being dangerous to children. He has admitted violating that condition.
at least the guy admits his problem, not like 90% of the deviants out there that cry “there’s nothing wrong with my behavior”
“Sex Thoughts Lead to Trial”
A pretty disgusting and probably intentionally misleading headline.
So fantasizing about raping children is now considered normal old everyday sex thoughts, even if you are a convicted child molester admitting it to your probation officer.
ping
Reminds me of the old saw, “he was born that way, he can’t help the way he is, he should be accepted and celebrated for his diversity.”
I see nothing wrong with reading that statement to the audience just before they throw the electric switch and old sparky lights up.
I agree. It always amazes me how conservatives will back an idea that is clearly in opposition to conservative values simply because it enforces an idea of morality. We all have bad thoughts...haven't they heard. The Bible tells us so. There is none righteous. Who would want their thoughts examined?
My advice, don't ever admit what you think about.....ever! Even professing an opinion could be considered a crime. It's frightening....and it's coming soon to a city near you.
Nothing in the headline supports any of that.
If there was anything misleading, consider blaming the reader's willingness to jump to conclusions.
Criticizing the media for nonexistent crimes diminishes the effectiveness of criticizing their real ones.
bookmark
My sense of this is that this guy can not help his thoughts and wants to be put away. He might voluntarily commit himself (if not for his lawyer).
>>
No, he hasn’t admitted being dangerous to them, he’s admitted having sexual thoughts about them. Without knowing more about it, I’d say either he wants to change or else he isn’t smart enough to keep his mouth shut.
Maybe this man should be committed for life for mental illness. But that’s as close as society should get to punishing people for thoughtcrime. For heaven’s sake, how many people haven’t fantasized about pushing a boss in front of a train? (Or... a professor... *twitch* *twitch*)<<
Parole can certainly be misused but in principle it a fair exchange. The parolee gets out of a lawfully assigned sentence and in exchange accepts restrictions beyond what a normal citizen can be required to accept.
Its not unusual for a repeat child molester on parole to have requirements that include his parole officer looking at his journal for example. If he records his erotic thoughts about kids in there he goes back to jail having violated his end of the agreement.
Almost everybody has sexual thoughts. Somebody that repeatedly tells others about his desire for children probably would not have been given parole in the first place so I don’t see the difference in revoking that parole if he does it outside.
Thank you, James! You “get it.” I’m all for protecting our kids from these FREAKS, but you can be darn sure this case will be used and abused in the future by the left in one form or another.
Most likely to lock up Christians or Conservatives. Or both.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.