Earl Benton Buchanan

I received this link a few days ago, and haven't had time to post it.

It seems Earl Benton Buchanan was returning from Mexico, driving with a small boy on him lap. Buchanan had in his possession a video tape that showed him molesting another young boy. The tape lead officials to him home in Bloomington.

Buchanan's home in Bloomington was found to have a warehouse with a bedroom and an adjoining children's room stocked with video games and DVDs of children's movies, according to an affidavit that described a search conducted last week.

"(The children's room) had bunk beds, toys, all the kinds of things that kids would like," said Michael Unzueta, special agent in charge of investigations at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in San Diego. The bedroom and children's room were wired for video coverage.

Authorities have identified between eight and 11 children who are believed to have been molested by Buchanan, both boys and girls ranging in age from 2 to 15, Unzueta said.

This story gets stranger the more I read it:

San Bernardino County Sheriff Detective Steve Burgrass said Buchanan rented property to low-income families, won the parents' trust and showered the children with gifts. One received clothing, a dirt bike and video games, he said.

"He would pick (the children) up at the house, take them shopping, take them to the amusement park and then take them home to spend the night," Burgrass said.

Why that is so strange is that it seems parents had been complaining about this man to child protection services, and yet, reading the story seems to relay the thought that the parents still allowed their children to go off with him. I don't know about you, but if I was concerned about someone's presence around my child enough to call child protection services on them, I wouldn't be rushing to continue allowing my kids to be in their company.

Police in Banning, about 90 miles east of Los Angeles, were alerted to Buchanan in 2000 and 2001 by people who accused him of molesting girls, Deputy Chief Leonard Purvis said. Investigators turned over the reports to San Bernardino County sheriff's officials because of where the accusers said the girls were molested, he said.

Sheriff's officials said Wednesday they were investigating how many reports their department handled.

"It's difficult to get filings in a lot of (molestation) cases because there's no physical evidence,'' said sheriff's Sgt. Rick Ells.

In adjacent Riverside County, child-welfare workers fielded four complaints about Buchanan as early as 2000, said county spokesman Ray Smith. He said investigators either concluded the children were safe in their homes or the allegations could not be substantiated. He said the children denied the allegations. SOURCE

It now seems that at least some of the people living on his property where illegals. That may help explain why it's been nearly six years since reports about him starting showing up, without any real action being done about it. It is common knowledge that illegals are less likely to report crime, testify or give statements for fear of being "found out" and deported. My heart goes out to those who feel they have no choice but to remain quite. They have truly paid a horrible cost.

Buchanan is actively being investigated while he sits in jail. To report any information related to this case, the public should contact ICE's tip line at 1-866-DHS-2ICE. This hotline is staffed around the clock by ICE investigators.

Categories: predators, molesters