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It Could Have Been Stopped |
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Friday, 03 February 2012 14:02 |
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(FEBRUARY 3, 2012) Jarred Harrell pleaded guilty today to the abduction and murder of 7-year old Somer Thompson. It was a crime that never should have happened.
Two months before Harrell abducted Somer, he was under investigation for child sexual exploitation. His roommates called police to report they found crime scene photos on his computer of children being sexually assaulted (child pornography).
Authorities seized the evidence, evidence that could have led to Harrell's arrest and prevented him from being on the street that day Somer Thompson disappeared.
But Harrell's computer sat in an evidence room backlog for months, while Harrell remained at large. Overworked and under-funded police had not examined his computer yet.
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Evidence room backlog at Internet
Crimes Against Children task force.
Backlogs of 9-12 months are
common. |
When they finally did, ABC reports, they found "video with horrifying images of Harrell molesting a three year-old" relative.
At PROTECT, our hearts go out to Diena Thompson, Somer's mother, and her family. Diena has turned her own pain into a determination to see other children protected, and her voice has already been a powerful one, forcing politicians to take action.
If you're new to PROTECT, please take a few minutes to look around and learn how you can join the fight too.
Read about our child rescue campaign here. Read about our legislative campaigns here. Join our Facebook community here. And sign up for email updates right on this page.
To learn how you can get active in your own community, read about our
Urgent Evidence campaign and the Child Rescue Emergency campaign.
There are thousands of children who need your help.
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The PROTECT Lobby
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Our Mission
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The National Association to Protect Children is a national, pro-child, anti-crime membership association. We are founded on the belief that our first and most sacred obligation as parents, citizens, and members of the human species is the protection of children from harm.
PROTECT is a bipartisan pro-child, anti-crime lobby whose sole focus is making the protection of children a top political and policy priority at the national, state and local level.
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