Former female crime scene tech sentenced in internet child exploitation case
Chocolic
exploitation case
By Missy Diaz
sun-sentinel.com
Posted November 6 2006, 2:05 PM EST
WEST PALM BEACH -- A former police crime scene technician who is also
a married 44-year-old Wellington mother was barred Monday from using
the Internet and is now a registered sex offender after pleading
guilty to a computer pornography and child exploitation charge.
Palm Beach County Circuit Judge Edward Garrison placed Gina Brunelas,
a former Lake Worth police crime scene investigator, on five years of
sex offender probation, which means she must abide by more stringent
rules than regular probation, such as completing sex offender
treatment, not having unsupervised contact with any children other
than her own and not working or volunteering at a school or day care.
She must also submit to an HIV test and take an annual polygraph test.
Garrison withheld adjudication, meaning that if Brunelas successfully
completes her probation she will not have a felony conviction on her
record. She will remain a registered sex offender, however, until she
petitions the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to have her name
removed.
In July, the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office received a call from a
woman who said Brunelas was soliciting her 17-year-old son over the
Internet for sex. A probable cause affidavit contains banter between
the teen and Brunelas in which she writes, "the general is going away
the 1st week of August" and asks the boy if he's interested in "fun
fun and more fun." She wrote that the boy could come over late "when
the kids are well into a deep sleep."
The teen told authorities that Brunelas referred to her husband as
"the general" and that she asked him many times to have sex when her
husband was out of town. The teen said Brunelas had also tried to have
sex with his friend. Like the 17-year-old, a 16-year-old told police
that Brunelas called and text messaged him to arrange a sexual
rendezvous.
After Monday's plea, Brunelas made a beeline for the courthouse
elevator, but defense attorney Michael Salnick said the facts of the
case "gave rise to some misunderstandings and misinterpretations."
Brunelas made a mistake, Salnick said, but the teens' behavior would
also have been called into question had the case gone to trial.
Brunelas felt that pleading guilty was the best way to put the charge
behind her.
"Everybody in life makes mistakes and it's time to move on," Salnick
said.
Whatever the teens may or may not have done is irrelevant, according
to Prosecutor Bryan Poulton.
"It wouldn't have mattered because children can't consent (to sex) by
law," he said.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-116brunelas,0,6342502.story?coll=sfla-home-headlines
-----------------------------------
"Not having unsupervised contact with any children other than her
own". That doesn't make sense.
Chocolic
cro...@earthlink.net
very old OR girls and not teen-age boys???
I'm having a hard time seeing the big crime here...asking someone to have
sex is a crime if they are under some certain age?
"Chocolic" <chatter448@nospam@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:tfU3h.26663$Fi1....@bgtnsc05-news.ops.worldnet.att.net...
Chocolic
<cro...@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:srU3h.3291$L6....@newsread3.news.pas.earthlink.net...
> just tossing out some possibilities...perhaps her children are very
> young OR very old OR girls and not teen-age boys???
> I'm having a hard time seeing the big crime here...asking someone to
> have sex is a crime if they are under some certain age?
That's probably why she only got probation. What she did is wrong.
But I'm surprised that she would have to register as a sex offender.
I don't feel she would be somebody people would have to worry about
moving next door to. That defeats the purpose of the registry.
I did find it weird that they would not allow her unsupervised contact
with other children but not her own. Not that I think that's right,
but I just thought it was weird.
Chocolic
komobu
"Child Exploitation". What percentage of boys do you think are still
virgins at 17? I guess it is just a double standard because if someone
was trying to entice my daughter, I would be quite upset, but with my
son I have different thoughts.
To me, this case seems way out of line. The title sounds like she is
posting images of children on websites. If all she was trying to do was
get laid by a 17 year old, all I can think of is I wish I had known
someone like her at 17.
cro...@earthlink.net
offender but not an incest person?
"Chocolic" <chatter448@nospam@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:xLU3h.26765$Fi1....@bgtnsc05-news.ops.worldnet.att.net...