http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/article/20090820/GPG0101/308210010/1207&located=rss
Profiles of Manitowoc family members in 'bizarre' sex abuse case(s)
Six members of a Manitowoc family have been charged with sex-related crimes during the past three years.
Here are profiles of the family matriarch, who has not been charged with any crime, and the six suspects.
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**** Kathryn Stites
Kathryn Stites, a Green Bay native, is a widow with five sons and one daughter, she told the Herald Times Reporter in a December 2004 article. Her husband, Thomas, died at age 42 from a brain tumor almost 20 years ago. She moved to Manitowoc in 1999 and soon became active in the community by helping build houses through Habitat for Humanity — eventually receiving her own house through the program. She also began attending church services at a Manitowoc church where her son, Jason Stites, was a trustee of the church's financial accounts.
Kathryn Stites often frequents the court appearances of her relatives. She has testified on behalf of her children and has spoken out in court from the public benches during a recent hearing regarding her son, Thomas. She also testified she told Thomas not to talk to detectives about an alleged sexual assault.
Kathryn Stites' phone call to her son, Michael, led to three felony-bail-jumping charges against her daughter-in-law, Charlene Stites, according to a criminal complaint. Kathryn Stites spoke about letters sent to Michael Stites, who was in the Manitowoc County Jail. A search of Michael's jail cell revealed three letters allegedly sent from Charlene. Charlene Stites previously was ordered to have no contact with Michael Stites.
In one of Carl Stites' cases, a victim admitted to a detective not originally providing all the details about a sexual assault because the victim was afraid of Kathryn Stites' reaction, according to a criminal complaint.
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**** Charlene Stites
Charlene Stites, 43, formerly of Manitowoc, was employed by Brandt Buses, the company that transports children for the Manitowoc School District, for a month before she was charged with sexual assaulting a teenage girl. Her employment was terminated after her March 29 arrest on a repeated-sexual-assault-of-a-child charge.
Charlene Stites cleared a background check before she began her employment to drive a kindergarten bus route, district superintendent Mark Swanson said in early April.
Charlene Stites was scheduled for a plea hearing today.
She is accused of sexually assaulting a teenage girl with her husband, Michael Stites, between 2005 and 2008 — the latest time being in December.
Charlene Stites admitted to detectives she was involved in the assaults of the girl, according to a criminal complaint.
She also is charged with three counts of bail jumping after she allegedly sent her husband three letters to the Manitowoc County Jail. She was ordered to have no contact with her husband as terms of her $1,000 bail on the sexual assault charge.
Charlene Stites recently moved to Kimberly.
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**** Michael Stites
Michael Stites was 27 years old when he sexually assaulted his children's babysitter three times in September 1998. He was sentenced to prison for eight years but spent about five years behind bars, the maximum amount under old laws, according to Assistant District Attorney Jerilyn Dietz.
Soon after his release, Michael Stites, 38, of Manitowoc, began sexually abusing two adolescent girls. The abuse stopped in 2008, and it was reported in early 2009.
The investigation into Michael Stites' sexual activity history uncovered accusations against other Stites family members that led to four arrests within four months.
When being questioned about the assaults, Michael Stites told the detective he had a problem and could not control himself.
Michael Stites pleaded guilty to felony crimes.
He awaits a Sept. 1 sentencing. He also awaits a Sept. 8 sentencing after his probation for the 1998 assaults was revoked in Brown County.
Dietz is arguing for a consecutive prison sentence between the two cases.
Michael Stites remains jailed in lieu of $50,000 bail.
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**** Jason Stites
Jason C. Stites, 27, previously of Manitowoc, spent years as a trustee at a Manitowoc church until he was charged with stealing thousands of dollars from the church between Dec. 28, 2007, and Sept. 29, 2008.
Jason Stites also is charged with five sex-related felonies after he admitted to law enforcement he videotaped a teenage couple having sex at a hotel and at his apartment while he was chaperoning them between August and October 2008.
Jason Stites lives in New Berlin. He was released from the Manitowoc County Jail on a signature bond and is ordered to have no contact with anyone younger than age 18. An exception was made for incidental contact through his employment as a pizza delivery driver and when supervised at religious services.
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**** Thomas Stites
A court record search of Thomas M. Stites' criminal background indicates he is charged with the sexual assault of a 6-year-old girl between Dec. 18, 2004, and Jan. 1, 2005. However, juvenile records show sexual assault allegations from Kewaunee County, as discussed by attorneys, a judge, Thomas Stites and his mother, Kathryn Stites, in court.
Thomas Stites, 25, of Francis Creek, is considered mentally handicapped, his mother said in court, and receives Social Security disability funds to pay for his apartment and living expenses.
Thomas Stites' attorney has asked a judge to suppress statements Thomas Stites made to detectives after his arrest. The attorney claims Thomas Stites did not understand his Miranda rights because of his mental abilities and that Thomas Stites asked for lawyer.
Thomas Stites testified in court that he asked for a lawyer in his "own special way." He also told a judge he was not guilty of the "heinous" crime.
Detectives testified he did not ask for a lawyer during the interview.
Manitowoc County Circuit Patrick Willis is expected to make a decision about the statements Aug. 29.
Thomas Stites remains jailed in lieu of $10,000 bail. His trial is scheduled to begin Sept. 15.
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**** Carl Stites
Carl J. Stites, 21, of Manitowoc, was teaching a minor girl to play the piano when he molested her about four years ago. He was placed on probation and has nine months of jail time that can be imposed at the judge's discretion after he pleaded no contest to child enticement Oct. 10, 2008.
Carl Stites was sentenced to three months in jail after he was convicted of child enticement. He sexually abused an adolescent boy from November 2004 to June 2006. Three additional months in jail also can be imposed at the judge's discretion.
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**** Adam Stites
Adam M. Stites was 8 years old when his father began sexually assaulting the babysitter. Adam Stites was watching a movie when one of the assaults occurred and his father, Michael Stites, yelled at him to look away until the young boy fell asleep, according to a Brown County criminal complaint.
Adam Stites, 18, of Manitowoc, is convicted of three counts of misdemeanor fourth-degree sexual assault in Manitowoc and Kewaunee counties. He also pleaded guilty to a felony sex-related crime and entered into a deferred judgment agreement. If Adam Stites successfully complies with the agreement, the charge will be dismissed.
Although he originally was not sentenced to jail, he received 90 days in jail after he was caught viewing pornography on a school computer, according to court records.
Adam Stites was tried as an adult because he was 17 years old when the offenses were reported in 2008. However, the assaults happened in 2005, soon after his father, Michael Stites, was released from prison. He was 14 years old during the sexual assaults. After he was sentenced, he told investigators his father instigated and critiqued the assaults.
Filed by the Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter
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I am saddened and embarrassed to even know this kind of stuff happens, let alone so close to home...
How much is hereditary? How much is learned?
(As if either of those are excuses)...
XOXO
Me
They are walking advertisements for birth control, and to think there are people out there who don't want same sex couples to raise children because we are an abomination. Twisted
ReplyDeleteI am thinking learned......they were probably molested by that sick father of thiers and now thanks to that are sick themselves. I hope all of them recieve justice and you know what I feel justice is for this crime...just sayin
ReplyDeletemakes you wonder about all the stuff that goes on that you DON'T hear about. How did these children get this screwed up. What happened to them to start them down this path. Like the last child. Pretty obvious how he got started.
ReplyDeleteSick. and Sad.
unfortunately this kind of stuff happens everywhere, in every community, I agree they probably were molested themselves, but no excuses their sick.
ReplyDeleteI believe a big percent of it is learned. It's sick and sad that I have to agree with experts that say these people can't be hanged either.
ReplyDeleteMy irrational senses tell me we need to put all them all on an abandoned island, left to do their sick deeds to each other. Yes, I do no better, that's my irrational senses speaking.
how in the world is that irrational. It is the most rational thing I can think of. Personally i think they should all be put to death.
ReplyDeleteI say their is no excuse that society forgives them and lets them back out to do these things over and over.
ReplyDeleteI also say, that keeping this stuff so hushed in the past is why it is out of control now.
This is sickening and just plain twisted. One good reason why some people should not be allowed to reproduce! It's bad enough when you have one parent who has that tendency but to have both.....sorta makes me think they should look into the gene pool in this instance.
ReplyDeleteI think there should be a stiffer penalty for things like this. They tend to slap the offender on the wrist and give them a small jail term with hopes that all will be forgotten in time. But its not. The one who was molested has to live with the consequences within their own brains for the rest of their lives. Many just never is able to "get over it." Its not that easy to do.
Let me design the laws of punishment for this offense!
I say for the man....cut off his balls and P.....and give him a medication that will take away all thoughts of the sex act from his brain!!
For the woman....sew her up! Just leave a tiny little hole for tinkling and give her the same med for her brain too!
And if that don't work...we could take them out and pretend its the old wild west. Tie their ankles and wrists to stakes in the ground...strip them naked and then pour honey over their genitalia and let nature takes its course. Oh...and I would suggest to the onlookers to bring MORE ants!
I know this is mean thinking. But sometimes you just have to fight fire WITH fire...so to speak!
It's learned and these people had a decision. Being abused doesn't mean you do so to others. Our town is littered with these sex offenders.
ReplyDeleteWow that is unreal. My stomach hurts now.
ReplyDeleteThis is sad, sick and absolutely horrible!
ReplyDeleteSadly, I think for this family it was learned... If that type of behavior is all a child ever sees then they are going to grow up thinking that it is OK to do. There is no excuse, you would have thought that SOMEONE would have stepped in long before it got to this point.
That's where I didn't understand...
ReplyDeleteThe womans husband died 20 years ago. This kid is 18?
...in addition to removing their "parts"
ReplyDeleteTat 'em (If this isn't the mark of the devil, I don't know what would be).
ReplyDeleteAt any rate, then the common denominator is the mother?
I dont believe this kind of stuff is heredity.. The reason I say this.. 2 children in a house.. same parents ..same everything.. and look at them.. Night and Day.. almost every time! I dont believe its environment either.. You can see it everyday.. 2 children in the ghetto one will pull himself up and go to school and get out.. the other with join a gang.
ReplyDeleteBut these things can be learned... IF you read up on drug addicts.. then you will find that in many cases parents and children share drugs.. the parents teach the child.. Look at those on welfare.. it many times continues from parent to child.. why because this is all the child knows.. he has been taught how to use the system.
Not an excuse..
Actually I cant take credit for this example.. when I was in college.. in my psy.. class it was pointed out.. Much research has been done on this same issue.
Men are not the only ones that molest, it could of been something that started with or without dad. Still think it was learned.
ReplyDelete