“I was standing by my bicycle...not far from my home when he drove up and got out of his big car and told me that my mother said that it was alright to go with him to buy some flowers for his wife. We drove off to a hidden place where he made me perform oral sex on him and do other things. I was crying and scared. After he finished I felt his hands on my neck....”
She was only 10 at the time, and the predator who kidnapped her, assaulted her and left her for dead robbed her innocence and her childhood. Could it have been prevented?
The Evil & The Innocent by Sen. Bill Diamond presents an unflinching look at the tragedies and suffering of the victims of child sexual abuse, a growing but mostly hidden crisis in America. Told through the eyes of actual victims and predators, The Evil & the Innocent offers graphic details and startling facts so readers can fully comprehend the depth and prevalence of these unspeakable acts - and take action to prevent these horrible crimes against children and infants.
In his book, readers will learn:
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•Maine's Sex Offender Registry, an online listing of known sex offenders who have been released from incarceration, receives an astounding eight million hits each year, an indication of the widespread concern of parents for the safety of their children;
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•The harrowing case of 10-year-old Michelle Tardif of Saco who was abducted, sexually assaulated and left for dead by a neighbor, and who was shocked to find out years later after the man's release that he was living nearby and was not required to be listed on the state's Sex Offender Registry;
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•New details about the infamous and internationally reported 2006 "Maine Easter Murders" that were committed by a lone vigilate who used Maine's Sex Offender Registry as a resource to locate and kill his victims, a tragic example of the problems lawmakers face in protecting the rights of both the innocent and the offenders;
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•The hidden heroes of the Maine Computer Crimes Unit who over the past three years have found and rescued 26 kids who were used prominently as "sex stars" in the child pornography industry throughout the United States.
Bill Diamond, a state senator in Maine and former teacher, has researched, written, cosponsored and sponsored over 50 proposed laws and amendments pertaining to sex offenders - many of which are on the books today. But more needs to be done. His book, as difficult it is for many to read, is a plea for tougher laws and better enforcement against this evil to protect the innocent.
