AFTER YEARS OF FAILED SPD/FBI/STATES ATTORNEY INVESTIGATIONS, DI PINO FINALLY MAKES SOMETHING STICK.
PORTER GOES TO TRIAL 1/31/2021
THREE LOCAL CRIMNAL INVESTIGATIONS OF PORTER FAILED TO ARREST PORTER DESPITE DOZENS ALLEGING THAT HE MOLESTED THEM OVER A SPAN OF 40 YEARS! FORMER LOCAL POLICE CHIEF FINALLY TURNS THE TIDE.
There have been three investigations that failed to arrest Bishop Reverend Porter, who has allegedly for over 40 years been molesting African American children in Sarasota and beyond. Thanks to the hard work and continued investigation of this scandal by the Sarasota Phoenix and several superlative law enforcement officers, the case was given the attention it deserved by the then sitting SPD Chief, Bernadette Di Pino.
MORELAND AND BRODSKY HAD KNOWLEDGE OF PORTER'S ALLEGED PAST CRIMINAL ACTIVITY
The local States Attorney office in Sarasota under the direction of Earle Moreland and Ed Brodsky has known that Porter was accused of molesting African American children for over 40 years but did nothing. For example, in Brodsky's request to deny Porter bail after Porter was arrested Brody stated the following:
"In 1990 and 2000-2001, law enforcement conducted separate criminal investigations into defendant's sexual abusing children."
Brodsky continue, "During those investigations, 20 youths provided statements to law enforcement disclosing they were sexually abused by the defendant in the past. These individuals ranging from young teenagers to young adults when the sexual abuse occurred described the abuse taking place at many locations including the defendant's inner office at the West Coast Center for Human Development."
Brodsky in his request for denying Porter bail further stated:
"In all, law enforcement investigations spanning 30 years produced statements from dozens that have been sexually abused by the defendant. These students support the fact that defendant has sexually abused for decades."
With that investigative information at his disposal, Brodsky, Moreland and other local law enforcement agencies closed past investigations and failed to open a future investigation on Porter.
1990 INVESTIGATION OF PORTER
The first investigation of Porter in the 1990 involved the City of Sarasota Police (SPD), Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) and various local various child protection agencies. All had gathered information concerning allegations placed against Porter.
The first investigation of Porter led by the SPD included Neal Zoss and Joe Kellerman of the local child protective agency, the Florida Health and Rehabilitation Services, which is now called Florida Department of Children and Family Services (DCF). SPD included detectives John Schultz and David Green. Al Dana represented the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE).
Al Dana
Those involved had met at the SPD headquarters to discuss the ongoing investigation and then proceed with investigation by moving to the child protections offices on 17th Street in Sarasota to conduct interviews of those allegedly abused by Porter.
At that facility cameras were set up to interview those alleged to have been molested by Porter. According to Kellerman, the local child protection team that had been put together was all set up to interview children, bringing them in one at a time.
At the last meeting at SPD headquarters, before proceeding to the child protection team to do the interviewing, they were informed them that they would not be involved with the interviewing.
When Kellerman asked why they were called off the interviews, Kellerman received no clear answer. When Kellerman later asked Dana why the State of Florida did not move forward after the investigation of Porter and charge him, Dana replied, "That decision came from a higher authority than me."
When the Sarasota Phoenix recently contacted Dana about the Porter investigation in 1990, he stated he had no recollections of meetings concerning Porter.
Dana is presently the Executive Director Institute for Child Advocacy LLC/Special Agent (Ret.) Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
He has worked in Law Enforcement over 40 years and has specialized in Investigating Crimes against Children for more than 30 years.
Dana has been lecturing nationally and internationally at police academies, conferences, colleges, universities, advocacy centers, hospitals and other law enforcement related agencies.
Regardless of Dana's lack of recollection of his involvement in a Porter investigation in 1990, according to Brodsky, an investigation of Porter occurred in 1990 and there were children abused by Porter.
For example, as reported above, Brodsky stated that "In 1990 and 2000-2001, law enforcement conducted separate criminal investigations into defendant's sexual abusing children."
Brodsky continued, "During those investigations, 20 youths provided statements to law enforcement disclosing they were sexually abused by the defendant (Porter) in the past."
2000-2001 INVESTIGATION OF PORTER
The 2000-2001 investigation was led by the SPD's Lynn Thomson, who at the time was the wife of the City of Sarasota Chief of Police John Lewis.
Thomson's resume showed no educational background or any experience or background in dealing with child molestation cases and possessing the qualifications to have overseen the Porter investigation in 2000-2001.
Lynn Thomson Receiving a Commendation from Vern Buchanan
For example, the only positions Thomson held before becoming the SPD Officer in charge of the investigation of child molestation cases was being the local Pompano Beach School Resource officer, where Lewis was the Chief of Police.
The second job before investigating child molestation cases was when Lewis left the Pompano Beach Police Department to become the SPD Chief of Police, Thomson followed Lewis, married Lewis and joined the SPD becoming a local Sarasota School Resource officer.
2000-2001 INVESTIGATION OF PORTER INITIATED BY INFORMATION FROM MEMER OF PORTER'S CHURCH AND SCHOOL
The 2000-2001 SPD Porter investigation was initiated by a prominent member of the Porter West Coast Center of Human Development, who had information of Porter molesting African American children.
This individual was advised to contact the SPD by a local prominent attorney with the information of Porter molesting African American children at Porter's West Coast Center of Human Development Church and School.
This informant, who wishes to be anonymous, contacted the SPD and met with SPD officers, who included Kevin McVeigh and Mikel Holloway of the SPD.
After those meetings, an investigation of Porter was then initiated under the direction of Thomson, who had been recently appointed to her position handling youth sexual assault cases.
For over a year and a half an investigation ensued which resulted in numerous interviews with alleged victims of Porter and those individuals at the West Coast Church, who were in leadership positions at the Church and were alleged to be aware of Porter's molesting children.
Pertinent information was gathered from over forty individuals from the church, who was interviewed by Thomson and others. According to Craig Schaeffer of the local Sarasota States Attorney office, Donna Berlin of the States Attorney office was involved in the interviews. Berlin is now Judge Padar Berlin of the 12th Judicial District Circuit.
Craig Schaeffer
Despite a year and half investigations and with over 40 interviews of alleged victims which Brodsky states in 2021, "20 youths provided statements to law enforcement disclosing they were sexually abused by the defendant (Porter) in the past"--- Porter was not arrested.
Thus, according to the over 200 pages of the interviews by local law enforcement officials of alleged Porter victims in 2021, Porter continued to abuse African American children for 19 years.
FBI INVESTIGATION OF PORTER
For over two years before the arrest of Porter, The Sarasota Phoenix, with the assistance of Chris Irio, who has received numerous awards for the arrest and convictions of sexual predators while working at the Sarasota County Sheriff's office, met on numerous occasions with City of Sarasota Police Department officials concerning Porter .
Chris Irio
Part of the information we reported to the SPD was information concerning a FBI investigation of Porter. For example, Irio mentioned around 2000 - 2001 he had conversation with local FBI agent Kelly Thomas about Porter's sexual abuse of children. Thomas had given Irio, who was working at the local Sheriff's office investigating sex offenders at the time, a huge file on Porter. Thomas asked Irio to look at the file and assess the information.
The very next day after Irio took a brief glance at the huge document, Thomas called and asked for Irio to return the document, which he did.
Shortly after that conversation with Irio, the Sarasota Phoenix investigator contacted the retired Thomas to verify Irio's conversation with Thomas.
Thomas confirmed the conversation and stated the local FBI agency conducted an investigation concerning criminal sexual allegations against Porter.
Thomas also stated he could not comment on the investigation but would actively cooperate with any law enforcement agency that would open up the case with Porter. Thomas informed this reporter that this case needed to be reopened.
Lynn Billings, who at the time was with the local FBI office also knew that Porter was accused of molesting Black children for years. Billings headed up an FBI investigation of Porter, which failed to arrest Porter. According to FBI agent Kelly Thomas, who was working with Billings on the FBI investigation, the FBI failed to arrest Porter despite having pertinent information that he was molesting African American children.
Billings is now an Investigator with Morgan and Morgan’s Complex Litigation Unit. She worked as an FBI Special Agent for nearly 25 years and was assigned to the Tampa Division’s Sarasota Resident Agency.
DECISIVE TURN OF THE TIDES
Finally, after so many decades and in part as a result of conversations Irio and this reporter had with the then SPD Chief of Police Bernadette DePino, things began to change. To her credit then SPD Chief DiPino did what other previous SPD officials failed to do---DiPino opened an active investigation of Porter.
After DiPino appointed SPD officers to investigate, which showed little results, DiPino then appointed SPD Captain Jonathan Todd to head up the investigation of Porter.
Shortly after that in October of 2020 a video called "Art of Manipulation - My survival of Molestation" was posted on Facebook. What transpired from there could be seen in Part 1 of this series.
Todd had Porter's alleged victims interviewed and Porter was subsequently arrested nearly 30 years after the 1990 investigation, and nearly 20 years after the 2000-2001 investigation of Porter was closed.
"DECADES OF ABUSE" ON 200 PAGES OF DOCUMENTATION SUBMITTED BY STATES ATTORNEY
After Porter's arrest, according to 200 pages of documentation submitted by the States Attorney, for over 30 years numerous youths have stated under oath that Porter sexually abused them.
Porter sexually abuse African American youths, as is now alleged in his downtown Sarasota Church/School, in his million-dollar home in the Indian Beach/ Sapphire Shores neighborhood, Downtown Sarasota hotels, Tucson, Arizona; Anderson; South Carolina; San Diego, California; Savannah, Georgia; Gastonia, North Carolina; Rome, Italy and in Africa. (SEE ATTACHMENTS)
SARASOTA COMMUNITY LEADERS TURNED THEIR HEADS TO PORTER'S ABUSES
It appears that law enforcement agencies, Sarasota community leaders, and prominent members of Porter's Westcoast Center for Human Development Church and K-12 School, have over the years turned their heads away from what was going on regarding Porter's molestation of African American children.