NBC11 Learns New, Disturbing Details About Bernie Ward Case

[BobbyVan]

Source: NBC11

SAN FRANCISCO -- FBI documents expose new graphic details about the arrest of well known KGO Radio talk-show host Bernie Ward.

The longtime Bay Area radio personality was indicted in December on two counts of child pornography using the Internet. He pleaded not guilty.

Ward's lawyers said the case stems from an "error in judgment" the talk-show host made when he spent a few days in 2004 looking at pornography images while doing research for a book he planned to write.

However, documents released by the Oakdale police department show something quite different. Over the course of several days in December, 2004 and January 2005, an AOL chat-room user by the name of "Vincentlio" carried on several lengthy, sexually-explicit conversations with a woman from Oakdale, near Modesto, according to documents.

Read more: http://www.nbc11.com/newsarchive/15305360/detail.html

---

The witchhunt continues, and the Bush-controlled FBI must be stopped. This politically motivated investigation is simply repulsive.

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

1. The Bush-controlled Oakdale police department must be stopped!!! n/t

[eleny]

2. And they let him stay on the air and out of jail all this time?

This is very fishy.

[hayu_lol]

3. No, he is not on the air and hasn't been since this came up...

he is sorely missed by regular listeners to his shows.

[eleny]

10. I meant since 2004/05

His encounter was back then when the woman contacted the police during one of their supposed online chats. I think it's fishy that they didn't take action back then.

I miss his broadcasts and am reserving judgment.

[Michigan-Arizona]

13. eleny

What you said has me really baffled to. I to think it's very strange that they waited so long & I miss him being on the air as well. It's just not the same with his replacement's.

[eleny]

16. My heart breaks for him no matter what

He's done a lot of good for his community and family and then for us listeners. He has so much heart.

[seriousstan]

23. NO MATTER WHAT?????? If this is true and you still defend him

then you are no better than the pedophile you defend. Yes, he has done a lot of good for his family. I especially think his 14 yr old son enjoyed Bernie sucking him off.

Does that offend you? IT FUCKING SHOULD!!!!!!!!!

[Psephos]

25. He's alleged to have been trafficking in sexually explicit pictures of young children

What's that done for his community, family, and listeners?

Have you thought about what that's done to the naked little kids who were photographed performing sexually explicit acts?

You should give this a read:

http://www.mental-health-matters.com/articles/article.php?artID=273

[Sweet Pea]

36. I have to echo the other comements

If you consider yourself an informed and intelligent follower, you would have read those transcripts.

If yoru heart still breaks for him "no matter what", and if the "no matter what" includes the fact that he engaged in various sexual proclivities with his children and their friends, then YOU need to seek help, as well!

AT the very least, reserve judgment, but do NOT ignore this. Even if it is true that he was "doing research" for a book he planned to write (a more bogus and lame excuse I cannot imagine), this behavior is *still* beyond the pale.

BTW, is there no wife/mom in the deal?

[mellene]

41. Bernie Ward supporter

Eleny, I totally agree with your comments about Bernie.  He's
been a fabulous citizen for San Francisoc and the poor,
raising tons of money for causes that don't get enough public
support.

[Sweet Pea]

35. Sorely missed????

The guy was jerking off in front of his kids!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"Sorely missed"?? You are sick.

[MADem]

20. They took him OFF the air at once. They generally let people stay out of jail

until they're convicted, unless they're accused of serial murder or some especially heinous crime. Not "fishy" at all.

This guy, per the prosecution, had the INTENT to trade in pictures of children--he's not accused of rape or anything like that. I'm sure he posted a goodly amount of bail and handed over the passport. That's usually how it works.

That said, it doesn't look good. It didn't look good when the first charges came out, though his fans are determined to blame "the authorities" and refuse to even entertain the idea that maybe--just maybe-- this guy just might be a sick fucker who gets into that crap.

You do have to reserve judgment, but to suggest he's being "smeared" without evidence is a bit OTT.

[Merlot]

4. "several lengthy, sexually-explicit conversations with a woman"

A woman. Not a child.

[Lenore]

14. TheSmokingGun.com has the chats

Bernie talking about his teen daughter and her young friend watching him masturbate, Bernie scheming on further sexual interaction with his children and their teen friends, Bernie stating that he performed oral sex on his 14yo son, on and on.

It was a conversation with a woman about his actions with children.

[Merlot]

19. thanks for clearing that up - though it's really unpleasant news

I haven't followed the story nor am I familiar with Bernie.

[MADem]

21. This is PRETTY DISGUSTING, frankly. I think he's stepped in it. I

think he might have trouble with the "research" defense.

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2008/0215081ward1.html

[salin]

27. that was my first thought - so then I read the linked article

and that isn't good. And incredibly stupid.

[EFerrari]

44. And disappointing. And sad. n/t

[msongs]

5. your OP title is wrong/misleading, you should fix it to conform to DU rules:

The witchhunt continues: NBC11 Learns New, Disturbing Details About Bernie Ward Case

when one goes to the link it does NOT SAY "the witchhunt continues:"

DU LBN rule #4 -
4. When posting articles, always use the published title of the article as the title of the discussion thread. Additional information may be included in a thread title (in parentheses) if it helps to make the title more clear.

FYI

Msongs

[BobbyVan]

7. OK, I'll do that now

Thanks for letting me know.

[Akoto]

6. I'm confused.

He had explicit chat-room conversations with "a woman." By that, do they mean a child, or an adult woman? If it was an adult woman, I'm not seeing the criminal offense. Cybersex between consenting adults is nearly as old as the internet itself, and to my knowledge, has never been declared illegal.

Granted, I find the rest of his story to be suspicious.

EDIT: Upon replies, I now understand the issue here. I hadn't read that Ward was accused of sending child porn to the woman he was chatting with.

[mitchtv]

8. there was a thread yesterday that

explored tha chat he allegedly sent the woman kiddie porn, and she complained.

[Akoto]

9. Ah. That would certainly be different, then.

If he did that, then he's even more deservedly hosed. Not only would he have been downloading illegal (not to mention horrific) material, he would've been distributing it.

[BobbyVan]

11. I don't believe it

And if the FBI is involved, I'm instantly suspect of any "evidence" they manage to produce.

[Akoto]

12. It's alleged at this point, but you really never know.

Unfortunately, our world plays host to many monstrous people who're good at blending in, FBI or not. A lot of those folks have the idea that the internet is a lawless frontier where no tracks are left. Very untrue, as they eventually find out.

[hunter]

15. I'll bet Oakdale's Mistress Sexfairy had a VERY good business with the Catholic hierarchy.

:rofl:

You know, that "research" angle just may have something to it...

But if getting Bernie Ward off the air is all the FBI has to show for this effort, what the hell are we paying them for? I mean is the United States a great nation, or what? Land of the petty perverts and those brave soldiers of justice who chase them.

[seriousstan]

17. Go ahead and defend the pedophile........first read the transcripts.

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2008/0215081ward1.html

If you feel the need to defend this vermin after reading that, then you have chosen sides in the acceptance of pedophilia. Congratulations, you are a miserable, filthy pervert and should also be imprisoned.

[MADem]

22. I think they're pretty fucking sick. I couldn't keep reading. That's just not right.

The people that defend this guy are "fans." They've had the Kool Aid, they think the fellow can do no wrong. They'll refuse to believe he's anything but a saint even if presented with a film of him doing this disgusting crap--they'll claim it was a body double, or a clever doctoring of film.

You can't argue with the acolytes. They'll call YOU the bad guy.

:shrug:

[Drunken Irishman]

26. It was disgusting, vile trash.

I'm sickened to think that I even once liked Bernie Ward. It's embarrassing not only to Catholics, but progressives. He's a mess and if these comments are true, may he rot in hell.

[BulletproofLandshark]

18. If there's any truth at all to those documents

Bernie Ward should never know freedom again. After a fair trial, naturally.

[Tulum_Moon]

24. Read what he wrote!

I do not believe he was set up by any big bush goons. I also do not believe the things he wrote to this woman were true about his own children. The thing is , The MF did write it all and was thinking it all,Fantasizing about it all. I read most of it and I wish now that I would not have! If you have any droughts go read the stuff.

[BulletproofLandshark]

30. I read the whole thing yesterday.

And I was completely disgusted by what I saw. All I'm saying is give the man his due process.

[Honeycombe8]

28. Anyone who would be doing this legitimately for a book would've been prepared to prove it....

He would have documentary evidence showing what he was intending in his book, and what he was preparing to do. He would've known that he MIGHT get in trouble for it, so he would've been prepared to prove that he was baiting REAL pedophiles or deviants.

There would be a book outline, e-mails with agent or other professionals, notes of book chapters or ideas, notes of what he was "going after," letters, printouts of responses he considered useful for his book (filed and categorized).

If he didn't have any of this...he wasn't doing research for a book.

[MADem]

31. Even the "video deposition" might have sufficed, or an affadavit,

signed by a notary, stating, in general terms, what he intended to do.

I'm sure if he wanted to write a book, owing to his high profile in the area, the local police would have been DELIGHTED to have him "help the authorities with their inquiries" and participate in a sting. He actually could have gotten "advice" on the best way to rope these evil perps in, and perhaps worked with the police on what happens "afterwards."

If withholding judgment weren't the appropriate thing to do before a person is convicted of a crime, I'd say lock him up and throw away the key. He's a child molester.

[robcon]

29. This is not research. It's pedophilia.

Seems to be a strong case.

[hunter]

32. If the Justice Department is seeking to establish the legal foundations for ThoughtCrime...

...Pedophilia would be a good place to start.

Most everyone finds it repugnant.

The Smoking Gun documents describe an interchange between two adults, and the photos involved seem to be pretty tame in comparison to a lot of stuff one might find in the wilderness of the internet. A few words typed into Google Images with SafeSearch turned off can often dredge up worse.

The role-playing fantasy (and I say fantasy because nothing further has been alleged) is that of a teenager, or sadly, a teenager who never grew up.

I often speculate on the means and methods by which the U.S. media is controlled. The most obvious means is money -- that is how PBS and NPR were tamed, by making them dependent upon corporate grants. But it's also obvious a lot of media news people are kept on leash by outright blackmail and bribery. In rare instances a news person has to be taken out by more aggressive means -- such was the case of Dan Rather. And it's very clear that deadly force has often been used in Iraq and Afghanistan.

That does not excuse Bernie Ward from the alleged misdeed, but it is something to think about. Compare Ward's alleged misdeeds to those of Rush Limbaugh, which have included actual illegal drug convictions, and alleged sex tourism. But so long as Rush is a useful idiot and not a threat to the corporate oligarchy, he stays on the air.

[LordshipLadyship]

33. It looks like he is guilty

I was a long time listener to KGO, to Bernie. I found this so hard to believe so I did some quick digging.That AOL username is still active and has one buddy which I'm assuming is her. The IM transcript makes reference to jobs he states he was doing at the time which were things Bernie would normally work on. There are some spelling errors, but not enough to make me think someone is trying to frame him and if one is dealing in porn it wouldn't matter. If they prove that this was Bernie, then I have only disgust and hatred for him not pity. Yes, the investigation will be political clay for the Repubs (after all it's not like THEY have people like this :sarcasm: )but if they prove this is him, then it isn't research. If I am researching something I wouldn't make reference to my own kids, you could make general references as part of your cover but he's talking about his own kids, fantasies about his own kids, my God. Why do this with her? Why engage in this with someone like her who has nothing to do with the subject of child porn? What he does is his own business when it comes to intimate matters, but this was sickening. He's entitled to a hearing, but none of this makes it look like his excuses are true
Feel sorry for his wife and his kids who have to see this, not him. I would like to believe it's a lie and he's being smeared but this doesn't look like it. If he sent her photos of himself he's toast.
This just goes to show that a person can come across as trustworthy and great and be a demon inside. He did such great work for people who were truly in need, and it really looks like he is finished, and if this is proven, then I'm glad. Pediophiles are mentally sick, but I have no mercy for them.:grr:

[CountAllVotes]

34. All I can say is this:

Innocent until proven guilty.

:kick:

[mellene]

42. Bernie deserves our support

I agree that Americans should be presumed innocent until
proven guilty even if he's being tried here and there in the
court of public opinion.  I believe in him still and that's my
position.

[Political Heretic]

37. How do you know its a "witchhunt?"

What, because the guy said some "liberal" things now its somehow impossible that there could be a real problem here?

[Evergreen2U]

38. The transcript did not make me think of research

but didn't sound like a smart mouth, bully Bernie Ward either...it sounded quite unreal in that it was such a variety of sexual fantasies with the theme of domination being most consistant.

Note that according to the info available he didn't seek out others interested in child porn, but a dominatrix! Hmmm could it be that he isn't interested in kiddi porn, but in domination?

I thought that the children were actually incidental to the domination theme, and not the main focus. It also sounded like he was scrambling to fulfill her wish for pictures at one point and that he didn't have them on hand. Also weird that the text encorporates so many types of fantasies...adult heterosexual domination fantasy, adult homosexual domination fantasy, youth girl sexual fantasy and youth boy sexual fantasy. I doubt if that is typical and so I wonder about it.

It would seem that he did download and email 3? kiddie porn pictures, which is against the law...although not indicative of any predatory acts, and in fact since the computer was clean of previous activity in this area, probably not something he had done before. The remainder of the text, although distasteful to me, sounded childlike and phoney, but not unlawful. If it turns out he did something other than fantasize then that would of course be another matter.

Fantasy is not against the law...yet.

Would you want your fantasies made public?

[robcon]

39. I don't understand "although not indicative of any predatory acts."

You mean "sucking off" his son is not a predatory act, Evergreen2U?

[dogfacedboy]

40. No, I would not want my fantasies made public. That's why

I would not put them in the internet, which is PUBLIC! Of course, my fantasies don't involve children. Hell, I don't even have fantasies involving women under 30.

I will NOT reserve judgement,either. There is enough evidence here for me to believe that this guy is a PEDOPHILE! A piece of shit PEDOPHILE!

What kind of ASSHOLE does it take to even take the time to debate whether or not he's actually a PEDOPHILE, with all of this evidence that he's a PEDOPHILE?!?!

[INDIA]

43. Excuse me while I go barf....nt

[cigsandcoffee]

45. He is one twisted son-of-a-bitch.

Good Lord. That was disgusting.

[LLee]

46. I think Bernie is innocent of child exploitation

Now it is found out Bernie had sex chat with a grown woman, before it was child porn. These two behaviors conflict with one another which reaffirms my opinion Bernie's intent, all along was journalism - to write the book he talked about on the air a few times before Dec.2004 the month he was busted. It makes sense he would go into the world of sleaze to find contacts.