Former church camp leader faces child pornography charges

[this_side_up]

WATERLOO — A former Baptist camp leader was charged Tuesday with three counts of child pornography and one count of indecent solicitation of a child for incidents that occurred in April and May.
.....

Niles volunteered as a team leader at the church camp and oversaw eight to 10 teenagers, police said.
.....

Police released his photograph and computer screen name so that parents can talk with their children about Niles and try to determine whether or not they had contact with Niles.

Screen names used by Niles include loverboyniles and godrocks30.

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/metroeast/story/98C5F5B630F9148D86257243001465D3?OpenDocument

[MADem]

1. What a hideous tool!!!!

[renate]

2. oh blecch

"godrocks30" solicited children on the Internets...? :eyes:

STUPID STUPID AARON NILES.

I mean, whatever one's personal views on God, it's just plain mean to drag him/her into this mess.

[cboy4]

3. And how much you wanna bet that the A-hole

voted for Bush?

And think it's almost a given he's a Repuke!!!!!!!!!!

[Erika]

4. The fundie perverts are getting a touch tiresome

You wonder how they ever got the weak-minded to follow them. Or does that question answer itself?

[FedUpWithIt All]

5. Devil's advocate...

felt very odd saying that in light of this case.

I have mixed feelings about this. I detest the rampant abuse of children that seems to be going on in churches. But in this case, i am in a bit of a quandary.

The man is 20. The ages given for the victims suggest they were in their mid to late teens. There is a law about this and i understand that. But i am also pretty strongly against labeling young people "sex offenders" for having these types of relationships with people so near their own age, barring of course cases that are not consensual. In this case it does not appear to be a force situation.

If this were say a case of a random 20 yr old being tried for having sex with his 17 yr old girlfriend i would have a real problem. It is not clear from the article if this was that type of situation.

I guess what i am saying is, i have to reserve judgment while lacking that info, no matter what his religious background.

[GreenZoneLT]

6. Hear, hear.

I'm really getting sick of the criminalization of teenage sex. It's not pedophilia to be attracted to physically mature 16-year-olds. That's what the Sweet 16 party was for originally, to announce to the world that this girl is now marriageable. Two of my great grandmothers and my grandmother were married by time they were 14. I'm not saying that's necessarily wise, but it's not perverted.

Sounds like this guy was abusing his camp counselor position. I'm shocked. You put a 19- or 20-year-old straight man in a position of authority over 16- to 17-year-old girls and he uses it to gain sexual favors? And you blame him and not the church camp?

[Hubert Flottz]

7. Riiiiiight...

He just wanted to "save" the poor kids!

[FedUpWithIt All]

8. I just want to be clear...

I was speaking of a situation where a young man is still within a peer-age of the girls in question. A person turns 18 and there is not some magical jump in his development. If a 17 yr old male is dating a 15 year old female most people would not bat an eye. A few months later and the situation becomes a crime? There is a gap of logic in this scenario.

Outside of a peer-age scenario i do think there needs to be some protections for teenagers. Teens do not have legal adult privileges. As long as they cannot make legal decisions about things like their living arrangements, health care, finances...the potential for manipulation and exploitation is very valid in relationships with adults.

It is a difficult situation.