125 Arrested in Child Porn Probe

Including a Bible camp counselor and a Boy Scout leader. (Please note that there is a disturbing description contained in this blockquote.)

A Bible camp counselor and a Boy Scout leader were among 125 people arrested nationwide in an Internet child pornography case in which subscribers purchased photos and videos of children engaged in sex acts with adults, federal authorities said Wednesday.

The case originated in New Jersey, but quickly spread to 22 states. The defendants were charged with either possession or receipt of child pornography. Additional arrests are expected.

…“When I say ‘hard-core’ pornography, I am talking about child pornography that includes images of children as young as six months involved in bondage and sodomy,” U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie said. “This type of depraved conduct is something a civilized society cannot tolerate.”

Suddenly tag ain’t looking so bad.

Every single time there’s a story like this, inevitably among the list of busted are a camp counselor, a Scout leader, a teacher, a minister—someone in a position with whom people should feel comfortable trusting their kids. But that’s the thing about pedophiles; they very carefully and deliberately place themselves in positions where they will be trusted with kids. And they’re scarily good at what they do. To put sex offenders’ “success rate” into perspective, a 2000 study done on imprisoned sex offenders found that they had an average of 110 victims and 318 offenses, though they had only two known victims on average. Consider those numbers for a moment, and then consider how much damage just a few of these people can do.

(Hat tip Holly.)