South Yarmouth motel worker arrested on child pornography charges

The Associated Press

SOUTH YARMOUTH, Mass. --
A motel worker accused of photographing a young girl in the nude was arrested after police allegedly found hundreds of sexually explicit photographs of young girls in his home.

Police said they also found dozens of Barbie dolls and a collection of newspaper clippings of JonBenet Ramsey, the 6-year-old Colorado girl who was found murdered in Colorado in 1996.

The FBI was assisting in the investigation.

Last modified: February 16. 2004 11:50PM

http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20040216/APN/402160949

The molestation would not have been so mild and the note would have been non-existent if it had been this guy.

I think there is a real possibility that a sexual predator like this man killed JonBenet. There are bondage Barbie's in JB's case that have never been sourced. Who put them on the Ramsey lawn and why?
They may have a more sinister meaning than just a prank,imo.

~~~~

02.17.2004 1:47 P.M.

Motel worker arraigned on child pornography charges

The Associated Press

BARNSTABLE, Mass. (AP) - A motel worker accused of photographing a young girl in the nude was ordered held on $250,000 bail after he pleaded innocent Tuesday.

Robert E. Laplante, 45, was arraigned in Barnstable District Court on charges of possessing child pornography, enticing a child under 16, and posing a child in the nude.

Laplante was arrested Friday night after police allegedly found hundreds of sexually explicit photographs of young girls in his home.

http://www.projo.com/ap/ma/1077043593.htm

© Belo Interactive Inc.

POSTED: 2:00 PM EST February 17, 2004
UPDATED: 2:05 PM EST February 17, 2004

BARNSTABLE, Mass. -- A motel worker accused of photographing a young girl in the nude was ordered held on $250,000 bail after he pleaded not guilty Tuesday.

http://www.thebostonchannel.com/news/2853223/detail.html

Copyright 2004 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

I would not be surprised if the guy who killed JB was not really a pervert to the degree this Barbie freak is. I think JB was killed by someone that had a female in his life who was very controlling and he had NO POWER over anything in his life. He took it out on JB and the Ramsey family.

A coward who took the youngest and weakest who he COULD control and had his vengeance on whoever or whatever was taking his power from him.

JonBenet's killer is a sicko pervert, imo.
Both victimize the young and the helpless.
We don't know the history of JonBenet's killer.
No one knows who killed JonBenet to this very day.
And we don't know the history of the man in the articles.
I just think it would be wise to investigate this guy.

The bondage Barbie dolls have some type of meaning to the person who left them. Be it a cruel prankster or a tauntng of JonBenet's family by her killer? We don't know. We can only speculate and theorize about their meaning. No one can say with any degree of certainty those Barbies were only a prank until whoever left them is found and investigated. Which has never happened- that I'm aware of.
JMO

JS

Robert Laplante

POSTED: 9:26 pm EST February 17, 2004
UPDATED: 9:31 pm EST February 17, 2004

PROVIDENCE -- A Cape Cod man accused of having child pornography is being held on $250,000 bail, accused of having child pornography, News Channel 10 reported.

Robert LaPlante, 45, of South Yarmouth, was arrested after a young girl told a school psychologist LaPlante had photographed her naked, authorities said.

Police said they found hundreds of sexually explicit photographs of young girls at his home, along with mannequins and dozens of Barbie dolls.

http://www.turnto10.com/news/2854536/detail.html

Copyright 2004 by turnto10.com. All rights reserved.

POSTED: 2:02 p.m. EST February 17, 2004
UPDATED: 7:47 p.m. EST February 17, 2004
BARNSTABLE, Mass. -- A Cape Cod motel maintenance man was in court Tuesday to face charges of possessing child pornography and photographing a young girl in the nude.

Video

Amalia Barreda Reports On Arraignment
NewsCenter 5's Amalia Barreda reported that Robert Laplante, 45, pleaded not guilty to multiple counts of possessing child pornography, posing a child in a state of nudity and indecent assault and battery upon a child under 14. He was held on $250,000 cash bail.

A school psychologist alerted police after a student said Laplant had taken nude photographs of her to in his home. On Friday, Yarmouth police searched the man's home and discovered hundreds of sexually explicit photos of young girls.

"I'm very proud of this young victim, quite frankly, and I think that she did a fantastic job of coming forward. And certainly she may have prevented something from happening to other children. In that regard she is a real hero," said Yarmouth Police Detective John Fallon.

After his client's arraignment in Barnstable District Court, defense attorney Chuck Sabat would not comment on the case.

"I think it would be better if we didn't say anything at this time," he said.

The FBI has joined the investigation to help local officials sort through hundreds of sexually explicit photographs, videos, computer files, mannequins and Barbie dolls.

"It is just going to be a task that takes us a long time. Certainly not a pleasant one, but we'll do it and that certainly may or may not bring along additional charges," said Yarmouth Police Lt. Frank Frederickson.

"With all the materials that we found, this man, we would consider to be a predator of types. We are going to give all the resources that we have from within the department and outside to put a case together that will almost assure he will not be on the streets again," said Frederickson.

Police say Laplante knew his victim and her parents.

Still, would like to know his DNA has been checked...

By Jack Encarnacao Jr., Globe Correspondent, 2/18/2004

Robert Laplante of South Yarmouth pleaded not guilty yesterday to multiple child pornography charges in Barnstable District Court, Assistant District Attorney Brian Glenny said.

Laplante is accused of indecent assault and battery on a child under 14, five counts of posing a child nude, enticing a child under 16 to pose nude, and four counts of possessing child pornography.

Laplante, 45, who was ordered held on $250,000 cash bail, was arrested Friday night after a school psychologist notified Yarmouth police that an underage girl had reported being photographed nude by him.

Police obtained a search warrant for Laplante's Wampanoag Road home and arrested him prior to searching the premises.

Yarmouth Police Lieutenant Steven Xiarhos said officers discovered "hundreds and hundreds of items" of sexual paraphernalia and weapons in Laplante's home.

Xiarhos said that, in addition to machetes and swords, police found videos and photos of nude female children, as well as newspaper clippings of JonBenet Ramsey, a child beauty queen from Colorado whose 1996 murder case received national media attention. Dolls and child-size mannequins were also found in the home, police said.

The five counts of posing a child in the nude referred to five individuals with whom Laplante was involved, police said, and the four counts of possessing child pornography refer to four media types in which the material was stored: videotape, digital and Polaroid photos, and digital video files, they said.

"It's fortunate to say we don't run into this a lot on the Cape," Glenny said. "We'll need to see where we end up." Glenny said police still have to go through a "significant amount of material" before the full breadth of charges and sentences against Laplante can be established.

"It's going to be a massive task," Xiarhos said.

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2004/02/18/cape_man_denies_child_pornography_allegations/

http://www.thechamplainchannel.com/sh/news/stories/nat-news-20000603-195421.html

LOL the sketch does resemble Mervin Pugh and LaPlante in different ways BUT do you TRULY believe we are gung ho about this? Most of us have been here for years and have discussed every known person of interest in this case. Yet we don't say, "Yep, so and so did it, I have no doubt in my mind."

The discussion about the 2 men resembling the sketch does NOT mean anyone is gung ho over it. It is interesting.

One person of interest I'd like to know more about is Sean P. King.
Not much was ever revealed on the investigaation of this guy.
He was mentioned by Jeffrey Shapiro, I believe.

She als said he would be a handyman of the Ramsey's and JB played games with him, like hide and seek. She said there was a yellow raincoat in a closet that would have his thumbprint on it. LOL.

I take these things with a grain of salt.

Porn probe widens
Police tracking information called in by locals about accused child pornographer

By MARC PARRY
STAFF WRITER
SOUTH YARMOUTH - Police continued to probe a South Yarmouth child-pornography case yesterday as the Department of Social Services confirmed the suspect and his wife were twice rejected after applying to become foster parents.

About 20 local residents have called Yarmouth police with information about accused child-pornographer Robert Laplante, Lt. Frank Frederickson said yesterday.

Meanwhile, Department of Social Services spokeswoman Denise Monteiro said yesterday that Laplante and his wife applied to become foster parents in 1999 and 2000.

She declined to specify why the agency denied them both times. A filthy home, a criminal record or an applicant's demeanor are some of the reasons applicants can be rejected, Monteiro said.

"Apparently there were too many little red flags," she said of the Laplante family's application. "The team wasn't feeling comfortable with him caring for any of our children."

Police arrested Laplante Friday night after a school psychologist told them a young girl had reported being photographed by him in the nude. A raid on his home netted a cache of thousands of sexually explicit photographs and videotapes.

The 45-year-old hotel worker pleaded not guilty to multiple child-pornography charges Tuesday.

More charges are expected as police sift through the material confiscated from his home.

Sorting through that evidence is expected to take until mid-next week, Frederickson said yesterday. Police are also contacting other possible victims and evaluating the unsolicited tips.

Some of the unsolicited information involves nothing criminal, Frederickson said. But strung together the tips depict what he described as a pattern of "inappropriate behavior."

"He was really flying under the radar for us," Frederickson said.

(Published: February 19, 2004)

http://www.capecodonline.com/cctimes/pornprobe19.htm

Copyright © 2004 Cape Cod Times. All rights reserved.

JS