Thursday, February 14, 2013
The Pasco County Sheriff's Office releases early crime stats and promotes an upcoming fundraiser to benefit county domestic violence and sexual assault shelters.
The number of domestic violence crimes reported to the Pasco County Sheriff's Office in 2012 fell 2 percent below the number of domestic violence crimes reported to the agency in 2011, according to preliminary numbers from the agency. Don’t start cheering just yet. Here’s the bad news: The number of forcible sex offenses that were reported to the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office in 2012 rose to 38.2 percent above the number of forcible sex offenses reported to the agency in 2011. The total number of forcible sex crimes reported to the agency in 2012 was 188, 52 more than was reported in 2011. Offenses reported as part of the forcible sex crime statistic include rapes committed, rapes attempted, forcible sodomy and forcible fondling. …
Friday, April 15, 2011
Rapes at Pasco County Schools have rocked the community. Silence right now is not necessarily golden.Take the time to talk about it with your children and neighbors so we can pull together as a community for solutions and change.
It’s a bit quiet out there right now since the two rapes at the school were reported to law enforcement and reported on by the news. First, I was struck with awe at the strength and shear survival of those young girls who had the courage to report that they were sexually assaulted. Then I wondered what on earth are those parents going through? What are those girls going through now? What about those boys? What about all of their friends, teachers, classmates, neighbors in the community, their relatives and back in their homes? What are those schools doing right now? I contacted Christine Bates from Sunrise of Pasco, who does community outreach, because I had some questions, and also wanted to know what can we do right now about it. Here…
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Raise awareness, increase safety and protection for domestic violence victims.
When domestic violence is a real issue in a home, victims are often unsure of where to turn. In Land O' Lakes, Sunrise of Pasco County is the local domestic violence center. It is also the only sexual assault center serving all of Pasco County. Its hot line number is 352-521-3120. Larry Reidt is a mental health counselor with Sunrise. He has a master's degree in rehabilitation and mental health counseling and specializes in working with child victims of domestic and sexual violence age 12 and up. He also helps adults who have been sexually assaulted. Reidt says that most times sexual assault perpetrators are known to the child or the family. An attacker might, for example, be a step-parent, babysitter or other care givers. He encourages …
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Ending the cycle of violence is something everyone can get involved to help with.
Domestic violence is an issue that cuts across all classes, races and nationalities. As a mother, my heart breaks for children who are living in this situation. As a woman, it is my desire to assist others in taking a stand to enjoy freedom in the New Year. It is my sincere hope that by raising awareness, we can work together for solutions. Parents and children leaving abusive situations need help and support from all of us. Penny Morrill, executive director of Sunrise of Pasco, is grateful for the Land O' Lakes community support, and thanks us on behalf of the children and parents they serve. The overwhelming majority of the adults who are victimzed are women. In addition to providing a domestic violence shelter in a confidential …
