Mallernee convicted of sexual abuse

On July 2, 2009, Judge Fredrik Spencer gave Tricia D. Mallernee, of Anderson, Indiana, a three-year suspended sentence on each of four counts of child solicitation. The judge gave Mallernee a one-year suspended sentence for contributing to the delinquency of a minor, for giving the victim alcohol. This was in accordance with the terms of her plea agreement with the prosecutors. In addition, she will serve three years on probation and must register as a sex offender for 10 years.

During an interview with the police, the victim had stated that he did not want Mallernee to go to prison.

According to Herald Bulletin the 17-year old exchange student arrived in Anderson in August 2008. Two weeks later Mallernee and the exchange student had sex for the first time.

The sexual relationship continued through April. Mallernee and the teen had sex in her home and while on a spring vacation in Florida. On one occasion in April, Mallernee had the boy dismissed from school early and the pair had sex at Mounds State Park.

The teen told investigators he initially wanted to be in the relationship. But later he tried to end it, fearing Mallernee was becoming “emotionally attached and he did not feel the same way.”

Mallernee allegedly threatened to have the boy removed from the home if he ended the relationship, law enforcement officials said. He told investigators that he was afraid that moving to a new home would mean having to stop participating in school activities. He continued in the relationship….

Mallernee is married, but her husband was very ill during most of her relationship with the teen. The man, who is not named in the court documents, was hospitalized several times, “making Tricia’s activities with (the teen) possible without easy detection,” the court documents state.

The relationship came to the attention of Indiana Department of Children’s Services case workers, who then contacted police. Mallernee was arrested by Madison County sheriff’s deputies arrested Tricia D. Mallernee, 32, at the jail June 2, 2009.

 

 

2010: Ely faces felony charges

The original link was: wwmt.com (Newschannel 3) but the article can no longer be found there. This article has been copied from dreamindemon.com

CENTREVILLE, Mich. (NEWSCHANNEL 3) – An exchange student from Thailand who has lived in west Michigan for more than five years is facing the possibility of deportation and her former host mother is facing two felony charges in St. Joseph County for stealing the girl’s savings.

Laura Ely had an arraignment Wednesday and faces charges of larceny and illegal sale or use of a financial transaction device. The most serious charge could put her in prison for ten years.

Donnapha Kuppatikasem – known as Tak – came to Michigan when she was 16 years old with dreams of becoming a doctor.

“As long as I’ve known her,” said Theresa Hawkins, Tak’s friend, “she hasn’t changed it.”

Theresa met Tak when both attended Colon High School. She spoke to Newschannel 3 on Tak’s behalf because Tak is waiting to tell her story of what happened in court. Tak is 21 now, and may have to reconsider her dream. She may lose her student visa because she cannot afford this fall’s tuition at WMU. Detectives in St. Joseph County say Laura Ely stole thousands of dollars from Tak.

“[Tak] trusted her,” Theresa Hawkins said. “She lived with her for years and years and never knew she was that kind of person, but people can be deceiving.”

The probable cause affidavit says Laura Ely slowly drained $17,000 from an account at First State Bank in Middlebury, Indiana, first deposited in June 2008. The affidavit says Ely also took $15,000 deposited in November 2009 at Omni Community Credit Union in Sturgis.

Investigators say Laura Ely also used Tak’s credit card without permission at least 10 times at Dury Oil in Sturgis, Kalamazoo Animal Hospital, LaGrange Veterinary Clinic and other locations.

Tak’s new host family estimated the credit card purchases total about $4,000.

Theresa Hawkins says Tak never knew about the money disappearing.

“I don’t think [Tak] ever did, not until it was gone,” Theresa Hawkins said.

The affidavit says Laura Ely did not deny using the money or the credit card. She told detectives she had permission and Tak was aware of every transaction.

Laura Ely is out of the St. Joseph County jail on bond and told Newschannel 3 at her home in Sturgis on Thursday that she did not steal anything. She says the charges are retaliation for evicting Tak from her home in March.

WMU told Newschannel 3 student visa rules require a student to maintain enrollment for the entire academic year. The university says Tak has until September 7th to enroll in classes for the fall semester. Tak’s tuition bill is $13,305.38; she owes that to keep her student visa in good standing or risk deportation back to Thailand.

“Like when an unexpected bill comes, you don’t have money to pay for it, you’re frantic,” Theresa Hawkin said, “and you’re scared and you don’t know what to do. [Tak’s] basically screwed.”

will appear in court again next week. If you’d like to donate to help Tak pay her tuition, her new host family has set up an account for her at Citizens Bank in Colon. The account is under her full name – Donnapha Kuppatikasem.

Helpline US Department of State

1-866-283-9090 (24 hours a day, 7 days a week) The Department of State activated the helpline to ensure the health and safety of its exchange participants. Students have a right to be treated fairly and to report abuse without retaliation or threat of program cancellation. (Dep of State)

Blind trust in exchange organisations

You would not send your child to a house at the end of your street if you knew nothing about the person living there. Yet on the strength of a glossy brochure, the payment in some cases of vast sums of money, and an assumption that someone else has asked the right questions, we send our children thousands of miles across the world to stay with strangers.

The companies, organisations and individuals that abuse this blind trust cannot be allowed to continue to profit from it and we must all take responsibility for the care and safety of our young people. (Chris Gould)