Home Schooling, WOW, criminals, teenage escapades..
Posted: Wed Apr 11, 2007 2:31 pm
I hope for 50 pages from the thread on this whacked out homeschooled kid...
Homeschooling.. Just don't do it. Especially if you are a gamer!
http://www.unionleader.com/article.aspx ... und+in+S.C.
Missing teenager found in S.C.
By JIM DEVINE
Friday, Mar. 30, 2007
WINDHAM – Authorities are warning parents that online games are no different from chat rooms a day after the recovery of a 15-year-old girl who ran away to meet an online gaming partner.
The teenager, who was headed to Florida to see a convicted felon she met while playing the online game "World of Warcraft," was found in South Carolina, police said.
"There isn't anybody that can't fall victim to this," Windham Police Chief Gerald Lewis said describing the need for parents to monitor children's activity online.
To Lewis, online games where participants communicate via chat links are no different than the chat rooms parents are often warned about.
"My definition would include these online games because the players do have an opportunity to communicate with others online," Lewis said. "It's just like any Internet connection ... as parents we have to be extra vigilant with what our children are doing online."
Police arrested Daniel Lenz, 27, of Jacksonville, Fla., after investigators traced communication between him and the runaway teenager with the help of Internet and telephone service providers.
Lenz, who police say has an extensive criminal record in Florida, allegedly arranged to have Jason Dowling, 23, also of Florida, bring the Windham teenager to him. The girl left behind a note saying she was moving to the Boston area.
Within a few hours of Lenz's arrest at his Jacksonville home Tuesday, authorities located and took the girl and Dowling into custody in Manning, S.C.
David Grant, a founder of a local Internet safety group called Salem Safekids, said the event highlights the risks inherent in Internet gaming.
"Unfortunately these venues have become prime stomping grounds for predators looking to talk to kids," Grant said. "Young kids are hanging out there. The same rules that would apply for Internet chatting should be in place."
Grant said police believe Dowling took the girl's computer with him to limit authorities' ability to trace communication between the girl and Lenz, and her cellphone was left behind to prevent police from tracking her.
"The way he was looking to cover his tracks, it has the appearance that we may have never found this kid," Grant said.
Parents of the missing teen told police that their daughter, who is home-schooled, had cut off interaction with local friends and her only contacts outside the home were online.
Grant said options for monitoring computer use are available from parents.
He suggested using available software, keeping copies of children's online passwords and placing the computer in open spaces of the home to monitor their use.
Lewis said the Windham Police Department has planned to ramp up training, pointing out that an officer just returned from a National Center for Missing and Exploited Children training conference this week.
Lewis said Lenz could face a number of charges between Florida, New Hampshire and federal offenses. Whether Lenz will face specific charges in New Hampshire at this time is unknown.
Grant said additional Internet safety tips can be found on his group's Web site, http://www.SalemSafeKids.com, which also provides access to the state's sex offender registry.
Homeschooling.. Just don't do it. Especially if you are a gamer!
http://www.unionleader.com/article.aspx ... und+in+S.C.
Missing teenager found in S.C.
By JIM DEVINE
Friday, Mar. 30, 2007
WINDHAM – Authorities are warning parents that online games are no different from chat rooms a day after the recovery of a 15-year-old girl who ran away to meet an online gaming partner.
The teenager, who was headed to Florida to see a convicted felon she met while playing the online game "World of Warcraft," was found in South Carolina, police said.
"There isn't anybody that can't fall victim to this," Windham Police Chief Gerald Lewis said describing the need for parents to monitor children's activity online.
To Lewis, online games where participants communicate via chat links are no different than the chat rooms parents are often warned about.
"My definition would include these online games because the players do have an opportunity to communicate with others online," Lewis said. "It's just like any Internet connection ... as parents we have to be extra vigilant with what our children are doing online."
Police arrested Daniel Lenz, 27, of Jacksonville, Fla., after investigators traced communication between him and the runaway teenager with the help of Internet and telephone service providers.
Lenz, who police say has an extensive criminal record in Florida, allegedly arranged to have Jason Dowling, 23, also of Florida, bring the Windham teenager to him. The girl left behind a note saying she was moving to the Boston area.
Within a few hours of Lenz's arrest at his Jacksonville home Tuesday, authorities located and took the girl and Dowling into custody in Manning, S.C.
David Grant, a founder of a local Internet safety group called Salem Safekids, said the event highlights the risks inherent in Internet gaming.
"Unfortunately these venues have become prime stomping grounds for predators looking to talk to kids," Grant said. "Young kids are hanging out there. The same rules that would apply for Internet chatting should be in place."
Grant said police believe Dowling took the girl's computer with him to limit authorities' ability to trace communication between the girl and Lenz, and her cellphone was left behind to prevent police from tracking her.
"The way he was looking to cover his tracks, it has the appearance that we may have never found this kid," Grant said.
Parents of the missing teen told police that their daughter, who is home-schooled, had cut off interaction with local friends and her only contacts outside the home were online.
Grant said options for monitoring computer use are available from parents.
He suggested using available software, keeping copies of children's online passwords and placing the computer in open spaces of the home to monitor their use.
Lewis said the Windham Police Department has planned to ramp up training, pointing out that an officer just returned from a National Center for Missing and Exploited Children training conference this week.
Lewis said Lenz could face a number of charges between Florida, New Hampshire and federal offenses. Whether Lenz will face specific charges in New Hampshire at this time is unknown.
Grant said additional Internet safety tips can be found on his group's Web site, http://www.SalemSafeKids.com, which also provides access to the state's sex offender registry.
