Porno Pop-Up Ads threaten teacher with 40 year prison sentence...

[voivod]

Julie Amero, 40, of Windham was scheduled to be sentenced Thursday in Norwich Superior Court. She faces a maximum of 40 years in prison -- 10 years for each of four counts of risk of injury to a minor.

For the third time since March, sentencing was postponed, this time until May 18.

The request by Assistant State's Attorney David J. Smith, who prosecuted the case, was signed by Judge Hillary Strackbein.

"The state has not completed a full examination of all the issues which may affect its position at the sentencing hearing," was Smith's written explanation.

New London County State's Attorney Michael Regan said because the case is pending he could not elaborate on any details. But, Regan said, "Issues have been raised by the defense. In general, we have an obligation and a duty to make sure justice is done."

The postponement comes on the heels of Amero's conviction by a jury in January that stirred debate from onlookers across the country and even overseas and an explosion of skepticism. Amero claimed the inappropriate images on her classroom computer Oct. 19, 2004, were out of her control, generated by pop-ups advertisements.

The claims were backed by a host of people in the Internet technology field, some of whom joined the defense team post-verdict in an attempt to prove her innocence with an in-depth forensic analysis of the computer's hard drive.

State prosecutors maintained at trial Amero surfed inappropriate sites for hours while in class at Kelly Middle School and had not done enough to keep students from seeing the images.

Several of the students testified during the trial, along with the Norwich police detective who analyzed the computer.

W. Herbert Horner of Uncasville, the defense's computer expert who countered Detective Mark Lounsbury's claims, has maintained proof exists the pornographic sites were a result of viruses that infected the computer.

"I'm not surprised," Horner said of the postponement Tuesday. "Simply because, had they done a thorough investigation the first time, we wouldn't be having this discussion."

Defense attorney John Cocheo had already promised an appeal. With sentencing originally scheduled to take place March 2, Cocheo requested the first postponement due to addition of several attorneys to the case. New Haven attorney William Dow and sentencing consultant Clinton Roberts are involved.

Others see the state's move as a step toward exoneration.

"By taking this action, the Connecticut Division of Criminal Justice has indicated it clearly understands that its mission is 'justice' and not simply to achieve convictions," said Nancy Willard, with the Center for Safe and Responsible Use of the Internet.

Willard penned "The Julie Amero Tragedy," an evaluation and commentary on the Amero case. http://www.csriu.org/onlinedocs/AmeroTragedy.pdf

"This decision speaks well to their commitment to do what is right," she said. "Those of us who have been defending Julie have encouraged a closer look at the facts."

http://forums.norwichbulletin.com/viewtopic.php?t=7262

[FORD]

This is absolutely batshit insane. Hell, even if she was intentionally looking at porn, how the HELL would that deserve a 40 year prison sentence?

Christ, talk about "the terraists winning"?? This country has become a fundiefascist dictatorship.

And this is pop up ads. The lady was stupid enough to open a spam e-mail, most likely. Incredibly dumb, but hardly criminal.

This shit can't be for real....

[fast98dodge]

Totally agreed...

We have people that actually have the intent to harm and commit serious crimes and get virtually a slap on the wrist...

[voivod]

This is absolutely batshit insane. Hell, even if she was intentionally looking at porn, how the HELL would that deserve a 40 year prison sentence?

Christ, talk about "the terraists winning"?? This country has become a fundiefascist dictatorship.

And this is pop up ads. The lady was stupid enough to open a spam e-mail, most likely. Incredibly dumb, but hardly criminal.

This shit can't be for real....

[Bullwinkle]

Why don't we just take a look at the computers of all the people who are trying to put this person away for forty years. He who is without sin, you know...

Back in the stone age, when me and my wife got our first internet hookup, we spent about ten minutes visiting the National Archives site and CNN.com; marveling at the world of information available at our fingertips. Then we looked at each other and said:
"Want to find some porn?"
"I thought you'd never ask."

[ZeoBandit]

You have got to be kidding me........

[MF5150]

Why don't we just take a look at the computers of all the people who are trying to put this person away for forty years. He who is without sin, you know...

Back in the stone age, when me and my wife got our first internet hookup, we spent about ten minutes visiting the National Archives site and CNN.com; marveling at the world of information available at our fingertips. Then we looked at each other and said:
"Want to find some porn?"
"I thought you'd never ask."

Well...judging by the precident of this case...I should be back on this site when I'm...58....ARMBI!.....................

[Bugs Meanie]

Going by the recent sentences for female teachers...She would have gotten off (no pun intended) a lot easier if she would have had sex with one of her students in the school parking lot.

[vhrocker]

[willyum]

This is absolutely batshit insane. Hell, even if she was intentionally looking at porn, how the HELL would that deserve a 40 year prison sentence?

Christ, talk about "the terraists winning"?? This country has become a fundiefascist dictatorship.

And this is pop up ads. The lady was stupid enough to open a spam e-mail, most likely. Incredibly dumb, but hardly criminal.

This shit can't be for real....

twice in two months, we are in total agreement.

[sixstring]

Going by the recent sentences for female teachers...She would have gotten off (no pun intended) a lot easier if she would have had sex with one of her students in the school parking lot.

Sooo true...

[willy4pres]

This just sounds to crazy to be true, I wish is wasn't.

[chefcraig]

40 years for viewing porn? Throwing out the fact that this educator was blatantly irresponsible and quite dunderheaded, viewing porn in such close proximety(sp) to kids under her watch, since when do people get locked up for being unconscienable assholes?

This sentence most certainly be overruled upon appeal. (By the way, anyone notice that the article conveniently makes no metion of minimum sentencing? One would like to hear of the lesser punishment, if any.)

The fact is that this is merely one of a series of lazy, uninspired and ultimately clueless investigations leading to bogus prosecutions in this country as of late. The fact that this case has even progressed this far is binding (and blinding) proof of how misguided the prosecution truly is.

[Axxman300]

When I read the title of the thread I naturally thought that this was happening in Oklahoma, Mississippi, Alabama or West Virginia.

I pictured a prosecuter who was related to the judge because he was married to his retarded sister. I pictured a courtroom full of bad come-overs and false teeth.

I apologize to the Linkers from the deep south, turns out they still burn witches in New England.

Fuck these guys. Unbelievable.

[voivod]

Unfuckingreal

Teacher porn case sentencing set for Friday

NORWICH -- A former substitute teacher convicted of exposing seventh-graders to Internet porn is once again scheduled to be sentenced Friday in Norwich Superior Court.

Facing a maximum of 40 years in prison, Julie Amero of Windham will still be awaiting her sentence Friday if previously scheduled court dates are any indication.

Three times before, first by a request by defense and twice later by the state, sentencing was postponed. No official word came Wednesday that the sentencing would not go through as scheduled.

New London County State's Attorney Michael Regan indicated at the last request the defense had raised undisclosed issues being examined by the state. He declined comment Wednesday.

Amero was convicted in January of four counts of risk of injury to a minor. A jury found Amero had exposed students to X-rated material on her classroom computer.

On the morning of Oct. 19, 2004, Amero was substitute teaching at Kelly Middle School. She said she had planned to use the computer to e-mail her husband, but was quickly caught up in an Internet pornography loop that lasted for several hours. The porn loop, defense expert witness W. Herbert Horner testified, proves Amero was not surfing the sites.

Instead, Horner said, it started innocently with a visit to a hairstyle site.

"That led to the pornographic icons, which led to this pornographic loop that was out of control," Horner said in court.

Horner said the computer was lacking an updated protection that would have prevented the infestation.

During testimony, Amero admitted the pornography appeared on her computer, but claimed she had done everything she could, such as blocking the computer screen, to prevent children from seeing the images.

"There were things popping up on the computer that were not for children to see," Amero testified.

State's attorney David Smith questioned why Amero failed to simply shut off the computer. Norwich police investigator Mark Lounsbury also testified an examination of the computer proved she had willfully accessed the sites.

Lounsbury's testimony was widely criticized by those in the computer field, who have since joined to help provide evidence disputing his claims.

Defense attorney John Cocheo and attorney William Dow, who is also involved in the case, did not return phone calls for comment.

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