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GOT AN OPINION ABOUT THIS?
#1


This is kinda long but I hope you'll read enough to get the gist of it.

I'm appalled that there are people in positions of power who would view this as porn, not only view it as porn but as one insisted, " knows porn when he sees it". Jesus Christ.

A Minnesota football coach sidelined by accusations of child pornography involving his own children reacted with relief Friday after a judge dismissed the case, saying he was "thankful to be waking up from this nightmare."

Todd Hoffner, the head coach at Minnesota State-Mankato, was effectively cleared when a judge agreed with his assertion that innocent family videos had been misinterpreted. He had been escorted off a football practice field and arrested in August after a university employee came across cellphone videos of his children dancing and playing naked.

Hoffner testified earlier that his three young children asked them to videotape a skit they had concocted. His wife, Melodee, defended him and supporters even held candlelight vigils on his behalf as the case played out. Social workers found no evidence the couple's children had been abused, and a search of his home computer found no evidence of child porn.

During the court hearing earlier Friday, Blue Earth County District Judge Krista Jass said she didn't find any evidence that the videos amounted to pornography.

"The videos under consideration here contain nude images of Defendant's minor children dancing and acting playful after a bath. That is all they contain," Jass wrote in her 24-page ruling dismissing the charges.

Story
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#2
I had to read the full story to form an opinion, Duchess.

If he'd been showing those videos to weirdos or uploaded them to the internet for public view or something like that, then I'd say there was a valid case against him. However, that's not what happened and it seems like a competent investigation by CPS should have quickly cleared the family of any allegations associated with child porn or child abuse. Given all of the facts at hand, it's ludicrous that this case ever made it into a courtroom, imo.

Snip:
At an earlier hearing on his motion for dismissal, Hoffner testified he had told his children to go take a bubble bath last June so he could get some work done. Hoffner said the children later came down in towels and asked him to videotape them. He said he never directed the kids, and never watched the video afterward or showed it to anyone.

The videos came to light after Hoffner took his problematic cellphone to work to be checked out.

The coach was escorted off the football practice field on Aug. 17 by university officials after the school turned the videos over to police, and he was arrested four days later.



Imo, if the coach was involved in anything nefarious with his children, he damn sure wouldn't have handed the phone to school authorities for repair.
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#3


I'm bothered by how easy it was for things to snowball out of control. Innocent pix leading to an arrest, the hit his reputation may have taken. People are very quick to believe the worst.
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#4
(12-01-2012, 08:29 PM)Duchess Wrote:
People are very quick to believe the worst.

That's true. In this case, it wouldn't surprise me if the Penn State scandal prompted school authorities and prosecutors to assume the very worst and run with it - guilty til proven innocent.

In terms of the general public, it surprises me on a daily basis how many people are highly susceptible to suggestion without facts (whether that suggestion is put out by the media, politicians, friends, internet postings...). The lack of critical thinking (or at least fact checking) is disturbing.
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#5
Back in the days when you took your camera film to a processor to be developed there were cases of parents being accused of child porn for pictures of their naked baby on a rug. This seems to be the same type of case.

It saddens me that simple nudity within the family structure is grounds for charging parents with child pornography. Nudity happens with kids, they need help bathing, dressing and toileting. These things are impossible to do while fully clothed.

I feel badly for this man and believe that his reputation will be permanently damaged. I notice that the college hasn't let him back to work as they are doing their own "investigation". Dollars to donuts he is let go before the end of the school year.
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#6
Just before my kids turned 1, I took a picture of their little butts waiting for a bath. The invitation I published to friends/family said "no butts about it, the twins are turning 1". I imagine some sicko could view that as child pornography.

Just more p/c bullshit IMO. Pisses me off.
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#7
When the story broke, it was big news. Everyone feared the worst. Then, as details emerged, it became quite obvious to most people that this was not a child porn case.

Investigators looked at every computer in his home, his previous employers computers and phones, and found nothing. He and his attorney have been asking for this to be dismissed for at least a couple of months.

As Cheyne said, now that this has been thrown out Mankato State is not necessarily welcoming him back with open arms.

Sad.
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#8
My mom has at least one picture of each of us kids, naked in the bathtub...on our bellies, so only our butts are showing. I don't find any thing wrong with those pictures. However, I have NOT ONE picture like this of any of my kids...because of situations like the one above.
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#9
(12-01-2012, 08:29 PM)Duchess Wrote:

I'm bothered by how easy it was for things to snowball out of control. Innocent pix leading to an arrest, the hit his reputation may have taken. People are very quick to believe the worst.

I have to agree that this is some serious BULLSHIT! This is another prime example of how flawed the criminal justice system can be with the wrong people in the drivers seat.
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#10
Unfortunately, this is the world we live in nowadays. 30 years ago, nobody would have had a 2nd thought about such an innocent video. In todays world, a photographer couldnt go to a park, and take pictures of kids playing on a playground w/o raising eyebrows, and if lucky, not have the police called on him.

We automatically assume the worst in people nowadays, and it pretty much sucks.

Where has the cynicism come from?
Of the millions of sperm injected into your mother's pussy, you were the quickest?

You are no longer in the womb, friend. The competition is tougher out here.


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#11
(12-01-2012, 10:56 PM)Cheyne Wrote: Back in the days when you took your camera film to a processor to be developed there were cases of parents being accused of child porn for pictures of their naked baby on a rug. This seems to be the same type of case.

It saddens me that simple nudity within the family structure is grounds for charging parents with child pornography. Nudity happens with kids, they need help bathing, dressing and toileting. These things are impossible to do while fully clothed.

I feel badly for this man and believe that his reputation will be permanently damaged. I notice that the college hasn't let him back to work as they are doing their own "investigation". Dollars to donuts he is let go before the end of the school year.


Years ago I took pictures of my kids running around naked. My wife would not let me take the film to get developed. I could not believe this is our world today.
He ain't heavy, he's my brother.
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#12
Geez, I guess I'm lucky I haven't gotten arrested. I have pics of my kids when they were 2 running in the sprinklers naked and I'm NOT getting rid of them!!!

16
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