Kindergarten Turned Into House Of Horrors

Children As Young As Five Fed Painkillers, Forced To Perform In Sex Shows In Texas

(AP)  In the windowless front rooms of a former day care center in a tiny Texas community, children as young as 5 were fed powerful painkillers they knew as "silly pills" and forced to perform sex shows for a crowd of adults.

Two people have already been convicted in the case. Now a third person with ties to the club, previously known in town only as a swingers group, is set to go on trial Monday not far from Mineola, population 5,100.

"This really shook this town," said Shirley Chadwick, a longtime resident of Mineola. "This was horrible."

Patrick Kelly, 41, is charged with aggravated sexual assault of a child, tampering with physical evidence and engaging in organized criminal activity.

In all, six adults have been charged in connection with the case, including a parent of the three siblings involved.

Jurors this year deliberated less than five minutes before returning guilty verdicts against the first two defendants, who were accused of grooming the kids for sex shows in "kindergarten" classes and passing off Vicodin as "silly pills" to help the children perform.

Jamie Pittman and Shauntel Mayo were sentenced to life in prison. Kelly also faces a life sentence if convicted, and Smith County prosecutors hope for another swift verdict.

Thad Davidson, Kelly's attorney, said his client passed a lie-detector test proving his innocence and worries about getting a fair trial in Tyler, just 25 miles southeast of Mineola.

Mineola, about 80 miles east of Dallas, is a close-knit, conservative bean-processing town of with more than 30 churches. Residents there want to put the scandal behind them as quickly as possible.

The one-story building where prosecutors say four children - the three siblings, now ages 12, 10 and 7, and their 10-year-old aunt - were trained to perform in front of an audience of 50 to 100 once a week has been vacant since the landlord ousted the alleged organizers in 2004.

Down a slight hill is a retirement home, and even closer is the office of the local newspaper. Doris Newman, editor of The Mineola Monitor, said rumors of swinger parties spread around town but that no one mentioned children being involved.

Newman, who can see the building from her office window, said she remembers the parking lot filling up with more than a dozen cars at night.

In August 2004, an editorial under the headline "Sex In the City" opined that if the swingers left quietly, "we'll try and forget they've infiltrated our town with their set of moral standards."

"It's not that we're trying to look the other way," Newman said. "But there's a lot more to Mineola than that."

According to a Mineola police report, the department first investigated a complaint in June 2005 in which the siblings' foster mother said one of the girls described dancing toward men and another child saying that "everybody does nasty stuff in there."

In the second trial, Child Protective Services caseworker Kristi Hachtel testified, "I've seen a lot and I never in my wildest dreams imagined this. They were preyed upon in probably one of the most heinous ways possible."

The children are now doing better, the welfare agency said.

"Through counseling and therapy sessions, these children are now finally feeling secure and safe," agency spokeswoman Shari Pulliam wrote in an e-mail.

Permanent custody of the three siblings was given to John and Margie Cantrell. This week, prosecutors in California charged John Cantrell with sexually assaulting a child in the state 18 years ago. Margie Cantrell said her husband is innocent.

Kelly's attorney moved Friday asking to postpone the trial in light of the allegations against Cantrell, a state witness. Texas Child Protective Services said it would be "common" for the agency to investigate.

The Rev. Tim Letsch is opening a church in the yellow-plastered building where the children were abused. He acknowledges that building a congregation might be difficult because of the stigma attached to the property.

"You got to decide whether you're willing to forgive those kind of things," Letsch said. "It's a hard deal. Especially for a spiritual person to walk in and say, 'This happened here."'

[idnnsg]

Another sad story about the depravity of texas. Unfortunately, nothing coming out of texas can shock us anymore after the story of the sick little perv who drooled with glee as he stuffed lit firecrackers up live frogs'' buttts and watched them explode, the man who later became texas'' greatest serial killer (the "Texecutioner") and drooled with glee as he ordered the execution of each one of 155 convicts, the man who finally become one of the world''s biggest mass murderers as "Commander in Chief"!

[zendigity]

The intent behind this story is to make people afraid in order to manipulate that fear...Why do you think stories like these come out of TX and FL, the most ignorant, repressed people in the world?
These are the easily led, the moronic followers of the Bush doctrine of fear and loathing.

CBS; what ever happened to journalistic integrity; this story contains some outright blatant lies.

[shanev137]

What do they put in the water down there in Texas?

[missybelle-2009]

only a sick person would use this story to bash a president. you need help


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Posted by jamesm12341 at 07:53 AM : Jun 23, 2008

Thank you.

[abigail70]

Agreed, completely.

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only a sick person would use this story to bash a president. you need help


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Posted by jamesm12341 at 07:53 AM : Jun 23, 2008

Thank you.

[ianlou]

What do they put in the water down there in Texas?
Posted by shanev137

The problem is they have no water.
They only hydrate with beer, tequila and peyote juice

[rafterman1]

===I''''m voting Democrat because I believe in minority rights (except in Muslim countries), free speech (with regard to pornography but not conservative talk radio), environmentalism (unless we''''re talking about Al Gore''''s house) and diplomacy (but never backed by the threat of military force).===
Posted by maxify55

All that is false and you know it. I think I''m beginning to see who''s the real cause of the antagonism between left and right. And it isn''t Bush or Cheney and it isn''t Pelosi or Gore. It''s people like Maxify55, who feel they need to lie and antagonize people just to get a rise out of them. Sort of the like the weasels in grade school who started s h i t, then stepped back and watched the fireworks, all for their amusement.

[patriot12436]

idnnsg
it isn''t only Texas. You see these kind of stories coming from every state in the country. It just proves there are sick people everywhere.

[ianlou]

idnnsg
it isn''''t only Texas. You see these kind of stories coming from every state in the country. It just proves there are sick people everywhere.
Posted by patriot12436

No, most seem to be coming from the state that gave us the Cowboy who is All Hat and No Cattle.

[rafterman1]

===idnnsg it isn''''t only Texas. You see these kind of stories coming from every state in the country. It just proves there are sick people everywhere.===
Posted by patriot12436

I hope this is actually true. Well, no, I don''t actually "hope" its true, its vile. What I mean is, I remember a story years ago (in Massachusetts I think) about a daycare center where the employees were accused of similiar vile things. But as the stories of what supposedly happened became more and moe incredible, it turned out that overeager social workers got the kids, who wanted to please the social workers, to make up incredible tales. Apparently, none of it happened and it ruined the lives of the people working at the daycare center.

[bozworth4]

According to a Mineola police report, the department first investigated a complaint in June 2005 in which the siblings'' foster mother said one of the girls described dancing toward men and another child saying that "everybody does nasty stuff in there."


Took 3 years to round up 4 children??? Texas child protective services rounded up 400 for religion in less than 3 days. We can do better and we must to protect our future. Our future is our children!

[brianbwb-2009]

"This really shook this town," said Shirley Chadwick, a longtime resident of Mineola. "This was horrible."

5,100 people in the town, and a crowd of 50 to 100 people once a week, and Ms. Chadwick is "surprised"?

Yeah right.

[pub17]

Once you wade through the silly people in the Comments section trying to make this story into a political statement, there''s something seriously wrong with this story. Small children in front of crowds of 50 to 100 "performing" while stoned on Vicodin. What???? It''s hard enough to get small children to pick up their socks when they''re stone cold sober in front of Mom. Try this one: the parking lot would fill up with more than a dozen cars. Huh. If I saw a dozen cars pull up and disgorge 100 people, I''d call Ringling Brothers, or INS. Finally, this was all taking place at what time of day? Three in the morning? No, this was day care. During the day? Boy, that''s some careful dosage-kids fed Vicodin at some point in the day and they''re bright-eyed and sparkly by the time their foster parents pick them up. I think chunks of this story are going to end up on snopes.com, and I think it starts with baaaad reporting.

[midland666]

hungry1968..

you left out that tranplanted ohioan,

singin something or onother i cant recall!!

[faith_in_w]

This type of depravity happens when people fall away from the path of Christ. Liberalism soon infects the mind and they start forcing 5 year olds to perform *** shows on dope. The only way to stop this from happening in the future is to jail all those who miss church services.

[jetlizhan]

these sick b@st@rds should fry in hell.

[midland666]

faith_in_w...

no its the type of Depravity Republicans have a proven track record with....

[jennasmith2]

"The only way to stop this from happening in the future is to jail all those who miss church services."



??????? I''m rarely speechless, but this takes the cake for stupidity!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[barbaraf4]

"Permanent custody of the three siblings was given to John and Margie Cantrell. This week, prosecutors in California charged John Cantrell with sexually assaulting a child in the state 18 years ago. Margie Cantrell said her husband is innocent."

I don''t understand this paragraph. Either they have done the right thing and found a secure home for the children, or they did not. It reads like they turned the children over to child molesters.

Way to go Texas - home state of George W. Bush! The state that brought us the kidnapping of 460 children because the State didn''t agree with their parent''s religion!

[faith_in_w]

midland666, how could you possibly suggest such things? Republicans have high moral standards and would never engage in such activity! This is obviously the work of liberals.

[msay3]

Some people will jump at ANY chance to blame anything on Democrats and Republicans.....To connect either party to this abominable story just proves that you are just as sick as the perverts in the story....GIVE IT A REST, OK?

[gotagrip]

*** is wrong with that state?!? by hungary1968

Too much conservative repression. Causes them to get all twisted up inside and do horrible things. And since their social services are so screwed up, this stuff goes on far too long. Texans need to join the 21st century.

[deacon20081]

Bring back public hanging

[yankeerebel7]

I don''t even really consider this Texas...this is some isolated country community that has refused to join the rest of the state and nation. The vast majority of Texans live within the 3 major metropolitan areas. So enough with the generalizations.

[katbo64]

Not usre where the Republican crack fits in (ignorance maybe)...
Better think about some famous Democrats before you start sling mud a Republicans. Ted Kennedy comes to mind...

"faith_in_w...

no its the type of Depravity Republicans have a proven track record with...."

[yankeerebel7]

Trying to make this a political issue is just sad and why the country''s so divided.

[rowdywicca]

hungry1968..

you left out that tranplanted ohioan,

singin something or onother i cant recall!!

Posted by midland666 at 09:11 AM : Jun 23, 2008





And RowdyWicca.


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Posted by hungry1968 at 09:18 AM : Jun 23, 2008

Aren''t you cute...a dipwad sitting there sucking up Obama''s lies and promoting him as the new Jesus Christ!

Shame isn''t it, one of the biggest states in the country is not going to buy Obama''s KRAP! Along with many more.

[rafterman1]

===will stand with the Muslims should the political winds shift in an ugly direction===
Posted by maxify55

Nice take out of context there. Fortunately, I have the whole quote form the book:

"Of course, not all my conversations in immigrant communities follow this easy pattern. In the wake of 9/11, my meetings with Arab and Pakistani Americans, for example, have a more urgent quality, for the stories of detentions and FBI questioning and hard stares from neighbors have shaken their sense of security and belonging. They have been reminded that the history of immigration in this country has a dark underbelly; they need specific reassurances that their citizenship really means something, that America has learned the right lessons from the Japanese internments during World War II, and that I will stand with them should the political winds shift in an ugly direction."

Obama clearly means that if things get as bad for Muslims like it did for the Japanese during WWII, with illegal detentions and such, he would stand with them. Really, a rather pathetic attempt at fear mongering about Obama there.

[johnsole1]

As usual, in a story like this, there is a relative involved. This time, it was a parent. "In all, six adults have been charged in connection with the case, including a parent of the three siblings involved." And, of course Mrs. Cantrell says her husband is innocent. The person most likely to harm a child is a relative, live-in, or caregiver. People always say "he/she didn''t look like a child molester", well, look to your right or left at work or at home or in the mirror and you will see what a molester looks like. You cannot be so naive to think this does not happen everywhere in the United States, North and South, Christian and non, Republican and Democrat.

[mandylou4u]

I feel so sorry for the kids. Hopefully they were young enough when it happened, they won''t remember much. Too much therapy can hurt too. Re-hashing isn''t good for everybody.

[carlylaine]

faith_in_w

You and your ilk is the reason why most people despise Xtians. You''re so effing narrow-minded and stupid.

[superdem]

maxify55 - you are really sick if you think any liberal condones the crimes in this story. You are even sicker if you think any liberal supports bestiality or the destruction of heterosexual families. What liberals DO support is equal rights for law-biding citizens who fall outside the strict confines of right-wing perception, and that''s not OUR idea, it''s in the Constitution of the United States, and it''s also in the pledge of Allegience, which mentions liberty and justice for ALL. Not just all whites, all straights, all Christians, all males, all Republicans, but ALL. If you don''t mean it, don''t say it. ALSO - no liberal support high gas prices, those are the result of your unregulated oil companies, who support Republicans in exchange for the right to rape the public. You could understand this, if you could get the hate out of you mind long enough to use logic. Liberals LOVE logic.

[ianlou]

She said "Kiss me where it smells" so I took her to Texas.

[vnveteran72]

Here here....we''''ll have no mention of the Kennedy Chappaquiddick incident or Slick Willy''''s little blue dresses, either. Don''''t bring up dirty laundry when we''''re busy here bashing Republicans.


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Posted by maxify55 at 09:49 AM : Jun 23, 2008
+ report abuse

No need for "Bashing" when the Republiclowns do such a great job of showing what complete and utter Contemptable Scumbags they really are......

[mjm117]

Mineola, about 80 miles east of Dallas, is a close-knit, conservative bean-processing town of with more than 30 churches. Residents there want to put the scandal behind them as quickly as possible.

[faith_in_w]

CarlyLaine, you can call me names here but not in the afterlife. I''ll be with Jesus then while you are in the sub-basement.

[mjm117]

CarlyLaine, you can call me names here but not in the afterlife. I''''ll be with Jesus then while you are in the sub-basement.


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I''ve seen your posts...by your own books standards...you''re going to have a heckuva time getting past those pearly gates should they actually exist.

To these children, I hope you recover without much pain. I''m sorry that these people you trusted and looked up to spat on you in such a terrible way.

[mjm117]

Below comment directed at

Posted by faith_in_w at 10:24 AM : Jun 23, 2008

[zendigity]

maxify55 - Thanks for taking that step to prove yourself an ignorant biggot with more fear than understanding.

[xraytwonine]

"Mineola, about 80 miles east of Dallas, is a close-knit, conservative bean-processing town of with more than 30 churches. Residents there want to put the scandal behind them as quickly as possible."

face the music, it''s probably happening everywhere in America/ the world... we need vigilantes

[carlylaine]

faith_in_w:

You have many religious issues and honey you are most certainly narrow-minded...how dare you judge me. Most Xtians I have ever met are like you and I choose not to believe the lies you guys use to get money, get people trapped by their fears, and end up not living a life because of a silly fears.

[mjm117]

face the music, it''''s probably happening everywhere in America/ the world... we need vigilantes


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Posted by xraytwonine at 10:47 AM : Jun 23, 2008


I sure hope it isn''t...

[mjm117]

Praise f.u.cking Jesus!! Can I git an RMEN!!!


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Posted by usmcvn2 at 10:50 AM : Jun 23, 2008


Not a christian here, but your approach isn''t necessarily appropiate. Makes you no better then faith_in_w.

[acolton1]

Patrick Kelly & Jamie Pittman and Shauntel Mayo all need to have the death penality. These are very sick disgusting people for doing this to kids.

I am very open minded but when it comes to messing around with Kids that is where I draw the line.

[usmcvn2]

Not a christian here, but your approach isn''''t necessarily appropiate. Makes you no better then faith_in_w.


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Posted by mjm117 at 10:51 AM : Jun 23, 2008


Don''t comment on comments ***. You post your thoughts, I''ll post mind.

Go back to the mensrooms neocon freak.

[zendigity]

This type of depravity happens when people fall away from the path of Christ - Posted by faith_in_w

Actually, this type of depravity tends to happen as a result of repression in the supposed name of Christ, but whatever...you can''t teach truth to ignorant folk living their lives in fear of a world they''ve convinced themselves is evil.

That''s is how people become controlled.

[lochlan-2009]

"were trained to perform in front of an audience of 50 to 100 once a week has been vacant since the landlord ousted the alleged organizers in 2004."

"Residents there want to put the scandal behind them as quickly as possible."

Sounds to me like there was a good amount of residents in the audience who would like to "put the scandal behind them". Dumbing down America really took it''s toll on this state.

[mjm117]

Don''''t comment on comments ***. You post your thoughts, I''''ll post mind.

Go back to the mensrooms neocon freak.


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Posted by usmcvn2 at 10:54 AM : Jun 23, 2008


You just posted on my comment...what kind of example are you setting. Honestly, I agreed with most of your post...just didn''t find it necessary to finish it the way you did. It''s cool man, you showed your brain power ability. Go back to your cave

[mjm117]

Go back to the mensrooms neocon freak.


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Posted by usmcvn2 at 10:54 AM : Jun 23, 2008


By the way, I''m liberal. Far from a neocon

[zendigity]

I''''ll be with Jesus then while you are in the sub-basement. Posted by faith_in_w

Typical judgmental person certain in their righteousness...but certainty is the abscence of faith; hate to tell you but you''re preaching nothing more than blasphemy.

Way to kill your God there worshipper...LOL