Colleen Hauser Returns

Colleen Hauser was the subject of a massive law enforcement hunt. The FBI, ICE and Interpol were all on the lookout for the 40-year-old mother who had fled with her 13-year-old son, Daniel, who is suffering from Hodgkin’s lymphoma. She was trying to avoid a court-ordered chemotherapy treatment for his illness. She believed that he could be cured by alternative means.

Well, the hunt is over and Colleen Hauser has returned home voluntarily with her son. Daniel Hauser was "immediately checked over medically" when he and his mother arrived on a charter flight at 3 a.m., from California, Brown County Sheriff Rich Hoffmann said.

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The State vs Colleen Hauser

Colleen Hauser, 40, took her son Daniel Hauser, 13 - who is suffering from Hodgkin's lymphoma - and fled the state of Minnesota in defiance of a judge's order to have Daniel undergo chemotherapy.

Brown County District Judge John Rodenberg reacted by issuing an arrest warrant for Colleen Hauser and has ordered her son to be held in the custody of Brown County Family Services so that he may receive the chemotherapy.

The whereabouts of mother and son are unknown but they are believed to be heading towards Mexico in search of alternative treatment. The FBI, ICE and Interpol have joined the hunt and are on the lookout for the pair.

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The type of cancer that Daniel has - Hodgkin's lymphoma - is considered to be a highly curable in children (around 90%), if treated with chemotherapy and radiation. If left untreated doctor's say Daniel's chances drop to around 5%. They consider it critical that Daniel receives treatment as soon as possible.

"It would be hard to tell you that each day is vital, but I think with each week that passes, there is risk that is being added to him," said Dr. Joseph Neglia, head of pediatric oncology at the University of Minnesota Amplatz Children's Hospital.

The Hausers are Roman Catholic and also believe in the "do no harm" philosophy of the Nemenhah Band, a Missouri-based religious group that believes in natural healing methods advocated by some American Indians.

Colleen Hauser testified earlier that she had been treating his cancer with herbal supplements, vitamins, ionized water and other natural alternatives. Daniel's lymphoma was diagnosed in January, and six rounds of chemotherapy were recommended. He and his parents sought other opinions, but the doctors agreed with the initial assessment.

After going through one session of chemotherapy, Daniel and his parents testified that the chemotherapy made him sick, and that they feared it would ultimately kill him. Judge Rodenberg ordered the parents to have their son evaluated again. He wrote that he would not order chemotherapy if Daniel's prognosis was poor. But if the outlook was good, it appeared chemotherapy and possibly radiation would be in the boy's best interest.

The family was due in court Tuesday (5/19/09) to report the results of a chest X-ray and their arrangements for an oncologist. But only Daniel's father appeared. He told Rodenberg he last saw his wife Monday (5/18/09) evening.

"She said she was going to leave," Hauser testified. "She said, `That's all you need to know.' And that's all I know."

The family's doctor, James Joyce, testified by telephone that he examined Daniel on Monday, and an X-ray showed his tumor had grown to the size it was when he was first diagnosed. He said Daniel was at risk of substantial physical harm and needed immediate action.

"He had basically gotten back all the trouble he had in January," the doctor said.

Dr. Joyce testified that he offered to make appointments for Daniel with oncologists, but the Hausers declined. He also said he tried to give Daniel more information about lymphoma but that the three left in a rush.

Judge Rodenberg issued an arrest warrant Tuesday for Colleen Hauser and ruled her in contempt of court. Rodenberg also ordered that Daniel be placed in foster care and immediately evaluated by a cancer specialist for treatment.

State statutes require parents to provide necessary medical care for a child, Rodenberg wrote. The statutes say alternative and complementary health care methods aren't enough.

He also wrote that Daniel, who has a learning disability and cannot read, did not understand the risks and benefits of chemotherapy and didn't believe he was ill.

Daniel had earlier testified he believed the chemo would kill him and told the judge in private testimony unsealed later that if anyone tried to force him to take it, "I'd fight it. I'd punch them and I'd kick them."

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On Thursday, Anthony Hauser, pleaded for the return of his son. He asked his wife to do what's best for Danny.

"If you're out there, please bring Danny home so we can decide as a family what Danny's treatment should be," Anthony Hauser said in a brief statement to his wife, Colleen.

"I know you're scared," he said in his public plea Thursday. "I know that you left out of fear, maybe without thinking it all the way through. ... We sure can't do what's best for Danny with both of you on the run so please give me a call."

Phillip Landis, a leader in the organization, Nemenhah Band, joined Anthony Hauser in asking Colleen Hauser to return to Brown County with her son.

“Our counsel and our plea to Colleen is to come home,” Landis said in a news release. “There are better ways to handle this. Come home. Bring that boy home.”

When asked if Anthony Hauser’s public plea Thursday for his wife and son to return home had resulted in calls from Colleen, Sheriff’s Department Chief Deputy Jason Seidl said he couldn’t comment.

The sheriff's office in Brown County, Minn., issued a felony arrest warrant Thursday for Colleen Hauser. The warrant was for deprivation of parental rights, and an earlier arrest warrant was based on a contempt of court charge. Brown County Attorney James Olson said the parental rights belong to Brown County family services, which was granted custody of Daniel to get him to a pediatric oncologist.

"If she comes back today or tomorrow, I would dismiss it," Olson said of the charges. "The reason was not to punish her."

Brown County Sheriff Rich Hoffmann also promised Colleen Hauser that authorities "will not take an enforcement action if you have shown a good faith effort to come back." If convicted on the new charges, she faces up to two years in jail on each of two counts, plus fines. But authorities said they issued the new warrant mainly to ease her extradition if she is found in the United States.

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For a timeline of the Daniel Hauser story click here:

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Psychologist Pleads Guilty to Child Porn

Dr. Joseph Belanger, 61, of Jamestown, ND plead guilty in court to two charges of receiving materials involving the sexual exploitation of minors. When asked by U.S. District Court Judge Ralph Erickson if the allegations against him were true, he looked up at the judge and in a quiet deep voice replied: "Yes, Your Honor". With those three words Belanger became a convicted child sex offender. His sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 11.

Dr. Belanger is a former North Dakota State Hospital psychologist who had spent the past 20 years examining sex offenders and testified in court on whether the convicted sex offenders were dangerous and should be confined indefinitely for treatment. He was an expert witness in hundreds of cases. His arrest and conviction has led to reviews of cases in Iowa where he appeared as a witness. Officials have said North Dakota cases are unlikely to be affected because of a state law that required two expert witnesses in cases of sexually dangerous individuals.

Dr. Belanger's downfall began in 2006 when Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) started an investigation, "Operation Flicker", to find subscribers of child pornography Web sites that charge for subscriptions.

Belanger was identified through e-mail, telephone, computer and address records as a customer who purchased access to a “Desired Angels” site on Dec. 3, 2006, said Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Klemetsrud Puhl.

The purchase gave the Jamestown man access to 9,076 images and 119 videos of child pornography, she said.

Authorities obtained a search warrant and seized two laptops, a computer, five CDs and six Zip disks, according to the indictment. Child pornography was found on each of the items seized, including more than 200 videos, Klemetsrud Puhl said.

Dr. Bekanger was put on administrative leave and barred from the hospital grounds after he told his supervisor that Homeland Security officials had seized his home computer in search of child pornography.

Shortly afterwards, Dr. Belanger resigned from the hospital. In his resignation letter to the State Board of Psychologist Examiners, Belanger wrote that he suffered "horrific abuse" as a child and has been suicidal at times. He also detailed what he called his "compulsive viewing of pornography". He said he has been "frightened of the world and of women so (he) mostly used pornography as an outlet." He also stated in the letter that he tried to get his life back, aided by medication, and that he plans to get back into therapy. "I believe recovery is possible," he wrote.

Steven Light, Belanger's attorney, said afterward that "it's further evidence that this type of illness can strike anyone."

"Given the seriousness of his confession to us, we had to act immediately," said Alex Schweitzer, superintendent of the State Hospital in Jamestown. Belanger's resignation was accepted.

Sex Tourist John Armstrong Sentenced

John Dickens Armstrong, 51, a registered sex offender, found out the hard way that certain crimes perpetrated in foreign countries can and will be prosecuted in the U.S.

Armstrong was living in Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico when the Mexican police found him in the company of a 15-year-old El Paso girl. The teenager, a U.S. citizen, lived in Juarez with her grandmother at the time. She told the police that she had sex with Armstrong for money and crack cocaine. Upon further investigation it was discovered that Armstrong had solicited under-aged girls in a bar. He offered them $40 to have sex with him. He was also reported to have provided them with crack cocaine. Ciudad Juarez police officers arrested him for engaging in sexual conduct with underage girls.

When U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) learned of Armstrong's arrest they conducted their own investigation and obtained an arrest warrant for him. When Mexico deported him, I.C.E. was waiting for him at the border. He was taken into custody and charged with engaging in illicit sexual conduct in a foreign place, a federal offense.

A federal judge sentenced the 51-year-old man to more than nine years in prison (110 months) after he pleaded guilty to engaging in sexual activity with teenage girls in Juarez. In addition, Armstrong also received 10 years of supervised release after he's released from prison. He must also register as a sex offender for the rest of his life under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA). He was already a registered sex offender in Arizona for a 1978 rape conviction.

"So-called sex tourists such as Armstrong are in for a rude awakening," said Roberto G. Medina, special agent in charge of the ICE Office of Investigations in El Paso. "ICE and its law enforcement partners on both sides of the border are vigilant to this crime. Although we cannot restore innocence to those who sexual predators have exploited and abused, we make sure that justice is served on their behalf."