WEDNESDAY - Monroe County Tennessee News, Monroe County ...

Page 16 - The BUZZ
U.S. Secretary of Defense
Leon Panetta announced
on Tuesday that
intelligence sources had
seen no new aggressive
steps to lead the country
to believe Syria was
preparing to use chemical
weapons. The monitoring
of two dozen bases believed
to have such
weapons stored would
continue, Panetta said.
At the same time, the
U.S. recognized the Syrian
Opposition Council on
Tuesday in a diplomatic
move that senators and
representatives said would
help pave the way for a
new Syrian government.
The United Kingdom and
France had already recognized
the SOS and begun
providing financial assistance.
Lawmakers in Washington
on Tuesday expressed
doubt and
uncertainty over the
Obama administration’s
plan to send 20 F-16
fighter jets to Egypt,
which already had over
200 of the planes delivered
when former President
Hosni Mubarek was
in power. The gift would
cost the United States $213
million and has been raising
questions about the allegiance
of current
President Mohammed
Morsi.
Doctors in Cuba began
operating on Venezuelan
President Hugo Chavez
on Tuesday, following a
reappearance of cancer
despite a year and a half of
surgeries and treatments.
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Information Minister
Ernesto Villegas, said
Chavez had “absolute confidence”
that he would
overcome the disease after
three previous operations.
Earth got a close shave
on Tuesday, as a newfound
asteroid zipped between it
and the Moon just two
days after astronomers
found it. Asteroid 2012
XE54 was 120 feet wide
and came within 140,000
miles of the planet and
being an “orbiting asteroid”
was figured to come
back around and pass by
again in less than three
years.
And worldwide, this
week will be the annual celestial
treat for stargazers
as the bright meteor
shower, the Geminids, will
grace the heavens, with
peak activity coming on
Thursday. One needs no
binoculars or a telescope,
but bare eyes. Wait until
the moon sets and around
10 p.m. the meteors will
come out to play: as many
as 100 to 150 per hour.
Find a dark area, let your
eyes adjust, and watch the
“shooting stars” light a
path across the sky.
Ledford
(Continued from pg 11)
contributing to the delinquency
of a minor and
criminal trespassing – and
had been caught “sneaking
around” with a 16-year-old
female. Koffman said
Ledford told her he “loved
to make videos” and
“loved children.”
Watson testified he
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found video tapes showing
Ledford performing sex
acts on an 18-month-old
child and another child
two- to three-years old,
acts so deviant that there
would be no way to describe
them in print. In
one, Watson says Ledford
finishes and replaces the
child’s diaper.
Another tape, Watson
said, showed two pre-teen
girls having sexual relations
with Ledford, first
one and then the other.
Watson placed videos
made by Ledford at the
TMG swimming pool, at
cheerleader activities, and
other places, the cameras
pointed at underage females
in partial dress and
undress.
When asked by prosecutor
Paul Rush if Ledford
appeared in the videos
aroused, Watson said yes.
One of victims’ moth-
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ers told Reedy she was
“upset, very upset.”
“She was my baby,” the
mother said, “and I want
him punished to the
fullest extent.” She said
her daughter had received
“extensive counseling.”
“He raped my baby,”
she said. “I’m scared of
him.”
Rush, too, urged maximum
punishment.
Shahan called Ledford’s
crime “heinous,” but said
the crimes were not all
that uncommon.
“I just ask you to apply
the law,” he said, “nothing
more.”
Reedy disagreed, telling
Shahan the crimes were
indeed uncommon, and
with that, she pronounced
sentence.
“Rape of a child, 25
years,” she said. “Rape of
a child, 25 years. Aggravated
sexual battery, 12
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years. Aggravated sexual
battery, 12 years. Sexual
exploitation of a minor, six
years.”
For child abuse, Reedy
sentenced Ledford to four
years.
“The two rape convictions
will be served consecutively
and so will the
aggravated sexual battery
convictions,” Reedy said,
“but the first two will be
concurrent with the second
two. The fifth – sexual
exploitation – will be
served consecutively, but
the child abuse will be
concurrent, for a total of
84 years, but an effective
56 years.”
Reedy said Ledford
would serve the rape
counts at 100 percent.
Ledford will be at least
96 years old when he gets
his first opportunity for
release.
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