Report: Scott Ritter arrested in another sex sting: Former chief U.N. weapons inspector accused of exposing himself to 'teen'
Report Chelsea Schilling has the disturbing details:
Scott Ritter of Delmar, N.Y., who served as chief U.N. weapons inspector in Iraq from 1991-98 and stated that President Bush should be impeached for his Iraq policy, is accused of having sexual conversations and performing sexual acts on a Web camera in front of a police officer posing as a 15-year-old girl.
As WND reported, Ritter was also arrested in 2001 and charged with attempting to meet an under-aged girl for a sexual encounter. New York media coverage indicated Ritter sought to have underage girls watch him have sex with himself in public places. The arrest record was sealed and the case reportedly dismissed.
This time around, Barrett Township police officer Ryan Venneman posed as 15-year-old "Emily" in an online chat room. A person with the screen name "Delmarm4fun" contacted "Emily," explaining that he was a 44-year-old man from Albany, the Pocono Record reported.
According to the police affidavit, "Delmarm4fun" was later identified as Ritter.
Ritter asked "Emily" for a photograph and sent the police officer a link to his Web camera so he could film himself during a sexual act. He provided "Emily" with his cell phone number and asked again how old she was. When "Emily" responded, Ritter turned off the camera. He claimed he didn't realize she was 15 and said he didn't want to get in trouble.
Initially, media coverage of Ritter's latest run-in with the law has been limited to local outlets around Albany, New York, not far from where he lives. And, interestingly enough, it took months for the latest charges to surface. Ritter's conversation with under-cover officers took place almost a year ago; police later obtained court orders to obtain his cell phone and computer records.
The matter entered the courts system last month, when the former U.N. weapons inspector waived his right to a preliminary hearing last month. According to WND, Ritter is currrently free on $25,000 unsecured bail. His next court appearance will be on 23 February.
When Ritter was previously arrested in 2001, he claimed the charges were part of a smear campaign against him because of his criticism of U.S. policy in the Middle East. But for someone supposedly being smeared, Ritter received extremely favorable treatment. Not only were the charges dismissed (and his record sealed), but the case was apparently so "secret" that the lead local prosecutor was unaware of the matter.
Something tells us that local authorities may be less forgiving this time around. As for the MSM, The New York Daily News has picked up the story, along with The New York Post, The BBC and even the Huffington Post. However, the "paper of record," The New York Times, shows no interest in the case. Ditto for the broadcast networks and the Washington Post. Incidentally, local prosecutors in Monroe County held a press conference on Ritter's latest arrest this afternoon. Maybe that will spur the NYT into action. Then again, maybe not.
