Story last updated at 3:36 p.m. Wednesday, July 23, 2003
HIV status not yet certain
No additional victims have come forward
By DARLA McFARLAND
The Examiner The HIV status of two men accused of sexually abusing an adolescent boy is still undetermined four days after one of he men told investigators they were infected and that the pair abused as many as 25 boys.
"It is our intention to get the tests done as soon as possible," said Independence police Detective Carl Perry. "We will probably have to seek that through the prosecutor's office."
Perry did not know when an HIV test would be performed or how long it might take to get results. The only identified victim, a 13-year-old Kansas City boy, has been tested for the virus at a local hospital. The results are not yet available, Perry said.
Thomas Luce, 46, of Independence, and Juan Chester, 39, of Kansas City, are charged with statutory sodomy of the 13-year-old. Both are being held in Jackson County jail on $250,000 bond.
During interviews with police, Chester allegedly admitted abusing the victim and told police that he and Luce had sexual contact with 25 other boys in the metro area. Chester also said he and Luce were both HIV positive and taking virus suppressant medication.
Police found the two men and the victim at Luce's Independence apartment in the 1100 block of South Brookside on Sunday. The boy's mother directed the police there after a friend of her son's retrieved Luce's phone number from a caller ID.
A search of the home uncovered a stash of pornography and literature from a group called NAMBLA, or the North American Man/Boy Love Association, which promotes sexual relations between adults and children.
Police found no HIV medications during the search of Luce's apartment, Perry said. Investigators also found no photos, names or phone numbers leading to other potential victims. Authorities are urging anyone that may have had sexual contact with the defendants to come forward.
"Even if they don't come and talk to us, which we hope they will, certainly we encourage them to see a doctor," Perry said.
As of this morning, no additional victims have come forward. The investigations unit can be reached at (816) 325-7330.
Police said Luce and Chester used telephone chat lines to contact victims. The phone lines are generally billed as single adult connections and are advertised in newspapers and magazines. The lines are sometimes visited by children.
"It works pretty much like an Internet chat room only on the phone," Perry said.
Cyrilla Bender, president of Independence-based Mothers Outraged at Molesters, or MOMs, said Tuesday she was saddened by the case.
"It is awful to think these predators may have exposed children to a deadly disease," Bender said. "We will be following the case closely."
The MOMs outreach education program encourages parents to be especially wary of the Internet where a vast majority of molesters contact victims. They encourage the use of software filters that block adult language and other inappropriate material.
"The most important thing, of course, is direct supervision. Parents should know who their children are communicating with," Bender said.
The group urges parents to check their computers Internet history to see what sites their children are visiting. Parents are also urged to check up on any new adult in their child's life, especially if there seems to be an unusual level of interest in the relationship or if the child seems to be sneaking or trying to conceal the contact.
"If you have doubts, a gut feeling that something isn't right, you should look closely," Bender said.
One resource available to the public is the county sex offender registry maintained by the Jackson County Sheriff's office. Under a Missouri bill passed earlier this month, the Missouri State Highway Patrol will begin posting a statewide registry on the Internet sometime in August.
To reach Darla McFarland, e-mail darlam@examiner.net or call her at (816) 350-6321.
http://www.examiner.net/stories/072303/new_072303006.shtml
. . . . Luce has been a registered sex offender since 1997. Independence officer Bill Pross said that status came from past instances in which Luce solicited young boys for sex.