independenceday

The article has been taken down. Didn't get to read it. Firefox can’t find the server at cavdef.hopto.org. 

Check the address for typing errors such as ww.example.com instead of www.example.com
If you are unable to load any pages, check your computer’s network connection.
If your computer or network is protected by a firewall or proxy, make sure that Firefox is permitted to access the Web.

votesarestolen

Are you sure about that? It still shows up for me, even when I'm logged out, and the link still works.

independenceday

Maybe it's my browser, this is what i'm getting:

Firefox can’t find the server at cavdef.hopto.org. 

Check the address for typing errors such as ww.example.com instead of www.example.com
If you are unable to load any pages, check your computer’s network connection.
If your computer or network is protected by a firewall or proxy, make sure that Firefox is permitted to access the Web.

votesarestolen

That's very weird. Maybe your DNS didn't properly update. Try replacing the cavdef.hopto.org part with the IP: 45.55.65.82.

independenceday

got this: http://45.55.65.82/wiki/index.php?title=Main_Page it's okay, read about it else where...glad it's working for everyone else.

votesarestolen

From the main page, you should be able to get to the "Valdosta sex ring allegations" page with the search bar.

independenceday

just tried again and it says "server not found" from my end.

survey_girl

I remember reading this: http://insider-magazine.org/Valdosta-Lemme.pdf last year

votesarestolen

Yeah, that Valdosta-Lemme.pdf article is one of my important sources in this CAVDEF wiki page. I had studied the case of Ray Lemme for a while, but had no idea about its link to sex trafficking until this April, when I found that article.

mrohm

John Couey. That's a name I haven't heard in a long, long time. I lived in Ocala at the time, but lived in Homosassa during my middle and high school years (89 to 96), and lived in surrounding areas after (Beverly Hills, Ocala).

I didn't know any of this before. Good God.

votesarestolen

So you didn't hear about any of the irregularities in the case when you lived there? I know Mark Lunsford getting caught with child porn on his computer has become a fairly big deal in some online circles, but the local media tried to suppress it and even pulled the original stories about it. Also, someone else from the area has told me that even back in 2005, there were initially whispers of an organized ring of pedophiles, not just Couey acting alone.

Joe10jo

No way!! I never heard that about the dad! Wow! Def watching the video now!

votesarestolen

There are two articles I've found confirming that Lunsford's computer had child porn, one of which was purged by the news outlet. This 2006 article in the Citrus County Chronicle mentions the finding, and how the defense was barred from introducing that evidence at trial. For some reason, the initial 2005 article was purged from the Chronicle website by 2007, though you can find copies if you search "State attorney says computer records don't warrant charges". It's quite apparent that the local media attempted to bury early indications that Couey didn't act alone.

mrohm

I didn't, but this was probably before I knew about Franklin and the rest.

I did hear that he'd allegedly been caught with child porn, but the issue was quickly dropped and I never heard about it again.

I did hear rumours that Couey had "friends," but never anything big.

There were apparently areas in Homosassa where the cops feared to go, and constant talk about incestuous families, kidnapping of the occasional black person, and guys openly wore Klan affiliated attire in the local Wal Mart. One I remember was in the wake of the Malcolm X movie, with the slogan, "You wear your X, I'll wear mine" featuring a rebel flag turned on its side to look like an X.

I didn't know Lunsford or anyone associated with him, but I did drop a dime or two on some former classmates of mine when the case happened, given the behaviour they exhibited.

votesarestolen

Thanks for offering your perspective on this case and the Homosassa area. Do you remember where those rumors of Couey having "friends" originated from? Were they based on anything solid, or did people just speculate that to be the case? Also, did those rumors include Couey and Lunsford knowing each other? (Sorry for peppering you with so many questions, but I've been trying to get proof of the early suspicions locals had about the case, so I'm glad to have a chance to talk to someone like you who was there.)

Joe10jo

@votesarestolen , speaking of what the locals know I'd love to know what the people in and around the Gosch's suspected about Johnnys disappearance.

mrohm

Unfortunately, I was dealing with a lot of emotional and mental problems at the time, so I can't offer specifics, just general "talk." My memory was shot then, and I mostly stayed home with my mother and we took care of each other until she passed.

I never heard anything about the two men knowing each other. The general sentiment that I remember is that Lunsford was a flawed, but loving father who was fighting for justice, nothing beyond that. There was the occasional allegation of physical (not sexual) abuse, but that was just what parents do.

I vaguely remember that Couey had Jessica alive for a few days at least, and perhaps he had some other sickos over, but I don't recall any sort allegations of a ring. He apparently was bragging about it in a bar, although it wasn't the "Klan bar" ("My Brother's Place") where the "X" shirt types would gather. It was a different bar.

I didn't live in Homosassa at the time, my mother and I lived in Ocala in 2005.

Homosassa, at least from what I remember, had a nice, gentrified "parents and retirees" area, and we grew up fairly safe, but there were definitely areas where people like Couey could exist and even flourish.

votesarestolen

Once again, thanks for sharing what you know about this story. I had never even heard of Couey bragging at a bar about abducting Jessica, so I'll definitely be researching that further.

mrohm

Not a problem. If I can help, let me know.

I also remember that he worked at an Emily's Restaurant, on Cardinal drive. I used to eat there, and so that stuck out in my mind, wondering if I had ever seen him.