Oprah hunts rapists and kid-fiddlers

Pompey · Oct 13, 2005, 03:54 AM

Quote:

(CBS) The queen of talk is taking on a new crusade, calling on her millions of viewers to help track down accused child molesters.

Oprah Winfrey told her audience, "It was as clear to me as if God himself spoke … that this is what I'm supposed to do, with your help, America."

And CBS News correspondent Cynthia Bowers reports that Winfrey got help right away.

Viewer Karie Miller and friend Jean Rosenthal recognized one of the suspects on Winfrey's show as the man living just upstairs from Miller and her three children in Fargo, N.D.

"I dropped my coffee," Miller said. "I said, 'No, no, that can't be him.' But, it's him. It's most definitely him. … I've been feeling very guilty that I let someone like that get close to my family, and get close to my children; that I ignored what was in my heart."

Less than 48 hours later, a second tip led to the capture of another of eight suspects Winfrey showed. Niles Scott was arrested in the Central American nation of Belize, where he'd fled from Ohio.

Winfrey says her campaign was triggered in part by her outrage over a recent case in Idaho in which Joseph Duncan, a convicted sex offender-out on bail, allegedly killed three people in order to abduct two children for sex.

Winfrey's other motivation is intensely personal, Bowers said — she went public long ago with claims that she was molested by family members.

"This is a full circle moment for me; for me to have been raped at 9 years old," Winfrey said.

With a net worth estimated at more than $1 billion, Winfrey is offering $100,000 of her own money as a reward for information leading to the arrest of any of the men on her list.

And, Bowers says, you can bet there are millions of housewives who are already playing the role of detective as a result of Winfrey's efforts.

Miller told The Early Show co-anchor Rene Syler Wednesday she had warned her daughter and kids not to ever be alone with Davis because "some feeling I had inside me said there's something wrong with this man. … I was never, ever comfortable and I warned my oldest (not to) ever be around him alone. If he asks you to be alone with him, come and let me know."

Miller's friend, Rosenthal, says she also felt uneasy about Davis, too.

"You know how some people are just too nice?" Rosenthal said. "It's like they're hiding something underneath. That's the way he was."

Miller adds: "The day I found out who he was, he followed me into my home as I was coming back from my sister's, and I knew (at that point) who he was. He didn't know I knew this. But he followed me back into my house, sat down on my couch, and we had lunch together as I was waiting for the FBI to come.

"I was scared to death. I thought, 'He's going to pick something up. He's gonna know. He's gonna know. Just stay calm, relax.' "

What if she and Rosenthal had been wrong about Davis?

"Oh, well, I made a mistake," Rosenthal said.

As for the rewards both picked up, Rosenthal said: "That's not the point. I'm just glad that a monster is off the streets. That's the main point. And children's lives will be saved now."

Added Miller, "If we can get more of them, wonderful."

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/...in936385.shtml

GO OPRAH!
I think using the media to hunt and capture wanted criminals is a great idea. Its nothing new but I for one welcome Oprahs contribution.

mkk · Oct 13, 2005, 05:51 AM

Yeah, yeah... Is there a consolation price for all the look-alikes that will be harassed or worse because of this? And how much of the cash rewards is covered by increased advertising revenues? Using TV to help find a few hard criminals that have been hard to find migth well be a good idea, but celebrities should hardly be the ones doing it.