Bernie Ward and "Sexfairy"

Sometimes, you just have to go on a hunch. When the Department of Justice announced the indictment against Bernie Ward for child pornography in December, they issued a news release. At the time, a line at the bottom caught our attention: “… with the assistance of the Oakdale, Calif., Police Department.” We called the police in December and got confirmation the case started with a complaint from the town outside Modesto. Fast forward to last week – I decided to head to Oakdale and see what I could find. Who was the woman who filed the complaint?

Stopped at a diner, hit City Hall and the police department, spoke to some officers, and filed a California Public Records Act request for the police report. I didn’t really expect to get anything. Well, after consulting with the FBI, the Oakdale police did provide the report, and it was a disturbing 23 pages to read – disturbing in many ways. First, the detail and the variation of what Bernie Ward apparently told the woman from Oakdale, who used the screen name “Sexfairy”. Second, this is a man I know. I’ve appeared on Ward’s program to discuss other I-Team investigations. Now, I was investigating him.

Our legal analyst Dean Johnson says today’s revelations knock down Ward’s claim that he was researching a book. I remembered what an FBI agent told me a few weeks ago – he worked child pornography for years. He said that’s the second most common excuse a person uses when caught with child porn – “I was doing research.” The number one excuse? “That’s not mine” or “I didn’t know it was there.”

I’ve been exchanging e-mails with Ward the past couple weeks, trying to get him to tell his side of the story. He’s been very responsive – we’ve had several exchanges. And, I pressed the point today. But, he decided to go with the advice of his attorneys and declined to be interviewed on the record.

Bernie has been blogging periodically in an effort to get support for his case. You can see his site here.

Comments

[Jim Showalter]

Did we really need to know any of this? Sounds like somebody is trying to satisfy their prurient interest.

[JC]

I did need to know. I feel like I knew Bernie and I have had a lot of questions about what is going on. I believed he was a man of character but these reports really tell the story. If you research a book on anything you don't go commit the crime to investigate it, you use the information already gathered by investigators. I was really holding out hope, but I trust Dan Noyes (there I go basing my decisions on character again) and I have to believe there's more to this story that isn't going to be good news. I am deeply saddened for Bernie's family - and his extended family - and all of us who believed in him.

[Merle]

I know this is not what Bernie wanted for all of us certainly not how he wanted us to think and feel about him. He is probably mortified, completely mortified. God bless you, Bernie.

[janet joslin]

I know from personal experience that the news media and the police can present things so that the truth is not obvious. WE are only seeing one side of this, and until all of the truth is presented you cannot make a decision on someone's guilt or innocence. Bernie is innocent until proved guilty. Unfortunatly we are a gullable society that believes what we see on the news!!!!

[Kelly O'Hara]

Like most KGO listeners, I have followed Bernie for years. I have not always agreed with him, but I admired his support for the homeless and folks less fortunate.

It would be easy to blame the I-Team and news media in general but it is difficult to overlook the facts of the indictment.

What research requires the e-mailing of child porn?

Sexfairy in Oakdale? Did Bernie even know who he talking with?

Sometimes good people can do nasty, egregious things.

For us in the Bay Area it may be easier to accept if Michael Savage was indicted not Bernie Ward. I suspect this must be very difficult for Channel 7 News Team as well.

[Mike Saunders]

Blah...blah...blah...blah.

COPS OUT OF THE BEDROOMS! It's that simple.

[Charlie]

"Cops out of the bedrooms?" Even if CHILD PORN is involved? If you really feel that way my friend then some cop should be looking in YOUR bedroom!

[dmh]

Oh so sorry for Wards family. How embarassing for them. No symphaty for Bernie. He's always been obnoxious kind of guy. Its the best thing that could have happened for KGO radio to rid themselves of the mouth.

Question is -- Could this be the reason Bernie is no longer a Franciscan priest? Did they also push him out for a reason?
My oh my good ole Bernie!

Sorry JC, God already blessed Bernie and pushed him out.....

[CrystalHasAnOpinion]

To be honest with you guys, if I take a look at a picture of Bernie Ward, not knowing anything about him or his personality, I would suspect him of being someone capable of doing these nasty things. This is just by looking at a picture of him, and my co-workers agree with me.

[Raymond]

The woman sounds like the fishy one hear. By all accounts this was Bernie's firs time. What if the woman WAS Bernie's research? She's onlilne as a dominatrix, but WHO is she? A pillar of the community? A Bush morals supporter? Maybe Ward was trying to expose her as a hypocrite or something and she got wind and turned him in first. We don't know anything until the trial. And these weren't HIS pictures, they were downloanded. He got them to send to her, why? Because she asked it seems if you read the transcript. Why did she ask someone to commit a crime? Isn't that solicitation of some kind? Entrapment? And she did the right time THIS TIME....but what about HER computer? Has it been seized? How many pictures has SHE received? Did she archive them BEFORE calling police on a CD or something...come on....something smells very, very wrong here. Republican Federal Prosecutor Goes AFter prominent liberal talk show host in an election year on four year old evidence supplied by a woman that poses as an online dominatrix. Do I have this right? And one or two pictures went through Wards account, and the teenagers were in "sexually suggestive" poses. So were two mannequins in a mall during Christmas at Victoria's Secret and they were taken down...come on...be real people. This stinks to high heaven. Maybe Ward was stupid to try and set someone up (which it appears he was doing) and then got setup himself, but come on. Before dissecting him, let's see the source of this report, her computer, and let's see the photos. Yup. We're adults. Let us decide how "horrible" they were. Oh wait, you can't, the Bush administration won't let you even in a trial or news story, illegal to posses, view or traffic. We've been warned.

[Child Advocate]

Ward or his children need to removed from his household, IMMEDIATELY! They are at risk. This man is a very sick and dangerous creep.

[fredthefed]

jantjoslin, lol....typical mushhead comment....yeah, Michael Savage is the BAD GUY, Michael Savage is the BAD GUY, Michael Savage is the BAD GUY, right, keep telling yourself that....too bad your phony on the left turns out to be the REAL bad guy

[evan lewis]

Expose this mamsar

[JustBustedMyNut]

Michael Savage for president! He is the only one that gives America hope for a better future. The only people that talk s*** about him are the people that have never seriously listened to him.

[DeathToKittyPronPeeps]

All people that trade, sell, make, show, create child pornography and abuse should have the choice of either castration or death. Bernie, make your choice.

[latenitedrydrunk]

I know the police and news media try to twist things. Maybe we need to "understand" bernie boy. After all, he was doing it for the "child'ren".

[Hugh]

People who use and destroy children for their sexual pleasure deserve the most prolonged gruesome and horrible deaths humanly imaginable to send them off to their eternity in God's wrath.

I curse Bernie.

[Tom Venegas]

This does not surprise me in the least. Bernie is typical of certain religious hypocritic thought and pedophile behavior. Everyone that is defending him based on his radio persona should stop to think how many times they have heard the same reasoning and defense that pedophiles use. I'm sure this is his first time he's done this too !!!

[I'm-schocked!-shocked!]

I never realized "research" involved dominatrices, group sex and kiddie porn.

I guess I learn something everyday. Micky Luckoff still wants Pornie Ward back on the show?

Laughing at the Lyin' of the Left but feeling sorry for his family.

[John]

Couldn't have happened to a better guy!

[George Michael]

I *almost* feel sorry for Bernie. But I've heard his hateful bile on the radio many times until I could no longer stomach hearing his voice. This does not really surprise me as some of the things I heard him say on his show led me to believe he was rather a sick individual. Always wondered why he left the priesthood. Was he invited to leave?
Bernie Ward would have fit in perfectly well at Air America and probably will end up there sometime in the future as KGO has fired him and his name is MUDD over there. Besides, now they have a swishy, lisping gay man named after cheap dinnerware to take his place. KGO has moved on. BW will soon move on to. TO the penitentiary.

[Nick C.]

Doing it for the children, or TO the children?

[mrJAXX]

i am so very happy to see the downfall of bolshevik bernie. i will admit i do admire his keen intellect, and i was always all ears when he would go deep into the bush & co. (jewlobby) iraq war conspiracy (it would be a good thing for someone to archive many of those iraq shows since in my view this was bolshevik bernie at his finest) but i am so very gleeful to see him crash and burn like this --even if it is sort of like kiddie tattle tailing--the haughty pompous smug extreme leftist with a voice that sounded like someone fresh off the latest berkeley street rent-a-mob protest parade is no more. would not surprise me if he were to follow duane garrett's end (jump golden gate bridge)

[MikeM]

Amazing those that would forgive a perv like this.
San Francisco lifestyle for all to see. Not so much this particular type of immorality but the forgiveness of this and similar debouchery.
Burn you perv and anyone blaming the female here should rethink their stance. Remember she cared about the kids. He did not.
BTW, wasn't this azz clown an aide to Babs Boxer? LOL

[Kaiser]

Maybe Bernie is getting his just rewards? You know what convicts do to child molesters? Show a little mercy on the man. Let him speak.