Shaniya's law prohibits selling children to others

Published: 08:40 PM, Wed Jul 24, 2013
By Caitlin Dineen
Staff writer

A Hope Mills man accused last week of trying to buy an autistic child off Craigslist for sex becomes the first person charged under a state statute referred to by some as "Shaniya's law."

The law, which took effect Dec. 1, prohibits payment of any type "in connection with the unlawful acquisition or transfer of the physical custody of a minor, except as ordered by the court."

Cumberland County District Attorney Billy West said the law stems from the actions of Mario McNeill, who was sentenced to death in May for murdering 5-year-old Shaniya Davis in 2009. Authorities say Shaniya's mother, Antoinette Davis, handed her daughter over to McNeill to settle a drug debt. A trial date for Davis has been set for Oct. 14.

Shaniya's law was used Friday to charge William Jerry Faulkner, manager at Taylor's Linden Mini Storage in Linden, with soliciting someone to sell him an autistic child for inappropriate sexual behavior.

Debbie Tanna, spokeswoman for the Cumberland County Sheriff's Office, said deputies were alerted to the Craigslist ad and arranged a meeting after several weeks of talking online to Faulkner, 47, of the 3800 block of Red Oak Drive in Hope Mills. The investigation began July 2, Tanna said.

Faulkner remains in the Cumberland County Detention Center on $75,000 bail.

Faulkner's neighbors said Wednesday they did not interact with him much. They said they used to wave to him but stopped because he never acknowledged them. Faulkner's home is on a dead-end section of Red Oak Drive, off Crystal Springs Road near the Hope Mills-Fayetteville line. Six homes are on his section of the street.

West said he had not heard the term "Shaniya's law" until Faulkner had been charged. Tanna said local law enforcement officials and some legislators call it that. The law was sponsored by former Sen. Robert Atwater, a Democrat from Durham.

"The law appears to be a reaction to the type of situations that were alleged" in Shaniya's case, West said.

West said laws regarding human trafficking of a minor address the transportation and holding of someone against their will and sexual servitude, but they do not address the sale or purchase of a juvenile.

The combination of the human trafficking laws and Shaniya's law now better regulate all aspects of human trafficking, West said.

"I knew that sex trafficking and punishment for sex trafficking is something a lot of state legislatures had been looking at," West said.

People convicted under Shaniya's law are guilty of a class F felony and subject to a minimum fine of $5,000. Subsequent convictions carry a $10,000 fine. The law allows the courts to require offenders to register as sex offenders.

Jennifer Fisher, an instructor at the N.C. Justice Academy, said Shaniya's case also marked the first time someone has been convicted of human trafficking in North Carolina.

McNeill and Shaniya's mother were both charged with human trafficking, as well as many other offenses.

Fisher, who teaches law officers how to identify potential victims of human trafficking, said Shaniya's case sets precedent and empowers law enforcement to file charges that can carry harsher penalties.

State law regarding human trafficking of a minor is a class C felony punishable by a minimum sentence of three years and 10 months and a maximum of 15 years and two months.

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Posted: July 19
Updated: July 20

Accused man is father of disabled child
WRAL.com archive: Shaniya Davis case

HOPE MILLS, N.C. — A former military intelligence officer was arrested on Friday afternoon and charged with trying to meet a child with autism so they could have sex, Cumberland County authorities said.

William Jerry Faulkner Jr., 47, of 3872 Red Oak Drive in Hope Mills, was arrested at a Linden convenience store near a mini-storage facility that he manages.

"He was expecting a handicapped child in a car with their mother," said Debbie Tanna, a spokeswoman for the Cumberland County Sheriff's Office. Instead, he was met by two deputies.

Tanna said investigators were tipped off to an advertisement on Craigslist seeking a single mother with custody of a special-needs child. The poster offered to pay the woman, up to thousands of dollars, in exchange for turning the child over, authorities said.

Undercover deputies set up the meeting which led to Friday's arrest.

"It is a very sad day in Cumberland County when we are hurting any of our children, but especially our handicapped children," Tanna said. She said the suspect might have targeted a victim who would be less likely to report his crime.

"He knew they were not of sound mind and body to be able to speak for themselves in a court of law or to defend themselves against him or an attack," she said.

Faulkner is the father of a disabled child, authorities said, and a sticker on the front door of his Hope Mills home indicates a child with autism lives there but doesn't respond to verbal directions.

The Cumberland County Sheriff's Office said Faulkner is the first person to be charged under a 2012 state law enacted in the wake of Shaniya Davis' death.

The 5-year-old Fayetteville girl was allegedly traded to pay off a drug debt and was raped and killed by Mario Andrette McNeill in November 2008. He was convicted in May and is now on death row. Shaniya's mother will be tried this fall for her role in the case.

The state law makes the unlawful sale, surrender or purchase of a minor a Class F felony.

Faulkner, who will make a court appearance Monday at 2:30 p.m., also was charged with taking indecent liberties with a child. He was in the Cumberland County jail Saturday under a $75,000 bond.

Authorities said they don't know if he's ever actually obtained a child for sex, but that there are indications he may have made similar solicitations in the past.

"This guy had done a lot of his homework," Tanna said.

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Wrapitup wrote:Posted: July 19
Updated: July 20

Accused man is father of disabled child
WRAL.com archive: Shaniya Davis case

HOPE MILLS, N.C. — A former military intelligence officer was arrested on Friday afternoon and charged with trying to meet a child with autism so they could have sex, Cumberland County authorities said.

William Jerry Faulkner Jr., 47, of 3872 Red Oak Drive in Hope Mills, was arrested at a Linden convenience store near a mini-storage facility that he manages.

"He was expecting a handicapped child in a car with their mother," said Debbie Tanna, a spokeswoman for the Cumberland County Sheriff's Office. Instead, he was met by two deputies.

Tanna said investigators were tipped off to an advertisement on Craigslist seeking a single mother with custody of a special-needs child. The poster offered to pay the woman, up to thousands of dollars, in exchange for turning the child over, authorities said.

Undercover deputies set up the meeting which led to Friday's arrest.

"It is a very sad day in Cumberland County when we are hurting any of our children, but especially our handicapped children," Tanna said. She said the suspect might have targeted a victim who would be less likely to report his crime.

"He knew they were not of sound mind and body to be able to speak for themselves in a court of law or to defend themselves against him or an attack," she said.

Faulkner is the father of a disabled child, authorities said, and a sticker on the front door of his Hope Mills home indicates a child with autism lives there but doesn't respond to verbal directions.

The Cumberland County Sheriff's Office said Faulkner is the first person to be charged under a 2012 state law enacted in the wake of Shaniya Davis' death.

The 5-year-old Fayetteville girl was allegedly traded to pay off a drug debt and was raped and killed by Mario Andrette McNeill in November 2008. He was convicted in May and is now on death row. Shaniya's mother will be tried this fall for her role in the case.

The state law makes the unlawful sale, surrender or purchase of a minor a Class F felony.

Faulkner, who will make a court appearance Monday at 2:30 p.m., also was charged with taking indecent liberties with a child. He was in the Cumberland County jail Saturday under a $75,000 bond.

Authorities said they don't know if he's ever actually obtained a child for sex, but that there are indications he may have made similar solicitations in the past.

"This guy had done a lot of his homework," Tanna said.

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An autistic child of his own? That's just as disturbing as hearing that he's trying to buy one. What atrocities has this child been through? I'm screaming CPS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

EXACTLY!! And, Where is the mother???

OMG what a sicko!!!!!!!!!!!

Police: Hope Mills veteran used Craigslist to set up sex with autistic child
Posted: Jul 19, 2013 2:42 PM EDT
Updated: Jul 20, 2013 11:08 AM EDT
by WNCN Staff

William Jerry Faulkner, Jr., 47, of Red Oak Drive in Hope Mills was taken in to custody around 1:30 p.m. Friday.

Faulkner had been communicating with Sheriff's Office detectives for the past several weeks, who were investigating the matter.

HOPE MILLS, N.C. -
Cumberland County Sheriff's Detectives have arrested a local businessman and charged him with attempting to arrange a meeting, for the purpose of having sex, with an autistic child.

William Jerry Faulkner, Jr., 47, of Red Oak Drive in Hope Mills was taken in to custody around 1:30 p.m. Friday. Faulkner is the manager of Taylor's Linden Mini-Storage in the town of Linden and is a retired military intelligence soldier, authorities said.

An investigation, which began on July 2, uncovered an illegal posting on Craigslist.com advertising for a single mother, who had a special needs person in their custody, to take the child to him in exchange for compensation. Faulkner intended to engage his victim in inappropriate sexual behavior.

In fact, Faulkner had been communicating with Sheriff's Office detectives for the past several weeks, who were investigating the matter.

"We're trained to find people like this," said Debbie Tanna of the Cumberland County Sheriff's Office. "It took us a while, but we got him just outside Linden."

Tanna said said a mother found Faulkner's listing on Craigslist and reported it to the Sheriff's Office. In that listing, Faulkner was soliciting for a parent willing to take money in exchange for a child he could have sex with.

"It disgusts me. It's just repulsive," said Julia Jones, neighbor of Faulkner. "To know that we have all these kids around here and he's been going undetected, i hope they never let him out," she said.

The Sheriff's Office set up a meeting for Friday at a location in northern Cumberland County and arrested Faulkner.

Authorities said he has a wife and child, both of whom are handicapped.

Faulkner is the first in North Carolina to be charged under the new "Shaniya's Law," the unlawful sale, surrender, or purchase of a minor, the Sheriff's Office said. He is also faces charges of indecent liberties with a child. The law is based on 5-year-old Shaniya Davis, who police said was given away to pay a drug debt in 2009 and later killed.

"This law clearly states that the state of North Carolina is not going to tolerate our children being traded for favors," Tanna said.

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