The Escape Pod

Protecting Our Kids: The real dangers of their digital world – Ep. 57

A 2nd grader sends nude photos to a stranger online. How? Why? Who or what could compel a child to do such a thing? It happens, and it happens far more often than most people realize, according to a forensic examiner and veteran member of the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force in South Dakota. Think she’s exaggerating? Consider this: The Internet Watch Foundation reported a 360% increase in “self-generated” sexual imagery of 7- to 10-year-olds from 2020 to 2022. 
As a parent, what you don’t know CAN hurt you, and – worse than that – it can hurt your kids. ICAC’s Hollie Strand joins the co-hosts in The Escape Pod this week for a tough but truthful conversation about the very real dangers children and teens face in the digital world and the steps parents can take to better prepare and protect the people they love. If you’re a parent, hope to be one in the future, or simply care about the health and well-being of children in your community, this is an episode you can’t skip. 
 
BE ADVISED: This episode contains extremely disturbing discussion about child sexual abuse materials and child exploitation. 
 
Bullet Points of Key Topics and Markers: 
Topic #1      4:23 Lessons learned from online shopping scams 
Topic #2      8:31 How Hollie got into the ICAC field 
Topic #3    16:53 Digital advertising explained 
Topic #4    33:35 The importance of supervising kids’ communication 
Topic #5    52:31 Hollie shares how she protects her own mental health in her job 
Topic #6 1:08:31 Lightening things up with talk of chickens, hair dye, and free time 
 
Resources & Links 
Gabb devices: https://gabb.com/ 
Bark: https://www.bark.us/learn/home/ 
https://www.weprotect.org/wp-content/uploads/Global-Threat-Assessment-2023-English.pdf 
 
 
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A Fateful Ride: The story of the Scottsboro Boys – Ep. 56

The Escape Pod observes Black History Month this February with a tale of true crime out of the Depression-era Deep South. Nine Black teenagers traveling by train found themselves caught in the middle of hate and lies, giving new meaning to the phrase “wrong time, wrong place.” Initially accused of assault for a rock-throwing fight, they instead spent years defending rape charges. Even after one accuser recanted, the accused couldn’t escape punishment. Travel back in time to learn their ultimate fates in this edition of The Escape Pod. 
 
Bullet Points of Key Topics and Markers: 
Topic #1     2:42 Escaping TLC that is not really TLC 
Topic #2     9:31 Recognizing Black History Month on The EP 
Topic #3   30:14 The long-term impact of terrible lies 
Topic #4   47:40 Consequences for the accusers? Take a guess! 
Topic #5   51:31 Escapism, co-host-style! 
 
Resources & Links 
The Scottsboro Boys Surrounded by Armed White Officers 
The Smithsonian: Save the Scottsboro Boys 
The Saga of the Scottsboro Boys 
PBS: Who Were the Scottsboro Boys?  
UMKC School of Law: The Trials of the “Scottsboro Boys” 
 
 
 
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Valentine's Days So Bad, They’re Criminal – Ep. 55

A day set aside to celebrate love and romance ... what could possibly go wrong?! You know as well as we do, A LOT can go wrong on Valentine’s Day. Hop into The Escape Pod for a light-hearted episode about Valentine’s Day plans gone awry and gifts that left a lot to be desired. 
 
Bullet Points of Key Topics and Markers: 
Topic #1     4:07 The co-hosts share their views on Valentine’s Day 
Topic #2    9:31 Valentine’s Day stories: The good, the bad, and the funny 
Topic #3   18:28 The very dark history of the holiday 
Topic #4   27:55 Co-host's 20-year-old self ‘makes her move’ on Valentine’s Day 
 
Resources & Links 
The Origins of Valentine’s Day 
The Dark Origins of Valentine’s Day 
The Real History of Valentine’s Day Will Definitely Surprise You 
10 Bizarre Facts About Valentine’s Day 
Hilarious Valentine’s Stories 
 
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Liars and Aliens and Pedophiles, Oh My! – Ep. 54

A traveling salesman befriends a woman and her daughter Heidi in 1978. While Heidi sees “B” (his nickname) as a father-figure, B sees Heidi in a very different way. But, as is typical with child predators, she is not his only victim. In fact, several years earlier, B spent years wooing a girl in Idaho, and – get this! – seducing her parents, too. What level of charisma does it take to win over adults while simultaneously preying on their children? How did B escape the law for so long?? And what the heck do aliens have to do with any of this??? The co-hosts ask those questions and many more in this edition of The Escape Pod! 
 
BE ADVISED: This episode contains content involving child sexual abuse, kidnapping, and other topics listeners might find disturbing. 
 
Bullet Points of Key Topics and Markers: 
Topic #1     8:14 1978: Traveling salesman meets Heidi and her mom 
Topic #2   16:39 The “other girl” B was “seeing” 
Topic #3   26:10 Alien abductions? 
Topic #4   40:55 Jan starts realizing the truth about B 
Topic #5   54:30 Escapism, co-host-style! 
 
Resources & Links 
12.20.2022. Heidi Brewer. https://www.newsweek.com/heidi-brewer-robert-berchtold-abuse-jan-broberg-abducted-plain-sight-documentary-1768332 
10.12.2022. Heather Robinson. https://nypost.com/2022/10/13/meet-jan-broberg-the-real-double-kidnap-victim-from-a-friend-of-the-family/ 
Aaron Rasmussen. https://www.investigationdiscovery.com/crimefeed/sex-crimes/how-child-predator-robert-berchtold-kidnapped-actress-jan-broberg-twice-in-the-1970s  
Netflix Documentary: Abducted in Plain Sight 
 
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Serial Squatter Strikes Again – Ep. 53

There are terrible roommates, and then there’s THIS guy. For more than a decade, a man with extensive knowledge of squatters’ rights made life miserable for multiple people – a girlfriend, landlords, neighbors, even members of his own family. How was he able to get away with it for so long, and when did his serial squatting finally come to an end? Find out on this episode of The Escape Pod! 
 
Bullet Points of Key Topics and Markers: 
Topic #1    6:45 2005: Houseguest refuses to leave 
Topic #2  19:20 2012: Woman's dream home becomes a nightmare 
Topic #3  24:47 2017: “Jed Creek” answers Craig’s List ad seeking roommate 
Topic #4  35:55 Bailed out 
 
Resources & Links 
https://www.netflix.com/title/81031682 
https://www.oxygen.com/true-crime-buzz/the-shocking-murder-that-shaped-jamison-bachmans-life 
https://famewatcher.com/jamison-bachman-fraternity-friend-ken-gutzeit-worst-roommate-ever.html#google_vignette 
 
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The Long Game: Fighting crime by creating connections – Ep. 52

Police officers typically meet residents of high-crime neighborhoods on their worst days – when they’re either victims of crime or contributors to it – and providing long-term help and support while addressing the situation at hand is nearly impossible. That’s where the Rapid City Police Department’s Community Engagement Team steps in. Comprised of both non-uniformed officers and civilians, including a social worker, this team plays the long game, creating positive relationships with kids and families, supporting them in the wake of tragedies, and connecting them with community resources to help them escape the crises they face on an almost daily basis. So far, the results are impressive. Meet special guests and Community Engagement Team members Jamie and Miriam on this edition of The Escape Pod! 
 
Bullet Points of Key Topics and Markers: 
Topic #1    6:13 How it started 
Topic #2  10:43 'Handle with Care’ 
Topic #3  24:33 Taking the model to a new neighborhood 
Topic #4  35:38 Strengthening our networks and our workforce with Gravitate 
 
Resources & Links 
Gravitate online employment platform: https://gravitate.work 
 
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Escape Artist Overcomes Trafficking, Trauma, Addiction, and More – Ep. 51

At age 5, she remembers being touched inappropriately; at 7, doing drugs for the first time; at 10, going into foster care, where she was a “lost child” until getting adopted in her teens. 
As an adult and addict at risk of losing her own children, Chari sought help in the fall of 2022 and began a remarkable transformation. Join Julie and Charity in The Escape Pod as they welcome this special guest and OneHeart "rock star" to share her inspiring story of overcoming trauma and choosing a better life for herself and her kids. 
 
Bullet Points of Key Topics and Markers: 
Topic #1    1:04 Escaping the Zoom video preview? One co-host wishes she had! 
Topic #2    6:01 Meet escape artist and special guest Chari 
Topic #3  23:12 The truth about human trafficking 
Topic #4  31:44 Chari talks OneHeart, safety, and why she’s able to thrive 
Topic #5  42:36 Creating healthy family connections 
 
Resources & Links 
Since its inception in 2007, the National Human Trafficking Hotline has received 909 signals and identified 175 cases of human trafficking in SD, with 579 identified victims. “South Dakota.” Accessed March 8, 2024. https://humantraffickinghotline.org/en/statistics/south-dakota. 
Information obtained from the SD Department of Public Safety (DPS) via a public records request notes that in SD state fiscal year 2022, DPS Victims’ Assistance funds supported 12 victims of labor trafficking and 258 victims of sex trafficking; in state fiscal year 2023, funds supported 24 victims of labor trafficking and 253 victims of sex trafficking. 
A 2018 report from the Human Trafficking Institute found that SD ranked 8th in the nation for number of new criminal cases initiated; 11th for number of active criminal cases; and 22nd for number of defendants convicted. 
“2018 Federal Human Trafficking Report.” Human Trafficking Institute. Accessed March 12, 2024. https://traffickinginstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/2018-Human-Trafficking-Report-SD.pdf. 
Federal and state law enforcement have worked together to make nearly 100 arrests (primarily for attempted commercial sex trafficking of minors) from 2009 – 2023 during the Sturgis Rally. A total of 39 trafficking arrests were made from 2019-2023, 92% of whom were SD residents, demonstrating the state’s demand. 
Hope, Native. “Human Trafficking at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally.” Accessed April 10, 2024. https://blog.nativehope.org/sex-trafficking-during-the-sturgis-motorcycle-rally. 
Of all U.S. cities, Rapid City, SD, has the ninth highest number of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls cases not in law enforcement records. 
Lucchesi, Annita, and Abigail Echo-Hawk. “Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women & Girls.” Our Bodies, Our Stories. Urban Indian Health Institute. Accessed March 12, 2024. https://www.uihi.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Missing-and-Murdered-Indigenous-Women-and-Girls-Report.pdf. 
In 2019, Shared Hope International released its annual “state report cards” on human trafficking responses and services. SD received a “D” grade—the lowest given to any state—due to gaps in statutes protecting and serving youth victims of sex trafficking, including connecting them with specialized services. 
Ferguson, Danielle. “South Dakota Ranks Lowest in National Report Card on Sex Trafficking.” Argus Leader. Accessed April 10, 2024. https://www.argusleader.com/story/news/2019/11/20/south-dakota-ranks-lowest-national-report-card-sex-trafficking/4227721002/. 
 Call to Freedom Stats 
In 2023, CTF served 419 clients and their intersecting needs; of these, 86% were below the federal poverty line, 53% had experienced homelessness, and 38% identified as American Indian or Alaska Native. 
We’ve served over 1,400 clients since our founding in 2016, and the majority of those individuals were from—and trafficked within—South Dakota. 
In 2023, a total of 36 clients served by CTF stated that their perpetrator was a family/household member; an additional 28 stated it was a parent. 
 
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The Call: 12 year old escapes bowling alley massacre – Ep. 50

911: Emergency. 
Melissa, 12: Please help me ... We were all shot. 
A child, suffering from multiple bullet wounds, still manages to provide critical information to emergency dispatch in hopes of helping her mom and others gunned down at a New Mexico bowling alley in 1990. 
Join the co-hosts in The Escape Pod this week to hear the girl’s harrowing account and theories surrounding who was responsible for the massacre that, to this day, is considered an “open” case. 
  
BE ADVISED: This episode contains violent content, including discussion of a mass shooting. 
 
Bullet Points of Key Topics and Markers: 
Topic #1         :49 Co-host has a rough return after holiday break. 
Topic #2       8:43 Intro to the Las Cruces bowling alley massacre 
Topic #3    16:00 12-year-old escape artist calls 911 
Topic #5    24:04 Theories about why the bowling alley was targeted 
Topic #6    35:12 Escapism, co-host-style! 
 
Resources & Links 
911 Call Audio: https://soundcloud.com/crucessunnews/las-cruces-bowling-alley-massacre-911-call-full-audio?utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing  
https://www.lcsun-news.com/story/news/crime/2022/02/10/las-cruces-bowling-alley-massacre-reward-increased-32nd-anniversary/6704122001/  
https://unsolvedmysteries.fandom.com/wiki/Las_Cruces_Bowling_Alley_Massacre  
https://www.elpasotimes.com/story/news/history/blogs/tales-from-the-morgue/2010/02/10/1990-bowling-alley-massacre-leaves-4-dead-3-injured/31512615/ 
https://americancrimejournal.com/las-cruces-bowling-alley-massacre/ 
https://audioboom.com/posts/8406445-murder-las-cruces-bowling-alley-massacre  
If you have any information, you can find the necessary resources online, or call the Las Cruces Police Department at 575-528-4222. 
Cruces Sun News file photo, Steven Teran and Melissa Repass. 
Paula Holguin, age 6 and Valerie Teran, age 2 Photo Courtesy: Las Cruces Police Department 
 
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