CA- Ohio woman who fled with daughter will have extradition hearing

6-25-2009 California:

A woman arrested in Valley Center, where she was found with her boyfriend and her young daughter, who had been missing from Ohio for nearly a month, is scheduled to have an extradition hearing Thursday in San Diego Superior Court.

Candace Watson, 24, could either admit that she is the person wanted in Ohio or fight extradition to that state.

Watson was arrested Tuesday along with 27-year-old Robbie Douglas Potter after deputies, acting on a tip, found 4-year-old Haylee Donathan at the Morning Star Ranch Christian retreat.

The manager at the retreat called authorities after he received a call from another Morning Star resident who recognized the girl from an Amber Alert billboard in Los Angeles, Deputy U.S. Marshal Omar Castillo said.

Mary Watson reported her granddaughter missing after she and her mother left for a camping trip on May 28 and failed to return as scheduled.

The girl — who may have contracted a mild case of chicken pox but was otherwise in good health and good spirits — was taken to the county’s Polinsky Children’s Center and plans were under way to return her to her grandmother in Ohio as soon as possible, authorities said.

Potter, a convicted sex offender was arraigned Wednesday in federal court in San Diego for allegedly violating terms of his supervised release in northern Ohio. U.S. Magistrate Judge Ruben Brooks told Potter he was accused of violating probation for allegedly absconding from a Volunteers of America halfway house on May 28 without notifying his probation officer of his new
address.

Potter also allegedly tested positive for marijuana at the halfway house on May 25, the judge said.

Brooks ordered the defendant held without bail pending a hearing on Monday. A hearing was set for July 9, in which federal prosecutors will have to establish that Potter is the person that Ohio authorities are seeking, the judge said.

A $10,000 reward had been offered for information leading to Potter’s capture. ..Source.. by City News Service

OH- Missing Ohio girl found with mom & mom’s sex offender boyfriend

6-24-2009 Ohio:

Haylee Donathan, the 4-year-old Ohio girl who vanished more than three weeks ago, was found alive Tuesday in the company of her mother and her boyfriend—a fugitive sex offender, authorities said.

Donathan, her mother Candace Watson, and Robbie Potter were discovered hiding for the past week at The Morning Star Ranch, a retreat in Valley Center, near San Diego, Peter Elliott, United States Marshal for the Northern District of Ohio, said at a news conference.

Late Tuesday, Haylee was in the custody of a children’s protective services agency in the San Diego County area, Elliott said. She was doing well but may have chicken pox, he added.

“We understand she is healthy and happy and I believe, waiting to come back to her grandmother here,“ he said.

The journey west took them more than 2,000 miles from Mansfield, the north-Central Ohio city where the girl and her mother live.

“I am very happy that my granddaughter’s coming home,“ said Mary Watson, Haylee’s grandmother. “And I just want to thank all of you from the bottom of my heart.“

Watson, 24, and Potter, 27, were arrested without incident and held by the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department. When asked their reaction, Elliott said, “I believe a little shocked that we were able to find them.“

Potter and Watson were still using the same vehicle, a 1980s blue Chevrolet pickup truck they drove from Ohio, Elliott said.

Watson’s hair was a bit darker and Potter also changed his appearance slightly.

Authorities had feared Haylee was in danger. Potter, a sex offender, had escaped a halfway house on May 28, the day the girl and her mother disappeared.

Countless tips came in while they were missing, but one in particular led to the breakthrough on Tuesday, Elliott said without elaborating.

Elliott also praised intense national news coverage from programs such as HLN’s “Nancy Grace” and “Issues with Jane Velez-Mitchell,“ as well as local media and Clear Channel, which put up missing child billboards across the country.

When she is returned to Ohio, Haylee will be placed in the custody of her grandmother, Elliott said. The U.S. Marshals Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force had offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of Potter.

Potter was wanted on a state warrant for parole violation and a federal warrant for probation violation. He is a convicted Tier 3 sex offender, according to the U.S. Marshals Service, a unit of the Justice Department.

A Tier 3 sex offender is one who poses a substantial risk of repeat violations.

While on the run, Potter and Watson were reportedly seen on surveillance video on May 31 at a Wal-mart store in Marion, Ohio, 40 miles from Mansfield. Haylee was not on that video.

Adding to concerns, Watson’s roommate, Samantha Covert, said last week in an interview on Nancy Grace that she saw the little girl in bed with her mother and Potter the morning they disappeared. Covert said Watson carried a basket of clothing, pillows and blankets.

Watson will likely face state charges, including harboring a fugitive, according to Elliott.

In addition to other charges, he said Potter may be prosecuted under the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act, a federal sex offender registration and self-reporting law that carries a multi-year felony sentence if violated.

On its Web site, the Morning Star Ranch describes itself as “a community of growers of organic, pesticide-free avocados, grapefruit, persimmons, nuts, and other produce.“

Elliot said he believed it is a rehab facility and also called it a Christian retreat.

A man who picked up the phone at the ranch declined to comment and told CNN he would have a representative call back to provide information.

Other people were at the facility while Haylee was there, but Elliott said he had no information as to whether anyone assisted Watson and Potter. ..Source.. by CNN

CA- Sex Offender in Amber Alert Appears in Court

6-24-2009 California:

SAN DIEGO - A sex offender arrested in Valley Center, where he was found with his girlfriend and her young daughter, who had been missing from Ohio for nearly a month, appeared in federal court Wednesday on an alleged parole violation.

Robbie Douglas Potter, 27, was taken into custody Tuesday, after deputies acting on a tip found 4-year-old Haylee Donathan at a Christian retreat called Morning Star Ranch in the 12000 block of Keys Creek Road around 3 p.m., according to San Diego County sheriff's Sgt. Robert Bishop.

The girl's mother, 24-year-old Candace Watson, was also arrested.

The manager at the retreat called authorities after he received a call from another Morning Star resident who recognized the girl from an Amber Alert billboard in Los Angeles, Deputy U.S. Marshal Omar Castillo said.

Mary Watson reported her granddaughter missing after she and her mother left for a camping trip on May 28 and failed to return as scheduled.

Potter was arraigned Wednesday afternoon in federal court in San Diego for allegedly violating terms of his supervised release in northern Ohio.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Ruben Brooks told Potter he was accused of violating probation for allegedly absconding from a Volunteers of America halfway house on May 28 without notifying his probation officer of his new address.

Potter also allegedly tested positive for marijuana at the halfway house on May 25, the judge said.

Brooks ordered the defendant held without bail pending a hearing on Monday.

A hearing was set for July 9, in which federal prosecutors will have to establish that Potter is the person that Ohio authorities are seeking, the judge said.

A $10,000 reward had been offered for information leading to the capture of Potter, a convicted sex offender.

Watson is due in Superior Court downtown tomorrow for an extradition hearing. Her daughter, meanwhile, is being cared for at the county's Polinsky Children's Center, according to sheriff's spokeswoman Jan Caldwell.

The girl may have contracted a mild case of chicken pox but is otherwise in good health and good spirits, Caldwell said, adding that plans will be made to return the girl to her grandmother in Ohio as soon as possible.

"I'm very happy that my granddaughter is coming home, and I just want to thank all of you from the bottom of my heart," Haylee's grandmother told reporters. ..Source.. by SanDiego6

OH- Haylee found; mom & Potter busted

6-24-2009 Ohio:

Haylee Donathan's grandmother Mary Watson and U.S. Marshal Pete Elliott addressed the media during a press conference Tuesday at 11:30 p.m. at the Richland County Sheriff's Office. Haylee was found in San Diego, Calif. She will be returned to Crestline in Watson's custody.

MANSFIELD — A hearing for Cyle Watson was held Wednesday in Mansfield Municipal Court to determine if there is enough evidence to send Watson’s case to a grand jury for his role in helping another sex offender escape from the Volunteers of America halfway house.

His attorney, Steve Cockley, said the case will be taken “straight to the grand jury.”

Watson, 21, has been in the news recently because of his niece, Haylee Donathan, who was with convicted sex offender Robbi Potter and her mother, Candace Watson.

Watson was charged with complicity to escape for reportedly arranging for a ride for Potter to leave the VOA. Watson previously told the News Journal his involvement in the case was “a trick gone bad.”

The subject of a month-long nationwide search, the 4-year-old Crestline girl was found unharmed Tuesday near a Christian retreat center near San Diego, Calif.

Also on Tuesday, Richland County Common Pleas Judge James DeWeese sentenced Cyle Watson to eight years in prison for a probation violation. Watson had marijuana brought into the Volunteers of America halfway house and supplied residents with pot. ..Source.. by News Journal staff report •

OH- 2 helped Mansfield sex offender flee?

6-11-2009 Ohio:

MANSFIELD -- A 4-year-old Crestline girl's father and uncle might have placed her in danger.

Authorities believe Haylee Donathan could be with her mother, Candace Watson, 24, and Robbi Potter, 27, a sex offender who recently fled from the Volunteers of America halfway house at 290 N. Main St. in Mansfield.

Crestline police Chief Tim McClaran said Watson and Potter are a couple.

A national alert has been issued as authorities from across the country are involved in a search for the pair and the child.

Richland County sheriff's Capt. Eric Bosko said authorities still are trying to piece together the relationship between Potter and Watson. Bosko, who would not speculate on their whereabouts, declined to comment on a report the couple made an ATM transaction in Colorado.

James Donathan, 24; Cyle Watson, 21; and Nicole Kirkpatrick, 20, were arrested Tuesday night on suspicion of helping Potter abscond from the VOA. They were charged with complicity to escape.

Richland County Sheriff Steve Sheldon said authorities also have an arrest warrant for a fourth person in connection with the escape.

Potter was released from prison April 16 to the custody of the VOA. He absconded May 28.

In December 2006, Potter was sentenced to three years in prison for two counts of sexual battery. He received probation for one count of interference with custody.

The sexual battery included two victims, one of whom Potter took across state lines, resulting in the interference with custody charge. The previous victims were 10 and 11, police said.

Potter is a Tier III sex offender, the most serious designation. Upon his release from prison, he must register with the county sheriff wherever he lives every 90 days for life.

Police issued two warrants for probation violations for Potter.

In addition to the state case, Potter is on federal probation for a bank robbery. Authorities could not issue an Amber Alert because Watson willingly went with Potter. The case is not considered an abduction.

In a national news report, Mary Watson, the mother of Cyle and Candace and the grandmother of Haylee, said Cyle called her from Richland County Jail on Tuesday night to say he had been arrested. In August 2006, Cyle was sentenced to three years in prison for rape. He also was given five years probation for attempted rape.

Watson was released from prison, but violated probation. He was sentenced April 27 to continued probation with additional sanctions, including a stint at the VOA.

According to Mary Watson, Cyle said he and Potter recently were outside the VOA for recreation. She said Cyle was talking to Donathan, who lives in the adjacent apartment building. Kirkpatrick is his girlfriend. Mary Watson said Donathan called her daughter to help Potter find a place to stay.

Potter absconded from the VOA between 6 and 7 a.m.

"You can exit," Bosko said of the treatment facility. "It's secure. You can't just walk in."

VOA officials notified authorities immediately when they discovered Potter was missing.

"Volunteers of America has worked for nearly two decades in the Mansfield area to provide rehabilitation services to formerly incarcerated individuals," said Megan Ericson, communications manager of the Volunteers of America of Greater Ohio. "The safety of those in the communities we serve has and continues to be our utmost concern." ..Source.. by MARK CAUDILL • News Journal

OH- Victim's mother fears for 4-year-old's safety

Mother of one of Potter's prior victims...

6-13-2009 Ohio:

BUCYRUS — A 42-year-old Bucyrus woman didn’t need to be reminded of Robbi Potter.

She’ll never forget him.

Potter, 27, molested the woman’s then 9-year-old daughter nearly 10 years ago.

The girl was one of his two victims; the other was 7. Potter was sentenced to three years in prison for two counts of sexual battery.

Potter is back in the news this week. He absconded from a Mansfield halfway house, hooked up with Candace Watson of Crestline and her 4-year-old daughter, Haylee Donathan. They have not been seen since May 31.

“I wish I had something great to tell you, but not much has changed,” said Drew Deserto, assistant chief of the U.S. Marshals Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force.

Deserto said authorities are getting tips from all over the country, as far away as Colorado and Arizona.

“We haven’t been able to confirm any sightings,” Deserto said. “We’re continuing the hunt.”

The Bucyrus mother said she hopes the task force finds Haylee soon because of Potter’s criminal history.

“You give him two minutes alone with her, who knows what will happen?” the woman asked.

The News Journal is not naming the 42-year-old to protect her daughter’s identity. Her daughter is now 19. She didn’t come forward about the sexual abuse until about four years ago.

The psychological scars are still there.

“She’s got a trust issue with everybody now,” her mother said. Looking back, the mom realizes there was something wrong with her daughter.

“She was very quiet,” the 42-year-old said. “She didn’t really socialize a whole lot. She really cut herself off from the world.

“I just thought she was quiet, not thinking something had happened to her.”

That changed one night when the girl, then a teenager, came to her mother’s room with tears in her eyes.

“It got the best of her,” the Bucyrus woman said. “She didn’t understand it. She was tired of having nightmares.”

The mother expressed bitterness about the plea bargain that resulted in Potter getting a three-year sentence. She maintains he didn’t get enough prison time.

The 42-year-old can’t imagine another mother going through that kind of pain, which is why she questions Watson for reportedly getting involved with Potter. Watson’s family says she didn’t know his history.

“This is personal for me,” the Bucyrus woman said. “I can’t believe this mother would put her daughter in this situation. That makes me mad at her.”

As for her 19-year-old daughter, the woman said the teen is fearful.

“She said she feels he’s dangerous,” the mother said. “She’s afraid that now that he’s already in trouble, he might come after her because she’s the one who initially put him in prison.” ..Source.. by MARK CAUDILL • For The Marion Star

OH- Father, uncle arrested in case of missing Crestline girl

6-10-2009 Ohio:

MANSFIELD — A 4-year-old Crestline girl’s father and uncle might have placed her in danger.

Authorities believe Haylee Donathan could be with her mother, Candace Watson, 24, and Robbi Potter, 27, a sex offender who recently absconded from the Volunteers of America, North Main Street, Mansfield.

According to Crestline police Chief Tim McClaran, Watson and Potter are a couple.A national alert has been issued as authorities from across the country are involved in a search for the pair, and the child.

Richland County sheriff’s Capt. Eric Bosko said authorities are still trying to piece together the relationship between Potter and Watson. Bosko, who would not speculate on their whereabouts, also declined to comment on a national report the couple made an ATM transaction in Colorado.

James Donathan, 24; Cyle Watson, 21; and Nicole Kirkpatrick, 20, were arrested Tuesday night for reportedly helping Potter abscond from the VOA. They were charged with complicity to escape.

Richland County Sheriff Steve Sheldon said authorities also have an arrest warrant for a fourth person in connection with the escape.

Potter was released from prison to the custody of the VOA on April 16. He absconded May 28.

In December 2006, Potter was sentenced to three years in prison for two counts of sexual battery. He received probation for one count of interference with custody.

The sexual battery included two victims, one of whom Potter took across state lines, resulting in the interference with custody charge. The previous victims were 10 and 11, police said.

Potter is a Tier III sex offender, the most serious designation. Upon his release from prison, he must register with the county sheriff wherever he lives every 90 days for life.

Police issued two warrants for probation violations for Potter.

In addition to the state case, Potter is on federal probation for a bank robbery. Authorities could not issue an Amber Alert because Watson willingly went with Potter. The case is not considered an abduction.

In a national news report, Mary Watson, the mother of Cyle and Candace and the grandmother of Haylee, said Cyle called her from Richland County Jail on Tuesday night to say he had been arrested. In August 2006, Cyle was sentenced to three years in prison for rape. He also was given five years probation for attempted rape.

Watson was released from prison but violated probation. He was sentenced April 27 to continued probation with additional sanctions, including a stint at the VOA.

According to Mary Watson, Cyle said he and Potter recently were outside the VOA for recreation. She said Cyle was talking to Donathan, who lives in the adjacent apartment building.

Kirkpatrick is his girlfriend. Mary Watson said Donathan called her daughter to help Potter find a place to stay.

Potter absconded from the VOA between 6 and 7 a.m.

“You can exit,” Bosko said of the treatment facility. “It’s secure. You can’t just walk in.”

VOA officials notified authorities immediately when they discovered Potter missing.

“Volunteers of America has worked for nearly two decades in the Mansfield area to provide rehabilitation services to formerly incarcerated individuals,” said Megan Ericson, communications manager of the Volunteers of America of Greater Ohio.

“The safety of those in the communities we serve has and continues to be our utmost concern.”
To help

Haylee Donathan is 2 feet, 5 inches and weighs 37 pounds. She has brown hair and blue eyes. Candace Watson is 5 feet, 1 inch and weighs 170 pounds. She has brown hair and brown eyes.
Robbi Potter is 6 feet tall and weighs 211 pounds. He has brown hair and blue eyes.

Potter may be driving a 1988 blue or black Chevrolet pickup with Ohio license plate Q645916.

Anyone with information on their whereabouts is asked to call the U.S. Marshals Service Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force tipline at 866-4-WANTED, the local task force at 419-774-3930 or Lazarus Todd at the Adult Parole Authority at 419-522-2441. ..Source. by MARK CAUDILL • News Journal

OH- Three arrests made in Haylee Donathan case

6-11-2009 Ohio:

Three people have been arrested in connection with the disappearance of 3-year-old Haylee Donathan, who is believed to be with her mother, Candace Watson, 24, and Robbi Potter, 27, a registered sex offender.

Potter escaped from the Volunteers of America transitional halfway house in Mansfield, Ohio.

According to investigators, Haylee’s father James Donathan, her uncle Cyle Watson, and another person, Nicole Kirkpatrick have been charged with assisting Potter escape from the halfway house.

Authorities have been investigating possible leads that Haylee may be in Phoenix, Ariz.
Potter is a white male, about 6’0”, 200 pounds with short, straight, brown hair, with a beard and blue eyes.

Candace Watson is a white female, approximately 5’1”, 170 pounds with shoulder-length, straight brown hair.

They are believed to be driving a 1988 blue or black Chevy pick-up truck with a 30-day tag Q645916 or Ohio license plate CKX6248 or EKB3855.

Haylee is a white female, approximately 2’5”, 37 pounds with brown hair and blue eyes. She was last seen wearing a white t-shirt with Minnie Mouse on the front and light purple shorts.

If you have seen Haylee, her mother, or Potter, please call 911, the Crestline Police Department at 419-683-2222 or the Richland County Division of the Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force at 419-774-3930. ..Source.. by Cindy Adams (Examiner)

OH- Haylee Donathan's uncle says escape of sex offender began as trick

6-13-2009 Ohio:

Cyle Watson, the uncle of missing 3-year-old Haylee Donathan, was arrested Thursday for helping convicted sex offender, Robbi Potter escape from a halfway house.

Also arrested in connection with the escape was Haylee’s father, James Donathan and his girlfriend, Nicole Kirkpatrick.

Potter is a convicted sex offender who is believed to be with Haylee and her mother Candace Watson.

Cyle Watson, 21, said he and Potter met at Belmont Correctional Institution, while Potter was serving three years for two counts of sexual battery on two children, ages 7 and 9.

Watson was sentenced to three years in prison for the rape of a 12-year-old girl he claimed consented to the act and lied about her age. He also received five years probation for attempted rape.

On Feb. 28, Watson was released from prison to the Volunteers of America halfway house.
He told Mark Caudill of the Telegraph-Forum, “I was out a month, and I was at a strip club.” He saw Potter at the halfway house and said Potter owed him money. “I don’t even like the guy,” Watson said.

He claims he was trying to get Potting in trouble by telling him he had arranged a ride for him at the North Main Street BP station. Watson denies helping Potter escape.

The day after Potter left the facility, Watson said he talked to Haylee’s father, who said Potter came to see him and thought Watson had sent him over. Donathan’s apartment building is located next to the halfway house.

Donathan called Haylee’s mother to give Potter a ride.

Watson said is very worried about Haylee and stated, “Things are really, really serious. It went from a trick to now. He messed with another girl. He might be messing with my niece.”

Authorities have been investigating possible leads that Haylee, her mother, and Potter may be in Phoenix, Ariz.

Potter is a white male, about 6’0”, 200 pounds with short, straight, brown hair, with a beard and blue eyes.

Candace Watson is a white female, approximately 5’1”, 170 pounds with shoulder-length, straight brown hair.

They are believed to be driving a 1988 blue or black Chevy pick-up truck with a 30-day tag Q645916 or Ohio license plate CKX6248 or EKB3855.

Haylee is a white female, approximately 2’5”, 37 pounds with brown hair and blue eyes. She was last seen wearing a white t-shirt with Minnie Mouse on the front and light purple shorts.

If you have seen Haylee, her mother, or Potter, please call 911, the Crestline Police Department at 419-683-2222 or the Richland County Division of the Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force at 419-774-3930. ..Source.. by Cindy Adams (Examiner)