Mike Echols

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For the American football cornerback, see Mike Echols (gridiron football).

Walter Harlan "Mike" Echols (April 1, 1944 – January 10, 2003) was an American author who wrote several books, mainly dealing with child sexual abuse. These include I Know My First Name Is Steven, which chronicles the kidnap of Steven Stayner, and Brother Tony's Boys, which tells the story of Brother Tony Leyva, a Pentecostal revivalist preacher and pederast.[1]

Echols infiltrated NAMBLA and wrote of his experience in I Know My First Name is Steven.[2]

Echols was known for researching the Internet for pedophile chat rooms and forums. In 1998, Echols created Better a Millstone (BAM), a child-safety advocacy group, that identified and reported pedophiles to authorities. BAM's website also listed child porn sites, including web addresses, in an effort to publicly pressure sites' hosts.[3][4]

Echols died in 2003 at age 58 in the Monterey County Jail in California from an apparent heart attack.[5][6] He was in jail for failing to appear in court after being charged with indecent exposure for exposing himself to police, among other misdemeanors.[7][8]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Harris, Scott (October 15, 1996). "Shining a Bright Light on a Dark Subject". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. ProQuest 293319056.
  2. ^ Harris, Scott (March 10, 1992). "A Victory for Shadowy Crusader As Persistent as a Nazi Hunter and as Duplicitous as a Con Man, Mike Echols 'Stings' Pedophile Group and Stirs a Tempest in San Francisco". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. ProQuest 281626860.
  3. ^ Mims, Bob (October 28, 2000). "BYU Volunteer Helps Patrol Web For Smut Peddlers". The Salt Lake Tribune. ProQuest 281209878.
  4. ^ Blackwell, Tom (July 25, 2001). "Web site monitored to catch pedophiles: Was based in Montreal". National Post. ISSN 1486-8008. ProQuest 329798139.
  5. ^ Staff and wire reports (2003-01-14). "Inmate death blamed on clot: Jail Officials Say Echols Had Been in Poor Health; Man was found dead in his cell on Friday". The Salinas Californian.
  6. ^ Finz, Stacy (January 14, 2003). "Stayner book author dies of heart attack". San Francisco Chronicle.
  7. ^ "Anti-child-pornography crusader sentenced for violating probation". Monterey County Herald (California). 2002-12-13.
  8. ^ Livernois, Joe (January 13, 2003). "Author Echols, wrote book about Steven Stayner, dies in jail". The Monterey County Herald. Gale A96478591.
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