Police Interpreter Charged with Improper Acts Had Lengthy Past, KLBJ, May 13, 2008

Police: Interpreter Charged with Improper Acts Had Lengthy Past

KLBJ
May 13, 2008

http://www.590klbj.com/News/Story.aspx?ID=91122

Austin Police say the interpreter for the Texas School for the Deaf, arrested Friday for alleged sexual misconduct with a student, has admitted to many more similar crimes. Detective Greg White, of Austin's Child Abuse Investigations unit, says Shane Fluornoy, 32, claimed a teenage victim was trying to bilk money out of him.

"He protrayed it like the juvenile here, the 15-year-old male, was extorting him for money," White said Tuesday.

White says the investigation has revealed that Fluornoy had been providing interpreting services to the teen last fall, between August and November, when Fluornoy apparently promised to pay the boy to allow the interpreter to touch his genitals.

"Their original agreement was for $1,000. He paid him $200 that night and then the juvenile felt he was owed money, so [Fluornoy] tried to portray it to us like the juvenile was extorting him for further money," White said.

The detective says Fluornoy turned himself in to police in hopes of keeping the situation from going forward, and thinking that if he confessed to the one crime, it could ease the man's mind and put a stop to the boy's demands.

"It presented to him as a chance to get his conscience cleared, because at the time, there were other victims coming out. At that time, he started naming victims in Houston."

White says Fluornoy would purchase his victims items and take them on field trips and shopping sprees, spending them large sums of money to keep the victims close to him. Police say Fluornoy also allowed the 15-year-old boy to watch pornographic videos on his home computer.

In Houston, police say the First Baptist Church and the Black Deaf Association of Houston are two places where Fluornoy met some of his victims.

Police say Fluornoy had no further contact with students after he approached police late last week. However, Austin Police believe there may be more victims who have not yet reported crimes. Contact Austin Police or the Harris County (Texas) Sheriff's Department if you have information in the case.