Posted on 05/16/2006 12:38:36 PM PDT by freepatriot32
AKRON, Ohio -- A 14-year-old girl who ran away to avoid testifying against a man accused of molesting her has been jailed for a week and denied access to an attorney, officials and court records said.
The girl failed to show up May 8 at the trial of 20-year-old Galo Sanchez-Pesantes. She was taken into custody a day later when her mother found her and called police.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
ping
something is not right with this
Some time in the clink may do her some good. yawn.
Thats what i thought to when i read it
What are you gonna do?
This would all be true if the CHILD's parents were objecting or unaware, but apparently there's not a peep of protest from them. The girl is right where her parents want her, so I don't see a problem. She also hasn't been charged with a crime, so has no need for an attorney. No doubt she'll be dealt with after the perp's trial, and dispatched to some juvenile facility where she'll receive "treatment", also without any objection from her parents, who have apparently grasped that she's more than they can handle.
"The child thinks she's in love"
or scared for her life maybe
I'm guessing the sex was consensual and she doesn't want to testify against her "boyfriend".
Hard to fathom consensual with a 14 year-old.
Yawn away till you are the one tossed in jail without access to legal counsel.
Typical police stupidity.
Police do try and delay delay delay a lawyer seeing their client because they know a lawyer inhibits the polices' ability to intimidate.
This is a witness too.
If police continue this, then any testimony they offer at trial will always be considered deceptive FIRST until proven valid.
"Hard to fathom consensual with a 14 year-old."
Indeed it is and should be. Still, some are all too "consensual".
Yeah but adults should know better. If a 14 year-old walks into store and buys beer, the clerk can't hide behind "But they wanted it".
"Yeah but adults should know better."
They know it's against the law and do it anyway. They deserve harsh prosecution, IMO.
Well she has denied that they had sex, so unless they can force her to change her story what kind of testimony does the prosecution expect to compel her to give?
It also seems to me that there could be a breach of the 5th Amendment here since she already gave the police one story. If she says what they want her to say will she be testifying against herself for a "lying to the police" type of crime?
I'm not a lawyer, but I don't see the sense in forcing someone to testify when they are the alleged victim. Tricky terrain with her being a minor, but I'm not sure it's a precedent worth persuing.
The victim of Debra LaFave's rape refused to testify against her. He wasn't hauled off to jail. The chargers against LaFave were dropped, instead.
Justice isn't blind, it knows only too well what's popular and what isn't. Except for the drug war, of course. But that isn't really justice, is it?
I wasn't supporting the idea, certainly not with a 20-year-old, just guessing on the girl's motivation.
I'm betting the reporting is what's wrong. If its right then things are so wrong the dude will probably walk even if he did it.
Because parents have the right to demand the State help them raise their children
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