Posted on 07/11/2008 11:16:39 AM PDT by abb
TAMPA - The ankle monitor has come off.
Schoolteacher-turned-sex-offender Debra Lafave no longer will have to provide Florida Department of Corrections officials her daily schedule, and they no longer will keep minute-by-minute track of her whereabouts.
With Lafave having served more than 2 1/2 years of a three-year house-arrest sentence, a judge commuted the final five months to probation. She will remain on probation for seven years.
Probation officials were to remove Lafave's electronic ankle monitor at their Plant City office this morning, said DOC spokeswoman Gretl Plessinger. Shortly before 10 a.m., officials in Plant City said Lafave already had left the office.
On house arrest, Lafave was allowed to leave home for only a few reasons, including grocery shopping and work. She had to write her schedule in advance and have it approved by a probation officer, Plessinger said.
Lafave will have to meet with a probation officer regularly, and an officer will come to her home, but she will not have to present schedules for approval, Plessinger said.
Lafave, a former English teacher at Greco Middle School, was arrested in June 2004 after a 14-year-old boy's mother called police to report that Lafave was having sex with him. Prosecutors have said the only reason they offered Lafave a plea deal was the extreme level of media coverage. The teenager's mother wanted to spare him the difficulties of testifying at trial.
The terms of Lafave's plea deal with prosecutors — inked in November 2005 — stated that she was to serve three years of house arrest and then seven years of probation. If she did not willfully violate house arrest after the first two years, she was to be allowed to ask a judge to commute the third year to probation.
While serving house arrest, Lafave had one legal incident. In December, Lafave was arrested for having inappropriate conversations with a 17-year-old girl at a restaurant where they worked. Circuit Judge J. Rogers Padgett determined the conversations were a violation of her house arrest but were not willful. She was not punished.
Fitzgibbons had argued to the judge that the conversations were common workplace discussions and age-appropriate.
A few months later, Fitzgibbons asked for Lafave's early release. The judge said she would be released today. All Lafave's community service is complete and all her fines are paid, Fitzgibbons said.
This morning, Lafave's former husband, Owen Lafave, appeared on the "Today" show.
Shortly before the interview, he told TBO.com that his ex-wife's sentence was "too lenient." There is one standard for female sex offenders and another for male sex offenders, he said, and that must be stopped.
His involvement with Debra Lafave brought him to the forefront of an issue that, he said, he previously ignored. Owen Lafave said he feels obligated to act as a spokesman for issues involving sex offenders.
"I've got two beautiful boys now who I want to protect," he said.
On Thursday, Debra Lafave's attorney criticized Owen Lafave for continuing to appear on television and speak publicly about his former wife, even though he has remarried and has children. Fitzgibbons said Owen Lafave needs to move on.
"John is entitled to his opinion," Owen Lafave said this morning. "This is something that happened to me in my life and, unfortunately, pushed me into the media."
Reporter Thomas W. Krause can be reached at (813) 259-7698 or tkrause@tampatrib.com.
ping
There are rules...
http://www.abcactionnews.com/mostpopular/story.aspx?content_id=30328dba-1c01-422f-925a-4f1b82d9d23c
slide show here
As JRios rapidly prepares to fire up his “Hit It” ping list...
“The teenager’s mother wanted to spare him the difficulties of testifying at trial.”
My guess is that they wouldn’t have been able to keep the kid from giggling. That kid is a celebrity. I’ll bet he get invited to lots of parties.
They should have put her a$$ in prison like they do other sexual predators.
I think it is pretty funny that the former husband is all over TV railing on the decision calling her a predator. She is a predator in my mind. He is working with legislators to draft new laws for minimum mandatory sentencing because of the double standards that exist.
Anyone volunteers to supervise her probation?
I think it would have to be done in pairs: the actual supervisor, and his full-time pharmacist.
LMAO! Where were these teachers when I was in school.
My wife hates it when I bring home fast food...
She is one sick woman! You would best be warned to stay as far away from her as possible. She is a mental case.
Still not guilty!
“Book ‘em, Dan-O”
I say give this freak so much sex she will get sick of it and reform...;)
After all, we all could use some "reforming."
:)
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