The victim wasn’t an opossum. Just a little girl who probably wanted to be a little girl for as long as she could.
Unfortunately … no … tragically, someone who should have been her protector became her predator. By his own admission, this predator “taught” this little girl things no little girl should know about.
Last week our elected District Attorney Cliff Newell wondered why our elected Judge Candace Heidelberger sentenced this predator to a just year in the county jail and probation instead of the six years in prison he could have gotten. I point out that they are elected to remind you that if you don’t like what they are doing you have the power to “un-elect” them.
In a strongly worded and graphic press release, Newell vented his frustration that has probably been building from what he has perceived as a pattern of liberal and inconsistent local court decisions.
In his press release, Newell pointed out that the sexual abuse began when the victim was just 13 years old. “It started with the defendant touching the victim’s breasts and progressed to oral copulation and digital penetration of the child,” he wrote. “Later he taught (the victim) how to masturbate him until he ejaculated. The last incident of abuse was when she was 14 years old and about to start high school.”
Investigators also found child porn on the defendant’s computer and some of it reportedly included baby rape.
I know. It’s pretty tough to read. Imagine how tough it was to endure for a young girl who should have instead been reading a good book, maybe listening to music, or basically enjoying a normal teenage life.
In her closing arguments, prosecutor Kathryn Francis tried to convince the judge that the defendant deserved to go to prison. “If a self-admitted child molester doesn’t go to prison in this county, who does?”
Bingo. I can answer that one. I know a few pot growers serving prison time. I also know of a few white-collar crooks who are serving time for stealing money from grownups. You could make a pretty good argument that if pot growers and embezzlers belong in prison, a child molester ought to certainly be higher on the food chain. Ask any inmate how he might rank them.
In fact, it wasn’t too long ago people were screaming for a young man to go to prison for killing an opossum.
In its quest to preserve so-called “sexual freedoms,” has society come to view the sexual assault of a child as an acceptable casualty?
Last time I checked, Nevada County was home to 124 registered sex offenders, most of them convicted of sexual assaults on children 14 and younger (if you want to see the list, go to www.meganslaw.com). It could be they’ve decided that Nevada County is a pretty good place to be, based on this and other court decisions.
Just a couple of days after that decision, a 64-year-old man was also sentenced to probation (and “time served” for the 16 months he spent in county jail) after pleading no contest to molesting a young girl for several years, beginning when she was under 10 years old.
Elected Judge Tom Anderson could have sentenced him to 16 years in prison, but the victim and her family asked the court for leniency and the defendant said he was sorry, which is something you say when you bump into someone at a supermarket, but really sounds lame after sexually assaulting a little girl over several years.
“Sorry I screwed up your life.”
“Sorry I stole your childhood.”
“Sorry I gave you nightmares.”
“Sorry I violated your trust.”
“Sorry you’re at therapy instead playing in the school yard.”
“You probably deserve state prison,” Anderson told the predator. “This is a very generous sentence. But this sentence is not for you, this is for those around you.”
In referring to “those around you” the judge was likely not referring to the other young girls who may also be suffering abuse and afraid to speak up, or to the predators who may be wondering what might happen if they get caught. Or to the 124 registered sex offenders who call Nevada County home.
Agencies responsible for protecting our children also wonder what kind of message the sentences send. “Our perspective is that there needs to be a stronger message sent to people who are sexually abusing our children,” said Niko Johnson of the Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault Coalition. “There needs to be stronger consequences for those who are going to perpetuate these crimes.”
The system seems to spend more energy trying to protect the names of the victims than it does making sure the sexual deviate doesn’t claim another. It also seems to be distinguishing between an assault by a family member and an assault by a stranger, as if it’s not as bad if you know and trust the assailant. I’d say it’s even more sickening.
By the looks of it, Sacramento has had its fill of monsters. Last week a pastor was found guilty of molesting four little girls and faces 165 years to life in prison, or roughly 40 years per little girl. One juror told the Sacramento Bee, “What’s going on here? You gotta be some type of — I don’t want to say monster — but you’re not a cool person. Young girls, 5, 6, 7 and 8-and-a-half? That’s pretty bad.”
Yes it is. And it makes you wonder why it seems to be getting worse.
Jeff Ackerman is the editor/publisher of The Union.
Contact him at (530) 477-4299, jackerman@theunion.com, or 464 Sutton Way, Grass Valley 95945.
Click here for the article on The Union website
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