[dropcap]J[/dropcap]ust when you thought progress was being made on this kind of evil an Alabama judge falls off the bench and hits his head.
From Al.com, Athens man convicted by Limestone jury on 3 counts of raping teenager:
A man accused of raping a teenage acquaintance was convicted by a Limestone County jury this afternoon, according to District Attorney Brian Jones.
After deliberating for just under two hours, the jury returned with guilty verdicts for one count of first-degree rape and two counts of second-degree rape against 25-year-old Austin Smith Clem, Jones said. Clem will be sentenced Nov. 13 in Limestone County Circuit Court.
From RH Reality check on Austin Smith Clem avoiding jail:
An Alabama man convicted of raping a 14-year-old girl will serve no jail time, despite being guilty of a felony that mandates at least a ten-year sentence.
Austin Smith Clem, 25, was convicted of raping Courtney Andrews, who is now 20, twice when she was 14 and once when she was 18. AL.com reports that he also sexually abused her when she was 13. A jury convicted him on one count of first-degree rape and two counts of second-degree rape. First-degree rape, a class A felony, carries a ten- to 99-year sentence, according to the Alabama code, while a second-degree rape carries a two- to ten-year sentence.
Clem was sentenced to 20 years on the first-degree rape charge and ten on each second-degree charge, but he won’t serve time in prison unless he violates the terms of his sentencing.
In other words, the jury did its job but the judge has no spine. That would be Circuit Judge James Woodroof who sentenced Clem to community corrections and probation, letting him avoid state prison time.
The jury foreman called the judge’s decision “very disturbing.” Indeed.
And from Mother Jones on Clem’s attorney, Dan Totten:
“It would seem to be relatively mild,” Totten tells Mother Jones. “But [Clem’s] lifestyle for the next six years is going to be very controlled…If he goes to a party and they’re serving beer, he can’t say, ‘Can I have one?’ If he wanted to go across the Tennessee line, which as the crow flies is eight or nine miles from his house, and buy a lottery ticket, he can’t do that…It’s not a slap on the wrist.”
But a slap on the wrist is exactly what it is.
He cannot go to a party. Boo hoo.
He cannot drive to Tennessee. Boo hoo.
He has to live a controlled life. Boo hoo.
WELCOME TO THE REAL WORLD, RAPIST!!
Totten told Mother Jones that he was childhood friends with the judge, but didn’t feel that affected the ruling.
Of course not. Not a chance.
Thankfully The DA in the case is attempting to have the sentence overturned. We can all pray toward that end.
/rant
