One of the worse aspects of The Sex Crime Witch Hunt is how many young men are caught in the web of being a "Convicted Sex Offender" for having consensual sex with underage girls, especially 18-19 years olds who had sex with a gal 1-3 years younger. They were just "kids" themselves. These are called Romero and Juliet romances. Below is a link to MTV's documentary about 2 such young men called "True Life - I'm a Sex Offender". You won't believe what these 2 are forced to go thru.
http://www.mtv.com/videos/true-life-im-a-sex-offender/1677462/playlist.jhtml#series=2211&seriesId=5232&channelId=1
Showing posts with label Romero and Juliet. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Romero and Juliet. Show all posts
Monday, February 27, 2012
Friday, November 18, 2011
The Sex Offender Down the Street (Is My Son)
From: Free Range Kids http://freerangekids.wordpress.com/2011/09/30/the-sex-offender-down-the-street-is-my-son/
The Sex Offender Down the Street (Is My Son)
Posted on September 30, 2011 by lskenazy
Hi Readers — This is a candid letter from the mom of a sex offender who is on the registry for life. Read it and see if our sex offender laws are doing the job they were intended to do: keep our kids safe from predators. — Lenore
Dear Free-Range Kids: My son was recently subjected to a death threat when a neighbor discovered that he was listed on the sex offender registry. What heinous crime had my son committed that our neighbor deemed worthy of death? “Falling in love.”
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He was 17, she told him she was 16. At the time he had no reason to doubt her. A short time later he learned a harsh life lesson. They never got beyond kissing or hand holding, but she wrote in her diary that they had made love. When her mother read the entry in her 14-year-old daughter’s diary she quite justifiably became angry. Without talking with either one of them, she called the police and had my son arrested. He spent 45 days in jail awaiting trial.
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Had the mother taken her daughter to the doctor, she would have found out that her daughter was simply voicing a private fantasy. The girl begged her mother to stop the proceedings, but the wheels of “justice” were already in motion.
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The girl was so distraught about the situation that she constantly sought to contact my son to apologize and beg him not to hate her. She finally convinced her older sister to help her get in touch with him. One day shortly after sentencing and being put on a strict 3-year probation mandating no contact with his “victim,” my son was walking home from the store a block from our house. A car pulled up behind him and he heard a familiar voice beg, “Please stop and talk to me for a minute, we won’t tell anyone, please!”
Dear Free-Range Kids: My son was recently subjected to a death threat when a neighbor discovered that he was listed on the sex offender registry. What heinous crime had my son committed that our neighbor deemed worthy of death? “Falling in love.”
.
He was 17, she told him she was 16. At the time he had no reason to doubt her. A short time later he learned a harsh life lesson. They never got beyond kissing or hand holding, but she wrote in her diary that they had made love. When her mother read the entry in her 14-year-old daughter’s diary she quite justifiably became angry. Without talking with either one of them, she called the police and had my son arrested. He spent 45 days in jail awaiting trial.
.
Had the mother taken her daughter to the doctor, she would have found out that her daughter was simply voicing a private fantasy. The girl begged her mother to stop the proceedings, but the wheels of “justice” were already in motion.
.
The girl was so distraught about the situation that she constantly sought to contact my son to apologize and beg him not to hate her. She finally convinced her older sister to help her get in touch with him. One day shortly after sentencing and being put on a strict 3-year probation mandating no contact with his “victim,” my son was walking home from the store a block from our house. A car pulled up behind him and he heard a familiar voice beg, “Please stop and talk to me for a minute, we won’t tell anyone, please!”
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His only reaction was to break into a full run. He burst through the front door of our home and collapsed into a pale, quivering heap of fear in the middle of the floor. He managed to shakily mumble enough for me to realize what had just happened. I immediately took him to the police station and had them document exactly what had happened. Only with their assurance that he had done the right thing and that everything would be OK, could he finally calm down enough to breathe.
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My son was quite shy around girls to begin with and she was his first love. As things stand right now, he may very well never have another. He never finished high school due to his probation rules, and will be required to register twice a year for the rest of his life. He has lost every job he has been able to find, due to his listing on the registry. He can never join the military, or even follow his lifelong dream of a career in music, even though he is a talented singer/songwriter and drummer.
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Why not? The laws work this way: His sentence was 3 years’ probation and 25 years on the registry in his state of conviction, Michigan. He couldn’t keep a job in Michigan, he kept losing them because of the registry, resulting in homelessness. Homelessness and joblessness are parole violations, so he was sent to jail for six months. After two more trips to jail for failure to register — resulting in three more months in jail — he came here to South Carolina to live with us. As long as he can keep a roof over his head and registers when required, he will be safe. A third failure to register could send him to prison for a mandatory 5 year sentence. Unfortunately, in our state, sex offender registration is lifetime for everyone.
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He cannot pursue his musical career because it costs money (which neither he nor we have), for his instruments and upkeep, advertising, etc. Plus, if you are on the registry you have to go in and report everywhere you are employed. Which means if he had a gig in, say, Seattle, he would have to report the address of his performance, the length of time he will be there, where he would be staying for the duration, etc. This is required for each and every change, notwithstanding the fact that anytime he leaves his home address for more than 3 days, it has to be approved with both the sheriff’s department here and the sheriff’s department at his destination, and either of them are at liberty to deny his request at any time.
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I also wanted to mention, that although he does not have a driver’s license, he is required to register OUR car on his registry listing, which makes public, the make, model, color and plates of our car. This may seem trivial to some, but to a vigilante our car becomes a target, regardless of who is driving it.
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The whole thing makes for a very complicated and many times hopeless existence. — Lila Folster
Friday, July 29, 2011
Another Case of Romero And Juliet Branded for Life
Sex Offenders: Does Frank Rodriguez Belong on That List?
Published: July 28, 2011
Frank Rodriguez has been a registered sex offender for 15 years. Though the sex was consensual, he pleaded guilty to charges of statutory rape in exchange for seven years probation and, by law, his name went on the list. Now, 15 years later, Rodriguez is married and has four children with Nikki, the woman he's said to have wronged.
The couple says that when Nikki, then 15, finally told her mother she had sex with Frank, 19, mom was so angry she marched Nikki down to the police station to report it. Nikki was forced to undergo a rape exam, though she told police the sex was consensual. Her mother recanted her accusation the next day, but because of Nikki's age (age of consent in Texas is 17), the DA had enough to charge Frank with statutory rape.
“I would say this is a mom who’s trying to use the legal system to parent instead of having a conversation,” said Robin Sax, a criminal defense attorney and former sex crimes prosecutor. “Once you open that Pandora’s box of the legal system, there are consequences, and the consequence here has been a scarlet letter that’s following him and a case where no one would expect someone in this situation to be registered.”
Frank has difficulty getting hired. He can't coach his daughters' sports teams. He has to notify police if he wants to leave the state. All because he had sex with a woman 15 years ago when she was underage, and he’s happily married to her. And he and his wife ask, “Isn't enough, enough?” For their full story, see “The Accidental Sex Offender” in this month's Marie Claire.
Texas is expected to amend its sex offender laws in September. The Rodriguezes hope their petition to have Frank removed from the list will be granted then.
The couple says that when Nikki, then 15, finally told her mother she had sex with Frank, 19, mom was so angry she marched Nikki down to the police station to report it. Nikki was forced to undergo a rape exam, though she told police the sex was consensual. Her mother recanted her accusation the next day, but because of Nikki's age (age of consent in Texas is 17), the DA had enough to charge Frank with statutory rape.
“I would say this is a mom who’s trying to use the legal system to parent instead of having a conversation,” said Robin Sax, a criminal defense attorney and former sex crimes prosecutor. “Once you open that Pandora’s box of the legal system, there are consequences, and the consequence here has been a scarlet letter that’s following him and a case where no one would expect someone in this situation to be registered.”
Frank has difficulty getting hired. He can't coach his daughters' sports teams. He has to notify police if he wants to leave the state. All because he had sex with a woman 15 years ago when she was underage, and he’s happily married to her. And he and his wife ask, “Isn't enough, enough?” For their full story, see “The Accidental Sex Offender” in this month's Marie Claire.
Texas is expected to amend its sex offender laws in September. The Rodriguezes hope their petition to have Frank removed from the list will be granted then.
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