By Cheri, The Non-PC News Girl
+District Judge G. Todd Baugh of Billings, Montana, handed down a 31-day jail sentence to a child rapist, citing that the victim “seemed older than her chronological age“ and that she was "in as much control" as the rapist. She was 14! Yes, it is the year 2013, and, yes, Montana is in the United States.
+Cherice Morales was a 14-year-old high-school freshman when her then 49-year-old teacher, +Stacey D. Rambold, initiated a month-long sexual relationship with her. That she was a child means it was not with her, but against her, a fact that Judge Baugh doesn’t seem to get.
After the abuse was discovered by her mother, charges were filed and the case went to court. For two years, the girl went through the litany of court proceedings--depositions, pretrial hearings, etc.--spoke with the DA’s office regularly and ducked from public inquiry, and all-the-while went to school where everyone knew exactly what was happening. Eventually it became too much for her and she committed suicide at the age of 16.
When the case finally went to court, the prosecution wanted a 20-year sentence for Rambold. The judge, however, offered him a deal claiming he was redeemable because “it was not a violent, forcible, beat-the-victim rape like you see in the movies.” Judge Baugh said confess to one rape, complete a sexual-offender treatment program and stay away from children and you will only get 31 days in jail. Rambold agreed to this plea, but could not even adhere to the requirements. He was terminated from sex-offender treatment for having unsupervised family visits with children and sexual intercourse with a girlfriend.
The judge had originally sentenced Rambold to 15 years in prison on three counts of sexual intercourse without consent, but then suspended that sentence and gave him 31 days in jail minus a one-day credit for time served. All Rambold really wound up getting was 30 consecutive days in jail for rape against a minor!
According to +The Billings Gazette, the original plea agreement deferred Rambold’s prosecution for three years and dismissed all charges against him as long as he completed a sexual offender treatment program. But when Rambold was removed from the program, the case was again brought before Judge Baugh who said, “My thought was, given the relatively minor violations in the sex-offender treatment program, it didn’t seem appropriate to put him in jail, put him in prison” for a longer time. “It didn’t seem to me that the violations were such that the state should be able to back out of their agreement."
After complaints about this case and the statements made by the judge, who has been on the bench since 1984, Baugh apologized and said he misspoke. He explained that because it was not a violent rape, Rambold did not deserve a harsh sentence.
Does Judge Baugh really believe that if a man doesn’t use force then it is not rape to have sex with a child? He should know that Montana law stipulates that a child under 16 years of age cannot consent to sex. But since he doesn't, I suggest that both he and the teacher spend a few years behind bars where the inmates there know the answer to this question and would waste no time explaining it. And perhaps after awhile of that happening to them, no force will be required.
Update (8/29/2013 8:00 p.m.):
After the judge's outrageous comments and the world looking down upon him and calling for his resignation, the state has been looking further into the case. Low and behold, a memo in the Billings, Montana, court records states +Rambold should have received a minimum sentence of two years, not withstanding any extra time a judge may have felt appropriate to tack on. Perhaps prosecutors will find a way to get him more time, although a lifetime in jail would still not be enough after essentially taking the life of a teenager!
In regard to +Judge Baugh, hundreds of women picketed the Billings District Courthouse and demanded his resignation. As well, an online petition is available online at MoveOn.org Petitions (here is the direct link: http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/resign-judge-g-todd-baugh.fb29?source=c.fb&r_by=817567). The hope is that enough signatures will force Montana to remove this judge. Regardless, he is up for re-election in 2014 and no one will forget his name by then.
* Note: As of October 6, 2013, close to 60,000 people have signed the MoveOn.org petition. However, there is a goal of 75,000, so please sign it if you haven't already so we can let this judge know his outdated thinking does not fit into our 21st Century values.
+District Judge G. Todd Baugh of Billings, Montana, handed down a 31-day jail sentence to a child rapist, citing that the victim “seemed older than her chronological age“ and that she was "in as much control" as the rapist. She was 14! Yes, it is the year 2013, and, yes, Montana is in the United States.
+Cherice Morales was a 14-year-old high-school freshman when her then 49-year-old teacher, +Stacey D. Rambold, initiated a month-long sexual relationship with her. That she was a child means it was not with her, but against her, a fact that Judge Baugh doesn’t seem to get.
After the abuse was discovered by her mother, charges were filed and the case went to court. For two years, the girl went through the litany of court proceedings--depositions, pretrial hearings, etc.--spoke with the DA’s office regularly and ducked from public inquiry, and all-the-while went to school where everyone knew exactly what was happening. Eventually it became too much for her and she committed suicide at the age of 16.
When the case finally went to court, the prosecution wanted a 20-year sentence for Rambold. The judge, however, offered him a deal claiming he was redeemable because “it was not a violent, forcible, beat-the-victim rape like you see in the movies.” Judge Baugh said confess to one rape, complete a sexual-offender treatment program and stay away from children and you will only get 31 days in jail. Rambold agreed to this plea, but could not even adhere to the requirements. He was terminated from sex-offender treatment for having unsupervised family visits with children and sexual intercourse with a girlfriend.
The judge had originally sentenced Rambold to 15 years in prison on three counts of sexual intercourse without consent, but then suspended that sentence and gave him 31 days in jail minus a one-day credit for time served. All Rambold really wound up getting was 30 consecutive days in jail for rape against a minor!
According to +The Billings Gazette, the original plea agreement deferred Rambold’s prosecution for three years and dismissed all charges against him as long as he completed a sexual offender treatment program. But when Rambold was removed from the program, the case was again brought before Judge Baugh who said, “My thought was, given the relatively minor violations in the sex-offender treatment program, it didn’t seem appropriate to put him in jail, put him in prison” for a longer time. “It didn’t seem to me that the violations were such that the state should be able to back out of their agreement."
After complaints about this case and the statements made by the judge, who has been on the bench since 1984, Baugh apologized and said he misspoke. He explained that because it was not a violent rape, Rambold did not deserve a harsh sentence.
Does Judge Baugh really believe that if a man doesn’t use force then it is not rape to have sex with a child? He should know that Montana law stipulates that a child under 16 years of age cannot consent to sex. But since he doesn't, I suggest that both he and the teacher spend a few years behind bars where the inmates there know the answer to this question and would waste no time explaining it. And perhaps after awhile of that happening to them, no force will be required.
Update (8/29/2013 8:00 p.m.):
After the judge's outrageous comments and the world looking down upon him and calling for his resignation, the state has been looking further into the case. Low and behold, a memo in the Billings, Montana, court records states +Rambold should have received a minimum sentence of two years, not withstanding any extra time a judge may have felt appropriate to tack on. Perhaps prosecutors will find a way to get him more time, although a lifetime in jail would still not be enough after essentially taking the life of a teenager!
In regard to +Judge Baugh, hundreds of women picketed the Billings District Courthouse and demanded his resignation. As well, an online petition is available online at MoveOn.org Petitions (here is the direct link: http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/resign-judge-g-todd-baugh.fb29?source=c.fb&r_by=817567). The hope is that enough signatures will force Montana to remove this judge. Regardless, he is up for re-election in 2014 and no one will forget his name by then.
* Note: As of October 6, 2013, close to 60,000 people have signed the MoveOn.org petition. However, there is a goal of 75,000, so please sign it if you haven't already so we can let this judge know his outdated thinking does not fit into our 21st Century values.
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