That Which They Call Justice
Okay, let’s consider a hypothetical criminal case.
In this hypothetical scenario, a grown man allegedly sexually assaults a 14-year-old girl by cramming his hand into her pants. This after she refused his request that she play “strip pool”.
In our hypothetical scenario, the guy gets arrested and charged with lewd acts with a child under 16, a felony offense which carries with it upon conviction a prison term of from three to twenty years.
Now, lets say that the accused denies the charge, saying that the alleged victim tried to kiss him while they were playing pool and he refused her advances.
There are no witnesses to the alleged crime, other than the man and the teen. This is a classic “she said, he said case”.
Okay, so let’s say that the the accused pleads “no contest” to the charge.
If you were the judge, what kind of sentence would you feel serves justice?
Remember, this is a felony count with a recommended sentencing range of from three to twenty years.
In real life, not a hypothetical case, his honor Ronald G. Franklin, District Judge for Kingfisher County, Oklahoma figures justice is served by a five year suspended sentence and a couple hundred dollars in fees to the state and apparently no requirement that the guilty man register as a sex offender.
Such was the case of former Kingfisher County deputy Shawn Theo Thomsen, 43, who pleaded no contest last Thursday to the felony charge in Judge Franklin’s court room and basically walked away “scott free”.
There you have it, that which they call justice in Kingfisher County, Oklahoma.
And as Paul Harvey used to say, now YOU know the test of the story…
Links:
Former deputy pleads no contest to lewd acts charge
Ex-Kingfisher County deputy pleads no contest to lewd acts charge
Leave a Reply