Charges against girl, 18, in same-sex underage relationship

Jane B. said:
What I have added the bold to is what troubles me the most. I seems to me that we should not be writing off kids at 18.
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IMO the best way to "write a kid off" is to teach them that they can dodge consequences for their actions by playing on people's emotions.
 
Journey said:
I am torn on this in a few ways. While I acknowledge that what took place is against the law, I do not think it should result in a lifelong criminal record. Consensual sex during the high school years happens often and, if we arrested every senior who has had sex with a freshman, imagine the number of adults living with a criminal record. Yes the law is the law and I do not, in general, support any 18 year old having a relationship with a 14 or 15 year old. However, this case (and similar others) do not need to be taken to the extent it has been. An arrest and lifelong stamp as a sexual offender? If the charges are not dropped, I think probation until she is 21 would be more than sufficient.
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I totally agree. I haven't read the second link, but I don't really need to. 18 is still pretty damn young, o can't even buy alcohol for another 3 years. Did you see it was punishable by up to 15 years in prison, but it doesn't say anything about if age is taken under consideration. I mean she's in highschool, we're not talking about an adult here. There is a huge difference between 2 highschoolers in a relationship, on 14 and one 18, and a college student and freshman in high school. One 24 and one 14, or flipping 36 year old and 14 year old. I don't know, it just seems wonky, the punishment does not fit the crime.
 
In my state, 18 years old will be minor because adult age isn't until 19 years old.
 
Jane B. said:
What I have added the bold to is what troubles me the most. I seems to me that we should not be writing off kids at 18.
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Would you still feel that way if the 18 year old was an employee of the school having sex with a 14 year old student? I've never bought the he's/she's only a teenager arguement. Teens have committed some of the most hair raising crimes in our society. I don't want them to have a pass; they're old enough to know better. We send children to school to learn, not to have sexual relations on school property.

Laura
 
Lau2046 said:
Would you still feel that way if the 18 year old was an employee of the school having sex with a 14 year old student? I've never bought the he's/she's only a teenager arguement. Teens have committed some of the most hair raising crimes in our society. I don't want them to have a pass; they're old enough to know better. We send children to school to learn, not to have sexual relations on school property.

Laura
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Not directed at me but I'm ansering anyway.

I would, I would feel exactly the same. If you're not mature enough to buy alcohol you are not an "adult". This is closer to having a relationship with a peer, certainly not sexual predator material. We're talking about an 18 year old and a 14 year old, not an 18 year old and 6 year old.
 
ambrosia said:
Not directed at me but I'm ansering anyway.

I would, I would feel exactly the same. If you're not mature enough to buy alcohol you are not an "adult". This is closer to having a relationship with a peer, certainly not sexual predator material. We're talking about an 18 year old and a 14 year old, not an 18 year old and 6 year old.
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Drinking laws aside, an 18 year old is adult enough to enter the military without parental consent, they can also get a passport without parental consent - two very adult things our society allows when you're of age. It's also the age when you face adult jail for crimes that would normally be swept under the rug if you were "a child" (17 and under). If you're old enough to know better and choose not to, you don't get a pass. Same way I don't buy if a 18 year old murders his girlfriend, parents, they knew what they were doing is wrong when they did it anyway, a six year old child doesn't, and a child under the age of consent, can't consent to sex with an adult. I hope they throw the book at this person. No one that's 18 should be able to use the "I'm too young to know better defense." I'll bet she has a driver's license...another adult act.....not buying it.

I know if this was my child being sexually molested, she'd have bigger concerns than the courts.
 
ambrosia said:
I totally agree. I haven't read the second link, but I don't really need to. 18 is still pretty damn young, o can't even buy alcohol for another 3 years. Did you see it was punishable by up to 15 years in prison, but it doesn't say anything about if age is taken under consideration. I mean she's in highschool, we're not talking about an adult here. There is a huge difference between 2 highschoolers in a relationship, on 14 and one 18, and a college student and freshman in high school. One 24 and one 14, or flipping 36 year old and 14 year old. I don't know, it just seems wonky, the punishment does not fit the crime.
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I don't think anyone believes that this merits 15 years. Not even the prosecutor. But, Katie was old enough to vote in the last election where as the victim was barely old enough to see a PG13 movie.

Pretty sure no 14yo can benefit from hanging around someone like this.....

https://twitter.com/katebbbyy/status/333056970007392256

That message came as she is out on bail.

She also has an interesting friend named Preston...

https://twitter.com/katebbbyy/status/333315703341993985

Preston doesn't care much for school though...

https://twitter.com/preston_wright/status/319855255548469248
 
Lau2046 said:
Drinking laws aside, an 18 year old is adult enough to enter the military without parental consent, they can also get a passport without parental consent - two very adult things our society allows when you're of age. It's also the age when you face adult jail for crimes that would normally be swept under the rug if you were "a child" (17 and under). If you're old enough to know better and choose not to, you don't get a pass. Same way I don't buy if a 18 year old murders his girlfriend, parents, they knew what they were doing is wrong when they did it anyway, a six year old child doesn't, and a child under the age of consent, can't consent to sex with an adult. I hope they throw the book at this person. No one that's 18 should be able to use the "I'm too young to know better defense." I'll bet she has a driver's license...another adult act.....not buying it.

I know if this was my child being sexually molested, she'd have bigger concerns than the courts.
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:gpost:....Feel the same way....parents do all they can to protect our children (at least some of us do)....Even I, moved 2 times due to a sex offender in the neighborhood....(when my boys were younger)....I would not take any chances on that!
 
Lau2046 said:
Drinking laws aside, an 18 year old is adult enough to enter the military without parental consent, they can also get a passport without parental consent - two very adult things our society allows when you're of age. It's also the age when you face adult jail for crimes that would normally be swept under the rug if you were "a child" (17 and under). If you're old enough to know better and choose not to, you don't get a pass. Same way I don't buy if a 18 year old murders his girlfriend, parents, they knew what they were doing is wrong when they did it anyway, a six year old child doesn't, and a child under the age of consent, can't consent to sex with an adult. I hope they throw the book at this person. No one that's 18 should be able to use the "I'm too young to know better defense." I'll bet she has a driver's license...another adult act.....not buying it.

I know if this was my child being sexually molested, she'd have bigger concerns than the courts.
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It's not a question of them knowing better, it's whether their actions actually qualify as being a sexual predator, they're in the same peer age group, that's the problem with slapping a sexual predator label on them for the rest of their lives. That's just uncalled for, I'm not saying they shouldn't get in trouble, I haven't said that at all.
 
ambrosia said:
It's not a question of them knowing better, it's whether their actions actually qualify as being a sexual predator, they're in the same peer age group, that's the problem with slapping a sexual predator label on them for the rest of their lives. That's just uncalled for, I'm not saying they shouldn't get in trouble, I haven't said that at all.
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Katie drove and picked up a 14yo who wanted to run away from home, took her to her house and had sex with her while she was in an upset state of mind. That is pretty predatory. She took advantage of her.
 
TXgolfer said:
I don't think anyone believes that this merits 15 years. Not even the prosecutor. But, Katie was old enough to vote in the last election where as the victim was barely old enough to see a PG13 movie.

Pretty sure no 14yo can benefit from hanging around someone like this.....

https://twitter.com/katebbbyy/status/333056970007392256

That message came as she is out on bail.

She also has an interesting friend named Preston...

https://twitter.com/katebbbyy/status/333315703341993985

Preston doesn't care much for school though...

https://twitter.com/preston_wright/status/319855255548469248
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Yeah? They're all kids. That's the thing, none of that is particularly shocking and it's up to the parents of the 14 year whether or not they're going to let freshman hang out with the senior. Still no reason to prosecute her, I don't think they should if it was guy and a girl. They were both still in high school right? If anyone is behaving irresponsibly it's the younger girls parents. They wait until the girl turns 18 then presses charges? Who's the boss in their house? They couldn't keep they're daughter from hanging out with her if they didn't approve, so they're going to make the authorities deal with their problem and possibly wreck this other child's future in the process? Because they're lazy ass parents?
 
ambrosia said:
If anyone is behaving irresponsibly it's the younger girls parents. They wait until the girl turns 18 then presses charges?
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Kids breaking laws...

That is part of the misinformation being spread by Katie's mom to play on people's emotions. According to police and the victim, the "relationship" started in winter of 2012. Katie turned 18 on August 14,2012. 6 days before the school year even started.
 
TXgolfer said:
Katie drove and picked up a 14yo who wanted to run away from home, took her to her house and had sex with her while she was in an upset state of mind. That is pretty predatory. She took advantage of her.
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Yes because all 18 year high schoolers make wise choices in all their 18 year wisdom. When I was a senior in high school I was never impulsive or still in puberty or anything. No, no it's not. It's a dumb horny teenager being dumb. AN 18 is still learning about relationships period. They are peers you just can't get away from that.
 
TXgolfer said:
Kids breaking laws...

That is part of the misinformation being spread by Katie's mom to play on people's emotions. According to police and the victim, the "relationship" started in winter of 2012. Katie turned 18 on August 14,2012. 6 days before the school year even started.
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So? She's still in high school.
 
If she turns 18 on August 14, 2012 so she was supposed to graduate from HS in 2012 and she will be college student.

In my state, anyone who will be 5 years old by September will have to enroll as kindergarten, that means finish the school at 17 years old if they don't fail on anything.
 
ambrosia said:
Yes because all 18 year high schoolers make wise choices in all their 18 year wisdom. When I was a senior in high school I was never impulsive or still in puberty or anything. No, no it's not. It's a dumb horny teenager being dumb. AN 18 is still learning about relationships period. They are peers you just can't get away from that.
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Meh, the law is clear. 18 is an adult in Florida. Ignorance is not an accepted defense.
 
TXgolfer said:
Meh, the law is clear. 18 is an adult in Florida. Ignorance is not an accepted defense.
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Don't care, just because something is the law doesn't mean I have to agree with it.

Sexual predator status should be reserved for rapers and pedophiles, not peers. As I said even of this was a case of an 18 year old guy and 14 year old girl, hell if it was my daughter I can recognize they're still peers. I don't think he's going to be 30 and still trolling the high school. Common sense should be taken into account, I don't think the same punishments should apply to an 18 year as would a 36 year old. They're peers, it's not the same.
 
Just read through this stuff ... is anyone forgetting how kids act now days ... they have no respect and do as they wish ... was 19 when I graduated high school and even at 19 of I did some of the things kids do now younger I'd have got my ass whooped ... now days most of the time the kids tell the parents what to do not the parents telling the kid what to do ... plus the age of maturity is younger now days ... blame society ...
 
ambrosia said:
Don't care, just because something is the law doesn't mean I have to agree with it.

Sexual predator status should be reserved for rapers and pedophiles, not peers. As I said even of this was a case of an 18 year old guy and 14 year old girl, hell if it was my daughter I can recognize they're still peers. I don't think he's going to be 30 and still trolling the high school. Common sense should be taken into account, I don't think the same punishments should apply to an 18 year as would a 36 year old. They're peers, it's not the same.
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Like I said. The runaway incident looks very much predatory. The prosecutor is offering 2 years of house arrest and no registration so the prosecutor isn't applying the same punishment as he would a 36 yo. So, common sense has been taken into account.

She has bigger problems now though. Turns out going to bars and hanging out with drug users violates the terms of her release. She also lied to prosecutors about not having a second twitter account. She closed the account that they knew about.
 
TXgolfer said:
Like I said. The runaway incident looks very much predatory. The prosecutor is offering 2 years of house arrest and no registration so the prosecutor isn't applying the same punishment as he would a 36 yo. So, common sense has been taken into account.

She has bigger problems now though. Turns out going to bars and hanging out with drug users violates the terms of her release. She also lied to prosecutors about not having a second twitter account. She closed the account that they knew about.
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Bold: Do you have source to support your claim? I don't believe in your word.
 
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