(News Update)
Double Standard in Lafave Case?--Punishment Differs for Men and Women Who Have Sex With Teens
Excerpts:
The decision in the Debra LaFave case raises the question: Is there a double standard when it comes to having sex with teens?
Exhibit One: Debra LaFave. The now notorious 25-year-old middle-school teacher from Tampa, Fla., had agreed to plead guilty to two counts of lewd and lascivious battery for having sex with a 14-year-old male student almost two years ago. It was part of a plea deal her lawyers struck with prosecutors so she could avoid serving time in prison.
This morning a judge rejected the deal. This afternoon the prosecutor threw up his hands and dropped all charges.
Exhibit Two: Dang Van Dinh. Earlier this month, the Orlando, Fla., chemistry teacher was sentenced to five years in prison for having sex with a 15-year-old female student.
Comparisons to cases like Van Dinh's seemed on the mind of Tampa Judge Hale R. Stancil this morning when he rejected the plea deal prosecutors had negotiated with LaFave.
"Accepting the proposed plea agreement would undermine the credibility of this court, and the criminal justice system as a whole, and would erode public confidence in our schools," Judge Stancil wrote in an order released today.
And LaFave? She is not completely exonerated. Last November she pleaded guilty in the same case in another county to two counts of lewd and lascivious battery in exchange for serving three years of house arrest followed by seven years of probation.
She is clearly relieved that there will be no additional punishment but also publicly contrite. This afternoon she spoke for the first time since her arrest. She says she is "very remorseful." And, she adds, "I only pray the young man and his family will be able to move on with their lives.''
Meanwhile, former teacher Dang van Dinh has begun serving his five-year sentence. (2 Page Article--more at link)
http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=1752245&page=1
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Decision in Lafave case means teacher, student wont have to testify
Excerpts:
Sources told Orlando NBC affiliate WESH-TV that prosecutors had planned for several weeks to drop the charges against Lafave, who earlier agreed to a plea deal in a second court in a case in which she lost her teacher's license and was sentenced to three years of house arrest.
Prosecutors, defense attorneys and the boys mother wanted to avoid trial for the boys well-being.
He has suffered extreme anxiety from the media attention and does not want to testify, a psychiatrist previously told Stancil. But the judge said the lack of prison time prosecutors had proposed in Lafaves plea deal shocks the conscience of this court.
Assistant State Attorney Richard Ridgway later said, The court may be willing to risk the well-being of the victims in this case in order to force it to trial. I am not.
At a news conference in Tampa, Lafave said she has bipolar disorder, and her attorney said she is getting treatment.
I want the world to see that bipolar is real, Lafave said. Not one time has the media brought up the subject of my bipolar. I challenge you to read a book or an article on bipolar illness.
Her relationship with the student, Lafave said, was a result of her bipolar disorder.
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/11943967/
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Prosecutors drop sex case against teacher
Snips:
Lafave, 25, said she is undergoing therapy for bipolar disorder and was "very remorseful" about the events that led to her arrest in June 2004.
"My greatest regret would probably be the fact that I put this young man through this," she said.
Lafave criticized the extensive media coverage her case received, accusing reporters of invading the privacy of her former student.
She said she was taking a journalism course online, adding, "God has given me a great outlet to write, and I would hope I could reach people through writing."
"I am a strong Christian woman," she said. "I believe that God has a path for me, and this was just a bump in the road." (More at link)
http://www.cnn.com/2006/LAW/03/21/charges.dropped/
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The following article covers a lot.
Charges dropped against Lafave
Excerpts:
"I believe my mental illness had a lot to do with my actions," Lafave said in a news conference Tuesday with defense attorney John Fitzgibbons, referring to bipolar disorder. "I offer my deepest apology. I am very remorseful. I want the world to see that bipolar is real."
Before taking questions during her first public comments since the case began, Lafave thanked Fitzgibbons for fighting for her and showing that mental illnesses "cause good people to do bad things." She thanked her family and her fiancé for their "unconditional love" and said she was undergoing intensive therapy that was "helping tremendously."
Lafave told reporters that she isn't allowed to see children as part of her plea agreement, though she hopes to be a mother one day. Since she is no longer allowed to teach, she said she is pursuing a career in journalism instead.
Asked whether she thought men charged with sex crimes against children were handled more harshly by the legal system than women, Lafave said she didn't.
"I don't think there is a double standard," she said. "I think we should all check the statistics."
The Marion County state attorney's office released a statement Tuesday about dropping the charges against Lafave.
"The court may be willing to risk the well-being of the victims in this case in order to force it to trial. I am not," Florida State Attorney Brad King said. "The Florida constitution and Florida statutes make it clear that victims are entitled to protection and to have their wishes given consideration in all criminal cases. The victims have made it clear that they do not want to testify, and this position is both understandable and reasonable."
Earlier in the day, Marion County Circuit Judge Hale R. Stancil said honoring the plea agreement would undermine the credibility of the criminal justice system and "erode public confidence in our schools."
"Accepting the proposed plea agreement would likewise send the message that if enough publicity is generated, and the media's interest continues long enough, and because of that interest the victim does not wish to testify, a defendant can avoid an appropriate sentence," Stancil wrote in his decision.
"Quite frankly, if the allegations against the defendant are true, the agreed-upon sentence shocks the conscience of this court."
Normally, Stancil's ruling would have sent the case to trial. If Lafave had been found guilty of the charges, it would almost certainly have meant jail time of up to 30 years for the former teacher.
The boy's family wanted to avoid a trial and Lafave wouldn't agree to a plea deal containing a sentence of imprisonment, according to the decision. (More at link)
http://khon.com/khon/display.cfm?storyID=12189§ionID=1162
Double Standard in Lafave Case?--Punishment Differs for Men and Women Who Have Sex With Teens
Excerpts:
The decision in the Debra LaFave case raises the question: Is there a double standard when it comes to having sex with teens?
Exhibit One: Debra LaFave. The now notorious 25-year-old middle-school teacher from Tampa, Fla., had agreed to plead guilty to two counts of lewd and lascivious battery for having sex with a 14-year-old male student almost two years ago. It was part of a plea deal her lawyers struck with prosecutors so she could avoid serving time in prison.
This morning a judge rejected the deal. This afternoon the prosecutor threw up his hands and dropped all charges.
Exhibit Two: Dang Van Dinh. Earlier this month, the Orlando, Fla., chemistry teacher was sentenced to five years in prison for having sex with a 15-year-old female student.
Comparisons to cases like Van Dinh's seemed on the mind of Tampa Judge Hale R. Stancil this morning when he rejected the plea deal prosecutors had negotiated with LaFave.
"Accepting the proposed plea agreement would undermine the credibility of this court, and the criminal justice system as a whole, and would erode public confidence in our schools," Judge Stancil wrote in an order released today.
And LaFave? She is not completely exonerated. Last November she pleaded guilty in the same case in another county to two counts of lewd and lascivious battery in exchange for serving three years of house arrest followed by seven years of probation.
She is clearly relieved that there will be no additional punishment but also publicly contrite. This afternoon she spoke for the first time since her arrest. She says she is "very remorseful." And, she adds, "I only pray the young man and his family will be able to move on with their lives.''
Meanwhile, former teacher Dang van Dinh has begun serving his five-year sentence. (2 Page Article--more at link)
http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=1752245&page=1
----------------------------------------------------
Decision in Lafave case means teacher, student wont have to testify
Excerpts:
Sources told Orlando NBC affiliate WESH-TV that prosecutors had planned for several weeks to drop the charges against Lafave, who earlier agreed to a plea deal in a second court in a case in which she lost her teacher's license and was sentenced to three years of house arrest.
Prosecutors, defense attorneys and the boys mother wanted to avoid trial for the boys well-being.
He has suffered extreme anxiety from the media attention and does not want to testify, a psychiatrist previously told Stancil. But the judge said the lack of prison time prosecutors had proposed in Lafaves plea deal shocks the conscience of this court.
Assistant State Attorney Richard Ridgway later said, The court may be willing to risk the well-being of the victims in this case in order to force it to trial. I am not.
At a news conference in Tampa, Lafave said she has bipolar disorder, and her attorney said she is getting treatment.
I want the world to see that bipolar is real, Lafave said. Not one time has the media brought up the subject of my bipolar. I challenge you to read a book or an article on bipolar illness.
Her relationship with the student, Lafave said, was a result of her bipolar disorder.
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/11943967/
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Prosecutors drop sex case against teacher
Snips:
Lafave, 25, said she is undergoing therapy for bipolar disorder and was "very remorseful" about the events that led to her arrest in June 2004.
"My greatest regret would probably be the fact that I put this young man through this," she said.
Lafave criticized the extensive media coverage her case received, accusing reporters of invading the privacy of her former student.
She said she was taking a journalism course online, adding, "God has given me a great outlet to write, and I would hope I could reach people through writing."
"I am a strong Christian woman," she said. "I believe that God has a path for me, and this was just a bump in the road." (More at link)
http://www.cnn.com/2006/LAW/03/21/charges.dropped/
--------------------------------------------------------------
The following article covers a lot.
Charges dropped against Lafave
Excerpts:
"I believe my mental illness had a lot to do with my actions," Lafave said in a news conference Tuesday with defense attorney John Fitzgibbons, referring to bipolar disorder. "I offer my deepest apology. I am very remorseful. I want the world to see that bipolar is real."
Before taking questions during her first public comments since the case began, Lafave thanked Fitzgibbons for fighting for her and showing that mental illnesses "cause good people to do bad things." She thanked her family and her fiancé for their "unconditional love" and said she was undergoing intensive therapy that was "helping tremendously."
Lafave told reporters that she isn't allowed to see children as part of her plea agreement, though she hopes to be a mother one day. Since she is no longer allowed to teach, she said she is pursuing a career in journalism instead.
Asked whether she thought men charged with sex crimes against children were handled more harshly by the legal system than women, Lafave said she didn't.
"I don't think there is a double standard," she said. "I think we should all check the statistics."
The Marion County state attorney's office released a statement Tuesday about dropping the charges against Lafave.
"The court may be willing to risk the well-being of the victims in this case in order to force it to trial. I am not," Florida State Attorney Brad King said. "The Florida constitution and Florida statutes make it clear that victims are entitled to protection and to have their wishes given consideration in all criminal cases. The victims have made it clear that they do not want to testify, and this position is both understandable and reasonable."
Earlier in the day, Marion County Circuit Judge Hale R. Stancil said honoring the plea agreement would undermine the credibility of the criminal justice system and "erode public confidence in our schools."
"Accepting the proposed plea agreement would likewise send the message that if enough publicity is generated, and the media's interest continues long enough, and because of that interest the victim does not wish to testify, a defendant can avoid an appropriate sentence," Stancil wrote in his decision.
"Quite frankly, if the allegations against the defendant are true, the agreed-upon sentence shocks the conscience of this court."
Normally, Stancil's ruling would have sent the case to trial. If Lafave had been found guilty of the charges, it would almost certainly have meant jail time of up to 30 years for the former teacher.
The boy's family wanted to avoid a trial and Lafave wouldn't agree to a plea deal containing a sentence of imprisonment, according to the decision. (More at link)
http://khon.com/khon/display.cfm?storyID=12189§ionID=1162
Maybe we just have different opinions on this particular subject. 
That prosecuter should hang his head in shame. I'm sure the victem didn't want to testify, it would have been stressful and embaressing, but what is the alternative? She gets to move on to her next victem which is possible because she really doesn't think she did anything wrong and she is a child molester. They don't stop!!,