Shik
Starship database: completed; History of Starfleet: done; website: probably never
Member # 343
posted
I was never a "violent youthful offender." Indeed, my record starts with this.
Griff: MD DOES have a public defender system. I do not qualify for it because I work. It's based on the federal poverty level, which is $748.33 a month gross. That works out to $4.37/hour on a 40-hour work week. The lowest I ever got was $875 gross, & they STILL said I made too much money. As a pizza guy.
Andrew, in order: --10 months, but we'd known each other for about 20 months. --Many times. --Never. EVER. --Her parents. She even told the cop that it was consensual. --The word "rape" does not exist. It's "sexual offense," the term for "they fucked & it was agreeable to both parties. If it'd been rape, it'd be rape &/or sexual assault. As it stands, it's SO 3 & 4, & attempted SO 3 & 4; all are concessions to the consensual nature.
The funny thing is that the presiding judge won't even know he's got the case until today; they don't make the assignments until 3:30 PM the day before trial starts.
Anyway...I've gotten my mandate & been notified of a few things by a few people. Tomorrow at 0915 EDT, we start.
But now I'm going to go get me a new bumper.
-------------------- "The French have a saying: 'mise en place'—keep everything in its fucking place!"
Registered: Jun 2000
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quote:Originally posted by Shik: I was never a "violent youthful offender." Indeed, my record starts with this.
Griff: MD DOES have a public defender system. I do not qualify for it because I work. It's based on the federal poverty level, which is $748.33 a month gross. That works out to $4.37/hour on a 40-hour work week. The lowest I ever got was $875 gross, & they STILL said I made too much money. As a pizza guy. >SNIP<
That's hosed up! I could understand if it was something like $1,748.33 a month, but less than a grand a month disqualifies you for a PD?!? It might be different if you could get a lawyer for less than $100 an hour, but that's just never going to happen....
Well, I hate to be nasty, but you likely knew what you were potentially getting in to w/dating a minor. I'm not trying to cast judgement on you, so please don't think I am. However, you take chances in a lot of stuff like that which has a law governing it. Just like when you go hauling butt down the road and break the speed limit. You know you're doing something that's against the rules, so it's your own fault when you get caught.
Anyhow, I wish you good luck. I hope you get only what you truly deserve. From all sounds, that should likely only be a slap on the wrist and/or parole, IMO. Basically, I hope you don't see the inside of a jail. You don't at all sound like someone deserving of max punishment, just a reminder that there are rules and they're put there to protect others.
Hope you get a run of good luck soon! Karma wishes coming your way!
Registered: Apr 2003
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With either a jury or a judge you'll probably convicted, right? As you said your goal isn't to be aquitted. The thing is (and this assumes that the US system is similar to ours, and I'm pretty sure it is) the judge will make the sentencing decision in either case. The jury just decides guilt or innocence. That I do know: I did my law A/S exam today and I've been cramming for the last week!
-------------------- "I am an almost extinct breed, an old-fashioned gentleman, which means I can be a cast-iron son-of-a-bitch when it suits me." --Jubal Harshaw
Registered: Feb 2002
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Shik
Starship database: completed; History of Starfleet: done; website: probably never
Member # 343
posted
:::sighs::: Yeah.
I am now officially a convicted sex offender.
Jenn offered to come with me, & I accepted. I'm glad I did, because she provided severe squirreliness dampening. We actually got in early for a change, walked up to the courthouse, went inside...
And I saw her there. With her mother.
And I hid.
I hid because I knew I shouldn't confront them. But I wanted to go up to her, hug her so hard, & never let go. She looked...so good. Smiling, laughing...And IT HURT SO MUCH to not be able to let her see me or to talk to her.
We went up to the courtroom. I saw the trooper who handled the investigation there, checked in with the prosecutor. He asked me where my lawyer was & I told him I still didn't have one. "So you're representing yourself."
"I don't have a choice," I told him.
"Oh, you have a choice," he shot back. He was LOUD. Jenn was in the back of the courtroom & she heard him word-for-word. "I'm THROUGH with you. You've been told by 2 judges to get an attorney, had 3 postponements [Not true; there was only one. --Ed.]...everyone ELSE in this room has an attorney but you. They made the choice, just as YOU made the choice. It should have been the FIRST THING on your mind. Did you eat? [Barely.. --Ed.] Did you have a place to live? [Yes, but not for much longer; & had I not, my bail would have been revoked for homelessness. --Ed.]"
I just stood there. I asked if there was a possibility of discussing a plea: "There are no plea bargains with me. If you had an attorney, I would have told him the same thing. Why would you think there would be a plea?"
I stared at him for a moment & then calmly & softly said, "I'm not the person you think I am or that you all want me to be."
Again with the sharpness. "Oh, yes, you most certainly ARE. Your are a CRIMINAL. I think so, & Trooper Casey thinks so, & the victim's parents think so. Or else we would not be here. So you have a choice. You can plead guilty & have the judge sentence you here today or you can go to trial."
"I guess I'm going to trial then."
"Fine. I'll calculate the maximum sentence for you here.." I told him I already knew it, that it was about 200 years & several hundred thousand dollars in fines. Then I walked away.
We waited. And waited. He left after I saw him run up to the doors to stop Lindsey & her mother from coming in. About 15 minutes after that, he poked in & motioned for me to follow him outside. Out in the hall, he offered me a choice. I could have a court trial (trial by judge), a jury trial, OR....
I could plead guility to child pornography & sexual offense 3 (counts 1 & 2), probation guideline for about 2 years (the judge can raise or lower that), pre-sentencing investigation (a background check into my entire life so they can get info on what would be a good sentence for me), registration as a sex offender (which I always knew I'd have to do & was OK with), an examination with the court psychiatrist....& "no contact with the victim."
It was the last part that hurt most. I didn't ask if it was until she turned 18 or if it was forever for fear of losing the upper hand. For he'd basically given me exactly what I'd wanted. MORE than that, to be exact. Still, I asked for 5 minutes to consider it. He granted me that, & I talked with Jenn. She felt it was a good deal, & I concurred. I accepted & awaited the status of plea change in the courtroom.
When I got up, everyone in the room shut up & looked at the "child pornogrpahy" charge. The prosecutor made it sound like I took pictures of her to scan & distribute to the world. He also told the judge that he would be seeking jail time. As he announced the situation, he mispronounced Lindsey's middle name & I had to do everything in my power not to speak up & correct him; that alone told me he'd not spent much if any time with her. The plea was accepted & I went first to the court psychiatrist's office to set up the appointment & then to the Division of Parole & Probation to give them the information for the investigation. Between these 2 things, I'm fairly confident I can avoid jail time now.
The disposition of sentencing hearing is now set for 13 August...a week before my birthday.
And through it all...a huge part of me would give anything, would go to jail forever, if I could just have her back...could just be with her again one more, one last time. I wanted to run up & grab her & hold her & hug her so tight...kiss her so hard, drink in her smell & touch her skin...& smile as I gazed into her eyes again.
But I can't. Ever again. And that hurts more than they or anyone else could possibly imagine. Except for her.
Yeah.
-------------------- "The French have a saying: 'mise en place'—keep everything in its fucking place!"
Registered: Jun 2000
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posted
Well, congrat's dude. At least you're not in jail, man. Don't give in to your temptations and just let her go for now. You do NOT want to go to jail as a sex offender of an underage girl, from all I've ever heard.
Registered: Apr 2003
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posted
Shik, you have no idea how glad I am for you.
I know you're hurting right now, just from what you posted... I can't try to argue with what you feel about her. And it seems like the prosecutor is a real jerk. Although in his job, he may have just been trying to rattle you, try to get you to wither and break, or even maybe testing you somehow. (I don't know how much contact, if any, you'd had with him before.)
Think of it as a game of chicken. And it sounds like you won.
-------------------- “Those people who think they know everything are a great annoyance to those of us who do.” — Isaac Asimov Star Trek Minutiae | Memory Alpha
Registered: Nov 2000
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quote:I hid because I knew I shouldn't confront them. But I wanted to go up to her, hug her so hard, & never let go. She looked...so good. Smiling, laughing...And IT HURT SO MUCH to not be able to let her see me or to talk to her.
She's smiling and laughing while your life is being fucking destroyed. Holy fuck man, I was in love once so bad it nearly destroyed me but if I was possibly going to jail and she was'nt distraught, I'd have gotten over it real quick.
Sage words of advice was given to me from my best friend: There are three billion women in the world to fall in love with- get past it. Then he pushed me in the pool.
I wish you well and really hope you don't get any jailtime but to need to get past it: for yourself.
[ June 11, 2003, 12:47 AM: Message edited by: Jason Abbadon ]
-------------------- Justice inclines her scales so that wisdom comes at the price of suffering. -Aeschylus, Agamemnon
Registered: Aug 2002
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posted
Jase said: "advice was given to me from my best friend: There are three billion women in the world to fall in love with- get past it. Then he pushed me in the pool."
I want a friend like that!
For the first time in four months I met my ex, a week ago. Felt fucking unreal, there she was again, at arms length, just like that.
I need to be pushed in a pool, bigtime. Like, from a rooftop or something, bring that shit on.
Registered: Aug 1999
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Cartman
just made by the Presbyterian Church
Member # 256
posted
Friend to me, after being painfully rejected:
"Hey man, don't feel so bad, there are plenty of fish in the ocean..."
"Yeah, and I don't know how to catch them."
A pool? Not deep enough, I say unto thee.
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted
All I got was "Beer. Drink." I'm not entirely convinced any of my friends are looking to a great future in relationship councilling.
Shik: At least you're not in jail. That has to be good. And that prosecutor sounds like a complete prick. And just basically try and get over it (I know, it's not easy but it is necessary)
-------------------- "I am an almost extinct breed, an old-fashioned gentleman, which means I can be a cast-iron son-of-a-bitch when it suits me." --Jubal Harshaw
Registered: Feb 2002
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"There are three billion women in the world to fall in love with..."
Yeah, but that number is significantly reduced, assuming you care what age they are.
So drop it down to only 1 billion. Quasimodo could hook up with those odds and I'm sure Shik can too.
-------------------- Justice inclines her scales so that wisdom comes at the price of suffering. -Aeschylus, Agamemnon
Registered: Aug 2002
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Shik
Starship database: completed; History of Starfleet: done; website: probably never
Member # 343
posted
One misses the point completely, good sir.
-------------------- "The French have a saying: 'mise en place'—keep everything in its fucking place!"
Registered: Jun 2000
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