DALLAS (AP) - The Dallas County district attorney said he’s “alarmed” by a judge’s decision to impose probation against a 20-year-old man who pleaded guilty to raping a 14-year-old girl.
District Attorney Craig Watkins said state District Judge Jeanine Howard last week declined to require Sir Young to follow standard sex offender requirements, such as attending treatment, undergoing an evaluation or staying away from children.
Young does have to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life and is spending 45 days in jail as a condition of probation. He was 18 when the 2011 incident occurred at a Dallas high school where he and the girl were enrolled. The girl, now 17, testified last week that she told Young “no” and “stop” several times during the encounter.
“This young lady was 14 at the time she was sexually assaulted at school, and we cannot send the wrong message to rape victims who have the courage to seek justice,” Watkins told The Dallas Morning News (https://bit.ly/1iJhWEO ). “I am disappointed the judge would choose to give the defendant probation after he admitted guilt, but even more alarmed the judge failed to impose standard sex offender conditions of probation designed to protect society.”
Howard told the Morning News on Thursday she intended to recuse herself from the case so that she could explain her decision. Another judge will be assigned to handle any further deliberations in the matter.
The judge said the teen had agreed to have sex with Young, just not at school. Medical records also showed the girl had three sexual partners and had given birth, Howard said.
“She wasn’t the victim she claimed to be,” Howard said. “He is not your typical sex offender.”
She later added, “There are rape cases that deserve life. There are rape cases that deserve 20 years. Every now and then you have one of those that deserve probation. This is one of those and I stand by it.”
Young had faced a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
The district attorney’s office said it plans to file a motion asking for the terms of probation to be reconsidered.
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Information from: The Dallas Morning News, https://www.dallasnews.com
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