Recently there have been two major news reports of sex crimes here in North Central Florida. A teacher in Marion County was arrested after disappearing with a student. In addition a Bradford County corrections officer was arrested and could be facing the death penalty.
The teacher in Ocala, Marion County, Florida was the accused of eight (8) counts of Sexual Battery on Child by a Person with Custodial Familial or Custodial Authority, eight (8) counts of Lewd and Lascivious Exhibition and eight (8) counts of Lewd and Lascivious Molestation and one (1) count of Interference with Custody.
The law enforcement officer in Starke, Bradford County, Florida has been accused of Capital Sexual Battery, possession of child pornography and promoting a sexual performance by a child.
There will be no sympathy and only outrage for the two defendants in these two sex offense cases. These types of cases can be difficult, time consuming to defend, and require several experts to defend properly. In regards to non-capital cases, some people believe that the character of the victim, that deceit by the victim, or that if the victim is actually the aggressor then those circumstances can be used as defenses. Unfortunately, in the case of Lewd and Lascivious Molestation or Lewd and Lascivious Battery the only issue is the age of the parties. Consent is not a defense to Lewd and Lascivious offenses which we used to call statutory rape.
No sex case is easy and while it should be obvious, sex offense cases cannot be taken lightly and you should not go it alone. Becoming a registered sex offender is a life sentence because the registration requirements can be with a person for the rest of their lives. If you or a family member has been accused of a sex crime, then click or call today to hire a lawyer.
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