Posted on 05/20/2013 12:47:07 PM PDT by presidio9
An 18-year-old Florida student’s senior year has become a nightmare — all because she was in a same-sex relationship with a 15-year-old, her family says.
Kaitlyn Hunt was arrested Feb. 16 for having a physical relationship with a younger classmate, who was her girlfriend at the time, mom Kelley Hunt Smith wrote on Facebook.
Under Florida law, Hunt could see up to 15 years in prison and must register as a sex offender. A plea deal, however, remains on the table that would give Hunt two years' house arrest and one year of probation, her family said.
“Does my daughter deserve to lose her life for 15 years, or 3 years, or to have no life, because of one choice she made in high school, absolutely not!!” Hunt Smith wrote Friday, adding, “This is a mother’s nightmare.”
The distraught mom and her family has launched an online campaign asking supporters to petition the State Attorney’s office in Indian River County and have them reconsider the charges.
“The (assistant) state attorney, Brian Workman needs to use taxpayers money to prosecute REAL criminals, not a high school student who has never been in trouble a day in her young life, all because she had a mutual consenting relationship with someone who has bigoted parents,” wrote Hunt Smith, who didn’t immediately return a call seeking comment Sunday.
Hunt’s uncle, Andrew Gay, told the Daily News that the girls were in the same social circle at Sebastian River High School and played together on the basketball team.
In September, after Hunt turned 18, she and the other girl, a freshman, began dating and expressed their relationship in “intimate ways,” the family said.
But when the basketball coach found out about their relationship, Hunt was thrown off the team and the other girl’s parents were notified.
The parents then told police, and a phone call was recorded between their daughter and Hunt in which the girls discussed their relationship, Gay said.
The age of consent in Florida is 18.
Hunt was arrested on two counts of felony lewd and lascivious battery on a child ages 12 to 16, jail records show.
Her family was devastated.
“We certainly aren’t saying that all 18-year olds anywhere should be able to date all 15-year olds,” Gay said. “But this is a situation where these two girls were in the same social circle, on the same basketball team. I just don’t think Kaitlyn looked at this girl and thought, 'She’s a certain age, so she’s off limits to me.'”
Hunt Smith claims the other family was upset because their daughter was in a same-sex relationship and believed that Hunt had somehow “made” their daughter gay.
“Of course I see it 100% different,” Hunt Smith wrote. “I don’t see or label these girls as gay. They are teenagers in high school experimenting with their sexuality, all teens do it in one form or another. ... And even if their daughter is gay, who cares, she is still their daughter.”
Hunt was expelled from the high school and agreed to have no contact with the other girl. She also transferred to an alternative high school.
Although she’ll be allowed to walk with the graduating class at Sebastian River High School, her final year — and future — has been tainted by scandal.
“Should the girls have made better choices, YES. I agree," Hunt Smith said, "but is this criminal, no."
The State Attorney’s Office in Indian River County couldn’t immediately be reached for comment.
Regardless of whether the family takes the plea, Gay said, a felony child abuse charge will ruin his niece’s future and her dream of one day becoming a nurse.
“She’s been a great student, so bright and not troubled at all,” Gay said. “She was voted ‘most school spirit.’ What’s happened to her now is ridiculous.”
The problem these laws always have is timing. A 15 and a 17 year old start dating and fornicating, both are under the line, no laws broken. Then the 17 year old has a birthday, now it’s statutory rape. I understand and agree with the intent of the laws, to prevent adults from coercing non-adults into sex, but there are issues with hard interpretation by date, especially for continuing relationships, and 18 year olds still in high school for whatever reason. Don’t know what the answer is, but 15 years in stir for having a girlfriend 3 years younger probably isn’t it.
Is that the 15 year old or the 18 year old?
Nope. And I am sure there are some 12 year-olds who would be perfectly safe drivers if they were allowed to get their licenses. What you're seeing here is a textbook example of the philosphical differences in how libertarians and conservatives view personal liberty. I susect most of us on this website were a bit more libertarian in our views when we were in college and the world seemed less complicated. Luckily, most of us grew out of it when started to see the laws of unintended consequences in action.
Is there an age below which you accept that MOST children are not capable of making an adult decision? If so, what is it, and how did you arrive at it?
Well, it’s obvious to me that we’re supposed to be liberal on this case, because it involves a homosexual relationship.
Members of officially recognized grievance groups, such as ethnic minorities and homosexuals, object when the same standards applied to everyone else are applied to them.
So we’re not supposed to say anything. All that matters is that these are girls in a same-sex relationsip. End of discussion, per the liberal and politically correctness crowds.
Well you seem easy enough to fool.
And no, I am a conservative for a limited government with enumerated powers.
I am going to go out on a limb and assume you support the nanny State. Correct?
Well there is no indication that they had sex before and after her birthday
Then you said:
I was not saying or implying that the particular scenario was directly applicable to this case.
No sir. Can't have it both ways.
I'm not sure you understand the meaning of the word "fool." That would be suprising, because there is no doubt you have heard it enough in your lifetime.
Agreed.
But they shouldn't be jailing 18-year-olds for screwing 15-year-olds, period.
While I have no answer what age today should be ‘consent’ I do know we have to look backwards for rational answers. Because we live in Toontown now.
Personally I think the age of consent should be 16 or 18 as well as the Drivers licesnse age, the draft age, and the drinking age, the smoking age, etc etc....
I think that it should be taught in the grades before one turns 16/18 that turning 16/18 isn’t freedom but a whole but load of responsibility to be heaped upon you.
That being said there should also be a window of consent, which is 2 to 4 years depending on age for those who are 16-20 years old.
Here is another place where zero tolerance laws = zero intelligence. and another example where good parenting matters.
I think there should be a definate age where “you are now an adult” and you get a swift kick on your rear end as you leave the house and are then expected to take care of yourself.
It would make no difference to the law if their relationship had begun before KH turned 18.
I set up a hypothetical scenario - to reduce the situation to the absurd.
There IS no indication that they had sex before and right after her birthday - it should be obvious (even to you) that I was engaged in a hypothetical.
The fact that they never had sex AT ALL before her 18th birthday (or presumably the day immediately after) doesn't change the idiocy of the law that it would be legal one day, and illegal the next day.
Can you follow that? Do you really have that much problems with reading comprehension - or is it that you don't think your argument has much strength on the merits so you want to rehash your misunderstanding of what I was saying numerous times?
How many times do I have to explain it to you that I was OBVIOUSLY setting up a hypothetical for which there was no indication that it was directly applicable to the facts of this particular case?
Well, it’s obvious to me that we’re supposed to be liberal on this case, because it involves a homosexual relationship.
Members of officially recognized grievance groups, such as ethnic minorities and homosexuals, object when the same standards applied to everyone else are applied to them.
So we’re not supposed to say anything. All that matters is that these are girls in a same-sex relationsip. End of discussion, per the liberal and politically correctness crowds.
At least the only plus here is that the 15yr old won’t have to get “Plan B” pills behind their parent’s backs....
That being said 15/18 year old relationships are not an excuse to use zero tolerance to make soneone have to register themselves for the rest of their lives....
Shocking...next there will be a couple of lesbian softball players.
Both were girls.
Oh, I agree. I just think the law can be idiotic and intrusive.
As a parent, it should be up to me whether I want to allow the relationship or sabotage it, which is precisely what I did when my young daughter was being bird-dogged by a much older boy in high school. I made their lives so miserable she eventually dumped him.
If you want to avoid the “creep factor” simply amend the law to allow for a 4-year age difference, for example.
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So a 1st year teacher could have sex with senior?
We can do this forever if you like. Under no circumstances can your specific referral to this particular case be spun into hypothetical after the fact:
Well there is no indication that they had sex before and after her birthday
It is what it is. Stay down Rock.
Yeah, and?
Do you think the law should not apply equally?
An 18 year old male with a 15 year old female is A-OK and shouldn’t be prosecuted - but an 18 year old female with a 15 year old female should be? How about an 18 year old female with a 15 year old male?
Isn't it clear to you that if he was her husband, it could not have been statutory rape? That statute only applies in cases where the parties are not married. So this is a silly argument to make.
Yes, and if she voted one day before her 18th birthday, it would be illegal, and one day afterward, it would be legal. If she went into a bar and bought a drink one day before her 21st birthday, it would be illegal; one day after, it would be legal. And so on and so forth. So are you arguing that any law that is based on the age of the defendant is unreasonable?
Equality is a bitch isn’t it.
Young men are presecuted as sex offenders when they are 18 and having sex with a 15 year old girlfriend.
This young woman must face the same laws everyone else faces and under the law she violated an underage girl.
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