[Steven Pro]

Charges Dropped in Fla. Student Sex Case

By MITCH STACY, Associated Press Writer



TAMPA, Fla. - Prosecutors in one Florida county decided Tuesday to drop charges against a former Tampa teacher accused of having sex with a 14-year-old middle school student.

The decision, announced hours after a judge rejected a plea deal for Debra Lafave, means the victim won't have to testify.

Lafave's sentence in another county for having sex with the same boy still stands.

Prosecutors and defense attorneys had urged the judge to accept the deal for the sake of the boy involved. A psychiatrist who examined the teenager told the judge at a previous hearing that the boy suffered extreme anxiety from the media coverage of the case and does not want to testify.

Marion County Circuit Judge Hale Stancil, however, said the lack of prison time for Lafave under the plea deal "shocks the conscience of this court," and he rejected it.

Assistant State Attorney Richard Ridgway, in explaining the decision to drop the charges, 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."

Lafave, 25, was already sentenced to three years of house arrest and seven years' probation in Hillsborough County, where she was charged with having sex with the same boy in a classroom and her home. She pleaded guilty Nov. 22 to two counts of lewd and lascivious battery under a plea deal there.

In Marion County, she was accused of having sex with the boy in a sport utility vehicle.

Lafave said at a news conference later Tuesday that she was getting treatment for bipolar disorder.

"I have a lot of things in my past that have unfortunately become public," Lafave said.

"I pray with all my heart that the young man and his family will be able to move on with their lives," she said. "Again, I offer my deepest apologies."

Hillsborough County prosecutor Mike Sinacore has said that the victim's family had anticipated a trial, but that the media attention prompted the boy's mother to push for a plea deal.

"There is no one that wanted to see Debra Lafave serve jail time more than myself," the boy's mother wrote in an e-mail to the Ocala Star-Banner over the weekend. But she said the welfare of her son was more important.

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There is no way a male teacher would have gotten off.

[BubbaWPB]

Originally Posted by Steven Pro

There is no way a male teacher would have gotten off.

Ain't that the truth?!

[Poseidon]

That is true, but have you SEEN this teacher? She is HOT!!! MAN! I think the kid must be scared of girls, or something, no way in he** I would be complaining about having sex with this one! WOW!

I see Steven's point exactly, but I'll bet this kids Dad has to be a least a little PROUD of his son for this one! Heck he may even be JEALOUS!

[Frag Hag]

That is true, but have you SEEN this teacher? She is HOT!!! MAN! I think the kid must be scared of girls, or something, no way in he** I would be complaining about having sex with this one! WOW!

I see Steven's point exactly, but I'll bet this kids Dad has to be a least a little PROUD of his son for this one! Heck he may even be JEALOUS!

Holy Mary Kay Letourneau... I think I'm in danger of tossing my cookies. Hot, yes, but let's just call a spade a spade. This "hot" babe is a child molester, a predator in the classroom, PERIOD.

[Steven Pro]

Absolutely! She should be in jail and on the sex offender/predator list, not going home.

[Poseidon]

I knew I would take heat for my comment, but my MALE genes say that is a fine accomplishment for a 14 year old! I know some kids are more mature then others at that age, and it is true this kid may be traumatized at the moment. However I know when I was 14 I was already curious and I was interested in certain magazines...

I think I would give Logan HIGH FIVES!

[WillieM96]

Poseidon- I'm with you on this one. This kid lived every 14 year old boy's fantasy- he slept with the hot teacher. Heck, I remember thinking my teacher was hot in 4th grade! She's no predator- if a car salesman sells you a car that you want, is he a con artist? I don't think so. Unless he was raped against his will, I think the double standard is appropriate in this case. Women/girls are much more sensitive in matter like this.

[Ninong]

Originally Posted by Steven Pro

Absolutely! She should be in jail and on the sex offender/predator list, not going home.

Actually she will be on the sex offender/predator list. And she will have to serve three years of house arrest, followed by several years probation.

Prosecutors in both counties had agreed to the same deal. The judge in the first county accepted the plea agreement but the judge in the second county refused to accept it, saying that he wanted her to do jail time. At that point, the prosecutor in that county decided to drop the charges. There were two reasons for that. First, it made no difference whatsoever as far as her serving what they had agreed she would serve and secondly he couldn't prove his case at trial because the victim was not going to testify against her. I believe the boy is now 16 and he did not want to be subjected to the ridicule of his peers that would have followed his testimony.

I hope I have the facts straight, but I believe this case involves a teacher who was 23 at the time of the first sexual encounter with a student who was 14. This isn't quite as bad as the Mary Kay Letourneau case where she was the boy's teacher in second grade and then again in sixth grade where she began a sexual relationship with him when she was in her 30's and he was about to turn 13. She originally received six months in jail followed by three years counseling but she was later sent to jail for the full original sentence of several years after she violated the court's order to stay away from the victim. Not only did she not stay away from him, she became pregnant a second time by him. They are now married, not that that has anything to do with the original criminal offense.

The courts have a history of treating female rapists more leniently than male rapists. And the courts have a history of treating beautiful people or celebrities more leniently than the average citizen. You could also say that the courts have a history of more favorable outcomes for those who can afford high-priced defense lawyers, too. I doubt that these trends will be reversed any time soon.

To be perfectly honest, you have to admit that having your 14-year-old daughter raped by a 23-year-old male teacher on three occasions is not the same as having your 14-year-old son seduced by the 23-year-old teacher in question. Perhaps they should be treated the same legally but the consequences are certainly not the same and I would argue that the emotional damage to the victim is not the same. Statutory rape of a 14-year-old girl just seems much more significant to me than statutory rape of a willing 14-year-old boy by his very attractive 23-year-old female teacher.

No matter how we try to say that the crimes should be treated equally, you have to admit that you wouldn't feel exactly the same if you were the father of a 14-year-old daughter in this situation compared to a 14-year-old son. This is probably one of the reasons the courts have shown more leniency towards women sexual offenders. In this particular case, the fact that the woman in question is exceptionally attractive may have worked in her favor with the first judge but it may have actually worked against her with the second judge. It didn't help her that her attorney said publicly that she was "too beautiful to go to jail."

[Poseidon]

I agree Ninong, I don't think I posted that earlier. If my son Logan lived the fantasy of a seductive BEAUTIFUL teacher, so be it. If my daughter Makayla was in the same situation, I would go HUNTING for the teacher! The double standard applies here, if for no other reason then the differences in the way men and women view sex.

[Ninong]

The argument that the law should treat men and women equally is a valid one. However, I just don't see that happening in sex offense cases and I understand the reasons why. If local legislators are unhappy with this situation, they can always write a law requiring mandatory minimum sentences for first offenders regardless of gender but I doubt that will happen and I don't like to see judges stripped of their ability to be flexible in sentencing.

Getting away from the grownup view of this situation for a moment, think of what would have happened to this boy for the rest of his high-school and college years if he had testified against this teacher. He would have become the object of ridicule and scorn by his teenage male peers. Whether he seeks it or not, he will have hero status for the next several years among male peers no matter where he goes to school. C'est la vie!

[Poseidon]

Originally Posted by Ninong

Whether he seeks it or not, he will have hero status for the next several years among male peers no matter where he goes to school. C'est la vie!

That's what I am talking ABOUT! WOOT!

[mungus728]

Originally Posted by Ninong

To be perfectly honest, you have to admit that having your 14-year-old daughter raped by a 23-year-old male teacher on three occasions is not the same as having your 14-year-old son seduced by the 23-year-old teacher in question. Perhaps they should be treated the same legally but the consequences are certainly not the same and I would argue that the emotional damage to the victim is not the same. Statutory rape of a 14-year-old girl just seems much more significant to me than statutory rape of a willing 14-year-old boy by his very attractive 23-year-old female teacher.

No matter how we try to say that the crimes should be treated equally, you have to admit that you wouldn't feel exactly the same if you were the father of a 14-year-old daughter in this situation compared to a 14-year-old son. This is probably one of the reasons the courts have shown more leniency towards women sexual offenders. In this particular case, the fact that the woman in question is exceptionally attractive may have worked in her favor with the first judge but it may have actually worked against her with the second judge. It didn't help her that her attorney said publicly that she was "too beautiful to go to jail."

Very well put!!

[The Grim Reefer]

Face it, 14 year old girl sleeps with a 23 year-old guy she was either raped or is a slut. 14 year-old boy sleeps with a 23 year-old woman he is either a stud monster or a lucky little SOB.

[Steven Pro]

I have a hard time thinking of this boy as lucky. Does anyone here really expect this kid to mature and have a normal relationship with a girl anytime in the near future?

[Poseidon]

I don't think it is unreasonable to think he can make a full recovery! I suspect most of his anguish is caused by Moms reaction to the whole deal. I had lots of friends that were "active" @ 14, they matured just fine. Remember I don't think the encounter was forced by the teacher, she was willing, and nature took over.

[Frag Hag]

I don't know. Maybe it is a Mom thing, but I just don't think having sex with a bi-polar predator at the tender age of 14 is exactly a healthy and positive influence on the boy's development.

[Poseidon]

On behalf of the Stereotypical male response:

Mom's never think their teenage sons having sex is a good thing. However a teenage boy that CAN have sex WILL! Especially with a HOTTIE like that. Like it or not, the male take on sex is almost always PHYSICAL, where as females tie all kinds of emotions to it. I am sure the boy involved could not care less if she is Bi-Polar, and his take is she is NOT a predator, but the best thing that has happened to him yet!

[captain Jim]

HOT is right I about fell off the stool when I first saw her on tv.
Ill tell you that when I was 14 and living at home if I would have been even talking dirty with a teacher like that, my father would have congratulated me and I would have been a god in the eyes of the guys I hung around with!
Yes I do think she should spent the time, but I dont think it hurt him as much as it did his mother!
I would dress up as a 14 year old if I knew I could get her!

[smidoid]

I'd dress up as a 14 year old to get laid right now!

[okcalla]

Originally Posted by Steven Pro

I have a hard time thinking of this boy as lucky. Does anyone here really expect this kid to mature and have a normal relationship with a girl anytime in the near future?

after the media attn no. if however say there were no media attn. then abso-friggin-lutely. 14 or 25 im pretty sure most guys see sex the same way... ITS GRRRRRRRREAT!!