Student Sex Charges Dropped In Debra Lafave Case

Posted on March 21, 2006

State prosecutors 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.

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, already faces 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.

Via Fox

I believe my mental illness had a lot to do with my actions,” Lafave said in a news conference Tuesday with defense attorney John Fitzgibbons, referring to bipolar disorder. “I offer my deepest apology. I am very remorseful. I want the world to see that bipolar is real.”

It is hard to place blame on the judge in this case, as he probably rejected the plea bargain because he did not think it was enough punishment for her. There is a definite double standard on this issue when it comes to women and men. Either way around it is just as sick. She should be serving at least 10 years in prison like a male in the same position would.

“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.

It is hard to place blame on the prosecutor and the family that dropped the charges. The pressure on this young man was enormous, and his family felt that it was more important for the welfare of their son to not have him testify and endure that kind of stress.

The media certainly made a spectacle of this trial, but their job is to inform their viewers of what they are concerned and interested in.

The only person to blame for the pain, pressure, and stress this young man had to endure is Debra Lafave, an admitted child rapist. And unfortunately to my disgust justice has not paid her for her deeds yet. Is she beautiful? Sure. Wouldn’t any 14 year old boy want to be with her? Yes…but c’mon people!!!

A sexual predator is a sexual predator… I don’t care if it is male or female. This makes me sick! Now she says she is looking into journalism. Well, you can definitely expect her to write a book and make some money of this whole thing. Mark my words on that.

This post does a fair job summing up the way I feel.

I saw the other day the sentencing to death of the scum who raped and killed 14 year old Carlie Brucia. Funny how he couldn’t explain it away like Debra Lafave did with her bipolar disorder. Of course sick people do sick things ya know?! Or maybe if he was good looking and female he might have got off with insanity. Anyways, I’d volunteer to flip the switch on the bastard.

But then again, it may not be a male and female thing. We saw Jacko get off the hook too. So, I think the problem is just that child molesters get off with a wrist slap waaaaaaaaaaay too often….period.

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2 Responses to “Student Sex Charges Dropped In Debra Lafave Case”

Amy Proctor on March 21st, 2006 9:38 pm

This shouldn’t be a matter of how men offend and how women offend. This is a matter of right and wrong. Any sexual predator should be thrown in jail, period, no matter whether the victim is willing or not. What are laws for if there’s no punishment?
LomaAlta on March 21st, 2006 9:56 pm

Yes, all sexual predators should be punished and kept away from the public.
But its not just a man-woman thing. As said, Jacko got off and so did Kobe after the Court somehow “mistakenly” posted the victim’s background and other information, subject to a gag order, several times.
Justice should be blind to gender or offender.