Man gets 10 days probation for sex with 12-year-old in Central Florida

[JayS]

Man gets 10 days probation for sex with 12-year-old in Central Florida
The Associated Press
Posted May 14 2004, 5:02 PM EDT
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-0514sexwithminor,0,6354023.story?coll=sfla-home-headlines



SANFORD, Fla. -- A man who pleaded guilty to having sex with a 12-year-old received a penalty much lighter than usual -- 10 days of sex-offender probation-- angering the girl's mother. Mark Vansandt, 22, of Longwood also was sentenced to four years of conventional probation on an unrelated cocaine charge.

*SNIP*

Under state sentencing guidelines, Vansandt faced a combined prison sentence of eight to 20 years in the sex and cocaine cases.

But state law allows judges to sharply reduce the penalty against young offenders, and that's what Circuit Judge O.H. Eaton Jr. did Monday.

Eaton said Vansandt ``is not a pedophile. He's not a rapist. He's not a violent sex offender,'' but was an extremely immature man. Vansandt was 20 when he had sex with the girl.

*SNIP*

``I believe he should spend some time in prison,'' she said. Her name is being withheld to protect her daughter's identity. ``I'm really shocked that the judge is sending out this message to other young men that it's OK to have sex with a 12-year-old, and he'll give you a little slap on the wrist.''

*SNIP*

[Renew Deal]

1. I guess the defense made it's case.

I wonder if he will be registered as a sex offender.

[will89]

8. he should

n/t

[JayS]

12. He will be a registered sex offender.

QUOTE
Despite the short sentence, Vansandt will be permanently identified as a sex offender on the Florida Department of Law Enforcement's Web site.
QUOTE

[arcane1]

2. 10 days for statutory rape, 4 YEARS for cocaine??

I'm hip to the somewhat-lax drug punsihment, but jesus, compared to having sex with a child, shouldn't cocaine use get LESS time?????????

:wtf:

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

4. And which does more damage?

That poor child will be affected by this for the rest of her life.

[arcane1]

5. ah but he was an "Immature man" so we must be gentle to him...

immaturity will cause one to have sex with children, and must be taken into consideration... of course we all know that immaturity has nothing to do with using cocaine, so he should've known that was wrong

:puke:

[7th_Sephiroth]

26. its a message from jeb

that on the off chance your caught with one of his child prostitutes, you wont face anything serious

[OpSomBlood]

3. To be fair, there are some pretty hot 12-year-olds.

That was a joke.

But I'm sure some people here will quote this as "proof" that I am a sicko.

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

6. In your skewed manner...

You bring up a salient point: At the time of intromission, did the defendant know that the young lady was 12?

There are some rather mature-looking and revealingly-costumed youngsters running around out there.

This is a point worthy of consideration. Having said that, he's still a pinhead.

[OpSomBlood]

7. He is a pinhead...

But there are some 12-13 year olds these days who easily pass for 18.

They're growing up quick.

[Columbia]

9. It's the hormones in the milk/beef

Not to mention wonderful role-models like Britney Spears.

[OpSomBlood]

10. I use the bovine hormones theory...

...to explain why I'm 6'3" when everyone else in my family is under 5'10".

It just sounds better than, "the mailman was tall."

[JayS]

11. Let's not pick on Britney.

She works darn hard. :)

http://britneyspears.ac/lasers.htm

[Randall]

28. Could be right

At age 19 I was stationed in Orlando and I knew a lot of guys that would meet 13 year olds in nightclubs. They wouldn't find out the real age until the dropped the girl at home or called her house and talked to the parents. When the parents let their daughters wear thongs and dance like Britney things like this will happen. Any girl in a nightclub should be of age to have sex, and with fake ID's and lax parents we're going to see this happen pretty routinely.

[Randall]

29. Could be right

At age 19 I was stationed in Orlando and I knew a lot of guys that would meet 13 year olds in nightclubs. They wouldn't find out the real age until the dropped the girl at home or called her house and talked to the parents. When the parents let their daughters wear thongs and dance like Britney things like this will happen. Any girl in a nightclub should be of age to have sex, and with fake ID's and lax parents we're going to see this happen pretty routinely.

[Randall]

30. Could be right

At age 19 I was stationed in Orlando and I knew a lot of guys
that would meet 13 year olds in nightclubs. They wouldn't find
out the real age until the dropped the girl at home or called
her house and talked to the parents. When the parents let
their daughters wear thongs and dance like Britney things like
this will happen. Any girl in a nightclub should be of age to
have sex, and with fake ID's and lax parents we're going to
see this happen pretty routinely.

[MrSandman]

13. This is so wrong in so many ways...

Man should get more time.

Parents should be investigated for failure to protect.

Not a pedophile...then what is a pedophile?

What was so mitigating?

[leftistagitator]

14. A pedophile is one who has sex with prepubescent children.

Which a 12 year old girl is not. Americans always get this confused.

[Columbia]

15. Definition

http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=pedophile

ped·o·phile ( P ) Pronunciation Key (pd-fl, pd-)
n.
An adult who is sexually attracted to a child or children.

[leftistagitator]

16. Yes, but the rub is what is a child.

You and I may consider a 12 or 13 year old a child, but I believe technically once you enter adolescence you are no longer count. In America, we use the term pedophile as a blanket term for anyone who has a sexual attraction to someone under the age of 17, (in most states), but in most other countries they reserve the term strictly for sexual attraction to prepubescent children.

[Columbia]

18. Depends on who you ask

The Brady bunch and VPC believe 19 yr old gangmembers are children.

It'd be difficult to imagine a 12 year old who is physically and mentally mature enough to have sex.

[leftistagitator]

19. I agree and think it should be a crime for an adult to do so

It's not pedophilia, but it's still wrong to prey upon emotionally immature adolesents, especially someone as young as 12.

[Gyre]

23. the law

The definition of a pedophile is irrelevant. There are statutorily-defined punishments in the penal code of every state for adults (over 18) having consensual sex with minors (under 18 obviously). The potential punishments (in California anyways) are defined by the age of the victim and the age of the perpetrator at the time of the act. The greater the spread, the more potentially harsh the consequences. With statutory rape, there is a potential "affirmative defense" in that the perpetrator didn't know that the minor was a minor. So in a case where the minor was "really hot", if the defendant could convince a jury that he couldn't tell she was under 18, he could walk even if she was 12. However, the chances of a 12 year old objectively passing for 18 or more are usually slim.

My opinion is that this judge is a good ole boy knucklehead who doesn't care if he's reelected.

Gyre

[MrSandman]

21. see #17

[MrSandman]

17. Check out DSM-IV...

Sexual activity with children under 13, most common paraphilia.

[leftistagitator]

20. I guess it would have been pedophilia then

Just barely though, she's as old as she could be for that classification to be true.

[Gyre]

22. Yeesh!

That judge has sent a really, really bad message. The fact that this sentence is going to get serious airtime (assumption), only guarantees that the hard work of many prosecutors and school-based sex-educators is down the crapper. Nice work Judge! Recall anyone? Also, you folks in Fla can complain to the state judicial counsel.

Gyre

[Liberal Classic]

24. Certainly have our priorities backwards

I'm not an attorney, but I thought paedophilia was having sex with pre-pubescent children. That would make Mr. Immature a statutory rapist, if not a paedophile.

All the same this is a travesty of justice, even if the sex act was consentual.

[Tamiati]

25. Agreed - Backwards Justice

Even if she was a "hot" twelve yr. old, it's been against the law of this land for years, & morally is irrehensible. MY daughter is 11, so help the boy/man who would touch her. Where is justice in our justice department?

Hell you can rape our children, our sisters, murder our family or loved ones, smoke a little dope?? My soapbox issue again....& yet the non-violent drug offender will spend up to 5 years for a little marijuana! The prisons are so full we seemingly can't put those violent offenders where they ought to be.

No wonder the country is so screwed up eh??

[LibLabUK]

27. Yargh!

Drag him to the town square, flog him, castrate him with a rusty spoon and then hang him.

Justice, we demand justice! (Just so long as we get the result we demand!)

[christeagleian]

31. Florida Justice

The justice(ha ha ha) system in Florida sucks. I served over 250 days in Walton County Jail in DeFuniak Springs, Florida. During this time I reconciled with my ex wife and children. I lined up a good job in Tennessee and had my life straight. Two weeks before the end of my sentence I was brought over to the Holmes County Jail in Bonifay Florida to be sentenced on a related misdemeanor. The next day the county court judge sentenced me to 90 days with credit for time served in Walton County. After confirming the sentence with the judge I requested that the jail transport me back to Walton County to complete my sentence. I was told by the jail administrator and deputy administrator that they would make the arrangements. I submitted a written request which to my surprise the deputy administrator responded to with "you have to serve extra time here". I was held past the Walton County date. At this point my job was lost because I could not report for work. My family had to wait to be reunited with me. When I realized that the administrator and deputy administrator were not going to release me I sent a sealed motion to the court through the jail mail. The next morning prior to the mail going out I was released.
We hear so often about violation of the rights of prisoners in iraq. While I wont state my position on that, I will say that what happened to me was a clear violation of my civil rights. I was denied due process. As a Veteran of the US Military I was denied my freedom by due non elected public servants. Yet the State of Florida sentences a person to 10 days for a sex crime. The system down there is way out of hand.

[Senior citizen]

32. Fla justice, Fla elections: they both suck. (n/t)