Teen Convicted Of Raping A 5 Year Old At McDonalds Will Not Spend Time In A Juvenile Correctional Facility

2/21/2012

A teen convicted of rape will not spend time in a juvenile correctional facility. The 13-year-old who entered a guilty plea to raping a young girl at a local McDonald's will be placed at the Village Network in Wooster for residential juvenile sex offender treatment.

Local 12 News Reporter Tiffany Wilson was in court today when the sentence was handed down. Rather than go into the Department of Youth Services - the offender will go into rehabilitation - a sentence recommended by the court clinic. The prosecution and defense pushed for placement and Judge John Williams agreed.

The teen's attorney acknowledged that his client suffers from Aspergers Syndrome, an autism spectrum disorder characterized by significant difficulties in social interaction, restricted and repetitive patterns of behavior and interests. It differs from other autism spectrum disorders because suffers often keep their ability to speak and their cognitive development appears unaffected.

The teen's attorney also says he was forced to cross dress as a child - that's considered abuse. He has a stack of files documenting his mental counseling that's several inches thick. The prosecuting and defense attorney say placement in a 24-hour facility that will treat his issues is the best possible outcome. The judge is hoping with therapy the young boy will never act out in this way again - but he says the court will watch his case like a hawk and if he missteps, he could end up in the juvenile corrections facility.

Today in court, the victim's mother spoke, thanking law enforcement for finding the offender and telling him that she will never forgive the pain he caused her five year old daughter. "Until the last breath I take, I will never forget what he did and the issues my daughter may have from this, I will never be able to forgive. I will move on and my daughter will move on. Forgiveness is not in my heart for this young man."

The boy will be picked up for placement at the rehabilitation facility tomorrow...how long he's there depends on how he reacts to treatment.

The Village Network's Wooster campus is boys only and the facility was first in the state to receive certification for its juvenile sex offender program.


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I've said this too many times before "Our Children Are Not Safe Anywhere!"