There must be more to this story. Maybe there was something with the testimony, as Silky mentioned. It simply boggles the mind.
I've worked on cases involving child *advertiser censored*, where the defendant would not be suited to prison because of physical or mental infirmities, and where treatment really is needed. I've worked on cases where the defendant was very well connected and/or well off. I've not, in the past three years, seen any case where the defendant received no jail time in these types of circumstances. Even when defendants legitimately needed treatment, that treatment was provided through RDAP or other prison programs during incarceration, not in lieu of incarceration.
I have seen, in some cases that were built around witness testimony, the case fall apart and being plead to a lesser charge, because children sometimes have such a hard time, and doubly so when they are the victim. I have to think that must have played a part in this matter. This is so far out of the norm that I've experienced - even the "defendant-friendly" judges I'm familiar with wouldn't be this lenient. There's more to this story that hasn't come out yet.
