NE - Richard Thompson for sex abuse of 12yo girl, Sidney, 2005

[BillyGoatGruff]

Not to sound nitpicky, but I've heard some of the audio from those Dateline tapes and it strikes me as odd how incredibly stupid these guys are when they are caught and interviewed.

The other thing that bothers me is how some of them don't even try to run away and sit there and try to justify themselves. And when some of them do get up to try to leave, the host is like "sit down, I'm not finished."

I wouldn't let a television host tell me what to do if I was caught in that situation. Then again, I wouldn't be in that situation.

Basically these guys are cowards. They're afraid the guy talking to them is going to whale on them or pull a gun.

 

[BeeBee]

I sent an email to Bill O'Reilly. Along with the story about this stupid judge. I'll let you all know if I hear anything back. :furious:

 

[Details]

Basically these guys are cowards. They're afraid the guy talking to them is going to whale on them or pull a gun.

I think that's why they go for children - if they weren't quite such cowards, they'd be rapists and abusive boyfriends. But they're too scared of an adult, so they go for children.

 

[Bobbisangel]

This just makes my blood boil. It has ruined this child but the perp is considered because he is SHORT! The judge was appointed not elected so I imagine she is on a short rope which is a very good thing. Maybe she can hire him to take care of her children since he is obviously not real employable in the area.

Oh and the child's mother didn't show up at court today. Another area to be explored. Every child seems to be expendable when the issues deal with adults in their care, adults in their justice system and adults who molest them.

I need to back away for a sec as I think I will blow a gasket.

The Attorney General was on Nancy Grace tonight. He is getting the ball rolling to take this situation to an appeals court. He said that they have done it quite often with sex crimes and he believes the appeals court will take care of that judges decision. It will be reversed and the guy...short or not...will serve the 10 yrs in prison.

From what I understand this creep was living with the little girl's mother. The little girl was 12 and he had full blown intercourse with her. In the beginning he had quite a few charges against him. They gave him a plea bargain...when don't they :furious:....and dropped quite a few of the charges. The guy didn't argue with the deal and was ready to go do his time. The judge then proceeded to do her thing and totally change the law.

People are really up in arms about this. I won't be surprised if this judge isn't booted off the bench. She gave a guy that stole some cattle a sentence of 2-3 years recently :doh: This guy is going to go to prison. It is just going to take longer then it should have.

This creep was living with the girl's mother so my question is....is he going to be living there now that he is released? Why didn't that mother show up in court today. Shame on her. Does she even care?

Now if you are to pretty or to short you don't have to go to prison. If you are to fat or afraid you might feel some pain you can get out of a death sentence. Someone needs to do something about our justice system. Who the heck is running it anyway...criminals and bad judges???? It is just insane.

 

[dark_shadows]

I sent an email to Bill O'Reilly. Along with the story about this stupid judge. I'll let you all know if I hear anything back. :furious:

BeeBee,
Thank-you so much.

 

[Thorkim]

Bill O'Reilly will rip that judge a new one, I'm sure. Thanks BeeBee and keep us posted.

Yes, our AG will probably win this one. I have seen lesser lenient sentences get reversed in the time I've been in the office. If anyone can do it, it is Bruning. He is a pitbull, especially with child molesters. This judge scares me, both in looks and actions, lol.

 

[13th Juror]

Many thanks, Thorkim, for your informative updates and the work you do in the AG's office. Big thumbs up!

Thanks to BeeBee for taking the initative in bringing this case of blatant injustice to O'Reilly's attention. Good job!

My sincere appreciation to BobbisAngel for recapping the details revealed on Nancy Grace. Sorry that I missed the show. Thanks BobbisAngel!

Special thanks to Marie & Jeana for posting the contact information for Judge Cecava and Attorney General Bruning. So very appreciated!! Thanks to you guys, my letters are written and on their way to the recipients.

What a terrific group we have here at WS!! :woohoo: Kudos to all of you! :blowkiss:


a grateful 13th Juror ..

 

[Jeana (DP)]

LINCOLN, Neb. — A petition drive is calling for the resignation of the judge who sentenced a sex offender to probation instead of prison in part because of his short stature.

The campaign is aimed at Cheyenne County District Judge Kristine Cecava, who last week sentenced Richard W. Thompson to 10 years intensive probation instead of prison on two felony child sexual assault charges. Cecava said at the sentencing hearing that she did not believe the 5-foot, 1-inch Thompson could survive in prison.


more at:

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,197682,00.html

 

[Levi]

Please send e-mails in. It is VERY important. The e-mails you need to send in should be about Judge Cecava of Lincoln Nebraska who sentenced a child rapist to 10 yrs PROBATION NO prison time. Her reasoning: He was too short.

HERE IS THE CONTACT INFO:

The mayor: mayor@lincoln.ne.gov
Governor Heineman: http://gov.nol.org/mail/govmail.html

PLEASE WRITE in!! The more people that are outraged the less these judges will be appointed and elected. It is very important for the future of our children.

 

[SieSie]

My friend just brought this case to my attention, I figured I'd find a thread here. I just watched Bill O'Reilly and he was talking about it, too. This "sentence" is absolutely ridiculous. The AG just said to O'Reilly, "we don't have a physical requirement for prison" (or something to that effect), saying they had old people, obese people and even people shorter than 5'1. The judge isn't up for re-election until like 2008 (if I remember correctly, was multi-tasking), so they probably won't be able to get her off the bench. Hopefully the appeal will be effective and when her time does come, she doesn't get re-elected.

 

[SieSie]

There's a thread here about this case, here's the link.

 

[dark_shadows]

My friend just brought this case to my attention, I figured I'd find a thread here. I just watched Bill O'Reilly and he was talking about it, too. This "sentence" is absolutely ridiculous. The AG just said to O'Reilly, "we don't have a physical requirement for prison" (or something to that effect), saying they had old people, obese people and even people shorter than 5'1. The judge isn't up for re-election until like 2008 (if I remember correctly, was multi-tasking), so they probably won't be able to get her off the bench. Hopefully the appeal will be effective and when her time does come, she doesn't get re-elected.

Hello SieSie,
I missed the show.Thanks for the review.
I posted that we have had and still have all kinds in the Correctional Facility that I work at.We accommodate all types.(post #11)

 

[Bobbisangel]

That is a great idea. Thanks for the email addresses. Mine are on their way out.

 

[SieSie]

Hello SieSie,
I missed the show.Thanks for the review.
I posted that we have had and still have all kinds in the Correctional Facility that I work at.We accommodate all types.(post #11)

Hiya, DS! You're welcome for the review, even though we already knew everything that was said. LOL. I'm just glad that the AG is going for appeal, the sentence that was given by the Judge is outrageous.

 

[dark_shadows]

Hiya, DS! You're welcome for the review, even though we already knew everything that was said. LOL. I'm just glad that the AG is going for appeal, the sentence that was given by the Judge is outrageous.

Hey there SiSe ,
The AG used the same discriptions on the article that you post that I used to discribe the people I have overseen in my job,days before the AG spoke.I wanted to thank-you for posting that article.

 

[dark_shadows]

Bill is talking about it right now on Foxnews and he is not happy with Bernie Glaser (former prosecutor) a friend of the judge.Now this person Bernie is saying that the short man only did something to the girl twice not 5 times like what is said on the sworn affidavit.Bill is yelling at the fool telling him that he is reading a sworn statement.Bernie also states that his friend the judge did not send him to jail because he is boarderline mentally retarded and that is why she feared for his saftey,not because he is short.........The procecutor said that he procecuted for 15 years.Bill said that they were incompatent years.

 

[concernedperson]

Well, if this is such an issue just build a prison for people who are short. That takes care of all the pedophiles and leaves the judges no recourse but to sentence these scumbags to what they deserve and protects children.

 

[mssheila]

This is what the judge ACTUALLY said..... I'm still dumbfounded.

"So I'm sitting here thinking this guy has earned his way to prison but then I look at you and I look at your physical size. I look at your basic ability to cope with people and, quite frankly, I shake to think what might happen to you in prison because I don't think you'll do well in prison."

*emphasis is mine.

She looked at his physical size and determined that she doesn't think he'll do well in prison. Okay.... did she happen to look at the "physical size" of his young victim? Did the judge "shake" when she thought of what the short man did to the girl? Does she think the young lady is going "do well" knowing he's not in prison for what he did to her?

UNBELIEVABLE! OUTRAGEOUS! ATROCIOUS!


ETA: I've been looking all over for a transcript of the court session, so I could hear the judge's "other reasons" that her pal on O'Reilly spoke of. I've finally found an 'unofficial' transcript. Here's the link:
http://nebraska.statepaper.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2006/06/02/44803acbb7265

 

[mssheila]

The title of this article says the prosecutor didn't ask for prison time??? http://nebraska.statepaper.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2006/06/02/44803acbb7265

Highlights from the article, (BOLD are my own comments):

The defense atty, MR MILLER: This court has the letter that he submitted to the court. I think that expresses pretty clearly that he does feel bad for what has occurred. That he is, I think, very sorry for what has happened.
*snip*(I thought there was some sort of competency issue. But he's able to write a clear letter to the court?)
The psychological evaluation, the expert says that we do not have a sexual predator here. We do not have a pedophile here. What we have is an individual who has poor impulse control, who lacks judgment at times. Mr. Thompson has already served ten days in jail.
*snip* (WE DO NOT HAVE A SEXUAL PREDATOR HERE? WHAT IS HE THEN?)
There’s a statement in the Presentence Investigation from a Sherelen Crawley who is apparently a grandmother of some sort. We ask the court to discount those recommendations. There has been a long standing feud and disagreement involving my client and the grandmother. The mother involved in this matter is, apparently, no longer in custody of this girl. The grandmother is apparently in custody.

THE COURT:In custody?

MR. MILLER: Has physical custody.

THE COURT:Okay, the grandmother has custody of the minor child who is the victim in this case?

MR. MILLER: Correct. The mother is not in the picture according to the Presentence Investigation and it’s not clear exactly what has happened or why that occurred but some of the statements in the so-called Victim Impact Statement, I think, need to be discounted by this court. I think those recommendations would do more harm than good. Again, I believe Mr. Thompson is remorseful for what has happened. I think he is here to take responsibility for what he has done.
*snip* (That explains why mom wasn't in the court room)
THE COURT:What you have done is absolutely inexcusable. Absolutely wrong. You will never have any idea of how deeply you have harmed this child. You are an adult. You betrayed the trust and you betrayed it not only at a psychological but a physical level and there’s nothing you can do to change that. You already did it and this young person will spend a lifetime dealing with the effects of your choices and behaviors. You’ve earned your way to prison. So, I’m sitting here thinking this guy has earned his way to prison but then I look at you and I look at your physical size. I look at your basic ability to cope with people and, quite frankly, I shake to think of what might happen to you in prison because I don’t think you’ll do well in prison.
*snip*
And it is -- I was relieved to know that the people who evaluated you -- you are a sex offender, okay. You did this and you did it to a child. That means that at some level you have a sexual preference to children. That doesn’t make you a hunter, the predator that we hear about on TV all the time. I was very relieved to know that you do not fit in that category of human being because that gives me more leeway to not send you to prison. But you need to understand I am going to try to put together some kind of order that will keep you out of prison.
*snip* (You are a sex offender, but not a sexual predator...?)
I’m going to say it to you, again, you are a sexual deviant. You have a serious sexual problem. Lucky for you the specialists believe that if you can get over your denial. You tend to say that’s just one time. I’m not saying you’ve done it more than that but the way you think you are a sexual deviant. You need and have to look at it and the consequences are ten years in prison if you don’t. So, he’s to do all the counseling and follow all the counseling and that’s to be followed very tightly that he maintains those contacts.
*snip* (You are a sexual deviant, you have a sexual problem but you are NOT a predator?)
You, as directed by the counselor and probation, are to make a written apology to the victim in your case and whether that’s ever given to the victim or not is up to the victim’s family and the victim’s counselors
*snip* (Write an "I'm Sorry" letter, make it all better)

THE COURT:Well, I assure you that if you ever knew someone who was a victim of a sexual assault, you would know that you have gravely harmed this person. So, if you’re ever tempted think about whether you really want to hurt somebody bad. It looks like love to you but it isn’t.
*snip* (Is it just me, or does the judge sound overly worried that he will reoffend?)

So then they make him sign the sex offender registry and off he goes. Ugh.... Disgusting.



ETA: At no time in the transcript did I hear the prosecutor object or ask for jail time. They must have had the arrangement already done and ready for the judge, and the prosecutor must have agreed to it.

 

[mssheila]

Unfair reporting on the 10 year probation sentence?

http://nebraska.statepaper.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2006/06/01/447f5f5921833

From the article:
The public might well have concluded that Thompson belonged in prison, no matter what, but media reports should have included many more facts – facts that do not lend themselves to sensational headlines, and broadcasts.

If Thompson had received maximum, consecutive sentences, he would be eligible for parole in two and one-half years. If he “jammed his time” and not been paroled, he would be free in five years without any supervision.

The article details the things that the national media isn't reporting. I still don't see the justification though.:behindbar