Sex abuser sent to jail as protest over crimes against women grows

Carol Forsloff - "That
means you're going to prison Mr. Morales, and you certainly deserve to
go to prison."  This statement expresses the growing concern about sex abusers, especially those who commit sex crimes against children.

Sex
crimes are symptoms of the control and power issues, experts say are
involved in the crime of rape, as represented by a recent case.  Women
have taken up the cause of abuse against women by "turning purple"
Facebook pages every month Friday in response to crimes, involving everything
from domestic abuse to rape.

 The
words of First District Court Judge Thomas Bibus as he sentenced
Valentin Fuerte Morales, 37, of Red Wing, to eight years in prison tell
the story of the outrage that is felt concerning those who assault
women, especially female children.  In this case Judge Bibus was
referring to the assault of an eight-year-old girl and sexual contact
with her nine-year-old sister.


Morales had a "significant relationship" over the girls, according to records of the case.  He had lived with the girls at the time of the assaults.   He had molested the girls for over a year when the girls' father discovered the abuse and called
the authorities.


At his sentencing hearing, Morales suggested that he serve a year in
jail for the crimes he committed. The state prosecutor argued for a
stiffer sentence that would put Morales in jail for ten years or more.
Although Morales will serve only eight years in prison, he is an illegal
immigrant and will immediately be deported upon release.

Violence
against women is reflected in various types of Sexual Assault Max A.
Keller discusses and how these are treated by legal authorities.


Keller tells us, "The state of Minnesota criminalizes many different
types of sexual misconduct. Because Morales had a "significant
relationship" with the girls, and because his victims were under 13, he
was charged and convicted of first degree criminal sexual conduct, which
also means that there was proof of penetration.


Second degree criminal sexual conduct involves sexual contact with a
minor and includes some of the same elements as first degree criminal
sexual conduct. Third degree criminal sexual conduct includes
penetration as an element of the crime and can also apply to sexual
attacks committed in a therapeutic setting, such as medical staff
initiating sexual contact with their patients. Any nonconsensual act is a
gross misdemeanor and classified as fifth degree criminal sexual
conduct."

Keller,
who is experienced in defense of sex offenders, presents a stern
warning to those who commit sex crimes that the penalties for them can
be extensive.  "If convicted of first degree criminal sexual conduct,
you face a maximum of 30 years in prison and up to a $40,000 fine.
Convictions for criminal sexual conduct may also require sex offender
registration, sometimes lifetime registration."

The
Morales case reflects the consequences, but the the hurt to the victims

remain, as Facebook's women protest.