Judge under fire after sentencing bus driver who raped 14-year-old girl to probation, despite the prosecutor's request for jail time.
An upstate New York bus driver was spared by a judge from going to jail after he pleaded guilty to raping a 14-year-old girl.
Trooper Jack Keller, the public information officer for the New York state police, told ABC News that after Piche met the girl through his bus route for the school district in Watertown, New York, they started communicating through social media. The girl that was raped reported the incident about two weeks later, Keller said, and Piche was arrested in September 2018 after the investigation was concluded.
The District Attorney's office initially sought a sentence called a"split two probation" which would have entailed six months in jail and 10 years of probation, along with fines. Instead, the judge decided to nix the suggested jail time."We try to minimize the trauma to our victims, and sometimes plea agreements are a part of that," she said.
The Watertown Daily Times reported that Jefferson County Supreme Court Judge James McClusky issued the sentence and determined that Piche will have to register as a Level 1 sex offender — rather than a Level 2, which is more grave and was the recommendation of the district attorney's office — because Piche did not have a prior record.
"What does this say to girls who are vulnerable and men who want to take advantage of them?" one petitioner wrote alongside her virtual signature.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Bus driver gets no jail time after admitting he raped a 14-year-old girlJudge James P. McClusky said probation was an appropriate sentence because Piche had no prior arrests and only had one victim.
Read more »
14 horses found dead, another 34 seized from property covered in unsanitary mudAuthorities have found 14 dead horses on a property in Oregon and seized another 34 after spending months trying to work with the owners to improve conditions for the animals.
Read more »
Tony Awards 2019 nominations: 'Hadestown' leads with 14 nods“Hadestown,” a musical which intertwines the myths of Orpheus and Eurydice and Hades and Persephone, elbowed aside more familiar names to earn 14 Tony Award nominations Tuesday.
Read more »
Pinterest rockets more than 14% on high volume, marking seven straight days of gains since IPOPinterest has climbed every day since its market debut on April 18, and is now 75% up from its IPO price.
Read more »
About 1 in 14 Puerto Rican schoolchildren experienced PTSD after Hurricane MariaFood shortages, damaged homes, fear of death, loved ones leaving. The cumulative stresses of Hurricane Maria contributed to thousands of schoolchildren developing symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder in Puerto Rico, according to a new study.
Read more »
Coach K watches LeBron James' 14-year-old son Bronny James play against older competitionThe Duke head coach was in Atlanta to watch LeBron 'Bronny' James Jr., 14, make his 16U Nike EYBL debut with the Strive For Greatness travel team.
Read more »