20 year old sentenced to ten days probation for sex
 

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10-Day Probation Sentence For Sex With 12-Year-Old Angers Victim's Mom
POSTED: 12:29 PM EDT May 14, 2004


SANFORD, Fla. -- A man who pleaded guilty to having sex with a 12-year-old received a penalty much lighter than usual -- 10 days of sex-offender probation -- angering the girl's mother.

Mark Vansandt, 22, of Longwood also was sentenced to four years of conventional probation on an unrelated cocaine charge.

Vansandt pleaded guilty in October to having sex with the girl at his home in August 2002.

Under state sentencing guidelines, Vansandt faced a combined prison sentence of eight to 20 years in the sex and cocaine cases.

But state law allows judges to sharply reduce the penalty against young offenders, and that's what Circuit Judge O.H. Eaton Jr. did Monday.

Eaton said Vansandt "is not a pedophile. He's not a rapist. He's not a violent sex offender," but was an extremely immature man. Vansandt was 20 when he had sex with the girl.

The victim's mother called the sentence "a joke."

"I believe he should spend some time in prison," she said. Her name is being withheld to protect her daughter's identity. "I'm really shocked that the judge is sending out this message to other young men that it's OK to have sex with a 12-year-old, and he'll give you a little slap on the wrist."

Florida Department of Corrections spokesman Sterling Ivey said he'd never heard of a defendant being placed on sex-offender probation for just 10 days.

A defendant placed on sex-offender probation has fewer freedoms than someone on conventional probation. He gets more visits from his probation officer, he must get counseling, he must keep a driving log and he cannot leave home between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m.

Vansandt's attorney, F. Wesley "Buck" Blankner Jr., said the judge was trying to both follow the law and be fair to Vansandt. He called his client "a decent guy."

Despite the short sentence, Vansandt will be permanently identified as a sex offender on the Florida Department of Law Enforcement's Web site.

Yeah, decent guy. :rolleyes:

:mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:

yeah.. I bet he's a decent guy :rolleyes:

he should be in therapy and jail for a long time.. sex with a girl about 10 years his younger.. that's not immature that's a sex offender. Uhg.. stories like this make me SO MAD.

Why? He was convicted, and he pled guilty.

I think the problem is more w/ the fact he was sentenced for a far shorter time than he should be.

Yeah, he pled guilty, but still.. that doesn't make it any better..
And it does have to do with the time sentenced. 10days?! That's rediculous. My friend was sentenced for more than that for a lesser crime.

I don't think our country takes sex offenders as serious as they should be. This guy had sex with a 12 year old when he was 20 years old. That's a sex offender (take it or leave it, he is). Who's to say he doesn't do this again to another girl? (Even if she was consenting)

Not only that.. sex offenders aren't kept track of in a sufficient way anyways (in most states).

I just don't agree with the sentence.. more so, he should be in therapy than jail.

Sex offender legislation was originally intended for predator pedophiles, and by pedophiles we mean pre-pubescents.

ITs been drastically expanded in scope to cover all types of other sexual related crimes.

This girl's mom was on Fox news last night as well as the lawyer for the defense. The girl was consenting and was even angry with her mother for pressing charges.

The reason why the leniency happened was that the girl was considered mature beyond her years. A Court counselor testified to that effect.

So the judge was stuck with a problem. The legislature originally intended such laws to apply to sexual predators and child rapists even though the laws have been applied more widely in various states.

The judge solved the problem by using his discretion in the sentencing. The kid is found guilty but is not put away for years in prison.

Wouldit really have served society to have this guy put away for 4-20 years for having consensual sex with a girl that was already sexually promiscious?

Keep in mind that he will be a registered sex offender for the rest of his life: Good luck getting a job or being accepted to a college.

So what???!!!! She's 12. TWELVE YEARS OLD. Not old enough to consent, legally speaking. I was mature at 12, but that doesn't mean I could have consented to sex then. This reminds me of the thread about the girl in England that got an abortion. What the hell is a 12 year old doing having sex anyways! Ugh.
Besides, her sexual history is inadmissable in a trial. And I don't give a sh*t if this guy has trouble getting a job or getting into college. He should have thought of that before he screwed around w/ a middle-schooler.

Well yes, he is guilty. We are arguing the sentence. Would it have been better to put him away for a decade or so in jail?

The kids sexual history wasn't a factor in proving the guy guilt. He pled guilty. The girl's sexual history and maturity was a factor in setencing him because they provided the unique details to his situation.

You guys are awful black and white about stuff. IT must be a comfort to view the world so simply.

First of all, a 20 year old having sex with a 12 year old is just plain wrong. No doubt about it.

But before some of y'all paint a picture of wholesomeness for this 12 year old, it is possible for 12 year old girls to act like hoez and trashy sluts who WANT to have sex.

I agree with James. I don't care if you're 12, 14, or 17. He shouldn't be thrown in jail if the girl's a slut to begin with.

Two wrongs don't make a right. Its wrong to rape a prostitute, and its wrong to engage in consensual sex with a slutty 12 year old.

Part of me would like to see this guy castrated, but he should at least go to jail for far longer than 10 days. Besides, we all know that fellow inmates are kind to criminals who commit crimes against children.:rolleyes:

did the guy know she was 12??

also, if you've seen the movie "thirteen" you can see what some teenagers are like nowadays... *shaking head* :(

Exactly...that's what I was just thinking of.

For the record, I don't think it's okay for an adult to have sex with a child that young, but a few days' probation isn't enough. Letting him rot in jail for years and years and years is unfair...especially if it was consensual.

Age of consent in Hawaii is 14, I believe. My 13 year old niece has friends her age who are EXTREMELY ACTIVE :eek: -- so it's no surprise that it's easy for 12 year olds to go off ho-in around.

yes- i definately agree with OTW- it is hard to balance here between right and wrong- teenagers these days are starting to drink- have sex- do drugs- etc wayy too early- i thought doing those things at 16 was bad... now its at 10, 11, 12... its crazy- and one has to walk a fine line- yes i think what he did was bad- but the judge made his decision- he obviously did what he beleived was fair.... thats the beauty of the justice system

But Russ, individual situations have to be considered, especially with laws that are supposed to regulate purely social relationships.

Its ok for OTW to have sex with a hot 16 year old, but not with a hot 15 year old the day before he turns 16.

Without a little more scrutiny and the consideration of mitigating factors you have laws that are being enforced in ways that the legislatures did not intend and that defy common sense.

Remember the case where the 18 year old was arrested and charged with statutory rape for having consensual sex with his 15 year old girlfriend that he was going to marry?

We need to stop tossing people in jail for many years just because we gasp in Politically Correct horror.