Little did I know, She was Only 16 years old

When I was 21, I went to an 18 and over nightclub with my best friend because he just turned 18. While I was there I met a girl that claimed to be 19 and we exchanged numbers. I hung out at her house with her mom and step-dad there - They knew how old I was and everything. We went out for about 3 months and eventually had sex two or three times. Shortly thereafter, I caught her in a lie one day - She was dating another guy too and I broke up with her.

A few days later I was in the mall walking and holding hands with the girl I had started dating, and was approached by a detective. Having one nothing wrong I went downtown and talked with him. I admitted to knowing her, dating her, and having sex - CONSENSUAL SEX - with her. She had gotten into a fight with the other guy she was dating and he choked her because he had found out about me through the same mutual friend I had found out about him through. Scared, she stated that I had raped her. He told her mom and she called the police. When she talked to the detective, she had told him that she kicked and scratched me repeatedly, but when he looked at me, I didn't have a mark on me. Unfortunately for her, I knew she had told and bragged to her own cousins that we were dating and that she had sex with me - They even signed affidavits to that fact disputing her claim. Unfortunately for me, she was really only 16. She had lied to me and used her sister's license to get in the club, which was verified when the detective questioned both club owners. The detective even found her sister's license in her purse, which he showed me.

I thought I was good to go due to all the facts as I had unknowingly been tricked into committing a crime I would have never committed. To make matters worse, my attorney was a schmuck and advised me to plea to Rape 3 (statutory rape in that state) since I did have sex with her. I had never even had a speeding ticket and was scared shitless and didn't know what to do. I took the plea and due to the affidavits and her own aunt and cousins speaking up at sentencing, the judge only gave me 2 years probation and treatment. I did all of this to completion, then was advised the laws changed and now had to register.

I had a great job and was making a little over $100K a year, but as soon as my picture popped up, I was fired. To date, I have been fired from over 20 jobs, just lost my house I had worked so hard to get, and am completely broke. In two months, I'll be 40. I moved to Colorado and they want me to register for another 5 years! Got my face on the web and all my information... Been on a ton of interviews, got two jobs offers in writing, but then came the background checks and the offers disappeared. How can anyone on earth say this isn't additional punishment? Are they blind? Let me plaster your face on the web with some bullshit and let's see how you handle it!?!

Oh! And by the way, I have two boys that I am a single father to... Had them since they were 7 months and 3 years old - They're 10 and 13 now. I was awarded FULL CUSTODY by the same court that I plead to the charge in. I would just love to see your face when they tell you they would love to play football in the summer, but dad can't afford to buy them the gear and shoes. They don't know why I have a problem finding and keeping a job... They only know what it tastes like to be hungry and have no food. They only know what its like to go outside to play in tennis shoes with their toes hanging out the ends because their feet have worn through. I know they hurt because I've wiped their tears from their cheeks because other kids made fun of their shoes and clothes, or worse... Because their parents said they can't play with them anymore because their dad is "Chester".

When my dad was 16 he went to war and then married my mom when he was 17 - She was 15. My oldest brother was born when she was just 15. I find it odd that most of the people recommending new rules and laws got married young too! I find it odd that people didn't learn when they read the story about the two women claiming to both be the mother of a single child. When Soloman said that since he couldn't tell, they should both get half, the real mother screamed NO, and asked that he be given to the other woman. Soloman, be wise, used the discernment God had given him and gave the child to his rightful mother. I use this story because like Soloman, we have judges that have all of the details of each case. That judge should be capable of discernment. As such, he should be the person making the determination of each individual case and punishment. Grouping everyone into one group will one create paranoia and cause pain. It will never work and until we put the power back into the hands of our judges, we will never find peace in this matter.

Can you imagine if every murderer - including vehicular manslaughter and accidental and unfortunate matters were all of a sudden reclassified and made to register as murderers and violent offenders? Or if everyone convicted of a drug offense - pot smokers, pushers, coke heads, meth heads, and those that gave their friend or relative their prescription medications, were classifed into one big group and made to register as drug abusers? What law makers and legislators are doing is nothing new! They use a case widely publicised in the media - not telling you all the facts and truths - to scare the hell out of you and make you believe every person convicted of a sex offense is going to stalk and rape your little kid. It's out of that fear that we react irrationally. Oops! Two late... The registry is up and now vigilantes are killing those listed on the registry. Unfortunately, they just killed someone that never touched a kid, but they couldn't tell... Not a single detail of the case is published. Same or similar charge, so "they all look alike", right? We need to get a clue before we're all forced to line up and get our "mark" on us or be forced to make more decisions out of fear rather than truth.

Oh! Thought I should let you know... The girl that claimed I raped her recanted after that same guy beat her up really bad and went to prison. I found out over years after the case was closed when she tracked down a friend of mine. He told her how much damage her lie had done to my life and she wrote a letter to the Governor with the complete truth of the matter, even wrote a statement and had it notorized, then sent it to me. I appled for a pardon based on her statement. The Governor didn't even think twice... He denied it and forced me to continue to carry the burden of America's biggest scarlet letter a little longer... THE SEX OFFENDER REGISTRATION.