1/5/07 -- Cleveland Co, OK - As reported by KFOR News Channel 4 last night, Cleveland County District Attorney Greg Mashburn is refusing to pursue felony rape and sodomy charges, as requested by police investigators, in online predator case.
According to published reports, a man met a 13-year old girl on the popular social networking site MySpace.com.
The man, Brett Yocham, 18, then secretly met the young victim in person at least twice. Each time, reportedly, supplying her with alcohol and then having sex with her.
Police investigated the alleged sex crime and reported that Yocham admitted to having sex with the minor.
After their investigation, police requested felony charges of first degree rape and sodomy be filed against Yocham.
D.A. Mashburn decided to ignore investigators requests and instead filed a single misdemeanor charge of contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
In response to "why?", D.A. Mashburn blamed the victim and her family - stating, "we take into consideration what the victim wants to do [and] we talk to the victims family about it..."
JohnTV.com reminds readers that while prosecutors often consult with victims and their family about the severity of punishment to pursue against an offender (jail vs. no jail, 5-years vs. 20-years and life vs. death) it is not customary to not pursue the appropriate charge as requested by investigators.
Often times the victims of domestic physical and/or sexual abuse later recant and decide they do not want their scumbag husbands or boyfriends charged with crimes. Prosecutors across this county pursue those warranted criminal charges anyway, in "the best interest of justice."
In an age of "To Catch a Predator" and deviant men who use teenage girls as their playthings, D.A. Mashburn is proving to be a saint to predators and a contributor to the abuse of our children.
