Teenager accused in Maryville, Mo., rape case will not be charged with sexual assault

[cbdo2007]

Source: KSHB news Kansas City, MO

MARYVILLE, Mo. - A northwest Missouri college student embroiled in a rape case that made national headlines will not be charged for sexual assault, 41 Action News has learned.

Instead, 19-year-old Matthew Barnett faces a criminal conviction for the misdemeanor offense of endangering the welfare of a child, one of the charges he initially faced two years ago.

Read a timeline of the case .

On Thursday, Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker filed the charge at the Nodaway County Courthouse. Baker, asked to re-examine the case amid international furor, was appointed special prosecutor in October by Associate Circuit Judge Glen Dietrich.

Baker will appear before Judge Dietrich at 1:30 p.m. and a press conference is expected shortly after the court proceedings.



Read more: http://www.kshb.com/dpp/news/teenager-accused-in-maryville-mo-rape-case-will-not-be-charged-with-sexual-assault

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Hmmm, will be interesting to hear what they say in the news conference at 1:30.

[lark]

1. They need to bring in someone from out of state.

There's too much political pressure for any in-state politician. I am so fucking sick of this tolerance of rape, how in the hell could she consent when she was so passed out - it's freaking ridiculous, disgusting, disturbing and just downright sick.

[alp227]

7. Are you sure that can happen? This case involves Missouri law.

Easy to say this in theory but what about practice?

[AtheistCrusader]

15. She was 14. He was over the age of consent.

That's the only state law I need to know, to say this was rape.

[lark]

19. Not sure of the intracies of the law on this.

I'd think they could bring in someone from out of state, but really don't know. I was coming from a common sense perspective, but the law is not always sensible.

[Bennyboy]

2. The girl tried to commit suicide last weekend....

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10024293735

[alp227]

12. I hope the Colemans can sue Matthew Barnett later.

Matthew for emotional distress and Matthew's parents for...I think negligence.

[angrychair]

3. WTF

This is not a he said/she said thing...I was under the impression that there was video and physcial evidence. How is having relations with a drunk child anything less than what it is, rape? What the hell is going on in that state? What is wrong with our society that people see this any different?

[sybylla]

4. How is this not at least statutory?

How fucked up are Missouri laws that 13 & 14yo children are judged capable of consent?

[eomer]

5. 17 with 14 isn't statutory rape in Missouri but 17 with 13 is.

Based on this:

http://www.criminaldefenselawyer.com/resources/missouri-statutory-rape-laws.htm

[alp227]

8. Hate to say this but I wonder how this case would've gone if Barnett was a teacher or stranger.

It seems that teacher-on-student rape and stranger rape are far more likely to be prosecuted severely, than acquaintance rape.

[radicalliberal]

11. I wonder how this case would have gone if Barnett had been a member of the Chess Club . . .

. . . (hypothetically speaking) instead of a member of the football team.

Well, actually, I don't. It's no surprise to me. Just look at the record.

[davidn3600]

13. I think it has more to do with his family's wealth and political connections

His family is wealth and politically-influential. I think that played a bigger role than football. He was a senior and the football season was over.

[radicalliberal]

14. That is true. But has that been true in every case of this sort?

Was it true in Steubenville, Glen Ridge, etc.?

One of the worst scandals of Notre Dame's football program (in 1974) took place during the summer of that year before the football season started.

I think my Chess Club analogy still holds. At least to a degree. I don't think there would be quite as many people rushing to defend the rapist in that hypothetical situation.

Gotta go. . . .

[Igel]

17. Differently had the guy been a teacher.

1) Older. So it would have been statutory.

2) Power relationship. A lot of states have special laws stipulating how teacher-student relationships are restricted. Romantic involvement with a student at the same school is banned--even if it's not sexual. I've heard of teachers roasted gently over an open fire because they started a relationship soon after the student graduated; it was hard to duck the assumption that the relationship began earlier, or to get around possible conflict of interests because the student's friends were still enrolled.

We'd have probably not heard about it. Such things are sometimes dealt with publicly, but that usually involves the kid or the kid's parents going public. Or indiscrete rumors that both sides can't tamp down. Otherwise the teacher's lawyers, the school's lawyers, and the parent's lawyers interact in interesting ways.

[cosmicone]

9. oh boy

I thought rapes only occurred in India.

[historylovr]

10. Why am I not surprised?

[Dash87]

16. Here's a perfect example of the rape culture we live in -

Rapist gets slap on the wrist, victim gets harassed, threatened, and bullied. The victim is the one ostracized by the community, as if she's the one that did something wrong. Is this clear enough? -__-

[Doctor_J]

18. Comments at the linked article are mostly pro-rape

Though I tend to agree that Mrs. Coleman might have been more attentive before this happened.

[lark]

20. I fail to see anything funny about this

[Doctor_J]

21. Nor do I

Did you see the in my sig line and misinterpret it?

[lark]

22. Oops, didn't think that was your signature

Sorry about that.