PD*poll: Should dad be banned from son's graduation ceremony?

Personally, I believe this gentleman has paid off his debts. He is human like all of us and his lack of judgement was punished. When reading the article, I felt as if he has overcome his mistakes and he should be allowed to attend his son's graduation.

Reply

Ok, first off..why punish the father for something he already did time for. He's publicly known as a sex offender for the rest of his life anyways so whats the big deal about banning him from his son's graduation, I see it as punishing the son cause its his graduation and despite what people think about the father's past it shouldn't interfere or have anything to do with a public function such as a graduation where alot of people are present and i'm sure he's not gonna try anything cause he served his time and paid his debt to society.

I myself dated an older guy who was 4 years older then me I was 14 and he was 18, I ended up pregnant, people knew he was older then me but they didn't scream "Statutory Rape" or anything else cause they knew that when we were dating he wouldn't do such thing ("God rest his soul") the thing that puzzles me about this story is that they were two years apart and young at the time, and to be honest I think the parents of the girl forced her to say he raped her to keep her dignity instead of being a slut. (Thats what I think and only my opinion)

Reply

a rapist is a rapist, he needs to live with his crime just like the victim has too, rapist should do life.

Reply

I certainly hope none of you have pee'd in an alley, or in the woods, jokingly grab someones butt at a bar, paid for a prostitue (it's illegal) and these are all offenses that can put someone on the registry. Before you point any fingers you had better look at yourself first!

Reply

For christ sakes he was 17 and he served his time! Why punish the son! This is why we have the problems today that we have

Reply

It's not right to punish him for something he did 19 years ago just because the laws have changed. That would be like the cops going around tomorrow arresting everyone that was pulled over with a .09 BAC back in 1990 because they changed the legal limit to .08 a couple years ago.

Reply

I say let him attend but, he should be placed under guard. Escort him in stay with him at all times then escort him out.

Reply

He raped someone!!! Maybe he did make a mistake but, if you let him in then the sicko that is looking at your little boy or girl wanting to hurt them and ruin there lives will want to get in to!! He is not the victim here!! My God people wake up!

Reply

has anyone thought of the possibilty that he was wrongfully accused the girl was 15 and i rember when i was 15 i wanted to experiment and he was only 17 what if she wanted to have sex and then later on decided that it was rape. Don't get me wrong i do belive that if it was rape he should pay but people she was 15 he was 17 2yrs difference i don't belive that should be statutory rape i belive maybee it was her parents forcing her to sayit was rape when all reality they couldn't accept their daughter being sexually active. and that was 18 yrs ago why should his kids pay for something he did or didnot do.

Reply

Statutory rape occurs when the offender is an adult and the victim is not. A person is considered an adult at age 18. Assuming that when the crime occured the law recognized an 18 year old as an adult (as they do now), and the article clearly states he was 17 when it happened....this would not constitute as "statutory".

The person who is suffering the most is the kid because his Dad is making such a huge deal about not attending the graduation. Maybe the idiot father could step back for a moment and see that the damage he is NOW inflicting upon his son by complaining publicly and drawing attention to himself is at LEAST a thousandfold than not being able to attend an hour long ceremony. Have a party for him when he gets home Dad - and thank God you were born in an era that allowed you, a convicted rapist, to keep your testicles intact and have the son in the first place.

Reply

I feel bad for his son.. I truly do. But maybe there is a lesson for him that will last a lifetime. I think our sex offender registration needs to be redone to separate the 18 year old with 16 year old girlfriends from the baby rapers and the 22 year old dating the 16 year old. We need several classifications.

As a parent of a molested child. I do NOT want a sex offender at my childs school for any reason. I don't care how unfair that sounds. I am so unbelievably sick of hearing about the offenders rights. And maybe I am a little bitter BUT believe me all the courts are interested in is emptying our prisons and protecting the baby rapers rights. This school is taking a stand and saying we are keeping the offenders away from our kids and I say good for them.

If it was a girlfriend issue then his charge would have been statory rape. The charge was rape. Either would put him on the sex offender list ... but statory rape is pretty grey sometimes.

The courts do not hold sex offenders accountable enough. Yes, they have to go on a restristry ... but how many people actually look at them? For places other then their neighborhoods. If you meet a new person do you run their name? I'd say most people don't. As a nation of law-abiding citizens we need to say enough we are no longer going to accept the slap on wrist punishments that courts give to sex offenders. Aren't you sick of reading in the papers where some offender raped a child but HEY if he had actually had to serve all of his sentence he would have still been locked up.

I say way to go school. And again I am jaded and bitter. I also do feel very sorry for the mans son - especially since this is on the internet and teenagers (well people of all ages) can be very cruel.

Reply

the guy could have raped ANY woman/young woman at any time after his prison term.......use common sense here people....he WILL NOT do it at his son's graduation, and I know this because....
letssss see...im sure the man has gone to a mall since he's been out of jail....im sure the man saw a few female joggers since he's been out of jail....im sure he watches TV daily and hasn't acted on any urges to take another woman's life out of her own hands.
ITS HIS SON'S GRADUATION....HE doesn't deserve a break for already pulling his time...but his son damn sure does...be real about the situation at hand

Reply

Ok, yes he made a mistake. He has done his time and has no signs of being a repeat offender. He has a kid now and has moved on. At the gradutation of now adults and stands full of parents there is no way in hell he could do something there and get away with it. He just wants to see his son graduate, and should be able to. Its not like he is asking to work at a school or wander on school grounds looking for a girl. PARENTS AND TEACHERS will be present and every where .....its stupid if you ask me... and I have been in the situation before and I have moved on... I believe he has overcome this and should be able to see his son at one of the most life changing and accomplishment events....

Reply

Honestly, this happened in 1990. That's 18 years ago. He olbviously hasn't done any harm since then. Let him go to his son's graduation, it's stupid and rude that they aren't allowing him inside. and for Dan-o that was a really dumb and rude remark you made about him still in jail.

Reply

We let our convicted rapers go on to have children and then they want the same rights as non-rapers. I don't believe he even faced what he did by the remark he made about "they're" punishing my kids. He should have made wiser choices.

Reply

You are right rape is rape no matter what, but because we do not know the case that does have a major bearing on the case. Remember he is not required to regester as a sex offender nor would he be required in any state except those who have felony convictions that are to regester. He was a minor at the time and many states his case could and would be over turned in view of recient reviews in the 3 year rule. We don't know, and the School is deciding law and major events in a childs life. Humm i wonder what you all would say if the shoe was on the other foot. Men how many time did she say no but we convinsed her to say yes, by what other means other than force. And yet wasn't that force? Well leave it to the courts to decide.
He has servied his time and now lets move on. He should not attend because he would be breaking the law but then so did Martin Luther King on many of his marchs.
Rodney

Reply

You are right rape is rape no matter what, but because we do not know the case that does have a major bearing on the case. Remember he is not required to regester as a sex offender nor would he be required in any state except those who have felony convictions that are to regester. He was a minor at the time and many states his case could and would be over turned in view of recient reviews in the 3 year rule. We don't know, and the School is deciding law and major events in a childs life. Humm i wonder what you all would say if the shoe was on the other foot. Men how many time did she say no but we convinsed her to say yes, by what other means other than force. And yet wasn't that force? Well leave it to the courts to decide.
He has servied his time and now lets move on. He should not attend because he would be breaking the law but then so did Martin Luther King on many of his marchs.
Rodney

Reply

I think that whether it was forced or statutory rape and he has paid his debts, he should be alowwed to attend. Your childs highschool graduation only happens once. If it is that critical have him get a police escort or something.

To be honest everyone is worried about the one that they know is a rapist, what about the ones that they don't know of that is in the audience with the rest of the parents. The only difference is one you know is a rapist the other you don't, its the ones that you don't know that you have to watch the most.

I say let him go. And all the details of how it came to be rape we do not know. It may have just been one of those things where the girl got caught and to keep from getting in trouble she said rape. Even in statutory rape if the parents push the issue you can serve time for it. Also in some states if she is under age and gets pregnant in a statutory rape the state pushes the issue.

Reply

The law is the law? Yes, it is, and the law states that the district superintendent can give permission, but rather than perform his duty of evaluating whether the father should be permitted to attend, it is easier and less work for the superintendent to issue a blanket refusal in all cases. The article does not give the details of the initial crime. Was it a violent crime? Was it two drunken teen-agers? Was it a case of statutory rape depending on the age of majorities where the act occured? We, as readers, do not know these details, but these are the exact details that the superintendent should have evaluated had he been willing to follow the law and perform his duty.

And for the commentor that suggests he is a pedophile.... for crying out loud, he was 17 and the girl was 15. That does not make him a pedophile. When I was 15, I had an 18-year-old boyfriend. Should I label him a pedophile too?

Reply