Ex-Cheerleader Found Guilty for Seduction of Teen
In what sounds like a classic porno gone wrong, ex-cheerleader for the Baltimore Ravens Molly Shattuck, age 48, plead guilty to the statutory seduction of a 15-year-old. The victim was one of her kids’ friends – he went to the police last September with allegations that Shattuck had initiated a relationship with him that came to a head during a labor day weekend trip to a rented lake house in Delaware.
The Charges: “Statutory Rape”
Last Friday, Molly Shattuck pleaded guilty to committing rape of the fourth degree – a felony charge. Honestly, she didn’t really have much of a choice. This plea cut the case short before she could move on to the next trial a few days later, when she was to be tried for more severe rape charges, multiple sexual crimes, and several counts of giving minors alcohol.
Shattuck was well-respected in the Baltimore community, but of course, that’s all in the past in light of the circumstances. She gave up her position on the board of directors for the Baltimore School of Arts soon after her arrest took place. She’s now required to show up to the Delaware probation center every weekend for two years, and must attend therapy for her crimes. She’s also to become a registered sex offender. But it could’ve been worse – the teen victim’s parents were pushing for a prison sentence, as a statement to all undocumented pedophiles out there.
Statutory Rape in Tennessee
Penalties and guidelines for statutory rape cases vary from state to state. Tennessee maintains that persons over the age of 18 have committed statutory rape if they have sexual relations with a minor under the age of 18 – even if said sexual contact is proven to have been consensual. State law is upheld based on the idea that minors are too young to make knowledgable choices related to sexual consent.
If Shattuck was tried in Tennessee, she’d have just made the cut for statutory rape, for which victims must at least be 15 years old, instead of child rape, for which victims are 13 years old or younger. The crime of statutory rape is punishable as a Class E felony, with maximum fines of $3000 and prison sentences of 6 years. So, from a Tennessee perspective, it seems that Shattuck got off the hook fairly easily. After all, she was pretty much done with as soon as the teen victim confessed – there’s not really a defense for statutory rape that applies to her situation. She could’t have mistaken him for older since she knew him as a friend of her own kids and they were too far apart in age for the “Romeo and Juliet” exception to apply.
Hire Nashville Criminal Lawyers
Robert J. Turner and associates have worked for years with clients in a variety of criminal cases – many of which were related to sexual crimes of a statutory nature. If you’re a victim of statutory rape, the parents or legal guardians of a victim, or if you’re wrongfully accused of these types of crimes, we can help! Our team of attorneys has the experience best suited to provide a swift and satisfactory outcome for any given situation. Call today, or go online to set up your Free Initial Consultation, and meet with a skilled lawyer who is ready and waiting to get you on track toward the justice you deserve.
