Even if one is able to get charges reduced in a sex crimes case by agreeing to a plea agreement, it’s important to remember that registering as a sex offender can have long-lasting effects, including hurting your ability to find a place to live or work. This could happen to an Afton, Wisconsin, man, who pleaded guilty to sexual assault.
The man was sentenced to five years of probation for pleading guilty third-degree sexual assault, an agreement that saw his original charge of second-degree sexual assault reduced. He will, however, be in prison until November 2013 because he violated his existing probation for another charge due to the sexual assault charges.
The man must also register as a sexual offender for 15 years, and if he violates his probation, he could be sent back to prison for 10 years.
According to court documents, surveillance cameras outside a bar in Janesville, Wisconsin, captured the man talking to a woman in the parking lot of the bar. The man allegedly pulled on the woman’s arm in an attempt to get her to follow him to another spot on the property.
The woman said once at the back of the property, the man shoved her to the ground and forced her to have sex with him.
While it’s good that the man has taken responsibility for his crimes by pleading guilty, one could argue why he has to register as a sex offender for longer than his probation. If the court thinks he will not be a danger to society after five years of probation, why does he need to register for 15 years? It could have an extremely harmful affect on his future.
Source: GazetteXtra.com, “Afton man gets probation in sexual assault case,” Ann Marie Ames, Dec. 15, 2012