6-year-old boy plays doctor with girl, gets charged with sexual assault

**Valigarmander** · 11-28-2011, 11:05 PM

Quote:

Last week the parents of a Wisconsin boy sued Grant County District Attorney Lisa Riniker for charging their son with first-degree sexual assault, a Class B felony, after he played "butt doctor" with a 5-year-old girl. He was 6 at the time. When the boy's lawyer tried to have the charge dismissed, Riniker replied: "The legislature could have put an age restriction in the statute if it wanted to. The legislature did no such thing."

According to the complaint (PDF), the girl is "the daughter of a well-known political figure in Grant County," and her brother, who is the same age, also was involved in playing doctor but was not charged. In addition to Riniker, the lawsuit names as defendants retired Grant County Sheriff's Sgt. James Kopp and Jan Moravits, an investigator with Grant County Social Services "whose regional supervisor...is the political figure's wife's sister-in-law"—i.e., the aunt of the alleged victim.

Although the boy, now 7, is too young to be prosecuted or named in a juvenile delinquency petitition, Madison.com reports, county officials are using the felony charge to force his parents into accepting "protection or services" for him. The lawsuit says that once he turns 18, he will be listed as a sex offender.

But wait, there's more!

Quote:

WISC-TV, the CBS affiliate in Madison, reports that Grant County, Wisconsin, District Attorney Lisa Riniker, who charged a 6-year-old boy with first-degree sexual assault becaused he played doctor with a 5-year-old girl, has obtained a gag order that prohibits his parents, who have sued Riniker and two other county officials, from talking about the case. Iowa County Judge Bill Dyke issued the order last Monday, forcing the boy's parents to cancel a planned interview with WISC. The station spoke instead with their lawyers, who are not covered by the order:

"That behavior by a prosecutor is outrageous," said Christopher Cooper, an attorney for the boy's parents....

"She [Riniker] bypassed the parents and sent a 6-year-old boy a summons, on which is a threat that the 6-year-old will go to jail for failure to appear," Cooper said.

The attorneys said they have sought the opinion of many experts who said that children "playing doctor" is not a sex crime.

"[The experts say] a 6-year-old child is unable to intellectually and emotionally associate sexual gratification with the act that D has been accused of committing," Cooper said....

Repeated calls to Riniker and an attorney for [her] and two co-defendants have gone unanswered since Friday, WISC-TV reported.

Dizzy · 11-28-2011, 11:16 PM

Proctology is a lost art.

***CaptHayfever*** · 11-28-2011, 11:55 PM

Quote:

The lawsuit says that once he turns 18, he will be listed as a sex offender.

Simultaneously ruining both the kid's entire life AND the credibility of the sex-offender list.

Quote:

District Attorney Lisa Riniker, has obtained a gag order that prohibits his parents, who have sued Riniker and two other county officials, from talking about the case.

How is that even remotely legal? They could get that overturned without breaking a sweat.

Quote:

She [Riniker] bypassed the parents and sent a 6-year-old boy a summons

Pretty sure that's not legal either.

Ms. Riniker is on her way to disbarment, Jack-Thompson style. All she has to do now is put pictures of the act into the court record.

And remember, "I'm-a Luigi, number one!"

***Cosmonautical*** · 11-29-2011, 12:02 AM

Lord, this is messed up.

***Ace Mercury*** · 11-29-2011, 07:35 AM

Yeah, this is definitely outrage stuff. The safety kids is great and all, but it really sounds like the claimant is abusing our soft spot for children for some weird ulterior motive.

Bomby · 11-29-2011, 12:59 PM

I've said this before and I'll say it again: any part of Wisconsin outside of the Madison or Milwaukee areas is not worth risking going to.

Robotazy · 11-29-2011, 07:32 PM

arfghgaerifguhfrassadragraffadrazzaraffahdallahofe dasfieasoiguhguhguhguhguhguh.

?!?!?!?!?!

Kil'jaeden · 11-29-2011, 09:22 PM

People have gotten put on the sex offender list for urinating in an alley while drunk. They might as well put someone on the thing for the crime of having a penis.

And they need to stop messing with definitions of ****. Sexual assault is two words. One means that it pertains to reproduction, and the other means to use force against someone, usually to harm them or press them to do something. Sexual assault would require both of those things, wouldn't it? I guess the fact that it involves a 6 year old might put a damper on that, not to mention it doesn't sound like there was any assault. Who would even bother with this case?

On the other hand, this means your children need protected from something else. And that something is other children. They aren't safe anywhere anymore!

11-29-2011, 07:32 PM	#7
Robotazy PRESS ANY KEY TO PANIC! Join Date: Sep 2000 Location: A Tiny Shed Gender: Posts: 16,483 Thanks: 529 Thanked 1,254 Times in 897 Posts Blog Entries: 46	Intelligence drops by 20 points. arfghgaerifguhfrassadragraffadrazzaraffahdallahofe dasfieasoiguhguhguhguhguhguh. ?!?!?!?!?!

11-28-2011, 11:16 PM	#2
Dizzy Podiaphobe Join Date: Oct 2007 Gender: Posts: 19,359 Thanks: 1,764 Thanked 1,161 Times in 804 Posts Blog Entries: 116	Proctology is a lost art.

11-29-2011, 12:02 AM	#4
*Cosmonautical* Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: I rub my tilde all over your asterisk Gender: Posts: 28,100 Thanks: 2,151 Thanked 5,338 Times in 2,433 Posts	Lord, this is messed up.

11-29-2011, 07:35 AM	#5
*Ace Mercury* Marshmallow Knight ☆ Supermod Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: Southern Ontario Gender: Posts: 23,274 Thanks: 568 Thanked 3,297 Times in 1,582 Posts Blog Entries: 1	Yeah, this is definitely outrage stuff. The safety kids is great and all, but it really sounds like the claimant is abusing our soft spot for children for some weird ulterior motive.

11-29-2011, 12:59 PM	#6
Bomby You just freaking blew Joe Biden's mind! Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: WHAT?house Gender: Posts: 19,491 Thanks: 513 Thanked 1,449 Times in 849 Posts Blog Entries: 5	I've said this before and I'll say it again: any part of Wisconsin outside of the Madison or Milwaukee areas is not worth risking going to.

11-29-2011, 09:22 PM	#8
Kil'jaeden Member Join Date: May 2003 Location: in your mind Gender: Posts: 2,132 Thanks: 21 Thanked 146 Times in 99 Posts	People have gotten put on the sex offender list for urinating in an alley while drunk. They might as well put someone on the thing for the crime of having a penis. And they need to stop messing with definitions of ****. Sexual assault is two words. One means that it pertains to reproduction, and the other means to use force against someone, usually to harm them or press them to do something. Sexual assault would require both of those things, wouldn't it? I guess the fact that it involves a 6 year old might put a damper on that, not to mention it doesn't sound like there was any assault. Who would even bother with this case? On the other hand, this means your children need protected from something else. And that something is other children. They aren't safe anywhere anymore!