State senator's son, 2nd teen admit 'brooming' (where's the morals crowd?)

[NVMojo]

This probably ran in LBN already but I'm posting this again so those who spy on us know we know ...

PHOENIX — The son of state Senate President Ken Bennett admitted in court Monday to assaulting middle school boys with a broomstick in their rectal areas, but a judge allowed charges against him to be reduced from 18 to one, and he may avoid jail.
Three of the 18 victims, all boys between the ages of 11 and 15, are from Tucson, and the families are angry that 18-year-old Clifton Bennett and co-defendant Kyle Wheeler, 19, were not charged with sexual assault.
Also, the families said Bennett is being treated favorably by the court system because of his father's position in the Legislature. Bennett's plea would allow the court to classify the aggravated-assault conviction as a misdemeanor, which means he could go on to become a teacher or counselor and would never have to disclose the so-called "brooming" incident.
Bennett and Wheeler pleaded guilty to aggravated assault in court Monday. Bennett pleaded to one count and Wheeler to two.
"I think he got a sweetheart deal," said the father of one of the three Tucson victims, a 12-year-old boy who attends a local Catholic school. "I'd like him to get a year in prison. The victims should have been heard from before the plea was agreed to. If this was 18 girls who were victims, it would have been sexual assault."

more...

http://www.azstarnet.com/sn/printDS/123050

[mzteris]

1. they should sue the little

b@st@rd in civil court. Since the criminal system system seems to be bought and paid for!

[rfranklin]

2. They are sexual predators and should be tagged and be made to...

register wherever they go. People who do this are never cured. They were somehow abused as children and try to reclaim themselves by preforming these acts on other defenseless children.

[NVMojo]

3. you got that right, incurable, and a scourge on prisons like Abu ...

and Gitmo ...

[zbdent]

4. WWJB?

Who would Jesus broom?

Fine Christian act, that one is . . . I thought the Church frowned upon "homosexuality" . . .

[monarch]

5. "Insulting!?!"

The story makes it sounds like the kid was just waving in a broomstick in the direction of the kid's butt. Was this the case?

On edit: meant to post on comment referring to 6 or 7 year sentence for murderer but, anyway, try researching length of sentence for women killing abuser in self- defense http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/customer-reviews/006059537X/103-8403034-5879024. It doesn't mention the sentence in the review but I'm pretty sure that one of the authors was serving a 27 yr sentence. I know this because the state (I'm sorry for those of you who love AG Richard Blumenthal) tried to recover the cost of her incarceration (way more then the sentence) from the proceeds of the book. Blumenthal (media-hound that he is) backed off when the lawsuit caused a big commotion.

[NVMojo]

11. lined em up, made em bend over ...it's in the article ...sickos they are

[Quakerfriend]

6. Unbelievable. Did anyone watch the CSPAN testimony by

Justin Berry (teen drawn into porn thru web camming). I am outraged that these criminals are not being brought in. He said that he has names, addresses, credit card #s and IP addresses on 1500+ of his 'clients'- and still they walk free!

I think the repugs are heavily invested in the porn business!!!!!!!!!!!! We need to expose this now.

[sendero]

8. Different crime...

... this one was much worse IMHO.

[Quakerfriend]

9. Yes, I agree with you on that. People should be out in the streets

over this one.

[Quakerfriend]

10. I will add tho, that J. Berry was molested by several of his

clients over the years.

[sendero]

7. File CIVIL SUITS..

... the players who railroaded this non-punishment will find their methods ineffective against a multitude of civil damage suits, which IMHO will pay handsomely since these fuckers and their shithead parents cannot afford to allow this to go to trial.

[erpowers]

12. Throw Them in Jail

I want to know where the throw them in jail crowd is. On so many issues Republicans are quick to call for people to be thrown in jail. Why are they not pushing for these to guys to be thrown in jail.

I disagree with you last statement. I contend that the reason that this was not a sexual assault case is the father of one of the guys. I contend the state senator knew some people and pulled some strings so that his son could get a plea deal. Even if this case had involved girls the boys would have walked with very little punishment. This was a case of how family connections can keep up out of jail.

[monarch]

13. So was it really a sexual assault?

The story makes it sounds like the kid had his clothes on and it was just an insulting prank? If it was really the assault that we think it was, this is is such a terrible sory on a whole different level.

[Yupster]

18. I'm confused also

originally I thought the children were basically anally raped with items.

Now it sounds like that was not at all the case.

Does anyone know what allegedly happened?

Here's from the linked story...

"Police reports say the assaults took place at Chapel Rock Camp in Prescott during a weeklong camp for school leaders in June. Witnesses told police that the junior counselors lined up the youngsters, told them to bend over and "broomsticked" them. The boys told police "broomsticking" was done alternately with a broom, a cane, a mop handle and a heavy-duty flashlight while they were clothed."

To me that is way different than what I first thought and does sound more like hazing than sexual assault.

[Beaverhausen]

19. read this article. There were 18 victims

http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/0402bennett02.html

There is an article somewhere that states that several of the boys only had on gym shorts or underwear.

[electricray]

14. I too believe in the power that cronyism has over all parts of society but

I also believe that the more insidious story behind this story is the claim that the prosecuter made in response to questions about the plea not involving sexual assualt charge.

From the original post and article:

Prosecutor James Landis told a judge at last week's hearing that the "broomsticking" was a hazing ritual and a punishment, not sexual assault.

The plea agreement describes the assault charge as "a non-dangerous, non-repetitive offense."

Landis told the judge the case was never viewed as "sexual in nature," partly because prosecutors could not prove the two young men had sexual intent.

Doesn't that quote sound like a familiar oxycontin popping friend of ours on the topic of Abu Ghraib sexual torture? These people are trying to make the argument that it is completely normal teenage pranksterism that causes these actions. That is a calculated position in my view. Not only do they get to keep the kid off sex-offender status, they get to present their frame that inserting something in another persons anus doesn't involve anything sexual.

The bottom line is that even if the intent is not to sexually gratify or abuse another person, the intent here was humiliation. That same humiliation would not be achieved if the broomstick were inserted into someone's mouth or ear, etc because there is no societal context in which to view those acts. If no person anywhere ever considered the rectum in sexual conversation and discourse, the argument might have an outside chance but that is not the case. The really messed up part of all this is that these are arguments that the prosecutor for the State should have been making against Defense claims similar to those of the prosecution!

If you ask me this shouldn't die this easily. But it is only a state senator and another national pervert took the stage yesterday. Oh well. I'll just add it to the wall of shame.

[sinkingfeeling]

15. Both should be inducted into the US Army and sent to Iraq. The

Army will be pleased that they are 'experienced' in torture.

[dazzlerazzle]

16. deal for state senate son

if nancy grace has any credibility, she will jump on this...

[VaYallaDawg]

17. Especially if she can get "rectal" or "vaginal" in her breaking news line.

[wiley]

20. We have been outraged, disgusted and calling for punishment at

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x840695


The two sexual molesters should be tortured slowly by the victims. Then the parents of the victims should have access to their organs if needed. The head of the Arizona Senate should really take his family and hide in shame in some awful, ugly place because the families of those who were so brutally sexually molested have the right to end their lives as they currently exist.

These children were systematically, brutally and viciouly sodomized. No one in their right mind calls that "hazing"

[AtomicKitten]

21. Jeez, it's not like it was fisting which is, like, so gay.