Families of SOs Community Group
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I was sharing my update and story with Rew and he suggested I share my good news.
In July 2014 my guy took a plea deal and plead guilty to solicitation of a minor. 2 years of probation and 10 years on the registry is what we were stuck with. We were scared, my guy broke down crying and has been stressed about being able to take care of me and his daughter since.
Since he has no prior convictions on his record, his lawyers said we should push for judicial diversion. When diversion is granted in our state, the defendant is on probation for a certain period of time and as long as they comply, the case is dismissed and the conviction is expunged.
Yesterday was our court date. I was sick to my stomach and kept alternating between feeling starved (hadn't eaten since lunch on Thursday) and feeling like I was going to throw up. Watching my guy get on the stand and tell his life story, tell the court that he wanted to marry me, and then choke up at the end of his testimony was the hardest thing I've done. The court officer gave me a box of tissue because I was crying with him. Getting up and giving my testimony was the second hardest part of yesterday.
The judge asked a lot of questions...of both sides. He flat said he thought what we were initially given was way too much, but just 2 years probation was too little. Ultimately, the decision was good. He gave my guy 2 years probation and an additional year on the registry (for a total of 3 years). We also have to pay a fee to the victim's recovery fund they have as restitution (has to be paid by the end of his probation). If he obeys his probation and does the extra year on the registry, all without getting in trouble, it's all expunged at the end.
I know not everyone gets a second chance like this, so I was hesitant to say anything. But every story on here has hope. Don't ever lose sight on the light at the end of the tunnel. :-)
In July 2014 my guy took a plea deal and plead guilty to solicitation of a minor. 2 years of probation and 10 years on the registry is what we were stuck with. We were scared, my guy broke down crying and has been stressed about being able to take care of me and his daughter since.
Since he has no prior convictions on his record, his lawyers said we should push for judicial diversion. When diversion is granted in our state, the defendant is on probation for a certain period of time and as long as they comply, the case is dismissed and the conviction is expunged.
Yesterday was our court date. I was sick to my stomach and kept alternating between feeling starved (hadn't eaten since lunch on Thursday) and feeling like I was going to throw up. Watching my guy get on the stand and tell his life story, tell the court that he wanted to marry me, and then choke up at the end of his testimony was the hardest thing I've done. The court officer gave me a box of tissue because I was crying with him. Getting up and giving my testimony was the second hardest part of yesterday.
The judge asked a lot of questions...of both sides. He flat said he thought what we were initially given was way too much, but just 2 years probation was too little. Ultimately, the decision was good. He gave my guy 2 years probation and an additional year on the registry (for a total of 3 years). We also have to pay a fee to the victim's recovery fund they have as restitution (has to be paid by the end of his probation). If he obeys his probation and does the extra year on the registry, all without getting in trouble, it's all expunged at the end.
I know not everyone gets a second chance like this, so I was hesitant to say anything. But every story on here has hope. Don't ever lose sight on the light at the end of the tunnel. :-)
BTW - Great news for you!!!!
Regardless, very happy for you both!
awesome good news tho! very, very happy for ya'll!!!
Things are getting better in some areas, but I am pragmatic and realize we are just beginning this fight. We need warriors. Please don't anyone leave.
Everybody---everybody----has a contribution to make. There are no geniuses or stupid people on this forum. We are all equal and we can learn from each other.
Whether you are a college professor, a stay at home mom, or homeless, you have some valuable ideas from which all of us can learn.
We are making progress at the state level with some good court decisions, but of course, the legislators are still passing more and more laws.
Many people new to this situation are so overwhelmed with anxiety that they think it is hopeless. It is not. It is never hopeless. For them, their mind is so pre-occupied with survival that they cannot see the hope.
Hope is always there, but sometimes we have to look for that hope as it is hidden. Hope will not always hit a person up the side of the head. Hope is there but we have to be able to open our minds and hearts and allow it in.
Being a registrant or having a family member as a registrant is difficult, but as I tell everyone, it is DOABLE.
But things get easier for everyone. I don't know that the registry gets easier, but our ability to cope with it improves after we get our of the "deer in the headlights" stage.
This is why I want everyone who has good news to post here on this forum. Too often we only hear the bad news, but the good news never gets mentioned----and there IS good news. We just have to look for it and keep our faith.
We need that good news to keep a positive outlook for the future.
This is an excellent support forum. I don't want anyone here to think they have to give up because, with all the great people here to lean on, there is no reason to give up.
If we think this situation is hopeless with no chance of improvement, we might as well all pack it up now and turn off our computers. Of course, nobody wants to do that, so we must stick together.
rewdiazepam
http://tinyurl.com/owtbrn8
The way to find and figure that out is to see if the statute in which your man was convicted under is also listed under the registry statutes as well as one of the mandatory lengths... Cause if he only got 3 years on the registry that was dictated by a judge, then he is the first to get that kind of sentence that will stay true. I know people in WI that heard their judge say similar things like 5 years on the registry and that kind of thing when I know for a fact that the judge can't determine that unless the person is convicted under a statute that doesn't have mandatory lengths already established.
Be cautious, I didn't mean to rain on your parade, but it is something worth checking in to before the let down will be a lot.