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Just keeping the same story news in one article...and refreshing the story for people not familiar...
Quote
Alabama man gets 9-year sentence for relationship with Boise girl Kristin M. Kraemer, Herald staff writer Published: 07/15/09
RICHLAND -- A troubled 14-year-old girl who regarded an older Alabama man she'd met online as a second father was in return treated as a sex object, a federal judge said Tuesday.
Morgan Douglas Jones initiated sexual contact with the Boise girl through their World of Warcraft game personas, then turned his fantasies into reality when he drove across the country to help her run away.
Over the course of six days, the pair had sex multiple times while Jones gave the girl alcohol and prescription pills. They ended up at a north Franklin County campground.
Those actions justify nine years behind bars, ruled U.S. District Court Judge Ed Shea.
Jones, now 28, "offered her no real assistance, and the only thing he wanted within minutes of meeting her was sex. ... This is a person who did evil things to this girl, evil because he knew better," Shea said during a 1 1/2-hour hearing in a Richland courtroom.
Jones was a married man who was "much more worldly and experienced in sexual matters," and thus should have had mature judgment, Shea added.
The teen girl claimed to be dealing with family turmoil and dissatisfaction in her young life. Though her 14-year-old body was capable of bearing a child and reacting to stimuli, she had "no sense of the power of intimacy" and simply lacked the mental judgment to consent to sexual activity, he said.
"She thought of (Jones) as a second father. He thought of her as a sex object," Shea said.
Jones pleaded guilty in April to a reduced charge of travel for the purpose of engaging in illicit sexual conduct. As a part of the plea agreement, his original charge was dismissed Tuesday.
Shea had the option of sentencing the former pharmacist technician from Birmingham to up to 10 years.
But Jones pleaded for leniency, saying he does not view this as a setback in life and a five-year term would allow him to get out and pursue a career as a minister.
"First off, I do feel very apologetic for what I've done. If anything I was confused at the time and I apologize to the victim, I apologize to her family and I apologize to everybody that I have affected," he said, standing before the court in gray Benton County jail garb.
Jones vowed not to have any contact with the girl or her family and asked to be placed in a federal institution close to his relatives in Fort Worth, Texas.
He said he also wants to reconcile with his wife. He was 17 and she was 15 1/2 when they initially moved to Alabama, where they lived as common-law husband and wife before getting married. She reportedly left him for an Oregon man shortly before Jones' cross-country travel.
"I am moving on with my life. I'm making that effort to move on with my life and I have no vengeance. I don't have any bitterness," Jones said. "And actually I thank the court for being so graceful, for being so gentle with this case."
Jones and the Boise girl met in 2007 through the internet game World of Warcraft.
After having a platonic online relationship for almost a year, Jones told the girl on April 21, 2008, that his wife had left him. Days later Jones' game character gave the girl's character a peck on the lips and fondled her, which led to an online sexual relationship. And within two days Jones was professing how much he loved the girl and arranged for the two to have an online wedding, according to graphic game logs as read by Shea and Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie Van Marter.
The complication with today's adolescent youth is they are staring into computer screens and discussing with strangers things they can't address with family and friends, Van Marter said.
"I think that this particular case is really a parent's worst nightmare," she said.
Shea described Jones as a sexual predator who groomed, desensitized and manipulated the girl. They talked online and met in private chat rooms using webcams until Jones agreed to move to Idaho to help her out.
Jones arrived in Boise on May 27, but ended up getting a hotel room when the victim was too scared to leave with him, court documents said. The following day they met near her house after her dad left for work, and the girl decided she was ready to go, documents said.
They first went to Jones' hotel room to have sex, then got on the road and traveled through Oregon before stopping at a Tri-City hotel. Jones reportedly liked to wear dresses, and the Tri-City hotel manager told authorities he had been wearing women's clothing during his brief stay.
Their travel route was tracked through Jones' cell phone.
Boise detectives issued a kidnapping bulletin, listing information about the teen, Jones and his yellow Chevrolet Aveo with personalized Alabama plates. They were caught June 2 in a tent at Palouse Falls State Park after campers returned to the Tri-Cities and saw news stories about Jones and the runaway girl.
Defense attorney Jim Egan blames the girl for initiating both the amorous and the sexual nature of the relationship. His client repeatedly asked the girl during their trip if she wanted to go home, and she always said, "No," Egan said.
Jones was motivated by love and a desire to get the teen away from a home in which he believed she was being emotionally abused. Jones was naive and never intended to hurt her, Egan said.
"He has recognized that a life of selfish desire to fulfill only personal goals and personal appetites led to a useless life and (Jones) desires more than this for his life," Egan wrote in court documents.
The girl did not attend Tuesday's sentencing. Her mother couldn't make it due to a last-minute family emergency.
Van Marter read a letter from the mother, who is not named so as not to identify the victim.
The mom said Jones hurt the girl not only physically, but also mentally and spiritually. He preyed on her and made her feel like she would be cared for by him.
"It was wrong what you did, Mr. Jones. Morally wrong," the mom wrote. "You took her out of the home without her parents' permission ... and took her innocence away."
"You were only satisfying your sexual desire and wanted someone young to do that with. ... You have a problem that may never go away," she wrote.
The mother said she forgives Jones and what he has done, but said it in no way gives him a right to contact her daughter in the future. She said a sentence between seven and 10 years will give the girl enough time to heal before his release.
"I don't care what the circumstance is, never ever do it again," the mother wrote. "You have a chance here to do something with your life and turn it around."
Jones did not receive a fine because of his "lack of resources," Shea said. However, he must pay $2,229.73 to cover the girl's counseling services over the past year and another $2,000 for more sessions in the next year or two.
Once released from federal prison, Jones will be supervised for 50 years.
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"If we ever get a dog and cat, they should be named "Come-on" and "Goddammit", so that when you yell "Come on, Goddammit!" you'll be surrounded by their love." -Locklear (paraphrased)
"You navigate like a blind chick." -Locklear www.twitter.com/peligrie
"She thought of (Jones) as a second father. He thought of her as a sex object," Shea said.
They seriously under-estimate teenage girls these days...second father figure, my foot.
--
"If we ever get a dog and cat, they should be named "Come-on" and "Goddammit", so that when you yell "Come on, Goddammit!" you'll be surrounded by their love." -Locklear (paraphrased)
"You navigate like a blind chick." -Locklear www.twitter.com/peligrie
I've read both views on this. I agree with Isa on the subjectivity in journalism. The press has stopped offering just facts since yellow journalism with rare exceptions and because they sell information as a product - that's why according to our perceptions and stereotypes - nobody will stand a chance to a fair trail in the public eye before we know the truth. The press will give us whatever the effortless majority of the population wants; spectacular news that twist information, therefore its not information anymore. By the time we find out the guy actually had sexual relations with an underage, the article pronounced him guilty. Then there is the question of how much the victim is at fault. No doubts about that either. Except that one is considered morally wrong and the other lawfully wrong. The girl tempts and freely goes with a man, she's obviously in the wrong, but also she does not have the same life/law knowledge as a 27 years old. Simply put: diabetic children will also crave ice cream - just because they want it, they cry for it, they do everything to persuade you into fulfilling this wish - you as an mentally stable adult cannot make this choice for them without being aware of the consequences. What we're expect to know when we're considered mature is that we understand repercussions, that we live in a very pragmatic world where every action has a reaction, therefore we are responsible for our actions. He made a lot of wrong choices from continuing to flirt with an underage, to sexual talk with an underage, to driving to meet with an underage until he broke the rules: kidnapping an underage and raping an underage (because that's how these are viewed by the law). So from wrong to unlawful this adult had an year to turn around and stop. We have to remember that kids, while they're experimenting will make a lot of bad choices - its their way of learning life, and unfortunately that leads to huge mistakes. The adult, whether he's a relative or stranger, whomever might be has to make the choice for the underage too. That's what the law requires more or less. Like Hoots said, the underage flirts and tempts, but ultimately you have to get out of the pool, choose for yourself and for her apparent wish. I'm guessing the girl cannot comprehend the situation as a whole and also cannot understand her feelings - if she loves or not, if she's guilty or not, if its her parent's fault, her "lovers" fault - I don't see a 14 year old having such a comprehension of world in which she understands society, law, perceptions and facts in such a nature that she fully submits to that behavior. For kids, actions could merely be a response to a harsh word, lack of education, a revenge on values she doesn't understand. That's why in a situation like this you can't hold her accountable, she's just imitating life as she imagines life is as an adult. That's why, when underage commit murder/rape or such there is a special court and punishments for such - they're not as aware as adults - but also that doesn't make it an excuse. Hell I'm thinking sometimes watching he news that we're lucky we got out of childhood and teenage years normal and unharmed. Thank God I was surrounded by responsible, sane people in the right times.
--
"We share much together, love of bacon, seeing how low we can let the tanks health get before healing him, pulling before the raid is ready(not really) we have shared a vast font of memories together." Master Fune about DA.
I've read both views on this. I agree with Isa on the subjectivity in journalism. The press has stopped offering just facts since yellow journalism with rare exceptions and because they sell information as a product - that's why according to our perceptions and stereotypes - nobody will stand a chance to a fair trail in the public eye before we know the truth. The press will give us whatever the effortless majority of the population wants; spectacular news that twist information, therefore its not information anymore. By the time we find out the guy actually had sexual relations with an underage, the article pronounced him guilty. Then there is the question of how much the victim is at fault. No doubts about that either. Except that one is considered morally wrong and the other lawfully wrong. The girl tempts and freely goes with a man, she's obviously in the wrong, but also she does not have the same life/law knowledge as a 27 years old. Simply put: diabetic children will also crave ice cream - just because they want it, they cry for it, they do everything to persuade you into fulfilling this wish - you as an mentally stable adult cannot make this choice for them without being aware of the consequences. What we're expect to know when we're considered mature is that we understand repercussions, that we live in a very pragmatic world where every action has a reaction, therefore we are responsible for our actions. He made a lot of wrong choices from continuing to flirt with an underage, to sexual talk with an underage, to driving to meet with an underage until he broke the rules: kidnapping an underage and raping an underage (because that's how these are viewed by the law). So from wrong to unlawful this adult had an year to turn around and stop. We have to remember that kids, while they're experimenting will make a lot of bad choices - its their way of learning life, and unfortunately that leads to huge mistakes. The adult, whether he's a relative or stranger, whomever might be has to make the choice for the underage too. That's what the law requires more or less. Like Hoots said, the underage flirts and tempts, but ultimately you have to get out of the pool, choose for yourself and for her apparent wish. I'm guessing the girl cannot comprehend the situation as a whole and also cannot understand her feelings - if she loves or not, if she's guilty or not, if its her parent's fault, her "lovers" fault - I don't see a 14 year old having such a comprehension of world in which she understands society, law, perceptions and facts in such a nature that she fully submits to that behavior. For kids, actions could merely be a response to a harsh word, lack of education, a revenge on values she doesn't understand. That's why in a situation like this you can't hold her accountable, she's just imitating life as she imagines life is as an adult. That's why, when underage commit murder/rape or such there is a special court and punishments for such - they're not as aware as adults - but also that doesn't make it an excuse. Hell I'm thinking sometimes watching he news that we're lucky we got out of childhood and teenage years normal and unharmed. Thank God I was surrounded by responsible, sane people in the right times.
Wall of Text crits you for over 9000....
But no, seriously I completely agree about the prepackaged "news" we get nowadays. Theres so much posturing from both sides of the news establishment that true impartiality is almost a thing of the past.
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I´ve had my frustrations about the pains of daily life I´ve tasted degradation and found the lace and candle light But we have the weights we have the measures of our days and nights I´ve had my frustrations but now I´ve found my place
Hellllllo :) By Isadoriana @ 8/29/17 4:23amLet's get this site moving again! Post in the test thread if you can read it. Thanks! By Primevalus @ 10/4/15 7:50pmPosted my thoughts in the forums about the Imperator fight, please read and weigh in :) By Red @ 1/9/15 1:20amGood to have you back Red! By samgaygangie @ 11/17/14 12:45pmHi Everyone! I'm back =) By Red @ 11/16/14 1:25amI'm currently playing a game called World of Warcraft... By Primevalus @ 7/1/14 6:54pmI'm still alive! :) By Primevalus @ 6/6/14 9:37pmSHOUT! I heard you like shouts, so I put a shout in your shout box. By Momentous @ 5/11/14 10:25pmCongratulations on the birth of your new baby girl, Sam!! By Isadoriana @ 1/2/13 12:04amHappy New Year DA! By samgaygangie @ 1/1/13 8:44pmMerry Xmas to all and congrats on surviving 12/20/2012! By samgaygangie @ 12/26/12 12:03amDragon Army Reunion Tour - Getting the Guild back together By samgaygangie @ 12/19/12 10:25pmI am so glad, Fune :) By Isadoriana @ 1/5/12 10:46pmI have returned! By Fune @ 1/5/12 10:56amHappy Birthday Fune! By samgaygangie @ 10/30/11 10:52amHappy B-DAY ISA!!!! WOOT~! By samgaygangie @ 4/11/11 11:52amThank you, Fune :) By Isadoriana @ 4/11/11 8:04amHappy Birthday Isa!! By Fune @ 4/10/11 1:27pmHoly Shout-out batman, laver's wearing tights By guy @ 4/6/11 10:39pmIs it time for the snow to STOP yet? :) By Isadoriana @ 4/3/11 1:07pm
