Nebraska will appeal a judge's decision not to send a convicted child molester to prison because his slight stature might subject him to abuse behind bars, the state attorney general says.
Cheyenne County District Judge Kristine Cecava sentenced Richard
Thompson, who is the 5 feet, 1 inch (1.55 metres) tall, to 10
years' probation this week for sexually assaulting a
13-year-old girl.
Thompson's crime merited several years in prison, Cecava said, but
she did not send him there because she said she feared he might not
survive incarceration.
Nebraska Attorney General Jon Bruning called the sentence "excessively lenient" and said his office was was working on an immediate appeal.
"I don't care if he's three feet tall," Bruning said. "In the state of Nebraska, if you abuse a child, you deserve time behind bars. A sentence of probation is not enough."
Cecava could not be reached for comment.
Marla Sohl, sexual violence coordinator with the Nebraska Domestic Violence Sexual Assault Coalition, applauded Bruning's plan to appeal.
"Our top priority is victim safety and we are very pleased to have an attorney general in our state who takes these crimes seriously like they should be taken," said Sohl.
