Sex-crime victim faces jail and fines for tweeting her attackers’ names

Savannah Dietrich felt that the group of guys who molested her when she was passed out at a party got off too easy.   Judge  Dee McDonald,who made the decision,  in juvenile court,  placed a broad gag order that barred Dietrich from speaking about  what happened to her at the party. The case involves two males under the age of 18, who assaulted Dietrich while she was passed out, and shared pictures of the event with others.

In her frustration over the light sentence for her attackers, Dietrich revealed their names on Twitter.

From the Louisville Journal Courier:

“They said I can’t talk about it or I’ll be locked up,” Dietrich tweeted. “So I’m waiting for them to read this and lock me up. ____ justice.

“Protect rapist is more important than getting justice for the victim in Louisville.”

Dietrich might now face  fines and up to six months in jail, for contempt of court.   While a decision is being made in her case, the lawyers of the perpetrators, , Chris Klein and David Mejia,  have asked for a continuance of the existing gag order.

Completely gagging the victim from speaking about what had happened to her confers more  psychological  punishment upon her than to the perpetrators, who will  likely be serving time in juvenile detention.

Suggestions by supposed experts were that the victim should spend her own money and resources to fight the decision of the judge, so that she can be  allowed  to speak to  clergy, counselors or others who could render assistance for her probable substance abuse problem, and the accompanying damage from sexual abuse.

Perhaps some feel that a girl who passes out at a party is fair game to all the guys who are incapable of normal sexual relationships. While Dietrich was wrong to place herself in a compromising position,  she does not deserve a jail sentence for speaking about the aftermath.

Perhaps if the sexual offenses had been  taken seriously,  the court would not be considered ‘contemptible’ by the Savannah Dietrich and the general public.