Imagine if you will, that your boyfriend preys upon your daughter for five years. She suffers in silence, as so many children do, until one day when she speaks up. After five years of sexual abuse, she's gained the strength to tell of the abuse she's went through and seek justice.
Your boyfriend, Richard Crawford is convicted of 390 counts of sexual abuse, with almost a hundred carrying mandatory five year sentencing. You can sit back, and focus on helping your child overcome this. She can breath easier, knowing that this man will never hurt her, or another child again. Because time has went by, and the abuse is hard to prove- the investigation takes it's toll on her, requiring her to go through not only the telling of the abuse, but even the extent that she wears a wire and gets him to admit to the abuse. But, after everything- it's over. He's been convicted. You know, as does your little girl, that he will be spending the rest of his life in jail.
And, then, the unthinkable happens. The judge in the case, Judge Daniel L. Howsare decides that he's just not sure about sentencing. He just can't make up his mind on whether Crawford is punishable under Megan's law.
Just to give you an idea of Crawford's charges, just so that you can see the sort of man we are talking about, here is the current criminal charges filed against him, for which he is waiting sentencing on. Included in his charges are 18§3121§§6 - 53 / Rape / Person Less Than 13 Years Age, and 18§3126§§A7 Ind Asslt Person Less 13 Yrs Age- both listed more times than I care to count.
Megan's law lists those as:
Rape (18 Pa. C.S. § 3121)
(a) Offense defined – A person commits a felony of the first degree when the person engages in sexual intercourse with a complainant:
1. By forcible compulsion;
2. By threat of forcible compulsion that would prevent resistance by a person of reasonable resolution;
3. Who is unconscious or where the person knows that the complainant is unaware that the sexual intercourse is occurring;
4. Where the person has substantially impaired the complainant's power to appraise or control his or her conduct by administering or employing, without the knowledge of the complainant, drugs, intoxicants, or other means for the purpose of preventing resistance; or
5. Who suffers from a mental disability which renders the complainant incapable of consent.
(c) Rape of a Child – A person commits a felony of the first degree when the person engages in sexual intercourse with a complainant who is less than 13 years of age.
and
Indecent Assault (18 Pa. C.S. § 3126) – if the offense is a misdemeanor of the first degree or greater
A person who has indecent contact with the complainant or causes the complainant to have indecent contact with the person.
Both are crimes that are SEXUAL OFFENSES as declared by Megan's Law.
Currently, despite having been convicted of 390 sexual offenses, Richard Crawford is not on PA's sexual offender list. Despite being convicted of 390 sexual offenses, Richard Crawford is not sitting in jail. Because the judge doesn't find it important to remove this man from walking the streets freely.
Richard Crawford is out on bond until the judge in this case decides that he has put enough children as risk, and sentences Crawford. Yet, despite the high likelihood that Crawford could skip out, or that he could decide to prey upon one more child- liberal Judge Daniel L. Howsare won't even set a date for sentencing.
Bedford County District Attorney Bill Higgins, did his job. He presented his case, and won a conviction. And now he's asking the the judge do his job, and sentence Crawford.
WJAC 6 News Richard Crawford molested his ex-girlfriend's daughter for five years, from the time she was 7-years-old until she was 12. Despite his conviction last December, the victim still does not have justice.
Higgins said he blames the judge.
"Here's an opportunity to take a violent sex offender off the street and the judge doesn't take the opportunity to do that and lets him walk out of the courtroom," said Higgins.
Howsare refused to comment about his decision, but Higgins said it's because Howsare isn't sure if Crawford is really a sexually violent predator. For the state, there's no question.
"The state offender association board has determined he is a sexually violent predator," said Higgins. "We just need the court to go along with that."
There is more coming out in this story, and I'm hoping to be able to bring you new information within the next few days- on both the case and this irresponsible judge.
For now, I have to ask that you take a moment to make a few phone calls- and let the Bedford County Court know that allowing a sexual predator to remain free (it's been three months) while a judge refuses to do his job, is just not acceptable.
Judge Daniel L. Howsare
President Judge
Courtroom No. 1
Courthouse Annex
Juliana Street
Bedford PA 15522
Phone: (814) 623-4810
Fax: (814)623-3858
At this point, a child has been horribly abused, and her abuser is being allowed to roam free. We have to demand that not only he be sentenced, but that the sentence be set at the maximum allowed by law. This child suffered for five years at the hands of this predator- we can not allow her to suffer now, at the hands of this judge.
