A New York State Supreme Court judge is facing criticism over his decision not to send a 26-year-old bus driver who raped a 14-year-old girl to jail. Instead, Jefferson County Supreme Court Judge James McClusky sentenced Shane Piche to ten years of probation and ordered him to pay a total of $1,750 in fees.
Piche pleaded guilty to third-degree rape in February and prosecutors had asked for him to serve six months in jail followed by ten years of probation. Piche admitted that he met the underage girl on his bus route and started conversing with her on social media.
Over the summer, Piche invited the girl, and her friends to his home where he supplied them with alcohol and raped the girl. She reported the rape to authorities two weeks later.
Judge McClusky cited the fact that Piche had no prior convictions when he decided not to hand down a prison term. McClusky also went against the district attorney's office recommendation that Piche should have to register as a Level 2 sex offender. He ruled that Piche will have to register as a Level 1 sex offender because he is unlikely to re-offend, pointing to the fact that there was only a single victim. According to ABC News, a Level 1 offender only has to register using their zip code, while Level 2 offenders must supply their full address to the sheriff's office.
Few people were happy with the judge's decision to keep Piche out of jail.
“I wish Shane Piche would have received time in jail for the harm he caused to my child,” the girl's mother wrote in a victim impact statement obtained by WWNY. “He took something from my daughter she will never get back and has caused her to struggle with depression and anxiety.”
Over 53,000 people have signed a MoveOn.org petition calling for Judge McClasky to be recalled.
Photo: New York State Police