OK- Victims applaud prosecutors for appealing child sex case

By Judy Jones
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests
March 4, 2014

http://www.snapnetwork.org/ok_victims_applaud_prosecutors_for_appealing_child_sex_case

We are grateful that McAlester prosecutors are appealing the recent dismissal of a child sex abuse case involving a Jehovah's Witness elder (Ronald Lawrence) who is accused of molesting three girls.

http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/courts/molestation-charges-against-mcalester-church-elder-dismissed-on-statute-of/article_bbf13d33-68dd-584f-bea0-b40452fbb698.html

No predator should walk free because of an arbitrary, archaic deadline called the statute of limitations. It's a law that gives adults who commit and conceal heinous crimes against kids tons of incentive to intimidate victims, threaten whistleblowers, discredit witnesses, destroy evidence, transfer predators and keep a tight lid on the truth (until the deadline expires and they escape consequences.)

Many judges in many jurisdictions have ruled that deliberate moves to hide child sex crimes effectively freezes the statute of limitations and have let prosecutors proceed in those cases. No callous employer should be rewarded for concealing suspicions or knowledge of dreadful crimes against kids from law enforcement.

We hope the prosecutors win their appeal. That will not only protect kids from Lawrence. It will also protect other kids by deterring decision-makers from helping child predators hide their crimes.