VERMONT
Bennington Banner
It’s no coincidence that Gov. Peter Shumlin chose Bennington on Monday as the place to sign legislation that extends the statute of limitations for sexual crimes committed against a child in Vermont.
The idea for the law originated here. It was proposed by Bennington County Sen. Dick Sears, Democratic chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, after Christina Rainville, Bennington County Chief Deputy State’s Attorney, approached him seeking changes to the state law.
Sexual crimes committed against a child now have a 40-year statute of limitations, whereas before the law only allowed for prosecution of sexual assault, lewd and lascivious conduct and sexual exploitation of a minor within 10 years after the crimes were reported, or until a child’s 24th birthday.
Rainville was moved to do so following the much-publicized trial and conviction of former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky last year. She told The Banner that the Sandusky case was a “watershed moment” for her.
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.