Awful Message From Judge
As a teenage victim of a violent crime in the Spokane Valley nearly 20 years ago, I reacted with sadness, rage and fear when I read the comments made by Superior Court Judge Richard W. Miller of Ritzville. Miller was judge in the case of a 12-year-old girl who was raped by 19-year-old Roy “Bubba” Love.
Love got 67 months for the rape. According to a press report, Miller sounded almost apologetic for not being able to give Love a lesser sentence. He implied that the sex was consensual and that the 12-year-old was a tramp.
Now I must do my job as a woman and a citizen of this country. I must ask: What is going on in Ritzville that a 12-year-old girl could even be considered a tramp? Have you looked at a 12-year-old lately? I must also ask: Who is this inhumane man? A man given the sacred job of deciding upon people’s fates, their very lives. Does he have a daughter? A granddaughter? What does he tell her?
I was one of those victims who Adams County deputy prosecutor Gayle Petrusic fears will be sent a “horrible, horrible” message by Miller’s comments and actions. I was a 17-year-old honor student and virgin when I was attacked, strangled and nearly raped by a man with a past similar to Love’s. I have done a tremendous amount of work on myself to combat the fear, memories and trauma related to my ordeal and the ensuing court proceedings. There was no one for me to talk to, nowhere for me to go. I fear the same for the 12-year-old girl.
I still do not sleep well at night. But it’s not because I now reside in California. It’s certainly not because I have forgotten my role as citizen, as woman, as activist. It’s because of the memories.
The next time you question why the world seems to be falling apart around you and crime is at an all-time high, you ask yourself if you are doing everything you can to love, protect and serve your children. What do you know about the judges you elected? Ritzville is as much responsible for Miller’s incomprehensible comments as Miller himself.
I am saddened by the loss of a little girl’s innocence and her rights to childhood. I am enraged at an environment that supports judges like Miller. And I fear for your children - and you, Ritzville. Shame on you, shame on you all.
MEMO: Your Turn is a feature of the Wednesday and Saturday Opinion pages. To submit a Your Turn column for consideration, contact Rebecca Nappi at 459-5496 or Doug Floyd at 459-5466 or write Your Turn, The Spokesman-Review, P.O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210-1615.