Judge in hot water for sex offender’s sentence

MONTPELIER, Vt. – Judge Edward Cashman should be the darling of conservatives: a churchgoer, a former prosecutor, a Vietnam vet and a member of the bench known for his hard-line stands.

In the past few days, though, Cashman has been vilified by conservatives on TV and on blogs. Several Vermont lawmakers have demanded he resign or be impeached. The reason: Cashman sentenced a child molester to just 60 days of jail time – a sentence he said was designed to ensure the man got prompt sex-offender treatment but critics say was too soft.

“As far as we’re concerned, Cashman’s district can hereby be considered a predator’s sanctuary,” wrote the Caledonian Record newspaper of St. Johnsbury.

Cashman has been unswayed: “I am aware that the intensity of some public criticism may shorten my judicial career,” he wrote in a memorandum this week. “To change my decision now, however, simply because of some negative sentiment, would be wrong.”

The firestorm erupted last week when Cashman sentenced Mark Hulett, 34, for having sexual contact with a girl, beginning when she was 6, over a four-year period.

The Corrections Department had concluded that Hulett was unlikely to commit another such offense; Vermont does not provide sex-offender treatment to such inmates until they reach the end of their jail time.

Cashman said he would have imposed more jail time – a three-year minimum – if the state promised treatment while Hulett was jailed.

“The solution to these concerns requires quick and effective treatment,” the judge wrote. He also noted that Hulett tested at a borderline intelligence level, has the emotional maturity of a 12- to 14-year-old and did not understand why others were upset by his actions.

On Wednesday, the Correction Department reversed course and said it would allow Hulett to be treated immediately, in hopes Cashman would impose a longer sentence. Prosecutors planned to file a request today asking the judge to do so.