Never too safe!

One of the most important roles of being a parent is protecting our children from danger. Unfortunately, more and more we are hearing of children put in danger despite the precautions that parents take. Let me tell you the story behind one family that learned through first hand experience that you can never take too many precautions.

I am sure that you are familiar with the case of the 38-year-old pervert named Orlando Paul Cisneros, who recently was granted 36-months of "supervised probation" in lieu of 13 years of prison for 17 counts of rape and sodomy of Kristy*, a 14-year-old local girl.

In September of 2006, Kristy went to a sleepover at the house of a long-time friend, Samantha*. This was not the first time that Kristy had gone to a sleepover at Samantha's house, so there was no way she could have guessed what that night had in store for her.

Samantha lived with her mother in the house of her mother's current boyfriend. Cisneros was a long time friend of Samantha's mother, and had been there on numerous other occasions when Kristy had attended sleepovers. Kristy trusted her friend, and by extension, her parents trusted Samantha's parents. That trust, unfortunately, was in the wrong people.

Samantha's mother may or may not have known what was going to happen. I cannot say beyond a reasonable doubt, as I have not talked to her. I do know from Kristy that this woman had caught Cisneros lying in bed with children (including her own daughter) prior to this time. Kristy has also related other things that occurred in that house, things that should have set off huge red flags with any reasonable adult.

However, on the first sleepover after Kristy turned 14 (five days after Jessica's law no longer applied to Kristy), out came the house alcohol, and with a little marijuana thrown in by someone. At the urging of Samantha's mother and the man who would eventually be her rapist, Kristy got drunk and high.

Over the next month, Orlando Cisneros would go on to rape and sodomize Kristy at least 17 times.

Like any young person, Kristy was taught all the right things. She knew about "stranger danger," she knew what was right, and what was wrong. What she did not know was that those who were most dangerous were those she knew and trusted.

After the first rape occurred, Kristy was scared. She was scared to tell her parents. She was scared of losing her best friend. Most of all, she was scared to refuse the rapist what he wanted. She told him "No" and he coerced her into being an accomplice to more of his abuse.

Then came the night they were caught. If Kristy's mom had not gotten up hungry, and noticed that Kristy was not in her bed, who knows how much longer this would have gone on.

The police came, Cisneros was caught, he confessed, and yet… a failure in our justice system allows him to walk our streets today.

Ever since the abuse started, Kristy has been wronged by our justice system. The police and the twelve jurors are about the only people in this case who (in my mind) performed their duty. The judge let a pedophile go to rape again. To justify his liberation of the rapist, the judge lied (more on that in a moment), and to top it off, our legal system itself would not even let Kristy's father and mother sit with her in the courtroom.

That is correct, because of the DEFENSE attorney's subpoena of Kristy's parents (which had no purpose) as witnesses in the defense of this thing that raped their daughter, they were prohibited from being present during the trial, as they just might be called to testify on behalf of the man who confessed to raping and sodomizing their daughter.

Then we have the District Attorney's office, Robert Hecht. Overall, Kristy's father feels that he did an adequate job, however, many questions linger. Why did Robert Hecht NOT pursue charges against the mother who had provided Kristy with alcohol and marijuana on the night this first happened?

Then we come to her best friend's mother. Why did the mother of Kristy's best friend give her alcohol and marijuana? Why did she let Cisneros into her house during sleepovers even AFTER she had caught him asleep on a mattress with her own daughter and Kristy?

Worst of all, of course, is the criminal who committed these crimes against Kristy. How can a beast like that be allowed to continue walking the streets.

How? Let me tell you of how.

A 38-year old man, 17 counts of rape and sodomy on a 14-year-old daughter, can walk the streets if the judge lies.

In this case, Judge Matthew Dowd said,
"I am very appreciative of the harm and the difficulties caused by the defendant's actions to the victim and her family. However, the victim, I'm very much persuaded by * comments. She is, I think thankfully for everybody involved in this, not seeking any kind of vengeance, not seeking any kind of ill will towards the defendant herein. And I think that's important. It's important to me and it's important to the appropriate disposition of the case."

However, Judge Dowd never talked to the victim in this case. He never asked Kristy how she felt about the situation. He never found out the fear that Orlando Paul Cisneros brought into her life. He never even bothered to ask.

Judge Dowd stated in court that he has to take responsibility for his judgment, and I am hopeful that he will take responsibility for allowing a convicted child rapist to walk our streets.

I am also hopeful that Topeka District Attorney Robert Hecht will also pursue the woman who knowingly and willingly broke the law by providing alcohol and marijuana to this young people. As far as whether this woman aided and abetted the actions of Cisneros, I will simply give her the benefit of the doubt, by saying that she obviously needs to learn a few things about the people she brings into her house, and allows to "cuddle" with the children there.

A travesty has been committed, and we need to get it fixed.

*The names of victims and their family have been changed to respect their privacy.