Town Burns (alleged) Rape Victim's home

[mfcorey1]

There are some stories that nearly defy all sense of reason. This is one of them.

http://www.kansascity.com/...

MARYVILLE, Mo. — There wasn’t much left by the time she arrived, just a burnt-out structure and the haze of smoke that lingered around it.

The siding and gutters had melted. The roof was gone. Inside, piles of ash filled the rooms that had once bustled with the pleasant sounds of a family.

The KC Star looks back at a true horror; a pair of (alleged) Rape victims who were shamed, vilified, run from a community and then suffered a house fire.

The story begins some time ago..

Few dispute the basic facts of what happened in the early morning hours of Jan. 8, 2012: A high school senior had sex with Coleman’s 14-year-old daughter, another boy did the same with her daughter’s 13-year-old friend, and a third student video-recorded one of the bedding scenes. Interviews and evidence initially supported the felony and misdemeanor charges that followed.

Yet, two months later, the Nodaway County prosecutor dropped the felony cases against the youths, one the grandson of a longtime area political figure.

The incident sparked outrage in the community, though the worst of it was directed not at the accused perpetrators but at a victim and her family. In the months that followed, Coleman lost her job, and her children were routinely harassed. When it became too much, they left, retreating east to Albany.

Coleman had hoped the move would allow them to heal in peace, that the 40 miles separating the towns would be enough to put an end to their bitter saga.

Now, though, as she stared at the charred remains of her house, the distance didn’t seem nearly enough.

As always, without a conviction, there is nothing that is "for sure".

What is known is that a young woman invited a few boys over. A few hours later, she was found unconscious in the front yard in 22 degree weather.

The police were able to come up with a few other important pieces: Video tape of sexual activities between an adult and a minor, and full confessions from those involved.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/10/14/1247037/-Town-Burns-alleged-Rape-Victim-s-home

[gopiscrap]

1. that is so fucked up