Susan Brock, the teen-touching somewhat-estranged wife of Maricopa County Supervisor Fulton Brock, was sentenced yesterday to 13 years in prison for carrying out a three-year sexual relationship with a teenage boy she met through the Mormon Church -- and KPHO seems to think that's a lot.
The local TV station -- infamous for telling it like it isn't -- made a list of the sentences handed down to other women who've been convicted of sleeping with kids. They say the cases are "similar," which they're not -- they're just all women.
In other words, if Brock were a man, we have a feeling KPHO wouldn't be pitying her over how "tough" her 13-year sentence is for repeatedly having sex with a child.
KPHO cites Jennifer Mally, "a former English Teacher and cheerleading coach at Paradise Valley High School, who had a sexual relationship with her 16-year old student and pleaded guilty to sexual misconduct with a minor. Her sentence: six months in jail."
Then there's Autumn Leathers, "a schoolteacher in Maryland who had a sexual relationship with a 15-year-old student that lasted three months. Her sentence: suspended."
Sure, those cases involve a woman sleeping with a kid, and the sentences are ridiculously light -- and all too common for female sex criminals -- but they're not the same as Brock's.
For starters, the victims in these cases were more than 15, which changes the game in the eyes of the law, requiring much tougher penalties. Brock's victim was 14 when the two first got horizontal. Had she waited until the kid's 15th birthday to start having sex with him, she'd probably be looking at a much lighter sentence.
Not to mention, Arizona has sentencing guidelines, and Brock's sentence -- while on the stiffer side -- falls within them.
Now let's take a look at some men who've been convicted of sex crimes.
How about Daniel Cope, convicted of sexual exploitation of a minor after cops found kiddy-porn on his computer. He was a youth soccer coach in Ahwatukee, although, none of his players ever accused him of abusing them. Sentence: 41 years in prison -- and he wasn't even convicted of actually have sex with anyone.
Then there's John Sheehan, a 62-year-old Montana man convicted of having sex with a young girl for much of her teenage years. Sentence: 15 years in federal prison -- and that's only after he's done serving a 20-year sentence in Montana.
If you ask us, these sentences are perfectly justified -- and Brock's is, too, regardless of gender.
Perhaps KPHO means Brock's sentence is "tough" for a woman convicted of having sex with a kid.
See KPHO's pity list here.
On a side note, kudos to Judge Robert Olson for not giving another sex criminal a slap on the wrist just because she lacks a penis.
