Comments

1
I don't understand why you would assume the police department should have to pay anything. Unless they were somehow complicit in the crime or tried to cover it up, why should anyone but the offender -- who is now in jail -- have to pay for his crime?
2
Ha ha ha, this guy^
3
After the woman reported the rape, it took more than a month to arrest him. He plead guilty at the end of June 2010, and was released in November 2011. His sentence was effectively cut in half.

Jensen did not plead guilty to rape, only “two counts of prostitution, two counts of official misconduct and one count of coercion.” And although he was sentenced to go through a 12-step program for sexual addiction, he is not considered a sexual deviant.

Thankfully we can all be relieved: the Oregonian published comments from Jensen’s attorney that blamed this entire rape on his military experience in Iraq. Thanks, Oregonian, this is why you’re the best paper in town.

I’m just curious: if I viciously raped a prostitute behind a garbage can while having a pistol on my hip, do you think the judge and newspapers would cut me slack because I’m a veteran?
4
@fidelity_axiom: Yes, I do think they would cut you some slack for being a veteran. Fellatio of military veterans is so enshrined in most Americans' minds these days that it's become accepted and even expected. It's just that it's usually only metaphorical.
5
@Stu - Indeed. It's nice being on the tier of justice above the rest of the commoners, peasants, and paupers. Thank God for me and my kind for courageously making Freedom Soar throughout the dusty lands of Arabia. With Al Qaeda defeated, I think I shall finally claim my prize. Now, where can I find a dumpster?
6
It takes two to settle this case - the police department and the victim. If the case settled for $5,000, it should be obvious that the victim believed that the potential upside of obtaining more in litigation weren't worth the risks/costs of proceeding.

There is another factor at play, however - the competence of the lawyer who recommended his client accept the deal. The case was filed for $1 less than $50,000, which tells me it was filed at that level to avoid an extra $265 in filing fees. That's not a good sign. A lawyer who skimps in that area may be a lawyer who quickly decides he's overmatched against the City Attorney's office and waves the white flag far too early and readily in a case that seems to have significantly higher value.
7
Personally, I would take this opportunity to begin a campaign for judicial reform. Who was the judge who ordered the sentence? I would interview his/her colleagues and friends about their attitudes to patriarchy. Then I would ask him/her for an interview, which they would decline. Then I would move to Beaverton and run against this judge in the next election. If I had to go to law school to do that, then I'd apply to law school on the basis that this judge needs replacing, ergo, I'm saving all my $ for the campaign and they better give me a scholarship. I understand that such a strategy might not appeal to everyone but ya know. My theme tune while pursuing this strategy would be Snoop Dogg's G's and Hustlaz.

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