Inmate freed after victims recant molestation allegations

Aug 25, 2004
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Inmate freed after victims recant

The Associated Press

BOLIVIA, N.C. ? Prosecutors on Friday threw out charges against a man who served 20 years in prison for sexual molestation after the two victims recanted their allegations.

The victims, who were 4 and 6 when they made the charges, testified that they falsely accused the man under pressure from their grandmother because she wanted to protect the real abuser ? a cousin of the girls.

Sylvester Smith, 53, was serving two consecutive life sentences after being convicted in 1984. At the time, Smith was the boyfriend of one of the girls' mothers.

Prosecutor Rex Gore said he will not pursue charges against the cousin, who was 9 at the time, because he was so young. The cousin is serving a life sentence in state prison for first-degree murder, Gore said.

OMG that is soooo fvcked up
 

Amused

Elite Member
Apr 14, 2001
56,877
17,775
146
This is why all molestation cases are very suspect to me.

Most of you are too young to remember the molestation hysteria of the 80s that ruined the lives of thousands of innocent people across the country... and some are still in jail.
 

NFS4

No Lifer
Oct 9, 1999
72,636
46
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The cousin is serving a life sentence in state prison for first-degree murder, Gore said.

Wow, a molester AND a murderer!! What a winnar!!

[Knight from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade] "(S)he chose...poorly" [Knight from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade]
 

T2T III

Lifer
Oct 9, 1999
12,899
1
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Even though that guy was released from prison, he'll still spend the rest of his life fighting for his true freedom.

:( :(

 

OutHouse

Lifer
Jun 5, 2000
36,410
616
126
Originally posted by: Amused
This is why all molestation cases are very suspect to me.

Most of you are too young to remember the molestation hysteria of the 80s that ruined the lives of thousands of innocent people across the country... and some are still in jail.

I remember. it was a fricken witch hunt and it started with that daycare center in Southern Cali. Those poor people didnt do it. To this day the proscuter says they are guilty and did the right thing, even though the kids (adults now) testified that they were forced/tricked by the prosecuter into saying things on the stand that were not true. :|
 

Amused

Elite Member
Apr 14, 2001
56,877
17,775
146
Originally posted by: Citrix
Originally posted by: Amused
This is why all molestation cases are very suspect to me.

Most of you are too young to remember the molestation hysteria of the 80s that ruined the lives of thousands of innocent people across the country... and some are still in jail.

I remember. it was a fricken witch hunt and it started with that daycare center in Southern Cali. Those poor people didnt do it. To this day the proscuter says they are guilty and did the right thing, even though the kids (adults now) testified that they were forced/tricked by the prosecuter into saying things on the stand that were not true. :|

Yep, and the same thing happened in dozens of cases all over the country. Very sad.

One case very nearly destroyed an entire Washington town: http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/powertoharm/
 

NFS4

No Lifer
Oct 9, 1999
72,636
46
91
Originally posted by: Amused
Originally posted by: Citrix
Originally posted by: Amused
This is why all molestation cases are very suspect to me.

Most of you are too young to remember the molestation hysteria of the 80s that ruined the lives of thousands of innocent people across the country... and some are still in jail.

I remember. it was a fricken witch hunt and it started with that daycare center in Southern Cali. Those poor people didnt do it. To this day the proscuter says they are guilty and did the right thing, even though the kids (adults now) testified that they were forced/tricked by the prosecuter into saying things on the stand that were not true. :|

Yep, and the same thing happened in dozens of cases all over the country. Very sad.

One case very nearly destroyed an entire Washington town: http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/powertoharm/

That is just sad. Makes me wonder about all of these Catholic priest allegations
 

Amused

Elite Member
Apr 14, 2001
56,877
17,775
146
Originally posted by: NFS4
Originally posted by: Amused
Originally posted by: Citrix
Originally posted by: Amused
This is why all molestation cases are very suspect to me.

Most of you are too young to remember the molestation hysteria of the 80s that ruined the lives of thousands of innocent people across the country... and some are still in jail.

I remember. it was a fricken witch hunt and it started with that daycare center in Southern Cali. Those poor people didnt do it. To this day the proscuter says they are guilty and did the right thing, even though the kids (adults now) testified that they were forced/tricked by the prosecuter into saying things on the stand that were not true. :|

Yep, and the same thing happened in dozens of cases all over the country. Very sad.

One case very nearly destroyed an entire Washington town: http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/powertoharm/

That is just sad. Makes me wonder about all of these Catholic priest allegations

Yep. Also, there was a major case in NC too, IIRC. It's called the "Little Rascals" case and an entire daycare was jailed on false charges.

http://www.religioustolerance.org/ra_edent.htm
 

apoppin

Lifer
Mar 9, 2000
34,890
1
0
alienbabeltech.com
Originally posted by: NFS4
Originally posted by: Amused
Originally posted by: Citrix
Originally posted by: Amused
This is why all molestation cases are very suspect to me.

Most of you are too young to remember the molestation hysteria of the 80s that ruined the lives of thousands of innocent people across the country... and some are still in jail.

I remember. it was a fricken witch hunt and it started with that daycare center in Southern Cali. Those poor people didnt do it. To this day the proscuter says they are guilty and did the right thing, even though the kids (adults now) testified that they were forced/tricked by the prosecuter into saying things on the stand that were not true. :|

Yep, and the same thing happened in dozens of cases all over the country. Very sad.

One case very nearly destroyed an entire Washington town: http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/powertoharm/

That is just sad. Makes me wonder about all of these Catholic priest allegations
WhY?

The CC is paying out hundreds of millions of dollars to settle them. :p
:roll:
 

kranky

Elite Member
Oct 9, 1999
21,019
156
106
I have a friend (female) who was charged with molesting a child she was babysitting. At the time she was 16, and the child was 4. The two families had been friends for many years and lived on the same street, and she had babysat the child dozens of times.

One day the child's parents noticed something like diaper rash, and they immediately jumped to the conclusion that my friend had molested their child. They called the police and had her charged. The police went to her school to make the arrest, and although they didn't burst into her classroom, they led her away into a police car while everyone could see from the windows. It cost her parents thousands in legal fees only to see it tossed out of court when the kid's parents were unable to find a single medical professional who would state that the rash could have been caused by any type of molesting.

The reason the kid's parents kept pushing the case was that when they asked the child if my friend had touched her in a private place, the child said yes. My friend agreed - when the kid soiled his pants, she changed his pants and cleaned him up. The parents kept pressing the child for details and eventually the kid started to cry. That somehow convinced the parents that the child had been molested!

There was no evidence, the child never claimed there was anything going on, and kept asking when (my friend) was going to come over and play again.

It nearly ruined her life because with that on her record she could not be credentialed as a teacher, which was her goal. They managed to get it expunged finally.
 

Mill

Lifer
Oct 10, 1999
28,558
3
81
Crazy. I remember stuff about the other abuse hysteria from a special on one of the newsmagazines.
 

LeetViet

Platinum Member
Mar 6, 2003
2,411
0
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Wow, I swear I watched a playoff of this on one of those investigation/law TV shows.
 

SludgeFactory

Platinum Member
Sep 14, 2001
2,969
2
81
20 years of being the lowest form of scum in the prison caste system, with the physical & pyschological torture that pretty much guarantees, I would say this guy and his lawyer are going to get a little bit of money from the state. And grandma (if she's not already dead and rotting in hell) needs to be charged criminally, if that's even possible at this point, and also sued for every penny she's worth.

BURN IN HELL YOU DEVIL BITCH GRANNY!!!
 

KC5AV

Golden Member
Jul 26, 2002
1,721
0
0
I have a brother in prison right now because his stepdaughter accused him. She later recanted, but the police had pressured him into signing a confession. The DA wouldn't drop the charges. He's been in for a year, and has about another 3 before he can get parole.
 

NFS4

No Lifer
Oct 9, 1999
72,636
46
91
Originally posted by: KC5AV
I have a brother in prison right now because his stepdaughter accused him. She later recanted, but the police had pressured him into signing a confession. The DA wouldn't drop the charges. He's been in for a year, and has about another 3 before he can get parole.

:|:|:|:(
 

SludgeFactory

Platinum Member
Sep 14, 2001
2,969
2
81
Originally posted by: KC5AV
I have a brother in prison right now because his stepdaughter accused him. She later recanted, but the police had pressured him into signing a confession. The DA wouldn't drop the charges. He's been in for a year, and has about another 3 before he can get parole.
wow that is horrible. You guys have exhausted all legal avenues I guess? What about contacting every media outlet in the state and 60 Minutes, Dateline, 20/20 and anybody else who might want to make a story out of this, to try to crank up the political pressure here?
 

Aharami

Lifer
Aug 31, 2001
21,205
165
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what a sad state of affairs that our justice system has come down to this.
this goes to show....there are no such things as good moral lawyers. there are scums working on both sides of the line
 

waggy

No Lifer
Dec 14, 2000
68,143
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Originally posted by: Amused
This is why all molestation cases are very suspect to me.

Most of you are too young to remember the molestation hysteria of the 80s that ruined the lives of thousands of innocent people across the country... and some are still in jail.

Any time you have a child cliaming abuse i am very suspect. They are way to easy to talk into saying something that did NOT happen.

While the invistagator is talking to them they say to the child things like "he tauched you here (and point to a doll) right?" the do this for hours until the child just agrees to it.

But i remember in the 80's and early 90's people were claiming abuse after going to a shrink. They would be "hypnotized" and then when out they would "remember" the abuse. this is 20+ years after.

It also makes me mad when young kids claim abuse to get someone in trouble. IT can/does ruin there life yet they can not do anything about it.
 

Orsorum

Lifer
Dec 26, 2001
27,631
5
81
Originally posted by: Amused
This is why all molestation cases are very suspect to me.

Most of you are too young to remember the molestation hysteria of the 80s that ruined the lives of thousands of innocent people across the country... and some are still in jail.

I'm not too young; in fact, I remember reading about the cases when I was 10 or 11 and getting very angry about the injustice of so many of them.