Reflections From a Murky Pond

Montgomery County Circuit Judge Katherine D. Savage dismissed the charges against and released Mahamu Kanneh, who was accused of repeated raping and otherwise sexually molesting a seven year old girl of the course of a year. The Liberian immigrant was not released due to lack of evidence but due to the fact that he supposedly didn’t speak enough English!

Judge Savage decided that, after three years of supposedly trying to get a translator for Mr. Kanneh’s native Vai tongue - a tribal language spoken by approximately 100,000 people worldwide - that Mr. Kanneh’s right to a speedy trial had been violated.

This is one of the most difficult decisions I’ve had to make in a long time

 

– Judge Katherine D. Savage

The Author wonders how it could be other a “most difficult decision” to release an accused child rapist back into society without first allowing a jury to determine his guilt or innocence. Judge Savage had to carefully weigh the facts that: Mahama Kanneh attended high school and community college in Maryland, spoke English to detective and court representatives throughout the proceedings, and had previously waved his right to a speedy trial so that his defense team could conduct its own analysis of DNA evidence. It must have been very hard for Judge Savage to twist the facts in such a way so as to be able to possibly release yet another pedophile back into society.

This must have been especially difficult for Judge Savage to accomplished since one of the primary purposes for The Right To A Speedy And Public Trial is to prevent undue and oppressive incarceration prior to trial. Mahamu Kanneh had only spent one night in jail and was released on a $10,000 bond with the restriction that he have no contact with minors.

Go to the Washingnton Post for the full story.

In OMAHA, Neb District Judge Kristine Cecava of Cheyenne County sentenced a convicted sex offender to 10 years probation instead of any prison time because he was short. Richard W. Thompson was convicted two counts of sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl, yet the judge felt that prison would be too harsh for him because he stood only 5’1”.

So I’m sitting here thinking this guy has earned his way to prison, but then I look at you and I look at your physical size. I look at your basic ability to cope with people and, quite frankly, I shake to think what might happen to you in prison because I don’t think you’ll do well in prison.

— Judge Cecava
Court transcript of the hearing

What makes things even worse – and yes, sadly things do get worse than releasing pedophilic rapist into society – Judge Cecava used to be part of the Nebraska Commission for the Protection of Children! The Author wonders how much protection this woman provided for Nebraska’s children with her penchant for releasing dangerous sexual predators into society. She’s obviously more concerned with the safety and comfort of child molesters than she ever was with the safety of children.

Given the proven rate of recidivism among pedophiles and other sexual predators, Judge Kristine Cecava should not only be removed from the bench and disbarred, but held legally accountable as an accessory before the fact for any future crimes committed by Mr. Thompson.