MONTESANO -- Hoquiam High School coach Todd Hoiness has pleaded guilty to sexual misconduct with a minor for having sex with a girl he coached on the girls wrestling team.
The Daily World of Aberdeen reports the plea is the result of an agreement with the Grays Harbor County prosecutor who reduced the charged from a felony to a misdemeanor.
Something is wrong with the system when we continually allow offenders to plea down the charges to do any of the following:
1. Spare the victim from testifying.
2. Get a sure conviction.
3. Save the state some money.
4. Any other reason that gets plea deals.
We should have rules about not having to make minors testify against their assailants, especially if there is a substantial amount of other evidence against them.
As for getting a sure conviction, it seems to me that most perpetrators don't even plea down unless they think that they are going to get convicted of the greater charges anyway, then it just becomes a case of saving the state some time and money by getting the trial over with.
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