A 19-year-old Gardnerville man was sentenced Tuesday to one year in Douglas County Jail for having what he described as consensual sex with a 14-year-old girl.
Zachary Applewhite pleaded guilty to statutory sexual seduction in the incident that occurred a year ago.
District Judge Dave Gamble said Tuesday he was concerned about Applewhite's reluctance to take responsibility for the action.
"I don't care how old she was," Gamble said. "For you to take advantage of any female by filling her with alcohol and having sex while she's practically unconscious. It's against the law to do what you did and also intrinsically evil and wrong.
"Until you understand she is the victim and you are the perpetrator, I have serious concerns about your future," Gamble said.
According to court documents, the girl was assaulted at a party on Nov. 7, 2007.
A former church van driver, Richard Jacobsen, was sentenced to six months in jail in April for contributing to the delinquency of a minor by serving the girl liquor.
The party was at Jacobsen's apartment, and the girl had looked on him as a mentor.
At Jacobsen's sentencing, the victim's mother said that after her daughter was assaulted, she was dumped unconscious by the side of the road in freezing weather, where she awoke and made her way to a Laundromat where she passed out.
Her mother said the girl had to undergo a rape exam, take a double dose of the morning after pill and two antibiotics.
The girl's mother said Tuesday the incident was the lowest part of the family's lives.
"I'm inclined to think you don't have a conscience," she told Applewhite. "I hope it's not too late to grow one. And I don't mean the one that shows up occasionally in court, but the one you develop after months in a jail cell."
Had Applewhite been over 21, he would have faced a felony charge.
Prosecutor Tom Gregory said Applewhite's attitude since the arrest "has given you (Gamble) every reason to send him to jail."
Gregory said Applewhite violated terms of his release from Douglas County Jail by drinking.
Gregory said he was shocked by Applewhite's conduct during a hearing on the violation.
He read from the East Fork Justice Court transcript of Oct. 8 where Applewhite gives obscenity-laced responses to Justice Jim EnEarl and refers to the victim as a "whore."
Applewhite said he was ashamed of his behavior.
"There are a lot of things that say I have not shown any remorse," Applewhite said. "I feel ashamed and disgusted."
"Of what?" Gamble asked.
"That night. Having any interaction with her," Applewhite said.
Gamble said he believed Applewhite was salvageable.
"This is a one-year event and you have at least 50 years after that. Let this event change your life for good. It has to be a turning point in your life or I am just whistling in the wind," Gamble said.
The judge asked the victim's parents to tell their daughter she was not at fault.
"She was purely a victim," Gamble said.
Comments
Use the comment form below to begin a discussion about this content.
Sign in to comment