Child Molestation Law

Being charged with explicit sexual acts against children, such as molestation, is a serious criminal offense. 41-year-old Michael Devlin of Missouri was recently indicted for abduction and child molestation charges against two boys under child sexual abuse laws in the state of Missouri. Shawn Hornbeck, 15 and Ben Ownby, 13 were found on January 12th in Devlin’s apartment after the Kirkwood, MO police officers seen a truck at the apartment which had matched the vehicle witnessed by a teen the day Ownby had disappeared.

Devlin now faces 75 state charges including forced sodomy and kidnapping. All of the charges are punishable by life in prison. He is also charged with four federal counts of production of child pornography and two counts of transporting a minor across state lines for illegal activity.

Here are some offenses with regard to child molestation law:

• Sexual Assault
• Sodomy
• Statutory Rape
• Child Pornography
• Indecent Exposure
• Lewd and lascivious conduct
• Incest

Studies show that in the U.S. there are approximately 100,000 to 200,000 children molested every year. There are current debates on whether capital punishment should be administered to a convicted child molester for extremely violent offenses. The federal government is diligently seeking to find, capture and convict any person suspected in activities that contribute to violations and offenses against child molestation law.

With regards to Devlin, he will be facing a United States court for the federal charges after he has been tried in Missouri. This case brings into question whether laws may be instituted to prevent future happenings as this from taking place. As it stands now, only those convicted of first degree murder may receive the death penalty in Missouri.

Update: JC

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