Mt. Pleasant High School quarterback Princeton Harlan has been charged with the rape of a child in Maury County. Also, two of his teammates were charged with raping the same victim. The big difference is how they will be treated by the criminal justice system. Harlan is over 18 and will be tried as an adult . Harlan’s teammates are juveniles; their fates have not been decided. The two minors might be tried as juveniles or the State of Tennessee could move the Maury County Juvenile Judge to transfer their cases to adult court.
The big difference is punishment. Harlan faces 25 to 40 years in prison with no possibility of probation or parole. His teammates, if tried as juveniles, will face prison.
Maury County Sheriff’s Detective Tony Bailey reported that Harlan and his two teammates had sexual contact with the girl in two separate incidents.
First , rape of a child is one of the worst crimes that are committed. The punishment is severe. It is just wrong both legally and morally. The difference in this case is the age of the defendants and the victim. The key wording in the rape of a child statute is "the unlawful sexual penetration." It appears these acts were not forcible.
On a side note , will this case be used for means other than to protect a young girl and punish those who deserve it ? Let’s look at how Mr. Harlan was arrested . The case has been investigated since August. Mr.Harlan was not a flight risk. Yet the Maury County Sheriff’s Office chose to arrest him at school. Mr. Harlan had to do the perp walk in front of his classmates. Harlan’s arrest was a staged public event in stark contrast to the direct presentment of the charges to the Grand Jury (which avoided a preliminary hearing).
Mr. Harlan was wrong and the girl was victimized. The Tennessean’s headline in an article by Brian Hass stated " Child Rape Case A Challenge." It certainly will be.