In recent Schuylkill County sex crime news …
- One accused sexual pervert was released from prison after serving 3 months,
- Another got sentenced to 3 years after being accused of child rape but pleading to lesser charges, and
- A Pine Grove man got 15 years in prison for blackmailing an underage girl into sending him nude photos.
In not one of these cases, however, does the time seem to fit the crime(s).
Last week, former band teacher Dale Schimpf pleaded guilty to charges he sexually assaulted a 13-year-old boy from the Tamaqua area.
Schimpf, 71, faced spending what would probably be the rest of his life in prison for his crimes but arranged a plea deal in Schuylkill County court earlier this month.
Instead, Schimpf will spend between 3-6 years in jail, according to court records.
Now, compare that to the most recent sentence handed down in a Schuylkill County child sex case.
In federal court, 23-year-old Joshua Ferrebee of Pine Grove must spend 15 years in prison for producing and threatening to distribute what they’re calling child pornography.
Child Sex Crimes – Inconsistent Sentencing in Recent Schuylkill County Cases
All child sex crimes are awful. But it seems that some of these sentences are exactly fitting the actual crime committed.
Of course, in the case of Ferrebee, his happened in a federal court. For Schimpf and the other defendants wrapped up in a related sting operation, these cases were or are being tried in state court locally. So, different courts have different sentencing guidelines.
But these aren’t even close and don’t seem to fit the crimes.
Ferrebee Sentenced to 15 Years in “Sextortion” Case
According to a statement from the US Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, Ferrebee admitted that, in January 2016, he coerced a 14-year-old girl in Michigan to send “sexually explicit images” of herself to him here. And then, unless the photos got racier, Ferrebee says he threatened to publish the first photos on the internet. Fearing that, the Michigan girl send new photos.
Prosecutors call it sextortion.
And for it, Ferrebee faces 15 years of federal prison ahead of him plus another 5 years of supervised release.
At the time of the crime, Ferrebee was 19 years old and his victim, 14.
It’s difficult to determine if that’s an appropriate sentence for what Ferrebee did. But it doesn’t seem “fair” when you compare it to Schimpf’s case and also the case of Chuck Joy.
Schimpf Gets 3-6 Years in Grindr Rape Case
Again, these comparisons aren’t easy to make. So, let’s assume that the sentence against Ferrebee is fair. It doesn’t seem right but let’s assume it is. If that’s fair, then the sentence Dale Schimpf got in his plea deal is totally absurd.
On Oct. 14, before Judge Jacqueline Russell, Schimpf pleaded guilty to statutory sexual assault, corruption of minors and indecent exposure. Those legal-ese terms hardly describe the actual crime here.
According to our previous reports, Schimpf used the mobile gay dating app Grindr to arrange to meet a 13-year-old boy from the Tamaqua area. Schimpf originally said he thought the boy he ended up meeting was 31. Despite the absurdity of not realizing that the person you’re meeting isn’t 31 but 13, Schimpf continued with the date with the victim. That included picking him up, going to dinner, and then back to Schimpf’s house where the victim was raped.
And this gets Schimpf 3-6 years in prison.
Port Carbon Councilman Gets Even Less Time – Already Out
The sentence was even lighter for former Port Carbon councilman Chuck Joy. He, too, was wrapped up this Grindr scheme involving the same victim. Acting separately from Schimpf, Joy was one of 4 Schuylkill County men busted for contacting and then meeting a minor through the gay dating app.
As part of a plea deal arranged with the Schuylkill County DA’s office, Joy had the most severe charges against him dropped. He got a sentence of 3-23 months in prison.
On Oct. 21, Judge William Baldwin granted a motion to release Joy on parole. That means he could be out soon. He went to prison on charges of indecent exposure and indecent assault of a person less than 16 years old. The indecent exposure charge is what really sent him to jail.
Felony charges against Joy were dropped.
According to reports, the sentences in the Grindr case were lower because the plea deals allowed the victim to avoid taking the stand in any potential trial.
Is it Fair?
Tell us what you think …
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