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Easley to sign Jessica's Law
Submitted by ryanteaguebeckwith on 2008-07-28 08:29
Gov. Mike Easley will sign Jessica's Law today.
The legislation will impose stricter penalties on sex offenders, making the minimum prison sentence 25 years for adults who commit certain sex crimes against children under 13.
The bill was inspired by the 2005 rape and murder of 9-year-old Jessica Lunsford, who lived in Gaston County most of her life before moving to Florida.
Monroe resident Jeff Gerber founed the Coalition for Jessica's Law to push the bill, saying he was frustrated by the nearly two-year delay in the legislature.
"It infuriated me," he said. "You would have thought North Carolina would have been the first to have this law since Jessica was from here."
Easley will sign the bill at 2 p.m. at Gastonia City Hall. (AP)
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Group pushes for Jessica's Law
Submitted by ryanteaguebeckwith on 2008-01-14 09:16
A volunteer group pushing for stiffer sentences for sex crimes against children held its first rally Saturday.
Organizers of the Coalition for Jessica's Law plan to hold gatherings throughout the state to promote passage of a law similar to one passed in Florida in 2005. That law was named for nine-year-old Jessica Lunsford, who was raped and killed by a convicted sex offender.
The North Carolina measure would levy a sentence of 25 years to life in prison against criminals convicted of rape or a sex offense against a child under 13.
Co-chairman Jeff Gerber said he started the gropu when he learned the North Carolina legislature had not passed the bill.
"We are furious about this," he said. (Char-O)
