GARNETT — A matter of two months could mean 25 years more for a 22-year-old man from Mound City accused of rape under the state’s controversial “Jessica’s Law.” Nicholas Andrew Clark of Mound City has charged in Anderson County District Court with sex crimes involving a girl younger than 14. Under the state’s Jessica’s Law, anyone older than 18 convicted of having sex with someone younger than 14 faces a mandatory 25 years to life in prison for a first offense, unless a judge finds special circumstances that would allow a less severe penalty. The Anderson County Review reports that Clark is charged with having sex with a girl who was two months from her 14th birthday. Jessica’s Law is named after a 9-year-old Florida girl who was raped and killed. The Kansas Legislature passed the law five years ago. The law makes no distinction for consensual sex, saying that minors under 14 can’t legally consent to sex. Anderson County Attorney Fred Campbell told the Review that since the law was approved, it has been heavily criticized for the huge differences in sentences involving sex crimes with minors.
Monday, Aug. 15, 9 a.m.
