Father of Murdered Teen Speaks Out Burlington, Vermont - January 30, 2006 The recent controversy over the sentencing of a sex offender has spurred considerable public debate over punishment, treatment and victims' rights. Some say the three-year sentence for child molester Mark Hulett is still not enough. They claim the case highlights a need for stiffer laws that protect crime victims. One of those people is the father of murder victim, Paulette Crickmore. The teenager who was raped and murdered in 1986. Her father, Alan Crickmore hasn't talked about her death much in the last 20 years. But says he had to speak out in the wake of the Cashman Controversy. "It goes by very slow. You think about it everyday," Crickmore said. Paulette Crickmore got off her school bus nearly 20 years ago to cash an eleven dollar baby-sitting check in Richmond. Not long after, the 15 year-old was forced into a car driven by Edwin Towne. Towne was a convicted sex offender, who had maxed out his sentence and completed sex offender treatment in jail. But two years after his release, he brutally raped and murdered Crickmore. Her body was later found by a hunter in Duxbury. "I've always felt that if he had been kept longer my daughter might still be alive," said Crickmore. Now, 20 years later, Crickmore's father is speaking out about the recent controversial sentencing of sex-offender Mark Hulett. "It hurts. It hurts to see a sentence like that that doesn't do justice to the victims or the families," he said. Judge Edward Cashman originally gave Hulett a minimum sentence of 60 days in jail -- for repeatedly raping a young girl for years. That way Hulett could get immediate sex offender treatment. It sparked national outrage. And last week the judge increased the sentence to a minimum of three years. Crickmore calls it a slap in the face to all victims. "It's still not good enough," he said. "A three year sentence. Man that's outrageous. Nothing really has angered me as much as this sentence and I felt compelled to come out of that shell and say wait a minute folks something has to be done here." Crickmore says Vermont must pass legislation, like Jessica's Law, which would mandate a minimum sentence of 25 years for sex offenders who target children. "A minimum of 25 years would keep them off the streets and keep them away from our kids," he said. "If he had guidelines he was forced to go by, it would have made his decision easier for him and a whole lot better for everybody else." Crickmore says the state should provide better treatment for sex offenders. He adds they must be kept in jail until there's a guarantee they won't offend again. Crickmore agrees with some lawmakers and police who are calling for Civil Commitments. That allows the state to hold the most dangerous offenders after their jail terms are up. As for Edwin Towne, he's not going anywhere now. He was sentenced to life in prison without parole for the murder of Paulette Crickmore. Darren Perron - Channel 3 News http://www.wcax.com/Global/story.asp?S=4431484&nav=4QcS

Second man pleads guilty to sexual assault of girl BURLINGTON, Vt. -- A Hinesburg man pleaded guilty Monday to sexually assaulting the same young girl as a man whose prison sentence sparked national criticism of a judge. Derek Kimball, 34, pleaded guilty Monday in Vermont District Court in Burlington to two counts of aggravated sexual assault and one count of lewd and lascivious conduct with a child. Last January Vermont District Court Judge Edward Cashman sentenced a friend of Kimball's, Mark Hulett, 35, of Williston to a 60-day minimum jail term after he pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting the same girl. Cashman said the sentence was the only way for Hulett to receive sex-offender treatment. After a public outcry, the Corrections Department changed its policy and agreed to treat Hulett in prison. Cashman then increased Hulett's term to a three-year minimum. Court papers said Kimball engaged in two incidents of forced rape and forced oral sex with the girl. Depending on how the sentence is structured Kimball could be sentenced to a minimum of three in prison and a maximum of 50 years. Sentencing is scheduled for October. Kimball's Monday hearing was presided over by District Court Judge Michael Kupersmith. http://www.wcax.com/Global/story.asp?S=5335580&nav=menu183_5_12_2

Judicial Conduct Board says Cashman sentence in sex case legal BURLINGTON, Vt. -- The 60-day minimum sentence given to a convicted sex offender last winter by District Court Judge Edward Cashman was legal and ethical, the Vermont Judicial Conduct Board has ruled. "It was clear that many people were upset at the original sentence, and many people confused the nature of the sentence with whether or not this could be construed as misconduct," said board Chairman Robert Keiner. "Almost always one has nothing to do with the other, and this was one of those times." In January, Cashman sentenced gave Mark Hulett, 35, of Williston to the 60-day minimum sentence so he could receive sex-offender treatment after being convicted of sexually assaulting a young girl over the course of several years. Under Corrections Department policy at the time, Hulett was ineligible for in-prison treatment. The sentence drew criticism from across Vermont and the country. Three weeks after the original sentence, the Corrections Department changed its policy and Cashman increased Hulett's minimum sentence to three years in prison. Cashman, who has been a judge since 1982, announced last month that he would retire next in March. In the aftermath of the Hulett case, the Legislature changed the law to require longer minimum sentences for defendants convicted of aggravated sexual assault. The Judicial Conduct Board opened an inquiry into Cashman's sentencing of Hulett after receiving "several" letters of complaint. Keiner said confidentiality rules prohibited him from releasing most information about the investigation by the nine-member panel. "Reasonable people may differ as to whether Mr. Hulett's sentence was appropriate for the crimes charged," Keiner said in a statement. "After a thorough review, the Judicial Conduct Board found no misconduct in the imposition of these sentences, and the board has dismissed the complaints." ___ Information from: The Burlington Free Press, http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com http://www.wcax.com/Global/story.asp?S=5494525