In the State of Texas at least 226,000 children are sexually abused every year. This abuse is typically inflicted upon children by a trusted family member or a close friend of the family. No child should have to deal with the horrible effects of sexual assault. However, this type of thing happens more than people realize. Jack B. Carroll & Sandra Oballe are well known Texas sex crime lawyers, and can attest to most defendants being guilty of no crime at all, but of falling into the wrong circumstances.
According to law enforcement officials within the state of Texas, at least 54% of all sexual assault cases go unreported. What this means is that a lot of people are scared or embarrassed to come forward on this issue. Not too many people want to admit being victimized in this way.
On May 30, 2017 Martin Shore of Houston, Texas was accused of having sexual intercourse with a young 17-year-old girl. While she allegedly consented to the sex, the state of Texas still considers sexual intercourse between an adult male and young teenage girl to be an illegal matter.
Martin Shore was not arrested but he scheduled to appear in court behind this issue of alleged statutory rape. Shore is 26-years-old and lives in the same neighborhood with the minor in question. Since the young 17-year-old female is still technically a minor, her name real name will not be mentioned.
The Adult and Minor Child Consented to the Relationship
According to neighborhood sources, the young lady had been going over to Shore’s house to help him out with odd jobs and chores. She apparently was receiving payment for her work. Eventually, the young lady told her sister that she might be in love with Shore and this raised a red flag. The girl’s sister then told their parents who then confronted Shore about the matter.
The young lady was present, during the confrontation. That’s when she revealed that Shore and her had been involved sexually. The parents had filed charges against Shore but due to lack of evidence he was not arrested.
The Shore Case is now being Reviewed for Possible Criminal Charges
The case is now being reviewed to determine if it will go to trial. Shore has hired an attorney and is preparing to go to court over this issue. He does not believe that he committed a criminal act because their involvement was consensual.
Texas law is clear about sexual practices involving minors. A minor can have consensual sex with a person that is at least within a 3-year age range. This age starts at 14 and it ends at 17. So, a 14-year-old person can have sex with another individual who is up to 17-years-old. A 17-year-old young man can legally have sex with a 20-year-old adult woman.
While laws governing the sexual practices and behaviors of minors are not a favorite for discussion; they are often necessary. The fact is that a lot of young people are having sex. The laws need to be in place to ensure that children are not being exploited by sexual predators and deviants who harm children through this type of behavior.
Sex crimes in Texas (just like anywhere else) is very disheartening and serious. These laws also help to stop incidents involving child abuse and they also help to protect families and marriages. Criminals will usually be prosecuted in this type of situation and people will be sent to jail if it is proven that they are guilty of this type of crime.
