Friend of Statutory Rape Suspect Seeks 'Romeo and Juliet' Law in Minnesota

A former schoolmate of a Simley High School senior charged with statutory rape has asked a Minnesota state representative to introduce “Romeo and Juliet” legislation intended to keep teenagers in consensual sexual relationships from being charged as sex offenders.

Tsistas Yang, 18, who graduated from Simley last spring and and is currently studying criminal justice and psychology at Briar Cliff University, has asked District 39B Rep. Joe Atkins (DFL) to consider introducing a Romeo and Juliet law when the 2012 Legislature convenes in January.

Under Minnesota law, anyone who engages in sex—even consensual sex—with a partner who is at least 13 but younger than 16, and who is more than 24 months older than the victim, can be charged with statutory rape.

Romeo and Juliet laws protect 18-year-olds involved in consensual intimate relationships with 14- to 16-year-old minors from being classified as sex offenders, provided the older person has no prior convictions and is not more than 48 months older than the younger one.

Michigan, Florida and Texas have such laws on their books. A similar proposal failed earlier this year in the Illinois Legislature.

Yang describes himself as a lifelong friend of George Michael Knowlton, 18, was, a felony that carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $10,000 fine. If he is convicted, he will be required to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life. 

Authorities say Knowlton, who turned 18 on July 17, had an ongoing sexual relationship over the summer with a 14-year-old girl. Under Minnesota law, anyone who engages in sex—even consensual sex—with a partner who is at least 13 but younger than 16, and who is more than 24 months older than the victim, can be charged with statutory rape.

“This stuff happens all the time,” said Yang, who grew up playing soccer with Knowlton, and learned about the charges via Facebook.

“It happens on a daily basis. It’s kind of like when you get to high school, the age doesn’t really matter anymore.”

Knowlton is currently free on bond and has an omnibus hearing scheduled for Nov. 28. However, because the conditions of his release include having no contact with his victim—also a student at Simley—or anyone else under the age of 18, he is taking classes online rather than attending classes at Simley, according to his friend.

“I’m studying to become a lawyer,” Yang said. “As a lawyer, you want the law to be fair to both sides, and I thought they were too harsh on George.

“Laws like this basically separate actual, real sex offenders from accidental sex offenders like George.”

Atkins confirmed Wednesday that was approached by Yang. The state representative said he thanked Yang for researching the issue and promised to look into it. In a phone interview on Wednesday evening, Yang said he had also approached District 39 Sen. Jim Metzen with the same request.

Atkins, who practices civil law, wouldn’t comment on the Knowlton situation, which has polarized the residents of Inver Grove Heights and students at Simley. At last count, a Facebook page, “Free George,” had 172 likes. 

“I practice law for a living, and I don’t do criminal stuff,” Atkins said. “But one thing I’ve learned: Don’t assume any facts until you’ve heard the full story of what’s going on.”

Keith Joyce, whose son played on the same soccer team with Knowlton last year, said that when the story first surfaced in Inver Grove Heights, “there were two camps: one incredibly supportive of George, and one where people said, ‘Hang him high.’

“Now a lot of them are going, ‘We knew it was wrong, and he has to pay some consequences, but oh my God, that is just too much.’”

A lot of students don’t understand why the girl isn’t also culpable, Joyce said.

“And she’s getting harassed for that,” he added, noting that fellow Simley students have shouted insults at her. “There’s a lot of misinformation out there.”

The case isn't the first of its kind. In 2003, Georgia native Marcus Dwayne Dixon was convicted of statutory rape and aggravated child molestation after a sexual encounter with a 15-year-old classmate. Dixon, 18 at the time of the encounter, was given a 10-year prison sentence after a high-profile criminal trial that attracted national media attention. The Georgia Supreme Court eventually overturned the felony child-molestation charge.

Dakota County Attorney James Backstrom acknowledged that teenagers engage in sexual relationships, often without considering the legal implications.

“But it’s a crime under Minnesota law to have sex with anyone, even if it’s consensual, under the age of 16,” he said. “That’s the law. That’s the reason the charges were filed.”

But a St. Paul criminal defense attorney, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he is working on a similar case, said the law should make a distinction between young offenders and older adults accused of statutory rape.

"I think there’s an absolute distinction," the attorney said. “I understand why you make it a crime, but the issue is whether or not these people are predatory sexual offenders. When people are within the same peer group, to me, that isn’t an abnormal sexual drive."

Registering as a sex offender can have a significant impact on a young person's life in these cases, the attorney said.

“Suddenly your whole future is gone ... It’s a good way of ruining someone’s life.”

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