An Indiana teen claimed he could not be arrested for sexual assault with a girl under age 16 because of Romeo and Juliet laws in his state, but he was arrested anyway and could wind up spending much of his adult life in prison.
Clinton Joseph Lawler Bradley, 17, who lives in Groverton, Indiana, was charged with one count of second-degree sexual assault and two counts of child enticement after a Shawano police officer approached his vehicle and learned that a sexual act had taken place in a vehicle in front of Kleeman Family Park with a 14-year-old girl.
The incident took place on the afternoon of June 4, according to the criminal complaint, and a neighbor claimed a green vehicle was parked in front of the park on Alpine Drive with two people having sex. The vehicle allegedly pulled away as the officer approached, but when emergency lights were flashed, the vehicle stopped. The officer reported seeing a torn condom wrapper inside the vehicle.
Bradley allegedly claimed that this was the first time he’d engaged in sex.
The neighbor reported that a teen girl had walked away from the scene prior to the officer’s arrival and believed that something “not nice” had taken place, according to the criminal complaint.
Prior to the arrest, Bradley allegedly told the officer that he had been dating the girl for six months, but the encounter in Shawano was the first time he’d met her face to face. The two had allegedly started communicating via Snapchat but then switched to text messaging, according to the complaint.
The officer told Bradley he believed the teen had been having sex and placed Bradley under arrest. When that happened, Bradley claimed he didn’t know what he’d done was illegal and that there were Romeo and Juliet laws in his state, so he couldn’t be arrested.
Indiana law, specifically statute 35-42-4-9, allows for a close-in-age exemption protecting teens in consensual sexual relationships from statutory rape laws when the age of the parties is within four years. This only applies to teens who are 14 or 15, as the age of consent in Indiana is 16. The law does not apply to anyone under the age of 14, and it is designed to ensure young people are not automatically labeled as sex offenders.
Wisconsin, on the other hand, does not have a Romeo and Juliet law, and the age of consent is 18. There is no close-in-age exemption, but a marital exemption exists if either of the parties is 16 or 17 years old.
The vehicle was owned by Bradley’s father, who was contacted by police and claimed Bradley was driving to Wisconsin to see his girlfriend.
The victim allegedly told a detective that Bradley had forced her to kiss him and repeatedly asked to do something, indicating sex. She said she agreed so Bradley would stop asking about it, but after the intercourse, she quickly walked away from the scene so it wouldn’t happen again.
The victim allegedly claimed Bradley said the vehicle was his father’s, but the father was taking a walk so the two could hang out. She told the detective that seemed odd because it doesn’t take an hour to go for a walk.
The sexual assault charge comes with a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison and fines of up to $100,000. The same fines apply to the child enticement charges, but the maximum sentence is 25 years for each charge.
Bradley, who turns 18 on June 24, according to court records, and was assessed a cash bond of $15,000 on June 10, which has been paid. He is allowed to return to Indiana but must return in person for future court hearings.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled before Shawano-Menominee Circuit Court Judge Katherine Sloma on July 31 at 1:15 p.m., and he has an attorney listed.
lpulaski@newmedia-wi.com
