We got a tiny bit of snow in the Ozarks but the roads are slick. I went out for some smokes and got this photo.
Is that a spook light?
I found this story on Fox about a 21 year old “heavy metal” musician who has been having sex with under age girls.
Randall Shesto II of Waukesha, described in Internet postings as having performed with a band called Nailwounds, was convicted in June of second-degree sexual assault of a child. He had been accused of having a sexual encounter with an underage girl last December whom he met through MySpace.com.
He was also convicted this year of having sex with another 15-year-old girl.
Waukesha County Circuit Judge Ralph Ramirez sentenced Shesto to 2 1/2 years of prison and 2 1/2 years of extended supervision, but stayed the term and placed Shesto on probation for five years. He was also ordered to serve a year in jail — including one month behind bars and 11 months on work release.
O.K., so this guy…
… Randall Shesto II, has a band and he has sex with kids. The judge decides that the actual time that Shesto needs to spend in jail is, one month. Work release, probation but, only one month in jail. I don’t really know if that’s the normal sentence for this sort of thing in Wisconsin or not. It may that the judge was thinking that by adding some further conditions, he would be adding to Shesto’s punishment. This is where this thing gets screwy.
“You love your music,” the judge told the defendant. “Your music has been the tool by which you have ingratiated your way into the lives of these girls. You may not play in a band in any public appearances during the term of your probationary period. I’m taking away from you the tools by which you worked your misdeeds, sir.”
Shesto was ordered by Ramirez to register as a sex offender and told that, while he is on probation, he cannot have access to the Internet or a cell phone unless approved by his probation agent.
So, I’m guessing that the judge thinks that if this guy wasn’t in a band, he would not be effective in his quest for under age girls. That these girls are so impressed that this clown is in a band, they will succumb. Maybe that’s true, I don’t know. Doesn’t make sense but, maybe it’s true.
I tend to think that, if someone is a predator, they are going to figure out a way to find their next victim. Regardless of what their vocation or hobby is.
The tone of this is troubling because the judge makes it sound like he’s really putting a hurt on the guy; “You love your music, and now you can’t go play”. Doing this, for some reason, instead of truly punishing the guy by putting him in jail.
Furthermore, I don’t think old “Nailwounds” (that’s what he calls himself, by the way, not just the band) was doing a lot of gigs anyway. And, if he was, he wasn’t meeting these 15 year olds in bars. So, I see it as this; the judge is taking away something that is irrelevant in exchange for giving Shesto jail time.
It does say that he met one victim on MySpace and that judge is also taking away his computer privileges but, I’d rather see the guy in jail.
I found this bit of irony, idiocy and poor spelling on Shesto’s, Nailwounds MySpace page.
With an amazing fill in line up, brand new songs, and enough confidence to make Bob Dole ERRECT…Nailwounds is pushing forward to achieve success, fame and a household name.
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Tags: Randall Shesto
phlembol wrote,
After listening to a bit of his music, it’s hard for me to imagine there being much of a future there, but then maybe I am not qualified to judge this genre that is so alien and offensive to me. But that aside, as you pointed out, that is not a direct connection to the offense. And if this is his chosen profession, the judge just took away his tools and his career.
And no cell phone? But he can use a land-line I assume. So what is the point there except to interfere with his personal safety? I don’t know this judge’s record but he botched this case looks like. Creative sentencing can be misused very easily.
phlembol’s last blog post..Classic Christmas Movies
Link | December 18th, 2007 at 9:20 am
Pribek wrote,
phlembol; I don’t know the judges record either but, i would hope that the people in Wisconsin are taking a look at it.
I’m not real clear on what you mean by, “to interfere with his personal safety”.
Not having all of the details of this case, it appears to me that the judge is trying to punish the adult party, in a child molestation case, by treating him as a child; taking away privileges. An approach that I’ve found works well on a four year old but seems to make a mockery of the serious charges.
Link | December 18th, 2007 at 10:46 am
phlembol wrote,
“I’m not real clear on what you mean by, “to interfere with his personal safety”.”
Well, it seems that the cell phone has become a personal version of OnStar. (Pay-phones are being sold off in bulk and will likely disappear completely in a few years.) The thought of being stranded, or otherwise in trouble, is why parents concede to supplying teenagers with what the teenagers mostly see as a super social tool.
Doled punishment is always about taking away privileges isn’t it? I think that public service (making him work) is a much better method (in general.) But then too, I think all prisoners should be working every day.
phlembol’s last blog post..Classic Christmas Movies
Link | December 18th, 2007 at 11:09 am
Pribek wrote,
O.K. I got what you are saying on the safety issue. I’m an old school codger and I keep forgetting how unsafe we all were before cell phones.
“Doled punishment is always about taking away privileges isn’t it?”
Yeah, yeah you’re right on that. But, let me go back to what you said in your earlier comment; “And if this is his chosen profession, the judge just took away his tools and his career.”
See, I did a little checking around and I’m pretty sure this guy isn’t making a living as a musician. So, to me, it’s like the judge is saying, “You’ve been bad, now you can’t go play rock and roll”. Which, in my opinion, is like telling a school kid; “No more video games until you finish your homework”.
Knowing a little about the recidivism rate amongst sexual predators it seems unlikely that scolding him like one would a child, will make him learn his lesson.
Link | December 18th, 2007 at 12:07 pm
deadtruth wrote,
Ummmmmm…..I’m not sure what the problem is? If some dumb ass 15 year old girl wants to have sex with this “thing”??? Thats her damn problem! Its not like it wasnt consensual. I dont think the guy should have gotten any jail time. I just dont see how he’s any threat to society. What is he gonna charm all of our young girls into having sex with them??? Even if he does………..isnt that just how mating works??? Who cares how old they are really??? Society has this stupid perception that women only have sex, when their tricked into it! Well, if thats true then why the hell would it matter what age they are? And please dont use the “pregnant argument” cause that is DEFINETLY the exception and not the rule. I just dont understand the whole underage thing (when its concentual). Sex doesnt hurt anyone. Unless theres a baby or a disease. But, I think that any normal human being is educated enough (even at the age of 15) to know how to take the right precautions.
Link | January 14th, 2008 at 6:16 am
Pribek wrote,
Deadtruth, I’m curious as to what would motivate you to come here and make the case that it’s O.K. for an adult to have sex with a child.
After all, the discussion here is whether or not the punishment fit the crime. You seem to think that a 21 year old man having sex with a 15 year old girl should not be a crime.
I would ask you then, what age would the girl have to be for you to be offended? Would it be OK for an adult man to pursue and a have sex with an eleven year old? Or, an eight year old? At what point would your logic kick in, if at all, and you would think that something is wrong?
Shesto has now been convicted of having sex with two separate 15 year old girls. So, after he was convicted the first time, went through the legal process, we know for a fact that he is aware of the law. Yet, he did the same thing again. This clearly indicates that he is a sexual predator. He is seeking out 15 year old girls and he knows that our society does not approve. These two girls are the ones we know about, the cases where he got caught. Do you think he stopped there? Do you think that he draws the line at 15 year olds?
What is your purpose here, deadtruth? Are you attempting to defend Shesto for some reason or, are you advocating that adults should be granted the right to pursue and have sex with children?
Link | January 14th, 2008 at 9:04 am
Pat Darnell wrote,
On Pediphilia google search is this entry — “A community about pediphilia. Tag and discover new products. Share your images and discuss your questions with pediphilia experts.
http://www.amazon.com/tag/pediphilia” Poor riduculous amazon..
Sexual predators are the wolves cruising the perimeter of the herd waiting for stragglers. Little Red Riding Hood testifies about tricky pediphiles:
“Hey! And still many people around the world talk about virgins… Moslem’s on his Jihad looks for thirty or forty virgins after incinerating himself; Mohammed was a pediphile; wanton Catholics pray to virgins for intercession, Hefner preys upon them, and Buddhist… I don’t know, I think he took bowls of milk and rice-pudding from several virgin maidens. Greeks.. never mind,” says the wiser Red Riding Hood today.
“Moses talked about grass widows… Madonna exposes herself as quasi-virgin, and the web has Virgin copyrighted. Someone hit me if I’m wrong, but that just about covers everyone, except the Mormons, it came to pass, they like to marry a dozen or so of them all to one guy. Let’s see, is their any other sect I can insult; maybe later I will think of other groups?” She says. It is clearly a case of who is innocent and who is the law-breaker. As for the sentencing — in the tale I recall the hunter gets the last swing vote in; with his axe. And this tale never says the wolf is anything more than a salivating, creepy cross-dresser.
“My, what a wet nose you have, Granma!”
L’il Red R’ing H’d has surely put things in perspective, as Jack has brought out the scant use of justice in this Shesto dog-water episode.
Readiness in children is protected by law of the land. You want to live in this land? Stick with the laws. Children under the age of 18 are not prey in USA. Go live in the woods of Asia or East Europe for your cheap shot dog-water backwoods self’s. Heck go to Nuevo Laredo. Just stay away from my kids. >pd/yo OCT 30 2007 MPW
Pat Darnell’s last blog post..XLII: What’s important to me this Year
Link | January 14th, 2008 at 6:49 pm
Sarah wrote,
I’m very bothered by what your article about Shesto says. Your information is very biased.
Firstly, the girl told him she was 19 and she had various tattoos and piercings, giving him no reason to question her being the age of which she stated herself to be.
Secondly, she has since admitted to various people that she has lied, and there are currently investigations being done to prove that much of what she said at the trial was untrue. In other words, she lied- a lot.
Not to mention, it was CONSENSUAL. For a long time prior to what had happened, Shesto had been getting messages from this girl who acquired a sudden “obsession” for him. Why she did, no one knows. Personally, I think she was just being a desperate 15 year old girl with raging hormones who thought having sex with an older person in a locally popular band would add to her own popularity standing. It was not at all something that he initiated.
Also, I don’t think it is fair of you to judge and condemn them for what you think of the Nailwounds’ myspace.
“I found this bit of irony, idiocy and poor spelling on Shesto’s, Nailwounds”
First of all, it is not Shesto who is primarily in charge of the myspace. And even so, there are people in the world who have learning difficulties when it comes to certain things. Did you ever think that maybe spelling and grammar just isn’t their forte? So what if they may have poor spelling and/or grammar. Their myspace isn’t about proper English, it’s merely there as a way of, more or less, contact to the remaining band members and friends.
Whether you care for the minimal selection of music on the Nailwounds’ myspace or not (I personally do not find it to be an accurate representation of what they did), Nailwounds used to be very popular in this area of Wisconsin where he is from. Since Shesto was convicted and such, he has mostly disappeared and obviously, in effect, his band has been forgotten by many. Although he has been convicted of these things, he is not a monster, nor a threat to society. Had you ever seen or spoken to him, you would not suspect that he would be in a band- he just isn’t a “loud” sort of person.
I agree with much (but not all) of what deadtruth said; And as I said before, Shesto did not initiate or come on to her first. She was the one who sought him out for one reason or another.
Everyone makes mistakes in their lives. His only mistake was having sex with someone he thought he knew better under poor circumstances (Shesto had been upset, and both were under the influence of alcohol- ANOTHER thing a 15 year old shouldn’t have been doing).
How was he supposed to know that the next day she would suddenly claim to be pregnant (although she had no proof of it, especially being because she wasn’t), tell her parents, and tell him that she wasn’t actually 19?
I don’t think you should be focusing so much on what HE apparently did. If SHE was so willing to do what she did with him, then that is her fault and I do not think he should be punished worse than he already has.
Link | May 7th, 2008 at 7:30 pm
Pribek wrote,
Sarah, I read your comment and the whole thing really just stuns me. Here’s a guy, an adult, that gets convicted twice, for having sex with two different 15-year-old girls. On the second conviction, with the second girl, he gets a month in jail. One month in jail for a guy who gets caught having sex with children, twice.
And, you don’t think he should be punished worse.
I’m going to try a different approach here. Instead of asking you; “Would it be OK for an adult man to pursue and a have sex with an eleven year old? Or, an eight year old? At what point would your logic kick in, if at all, and you would think that something is wrong?”, like I did with deadtruth and, didn’t get an answer.
I’m going to ask you this….
Sarah, “Would it be OK for an adult man to pursue and a have sex with three children? Or, four children? At what point would your logic kick in, if at all, and you would think that he should be punished more than one month in jail?”
Link | May 7th, 2008 at 10:52 pm