An assistant DA said, “None of the statements made in this case would be admissible without the victim,” and now that they are married he can’t be compelled to testify.
Leah Shipman, a 42-year-old former teacher in Brunswick County, North Carolina, has avoided being charged with statutory rape, sexual offense with a student, and taking indecent liberties with a student after marrying the alleged victim. As the Wilmington Star-News reports,
A former Brunswick County teacher charged with having sex with a student pleaded guilty last month to a lesser charge after she married the victim, preventing the state from compelling him to testify against her.
Shipman, who was accused of sleeping with a 15-year-old student in 2010, divorced her husband of 19 years on January 19, 2011, and married Johnnie Ray Ison on January 25, 2011. Ison is now 17 years old, and according to the Columbus County register of deeds office his mother, Susan Wilson, signed the paperwork allowing him to marry Shipman.
North Carolina law does not allow the spouse of a defendant to be compelled to testify against them except in certain instances, and underage sex is not one of those. Because they are now married, the prosecution had no choice but to reduce the charges to misdemeanor resisting a public officer. These were the only charges that they could prove without the testimony of Ison. Assistant District Attorney Gina Essey said,
Shipman was offered the plea because, despite Ison’s admissions to investigators that he and Shipman engaged in sex when he was 15, those statements were inadmissible in court if he didn’t testify … The state pled [her] to what we could prove without the victim.
For her charge of resisting a public officer, Shipman was sentenced to a suspended 30-day jail sentence, she must serve 12 months’ probation, pay $345 in restitution, and she was ordered to give up her teaching license.
What do you think would be the outcome if this were a case of a 42-year-old man marrying a 17-year-old girl to avoid charges of statutory rape?
And how do you think people would react if it was a girl’s mother, instead of a boy, who gave permission for a 42-year-old to marry a 17-year-old?
Photo: Police Handout
I think everyone talking about how there would be an uproar if the genders were reversed are forgetting about Doug Hutchison and Courtney Stodden. He was her teacher in drama school. I see them mentioned a lot in the news, but I’m yet to see a mugshot of Doug. In this case it’s obvious the child didn’t think it was a rape (I agree that it was statutory rape and that he is a victim) but just commenting and saying ‘what if the situation were reversed’ are not acknowledging that it happens all the time to young girls (minus the… Read more »
…but just commenting and saying ‘what if the situation were reversed’ are not acknowledging that it happens all the time to young girls (minus the teacher part) and it’s more culturally acceptable that way. I don’t think that’s it at all. I think it’s a matter of people who say that are lashing out at the fact for a large part when it’s woman/boy it’s not just said to be culturally acceptable but it’s a cultural necessity. As in it’s not rape because a boy needs to be made into a man (in a sexual way of course). Truth be… Read more »
If it was reversed, the male would be in prison and the female would be on Dateline and Oprah.
They let this rapist marry her victim? That is really sick!
Gabrielle.
What we are talking about, outside of the prurient aspects, is the law. Whatever it is, the law should be followed, not abrogated on the basis of an “ick” factor or an “awww” factor.
One of the big deals about FLDS is that, at one time the law in TX was fourteen. So everybody should quit getting all over Jeffs just because of a piddly change in a law. Right?
There are many places in the world where the age of consent is 14 (it was in Canada up until 2008). Not that I’m saying it should be, but just to show how arbitrary our judgement of this situation as a ‘crime’ is. Clearly the victim doesn’t feel it was a crime. Nor does his mother. Consider how we feel when the legal system tells us we were NOT raped. We scream that it is up to us to decide whether is was rape or not. Should this not be the case if someone feels it’s NOT rape? It’s weird… Read more »
We know exactly what would happen if it were reversed, or at least pretty close. Earlier last year James Hooker, 41-year-old teacher, left his family and job for 18-year-old student Jordan Powers. Does everyone remember that whole thing? I seem to recall when that happened a good majority of people just went completely off the rails. How much worse would it have been if she had been underage?
This is straight out of an episode of Law and Order SVU (I don’t recall the exact episode or season but I’m actually serious). What do you think would be the outcome if this were a case of a 42-year-old man marrying a 17-year-old girl to avoid charges of statutory rape? I don’t know about the outcome (as is this marriage may have still be allowed to stand) but I know this. It had been switched it would have been on the front page of every major newspaper in the country and it would have already blazed a trail across… Read more »
Correct. You’d have to swap the genders to get media attention on this case… because “male rapist exploiting a loophole to avoid prosecution of the innocent girl he molested” is a trope that the media can get behind.
This one? Male as victim? Doesn’t compute; can’t happen.
…like anyone cares that women are rapists and abusers?! I don’t even no why GMP runs this kind of stuff.It is to retraumatize men?To make them feel more powerless than they already do?
Shipman, who was accused of sleeping with a 15-year-old student in 2010, divorced her husband of 19 years on January 19, 2011, and married Johnnie Ray Ison on January 25, 2011. Ison is now 17 years old,
the average girl is two years more mature than the average boy. however few mention or notice the mental , emotional immaturity of teen boys in these cases.
plus these boys also have the ‘male privilege’ of paying the woman statutory rapist child support!, in the event of the rapist becoming pregnant. the victim paying the rapist.
Male perps take notice … get married to your victim and you’re off the hook? But it goes back to educating males. I’m sure that the 15 year old had no clue that he was being abused. When are we going to start educating males that they ARE victims and that what many women are doing is sick. Where are HIS parents in this? How was he able to get married without their consent? Oh waite, we live in a society where parents rights are being minimized and/or eliminated. Schools can hand out condoms, BC and take kids for abortions… Read more »
Actually, his mother is the one who gave permission for them to get married,
“according to the Columbus County register of deeds office his mother, Susan Wilson, signed the paperwork allowing him to marry Shipman.”
But you are absolutely right about the fact that young men don’t realize what is going on with these teachers is wrong! They see it as a badge of their “manhood” when in reality these women are taking advantage of them in the most repulsive way I can imagine…Unfortunately, I think it’s going to take more than just educating the young men, it is going to take a complete overhaul of society and how we view young men and sexuality!
Do they see it “see it as a badge of their ‘manhood'”?
The victims testimonies I’ve seen from similar cases have been that they felt they should see it that way, but they mostly just felt sick.