It’s time for Billings District Judge G. Todd Baugh to step down from the case of a former Billings High School teacher he sentenced to 30 days in prison for raping a 14-year-old girl, who later committed suicide.
The whole event has become a circus, and the interests of justice will not be served.
Someone will be able to see ulterior motives in anything that Baugh does from this point forward.
After a nationwide uproar at the lenient sentence and the sexist and insensitive comments Baugh made at a hearing, Baugh said he would give a further explanation for his sentence.
The uproar continued.
So Baugh said he would hold another sentence hearing to see if a stricter sentence should be imposed.
More uproar resulted.
Then prosecutors, who had earlier said they would not appeal the sentence, bowed to public pressure and appealed.
It’s time Baugh step aside and admit that the public will never have confidence in anything he does in this case — or maybe any other case — and let another judge hear the case.
His comments were appalling, and his conduct since this unfortunate episode began has been muddled and confusing.
If there is any way to salvage the public’s trust in the judicial system, it is to have Baugh move to the side.
Reader Comments(1)
pop writes:
The teacher got 30 days,the 14 year old girl died and the 16 year old kid in Great falls got 60 years.Some thing is very Wrong here.
09/05/2013, 7:04 pm