Rape victims are not being served

Our daughter was the victim of a violent sexual assault in Bigfork in October 2003.

Unlike many victims of sexual assault, our daughter came forward and made her report to Lake County where the assaults took place. Two assailants were involved, Patrick Larsen of Bigfork, who has since pleaded guilty, and Travis Reynolds, who pleaded not guilty and has since had the fortune of having the Flathead County Attorney's Office drop charges.

The story of this case was widely reported in the valley, as well as in the Missoul-ian and the Missoula Independent. Both radio and television newscasts aired our daughter's struggle to achieve justice.

The decision of Ed Corrigan and Lori Adams of the Flathead County District Attorney's office to drop charges comes when, due to their agendas and mishandling of the matter, they found themselves shackled to a very difficult case to win.

It was readily apparent to us from our first meeting in June 2004 that Corrigan is highly resentful of the public, or in our case, the victims, being outspoken in their demands for justice.

Interestingly, the other rape charges against Reynolds were likewise dropped.

In the short article by Russ Miller, several statements were made by Adams that were the result of too little investigation conducted far too late in the game.

What Adams doesn't state is that the only witnesses she contacted 18 months after the crimes were committed were the very individuals who engaged in horrific harassment of our daughter. These witnesses were hostile with significant allegiances to both assailants.

Adams said a jury would likely find that the girl "made it up to get herself out of trouble" for staying at the party after her curfew. Adams' statement that the rape was a cover for breaking curfew is ludicrous and very damaging.

Our daughter, the victim, categorically denies these allegations and false accusations from hostile witnesses as set forth by the Flathead County Attorney's office.

She emphatically denies engaging in consensual intercourse with anyone at the party. She emphatically denies engaging in nudity. She emphatically denies sitting on Reynolds' lap. These allegations were made solely to smear the victim of a violent sexual crime, a typical tactic of rapists and their defenders.

The suggestion that the first rape, perpetrated by Larson, was consensual is an attempt to justify the second rape. The suggestion that the first rape was consensual also contradicts Larsen's guilty plea.

The fact that our daughter was violently and brutally raped is substantiated by the findings of the police-ordered rape examination done at St. Joseph's Hospital.

Significant vaginal tearing, vaginal bruising and handprint bruises were noted by the examining physicians. These injuries are consistent with rape and wholly inconsistent with consensual sexual intercourse.

Our daughter has been in intensive psychological therapy for the last 18 months as a result of the attacks. And her therapist is outraged at the cruel mishandling and disregard for her recovery.

With neither advance notice or parental permission, Corrigan and Adams removed our daughter from her high school classes for the purpose of terrorizing her with the nature of the "testimony" they managed to extract from hostile witnesses.

They engaged in the sort of badgering and emotional bludgeoning that could only have been designed to nudge a frightened young woman over the edge, to coerce her into saying that she did not want to suffer through a jury trial.

And who among us really would want to suffer a jury trial for a matter so deeply personal, sad and sadly shameful as rape? How could a child possibly feel comfortable in contemplating a jury trial in which Reynolds has a defending attorney and she has no one representing her best interests?

All this verbal battery and emotional abuse was simply the tactic employed by Corrigan through Adams to coerce our daughter into the desire to drop charges on what was going to be a "difficult" case.

Other Montana prosecutors, our daughter's therapists, other individuals in the mental health field, and Sen. Max Baucus have expressed disgust and outrage at the brutal manner in which our daughter was treated by Corrigan and Adams.

Many more were appalled by the statements made by Adams to the press.

We believe that Corrigan's approach in this matter, and certainly Adams' statements to the press citing statements gathered from non-credible and hostile sources, to be a politically driven attempt to discredit both our daughter and ourselves. Adams obviously released those details as a smear tactic to discredit the victim in a matter that neither she nor Corrigan consider to be of merit. Adams and Corrigan demonstrate no regard for victims of rape.

Never have I witnessed a prosecutor so ready to release unsubstantiated anti-victim allegations to the public. And to what end other than to muddy the reputation of an innocent victim?

It would seem that our local prosecutor is not interested in pursuing cases that are not a guaranteed win. Shouldn't upholding the laws be a far more important matter than one's batting average?

Apparently Corrigan and Adams don't think so. And through their actions they are communicating the message that if you carefully and cunningly ready a woman for rape, if you ply her with alcohol and stick to your story that the sex was consensual, you will not be charged with or tried for rape.

Since we first contacted authorities, and up to this very day, the lead investigative body, the Lake County Sheriff's office, believes this case to be serious and to have merit. The Montana State Attorney General's office believes that this case is serious and has merit.

To Corrigan and Adams and all other prosecutors who are busy protecting a win-loss record at the expense of community safety, we say SHAME ON YOU!

Shame on you for failing to fight the hard battle for a woman's right to NOT be raped. Your efforts to discredit the victim of a sexual crime by making unsubstantiated statements to the press do not go unnoticed. Your actions will not be forgotten at election time. While you have dropped charges, this matter is not over.

Our family has received hundreds of letters, e-mails and phone calls from individuals who regard our daughter as a heroine for coming forward, standing up for herself and fighting for justice and safety for the women in our community.

Sadly, Corrigan and Adams have failed not only our daughter, but all of us as citizens. They have failed to remove a rapist from our midst. And they have failed to learn the single most important lesson in the judicial system. That justice is not served until victims are.

Bridget Michlig

Bigfork