An upstate New York police officer was sentenced to just 10 weeks in prison after pleading guilty to raping a 13-year-old girl.
Former Rochester police officer Shawn Jordan, 40, received a surprisingly light sentence Wednesday after taking a plea deal for the 2022 rape of a teenage girl from South Bristol, WHEC said. Reported.
He will be placed on probation for 10 years and will register as a sex offender.
The victim’s mother “begged” Ontario County Judge Christina Karl to send her daughter’s rapist, now 15, to prison, but Judge Karl refused.
Ontario County Assistant District Attorney Kelly Wolford acknowledged Jordan’s sentence was weak but justified it by pointing out that the girl would not be re-traumatized by testifying in court.
“I’m not entirely satisfied with the sentence, but ultimately as a prosecutor I have to consider things like the impact on the victim of this crime of actually having to testify,” Wolford said. “She was a child and she had to face her accuser in court. And in these circumstances, when we were given the opportunity to consider whether to plead guilty, I absolutely, all day long, pleaded guilty.”
“For the victims and their families who were in court today, I’m just glad that this is over. It’s been a long journey to get to this point and at the end of the day, I’m just grateful that they can move forward and start to heal,” the prosecutor added to local media.
Jordan reportedly bragged about receiving such lenient punishment for such a heinous crime.
“We’ve heard from members of the community saying he’s ‘gotten clean’ on these charges, and that’s not uncommon for us,” Wolford said. “Unfortunately, people say things like that. But it’s [true].”
in statement In court on Wednesday, the victim’s mother said Jordan’s crimes have ruined his daughter’s life and he “doesn’t deserve to be thrown out on the streets,” 13WHAM reported.
The disgraced officer is facing further legal trouble after being charged in a separate case in March 2023, six months before his arrest in the rape case.
In the other case, prosecutors accused Jordan of exposing his genitals to another underage victim over a video call, which ultimately led to his resignation from the Rochester Police Department.
Those charges could land him in prison, but a trial date has not yet been set.
