BILLINGS, Mont. — The mother of a 14-year-old rape victim said a Montana judge was “covering his butt” after he apologized for saying her daughter was “older than her chronological age.”
The comments from District Judge G. Todd Baugh, 71, in a case involving a teacher raping a student have drawn condemnation from across the country.
The victim’s mother, Auliea Hanlon, rejected Baugh’s apology because he has continued to stand by his decision to give a relatively light sentence to former Billings Senior High School teacher Stacey Rambold. Hanlon’s daughter, Cherice Moralez, killed herself before the case came to trial.
The state has 20 days to appeal the sentence. Yellowstone County Attorney Scott Twito said he is working to decide whether to take that step.
