Today a Missouri grand jury indicted Republican State Representative Scott Muschany for raping a fourteen year old girl in May of this year. The child is the daughter of a Missouri State employee with whom the married Muschany was "romantically involved".
According to the article in today's St. Louis Post Dispatch, the child's mother witnessed the assault.
The child's parents are estranged, and the father is suing for custody of his daughter.
The girl’s father told the Post-Dispatch that his daughter told a sibling about the alleged assault a few days after it happened, and the sibling told the father on May 26, the father said. He called the child abuse hotline the next day.
...
The girl’s 17-year-old brother told the Post-Dispatch his mother told him she has known Muschany for about two years and that they had been seeing each other romantically for about a year.
This isn't just another Republican "sex scandal" - it's the forcible rape of a child, which the mother witnessed but did not bother to report to the police.
[h/t to dalamia for shining a light on this story, and to lineatus for the excellent title suggestion - and big thanks to Boston to Salem to pointing to the growing list at RepublicanOffenders.com]
In 2004, Muschany was elected to the Missouri House to represent a wealthy area of Saint Louis County (State District 87 - which includes the city of Frontenac) - Three days after the May 17th assault, Muschaney withdrew his name from the ballot for re-election for a third term stating that he wanted to spend more time raising his sons, Theodore (age 12)and Hayes (age 5). (link)
Muschany and his wife Harriet are licensed foster parents [peace voter shudders] and the presumed child-rapist is a former board member of the Covenant Christian School attended by his two sons.
Here's the mug shot of the licensed foster parent:
From the St. Louis Post Dispatch article:
In 2006, Muschany was a co-sponsor of legislation that toughened sex offender laws.
The 2006 legislation that Muscany co-sponsored is Missouri HB 1236. In the bill summary we learn that the legislation:
(3) Creates the crime of statutory rape in the third degree when a person older than 21 years of age has sexual intercourse with aperson younger than 17. The crime will be a class C felony unless the offender is older than 30, in which case it will be a class B felony
So it is puzzling that 42 year old Scott Muschany was only charged with a class C felony which carries a penaltiy of up to 7 years imprisonment - If he had been charged with a class B felony he could be imprisoned for 15 years.
And according to the story, the fourteen year old girl was not a willing participant - which begs the question: Why is Muschany charged with only a class C felony? A little more than a slap on the wrist - but a similar charge would be brought against a 21 year old having consentual sex with a 16 year old.
[8.8.08 Update: Muschany "was among 28 Missouri lawmakers who pushed for the death penalty for child rapists"] (link)
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Mark Zolle - the Democratic Alternative
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Frontenac voters won't have the opportunity to throw the bum out in the next election since Muschany removed his name from the ballot - but they do have an alternative to Republican pols.
Democrat, Mark Zoole is running to represent this legislative district.
From Mr. Zoole's website:
Zoole is an attorney and adjunct professor at Washington University School of Law. He expects to emphasize his support of first-responders, stem cell research and his opposition to new taxes.
Though the district is solidly Republican, Cynthia Kramer netted 45% last cycle. She spent $130,000 to do so; Zoole expects to raise a similar amount and thinks that Kramer's showing demonstrates that the district is winnable for Democrats.
Perhaps Saint Louis Republicans will be disheartened enough to try a different brand this year. We can hope.
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peace