Steve Malloch Sentenced to 28 yrs

[Teddy'sWife]

It's about using good judgement. An 18 year old knows that having sex with a 14 year old is illegal. However they try to justify it...it's illegal.

This has just in recent years become an issue and prosecutors are going after the 18 year olds. I realize that it has always been illegal, but nothing was ever done about it unless the girl accused someone of rape.

I don't know how old you are Common-Tater, but do you really think 14 year olds and 18 year olds are thinking about if it is illegal in the heat of the moment? Remember your youth???

[Mrs.Slotz]

According to Indiana state law the 18-year-old is. I do not believe this should be the case. The 18-year-old's life is ruined. The 14-year-old goes on with his/her life. This scenario has been going on for decades. This is the classic "senior dating a freshman" in high school. What is your opinion on this?

I totally agree with you. Yes, an 18 year old should know better but I do not believe they are a child molester. I do know they have the Romeo and Juliet law but I am not sure what age group that applies too. If someone pats someone on the behind, they could be considered a child molester too. I think these laws need to be changed because I am sure there are several innocent people that are doing the time for a crime they really did not commit.

[HoosierHelen]

I totally agree with you. Yes, an 18 year old should know better but I do not believe they are a child molester. I do know they have the Romeo and Juliet law but I am not sure what age group that applies too. If someone pats someone on the behind, they could be considered a child molester too. I think these laws need to be changed because I am sure there are several innocent people that are doing the time for a crime they really did not commit.

I'm thinking you have made some good points Mrs. Slotz. Actually..looking back on my family tree, I can see that I have a grandfather & grandmother who would have been in trouble in today's world. He was 18 and she was 15 when they eloped. Both are long deceased now, many of their 10 children have also passed, yet their grandchildren remember them fondly. I'm not saying this was right....yet it indeed happened and a long family history began. Their remaining family is loving and a closely bonded family. Of course if today...any fellow who tries to escape with one of my granddaughters under the age of 16...I'll be leading the search for this young fellow.

[Common-Tater]

This has just in recent years become an issue and prosecutors are going after the 18 year olds. I realize that it has always been illegal, but nothing was ever done about it unless the girl accused someone of rape.

I don't know how old you are Common-Tater, but do you really think 14 year olds and 18 year olds are thinking about if it is illegal in the heat of the moment? Remember your youth???

Murder is a crime of passion. How many of them consider murder to be wrong in the heat of the moment?

[HoosierHelen]

Murder is a crime of passion. How many of them consider murder to be wrong in the heat of the moment?

Hormones, sexual attraction are passions that most humans have experienced. Natural instincts of attraction at play with the youth, and the the natural instincts of protection are also at play from the parents & community.

The passion driven behind a murder is NOT a common passion that myself and the majority of our community has experienced. Interesting to observe that you find something common between these two?

[garrettgirl]

I am also married to a convicted child molester. And yes people are quick to judge. But this man should have never been in bed at anytime with his step daughter. and then to put her pic in the paper. what was he thinking? Now everyone knows who she is and she is humilated. Its his own fault for him to get the sentence he got. He should have dealt with it in a delicate way to protect the girl.

[edeevee]

I am also married to a convicted child molester. And yes people are quick to judge. But this man should have never been in bed at anytime with his step daughter. and then to put her pic in the paper. what was he thinking? Now everyone knows who she is and she is humilated. Its his own fault for him to get the sentence he got. He should have dealt with it in a delicate way to protect the girl.

I'm guessing that dealing "with it in a delicate way to protect the girl" is one of the reasons Teddy's Wife's family is in the spot they're in today.

The convicted molestor I know cooperated with the investigation from the start. He was trying to protect the accuser, whom he deeply (and appropriately) loved, and hoping to preserve the shreds of their relationship. He believed that truth and justice would ultimately prevail. It was too late when he realized that the cards were stacked against him and that sometimes young girls get caught up in something that they don't know how to get out of. At that point he took the plea, to try to minimize the harm to his family, INCLUDING the accuser.

These crimes are different in that there is rarely any conclusive physical evidence or corroborating witness. We all want to protect children and so we must accept their accusations on faith. But we also have to acknowledge that true justice can be compromised by doing so. We have to be vigilant to make sure that the system doesn't abuse its power and do more harm than good.

I think the question we need to ask is whether or not something strange is going on in DeKalb County? Do they have a higher than normal incidence of taking these types of cases to court? Do they appear to interpret the laws the same way that other counties do? Are the sentences that are handed down there longer than they are elsewhere? Do the court officials handle the accusers -and the accused- in a way that is most likely to ensure that a fair evaluation will be held, or does one side consistently seem to have the procedures skewed against them?

We owe it to these families to find out.

[No Adventure Is Too Small]

I'm guessing that dealing "with it in a delicate way to protect the girl" is one of the reasons Teddy's Wife's family is in the spot they're in today.

The convicted molestor I know cooperated with the investigation from the start. He was trying to protect the accuser, whom he deeply (and appropriately) loved, and hoping to preserve the shreds of their relationship. He believed that truth and justice would ultimately prevail. It was too late when he realized that the cards were stacked against him and that sometimes young girls get caught up in something that they don't know how to get out of. At that point he took the plea, to try to minimize the harm to his family, INCLUDING the accuser.

These crimes are different in that there is rarely any conclusive physical evidence or corroborating witness. We all want to protect children and so we must accept their accusations on faith. But we also have to acknowledge that true justice can be compromised by doing so. We have to be vigilant to make sure that the system doesn't abuse its power and do more harm than good.

I think the question we need to ask is whether or not something strange is going on in DeKalb County? Do they have a higher than normal incidence of taking these types of cases to court? Do they appear to interpret the laws the same way that other counties do? Are the sentences that are handed down there longer than they are elsewhere? Do the court officials handle the accusers -and the accused- in a way that is most likely to ensure that a fair evaluation will be held, or does one side consistently seem to have the procedures skewed against them?

We owe it to these families to find out.

I can not understand the mentality of "wanting to protect the accuser" if you have done nothing wrong.
It seems that self preservation would keep an innocent person from admitting to something that they absolutely
didn't do. Keep in mind this accuser whomever they are is going to destroy your life, so taking a plea is still
a life sentence the damage is done. How in the world can you "Love" someone so much that you are willing
to participate in your own destruction to protect them if they are lying, and you know it?
Keep in mind Malloch admits to his mistakes, but says he was asleep, that is different than being INNOCENT!

[LuciusBeebe]

I don't know how old you are Common-Tater, but do you really think 14 year olds and 18 year olds are thinking about if it is illegal in the heat of the moment?

Heat of the moment? "The moment" is something that two people arrange, its not something that happens out of the blue.

[edeevee]

Keep in mind Malloch admits to his mistakes, but says he was asleep, that is different than being INNOCENT!

Agreed. And I am certainly not trying to defend accused abusers as a whole.

I'm not sure I want to defend even the one I know (who is not Malloch) but the thing is, I believe this guy. In my gut I don't think he intentionally did anything with intent to harm, and he didn't put himself in a ridiculously inappropriate situation either (like Malloch in bed w the girl). The accusation occured after a disagreement. There is evidence that she was egged on by a vengeful ex-spouse.

And it's not the first time I've heard about iffy sounding charges in DeKalb County.

Maybe every child molester comes up with a good story? I do not know for sure. But that's my point. In most of these cases we CAN'T know for sure. Because of that, we must be watchful of the system. When accusations of "witch hunts" and "vendettas" are made about the courts, they should be checked out. It shouldn't be that hard to look at the data and determine whether DeKalb County is operating within a statistically normal range or if they are off the charts in one way or another.

[Common-Tater]

Hormones, sexual attraction are passions that most humans have experienced. Natural instincts of attraction at play with the youth, and the the natural instincts of protection are also at play from the parents & community.

The passion driven behind a murder is NOT a common passion that myself and the majority of our community has experienced. Interesting to observe that you find something common between these two?

I think you'd be surprised how many people have gotten angry enough to kill another person if the right environment and opportunity presented itself. Don't put so much faith in people. And try being a little honest with yourself.

[Teddy'sWife]

I think the question we need to ask is whether or not something strange is going on in DeKalb County? Do they have a higher than normal incidence of taking these types of cases to court? Do they appear to interpret the laws the same way that other counties do? Are the sentences that are handed down there longer than they are elsewhere? Do the court officials handle the accusers -and the accused- in a way that is most likely to ensure that a fair evaluation will be held, or does one side consistently seem to have the procedures skewed against them?

We owe it to these families to find out.[/QUOTE]

This is exactly what we have been trying to get across to the people of DeKalb County! I realize that there are people that really have done terrible things to children and teenagers; however, it seems that as soon as someone is accused they are GUILTY and treated as such. My husband and I had never been in trouble in our entire lives so he talked freely with the investigators, not knowing that everything he said would be taken out of context and twisted into what they thought it meant. Investigators even went to some of my family's houses and told them he was guilty and wanted to interview them! Interestingly enough, during the time of Don Laur's campaign to become sheriff, there were 2-3 NEW cases per week being investigated and ultimately people being arrested. How fortunate that was for him - happening just at the right time for his campaign. After his election to sheriff, cases have significantly decreased. I just feel that something IS NOT right in DeKalb County as far as investigations, prosecutors, and the judges. I was told that the prosecutor's office gets something like a "commission" bonus every time they prosecute someone. Before anyone jumps on me for that - I will state that I do not know if this is true or not. I would like to know if this is true if anyone knows this for sure. I am really glad this has gotten so many comments though, because there are alot of families that are going through this (offenders' families and victims' families) and it seems that no one really talks about this.

[Teddy'sWife]

Heat of the moment? "The moment" is something that two people arrange, its not something that happens out of the blue.

I am talking specifically about the scenario of the 18 year old and 14 year old being in love and having intercourse. These are young people and YES it is the "heat of the moment" when you are that young. You can have every intention of not doing that but get caught up in the moment and not use good judgment when you are that young. How do you think teenage pregnancies occur?

[No Adventure Is Too Small]

This is exactly what we have been trying to get across to the people of DeKalb County! I realize that there are people that really have done terrible things to children and teenagers; however, it seems that as soon as someone is accused they are GUILTY and treated as such. My husband and I had never been in trouble in our entire lives so he talked freely with the investigators, not knowing that everything he said would be taken out of context and twisted into what they thought it meant. Investigators even went to some of my family's houses and told them he was guilty and wanted to interview them! Interestingly enough, during the time of Don Laur's campaign to become sheriff, there were 2-3 NEW cases per week being investigated and ultimately people being arrested. How fortunate that was for him - happening just at the right time for his campaign. After his election to sheriff, cases have significantly decreased. I just feel that something IS NOT right in DeKalb County as far as investigations, prosecutors, and the judges. I was told that the prosecutor's office gets something like a "commission" bonus every time they prosecute someone. Before anyone jumps on me for that - I will state that I do not know if this is true or not. I would like to know if this is true if anyone knows this for sure. I am really glad this has gotten so many comments though, because there are alot of families that are going through this (offenders' families and victims' families) and it seems that no one really talks about this.

I have to ask. Did you and your husband have legal counsel present when you talked freely?
If you did have counsel, how did investigators twist what was said? It should have been recorded verbatim.
If you spoke without counsel, I question why?
Even innocent people are inclined to say something wrong when out of their comfort zone.
No One should assume that you are going to be treated nicely, when you are being accused of such a serious offense.
Even when the offense has yet to be proved,

[Teddy'sWife]

I have to ask. Did you and your husband have legal counsel present when you talked freely?
If you did have counsel, how did investigators twist what was said? It should have been recorded verbatim.
If you spoke without counsel, I question why?
Even innocent people are inclined to say something wrong when out of their comfort zone.
No One should assume that you are going to be treated nicely, when you are being accused of such a serious offense.
Even when the offense has yet to be proved,

He did not have counsel present when questioned. He did not even know what he was being asked to go to the sheriff's department for. He was told by the investigator to "come alone to the sheriff department concerning a personal matter." We were naive. Had I been there with him, I wouldn't have let him say anything after finding out what it was about, because I knew enough that this was "a very serious matter." Now that it is all said and done, we have learned alot about investigative tactics, unfortunately too late.

[Common-Tater]

Just have to ask why Allen County is so incompitent. I believe I read that they have the second largest murder rate in the State. Yet they don't have a Prosecutor qualified to prosecute a Capital case.

[armyda]

Just have to ask why Allen County is so incompitent. I believe I read that they have the second largest murder rate in the State. Yet they don't have a Prosecutor qualified to prosecute a Capital case.

I don't know what source you are using but you might want to look this over. It isn't the Prosecutor that is the issue.

If Plumadore becomes capital case, county has no certified defenders

[Common-Tater]

I don't know what source you are using but you might want to look this over. It isn't the Prosecutor that is the issue.

If Plumadore becomes capital case, county has no certified defenders

Source was a KPC newspaper. I'm pretty sure it was the Angola paper.

[HoosierHelen]

I don't know what source you are using but you might want to look this over. It isn't the Prosecutor that is the issue.

If Plumadore becomes capital case, county has no certified defenders

This JG article you referenced helped me to understand the challenges the Prosecutor is dealing with while determining whether to ask for the death penalty. I had read it the same day they published it and appreciated that they answered this question. Not only myself but several of my friends had been discussing this topic.

[armyda]

Source was a KPC newspaper. I'm pretty sure it was the Angola paper.

Well I couldn't find the online article but the Electronic Print edition for the Herald Republican had the following on page A2 today: "Allen County has no public defenders for capital cases"