Savannah Dietrich, a 17-year-old Kentucky girl who was sexually assaulted by two boys after passing out at a party, was none too thrilled when her assailants entered a plea deal with the courts. Instead of sitting back and watching as the two young men who essentially turned her life into a living Hell got away with their crimes, Dietrich took to micro-blogging website Twitter, where she named the boys in spite of a court order. Now the teen is facing jail time of her own.
“For months, I cried myself to sleep. I couldn’t go out in public places,” Deitrich told the Louisville Courier-Journal. “You just sit there and wonder, who saw (the pictures), who knows?”
The boy’s attorney would love nothing more than to see Savannah charged with contempt of court. If found guilty, she could face up to 180 days in jail and a $500 fine. The question remains: Is the Louisville court system willing to toss a teenage sexual assault victim behind bars for identifying her attacks? As far as Dietrich is concerned, Louisville isn’t overly concerned with dispensing justice as it is protecting rapists.
Upon learning that Judge Dee McDonald had barred everyone — including Deitrich — from speaking about the crime or its perpetrators, Savannah wept. In her eyes, the system had failed her completely. “They got off very easy, and they tell me to be quiet, just silencing me at the end,” she explained. Her anger towards the court seemingly fueled her revenge.
Her ensuing tweet stated, “They said I can’t talk about it or I’ll be locked up. Protect rapist is more important than getting justice for the victim in Louisville.” Regarding the fallout from the post, she added, “I’m at the point that if I have to go to jail for my rights, I will do it.”
Savannah’s Twitter account has since been closed.
