WASHINGTON — As the judge in the Stanford rape case learned, much of the world may end up watching him or her. A crowd can form in a matter of days, outraged by what they consider a lenient sentence for a heinous crime.
In the case of Judge Robert McKeon, as of early morning Wednesday, almost 20,000 people had signed a Change.org petition calling for his impeachment for the 60-day sentence he gave a Glasgow, Mont., man who pleaded guilty to raping his prepubescent daughter.
‘‘A father repeatedly raped his 12-year old daughter,’’ Deputy Valley County Attorney Dylan Jenson said during an Oct. 4 sentencing hearing.
‘‘It’s time to start punishing the judges who let these monsters walk our streets,’’ read the petition.
Prosecutors had recommended a mandatory 25-year sentence, 100 years with 75 suspended, which is what state law calls for.
Instead McKeon handed down a 30-year suspended prison sentence, which means the man will only serve it if he fails to meet the conditions of his probation. Among those conditions, which McKeon called ‘‘quite rigorous,’’ was the requirement for the man to register as a sex offender.
The man will serve 60 days in jail, but McKeon gave him credit for the 17 days he already served, meaning he’ll only spend another 43 days. The Post is not identifying the convicted man as it could reveal the identity of his victim.
In most of these controversial cases, the judges under siege remain silent; McKeon has chosen to defend himself.
In an e-mail to the Associated Press, McKeon said he had several reasons for handing down the sentence.
According to McKeon, the state law allows those arrested for incest involving someone under 12 years old to avoid prison if an evaluation finds that psychiatric treatment ‘‘affords a better opportunity for rehabilitation of the offender and for the ultimate protection of the victim and society.’’
McKeon also referenced letters written by the victim’s mother and grandmother. Both requested the convicted man not be sentenced to prison.
In the Stanford case, Judge Aaron Persky sentenced a student to six months in jail and three years probation after he was convicted of sexually assaulting an unconscious student.
