Posted By Law Offices of Kerry L. Armstrong on Oct 11, 2010 1:06pm PDT
A California man has been charged with two misdemeanors for discharging semen into a female coworker's water bottle. After feeling ill, the defendant had her water tested and discovered semen allegedly matching the DNA of her colleague, Michael Kevin Lallana, 31.
On August 17 Lallana was charged with assault and releasing an offensive material. Though both charges are misdemeanors, the acts were committed in a sexual context and if convicted, Lallana may face up to three years in prison and will be required to register as a sex offender.
What is a Sex Crime?
The most well known sex crime is
rape. Types of rape include date rape, spousal rape and statutory rape. California's statutory rape law varies depending on the ages of the offender and victim. Generally, statutory rape is defined as when an adult engages in sex with a minor, or when a minor engages in sex with another minor more than three years younger in age.
Sex crimes where children are the victims are viewed as especially horrific. Lewd acts with a child, molestation and the distribution, production or possession of child pornography are all considered sex crimes.
Battery or assault can be classified as a sex crime when the violence takes place in a sexual context or for sexual motives. Lewd conduct in public, prostitution and the solicitation of prostitution are sex crimes. Failure to register as a sex offender is also classified as a sex crime under Megan's Law of 1996.
Consequences of a Sex Crime Conviction
When convicted of a sex crime, your status within society drops significantly. Even if a person has completed rehabilitation, society will most likely not accept that a sex offender has changed. It will often be very difficult to start living "a normal life" again.
Persons convicted of specific sex crimes are required to register with their name and home address at a local law enforcement agency upon release from prison or treatment facility. Most sex offenders will remain on the registry their entire lives.
Sex offenders will often have trouble finding a place to live within the given restrictions in California. Jessica's Law of 2006 bans sex offenders from living within 2,000 feet of a school or park.
This September, Chelsea's Law was signed, instituting an automatic life sentence without parole for those convicted of serious violent sexual crimes against children. The new law also requires tougher parole restrictions including lifetime GPS tracking.