Salt Lake Telegram | 1943-07-27 | Page 6 | No Worse than Drunkenness?

f s. s No Worse Than Drunkenness vi FROM PROM ROM time to time loopholes in our criminal i laws which permit a law violator to escape the punishment he deserves come to light I One such case was that involving an assa assault lt a in Salt Lake City recently by an allegedly drunken soldier upon a young expectant ant I fi t f mother The circumstances were unusual The v young woman was staying in her mothers mother's r r 1 apartment but was alone at the time The soldier entered through a front door which was open because of the heat as thousands of front doors of homes in this city are open during the summer months Therefore there was no ground for a charge of breaking and f entering It was simply a case of trespass a minor crime In the apartment the soldier reportedly asked the young woman if certain people lived there She replied that they did not and when the soldier showed no signs of going she asked him to leave Thereupon he heK hei i K allegedly attacked her Her cries for help brought a neighbor to her rescue who with difficulty overpowered the soldier The expectant expectant expectant ex ex- ex- ex I mother was taken to a hospital suffering suffering suf suf- 1 fering from cuts bruises and shock Under civil law according to the county attorney the only charge which could be bex x brought in this case was one of simple assault and battery the maximum punishment for which is and nd six months Considering that the alleged condition of f drunkenness which existed in this case alone could bring such a penalty it seems a very light punishment punishment punish punish- ment went for an assault which was bad enough and might have had haq very serious conse conse- In this particular case the army has t t stepped in and the accused man will probably face a martial court-martial and if he is convicted the penalty undoubtedly will be more ing with the offense But the fact remains that under civil law r the maximum penalty possible for such an r offense would have been a fine and jail ail term because the absence of any weapon weapon or of any I. I proof of an attempt at rape bars a felony 1 accusation It doesn't make sense to h have ave such a vicious attack under the provisions of our our z criminal law regarded from the standpoint of possible punishment as no worse than a case of drunkenness reckless driving or a host of other relatively minor law violations