A Liberal nominee for the Wisonsin Supreme Court sentenced a man who raped his own cousin to 14 months in prison because he “posed no danger to the public.”
Milwaukee County Judge Janet Protasiewicz, 60, who is up against conservative former judge Daniel Kelly, oversaw the sentencing of 23-year-old Jovian Reese, who was convicted of sexually assaulting his cousin in 2018.
While Reese faced a maximum sentence of 10 years, Protasiewicz opted for just 14 months in prison, along with 50 hours of community service, reports 1130 WISN.
‘Mister. Reese, I’m giving you as little time as I see fit,” she said during the sentencing hearing. “It’s significantly less than I thought I would give you.”
Milwaukee County Judge Janet Protasiewicz (pictured) sentenced a man convicted of raping his own cousin to 14 months in prison
Jovian Reese (above), 23, was convicted in 2018 of sexually assaulting his cousin while she slept in his room. He faced a maximum of 10 years in prison
According to the criminal complaint against Reese, the then 18-year-old invited his cousin to his home on December 9, 2017 and raped her after she fell asleep.
She told investigators at the time that he pulled down her pants and underwear and pulled up her shirt to expose her breasts while he sexually abused her.
The victim, who was not named in the ad, said she woke up during the incident and ran out of the room with her clothes on.
“Jovie raped me! Jovie raped me,” she yelled upon encountering Reese’s sister, and then fled the house and called the police.
Officers then arrested Reese, who denied the allegations, but her DNA was found on his penis and a rape kit test found his DNA on her chest.
Reese was originally charged with second-degree sexual assault, which carries a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison, but a plea bargain allowed the sentence to be reduced to third-degree sexual assault.
The Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office also did not pursue incest allegations, as the victim was a blood relative, punishable by up to 12 years in prison.
During the March 2019 sentencing hearing, the victim told the court she cried for days after the attack and became depressed and isolated because she “felt like she had no one to talk to because everyone in the family was on his side.” ,” reports 1130 WISN.
She added that she suffered multiple breakdowns at school and at work, which forced her to quit her job.
She also said that she stopped being intimate with her boyfriend after the rape and that he broke up with her because she was “damaged merchandise.”
Despite the victim’s impact testimony, Protasiewicz did not characterize Reese as a dangerous man during the sentencing hearing.
“Are you a danger to the public? I don’t think so,” she commented in court before handing him the light sentence.
Although the victim detailed what she went through and the aftermath of the rape, Protasiewicz (pictured) commented that Reese posed no danger to the public
Protasiewicz is the front runner, set to face off against former Justice Daniel Kelly (above), a Conservative who lost his seat in 2020
Protasiewicz is currently in the midst of a contentious race against Kelly, who lost his re-election bid in 2020.
The two are now the frontrunners in the upcoming April 4 elections, which will decide whether Republicans retain their hold on the state Supreme Court, which has been controlled by Conservatives since 2008.
Kelly, who advanced to Tuesday’s general election, described Protasiewicz as an “assault on our constitution and our liberties.”
The winner is likely to change state decisions on abortion laws and gerrymandering issues, with Protasiewicz running as the candidate of women’s choice.
The Liberal judge previously upheld Wisconsin’s near-total abortion ban following the overthrow of Roe v. Wade sentenced last year.
She also slammed the state’s new electoral map as “rigged.” It was passed by the Republican legislature in 2022 and has been criticized for favoring GOP candidates.
After finishing first in Tuesday’s bipartisan primary with an overwhelming 46 percent to Kelly’s 24 percent, Protasiewicz told Wisconsin residents the race would affect everyone in the state.
“Everything that matters to us will be determined by who wins this election,” she said in her victory speech.
However, Kelly said that if Protasiewicz wins, “we will lose the rule of law and find ourselves burdened with the rule of Janet.”