A Utah woman who faced charges for being topless in her own home in front of her stepchildren has taken a plea bargain.
The stakes were just too high for Tilli Buchanan to take the criminal case to trial, her attorney, Randy Richards, said Tuesday.
She initially was charged with three counts of class A misdemeanor lewdness involving a child, accused of exposing her breasts to her stepchildren several years ago. The charges had especially weighty consequence: If convicted, she would have been required to be on the sex offender registry for 10 years.
Richards said he had advised his client to take the deal.
“She would have loved to take it up on appeal,” he said, “but it was pretty much at my advice that she not — not because I don’t think she would win, but there’s a possibility that if we go all the way to trial, she’d be convicted by a jury and then she had to be on the sex offender registry.”
This whole case is ridiculous and should have been fought. Her lawyer was a weasel and she got scared by the possibilities. She could have won a case for humanity.
State law vs federal law vs human rights. She bowed instead of fighting. (Yes, we don’t know all the facts)
Maybe the problem is with TV. On the family sitcom, “Growing Pains”: For the first episode of the first season (S1E1): Father Jason Seaver (played by Alan Thick) moons his own child.
CherokeeJack
Know exactly how you feel. They did the same to me. They trump up a bunch of charges that they make up from who knows where ,that they know are false so they can force you to plea. They do that because they know they don’t have any evidence to convict and it will look really bad for there record to lose a case. It has nothing to do with justice or protecting children but everything about saving face and tallying up another mark on there sheet. They care nothing about how many lives they destroy, yours ,your family , everyone associated with you. They sleep well at night feeling your just a no count anyway and probably committed other crimes that you haven’t been caught for. Plus they feel there so much better than you anyway so it doesn’t matter.
This is what we are dealing with. That’s why nothing changes. The framers of they constitution ,tried to write it in such a way to keep that from happening but modern judges have failed to uphold that and felt they know better. When the registry was first upheld , the SCOTUS admitted that when they as well as said it’s only going to be upheld to protect the children. At that ,they threw the constitution out the window in order to follow there own ideas which were based on false assumptions.
I forgot to tell you the worst part. They would “Withhold” charges until I would bond out and as soon as I did, I was re-arrested. They did that 3 times until they ran me out of money and finally my lawyer got the judge to force the state to present ALL of the charges and stop arresting me.
Between the bondings out 3 times and paying the lawyer twice, I was out $55,000 and still didn’t even make it to trial.HELL if I knew I was going to prison anyway, I could have saved $55,000 and at least had a pot to piss in when released and it would have drawn interest on the money to boot.
I would not encourage such actions but having been to Europe on several instances, it is not that big a deal over there. Kids are even given beer and wine to drink. I do not know what is to come of our society. I sat down one evening to watch a football game…the Superbowl…and at halftime was exposed to one of the most vulgar displays that I have ever seen. We live in a world and nation that has totally lost its way.
Capt, ..Agreed!….
The United States never taught its’ citizens about sexuality-rather, The governments have made a plethora of laws that basically banish sexuality; banishes the thought process of sexuality; and has suppressed sexual freedoms and thought processees about sex-I am not referring to illegal sexual acts, I am referring to the freedom of sexual expression!
Suppression typically results in Anarchy!
When I was getting close to trial time, there were a few sex-related crimes that went through the courts. Every single one ended in a conviction. One of the cases they didn’t even have circumstantial evidence, yet the defendant got convicted and sent to prison for 5 years. They had less evidence on him than they did me.
That’s why I chose the plea, it was a no-prison plea. The registry was off the table for any negotiations and was minimized when explained to me. The way I saw it; was I could end up on the registry, or I could go to prison and then be put on the registry.
So I understand her decision. What I don’t understand is that the state’s complete focus is on getting people on the registry, and at the same time they want to call it justice. Justice is looking at the charges, then the evidence, and then making a decision as what’s a fair punishment. Florida’s definition of justice is an insult to my intelligence and every Floridian that has to go through this process.
I have lived in other countries that have a deplorable justice system. I used to think how lucky I was to live in a country that has such a good and fair justice system. Boy, I couldn’t have been more wrong. Cutting someone’s hand off for stealing seems like the worst form of justice. But I would seriously consider losing a hand if that meant I would not be on the registry and any record of me being on the registry could be wiped.
Wow so you were told no registration if you took a plea and in my case there was no such thing as the registry when I was sentenced so we both got screwed with lies and add on special features and bonus punishments.
AND I hate to say it but you seem to have a better case than some of us before you if you had in writing as a plea no registry. We didn’t get that option as it didn’t even exist.
In your case, you should be able to withdraw your plea due to breach of contract.
“Take the plea. It better than life in prison.” The last day in prison before you are release You have to register for Life, The revolving door of Justice system.
The picture of her on top the story (click “source“ ) is priceless.
So the attorneys advice, the same advice as many attorneys , including mine, give is again for innocent victims to plead guilty and pay blood to a justice system so inept and corrupt as to only be a justice system in name alone. HOW many more innocent people need to plead guilty to this draconian monster of a government and justice system?
Why doesn’t the Utah woman appeal the case since she lives in the 10th district where the Supreme Court ruled it is legal for women in Utah to be topless anywhere it is legal for a man to be. https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2019/sep/20/federal-ruling-allows-women-to-legally-go-topless-/
If she had Harvey’s money she could get a fair trial and a good lawyer.
This is just another perfect example of the absurdity that is America.
Isn’t a mother who breast feeds “baring her breast” to a child?
Yes and I see that all the time. In a fast food joint, on airplanes, in waiting rooms. I have seen more public baby feeding boobs than I can count. None were ever questioned or arrested.
This is just a shame. I saw my parents come out of the shower on numerous occasions as a child. Even though you cannot un-see that, it did not affect me other than the “Ewww” factor.
Kids are allowed to sit through an Rated R movie with their parents with many nudes scenes. Double standards.
Now she can wait until they make that a sex offender crime and be put on the registry retroactively.
Exactly dude many took a plea to avoid 15+ years only to get retroactive hammering.
Reading through the comments I see a lot of support for her. However, if she were to have been required to register as a sex offender for this “crime”, none of these supporters would want her in their precious neighborhoods.
But something I’m interested to know in regards to what they lowered the charges to is this;
Since the original charge was a sexual one, does this mean that if she were to move to another state (like Floriduh for example) that said state COULD make her registerable due to the original charge rather than the plea charge?
This is something this woman and her family need to know before assuming she has her full freedom in this bullshit police state of a country.
But seriously…. she is now getting the lesser charge of being naked in front of her husband????? How the hell does the prosecutor think people engage in sexual intercourse? Does the prosecutor have kids? Did he get naked in front of his wife in order to impregnate her? If yes, then the prosecutor needs to prosecute himself for “lewdness” in front of another adult.
Yes, they COULD
They could? My first reaction was like Scooby Doo, “Bbbuuuh??” That means someone could be put on the registry because of an accusation and not a conviction? I’m not the brightest bulb on the tree, but really? Has this actually been done somewhere?
It happened to me. The accusation that I actually DID do, they agreed to drop but then added like 15 other charges so they would have crap to bargain with if I went to trial.
Since I did not have the money for a trial and was never offered a public defender, I got slapped with 16 charges.
During sentencing the judge did drop 13 of the charges and kept the 3 most serious, of which only one I actually did.
There was NO registry back in those days and no mention of any such thing in the future. When it came out and applied in 1997, I was still under supervision so yeah, ex post facto Taco. Instead of being grandfathered out, I, like many others, was grandfathered in.
Might as well have said, every person in Florida from this point on who gets released from prison will now be on lifetime probation.