A school bus driver in Watertown, New York, escaped jail time after admitting to third-degree rape of a 14-year-old girl from his bus route, a report says.
Shane Piche, 25, was sentenced to 10 years of probation but was required to register as a level one sex offender. A level one offender means he is not at high risk of repeating his offense.
Explaining the light sentence, Piche’s defense attorney Eric Swartz said, “He’ll be a felon for the rest of his life. He’s on the sex offender registry for a long time, maybe not the rest of his life because of the level. But this isn’t something that didn’t cause him pain, and this isn’t something that didn’t have consequences.”
The convicted felon will also be barred from being around anyone under 17 without supervision or court approval.
Piche did not take advantage of the portion of the trial where he could make a public statement.
The child’s mother, though, was less than pleased with the sentence.
“He took something from my daughter she will never get back and has caused her to struggle with depression and anxiety,” the victim’s mother said according to 7 News.
“I wish Shane Piche would have received time in jail for the harm he caused to my child,” the mother added.
Piche had no previous arrest record.
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