INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — A day after a shackled and weeping teenager was hauled back to a jail cell after bond was revoked, A. Julia Graves, the attorney for Kaitlyn Hunt issued a terse and emotional statement about how the State has handled the case, her client and the victim.
Kaitlyn Hunt, 19, is expected to be in jail until the outcome of her trial on allegations that she had sexual relations with a 14-year-old girl. A trial date has not been set and any plea deals previously offered are no longer on the table.
Hunt who had been previously free on bond surrendered to the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office Monday, the night before she was to face Judge Robert Pegg on allegations that she violated the conditions of her pre-trial release by continuing to contact and see the alleged victim in the case.
After a one hour hearing Tuesday, Graves briefly expressed frustration with the State’s handling of the case suggesting that it acted in an over-zealous manner and by doing so was harming the younger girl in the case.
Wednesday, she continued to express her frustration with the State.
“I have made every effort to keep the alleged victim out of the public eye,” wrote Graves in a statement issued to the media on Wednesday. “…While I feel what has happened in the past few months is an abomination to the alleged victim, I advocate for Kaitlyn. In advocating for her that sometimes calls for taking measures that not pleasant in asking questions.
“If this matter had been considered properly in the beginning for what it truly is, we would not be where we are today – and that is with two devastated lives and two devastated families.”
Below is Graves’ statement in full
Statement on behalf of Kaitlyn Hunt:
The actions in filing a detailed Notice of Violation of Pretrial Conditions such as the one filed in this case is almost a crime in and of itself. Of course this is my opinion as her counsel and as a parent. I fully understand what the law is. I do not know who is managing the case at this point as I receive a plea offer from Mr. Workman on Friday August 9th after 3:00 pm with no deadline to accept and a request to respond in writing for post conviction purposes one way or another. We quietly kept this to ourselves and were in the process of discussing the plea that lakes time to answer all questions and fully understand the consequences. The last thing any attorney wants is a client entering a plea quickly without being fully informed. We have had motions scheduled on August 14th since June and we attended to take care of the closure of the courtroom motion by the State and a few deposition and address issues regarding witnesses. There was nothing out of the ordinary, other than it was made known a copy of the plea offer had been given to the media. Obviously until a case is settled and pled to it is imperative to still continue to prepare as though you are going to trial.
The next morning while I was in a motion hearing with another judge and client, the Notice of Violation of Pretrial Conditions is filed. The State did not get that much information that day as I received a copy to my office at 9:43 am. I only had seen it ten minutes before it was published on TCPalm. Prosecutors do have ethical obligations.
I practice Family Law as well as Criminal. One important aspect to always remember and stress to the client is “this is a public record”. What you file in a motion or petition is out there for the world to view or your children to look at later. Always be mindful of “airing your dirty laundry in public”.
I have made every effort to keep the alleged victim out of the public eye. I have not taken her depositions and do not plan to until the very last. While I feel what has happened in the past few months is an abomination to the alleged victim, I advocate for Kaitlyn. In advocating for her, that sometimes calls for taking measures that are not pleasant in asking questions.
If this matter had been considered properly in the beginning for what it truly is, we would not be where we are today – and that is with two devastated lives and two devastated families.
It looks as though we have an alleged victim who doesn’t agree with how things are being handled by the State, her parents or their attorney. She has felt compelled to do what she thought was the only thing to save Kaitlyn from the State and her parents and that was to reach out and let Kaitlyn know this was not her idea or what she wants. I am totally cognizant that she is a minor.
For Chris Taylor to file a notice with those kinds of details in it, I just cannot begin to fathom why that was necessary. The same Notice with general language could have been accomplished and reached the same objective, to revoke her bond. What happened to a statement like “numerous texts and inappropriate language” without details? With today being the first day of school in Indian River County, I can only imagine the chatter at the school, even if not said directly to the alleged victim, it is going to be discussed behind her back. You can’t stop it.
Nonetheless it comes down to we still have a situation of two teenagers who were in school together and involved in a consensual relationship. Yes one that under the current law is a crime, but still consensual. It was brought to an abrupt end and the older “adult” teen faces up to thirty years in prison. The younger teen cannot comprehend the seriousness of the matter because it was something she consented to. Her opinion is ignored by the State, interrogated by the Sheriffs Department, taken to a church that labels being gay a sin, has the Bible thrown at her, all of her things in her room boxed up and taken from her, is apparently hit by her parents, and clearly yelled at for lying by her father in the presence of Detective Shepherd at the school in a subsequent interview. How could she not be confused, scared and feel as though this is all her fault and no one is listening? She already tried to speak to Kaitlyn’s mother, Kelley, who shut her down. So she turns to the only person who could possible understand in her eyes and a person she clearly does not want to see hurt and that is Kaitlyn. She wants to try to save her and in doing so she just causes the walls to continue to tumble down.
And here we are. Now there are new charges that set us all back even further. The defense of Kaitlyn Hunt will continue until the matter is either resolved or determined in a court of law, not public opinion.
Signed,
Julia Graves
LAW OFFICE OF A. JULIA GRAVES, PA
Attorney for Kaitlyn Hunt