INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — The 18-year-old Sebastian River High School student charged with two counts of sexual battery on her then-14-year-old girlfriend will be going to court in July to defend herself against the felony charges.
“Our client is a courageous teenager who is choosing not to accept the current plea offer by the State of Florida,” reads a prepared statement by the teen’s attorney, Julia Graves.
Kaitlyn Hunt turned down the State Attorney’s Office plea deal that would have had her charged with second degree felony child abuse. She would not have been labeled a sexual offender and a judge would have decided whether or not to label her a felon.
“It didn’t surprise me,” said State Attorney Bruce Colton, of Hunt’s decision to turn down the plea deal.
Now that Hunt has officially declined it, she will go before a judge in June for a docket sounding, Colton said. The judge will review the trial calendar for July and set a trial date at that time.
A jury will be called shortly before the trial begins.
“Along with Kaitlyn and her family, we are going to fight to have the law changed so no other teenager finds themselves in this same position created by the State of Florida and prosecuted unfairly,” her attorney’s statement reads. “Now we as counsel need to get down to the serious business of fighting for this teenager’s life.”
If convicted on the two first degree felony charges of lewd and lascivious battery on a child between the ages of 12 and 16, Hunt could serve a maximum of 15 years in prison and be labeled a sexual offender.
Under the Florida Romeo and Juliet Law, Hunt could petition the court to withhold the label.
