People Magazine is reporting that Jamie Lynn Spears (Britney's younger sister) is three months pregnant. Apparently the lucky guy (or not-so-lucky, see below) is named Casey Aldridge, seen in the photo above. The shocking part comes from the fact that Jamie Lynn is only 16 years old. According to "reliable" sources, he is 19 years old. As a law student, I'm a bit more interested in the legal consequences of this story rather than what brand of stroller she'll be buying for her new bundle of joy. My question is, what is the District Attorney going to do about this? I've looked up the statutory rape laws, and here's what they say:
State: Louisiana
Law:
§ 14-80 - Felony carnal knowledge of a juvenile is sexual intercourse with consent between (1) someone age 19 or older and someone between age 12 and 17 or (2) someone age 17 or older and someone between age 12 and 15.
Penalty: Up to 10 years in prison (with or without hard labor)
Law:
§ 14. 80. 1 Misdemeanor carnal knowledge of a juvenile is sexual intercourse with consent between someone age 17 to 19 and someone age 15 to 17 when the difference in their ages is greater than two years.
Penalty: Up to six months in prison
Instead of trying to wrap your mind around the legal language, I'll just tell you up front that little Casey Aldridge falls in the first category. That's the one with a penalty of up to 10 years in prison, bunking with guys named Santiago who like to call you "fish." And the whole time you're just hoping that you'll get protection from a guy who calls himself the "Squirrel Master."
The funny thing is, even if the sex was consensual between Jamie Lynn and little Casey, he can still be charged with statutory rape. It also doesn't matter if the parents are ok with it. The final decision is up to the District Attorney. My guess is, the D.A. probably won't prosecute because little Casey is white, looks like he fell out of an Abercrombie catalogue, and he probably comes from money. As my parole officer always says, "don't have sex with girls who are under 18." He's not very witty, that guy.
Disclaimer: Although I am a law student, this article is not meant in any way to be legal advice and in no way does it establish any attorney-client relationship. You should never take legal advice from a law student, although I'm pretty sure that "don't have sex with underage girls" is sound advice.
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