A high school relationship resulted in the arrest of 18-year-old Kaitlyn Hunt from Sebastian, Florida. The teen has been charged with "lewd and lascivious battery of a child 12 to 16-year-old" after developing a same-sex relationship with a underage girl she befriended.
Hunt's mother, Kelley Hunt Smith, began advocating for the teen's release through a Free Kate Facebook page and a petition on Change.org to stop her daughter from being prosecuted by the state's attorneys. Smith claims her daughter is petrified and loosing sleep over what appeared to be an innocent relationship.
"She's the sweetest girl. I wondered if I was crazy, if it as only because I'm a mom," Smith said. "But I wondered if anyone else thought, like me, that this was wrong and unjust. Apparently, they do."
WPTV is reporting that Smith has confirmed the same-sex relationship to be consensual. She also reveals that the parents of the underage teen has not come forward to speak with her on the issue prior to filing charges on Hunt. Hunt did not know her innocent same-sex relationship with a fellow underage friend would be viewed as illegal.
According to the petition on Change.org, the motive behind the charges filed is an intolerance to same-sex relationships. The petition states,
"The two girls began dating while Kaitlyn was 17 but her girlfriend's parents blamed Kaitlyn for their daughter's homosexuality," she said. "They waited until Kaitlyn turned 18 and went to the police to have charges brought up against her."
Prosecutors have offered Hunt a plea deal of two years under house arrest. If accepted, Hunt will be featured on the sex offender list. Smith said, "It's a death sentence for her. Her life would be over at 18."
No reports of the charges being dropped have been made.
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