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She goes to jail!
Mother, 37, jailed for having sex with teen
By Peter Franceschina
Staff Writer
Posted December 11 2003
A 37-year-old mother of three was sentenced to four years in prison Wednesday for having sex with a 13-year-old boy, by a judge who said it was "unfathomable" she would allow her suburban Lake Worth home to become a gathering place for teens to consume alcohol.
Amy Duane was crying even before the sentencing hearing began, as she hugged supporters. She apologized to the parents of the boy, who were in the courtroom, and promised the judge she would never get in trouble with the law again. Her attorney had asked the judge to sentence her to a term of probation.
"I am truly sorry that I hurt them," Duane said. Then she added the youths who gathered in her home took advantage of her because they knew she didn't have the willpower to ask them to leave.
State guidelines called for a prison sentence of eight to 161/2 years in prison, but the defense cited a number of reasons that the judge should impose probation.
Palm Beach Circuit Judge Jack Cook found only one reason to give Duane a lighter sentence -- that a psychologist testified she suffers from a dependent personality disorder and wanted to be liked by the neighborhood teens. The judge said he was faced with a dilemma.
Duane has no criminal history, has shown remorse and is in treatment that likely would prevent her from committing a similar offense, yet she committed a serious crime, even after the boy's parents had confronted her about e-mails suggesting their relationship was something other than a friendship, he noted.
"This is a vexing issue," the judge wrote in his sentencing order.
He said Duane deserved a break but that she also must be punished.
"I find that a sentence which failed to include a period of incarceration would provide too little consequence for a serious crime," Cook said, reading from his order.
At that point, Duane's husband, James, a Palm Beach County firefighter who was on duty when the alcohol parties took place and who has stood by his wife, bowed his head slightly. As the judge announced the prison term, James Duane began to cry quietly, wiping away tears with a tissue. The judge allowed Amy Duane to remain free during the holidays. She must report to court on Jan. 5 to enter the prison system.
Amy Duane admitted to having sex with the boy once last spring, just before her arrest. The boy has said it happened more than once, although he has given conflicting statements to investigators and lawyers.
At an earlier hearing, Duane told the judge she didn't supply the youths with alcohol but that they helped themselves to her liquor cabinet. She said she took it away from them whenever she caught them drinking. Teenagers told authorities that when they drank at Duane's house they had to abide by "Amy's Rule" -- they couldn't get out-of-control drunk.
Duane pleaded guilty to one count of lewd and lascivious assault on a minor and nine counts of supplying alcohol to minors.
The boy's parents said they were satisfied with the sentence. The boy's mother said she was pleased the judge didn't follow a double standard in sentencing Duane because she is a woman. "I just wanted her to have some time behind bars," the mother said. The South Florida Sun-Sentinel is not naming the mother to avoid identifying her son, the victim.
"A crime against children is a crime against children. It doesn't matter who perpetrated it," the boy's father said.
The case is not over. Duane's friend, Debra Favre, 39, pleaded guilty to a felony for having a sexual encounter with a 16-year-old in Duane's bedroom and to four counts of supplying alcohol to minors. She faces 51/2 to 152/3 years in prison at her February sentencing.
Peter Franceschina can be reached at [email protected] or 561-832-2894.
Copyright © 2003, South Florida Sun-Senti
Mother, 37, jailed for having sex with teen
By Peter Franceschina
Staff Writer
Posted December 11 2003
A 37-year-old mother of three was sentenced to four years in prison Wednesday for having sex with a 13-year-old boy, by a judge who said it was "unfathomable" she would allow her suburban Lake Worth home to become a gathering place for teens to consume alcohol.
Amy Duane was crying even before the sentencing hearing began, as she hugged supporters. She apologized to the parents of the boy, who were in the courtroom, and promised the judge she would never get in trouble with the law again. Her attorney had asked the judge to sentence her to a term of probation.
"I am truly sorry that I hurt them," Duane said. Then she added the youths who gathered in her home took advantage of her because they knew she didn't have the willpower to ask them to leave.
State guidelines called for a prison sentence of eight to 161/2 years in prison, but the defense cited a number of reasons that the judge should impose probation.
Palm Beach Circuit Judge Jack Cook found only one reason to give Duane a lighter sentence -- that a psychologist testified she suffers from a dependent personality disorder and wanted to be liked by the neighborhood teens. The judge said he was faced with a dilemma.
Duane has no criminal history, has shown remorse and is in treatment that likely would prevent her from committing a similar offense, yet she committed a serious crime, even after the boy's parents had confronted her about e-mails suggesting their relationship was something other than a friendship, he noted.
"This is a vexing issue," the judge wrote in his sentencing order.
He said Duane deserved a break but that she also must be punished.
"I find that a sentence which failed to include a period of incarceration would provide too little consequence for a serious crime," Cook said, reading from his order.
At that point, Duane's husband, James, a Palm Beach County firefighter who was on duty when the alcohol parties took place and who has stood by his wife, bowed his head slightly. As the judge announced the prison term, James Duane began to cry quietly, wiping away tears with a tissue. The judge allowed Amy Duane to remain free during the holidays. She must report to court on Jan. 5 to enter the prison system.
Amy Duane admitted to having sex with the boy once last spring, just before her arrest. The boy has said it happened more than once, although he has given conflicting statements to investigators and lawyers.
At an earlier hearing, Duane told the judge she didn't supply the youths with alcohol but that they helped themselves to her liquor cabinet. She said she took it away from them whenever she caught them drinking. Teenagers told authorities that when they drank at Duane's house they had to abide by "Amy's Rule" -- they couldn't get out-of-control drunk.
Duane pleaded guilty to one count of lewd and lascivious assault on a minor and nine counts of supplying alcohol to minors.
The boy's parents said they were satisfied with the sentence. The boy's mother said she was pleased the judge didn't follow a double standard in sentencing Duane because she is a woman. "I just wanted her to have some time behind bars," the mother said. The South Florida Sun-Sentinel is not naming the mother to avoid identifying her son, the victim.
"A crime against children is a crime against children. It doesn't matter who perpetrated it," the boy's father said.
The case is not over. Duane's friend, Debra Favre, 39, pleaded guilty to a felony for having a sexual encounter with a 16-year-old in Duane's bedroom and to four counts of supplying alcohol to minors. She faces 51/2 to 152/3 years in prison at her February sentencing.
Peter Franceschina can be reached at [email protected] or 561-832-2894.
Copyright © 2003, South Florida Sun-Senti
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