School bus driver who admitted to raping 14-year-old schoolgirl gets only probation and no jail time
A former school bus driver, who admitted to raping a 14-year-old girl, has reportedly not been served with any jail time despite his confession. Instead, 26-year-old Shane Piche was sentenced to 10 years of probation after pleading guilty to third-degree rape, according to reports.
The Watertown Daily Times also reported that Piche will be registered as a level one sex offender — considered to be someone that's low at risk of re-committing the crime and is not included in online sex offender databases. He had also been charged with first-degree unlawfully dealing with a child and endangering the welfare of a child after allegedly providing the youth with alcohol.
While the district attorney’s office had requested a level two designation, Judge McClusky, while explaining the ruling, said he gave Piche the lower-level designation because he had no prior arrests and there was only one victim. According to the New York state police, Piche met the girl through his job as a school bus driver, but he reportedly raped the young girl at his Ridge Road residence after giving her alcohol.
"He'll be a felon for the rest of his life. He's on the sex offender registry for a long time. Maybe not the rest of his life because of the level, but this isn't something that didn't cause him pain and this isn't something that didn't have consequences," Eric Swartz, Piche's defense attorney, told WWNY.
The victim's mother released a statement to WWNY, saying, "I wish Shane Piche would have received time in jail for the harm he caused to my child. He took something from my daughter she will never get back and has caused her to struggle with depression and anxiety."
Moreover, three "no contact" protection orders were issued against Piche and he is not allowed to be alone with anyone under 17 years of age, although there were some exceptions approved. He is also required to pay $375 in court fees and surcharges and a $1,000 special sex offender registration fee.