It was modern-day puppy love until police got involved.
Kaitlyn Hunt, an 18-year-old senior at Sebastian River High School in Indian River County, had been dating a 15-year-old girl through most of the school year, but when she turned 18 the other girl's parents called police and had Hunt charged with sex crimes.
Hunt's mother believes the other parents' disapproval with her daughter's sexuality might be to blame.
Hunt's mother had known and approved of the relationship for a while. Hunt had previously dated boys, so Hunt's mother was originally caught off guard, but wasn't upset when her daughter began dating another girl.
Mom was, however, surprised when police arrested her daughter and charged her with "lewd and lascivious battery." See, now that Hunt was 18, any physical relationship with the girl was illegal. Hunt and her family were originally told the arrest would not affect Hunt's schooling. But the girlfriend's parents then petitioned the school board to remove Hunt from the school (she is attending an alternative high school and will still graduate, however).
Hunt's mother then decided to take her case to Facebook:
On Saturday February 16th our families world was shattered and our daughters nightmare begun. The police came to our home and arrested my daughter, put her in hand cuffs and we had no idea why. They refused to tell us anything at first because she had turned 18. Kate was ripped out of our arms, terrified, crying hysterically. My younger daughter was there at the time, my husband and myself, we were mortified. They finally told us she was being arrested on "probable cause". I asked them probable cause of what, they said sexual battery on a person 12-16 years old. My heart dropped, I knew then that it had to have been her girlfriend's parents. These people never came to us as parents, never tried to speak to us, didn't try to get the school involved to speak to us and tell us they had a problem with the girls dating, not one single word. Instead, they set out their vengeance and had my child arrested on FELONY charges. The nightmare continued. Kate was bailed out and sat in front of a Judge. He told her she could continue going to school, but was to have no contact with her girlfriend. I went to the school and spoke to them, let them know what was going on, I wanted to make sure there was no issues or problems. It is Kate's senior year, she only had a few months until graduation and we wanted her to finish. The school was very supportive, they all know and loved Kate. They told us that the other girls parents had already come in and wanted Kate to be expelled, they told them no, they wouldn't do that. The parents didn't like that, so that petitioned the court and asked the judge to remove Kate from school, even though the Judge already ruled Kate could continue school. We sat in front of the Judge again, and the judge ruled yet again that Kate could continue going to school, he didn't feel like Kate was any threat at all. Those parents wouldn't give up. They were out to destroy my daughter, they feel like my daughter "made" their daughter gay. They are bigoted, religious zeolites that see being gay as a sin and wrong, and they blame my daughter. Of course I see it 100% different. I don't see or label these girls as gay. They are teenagers in high school experimenting with their sexuality, all teens do it in one form or another. They are teens, its healthy and normal. And even if their daughter is gay, who cares, she is still their daughter. But, the fight continued. the parents fought dirty, we pushed back and tried everything we could. I went to the school board with not one but two orders from Indian River County Judges saying Kate could continue going to school, but the school board sided with the parents, and expelled my daughter. Kate was forced to go to the alternative school.
Hunt now faces felony charges as an adult, though the State Attorney's Office has offered a plea deal that would punish her with two years of house arrest followed by a year of probation.
However, in addition to the Facebook group , a Change.org petition is now urging the State Attorney's Office to halt prosecution.
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