A teenager who says she was an alleged rape victim is free from jail after reaching an agreement with a judge.
According to the Sacramento Bee, a Superior Court judge freed the 17-year old from juvenile detention after she agreed to testify against her alleged attacker. Under the deal reached between her lawyer and the District Attorney's office, she will also have to wear a GPS monitor during the proceedings.
She spent 24 days in jail after a material witness warrant was issued to ensure she would testify against the alleged rapist. She had failed to appear in two earlier court appearances, which prompted the prosecution to dismiss the case. It has since been refiled. The judge says he is sorry for what she has been going through. And he told her that he hopes she will be strengthened by the outpouring of community support. The girl's attorney told the newspaper that his client is feeling better inside and she's being treated like a human being.
The 17-year-old says she was abducted last year at a light rail station and driven away by 37-year-old Frank Rackley Sr. who was later charged with raping her. Another alleged victim is also scheduled to testify in the trial which begins next Monday. What's not known is whether she will be forced to testify. Under California code, sexual assault victims do not have to take the stand. The DA is not saying what will happen if she refuses to talk.
