A Colorado woman took to Facebook to share an absolutely heartbreaking story about her daughter being sexually abused by her ex-husband in honor of April being Sexual Assault Awareness Month.
The woman, 34-year-old Catherine St. Germain, held up cards describing the man, who was a veteran of the U.S. Navy and had been a cop for 3 years in North Carolina before the incident. He seemed to have it all together. It just goes to show, just because you’re in a position to protect others and that you seem normal doesn’t mean you’re necessarily a pillar of justice.
Her daughter was only 15 at the time of the incident, which makes it even more disgusting than it is anyway. DNA testing luckily proved his guilt, forcing him to accept a plea bargain and admit what he had done.
Unfortunately, due to the amazingly ineffective justice system in this country, he was only given 90 days in jail for this horrific act. It’s especially horrifying when you consider people who use marijuana recreationally will go away for years without causing harm to anyone. Some justice that is.
She had this powerful message to share with viewers:
“Stranger danger is a joke. Monsters look and act normal. They are very good at hiding who they really are. They are the people we trust with our kids every day.”
She’s right. Moms everywhere should be careful. Statistically, four out of five women sexually abused are assaulted by someone the victim knows and not by a stranger.
She encouraged single moms everywhere to check the national sex offender registry before engaging in relationships with strange men, even if they seem perfectly normal. As this case goes to show, it’s better to be safe than sorry, especially when it’s the well-being of your precious children on the line.
Check out this powerful story, which has been re-uploaded to YouTube, below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2pOance7lc&feature=youtu.be
Featured image is a screengrab from the Facebook video posted by Catherine St. Germain.
