How Could You? Hall of Shame-Joey Cantine
This will be an archive of heinous actions by those involved in child welfare, foster care and adoption. We forewarn you that these are deeply disturbing stories that may involve sex abuse, murder, kidnapping and other horrendous actions.
From Jackson, Michigan, former foster child Joey Cantine,23, was sentenced to 15 to 30 years for the rape of his foster brother’s seven-year-old daughter. The abuse lasted continually over a two-year period.
“Cantine pleaded guilty in May. The prosecutor’s office dropped a charge of second-degree criminal sexual conduct, and made an agreement that prevented Cantine from going to prison for at least 25 years, which could have happened because the victim is younger than 13.”
“The girl’s parents reported the sexual activity to the sheriff’s office in October 2010. Cantine was accused of molesting the girl in the preceding months while she was 7 and he shared two different homes with the family, the sheriff’s office reported.
“I wasn’t taught the right way to be around children, and I hurt (the girl) very bad, and I am deeply sorry for the family and what they gone through,” Cantine told the judge.
He said he has a learning disability. His lawyer, George Lyons, earlier said he has brain damage and some problems reading and writing.
Lyons said Cantine was abused as a child. As a consequence of where he has been and what has happened to him, he has a skewed sense of love, Lyons said.
The girl’s father said both he and Cantine were wards of the state. They were taken from bad situations and put into a worse situation, he said.
He said he does not doubt Cantine was molested.
The man does doubt Cantine’s apologies and his contentions that he does not understand.
Thursday, Cantine told the judge he did not know what was going on in court. Lyons said he clearly explained it to and reviewed documents with Cantine.
Cantine had a job and has a diploma, the girl’s father said. “He might be a little slow, but he knows right from wrong.”
He said he never should have allowed Cantine to live with his family. He did allow it because Cantine was “tore up” about what was happening in his regular home, the man said.
He said he is trying to get his daughter to forgive Cantine, not for Cantine, but for her.
“(Cantine) has paid his debt to society when my daughter can forget what happened to her, and that will be never,” he said.
Man sentenced to 15 to 30 years in prison for sexually abusing foster brother’s 7-year-old daughter
[MLive 6/7/12 by Danielle Salisbury]
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