A 48-year-old Newton woman has been sentenced to at least 300 months in prison and must register as a sex offender for the rest of her life after being convicted of two counts of first degree rape of a child. Donna Stewart was arrested after a sex crimes investigation triggered by one of the children’s mothers who read a conversation her son had about the rape over Facebook.
Stewart was accused and convicted of engaging in sexual intercourse with two 12-year-old boys. One of the boys lived near Stewart’s Newton home and the other was the son of someone Stewart knew.
Sex Crimes In North Carolina
North Carolina has created several categories of sex crimes:
- Rape
- Statutory rape
- Forcible sex offense
- Indecent liberties with a child
- Sexual exploitation of a minor
The sex offense that is actually charged will depend on the facts and evidence involved in an alleged crime, including the age of the alleged victim and weather any type of force was used. Within the categories of some sex offenses, there are also first and second degree offenses.
Rape of a child involves sexual intercourse between an adult, aged 18 and older, and a child under age 13, as in Stewart’s case. Rape of a child is a Class B1 felony and carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 300 months in prison upon conviction. Once released from prison, a person convicted of child rape will have to wear a monitoring bracelet for life as well as register as a convicted sex offender.
Source: The Hickory Record, “Newton woman convicted of first degree rape,” May 21, 2013