Uncle Kracker's Run-in with Raleigh Law
UNCLE KRACKER CHARGED WITH SEXUAL ASSAULT: Last August, when Matthew Shafer, AKA Uncle Kracker, Kid Rock's former DJ was taken into custody by the police department of Raleigh, the 33-year old musician made comments to his arresting officers about flying back to his native Michigan to avoid charges. These comments earned him the label of "exceptionally high flight risk" from the court, as well as a bail of $5 million, which was later reduced to $75,000.
Still, not a good start. The court no longer considered Shafer a flight risk after he hired a local attorney in North Carolina's Wake County at his next appearance before the judge. Shafer clearly didn't watch enough cop shows: otherwise he might have remembered that he had the right to remain silent, otherwise (you know this one) anything he says may be used against him in a court of law.
Details on the exact nature of the crime have been scarce, but Shafer admitted to forcing himself on a 26-year old woman at a downtown Raleigh club called the Ess Lounge in the early morning. The police busted him at his Embassy Suites hotel later that morning. According to the warrant issued for Shafer's arrest, the entertainer, who had performed at Ess Lounge that Thursday, was accused of "unlawfully, willfully, and feloniously [engaging] in a sexual act other than vaginal intercourse," and that Shafer did so forcefully and without the consent of his victim. During the trial the Prosecution claimed that Shafer had lifted the woman's skirt and touched her buttocks and vaginal area with his hands. According to police spokesman Jim Sughrue, the female victim (who sought at $20,000 in punitive damages and compensation) did not require medical attention. After the assault, at about 1:30 AM, she approached an off-duty police officer who was working security at the club and described the incident, leading to Shafer's arrest later that morning.
THE ALFORD PLEA:
Shafer, who was originally charged with a second degree forcible sexual offense in August, submitted an Alford Plea in September to a misdemeanor assault charge. The Alford Plea allows a defendant to plead guilty while still maintaining one's innocence: in this case, Shafer plead guilty to a misdemeanor of assault on a woman, while maintaining that he was not guilty of second degree forced sexual act. The original charge, a Class C felony, carries a minimum punishment of almost four years in prison, and a maximum of a fifteen year jail sentence according to North Carolina's general statutes. Shafer, released from Wake Country Jail on a reduced bond ($75,000, down from $5 million) has also been ordered not to have contact with his victim. According to police spokesman Sughrue, the victim did not personally know the entertainer, who came into the public eye in the 1990's as Kid Rick's DJ and later went solo in 2000 with "Double Wide," followed by his hit singles "Follow Me" and "Drift Away" in 2001 and 2002.
WHAT TO TAKE AWAY FROM THIS:
Sexual assault is an underreported crime (actually, the most commonly underreported crime in the United States, especially on college campuses, where almost one in four female students report experiences consistent with sexual assault). Often times it is not taken seriously by the perpetrator or by others who might have witnessed the crime but were not directly involved. Men and women often have different ideas about sex and what is and isn't appropriate contact. Rather than keeping quiet, the young woman who felt violated by Shafer sought help, and Shafer, who had already left the club, was arrested only a few hours later. If more victims of such crimes reported them immediately, do you think it would be taken more seriously by men? Would the rate of sexual assault go down if men (who more likely to be the victimizer than the victim) were more aware of what women consider appropriate contact? In many cases, the victim does not know that she has been criminally violated. What do you think could make victims more likely to come out and report their experience to the proper authorities?
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