Remove Judge Who Sentenced Rapist to Probation Only!

An Oklahoma man received no jail time after pleading guilty to tying up a 13-year-old girl, raping her, and then threatening to hurt her if she told anyone. Instead he was given a mere 15 years of probation.

The man, Benjamin Lawrence Petty, 36, was given the lenient sentence after the district attorney's office negotiated a plea deal with the girl's family, saying that because Petty was legally blind, he would probably not serve meaningful time in prison. District Judge Wallace Coppedge handed down the official sentence.

Please sign this petition demanding that District Judge Wallace Coppedge be removed from the bench for this dangerously lenient sentence.

Petty was working as a cook at a Baptist church camp, where he raped the girl. He pleaded guilty to three felonies, including first-degree rape, forcible sodomy and rape by instrumentation. Despite the severity of the crimes, Petty will only have to wear an ankle monitor for two years, register as a sex offender, and receive treatment.

Even though the plea was negotiated with the victim's parents' permission, the terms of the sentence are absolutely ridiculous. The fact that Petty was legally blind does not bar him from being able to serve prison time for his heinous crimes.

District Judge Wallace Coppedge should not have allowed the plea deal. Sign now to have him removed from the bench immediately.