Can You Count All the Rationalizations and Lies Offered by Kaitlyn Hunt’s Mom?

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The Kaitlyn Hunt sex crime case was featured on NBC’s ‘Today’ show, May 23

Below, you will find the full text of a 1,500-word appeal by Kelley Hunt Smith, mother of accused sex offender Kaitlyn Ashley Hunt. This is the original May 17 Facebook message that started the “Free Kate” firestorm. I’d seen it quoted elsewhere, but never saw the whole thing until Jeanette Runyon linked it today. I apologize that it has no paragraph returns, other than the ones created by my own interruptions:

What I’m about to share with you is extremely private and difficult on myself and my family, but mostly my daughter Kaitlyn. However im at a point where I don’t know what else to do. Sharing personal family matters with anyone, let alone total strangers is extremely scary but my daughters life is at risk, so im willing to do whatever it takes, no matter how difficult. Anyone who knows me, even a little, knows what kind of person I am. Anyone who knows my daughter Kate, knows how wonderful she is. Kate is an 18 year old senior about to graduate from SRHS. She has an exemplary record at school and home. She has always been a wonderful student, respected and well liked. She has cheered on the varsity cheer team all throughout high school, shes sung in chorus and was voted most school spirited. She has never been in trouble, ever, she truly is the model student and child.

(We can call this the set-up: She’s telling you how wonderful her child is and, if you don’t know either her or her child, you have no reason to doubt this glowing testimonial.)

At the beginning of this school year, she started dating a fellow student, who happened to be another female. This girl also played varsity sports, was in the IB program, so she was in classes with upperclassman. There was an age difference between my daughter and the other girl, of 3 years, my daughter was older, however you would have thought it was the opposite by just looking at the girls. My daughter is tiny, looks very young, and the other girl looks much older and is much taller, either way there was a 3 year age gap.

(Were I the prosecutor and this were offered as testimony by the defense, I’d stand up and object: “Irrelevant, your honor. Who cares how tall they are? If Kaitlyn were a midget and the younger girl were a giant, this would have no bearing on the law as regards the difference in their ages. And the prosecution does not dispute the fact that 18-year-old young adults attend the same schools as minors below the age of consent, or play together on the same sports teams. It’s not the school or the sports that are at issue in this case, it’s the sex. And, in point of fact, the age difference is 44 months — the younger girl was 14 and Kaitlyn was 18 throughout the sexual involvement.”)

They were both students in the same high school, it was a mutual consenting relationship on both parts.

(The Florida law specifically states that “consent” is not a defense when an adult has sex with someone 15 or younger.)

This was unusual for Kate, she has always dated boys, but being the kind of mother I am, I didn’t want to make it a big deal. I talked to her about it, and figured it was just a social thing, times have changed and a lot of kids are experimenting, so I didn’t make much of it.

(The phrase “being the kind of mother I am” raises the question, “What kind of mother are you?” The answer would not be flattering.)

This girl came to my home, hang out with our family before sporting events at the school, etc. The girls would hang out together at after school activities, I was there, I saw the other girls father there several times, he saw them together as well, so I assumed her family was aware of it and didn’t have any issues either.

(Did Kaitlyn’s mom just admit that she knew her 18-year-old daughter was sexually involved with a freshman? And did she really assume that the 14-year-old’s parents also realized the relationship between two basketball teammates was more than friendship?)

On Saturday February 16th our families world was shattered and our daughters nightmare begun. The police came to our home and arrested my daughter, put her in hand cuffs and we had no idea why. They refused to tell us anything at first because she had turned 18. Kate was ripped out of our arms, terrified, crying hysterically. My younger daughter was there at the time, my husband and myself, we were mortified. They finally told us she was being arrested on “probable cause”. I asked them probable cause of what, they said sexual battery on a person 12-16 years old.

(“Police brutality! My daughter is a victim!”)

My heart dropped, I knew then that it had to have been her girlfriend’s parents, James and Laurie Smith.

(Yes: In this Facebook message, Kaitlyn’s mother named the parents of the younger girl, deliberately exposing them to harassment.)

These people never came to us as parents, never tried to speak to us, didn’t try to get the school involved to speak to us and tell us they had a problem with the girls dating, not one single word. Instead, they set out their vengeance and had my child arrested on FELONY charges. The nightmare continued. Kate was bailed out and sat in front of a Judge. He told her she could continue going to school, but was to have no contact with her girlfriend. I went to the school and spoke to them, let them know what was going on, I wanted to make sure there was no issues or problems. It is Kate’s senior year, she only had a few months until graduation and we wanted her to finish. The school was very supportive, they all know and loved Kate. They told us that the other girls parents had already come in and wanted Kate to be expelled, they told them no, they wouldn’t do that. James and Laurie Smith didn’t like that, so that petitioned the court and asked the judge to remove Kate from school, even though the Judge already ruled Kate could continue school. We sat in front of the Judge again, and the judge ruled yet again that Kate could continue going to school, he didn’t feel like Kate was any threat at all.

(The nature of the crimes alleged — which Kaitlyn’s mother never describes except with the euphemisms “relationship” and “dating”  — is conveniently omitted from her narrative. Anyone can read the arrest affidavit and discover, however, that the sexual activity between the girls began in a school toilet stall. If expulsion from school is not warranted in such a circumstance, when can it ever be justified?)

James and Laurie Smith wouldn’t give up. They were out to destroy my daughter, they feel like my daughter “made” their daughter gay. They are bigoted, religious [zealots] that see being gay as a sin and wrong, and they blame my daughter. Of course I see it 100% different. I don’t see or label these girls as gay. They are teenagers in high school experimenting with their sexuality, all teens do it in one form or another. They are teens, its healthy and normal. And even if their daughter is gay, who cares, she is still their daughter.

(Catch the nuance: Kelley Hunt Smith has previously said her daughter was heterosexual until this “relationship,” whereas for this other family, “their daughter is gay.” And we are offered a contrast between two value systems: Bad parents — “bigoted, religious zealots” — are those who object to “relationships” for their 14-year-olds; whereas good parents are those who consider their 18-year-old senior having sex with a 14-year-old in a school restroom “healthy and normal.”)

But, the fight continued. James and Laurie Smith fought dirty, we pushed back and tried everything we could. I went to the school board with not one but two orders from Indian River County Judges saying Kate could continue going to school, but the school board sided with James and Laurie Smith, and expelled my daughter. Kate was forced to go to the alternative school. The school board made one concession and allowed Kate to attend her senior events like grad bash, and senior fun day at the school and she will be able to walk at her graduation at the high school and actually graduate from SRHS. But her senior year was ruined . . .

(What a pathetic claim: Her senior year was ruined! Notice also that Kaitlyn’s mom repeatedly names the 14-year-old’s parents.)

. . .  she was taken away from her normal life, her friends and her school activities because of James and Laurie Smith. It was still blantenlty wrong, and discriminative. James and Laurie Smith have forced the State Attorneys office to go thru with felony charges and are trying to ruin my daughters life. This is insane. This should have never been a legal matter, it is a family matter.

(A family matter: Montagues and Capulets! Sword fights in the streets of Verona! Also, the Hatfields and McCoys, Hutus and Tutsis.)

They are trying to send an innocent young girl to prison because they are full of hate and bigotry.

(This “innocent young girl” claim crumbles to dust the minute you see the video of Kaitlyn shouting obscenities as she incites her younger sister in a fight at the beach with another girl. And when did it become “hate and bigotry” to enforce statutory rape laws?)

These girls are teenagers in high school, who had ONE mutual consenting sexual experience.

(More than one, according to the arrest affidavit.)

My daughter isn’t a criminal, she isn’t a predator. James and Laurie Smith’s daughter has said from day one, she cares about my daughter, she never wanted her parents to do this, she was 100% consenting and it was by her own choice that she was with my daughter. She doesn’t want Kate to be punished at all, and feels like they did nothing wrong.

(And really, shouldn’t we defer to the judgment of a 14-year-old?)

Unfortunately by the letter of the law, this girl has NO voice. Her parents can play the “victims” and ruin my daughters life. We have written letters through our attorneys trying to appeal to these people as parents, talk through it and come to some agreement or understanding but James and Laurie Smith refuse. These people’s delusional stand, their hate and bigotry is tearing our daughter apart.

(How many times does she need to name-check the other girl’s parents and repeat this accusation of “hate and bigotry”?)

Kate is having night terrors, she is in depression, its horrible to watch. Kate was the happiest child, always smiling, always happy and uplifting and now she has to push through the tears to get through every day.

(Kaitlyn Ashley Hunt — Booking #2013-00000708 — was “always smiling, always happy and uplifting” as long as she was at liberty to finger 14-year-olds in the school restroom without anybody bothering to call the cops. Bigots! Haters!)

I need the communities help. I need people to stand and fight with me for my daughters life. Should the girls have made better choices, YES. I agree, but is this criminal, no. Does my daughter deserve to lose her life for 15 years, or 3 years, or to have no life, because of one choice she made in high school, absolutely not!! The state attorney, Brian Workman needs to use taxpayers money to prosecute REAL criminals, not a high school student who has never been in trouble a day in her young life, all because she had a mutual consenting relationship with someone who has bigoted parents.

(Again, it’s the “bigoted parents” who are the problem, you see.)

I had bracelets made that say STOP THE HATE, FREE KATE. I want everyone in Indian River county to wear one in support of my daughter. I need people to come forward and show the state that this is totally ridiculous and wrong. I will fight till im dead for my children. Kate is such a beautiful person this is just so incredible wrong. This is a mothers nightmare. No one could possibly fully understand how painful this is, we feel powerless. The letter of the law, vs. reality in this situation is horrifying. I cant lose my child, I just cant. We as a community cant allow this to happen.

(“We as a community” must defend the right to underage toilet sex!)

We have until next Friday to either agree with an outrageous plea offer, or start trial. The state offered a plea of two years house arrest and one year probation. Kate wont be able to get a job, start her life, ever leave the house for an entire two years, then another year on probation. That is absolutely ludicrous. We need justice in this situation, not to feed into these parents hates and insanity. Will you help support Kate? Will you write a letter to the state attorney, will you come sit in the court room and show your support, will you wear Kate’s bracelet in support of her? Will you pray, will you speak your mind to these other parents in regards to their actions? Will you help our family?

Translation: Help the Hunt family get revenge on Jim and Laurie Smith.

If you lived in Indian River County, wouldn’t you instead demand that the state’s attorney launch an immediate investigation of Kaitlyn’s family as pathologically dysfunctional?

Having read through this demented woman’s tangled mess of a narrative, I am shocked that anyone could have been persuaded by it. And even if someone were naive enough to have been persuaded at first — some idiots believe everything they read on the Internet — shouldn’t they have been outraged when they learned the actual facts of the case, when the arrest affidavit was made public?

People have accused me of hostility to Kaitlyn Hunt, of fighting to have her sent to prison, but that’s not my point at all. Instead, I’m angry at all the idiots who let themselves be played for suckers in turning this case into a civil-rights crusade, based on the say-so of this girl’s horribly irresponsible and dishonest parents. What decent, honest or intelligent person could support such a cheap hustle as this?

Everyone who has been bamboozled by these liars should be ashamed.

 

 

UPDATE: The latest news about the case:

The lawyers for Kaitlyn Hunt have now hired a public relations firm to handle all of the media surrounding the case.
Attorney Julia Graves, based in downtown Vero Beach, is defending Kaitlyn.
CBS 12 News has learned that she is now contracting with a Jupiter-based public relations company called the Bella Group.

This is what lawyers do when, rather than seeking justice in the court room, they intend to try the case in the media. And anyone in the media cooperating with that agenda should be ashamed, too.

 


160 comments

  1. Maybe there should be a law against allowing idiots internet access. You could take a stand for that right now by disconnecting.

  5. i used to get some flak for dating a junior when i was a senior, 1 year difference, and i was in high school only a few years ago lol. but now people are saying that a 4 year difference is perfectly ok? that could potentially encompass an 8th grader and a college freshman smh

  6. The Hunt family is pretty much screwing themselves if this thing actually goes to trial.

    Actually…. they aren’t. The more publicity this gets, the more likely they can ensure that at least one member of the jury will be a supporter and hang it, no matter where in the state they move it to. That’s pretty much been the goal all along. After all, it’s not like the voir dire will be allowed to ask if a juror is gay.

  8. And once there was a law that stated only men could vote and interracial marriage was illegal.

    And those laws were removed by the same process that this law should be removed by. Until them, enforce it. That’s precisely what equal treatment under the law means.

  10. And why would he testify? He’s not on trial, he wasn’t arrested, he has done nothing wrong. But you think it’s relevant to drag this guy through the mud because his adult daughter is a child molester. Which is atrocious. And ignorant. This dilutes the relevant facts of the case with the National Enquirer witch hunt approach. BTW, was he convicted? Oh, that’s right…you don’t know. Mugshots only shows those arrested, NOT those convicted.

  11. […] Kelley Hunt Smith has praised her daughter, accused sex offender Kaitlyn Hunt, as “wonderful . . . respected and well liked . . . the model student and child.” Similarly, Kaitlyn’s attorney told reporters that the 18-year-old is “a model citizen.” This depiction of Kaitlyn was contradicted by a fellow Sebastian High student who posted a video in which Kaitlyn can be heard inciting her younger sister in a fight with another girl: “Beat her f–king ass, Emily! Beat her ass! Get that bitch!” […]

  12. Was he “convicted”? What was his sentence? I know you feel Mugshots is a supreme authority,but did you know you can pay them a fee, and the “mugshot” will disappear? How does bringing up the arrest record of an adult child molester’s father have anything to do with the case? Step back for a second- he is not on trial. Whether he is a liar, a good man or a bad man has NO relevance. Zero. It’s called “piling on”, and it serves as a distraction. Yes, Mommy and Daddy are deluded. Yes, they suck at parenting. But bringing up the father’s arrest record is simply a low blow, a dirty trick that doesn’t have to be done for justice to be served.

  13. Sounds to me like you can charge them with aiding and abeting, or accessories or something. This statement by the mother shows that she knew the whole time and failed to stop her daughter from doing something illegal.

  15. You have no idea just how tangled and depraved the family web is! I know this family and I don’t want to see an example made of Kate, but her parents are bent to do exactly that! Kate is the oldest sister…. What a good example to set for the rest of your girls. Ugh just sick when you try to play whatever angle you can to get sympathy and to try not to pay for your wrongs. I’m also pretty sure the parents’ religious beliefs have nothing to do with the statutory rape laws. Unless they can prove this 14yr old already had sex with an 18yr old boy and the parents didn’t care, the story of hate holds no water!!! Even so, it would be outrageous to remove the law from only same sex couples. How would that be fair? What if it were 2 boys?

  16. They won’t have to ask, if they suspect the juror is gay, they will have him/her eliminated. They don’t have to ask directly, they’ll ask questions that suggest it.

  17. And as soon as they do, they will set up an immediate civil rights based appeal to Federal court similar to striking blacks from the jury.

  21. So you think it’s appropriate to expose the girls family name again ? You could of used a Blank !

  25. And what mother is not going to support and defend their child, using all means at their disposal?

  27. from a comment at MotherJones:

    It might be helpful if you read the entire article, Kaitlyn’s father said they were dating when they were both miners.

  28. She’s fucking 18. She’s not reasoning like an adult because she and her girlfriend think they are doing nothing wrong. You can call the old tired “ignorance of the law is no excuse, but this was probably going on in her high school. She just got caught. There has to be a different way to treat these cases. Punish, yes. At 18 ruin all their chances of leading a useful life, no. She’d be lucky to find any type of work and that won’t solve anything. (like the 50+ percentage of offenders who wind up back in prison because they could not get a job)Not all states punish offenders like Kate the way Florida does. Kate was not offered a good deal and sex offender registry still loomed as a possibility. I am opposed to the felony but am not opposed to a strict sentence, or sex offender school (or whatever it is). She needs to pay her debt to society but not be burned at the stake of public opinion

  30. One wonders, if Kaitlyn Hunt had Ben having sex with an 18 year old MAN when she was 14/15 would her parents be OK with that? I think this case has garnered so much attention because people are scared of potentially offending the gay movement & being labelled a bigot. Personally I am all for marriage equality. I hope that one day soon my gay friends here in Australia will be allowed to legally marry but I also have two daughters & I can guarantee you this, man or woman, if you come near my girls in a sexual way when they are under 18 you had better be able to outrun a bullet.

  32. “One should either write ruthlessly what one believes to be the truth, or else shut up.” ….you shouldve shut up.

    had kaitlyn hunt been in her twenties i might have been able to see past the narrow-mindedness of both her girlfriends parents and people like you who claim that she was taking sexual advantage of a younger and more naive person.
    but as she was only 3 years older, and still in highschool i cant help but be repulsed by the bigotry with which you choose to present this story and your views on it.
    kaitlyns school record, her social and extra curricular activities, past sexual prefrences, and especially her fathers career, have nothing to do with this case and are only means for you to “rather than seek justice in the court room, intend to try the case in the media” .
    i dont know kaitlyn hunt or her girlfriend. i dont know if her mothers description of her is more accurate than the video from the beach and i dont care.

    all i know is this girl might be registered as a sex affender for the remainder of her life thereby exposing her to hate and violence wherever she goes by people who either wont even know the story behind her conviction well enough to judge her rationally, or will be too full of hate and anger to care. all because her girlfriends parents (who by-the-way,like you, cant fool anyone who isnt an idiot that their main issue with the relationship is the age difference) never thought to simply tell kaitlyn and her parents that they believe this relationship is unhealthy, and forbid their daughter to see her untill she is older and can both lawfully and by a little more life experience decide how to continue her relationship with kaitlyn.

    i hope for kaitlyn hunts sake, and thousands more like her who are subject to bigotry that you and those who believe the sameas you will open their eyes to the facts and not the associations that arise upon hearing the story of each individual they come across in life, and weigh the truth of their own opinions well before sharing them, because opinions shape society, and this society will be the one in which i raise my own children some day….

  33. A mother should teach her child to respect the law as well as the wishes of the underage teen. All Kate had to do was back off. She chose not to. She could have accepted a plea deal, she chose not to. If she ends up in prison for any length of time, it’s her own doing. Her parents and her attorney aren’t doing a good job advising Kate. She is 18 and can make her own decisions. Wonder how she will feel about her parents when she is in jail. Her parents won’t be the one’s doing the time she will. Hunt’s want media attention, to be able to bed for donations, they don’t want this to go away quietly.

  34. I fail to see bigotry in expressing the belief that the law be applied equally regardless of sexual orientation. If you do not think that 18 year old boys in the same situation face criminal jeapardy for the exact same conduct, you are extraordinarily naive. Consent is not a defense; high school romance is not a defense. And BTW, the arrest affidavit gives birthdates definitely showing a four year difference. Get the facts straight.

    As for the balance of your comment, you would be correct as to the relevancy of character, had the Hunts not injected the issue of Kaitlyn’s character in very public posts and a very public campaign. They further made representations about their own parenting and accusations about the victim’s parents.

  35. The younger girl is now 15, they are both wonderful young ladies and it is SICK that you people here are sitting behind your keyboards hating her and out for blood. You are all disgusting!

  36. Look up the definition of pedophile or child molester. Kate is not in that category at all. She started senior year turning 18 and started a loving relationship with a much taller and well developed freshman, large enough to be on the Varsity basketball team with other seniors in the locker room. The younger lady was in honors classes with all 17 and 18 year olds. I guess high school should be only for 16-18 year olds? Because how dare two students be attracted to another 3 1/2 years difference in age???!!! All my grandparents were married and having kids at this age. The arresting detective got a 15 year old pregnant In High school, I know because she’s my sis in law and the child my niece. Get over it high school teens have sex!!!

  37. Lol you already erased my comments because no one dare post another side or opinion.

  39. Look up the definition of pedophile or child molester. Kate is not in that category at all. She started senior year turning 18 and started a loving relationship with a much taller and well developed freshman, large enough to be on the Varsity basketball team with other seniors in the locker room. The younger lady was in honors classes with all 17 and 18 year olds. I guess high school should be only for 16-18 year olds? Because how dare two students be attracted to another 3 1/2 years difference in age???!!! All my grandparents were married and having kids at this age. The arresting detective got a 15 year old pregnant In High school, I know because she’s my sis in law and the child my niece. Get over it high school teens have sex!!!

  40. Ok I take it back you did not delete my comments. Which I find admirable if you will allow a discussion of both sides.

  41. Local editorials lean toward Kate not facing charges!
    Prosecutors in Indian River County are planning to put a high school senior on trial for a romance with a classmate. If that doesn’t sound sufficiently bizarre, consider this: If convicted, this teenager could spend up to 15 years in prison and the rest of her life as a registered sex offender.

    The story of 18-year-old Kaitlyn Hunt has become international news because her romantic relationship was with another female, a 14-year-old teammate on Sebastian River High School’s basketball team. The “Free Kate” movement has been widely seen as a gay-rights cause. But more than anything, this case is about the backwardness of Florida’s child molestation laws, which criminalize romantic behavior between high school students.

    Florida law prohibits sexual contact with anyone under 16, and the restriction doesn’t apply just to adults. Technically, two 15-year-olds who have sex are guilty of lewd or lascivious battery, a felony. A 15-year-old who fondles another 15-year-old’s breasts has committed lewd or lascivious molestation, also a felony.
    http://www.mypalmbeachpost.com/news/news/opinion/editorial-bend-on-kaitlyn-hunts-case-and-then-bend/nX7FL/

  42. “A loophole in the law allows a 16-year-old or 17-year-old to have a romantic relationship with an adult as old as 23, but that same teen having a relationship with a 15-year-old classmate is illegal. When a student turns 18, as Ms. Hunt did, the penalties are even stiffer.

    Sex between young teens can be dangerous and damaging. But state law wrongly treats high school romances the same way it treats predatory acts by older adults.

    Most teens are unaware of this, and think nothing of the potential consequences of cozying up to someone at a high school dance. Understandably so. Child molestation laws are rarely enforced among high school lovers. On the rare occasions when they are, as in Ms. Hunt’s case, people are predictably skeptical about the motivations.

    There is an easy fix to this: reducing or eliminating the penalties for teens engaged in sexual contact with other teens. It is hypocritical and wrong to put hormone-addled minors in classrooms and then severely criminalize the results. Change the law, and give Ms. Hunt a break.”

  46. I get that same crap too. It is really annoying. They’re pushing that crap because that’s the only way they’ll get what they want.

  48. If they lived in the same town they already knew what kind of people the Hunts were. I wouldn’t have gone to speak to those kind of people either.

  49. Funny how liberals never claim teenagers are hormone-addled and sex-crazed when talking about shoving gays onto boys scouts and how much molesting and sexual harassment these gays are going to do

  50. So you are in favor of 14 and 15 year old girls having kids?

    Or do you prefer when they abort 10 times per year?

    How many girls have you statutorily raped this year alone?

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