Boy's parents sue to get his baby from mom, 21

Anyone wanna bet she either gets off or does little-to-no time for her
crimes?
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http://dispatch.com/live/content/loc...R.html?sid=101

Boy's parents sue to get his baby from mom, 21

Saturday, August 16, 2008 3:12 AM
By Mary Beth Lane

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

LANCASTER, Ohio --- A Pickerington couple and their son are fighting for
custody of a baby born to a Lancaster woman charged with having unlawful sex
with the boy, who was 15 at the time of conception.

A paternity test shows that the teen is the father of the baby born April 7
to Jane C. Crane, who was 19 when she became pregnant. Now, a judge has
ordered him to pay $50 a month in child support and set visitation at seven
hours a week.

Crane, meanwhile, faces criminal charges. A Fairfield County grand jury
indicted her last month on two counts of unlawful sexual conduct with a
minor, a fourth-degree felony. Conviction carries a maximum sentence of 18
months in prison and a requirement to register as a sex offender for 25
years.

Crane is living with the baby and her family in Lancaster.

The boy's parents say they can provide a better upbringing for the baby than
Crane can. Her household includes her stepfather, David L. Jacobs, who was
convicted of domestic violence last year for hitting, choking and pointing a
gun at Crane's 17-year-old sister and was placed on two years' probation,
court records show.

"We don't want to have our granddaughter abused by these people," the boy's
father said. "We are trying to do the right thing.

"The child support was the icing on the cake. I couldn't believe that our
son has to pay child support to his abuser."

The Dispatch does not identify victims of sexual abuse.

Crane is scheduled for a pretrial conference before Common Pleas Judge
Richard E. Berens on Aug. 21. A hearing and a status conference in the
custody dispute are scheduled for next month before Domestic Relations Judge
Kathy S. Mowry.

Crane, now 21, is not a suitable custodial parent in part because she may
have committed a felony by having sexual intercourse with a minor younger
than 16, the boy's parents argue in court papers seeking custody.

Crane declined to comment. She is free on a $5,000 recognizance bond pending
trial. Her attorney, Sandra Davis, did not return calls. Lawyer Jennifer
Strunk, the court-appointed guardian ad litem representing the baby's
interests, said through a spokesman that she could not comment.

That a 19-year-old woman had sex with a 15-year-old boy might seem like no
big deal to some, but it is a serious charge, said Assistant Prosecutor
Julia Dillon.

It makes no difference that it is an adult female charged with unlawful
sexual conduct with a minor boy rather than the more common instance of an
adult male charged with unlawful sexual conduct with a minor girl.

"It is an age and maturity issue, not a gender issue," Dillon said. "He's a
young boy coming into his own, being taken advantage of by an adult."

There could yet be a plea agreement. "I have made what I consider to be a
reasonable offer, but I have not received a response," she said.

The incident has had lasting affects on the boy, now 16, his mother said.

"He has nightmares, he is stressed out," she said. "He is a father, even
though it was a crime for him to be a father. His life is changed forever."

Crane got to know the family while she worked at a local movie theater with
the boy's older sister. When Crane said that her stepfather was abusive, his
family allowed her to move in with them.

The boy's sister later bought her own home and Crane moved in with her. It
was there last summer that Crane had sex with their son at least twice, his
parents said.