Judge Tom Bartheld Sentences Man to only 1 year in Jail for Raping 4-year-old

A District Judge Tom Bartheld may be forced to step down from his position as an officer of the court, after he sentences a man who admitted to raping and sodomizing a four year old girl over several months to only one year in jail.

The one year sentence (which includes time served, which will bump it down to three months), was a show of gross negligence in the case. While Oklahoma attorney general Drew Edmondson is still gathering facts to the chagrin of many, two state legislators Mike Ritze and Mike Reynolds have filed a bill that, if passed by the House of Representatives, would ask a state court to remove the judge from office, and have his sentence turned for a harsher punishment. By the way, not sure why the district attorney who agreed to the plea bargain is also not under fire.

64-year-old David Earls admitted to raping the four year old girl over the course of four months, including sodomy. It is also suspected that he may have raped and abused her five year old brother. He was arrested after the children told their grandmother, the Pryor Daily Times reports. Bartheld dismissed the charge against the five year old brother, during Earls’ May 13 sentencing, “based upon the recommendation of the district attorney,” according to court records. Though Earls gave a full confession, and there was overwhelming evidence to the charges, District Judge Tom Bartheld and District Attorney Jim Bob Miller felt that a year served of a 2o month sentence was enough, and sent him on his way.

“What I know about the case at this point in time is that I was very disturbed by reports of the sentence in that case,” Attorney General Drew Edmondson who is making a run at govenor was quoted as saying by the Pryor Daily Times. Edmondson said said he will receive a report from the lawyers in his office “in due course,” before deciding if he will take action. Truthfully as an outsider looking in it appears like the two state reps. have raised the heat on Edmonson who is now trying to save face without ruining his political ambitions. Let’s hope politics doesn’t get in the way of punishing vile criminals and judges and district attorney’s that for whatever reason have failed to protect our children.