Noose too loose on offenders

Until a month ago, I had no idea Gary Cushinberry existed. That's why when I went in for my shift at the Middle Way House, I couldn't understand what all the fuss was about.\nThe Herald-Times published an article Feb. 25 titled "Eclectic shops pop up south of square," featuring Cushinberry's new shop a few blocks south of our town square. The piece described the various exotic items in the store and how he travels to far-off locations to retrieve the merchandise he sells. The photograph accompanying the article presented the businessman in a stately pose inside his shop wearing an expensive-looking suit and holding a sword from Japan. What could this possibly have to do with anything related to violence against women? As I soon found out -- absolutely everything.\nMany of the women who have worked at Middle Way for some time knew exactly why such a gracious article about this man was so enraging. But for us volunteers who haven't been at the shelter for long, this was to be a valuable learning experience.\nI, along with several other volunteers, went to the courthouse to see what we could find out about this Cushinberry character. All crimes charged in Monroe County are kept on public record on a computer at the court clerk's office. Everything we found about this man is available to anyone who wants to take the time to look.\nOn record, we found 15 criminal cases for Gary Cushinberry from 1993 to the present. These cases included 17 different offenses ranging from public intoxication to rape.\nIn fact, Cushinberry has been charged with two rapes, in 1993 and 1995. A sexual battery charge was brought against him in 1997, and in the last 11 years, Cushinberry has managed to land himself in the midst of seven battery charges. It seems to me this man should still be incarcerated.\nAs far as the legal aspect of this story goes, some cases have been dropped completely, while others have been prosecuted-- though not to what I would consider the full extent of the law. One rape case, which included a criminal confinement charge (both felonies), and another battery case were dropped when he pled guilty to a separate burglary charge. After having served 115 days in jail, Cushinberry was put on work release instead of serving the remaining 160 or so days of his sentence. This was more than fair, considering his crimes, yet he was unable to successfully complete his programs, as he violated the rules of probation and work release. His second rape charge was amended to battery, and once again, the man violated his work release.\n The truth of the matter is there are many people in this county, like Gary Cushinberry, who have extensive criminal records and are still walking our streets. Somehow, case after case is slipping through the cracks of the legal system. Serious offenses like rape and battery are going unpunished.\n This is an issue everyone should be concerned about. Violence is a problem in our community, yet it is continually being overlooked. Everyone, even you and I, suffer because of it.\nTherefore, I thought it would be wise to use my little column to bring this idea to your attention. There are many unheard stories worth hearing. Gary Cushinberry is just one of many.