LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A 17-year-old who tweeted the names of boys who sexually assaulted her is speaking out about what happened.
Savannah Dietrich says she's happy the public will get to learn about her case, hoping it will change juvenile confidentiality laws someday.
She says, "I feel like it's given me a voice, you know? I've never really imagined standing up for myself. I didn't want to stand up and report them in the first place. All I wanted was to see justice and the truth. I don't know what motivated me to keep fighting and I feel stronger."
The 17-year-old is telling her story after Judge Angela Bisig issued an opinion that her case become public.
Dietrich was frustrated after two teenage boys received what she calls a "lenient" plea bargain for sexually assaulting her while she was passed out and took photos of the incident. In June, they pleaded guilty to sexual abuse and voyeurism.
Her attorney says the plea bargain included the boys doing 50 hours of volunteer work, attending sex offender treatment if deemed necessary, and their charges could be expunged when they are 19-and-a-half-years-old, if they undergo a diversion program.
She posted on Twitter that she was not going to protect people who made her life a "living Hell" and posted their names. The boys' attorneys then asked a judge to hold Dietrich in contempt for violating the confidentiality of a juvenile hearing. But the contempt charge was later dropped.
The boys were also on home arrest, but Dietrich says she saw on social media that they attended prom and continued to live their lives.
She says, "The only people they feel sorry for is themselves and I'm not going to have any respect until actually they feel sympathy for me which I don't believe they do at all."
There's now an outpouring of support for Dietrich on Twitter and Facebook.
Dietrich's attorney, Thomas Clay claims the boys received preferential treatment because of the school they attended. He is also filing a motion to remove the assistant county attorney from the case, also citing preferential treatment.
Dietrich says she'll be speaking at the boys' sentencing next month. The boys' attorneys have not returned our calls for comment.
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