FRANKFORT, Ky. (WDRB) -- Top state investigators say predators are targeting Kentucky’s children online.
Now, a bill that would toughen penalties for online child predators is on its way to the floor of the Kentucky Senate after a Louisville woman told her horrific story.
Kathleen Niestadt testified to the Senate Judiciary Committee about the sexual abuse she endured at the hands of her grandfather.
“By the age of 7 he first raped and beat me. He also shot and killed my dog in front of me to keep me quiet about what he was doing,” said Niestadt.
Niestadt told lawmakers that her grandfather began to traffic her to others.
“My grandfather let everyone know that they could come to the farm and do whatever their evil hearts desired to me, for $20. Buying children for sex is nothing new.”
Niestadt urged the Senate Judiciary Committee to approve SB 161, sponsored by Sen. Alice Forgy Kerr, R-Lexington. It would toughen the punishment for those who use the internet to prey on children.
“Senate bill 161 sends a message to these predators that Kentucky protects their children, and we don't want them buying our children for their deviant sexual gratification,” said Niestadt.
Matt Hedden, with the Attorney General's cyber crimes unit, also endorsed the bill.
“If your child has a cell phone, then they're potentially a victim,” Hedden told the committee.
Among other things, SB 161 calls for longer sentences for those who prey on children under age 12.
“Unfortunately, currently the law does not make a differentiation between an intended victim's age,” said Hedden.
“In other words, a person who traveled to meet a 15-year-old for sex would be subject to the same penalty as a person who traveled to have sex with a toddler.”
The bill also would make it easier for investigators to conduct undercover stings by allowing them to pose as intermediaries who arrange for sexual encounters with children.
It also would allow prosecutors to add charges for every day a predator engages in conversation with the victim.
Sen. Robin Webb, D-Grayson, expressed concern about that provision.
“If there's somebody contacting a minor and, more than likely, a pedophile, and you drag that investigation out to get additional counts, you're putting people at risk,” said Webb.
But Hedden assured lawmakers that investigators move to arrest suspects as quickly as possible, and the bill passed the committee easily.
Niestadt told WDRB News she hopes sharing her story leads to other children getting the justice she never saw. None of her abusers was ever arrested.
“I can't even imagine other kids going through what I went through, and I just want to stop that,” she said.
Supporters said they are confident the bill will pass the full Senate and move on to the House.
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