FRANKFORT, Ky. (WDRB) -- Kentucky lawmakers are pushing new legislation that would make child grooming a criminal offense, aiming to give law enforcement more tools to intervene before physical sexual abuse occurs.
Kentucky State Rep. Marianne Proctor said current laws do not go far enough to protect minors from predatory behavior. House Bill 4 would apply to adults in positions of trust, including coaches and teachers, who engage in inappropriate communication with children.
“Not only will we criminalize it, but we will hold the offenders accountable,” Proctor said.
The bill requires prosecutors to prove intent and a pattern of inappropriate behavior. Louis Kelly, the Commonwealth’s Attorney for Boone and Gallatin counties, said the proposal is written to avoid penalizing legitimate or well‑intentioned interactions between adults and minors.
“It has been well crafted to not criminalize good faith and perhaps innocent discussions between adults and minors, even if perhaps misguided,” Kelly said. "This has a high burden on law enforcement and a high burden on prosecution to make sure we are targeting people who should know better, who shouldn't be doing this, and are clearly doing it for inappropriate reasons."
Concerns about grooming have surfaced repeatedly in recent months. In December, a Shelby County high school coach was suspended for the second time this season after a former student accused him of grooming her for years and persuading her to have sex. Several other women also came forward with similar accounts involving other teachers in the school district.
“I was married 22 years to the man who groomed me when I was 14 years old,” Hannah Ross said.
Days later, a Jefferson County Public Schools teacher was charged with having sexual conversations with a fifth‑grade student. Police said Sydne Graf attempted to meet one of her students during NTI.
Under Proctor’s bill, grooming would be classified as a Class A misdemeanor when the perpetrator is at least 18 and the victim is younger than 14. that's a charge punishable by up to a year in jail and a $500 fine.
If the victim is younger than 12, the offense would become a Class D felony, carrying a penalty of one to five years in prison.
“I would like to get all of them that are engaging in this behavior and traumatizing our children,” Proctor said. "I would love if we could get 100% of them."
For more information on House Bill 4, click here.
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