There's has been mixed reaction in Connecticut's legal community over a state prosecutor's request to have a former teacher take out a newspaper ad saying she falsely accused a colleague of raping her.
Prosecutor Adam Scott proposed the action earlier this month in Manchester Superior Court in the case of former East Hartford Middle School teacher Angela Schmidt.
Scott asked Judge Leslie Olear to require Schmidt to place an ad as a condition of the special probation she received. The judge rejected the idea, but the request has sparked a debate among lawyers and legal experts.
Scott says anyone who wrongly accuses someone of a crime should be on notice to the public, and potential victims need to be aware of Schmidt.
Schmidt, who is 55 and lives in Simsbury, received accelerated rehabilitation, meaning the charges would be erased if she completes probation.
Her lawyer, Richard Brown, says Scott's recommendation reminded him of the pilgrims and stockades in town squares. Brown says it would not be right to ask a defendant who has not been found guilty to be put through such humiliation.
While some legal experts agreed with Brown, others said it could be an appropriate punishment.
Source: (here)