Answer: If an adult has sex with a child under 17 years old, the person has committed sexual assault of a child. The reason for this is a person under 17 years of age cannot give consent. So even voluntary sex or the phrase “statutory rape” is the same thing as sexual assault of a child if the child is under 17 years old and the actor or the adult is not within three years of the age of the victim. This is a second degree felony and carries a range of punishment from two to 20 years in the penitentiary. There’s no probation allowed and you must register for life as a sexual offender.
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