A 24-year-old Utah man accused of trying to lure an 8-year-old girl into the woods near Brighton, Michigan, is walking free after a judge dismissed the charge, ruling his conduct didn't amount to criminal behavior. Meanwhile, a 14-year-old girl is missing in Colorado, and the system that's supposed to protect children keeps failing them.
Ryan Josue Rojas was charged in May with accosting a child for immoral purposes after police say he approached a young girl riding her bicycle on Rosemary Lane in Brighton Township, asked her to come into the woods "where he would give her a surprise," and attempted to lure her into a wooded area before her father confronted him and he fled on a "Segway-type" device. On September 30, Livingston County District Court Judge Daniel Bain dismissed the charge, ruling Rojas' conduct "did not rise to the level of criminal behavior" and citing "a lack of criminal intent," according to Prosecutor Carolyn Henry.
Rojas posted a $250,000 surety bond on June 2 and has remained free since. Now he's completely clear — at least for now.
Henry's office is weighing an appeal. "Cases involving the safety of children demand that we take every allegation seriously and carefully pursue the evidence, wherever it leads," Henry said in a statement. "Our office did exactly that — we reviewed the investigation submitted to our office, brought the appropriate charge and presented evidence to the court. While we respect the court's authority, we are carefully evaluating every legal option available, including an appeal."
Respect for the court's authority is one thing. The outcome is another. A grown man approaches an 8-year-old girl alone on a street, invites her into the woods for a "surprise," and tries to lead her there — and a judge says that doesn't show criminal intent. The father's intervention is the only reason this story isn't far worse.
While Michigan's courts split hairs over intent, children remain at risk. In Arvada, Colorado, police are searching for 14-year-old Meriyeins "Anthonella" Martin-Acuna, last seen Thursday near the Scenic Heights neighborhood. The Colorado Bureau of Investigation issued an endangered missing person alert Friday. Anthonella is described as Hispanic, 5-foot-1, 94 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes, last wearing a black zip hoodie, black pants, and pink slippers. Anyone with information should call 911 or Arvada Police at 303-980-7300.
Two states, two children, one system that can't seem to keep them safe. The establishment press will lecture Americans about systemic bias in the justice system. Here's the systemic failure that actually matters: a man who tried to lure a child into the woods walks away clean, and a judge decided that asking an 8-year-old into the trees for a "surprise" is just innocent behavior. The prosecutor's office may appeal. A child's father had to do the job the courts won't. And in Colorado, another family waits.
The question isn't whether the system can be reformed. It's how many children pay the price while it sorts itself out.
