Melissa Ross
Northeast Florida State Attorney candidate Wes White says the issue of untested rape kits in Florida’s Fourth Circuit runs far deeper than his many beefs with Angela Corey.
“I think we live in a country where it requires 35 women to bring a claim against someone like Bill Cosby before law enforcement officials will pay attention. And it’s plain wrong. It’s a violent crime, and it needs to be given the priority that it deserves.”
White has leapt upon the rape kits controversy, calling for more funding to process nearly 2,000 kits that have sat on the shelves, some for more than 20 years.
“I drove ten hours to meet with a woman who saw the news reports about this,” White said during an appearance on WJCT’s First Coast Connect.
“She was raped fourteen years ago. Finally, just three years ago her test kit was processed. It turns out her rapist was a convicted felon who had committed rapes before and after her assault. She was bereft because she believes justice has been denied her, and the State Attorney’s office told her they weren’t going to proceed with the case.”
Corey’s office announced recently that it has applied for a $2 million federal grant to clear up the backlog of untested rape kits, and has received some funding to move forward. White, in full campaign mode, claims that’s not good enough.
“We need to just get on and do the job. The funding will come. The new mayor Lenny Curry believes public safety is Job #1. I think he’ll step up to the plate. We need to reach into our pockets and pay for it, and not wait till funding comes down the line. We don’t do that when your car gets stolen, so we shouldn’t do that when a woman is raped,” he said.
