Page 9 - Zacks Future News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

I have nothing further. >> according to the law in wisconsin, whether or not the alleged victim agreed to have sex does not matter. all the all the prosecutor must prove is that the victim was under 16. >> you knew she was under 16, right? >> yes. >> you knew she was 14? >> yes. >> she was a freshman at your high school where you were a senior? >> yes. >> and you had sexual intercourse with her? >> yes. >> i don't have anything else. >> no one disputes the facts. zack was 17 when he had sex with a 14-year-old. but the real question is does the punishment fit the crime. >> our system will allow...

So the age of consent to have sex and the age when someone is considered an adult varies from state to state and right now we're in the state of wisconsin and we're about to meet a young man who is facing felony criminal charges for having sex with a 14-year-old freshman when he was a 17-year-old senior in high school. >> all right, zack. here we go, man. let's go, zack. there we go. good job. >> this is 18-year-old zack. he's a high school senior and a member of his varsity cheerleading squad in the suburbs of milwaukee. how would kids in school describe you? >> athletic, outgoing, funny. >> ...

In wisconsin it is unlawful for a person over 16 to have sexual intercourse with a person under 16 years old. you will hear that that is exactly what happened here. i will ask that you find him guilty because i will have proved that [ bleep ] was under the age of 16 at the time that this happened and that the defendant had sexual intercourse with her. >> thank you. counsel. >> in his opening statement travis refer to a string of texts between zack and the alleged victim. >> the evidence will show that zack asked her, you sure about today? [ bleep ] responded, if you want to. the text messages ...

Defender. so what is the status of zack's case right now? >> his charge is second degree sexual assault of a child. there's only two things that the state has to prove, and that's that there was sexual intercourse and that the girl was under the age of 16. people under the age of 16 cannot legally consent to sexual contact or sexual intercourse and the law is there to protect our kids. but i think as young as the girl is in this case, and she's very young, zack is really young too, even though he's treated as an adult because he's 17 years old. >> the prosecution is arguing that zack took adva...

Will go to trial and he'll be represented by a public defender. so what is the status of zack's case right now? >> his charge is second degree sexual assault of a child. there's only two things that the state has to prove, and that's that there was sexual intercourse and that the girl was under the age of 16. people under the age of 16 cannot legally consent to sexual contact or sexual intercourse and the law is there to protect our kids. but i think as young as the girl is in this case, and she's very young, zack is really young too, even though he's treated as an adult because he's 17 years ...