Crime Reporting Measure Seeks to Protect Children
The state Senate, reacting to the killing of a Los Angeles schoolgirl in the restroom of a Nevada casino, approved a bill Thursday making it a crime for failing to report the murder, rape or sexual assault of a child 14 or younger.
The bill, formally labeled the Sherrice Iverson Child Protection Act, in memory of the 7-year-old, was sent to the Assembly on a 28-0 vote with no debate.
Sen. Tom Hayden (D-Los Angeles) introduced the bill, SB 80, in the aftermath of Sherrice’s 1997 slaying. Last July, Jeremy Strohmeyer of Long Beach pleaded guilty in a Nevada court to murdering the girl and was sentenced to life in prison.
Strohmeyer’s friend, David Cash, witnessed the prelude to the crime but did not intervene or report it to authorities. He was not charged in the case because Nevada did not require the reporting of such crimes. Hayden said his bill is intended to fill a similar gap in California law.
It would be a misdemeanor to violate the law, punishable by six months in jail, a $5,000 fine, or both.
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