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COURTS Case dropped against predatory sex offender Judge allowed Edward Clement to withdraw plea agreement Comment By Thomas Moriarty Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Thomas Moriarty Mail Tribune Posted Jul. 23, 2015 at 4:22 PM Updated Jul 23, 2015 at 4:51 PM By Thomas Moriarty Mail Tribune Posted Jul. 23, 2015 at 4:22 PM Updated Jul 23, 2015 at 4:51 PM » Social News Jackson County prosecutors say they were forced to drop their case against a predatory sex offender when the victim proved unwilling to testify in court after the judge allowed the defendant to back out of a plea agreement. The District Attorney's Office filed a motion July 13 in Jackson County Circuit Court to dismiss all charges against Edward Allen Clement, 51, who had faced three counts of third-degree sodomy, two counts of third-degree rape and two counts of unlawful contact with a child. Clement's trial had been scheduled to begin the next day. A grand jury had indicted Clement in March based on evidence he allegedly had sexually abused a girl under the age of 16 between February 2011 and February 2012. After failing to make one of his initial court appearances, he was eventually tracked to California and arrested by deputy U.S. marshals. Clement has prior felony convictions in Jackson County for first-degree sexual abuse, attempted first-degree rape, failure to report as a sex offender and failure to register his address as a sex offender. He's registered with the state as a predatory sex offender under the supervision of Jackson County Community Justice. Deputy District Attorney Terry Smith-Norton said the prosecution had reached an agreement in March under which Clement would plead guilty to the entire indictment and receive a sentence of 16 years and eight months in prison. Smith-Norton said that typically, a defendant wouldn't face that much time for charges of third-degree sodomy and third-degree rape. "But he had prior convictions," she said. "The judge could sentence him to up to life in prison." Smith-Norton said that Clement was in the process of pleading guilty to the charges when Judge Kelly Ravassipour asked to see attorneys in her chambers. "I can't speak to what the judge was thinking, but the impression I got is that the judge wanted to sentence him to more than 200 months," Smith-Norton said. After the attorneys returned to the courtroom, Ravassipour asked Clement whether he was going to withdraw his plea, which he did the following morning, leaving the case set for trial. Court records show Ravassipour later recused herself from the case in May, citing an unspecified conflict. Ravassipour did not return a call for comment. Smith-Norton said that going to trial would require the victim, who she felt had been intimidated by Clement in the courtroom, to take the stand. Per local protocol in child sexual abuse cases, the victim made a videotaped statement to investigators at the Children's Advocacy Center in Medford, a copy of which was filed with the court. But Smith-Norton said the recording alone wasn't sufficient evidence to secure a conviction. "It's child hearsay, which there is an exception for, but they have to be available in court for cross-examination," Smith-Norton said. The case was later assigned to a different judge, who encouraged the victim to stay the course and testify, according to the victim's mother, whom the Mail Tribune isn't naming to avoid identifying the victim. The mother said previous court appearances had proven emotionally taxing for her daughter. "I think it just wore her down and she couldn't do it anymore," the mother said. "People have their breaking point." The mother said she was angry at Ravassipour's decision to allow the withdrawal of the plea. "The way I feel about this is we elect the judges, and they should be looking out for the victim," she said. Smith-Norton said the charges against Clement were dismissed without prejudice, but whether they will be re-filed at a later date is uncertain. "I think (the victim) had wanted to resolve the case for the 200 months," Smith-Norton said, referring to the plea agreement. Reach reporter Thomas Moriarty at 541-776-4471, or by email at [email protected] . Follow him at @ThomasDMoriarty . By Thomas Moriarty Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Thomas Moriarty Mail Tribune Posted Jul. 23, 2015 at 4:22 PM Updated Jul 23, 2015 at 4:51 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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