A Tale of Two Stupidities

1 - That the 17 yr old misrepresented his age and then blabbed

2 - That Florida law makes it such that a person can be charged with a 2nd degree felony (max 15 yrs) for having consensual sex with a minor even if he or she does not know the partner is underage.

Why does not knowing the person is underage because they misrepresented themselves not matter? What happened to the concept of intent?

Mulberry Mayor Is Accused of Sex With 17-Year-Old Boy

By Jason Geary

BARTOW, FL | Mulberry's mayor was arrested Friday afternoon on charges of having sex with a 17-year-old boy.

Gov. Charlie Crist then issued an executive order suspending John Julian Mullis from his public office.

Mullis, 33, faces one count of unlawful sexual activity with a minor. The second-degree felony carries a maximum punishment of 15 years in prison.

An arrest report states the boy disclosed to a former teacher that he had a "consensual sexual relationship" with Mullis. The teacher contacted the Polk County Sheriff's Office.

Mullis was booked into jail with his bail set at $5,000, records show.

The report describes Mullis meeting the boy one evening several months ago at a Lakeland bar called "Pulse."

In an Aug. 30 recorded statement, the boy described the establishment as a "socializing bar with an occasional drag show."

The boy told deputies Mullis never asked about his age, but the boy said he believed Mullis thought he was 21 years old.

Under Florida law, a person can be charged with having unlawful sex with a minor even if he or she does not know the minor is underage.

The boy told deputies that he and Mullis had sex in Mullis' home at the end of the evening, the report states.

The boy said this was the only time he had sex with Mullis.

Investigators searched the boy's cell phone and found one photograph of Mullis' face. There were no nude photographs of Mullis on the cell phone.

Carrie Eleazer, a sheriff's spokeswoman, said it is unknown where and when the photograph of Mullis was taken.

Deputies interviewed Mullis on Aug. 31, and he admitted to having sex with the boy in June, the report states.

Mullis said the boy listed his age as 19 on a social networking site called "Adam 4 Adam," and that the boy was drinking an alcoholic beverage at Pulse, the report states.