Judge Wiley who initially sentenced Anderson with sex offender charges finally bows out of the case that drew national attention.

Last month, we reported on 19-year-old Zach Anderson's strange circumstances: being put on the sex offender list after a first date. He had sex with a girl he thought was 17 (she lied, and was actually 14) who he met through a dating app.

The law became involved when the girl's mother reported her missing. 

The girl and her mother both pleaded with Judge Wiley not to charge Zach. However, according to South Bend Tribune, in late April, the judge sentenced Zach to "90 days in jail, five years on probation and 25 years on Michigan's sex offender registry."

The list of Zach's restrictions, as reported by South Bend Tribune, includes:

  • No computer use
  • He cannot be around those with computers or any young people
  • An 8 p.m. curfew and no venturing out of Elkhart County without permission. 
  • He was forced to give up his computer science major at Ivy Tech.
  • He could not live with his parents because he has an underage brother. 

Zach's parents bought a house for Zach to live in alone that would meet sex offender registry restrictions (because he could not live in their home). 

In June, Zach's attorney filed a motion to throw out the sex offender sentence. However, it seemed the same judge would be presiding over the case...which isn't good because Judge Wiley was a bit biased when he sentenced Zach. The judge said he was angry because Zach had used the Internet to meet a girl.

"That seems to be part of our culture now," he said, according to a transcript. "Meet, have sex, hook up, sayonara. Totally inappropriate behavior. There is no excuse for this whatsoever."

Now, there seems to be a break in the case, as Judge Wiley has excused himself from the new trial. According to South Bend Tribune, "Wiley ordered Anderson to be resentenced by a different judge, who will be randomly assigned, and a new pre-sentence report will be conducted."

Lester Anderson, Zach's father, said today that the family is "delighted" and in high hopes:  "It's not over, but it's a step."

According to ABC 57 News, Zach Anderson "must appear in court on September 11 to have a new bond set pending sentencing."

What do you think the new judge will do? Will this 19-year-old be taken off the sex offender list? Sound off below!

Jen Hobbs

Written by

Jen Hobbs

Jen Hobbs has worked behind-the-scenes with Governor Jesse Ventura since 2007. She’s a spirited advocate of searching for the truth, no matter where it leads. When it comes to matters of government, politics, and current events, she abhors the mainstream media’s predictable left/right bias. She enjoys conversations that challenge opinions and debate the issues without O’Reilly-style theatrics. However, she’s not opposed to rabble-rousing those who take themselves too seriously (all in good fun).

The views and opinions expressed herein are those of the authors alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of Ora Media, LLC its affiliates, or its employees.

More from Jesse Ventura's Off The Grid

Advertisement