NBCWashington.com:
A Virginia man who has Asperger’s syndrome spent four days in jail after being indicted for downloading child pornography, but his grandparents told News4 he didn’t know what he was doing was wrong.
The time 27-year-old Mikey Dejerolme spent in jail in Stafford County left him shell-shocked, his grandparents said, and he emerged acting like a 6-year-old.
“About the third night there, he did not think he was going to make it out,” said his grandmother, Nina Dejerolme. ”He’s not very forthcoming with emotion but that night he told me goodbye and I love you.”
Now he often won’t let go of his grandmother’s hand.Nina and Tony Dejerolme, who raised Mikey Dejerolme since he was a toddler, think charges should not have been filed.
In April 2015, deputies knocked on their door. They found child porn on Mikey Dejerolme’s computer.His grandparents said they’ve determined he followed a peer-to-peer link while downloading music. While he is intellectually bright, he is like a 12-year-old emotionally, his grandparents said.
“I explained to Mikey that was bad what he did and it’s illegal and he can’t do that,” Tony Dejerolme said.
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“I made a mistake in having those [pictures] on there,” Mikey Dejerolme told News4. “I didn’t like them.”
This situation is absurd. Charges need to be dropped. Sadly, this could happen to anyone. Mikey is 12 emotionally. 12 year olds are curious. How many pre-adolescents get into unsavory stuff on the internet and take a good look because they are curious? Mikey should be treated as though he were 12. Charges should be dropped and the grandparents will monitor his computer activities.
Why waste the tax payers money prosecuting this young man?
