Child groom's wife jailed for 9 months 

Woman, 37, pleads guilty to statutory rape of husband, 15 

CNN, March 15, 2006

GAINESVILLE, Georgia (AP) -- A woman who married the 15-year-old friend of one of her sons pleaded guilty Wednesday to statutory rape and was sentenced to nine months in jail.

Lisa Lynnette Clark, 37, was also forbidden to have any contact with her teenage husband -- the alleged father of her 1-month-old son -- until at least his 17th birthday. After her release, she will be on probation until 2010.

Clark will also not be allowed to have contact with any children other than her own, and will be required to register as a sex offender, prosecutor Lee Darragh said.

If she violates any of the conditions, a judge could sentence her to 20 years in jail.

Clark was arrested in November on charges of statutory rape, child molestation and enticing a minor. A few days before her arrest, she married the boy under a 1962 Georgia law that allows children of any age to get married if the bride-to-be is pregnant. Clark gave birth on February 11.

The wedding prompted Georgia lawmakers to revisit the state's marriage laws, and last month the House voted to bar teens under 16 from marrying without juvenile court permission. The Senate has not taken up the bill.

The boy's grandmother, Judy Hayles, has said her grandson will seek a divorce and undergo intense counseling.

Clark's attorney, Daniel Sammons, said the boy wants to continue the marriage: 

"He loves Lisa Clark and wishes to have a life together and raise their child."