An 18-year-old Oklahoma City man was charged with multiple sex crimes on Monday after a woman walked in on him performing a sex act on her 12-year-old daughter.
Zachary Buchanan is charged with multiple felony counts, including first degree rape, lewd and indecent acts with a minor, forcible oral sodomy. Investigators say the sexual relationship between Buchanan and his victim began three years ago, when the girl was only 9 years old.
After discovering Buchanan assaulting her daughter, the mother punched him in the face, called police, and took out a Victim's Protection Order (VPO) against Buchanan on behalf of her daughter.
On Wednesday of last week, Buchanan posted on his Facebook profile, "Well, friday i meet up with an admissions counselor for Jobcorps. I should be gone by next week and ill be training for welding. Yay life."
Instead, Friday found him arrested for allegedly molesting a young girl, and this week, instead of training for a career, he is sitting in the Oklahoma County jail awaiting trial for multiple felony sex crimes.
If convicted of the the listed sex offenses, Buchanan faces the possibility of life in prison as well as lifetime sex offender registration as a Level 3 Sex Offender.
Oklahoma laws governing child molestation and child rape are strict and the penalties of conviction severe.
Sex with a child under the age of 14 committed by a person aged 18 or older is first degree rape, whether or not the act was forcible. By statute, first degree rape is punishable by death; however, the United States Supreme Court has ruled that the death penalty is unconstitutional for crimes other than aggravated murder. Instead, first degree rape in Oklahoma carries a minimum sentence of five years in prison and a maximum of life without parole.
Lewd acts with a minor is generally punished by 3 to 20 years in prison; however, if the victim is under the age of 12, the offense carries a minimum term of 25 years.
Forcible sodomy, which includes sodomy by a person over age 18 committed upon a person under age 16, is punishable by a maximum of 20 years in prison.
First degree rape, lewd molestation, and forcible sodomy are all "85 percent crimes." This means that anyone convicted of any of these offenses must serve a minimum of 85 percent of his or her sentence before becoming eligible for parole.
