D.C. Man Asks For Charges To Be Dropped Against Twerkers Charged With Sexually Abusing Him
A D.C. man is forgiving the women who twerked on him against his will last month and asking that the charges against them be dropped — as long as they apologize and turn their lives around.
Apparently he is the son of a pastor and decided it would be hypocritical for him not to practice forgiveness.
According to NY Daily News reports:
Washington Tharpe told the Daily News on Thursday he’s forgiven two women who contributed to his “humiliating” and “embarrassing” experience at a gas station, and said he instead was actively trying to get prosecutors to drop the charges.
“I’m willing to let go of all my pain that I had inside, of the humiliation, and direct it towards the improvement of her life,” he said.
Tharpe was sexually assaulted on Oct. 7 after two women started aggressively twerking on him at a D.C. gas station. The two dirty dancers grabbed his privates and violently groped him during the unwanted shakedown.
One of the dancers, Ayanna Marie Knight, was arrested on Nov. 10 and charged with sexual abuse in the third degree. She had been charged with prostitution twice in D.C. and once in Las Vegas. Cops are still searching for the woman’s dirty-dance partner-in-crime, but Tharpe doesn’t want her arrested anymore.
The twerk attack victim told the Daily News he did not want to see the two young women face the legal system, as the two had been punished enough already from the viral clip.
A lot of people probably felt he was overreacting, but nobody wants to be violated or be sexualized against their will. This man — a 40-year-old Spanish teacher — probably had no idea how to process what was going on when these women attacked him.
He had a real change of heart after learning his attacker could do some serious jail time and face real repercussions:
After he heard Knight could face up to 10 years in jail for her sexual abuse charges, and had to be registered as a sex offender if convicted, he began to feel sympathetic for her.
“If she was like 30-years-old or 40, I would have asked to throw the book at her,” Tharpe said. “But at 22, she’s not grown. I can’t see myself sending her to prison for that.”
After all his own preaching of forgiveness at church, he said he’d be a hypocrite if he didn’t do the same in his own life.
He said he made up his mind after speaking with his pastor Leo Lewis and Pastor Elsie at the Macedonia Miracle Worship Center in Montgomery, Alabama. He had sought out spiritual counseling since his twerking nightmare began in October, he said.
He said he wants to help them get out of prostitution and find a job. The forgiving twerk attack victim said he also wants the women to join N Street Village, a community of empowerment and recovery for women, and RAINN, another support group.
In return, he asks that the two women apologize, and become role models for young women.
He’s been trying to contact prosecutors to drop the charges, but said they had been avoiding him.
If the case goes to trial, Tharpe said he would not testify against the women.
We’re glad he found it in his heart to forgive them. We know that must’ve been really hard…
Do you think he made the right decision?
D.C. Metro Police
