13 or 18? Girl's age at issue in Web date

The Detriot News reports:

A rendezvous that began on the Internet between an Indiana man and a 13-year-old Macomb County girl who lied about her age has raised murky legal questions about what he could have done to verify her age and avoid being jailed.

The episode also has law enforcement officials wondering if a crime has been committed, and if so what it might be. They're trying to determine whether there was sexual contact between the two. In the meantime, the 25-year-old man is being held in Macomb County Jail.

"Under the statutory rape laws, if an adult has sex with someone under the age of 16 in Michigan, they're legally responsible," said Jeffery Cojocar, a Shelby Township attorney who deals with men's rights issues.

"I don't care if the minor showed a birth certificate that said they were older. It doesn't matter. Statutory rape is what is called a strict liability law, which means it doesn't matter whether the accused knew a crime was being committed or not."

14 will get you 40.