THEIR ABUSERS AGAIN. IT HAS BEEN EIGHT YEARS SINCE JAY STRICKLAND PLEADED GUILTY TO SEXUALLY ASSAULTING A MINOR, A CASE THAT STILL HAUNTS HIS VICTIM, ERIN NETTIE. SO HE WAS MY STEPFATHER. HE WAS A YOUTH PASTOR. HE WAS A NURSE, ETHICIST AND AN ARMY VETERAN. SO ALL THESE THINGS THAT, YOU KNOW, YOU FEEL LIKE YOU CAN YOU CAN TRUST. NETTIE SAYS THE ABUSE STARTED WHEN HE WAS ONLY EIGHT AND CONTINUED INTO HIS TEEN YEARS. I DON’T REALLY GET INTO THE SPECIFICS OF IT, BUT IF YOU CAN JUST IMAGINE THE WORST TYPE OF ABUSE THAT CAN BE DONE, THAT THAT IS WHAT HAPPENED. THE MORRIS NATIVE DECIDED TO COME FORWARD IN 2014, LEADING TO THIS 2016 GUILTY PLEA FOR SODOMY. STRICKLAND RECEIVED THREE YEARS PROBATION. THEN LAST FALL, HE ASKED FOR A PARDON, WHICH WOULD HAVE DROPPED HIS STATUS AS A REGISTERED SEX OFFENDER. EVEN THOUGH NETTIE FOUGHT THE PARDON AND WON, HE FACED THE SAME BATTLE IN THE FUTURE, SO I REALLY DIDN’T WANT TO HAVE TO GO THROUGH THE PROCESS OF EVERY TWO YEARS SEEING MY ABUSER AGAIN. SO HE TEAMED UP WITH STATE REPRESENTATIVE ALLEN TREADAWAY TO WRITE HOUSE BILL 81, KNOWN AS ERYNN’S LAW, IT WOULD PREVENT CHILD SEX OFFENDERS FROM EVER RECEIVING A PARDON AFTER PASSING UNANIMOUSLY IN THE HOUSE IN MARCH, IT CAME UP FOR A SENATE VOTE LAST NIGHT, A 35 ZERO NAYS HOUSE 81 PASSES, GIVING THIS NAVY LIEUTENANT AND MARRIED FATHER A SPECIAL PIECE OF MIND. I AM VERY, VERY RELIEVED, VERY EXCITED BECAUSE THIS NOW PUTS THE POWER BACK INTO. THE HANDS OF SURVIVORS OF THESE CRIMES AND GIVES SURVIVORS THROUGHOUT THE STATE THEIR VOICE AGAIN AND POTENTIAL FUTURE VICTIMS. AN EXTRA LAYER OF PROTECTION. WELL, LIKE I MENTIONED, ERYNN’S LAW PASSED UNANIMOUSLY IN BOTH CHAMBERS. NETTIE TELLS US THE GOVERNOR COULD SIGN IT NEXT WEDNESDAY. ONCE THA