Jeni Lee Dinkel Gets 60 Days for Rape

(Covington, Kentucky) Well, the legal wrangling is over regarding the future of convicted rapist, Jeni Lee Dinkel, the 51-year-old Hollywood makeup artist and wife of former Cincinnati Bengals football player Tom Dinkel. Kenton Circuit Judge Greg Bartlett sentenced Dinkel to 60 days in jail.

To refresh memories, Dinkel was charged last April with rape and sodomy of a 15-year-old schoolmate of her son. Subsequently, Dinkel pleaded guilty to rape in accordance with an agreement with the prosecution.

The first plea deal was rejected by the judge and more legal wrangling ensued. It seems part of the problem is a strong bias against incarcerating women expressed by the prosecutor, Commonwealth Attorney Rob Sanders. He wanted probation imposed.

After additional crafting, the plea agreement (with included actual punishment) was finally deemed acceptable, resulting in Tuesday's sentencing. Following Dinkel's hand slap, however, additional documents were released by authorities which contain some shocking details.

What ended in court yesterday really began last fall at Covington Catholic High School. A police report obtained from Park Hills Police shows on October 11th, the principal got an anonymous tip that Jeni Lee Dinkel had been seen in bed with a 15-year-old student.

Police said there were two tipsters, one anonymous and one from a parent.

About the same time, graffiti started showing up in school bathrooms, including one that said, "I wish, I wish, I had a nickel for every time I ----ed Ms. Dinkel."

Police were notified on November 17th. Park Hills turned the case over to Villa Hills because the alleged crimes happened there. The final police report indicates that Jeni Dinkel had sex with the teenage boy on seven separate occasions in her Villa Hills home. One time she had oral sex with him in her own son's bedroom and another teenager walked in and caught them. The police report indicates she had sex on three occasions when her son was in the house. It details claims of underage drinking, marijuana use and sleepovers when Jeni Dinkel would tell the boy to come to her room after other teenagers fell asleep.

Teenagers told police Dinkel was obsessive, repeatedly sending text messages ... like one saying "I want your ---- so bad", which was followed by a text saying "Hey, you've got to keep this quiet ... you need to delete these."

What became clear today is that the allegations surfaced months before any charges. Covington Catholic was tipped off in October. The boy's mother was not informed until March.

Obviously, Jeni Lee Dinkel didn't have a one-time lapse in judgment, she was a cougar with a craving for underage meat. Regarding Covington Catholic Schools, they may be liable in the civil arena for failing to notify law enforcers of the alleged crimes.

It's worth mentioning that the Cincinnati area has enjoyed a mini-media blitz of sympathetic stories regarding Dinkel and her son, a 15-year-old cancer victim. Apparently, the boy's sickness was a mitigating factor in her rape case. Frankly, this is the first time I've heard of the legal principle where the severity of a crime is reduced if the perpetrator has a family member who is seriously ill.

"Honestly, Judge, these Menendez boys should be treated leniently because they lost both their parents from fatal head trauma."

Heh. Given that the prosecutor expressed an aversion to punishing females, I didn't expect Dinkel to get much time. However, a year or 18 months would have been somewhat more reasonable than a lousy 60 days. And, I strongly suspect she won't do the full 60. She goes in on October 5th. I'll wager that she will be home in plenty of time to do the shopping for Thanksgiving dinner.

One last thought. A 51-year-old man rapes a 15-year-old girl and gets sentenced to 60 days in jail. Guess what happens. Bill O'Reilly broadcasts a segment on his television program expressing outrage.


[Update 10/04/07]

Dinkel begins jail term.


[Update 12/02/07]

Dinkel released from jail.


[Update 02/19/08]

Dinkel arrested for violating her probation.