Probably took a plea to a lesser offense.
I've seen some of the kiddy perverts accused of horrible things.
Yet, some are connected and allowed to plea to stuff like "disorderly", "trespassing", and in some cases simple city ordinance violations, not state charges.
It's much more complicated than that.
"Connected" is not usually the case. More often than not there are two motivations NOT to bring a molestation case to trial. One, the paucity of the evidence. Trying a molestation case based upon the statements of one child, without corroboration, can be iffy at best. Yes, the child victim might be a compelling witness, but putting the child on the stand to withstand cross-examination can be a difficult thing. And not all children can withstand cross-examination, and few children can be said to have never told a lie. The prosecutor has to make a decision as to the weight of the victim's testimony and credibility when compared to the suspect's. It does not mean that the prosecutor does not believe the victim, only that proving the case beyond a reasonable doubt can be doubtful. Therefore, a plea deal is preferable.
The second most common reason I have seen in these cases - and the research seems to bear this out - is that the victim or the family do not want to tough it out. Many parents want to either bury their head in the sand, or believe that their child needs to "move on" beyond the event, and a trial forces them to re-live the event over and over again as they tell their story multiple times to the police and social workers, again to a prosecutor, and then again to a jury. I have known parents of grievously abused children to up and move in order to avoid the issue.
Both these situations tend to compel a prosecutor to seek lesser pleas. It is the perpetual argument: Do we prosecute on principle, even if the case is a loser? (and, potentially let another criminal go as we utilize resources on a losing case) Or, do we apply SOME FORM of punishment for the offender?
This is often the case for rapes as well. There are some very good books and journal articles out there on the prosecutorial decision-making process with regards to sex crimes - particularly rapes - and these decisions have very little to do with whether someone is connected, or whether someone is believed or not, and almost evrything to do with the prosecutor's ability prove their case.
I suppose in this instance that might very well be the case! There may have been a plea to a lesser offense that did not require registration. I have seen that happen on many cases involving both child and adult sex assaults. And, while it angers and frustrates me, I have come to understand the limited availability of resources and accept that some cases stand a very low chance of success at trial even if I might believe the suspect to be guilty, guilty, guilty.
Sex crimes often involve two people ... one of which is often lying. And with the number of accused victims that recant to both sex crimes and molestations, and the number of proven false allegations that exist, there is built in reasonable doubt in many instances. These are tough cases and not ones taken lightly by anyone I have ever met in the criminal justice system. These investigations and prosecutions take their toll also on those who investigate and prosecute them. To say that "our society doesn't seem to concern itself with kids getting molested, abused, neglected anymore" is to oversimplify the issue - and, misdirect the blame. The alternative, if we were to care, would be to assume the offender guilty merely as a result of the accusation. That is a scary thought. Unfortunately, the accusation is usually enough to bury someone's life even if later proven untrue. The accusation is above the fold on page one ... the recantation or proof of innocence might be three or four lines on page 16 below an ad for Smiling Dan's Used cars. I have seen more than one life ruined by the accusation alone ... and, more than one life ruined by true victimization.
It is no easy thing to investigate and pursue sex crimes - particularly against children. When they are not prosecuted, it is not through a lack of desire, but for reasons related to law and to concern for the victim. Being "connected" isn't even on the radar screen in consideration for the overwhelming majority of these matters.
And, as a note, I recall a case in San Jose more than two decades ago where the defendant was accused of molesting two little girls - he was a Brownie troop leader, a college professor, and part time Ranger in the summer at Yosemite National Park. One of his victims' families left the state and did not pursue the matter. The other little girl's family fought back, got her into counseling, and made her available to testify. The defendant, knowing that the longer the case went on the more likely it would be that past victims might come out, took a plea deal where he was exposed to up to 5 years in prison. At his sentencing, the judge had been prepared to offer probation and time served (about 3 months). However, the parents of the little girl spoke up about his acts, and one victim from more than a decade earlier (now in his 20s) spoke up and presented letters from four prior victims articulating the harm caused by this man. Those two speakers counterbalanced more than 2 dozen speakers on the defendant's behalf including statements from two city councilpersons, an Assemblyman, a Congressman, college faculty, and park personnel. As a result of those two speakers, this man served over three years in prison prior to being paroled. He is on the Megan's Law website even today. So, he was connected, but it didn't matter ... two brave voices from victims overcame all the political pull in the world. Unfortunately, this story is rare ... not because of the political aspects, but, because of the fact that the victim had a family that was both tenacious and credible. (As a note, the SJPD investigator offered a conservative estimate of over 200 victims ... most of which would have been beyond the SOL, and those they could identify did not want to get involved. Very sad.)
End soapbox ...