Since we started this petition two days ago, two additional stories have made the headlines.

#1) Donald Stoner, 31, member of a local Mennonite community in Allen County, KY, was arrested for sexual abuse involving a juvenile relative. He was charged with third-degree rape and incest.

Why This Matters for Jayden’s Law

Demonstrates that long-term, ongoing sexual abuse within families can slip through the cracks, with charges sometimes being lower than the severity of the crime.
Shows the need for:

Aggravated Abuse provisions in Jayden’s Law (Class A felony for ongoing patterns of abuse).
Custody/visitation termination to cover incest and sexual exploitation.
Stronger Failure to Protect penalties for guardians or adults who fail to intervene.

#2) Laron D. Gardner, age 24 of Louisville, KY, was arrested and charged with the murder of his five year old son, after pushing the child down the stairs, killing him. Investigators discovered Gardner had also kicked the victim’s 4-year-old sister in the chest while she was lying on the floor.

Why This Matters for Jayden’s Law

Illustrates that extreme violence by parents against children can escalate to fatal abuse.

It Reinforces the need for:

Murder by Abuse of a Child provisions (capital offense for torture/patterns of abuse).
Stronger custody termination rules — ensuring parents like Gardner can never again claim rights to surviving children.

Failure to Protect clauses to hold other guardians accountable if they allow such violence.