Dietrich (Twitter)
Savannah Dietrich, the 17-year-old Kentucky girl who had been facing contempt of court charges after she tweeted the names of her juvenile attackers, will not be charged.
Late Monday, lawyers for Dietrich's attackers withdrew their motion to have her held in contempt, after the story about the possible charges sparked outrage online.
Last month, Dietrich—frustrated by a plea deal reached by the two boys who assaulted her—took to Twitter to expose them, violating a court order to keep their names confidential.
"There you go, lock me up," Dietrich tweeted after naming the perpetrators. "I'm not protecting anyone that made my life a living Hell." Her Twitter account has since been closed.
Attorneys for the attackers then asked a Jefferson District Court judge to hold Dietrich in contempt. She could have faced up to 180 days in jail and a $500 fine if convicted. The boys have yet to be sentenced for the August 2011 attack.
[Also read: 17-year-old sexual assault victim could face charges for tweeting names of attackers]
"So many of my rights have been taken away by these boys," Dietrich told Louisville's Courier-Journal. "I'm at the point that if I have to go to jail for my rights, I will do it. If they really feel it's necessary to throw me in jail for talking about what happened to me ... as opposed to throwing these boys in jail for what they did to me, then I don't understand justice."
Dietrich was assaulted by the pair after passing out at a party. They later shared photos of the assault with friends.
"For months, I cried myself to sleep," Dietrich said. "I couldn't go out in public places."
On June 26, the boys pleaded guilty to first-degree sexual abuse and misdemeanor voyeurism. Terms of their plea agreement were not released.
An online petition asking the judge not to charge Dietrich, launched on Sunday, accumulated more than 50,000 signatures in 24 hours.
Terry O'Neill, president of the National Organization for Women, called the decision to withdraw the motion "a huge victory not only for Ms. Dietrich, but for women all over the country."