Mothers, students, and concerned citizens gathered in downtown Billings today to protest Judge G. Todd Baugh’s 30-day jail sentence for former teacher Stacey Dean Rambold. Rambold was convicted of raping a 14-year-old Cherice Morales, who later committed suicide. For failing to meet the obligations of his rape conviction, Judge G. Todd Baugh sentenced Rambold to 15 years in prison, with all time suspended except 30 days.

Townsquare Media of Billings

The number of people in attendance was estimated to be in the hundreds. Several people briefly spoke during the rally, including a brief appearance by the victim's mother. After the speeches were made, two minutes of silence were requested in solidarity for all victims of sexual crimes.

I stand 100% with the victim and I stand 100% with the mom. I'm against the rape. However, I struggled because I know Judge Baugh has done some good things. - Liz Welch I came down primarily to protest Judge Baugh and his attitude towards the victims. - Pete Taylor

Many of the people who chose to attend the rally showed up bearing signs displaying their frustration with the Judge's decision and to show their solidarity for the victim and her family.

UPDATE: We shot some video while we were at the protest. We got the opening speech from the event organizer and we spoke with a couple of Billings residents about why they chose to attend the rally. When we asked folks why they came down to the rally today, almost everyone was adamant about being there to show their support for the victim's family.