State law now requires parents to notify each other of abuse

Parents would have to notify each other if they learned a child of theirs had been abused, under a bill signed into law by Gov. Mark Dayton on Wednesday.

The law was inspired by the case of Jacob Gould, who was sexually abused as a 5-year-old by a neighbor of his father's in 2005. Jacob's parents were divorced and shared custody but only Jacob's father was notified at the time. Jacob's mother did not learn of the abuse until four years later, when her son attempted suicide.

"This is a very special bill that turns tragedy into triumph," Dayton said.

Sarah Corder, Jacob's mother, said that when she finally learned of the abuse, she "went to digging through statutes" to see why she wasn't notified.

She learned that law enforcement was legally obligated to inform only one parent. They told her ex-husband, she said, who did not pass on the information.

"Nobody said anything to me," Corder said. "Nobody told Jacob that they knew. So, for four years after they prosecuted the abuser, Jacob kept a secret that really wasn't even a secret."

When Corder discovered the loophole, she set out to change it.

"The support has been amazing," Corder said.

The new law gives each parent the right to be informed by the other parent if their child is the victim of an alleged crime and would give each parent the right to access criminal reports about the alleged abuse.

Corder said she hopes the law will help other families. "It isn't about us anymore, it's about your children," she said.

Corder, Jacob and his siblings joined Dayton for the signing.

"Thanks for your help to keep us moving on," Jacob said.

"I think a lot of states need Jacob's Law," she said.

For now, she is rejoicing that no other parent will be left uninformed.

On her Facebook page Wednesday afternoon, she posted her delight.

"We (you too) did it! Eeeeeek!" she wrote.

Rachel E. Stassen-Berger • Twitter: @rachelsb