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Time's up for the judge who gave "one pass" to the man who kidnapped, strangled, and masturbated on a woman.

Update: Thanks to the media and advocacy groups shedding light on this miscarriage of justice, Judge Corey was voted out by the people of Alaska in November 2018. It was the first time an Alaska judge was removed from the bench due to public outcry. High five, reporters and citizens! This is how we work together to make a difference.

Trigger warning: sexual assault and everything wrong with our effed up justice system.

It’s a story that so defies justice as to be laughable—if there was anything funny about kidnapping, strangling, and sexual assault.


The story goes like this: In August of 2017, Justin Schneider approached a native Alaskan woman who was looking for a ride at a gas station. The 33-year-old husband and father introduced himself as “Dan” and claimed to know the woman. She accepted the ride.

Schneider drove away with her, pulled over to the side of the road, and told her to get out of the car so he could load some things. Shortly after she exited the vehicle, he tackled her to the ground, told her he'd kill her if she screamed, strangled her until she was unconscious, then masturbated on her.

Yes. He did. Go ahead and take a moment.

After the woman regained consciousness, Schneider handed her a tissue, I assume because that's the gentlemanly thing to do after attempting to murder a woman and jacking off over her.

Wait, sorry—he allegedly wasn’tattempting to murder her. According to police detective Brett Sarber, Schneider told the woman that he wasn’t really going to kill her—he just needed her to believe she was going to die so that he could be “sexually fulfilled.”

You read that right.

What this man did is shocking, disgusting, horrifying, and true. But he pled guilty, so he gets no jail time. WHAT?!

If the story itself isn’t enough to make your brain explode, the miscarriage of justice that came afterward will.

This incident happened more than a year ago, and during that time Schneider has been living under house arrest. Not in jail, but at home, with his family.

A grand jury indicted Schneider on four felony counts including kidnapping, assault, harassment, and “offensive contact with fluids.” But because we live in the Upside Down and nothing makes sense, Schneider was able to make a plea deal with the state, which somehow made it so that this man—who kidnapped a woman and strangled her unconscious so he could masturbate on her—will serve no jail time.

Anchorage Superior Court Judge Michael Corey sentenced Schneider to two years, but with a year suspended and credit for the year he served under house arrest. That means that as long as he doesn’t violate his probation conditions, he’s essentially a free man.

But don’t worry! The judge told him not to do it again, so clearly he won't.

After the judgment was passed down, Judge Corey looked Schneider right in the eye and said, “This can never happen again.”

Um, duh. Shouldn’t it have never happened at all? Isn’t this what we have a justice system for? To dispense justice for heinous things that people have already done?

The court is treating this as if it were some kind of accidental, one-time slip-up. As Assistant District Attorney Andrew Grannik said, “I would like the gentleman to be on notice that that is his one pass . . .” Sorry, his one pass??? Grannik also argued that Schneider losing his job as an air traffic controller over the charges is already a “life sentence.”

Did I mention that Schneider doesn’t have to register as a sex offender, because apparently kidnapping and choking a woman half to death so you can get your jollies off isn’t considered a sexual offense?

Are you feeling a rage aneurysm coming on? Because I’m feeling a rage aneurysm coming on.

Every single thing about this case and the outcome is a travesty. But unfortunately, it’s not surprising.

We learned in the Brock Turner case that white men who attack women can be given a pass by white judges who either don’t understand the impact of sexual assault on women or don’t care. We also know that kidnapping, assault, and murder of indigenous women is a tragic epidemic that doesn’t get the attention it deserves.

And yes, race matters in this case. Can you even imagine what this verdict would look like if a black or native man had been the perpetrator and the victim was a white woman? Please.

Our justice system is seriously effed up, partially because of the way laws are written and partially because of the people in the system. I mean, check out this eerily polite exchange between Judge Corey and Schneider at the conclusion of the trial:

“I would just like to, um, emphasize how grateful I am for this process,” Schneider said in court. “It has given me a year to really work on myself and become a better person and a better husband and a better father. And I’m very eager to continue that journey.”

“All right. Thank you, sir,” the judge replied. “I appreciate those comments.”

Isn’t that just a lovely exchange? How nice that the "process" since Schneider chose to kidnap and strangle and sexually assault a woman has been so helpful to him. No mention of the victim, who now has to live with the trauma of thinking she was going to die while having her body violated. No expression of remorse for his actions. Schneider clearly just needed to "work on himself" like the rest of us, that’s all. This was just a normal step in a normal man’s self-help journey, not the sick and twisted actions of a psycho predator sexual deviant.

And hey, Judge Corey? You do not say, “Thank you, sir” to a man who kidnapped a woman, strangled her unconscious, and then masturbated on her. You just don’t. I can't even believe that needs to be said.

It is looong past time to recall every judge who dispenses slaps on the wrist for violence against women. Buh-bye, old white dudes. Your time is up.

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Three women, three MS journeys: How multiple sclerosis looks different for everyone

Gina, Nathalie and Helga share their reactions to being diagnosed with MS and how they stay informed and positive in the face of ever-changing symptoms.

Courtesy of Sanofi

Helga, Nathalie and Gina all have MS, and their experiences show how differently the disease can manifest.

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It’s been 155 years since neurologist Jean-Martin Charcot gave the first lecture on a mysterious progressive illness he called “multiple sclerosis.” Since then, we’ve learned a lot. We know MS causes the immune system to attack healthy tissue, including damaging the brain and spinal cord. Resulting symptoms can be debilitating and include fatigue, blurred vision, memory problems and weakness. Huge advancements in our understanding of MS and its underlying causes, as well as treatment advances, have been made in the past few decades, but MS remains a complex and unpredictable reality for the 2.8 million+ people diagnosed around the world.

Ironically, the only real constant for people living with MS is change. There’s no set pattern or standard progression of the disease, so each person’s experience is unique. Some people with MS have mild symptoms that worsen slowly but sometimes improve, while others can have severe symptoms that drastically alter their daily lives.

All people with MS share some things in common, however, such as the need to stay informed on the ever-evolving research, find various lines of support and try to remain hopeful as they continue living with the disease.

To better understand what navigating life with MS really looks like, three women shared their MS stories with us. Their journeys demonstrate how MS can look different for different people and interestingly, how the language used to talk about the disease can greatly impact how people understand their realities.

woman with horse, woman riding horseGina loves riding her horse, Benita.Courtesy of Sanofi

Gina—Hamburg, Germany (diagnosed with relapsing multiple sclerosis in 2017)

When her youngest son was 4 months old, Gina started having problems with her eye. She’d soon learn she was experiencing optic neuritis—her first symptom of MS.

“Immediately after the diagnosis, I looked up facts on MS because I didn’t know anything about it,” Gina says. “And as soon as I knew what could really happen with this disease, I actually got scared.”

As her family’s primary income provider, she worried about how MS would impact her ability to work as a writer and editor. Her family was afraid she was going to end up in a wheelchair. However, for now, Gina’s MS is managed well enough that she still works full-time and is able to be active.

“When I tell somebody that I have MS, they often don't believe me the first time because I don't fulfill any stereotypes,” she says.

Overwhelmed by negative perspectives on living with MS, Gina sought support in the online MS community, which she found to be much more positive.

“I think it’s important to use as many positive words as you can when talking about MS.” It’s important to be realistic while also conveying hope, she says. “MS is an insidious disease that can cause many bad symptoms…that can be frightening, and you can't gloss over it, either.”

To give back to the online community that helped her so much, Gina started a blog to share her story and help others trying to learn about their diagnosis.

Though she deals with fatigue and cognitive dysfunction sometimes, Gina stays active swimming, biking, riding horses and playing with her sons, who are now 11 and 6.

Cognitive dysfunction is common in MS, with over half of people affected. It can impact memory, attention, planning, and word-finding. As with many aspects of MS, some people experience mild changes, while others face more challenges.

Gina says that while there’s still a lot of education about MS needed, she feels positive about the future of MS because there’s so much research being done.

woman in wheelchair holding medal, woman rowingNathalie is an award-winning rower with multiple international titles.Courtesy of Sanofi

Nathalie — Pennes Mirabeau, France (diagnosed with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis in 2002)

Nathalie was a teenager and a competitive athlete when she noticed her first symptoms of MS, but it would take four years of “limbo” before she was diagnosed.

“Ultimately, the diagnosis was more of a relief, than a shock,” she says. “Because when you have signs and you don’t know why, it’s worse than knowing, in the end, what you have.”

However, learning more about the disease—and the realities of disease progression—scared her.

“That glimpse of the future was direct and traumatic,” she says. Her neurologist explained that the disease evolves differently for everyone, and her situation might end up being serious or very mild. So, she decided to stop comparing herself to others with MS.

She said to herself, “We’ll see what happens, and you’ll manage it bit by bit.”

By 2005, Nathalie’s MS had progressed to the point of needing a wheelchair. However, that has not dampened her competitive spirit.

Nathalie began her international rowing career in 2009 and has won multiple world titles, including two Paralympic medals—silver in London and bronze in Tokyo. Now, at 42, she still trains 11 times a week. Fatigue can be a problem, and sometimes hard workouts leave her with muscle stiffness and shaking, but she credits her ongoing sports career for helping her feel in tune with her body’s signals.

“Over the years, I’ve learned to listen to my body, letting my body guide when I need to stop and take breaks,” she says.

Nathalie explains that she used to only look backwards because of the initial shock of her diagnosis. In time, she stopped thinking about what she couldn’t do anymore and focused on her future. She now lives in the following mindset: “Even when doors close, don’t miss out on those that open.” Instead of focusing on what she can’t do, she focuses on the opportunities she still has. Right now, this includes her training for the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris, where she will compete for another rowing medal.

“I only go forward,” she says. “Well, I try, anyway…It’s easy to say, it’s not always easy to do. But that’s what I try to do.”

woman exiting water after swimming, woman with great daneHelga's Great Dane has become a helpful and beloved companion.Courtesy of Sanofi

Helga—Johannesburg, South Africa (diagnosed with relapsing multiple sclerosis in 2010)

When Helga first started having balance issues and numbness in her feet, she chalked it up to her training as a runner. But when the numbness moved to her face, she knew something was wrong. She never guessed it was MS.

“When I was diagnosed, I felt completely overwhelmed and clueless,” Helga says. “I felt that I had nowhere near enough information. I did not know anything about the disease…I had no idea that it was going to be a process of continually monitoring and adjusting your lifestyle.”

In the beginning, Helga’s symptoms developed slowly, and she didn’t appear ill to others. She was even able to run for a few years after her diagnosis, but she couldn’t do marathons anymore, and she began to fall frequently due to balance issues and right-foot dragging. Then her cognition issues became more problematic, especially in her job as a trainer in a printing company.

“My executive function, decision-making and short-term memory were affected to the point that I was eventually medically unfit for work,” she says. She stopped working in 2017.

However, she didn’t stop living life. Even though she could no longer run, she continued to swim competitively. She got a Great Dane puppy and trained him as a service dog to help her walk. She also serves as vice chair of the patient support organization Multiple Sclerosis South Africa, and she advises others who have been diagnosed to join a patient advocacy group as soon as possible to get reliable information and meet others with MS.

Helga says she is “hopeful” about the future of MS. “I must say that I am so grateful that we have all the new medications available, because my life would not be the same if it wasn't for that,” she adds.

Part of how she manages her MS is by looking at the positives.

“If I could tell the world one thing about MS, it would be that MS is an incurable disease of the nervous system, but it's also the greatest teacher of valuing your health, family, friends, and managing change in your life,” she says. “My life is diversified in a way that I never, ever thought it would, and MS has been honestly the greatest teacher.”

Each MS journey is unique – with each person impacted experiencing different struggles, successes, and feelings as they manage this unpredictable disease. But the common thread is clear – there is a critical need for information, support, and hope. We are proud to participate in World MS Day and share these incredible stories of living life while living with MS. To learn more about MS, go to https://www.sanofi.com/why-words-really-matter-when-it-comes-to-multiple-sclerosis.

MAT-GLB-2301642-v1.0-05/2023

This article was sponsored by Sanofi. Participants were compensated when applicable.

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