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John was 21, Jessica just 15. The Lake county couple says her mother invited him to date her daughter, then had him prosecuted for statutory rape.

He did a year in jail. They married when she turned 18, now they have three children and John’s seeking a pardon because being a sex offender means he can’t work on some construction jobs or go to his kids schools.

“I’m not allowed to go near schools, like elementary schools and stuff like that, certain jobs,” John Kemp said. “Some of them I’m allowed to, it just depends on what county it is. One job for instance called Belt Air, is by two elementary schools and I’m not allowed to go near, because we had to have a background check run on us, so I was one of those people who weren’t allowed to go.”

Is he dangerous to kids in any way?

“No, he’s too much of a softy,” Jessica Kemp said.

Kemp got his wish. This is the second “Romeo and Juliet” case to come before the Clemency Board this year.  Governor Crist granted a full pardon to a Panama City man this spring.