Posted on 04/16/2005 11:21:56 AM PDT by NormsRevenge
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - The girl was led by the arm behind a stage curtain in the auditorium. There, witnesses said her lip was bloodied and she was sexually assaulted by a group of boys, an attack videotaped by one student and watched by more than a dozen others who came running as word spread.
Within minutes, the developmentally disabled girl reported the alleged assault to a special education teacher, who said the girl "looked dazed and confused and was crying."
But principals didn't immediately notify police for fear of media attention, in violation of state law. When the girl's father arrived, he was asked not to call 911. He ignored the request and called police.
Now administrators at Mifflin High School face the possibility of being charged along with students in the alleged March 9 assault at the school, which has a history of violence.
"Even if you are following the common sense measure, absolutely, none of this should have happened," Gene Harris, district superintendent, said Friday.
The district said it will fire Principal Regina Crenshaw and has suspended three assistant principals. Police have not said who will face charges, but a city attorney said school officials could be prosecuted along with the alleged assailants.
Witness statements to school investigators paint a picture of a slipshod response to the alleged assault, which came on the heels of other problems. Earlier in the day, administrators had to deal with an assault on a Somali student and a report that a student had a concealed weapon.
Just after noon, the girl said four boys grabbed her by the arm. Students said one assailant punched the girl in the face and she dropped to her knees. One of the boys told her, "If you scream I'll have all my boys punch you."
She was forced to perform oral sex on at least two boys, according to statements from school investigators.
A student who had a camera for a school project videotaped the alleged assault, illuminated by light from a cell phone. Another witness said at least 15 people were in a room that looked into the auditorium because they had heard what was happening.
When some students eventually went to look for an adult, the boys involved in the alleged assault fled.
Police have not said how many boys may be charged, but plan to give their evidence to prosecutors early this coming week. Potential charges could include delinquency counts of rape and pandering obscenity, said spokeswoman Sherry Mercurio.
The boys, who have not been publicly identified, are not expected to return to class this school year, district spokesman Andrew Marcelain said.
Whether school administrators will be charged is unclear. State law requires officials to immediately report cases of abuse to law enforcement or face up to 30 days in jail and a $250 fine, said City Attorney Richard C. Pfeiffer Jr.
However, he said officials would be charged only if someone filed a complaint. So far, no complaint has been filed. An attorney for the girl's father would not say if he planned to file one.
The school also is investigating the possibility of earlier assaults against the girl. Lisa Upshaw-Haider, the special education teacher, said boys previously had oral sex with the girl on a bus and tried to pull down her pants at school.
After the alleged assault was reported, the school was locked down while administrators frantically tried to find the videotape and identify suspects. The school's police officer was away for training that day.
"I could only imagine what we might be facing if that tape made it out of the building to later show up on the Internet or who knows where," Assistant Principal Vincent Clarno told investigators.
Clarno said he summoned the principal, who was meeting with two assistant principals and district officials about schedules and curriculum. Crenshaw remained in the meeting, Clarno said.
Crenshaw declined to comment. A message was left at a phone listing for Clarno.
Assistant Principal Rick Watson told investigators he reviewed the tape with other school officials and concluded there had been no coercion.
When the girl's father arrived, Watson said he advised him to call the non-emergency police line, not 911, because "our fear was that a news channel might tape his daughter and cause her further mental trauma."
School district policy warns that calling police might draw media attention.
It also says that although administrators must sometimes make judgment calls when deciding whether to notify authorities, "the committing of assaults do not normally warrant 'judgment calls.'"
The girl's father referred questions to his lawyer, Gary Shroyer, who declined to comment. Phone numbers could not be found for Watson or Upshaw-Haider.
Last week, school administrators discouraged a reporter from trying to interview students at the school.
Shirley Justice, 64, whose granddaughter attends the school, said administrators who handled the situation should be fired.
"You don't know if your kids are safe," she said.
No wonder 'they' didn't want the media snooping around.
Lock'em up.............
Somehow, it being Mifflin, I am not surprised....
Haven't girls been taught, when forced into oral sex, to bite through the offending memeber? That serves three purposes; it stops the assault cold, disables the attacker, and leaves physical evidence of the assault.
This is somewhat different from the impression we've been given of "don't call the police." I'm not saying that the school authorities weren't trying to remain in a media-free zone. I'm sure they were worried about their hides. But since the incident was over, using the non-emergency number wouldn't alter the police response once they heard the report.
...offending memeber...
...member...
preview is our friend, JimRed!
"The girl's father referred questions to his lawyer, Gary Shroyer..."
An attorney who is going to get paid out of this incident. And deservedly so. This school sounds like a sinkhole. What did they have, 3 violent incidents in a day? Amazing.
Somehow, it being Mifflin, I am not surprised....
Out of curiosity..I looked up the demographics
Mifflin ...95% Black , Violence, Rape, Incompetance, coverup
Business as usual in the Hip Hop world. women are "Bitches" and "HOs"
Thank you Democrats...Another Fine Piece of work.
I've never heard of that "training" - however - what could be equally effective as a deterrent would be some urban myths about girls doing such a thing.
If we could get the typical perps to hear these strories - remember we are typically not dealing with the rocket scientist end of the scale here - it could work as a deterrent.
Not to be a conspirator or anything - but I wonder how much societal change we could affect by informal buzz/viral/guerilla marketing using communication tools like the internet.
A good one to start would be about all of the terrible damage girls have been doing biting. It would also give those on the fence in a a situaiton like this a story with which to fight the peer pressure.
Diva's Husband
Sounds like a great idea to me!!!!
Yes, indeed! And I must say, I flinched when I thought of it!
Assistant Principal Rick Watson told investigators he reviewed the tape with other school officials and concluded there had been no coercion.
Just kids being kids, eh, Principal Watson?
This is outrageous. The girl was 'developmentally disabled' and unable to consent to sex in any meaningful way. Plus she was outnumbered. The tone of the school's report is that nothing really bad happened, so forget it. Next we'll hear that the girl 'asked' for it. They had the gall to tell the father not to call the cops and not to come down to school before the end of the day lest he run into her attackers. So the victim had to sit for hours in the office of the principal or nurse. The administrators may have been busy with assaults and concealed weapons, but they dropped the ball with this one.
Why wouldn't what happened to his daughter be considered an emergency, anyway, esp. since she was fearful and had suffered mental trauma? Is it common practice for Ohio news channels to tape 911 calls, like a police scanner? I understand the school's fear that the enraged father might attack the boys if he saw them in the school, but they could have kept the boys in a locker room or whatever until he'd taken his daughter home. They mishandled this big time and a big fat lawsuit is headed their way.
In fact, the sooner Homo Rottencuss is wiped out, the better. Too bad there aren't any external markers to spot them on sight.
Do they call that obstruction of justice? A crime was committed and the school adminstrators took direct action to conceal it.
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