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Jason Cohn / Reuters file
Harding Stadium, home of the Steubenville High Big Red football team sits in the middle of Steubenville, Ohio, on Jan. 8. Ma'lik Richmond and Trenton Mays, both 16 and members of the Steubenville High School football team, are charged with raping a 16-year-old fellow student at a party last August.
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Two high school football players go on trial this coming week on charges of raping a nearly passed-out-drunk 16-year-old girl during a night of partying in Steubenville. Around the football-powerhouse city, some are demanding to know why at least three other teens aren't facing charges, too.
After the athletes' arrest last summer, one of the many rumors that swirled around town proved all too true: Three boys, two of them members of Steubenville High's celebrated Big Red team, saw something happening that night and didn't try to stop it.
Instead, two pulled out their cellphones and took video and a photo.
The allegations shocked and roiled the city of 18,000, but prosecutors brought no charges against the witnesses, fueling months of furious online accusations of a cover-up to protect the team — something law enforcement authorities have vehemently denied.
One blogger wrote a post was headlined: "Steubenville Big Red Rape Accusations: The Other Perpetrators."
"Anyone that they can show had firsthand knowledge and was partly in some way responsible for the event, the rape, they should be charged," said Jackie Hillyer, president of the Ohio chapter of the National Organization for Women. She is among those pressing, at a minimum, for charges of failure to report a crime, which is punishable by up to 30 days in jail and a $250 fine.
Longtime Steubenville resident Willa Wade said: "I feel personally that if they were there, they knew it had happened, they did not report it or stop it, then they ought to be brought up on the same charges as anybody else."
The Ohio attorney general's office, however, informed the three witnesses in a letter last fall that while they may not have conducted themselves "in a responsible or appropriate manner," their behavior "did not rise to the level of criminal conduct," and they would not be charged.
Legal experts said it is clear prosecutors sorely need the witnesses' testimony to make their rape case because there is little physical evidence against the defendants and the girl may have been too intoxicated to remember much.
"This prosecutor more than anything else wants to get a conviction of the culprits and he does not want to jeopardize that single-minded goal," said Christo Lassiter, a University of Cincinnati criminal law professor. "That's the conservative approach. Above all else, get the main culprit. If you can get the other folks along the line, fine."
Ma'Lik Richmond, 16, and Trent Mays, 17, go on trial Wednesday in juvenile court in Steubenville. They are charged with digitally penetrating the girl, first in the back seat of a moving car after a mostly underage, alcohol-fueled party Aug. 11, and then in the basement of a house. Witnesses said the girl was so drunk she threw up at least twice and had trouble walking and speaking. She was also photographed being carried by the two young men.
If convicted, they could be held in a juvenile jail until they turn 21. They have denied any wrongdoing.
The Associated Press normally does not identify minors charged in juvenile court, but Mays and Richmond have been widely identified in news coverage, and their names have been used in open court.
They were charged 10 days after the party, after a flurry of social media postings about the alleged attack led the girl and her family to go to police.
The scandal brought a barrage of accusations and insinuations, mostly online, with some townspeople supporting the defendants and others complaining that the football team has unusual sway over the city. Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine's office took over the case after the local prosecutor stepped down because her son is a football player at 700-student Steubenville High.
Big Red football is a big deal in Steubenville. The stadium, dubbed Death Valley, sits on a hill above town, and the team is a nine-time state champion, with back-to-back titles in 2005 and 2006. Man O' War, a red statue of a rearing stallion, shoots flames from its mouth each time a touchdown is scored.
Three students — Anthony Craig and football players Mark Cole and Evan Westlake — testified at a hearing in October, just days after receiving the letters assuring them they would not be prosecuted. Prosecutors said at the hearing that Cole and Craig would have been charged if they hadn't deleted the images on their cellphones.
At the same proceeding, Westlake was asked by a prosecutor why he didn't stop the alleged attack.
"I was stunned at what I saw," he said. "I just wanted — I wanted to get out of there and I —I — I didn't know what to do, I mean."
The defendants' lawyers also raised the possibility that the witnesses did not know what they were seeing that night. Under questioning, the teen witnesses said that the girl was able to tell some of the boys the password to her smartphone and that they never heard her say "no" or "stop."
"So, you don't consider it a sexual assault?" attorney Adam Nemann asked Cole.
"I feel it's not my place to make that decision on whether it was or wasn't," Cole responded. "I can just tell you what I witnessed."
"And if this was a sexual assault I'm sure you would have called and told someone, right?" Nemann said.
"I would assume, yes," Cole said.
On a blog run by former Steubenville resident Alexandria Goddard, some anonymous posters have demanded others at the party be charged, including football player Cody Saltsman. Saltsman sued Goddard for defamation, and the case was settled with Goddard saying there was no evidence Saltsman was involved in the alleged attack.
Then, in January, a YouTube video was posted featuring another student, Michael Nodianos, apparently cracking jokes about the alleged rape just hours after it occurred, while others in the background chimed in. NOW is demanding prosecutors charge Nodianos with failure to report a crime, but Nodianos' lawyer said the young man had no "firsthand knowledge of the facts."
Leave a Comment:
Boys will be boys attitude is all over this. They will have a great career in politics. Disgusting. Utterly disgusting!
Those drunken braindead boys raped a helpless girl. Our drunken braindead politicians are raping the American people. Disgusting, indeed.
I hope this a-hole do some jail time. But hopefully this girl wises up and doesn't go to anymore parties at 16 and get drunk and put herself in that position again.
Taking America Back!
There ya go clarkjoebob, She was asking for it! Even if NBC failed to mention that they went by the name "The Rape Crew" and used roofies on her. That reminds me, I apparently know more about the story than the writer. He left out quite a bit.
You're right cohen, boys might be boys. But at least when I was a boy, we adhired to a strict code of conduct! What happened to that? I hope these children have Bubba for a roommate so they know what it feels like!
They should have been charged as adults.
Yes, of course. Why ruin a boys future over something as this issue? These boys play some great ball. Think about their abilities! The so-called victim, drunk, and...??
CEO's, Senators, perhaps. Great careers of helping people. Making Catholics, Italian-Americans, Irish-Americans, Episcopalians, some Blacks, tons of money, not to mention the boy's potential.
Keeping all this covered up is part of the American Way.
Why are things going the way they are going down at the police station and the courthouse? Simple, the *alleged* rapists are "football players" and the rape victim is "drunk girl".
The code all goes down the drain when you add alcohol and drugs. What have we come to as a nation anyway? Bad choices always bring bad results.
WTH are you talking about and what is your point???
If the boy that I raised would be that kind of beast to degrade another huamn being, I would disown him and he would never step his foot in my house. When it comes to what's right and what's wrong, the blood is NOT thicker than water.
The sooner our society understands that, the hope of its survival and for our future would jump high on the charts... But our culture is ridden with decay and rottenness, and we are spiraling to the bottom faster than gravity speed!
What the h--l happened. Three drunk teens having sex. It looks like they did it. Did she say she was raped. I am confused, she gives out her smart phonepassword. She does not say no, she breaks the law by drinking and drugging. They are all drunk through choice. I guess by law only males are responsible. Females have no responsiblities.
Death penalty. Execute these little monsters...
They deserve the maximum penality. The ones who watched and did nothing should be charged as well. That just goes to show what low life ignorant pieces of @!$%# that they are as well.
Richardharrow & bibol---you both intimate she was asking for it!!! The next time you little wienies go into a shower at the club, by God, don't drop that soap & pick it up cause you too might be asking for it. Stupid jerks!!! Ever been raped, huh??? NOBODY ASKS FOR IT. And the fact that stupid girl was drunk, puking and passed out means she DID NOT HAVE THE CAPACITY TO CONSENT---at all--even if she didn't say no. Why should a girl have to say no. They should have kept their filthy hands off her.
Tess42, I for one would LOVE to have you shower with me. ;)
You up for it? <333 xoxo lol
Boys will be boys my butt. I wish that I had a $ for every time that I heard a moron say that. I could retire.
The saying should read. Boys will be just like their fathers. Morons.
Friday Night Lights, football is king, football is religion, nothing else matters, the priveleged shall not be held accountable, what is life without football, we glorify it and it gives our lives meaning, we are nothing without it, and so forth.
The genius boys are being protected because they can play with a ball........what does that say about our society?
Are we sure this place isn't called Stupidville?
Everyone is assuming she sat around and got drunk with the good ole boys. How do you know she wasn't given a drink laced with the date rape drug?
Unless she was unknowingly drugged, the girl is 50% responsible, although she should be given a little leeway because her parents are obviously trash.
If you have no self-respect, you can expect others to take advantage. That's the way the world works, like it or not.
And yes, boys will be boys. Give them access to a drunken slut, and they'll amuse themselves--especially if they've been drinking too. How about that? Why is she the innocent victim because she was drunk, but for the boys, intoxication is no excuse?
Did anyone hold a gun to her head or threaten her with physical violence if she didn't comply? Was she in the privacy of her own home, or some other place she could reasonably expect to be safe while drunk out of her mind?
She got less than what was coming to her. She should thank the boys for not taking it further. Most would have.
@patter123: You are a monster! She is 0% responsible. No one should be raped no matter what! I can go in a bar naked and that does not mean that I should be raped. Should I be arrested, yes, not raped. The RAPISTS are 100% responsible. She got raped because there were rapists near her. That's it. You are a rape apologist.
I am a woman and i have been to many of house parties and clubs etc. I have NEVER gotten so drunk to throw up twice and pass out. In my experience this is left for the dumb ditzies at the party that are anorexic and don't eat prior. These women always made me laugh walking around in their 4 inch heals, well actually they can't walk. This woman is also gross. But to clarify NO ONE EVER under ANY circumstances should be raped. I don't care if her crotch is hanging out of her skirt! NOTHING EVER condones rape. The way i see it though is they are all a bunch of pigs and should be ashamed. And patter your comment is the grossest one on here SHAME ON YOU TOO! Men have an obligation to not take advantage of these dumb women. Dont act like these guys are so helpless. One of them should have stepped in to babysit this chick and take her home or to a friends. Also where was her girlfriends?
And ashp, you obviously don't know enough about this story. One of the boys present was a former boyfriend who it is alleged invited her to the party then laced her drink. While it's great that you never got so drunk as to be so unresponsive that the fool on the YouTube video referred to her as a "dead body", perhaps, just perhaps you should take a moment to understand that no matter how intoxicated this young lady was, the fact that no one had the moral compass to not only stop what was happening but to make sure she got home safely, says more about the teens and the couch who thew the initial party and was very much aware that alcohol was being served, then it will ever say about this young lady. You are right that no one deserves to be raped, but the worst part about this for me is that all those who took photos and posted them online (which is how the girls parents found out what happened to their daughter), obviously have no home training.
Bsbfankaren: Did you stop reading my post midway? I also said someone should have stepped in and where was her friends. Also it hasn't even been confirmed she was drugged.
I want to know if this girl has been charged with underage drinking, taking illegal drugs, putting other people in harms way. Whats good for the Gander is good for the goose.
A couple of things about this case really bother me: 1. The attitude of some posters and the legal system to not hold the girl at least partially responsible for the event(s). If this same girl had left the party (no rape issue), got in her car and began driving, had a wreck and killed someone, she would have been held 100% responsible for her actions. Yet, she had no responsibility for having sex with two guys???. I know almost nothing about this case, but, drunk or not, the sex acts appear to be consentual. 2. Who supplied the alcohol? Did an ADULT supply the alcohol? If so, that adult should be held liable for, at the very least, contributing to the delinquency of a minor(s). Also, how many of the party participants' parents knew that their child was attending a party where they knew alcohol would be served? How much guilt and responsibility do they have in this case? If the boys who saw and didn't stop what they thought was consentual sex, shouldn't the suppliers of the alcohol be equally responsible the "rape", since alcohol appears to be very near the ROOT cause of the incident?
We agree, you know nothing about the case.
These boys knew what they were doing and didn't care about any consequences. (yes I have worked with Delinquents, Sexual Perps and At risk Youth). Yet I fail to understand why they are being tried as Juveniles for conducting an adult crime. They drank as if adults and raped a young lady as if the were adults.
They should also be blabeled as Sexual Perps/Offenders for life, as that is what they are. Hand Slapping the watchers send them a very poor message===hey as long as we delete the evidence we will get off!
Over all I don't give a damn what Sport they excel at they got a girl drunk and then gang raped her, and the watchers video taped it----such is a CRIME IN ALL RESPECTS>
Do the prosecutors in Ohio have any guts to follow through on their job? OR are they being paid on the side to protect these gang rapers?
Sargent Floyd your attitutde SUCKS! So women ask for it huh? Wonder if this was your daughter who had been gang raped, if you would feel the same way.
Your Sir, do not deserve the title of Sargent, for you are a selfish PIG who cannot see the sun shine!
boys will be boys and men will be incarcerated. these little heathens will get off light because they play football and that's more important than ANYTHING else in the midwest. what a bunch of oinkers to blame the girl because a boy slipped her some roofies. someday, karma will run over their dogma and too bad the rest of the world won't get to see it.
Glad to see NOW is getting involved in this. After ignoring Juanita Broderick's rape claim, I was beginning to think they lost interest in protecting women.
Juanita Broderick? Are you kidding?! How many decades ago was this and this is what you bring up here?
Clearly you are political "trolling".
Duh, Free: "Obama Lies" is obviously using this case as an EXAMPLE of one of NOW's past failures.
NOW don't give a crap about women.
Obama Lies: You are a moron
Here's one for you obama hater, the prosecutor is republican! More concerned in protecting than prosecuting.
Randy,Just Googled your comment and you're lying as usual.Prosecutor Jane M Hanlin is a Democrat and her own son is an alleged member of the "Rape Crew".Why is it you Democrats always lie????
Randy
Why does it matter what party the proscecutor is? It was the Attorney General who said the boys would not be proscetuted. By the way the AG was just following the law even if he is a republican.
Free
Maybe oboma lies, brought up NOW to show just how far to the left NOW is. The fact that they had no interest in, and wanted no involvement in the many claims aginst Clinton, shows how they pick and choose which causes or events they want to get involved in. Their opinions, causes and their rants and raves have lost their effectiveness to many people who once supported them.
I would like to examine why NOW has been so inactive in protecting women's rights these days...didn't that used to be their purpose?
All of you who are throwing in politics are all a bunch of @!$%#in idiots. This story has nothing to do with Obama or any political affiliation. You morons do this with every story written. The reason they aren't prosecuting the three boys that saw the rape is because they need them to be witnesses and testify. With out their testimony the two boys that raped her would probablky walk free. It has already been reported that their isn't much evidence and, unfortunately, rape is extremely hard to prove without much physical evidence, especially when the vicim was drunk. All the prosecuters have are these three boys testimony. So you let them walk free or you let all five walk free. That's sad but it's reality. It doesn't matter if the prosecuter, judge, or President are Republican or Democrat.
So get your head out of your political asses and realize there is more to this story then just politcs in Washington D.C. It's called the real world. Everything doesn't have to be tied to being Republican or Democrat. I remember when being American was good enough to show respect for other Americans and being human was good enough to be respectful to everyone.
It used to be their purpose when they were feminists. Now that they have become Demonists, they are only interested in protecting certain women and certain causes (abortion).
Imcurious and Johnny: Sad but true. We need to keep bringing attention to such lies and fact-altering, as country leaning far too heavily to the left these days. Our country used to thrive mainly on fairness and balance. Too much to either side is not good for any of us. I hate the divisiveness and class warfare that has prevailed in this administration, now more than ever before...not good for any free country to survive and stay on top.
The problem I have with this case is that one of the boys' mother is a prosecutor who tried to get the girl not to press charges. Also the fact that they were at a coach's house and then went to another coach's house who told them not to come there. I want to know why the person who gave her the drink (I believe it might have been a girl) not been charged with abatting and aiding the two.
"Mark my wordz" couldn't have said it any better, yes it's sad they have to let those other boys go to get a testimony out of them! But that's 101 for Dummies, you "Political Want a Be's. It doesn't matter how old that young girl was! They took advantage of her, and probably help her get in the condition that she was in when THEY RAPED HER!!!
Mark: Have to disagree with you there. Unfortunately, like it or not it ALL has become more political...part of the divisiveness that's happening. I don't like it myself.
Check out Jrsygrl's comment just below yours about why NOW has changed so much, unless you can offer a better answer, hers makes total sense.
ANNIE,
I believe she is talking about NOW. I am talking about the actual case and the parties involved. Thank you for being civil about your answer. I respect that a lot. This next part isn't towards you... unless it applies. :)
I honestly don't care what now is doing or not doing. For anyone talking about who isn't helping who, I want to know how many people on here are volunteering somewhere to help people. I bet more then half aren't. No one should say anything about what organization is not helping. Instead, join and help make a change. Be a positive impact somewhere instead of a negative, mean spirited person on here. Just a bunch of cyber bullies, hiding behind anonymity just waiting to make a remark about someone else. I wonder where these kids and kids across the country learn to not have respect for other people? It couldn't be the parents, AKA half the people commenting on here, could it?
imcurious, I see your blind as well as stupid too. If you are smart enough to go to his website, you will see a pic of him at the republican national convention. @$$hole!!!
Randy-394876 and imcurious-29,
You both are complete idiots. you both are arguing about different people. Randy, you are talking about the original prosecutor and imcurious, you are talking about the attorney general who took over the case. Both of you only care about that which has nothing to do with why the prosecution isn't charging the three witnesses. It's a strategy to make sure they get a conviction on the rapists, it has nothing to do with who is republican or democrat.
Please read what you type before you post. It's frustrating reading comments that are off topic, and to be honest, unintelligent.
Randy: why bring up someone who is no longer on the case? Try to get through a day without whining about politics.
Mark my wordz thank you for your sanity.
let me help remove some stupidity here for those who think the girl "deserved" it. Here's Ohio law, and most states have similar laws regarding anyone who is intoxicated, through self administration or through administration by another: "
No person shall engage in sexual conduct with another who is not the spouse of the offender or who is the spouse of the offender but is living separate and apart from the offender, when any of the following applies:
(a) For the purpose of preventing resistance, the offender substantially impairs the other person’s judgment or control by administering any drug, intoxicant, or controlled substance to the other person surreptitiously or by force, threat of force, or deception.
Whoever violates this section is guilty of rape, a felony of the first degree. If the offender under division (A)(1)(a) of this section substantially impairs the other person’s judgment or control by administering any controlled substance described in section 3719.41 of the Revised Code to the other person surreptitiously or by force, threat of force, or deception, the prison term imposed upon the offender shall be one of the prison terms prescribed for a felony of the first degree in section 2929.14 of the Revised Code that is not less than five years. Except as otherwise provided in this division, notwithstanding sections 2929.11 to 2929.14 of the Revised Code, an offender under division (A)(1)(b) of this section shall be sentenced to a prison term or term of life imprisonment pursuant to section 2971.03 of the Revised Code. If an offender is convicted of or pleads guilty to a violation of division (A)(1)(b) of this section, if the offender was less than sixteen years of age at the time the offender committed the violation of that division, and if the offender during or immediately after the commission of the offense did not cause serious physical harm to the victim, the victim was ten years of age or older at the time of the commission of the violation, and the offender has not previously been convicted of or pleaded guilty to a violation of this section or a substantially similar existing or former law of this state, another state, or the United States, the court shall not sentence the offender to a prison term or term of life imprisonment pursuant to section 2971.03 of the Revised Code, and instead the court shall sentence the offender as otherwise provided in this division. If an offender under division (A)(1)(b) of this section previously has been convicted of or pleaded guilty to violating division (A)(1)(b) of this section or to violating an existing or former law of this state, another state, or the United States that is substantially similar to division (A)(1)(b) of this section, if the offender during or immediately after the commission of the offense caused serious physical harm to the victim, or if the victim under division (A)(1)(b) of this section is less than ten years of age, in lieu of sentencing the offender to a prison term or term of life imprisonment pursuant to section 2971.03 of the Revised Code, the court may impose upon the offender a term of life without parole. If the court imposes a term of life without parole pursuant to this division, division (F) of section 2971.03 of the Revised Code applies, and the offender automatically is classified a tier III sex offender/child-victim offender, as described in that division.
C) A victim need not prove physical resistance to the offender in prosecutions under this section.
(D) Evidence of specific instances of the victim’s sexual activity, opinion evidence of the victim’s sexual activity, and reputation evidence of the victim’s sexual activity shall not be admitted under this section unless it involves evidence of the origin of semen, pregnancy, or disease, or the victim’s past sexual activity with the offender, and only to the extent that the court finds that the evidence is material to a fact at issue in the case and that its inflammatory or prejudicial nature does not outweigh its probative value."
HOWEVER drunk a woman is, NO MAN should sleep with her! Teach your boys WELL! they WILL face rape charges EVEN IF the woman should consent while drunk if she decides SOBER that she didn't want to have sex, your boys are in DEEP doo doo. It's Rape. and most states have adopted that attitude and that law.
Oh look! one day I got stuck behind this old lady in line at the grocery store. Because she's OLD, she took her sweet time and made me late for a meeting. She's OLD for crying out loud! she shouldn't EVER be in public when I'm in public. So I rammed her car with my big SUV several times. She deserved it for being old.
Oh hey! There was this dog laying in the street, ill, STUPID DOG! he deserved me running over him several times, even though he was still alive after the last time I ran over him. Dumb dog should know better than to lay in the street. He deserved it.
ICK! stupid people working at McDonalds! they're not respectable, they work at McDONALD's for crying out loud! They DESERVE to have me spit in their face and confuse the heck out of them while I change my order several times. They shouldn't have been stupid enough to work there, or I'd have treated them with more respect!
Can't believe anyoen is stupid enough to ever do something stupid. I mean stupid decisions will always get them raped, right? DUH. I mean, it's the PREREQUISITE for every football player to rape someone stupid enough to trust them. They're just asking for it! ESPECIALLY if they have boobs and a vagina! How IDIOTIC of a woman to have woman parts! They DESERVE rape!
LMAO
They are lucky they dont have the chance to go to a real prison. Alcohol at that age kill many in many different ways......
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Hey, take it easy on our future Speaker of the House candidates.
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Man you about a funny assclown
Manditory CASTRATION and PENILECTOMY. Let the word get around.
It doesn't have to be that complicated. Just kick them in the balls. Can't get to them? Just find some young guy and kick him in the balls on behalf of these guys. All men do things like this at some point in their lives, so just walk up to some random guy in the street and deliver a swift kick below the belt to avenge this girl who was a minor and too intoxicated to consent. I'll start by kicking myself in the balls first!
cnouse: your kidding right? I never did anything like this. I wish you were around so I could kick you in the balls. That is if you have any
@cnouse...just find some young guy & kick him in the nuts...WTH, you are mental.....All men do things like this @ some point in their lives...NO THEY DON"T...My 3 brothers, my husband & my 17yr. old son HAVE NEVER & WOULD NEVER....your comments are BULLSH!T
So cnouse, arde you saying you have raped a girl in the past? And you really think all men have? You are a scum bag and please don't speak for the rest of us.
I don't think that's what he's saying, he's saying boys are immature and get up to all kinds of crap when their younger. Not all men have raped but a whole of a lot have. Most rapes go unoticed, because the victim is too shy to speak out or feels that people will not believe them. I'm sorry but men think with their dick and especially at 16 and 17 hormones are raging and they don't know what to do, than take advantage of a drunk girl. Think about it the scenario is just too easy, she couldn't fight back there was no resistance. Totally different than someone who is fully competent aware and is still raped. Don't get me wrong it's sick what these boys did but at the same time, we have to start teaching are kids better. Why is a 16 yr old girl out and about drunk, where are her parents. I'm 24 and so I have very vivid memories of my upbringing cus it wasn't so long ago. My parents needed to know parents of kids and kids before they ever let me out and that was when I was 17 and out of high school. When I was in High school, I never went to parties or drank. Some may call that extreme but look how I turned out, I almost have my Masters degree, I have a full time job, and I'm doing well. 90% of the problems this country has, have evrything to do with parenting, which has gone down the drain. Growing up I didn't understand how blessed I was to have parents who knew what parenting was about. Now a days people just want to be friends with their kids and look where it leads. I feel sorry for this girl, but maybe she's now learned a significant lesson about going out and getting drunk, trust me this is not the worse that could have happened to her, as sick as this world is she could have very well been dead. PArents need to wake up because your just delivering a crappy future to this country. To jen Lance I'm happy you trust your husband and your sons but what man is going to tell his wife you know when i was 16 almost 16 yrs ago I raped a girl. So I don't think your with your sons 24/7 to make the claim. At least cnouse is being real, even if they were not involved so many men have witnessed it or knew it went down and didn't do anything about it. Give yourself a pat on the back if you know your innocent but it doesn't mean your neighbor is or your brother -in-law. HArd Truth
This is just all too common. How many more go unreported? These football players go to school and just have their grades given to them. Not all of course,but a lot of them. I remember dating in high scool, when a girl said "NO", you stopped whatever you were doing. So what if she got really drunk, rape is rape.
So what you're saying then Jen is that it's the girls parents fault that she got raped? Not the boys who actually DID the act mind you, but the victim and her families fault? I'm embarrassed that a female posted that. I don't care if she was laying there naked spreadeagled and passed out, any man OR boy with any morals is going to pass her by at the least - the young men I'm acquainted with would cover her up and try to help her.
@Lushous Jen: Yeah, that's what I'm saying. You are right about what you're saying, too. Who was it that said all sex is rape? Some feminist, but I forget her name. Unless a woman asks for it specifically, then it must be rape by that standard. All the sex I've had that I can actually remember I know I wanted it. The women I was having it with didn't ask for it, but didn't say no either, so they may not have been consenting to it. That was years ago. I don't do that stuff anymore.
@joe-1237641: Reread the above paragraph for your answer. The only one who said I was speaking for 'the rest of us' is YOU, btw! I never claimed to be, though I will admit to being a scum bag. It's a hobby of mine.
@Jen Lance-Johnson: Reread the first paragraph of this post. Are you SURE about your husband, brothers, and son? OK, granted, your son is still a bit young. Give him a few years. Your brothers probably wouldn't tell you about what they've done in this regard. They might tell their friends, but not their sister. You know whether your husband ever did anything you didn't ask for...maybe.
@krjones: Hey, I said I already kicked myself, didn't I? But if it makes you feel any better, I'll let you kick me. I'll hold still and wait for you. I'm sitting right here.
@Lushous Jen And the people who do wonderfully in theirs lives despite their parents who may be mentally ill, drug or alcohol addicted? How does that fit into your little world?
castration does NOT prevent rape. That too is an utter fallacy. For those AGAIN who show entire stupidity on legal matters, the definition of RAPE in most states is indeed that DRUNK means you raped her. No other way around it. If she decides when she's sober that she didn't want to have sex with you, you're in for a WORLD of hurtin in the courtroom. And no, most men do NOT do this.. I was molested as a child. One was female (no penis!) and the other was a male. I've come across millions of people in my life, those were the only two. Men ARE MOST CERTAINLY CAPABLE of controlling their sexual urges so STOP pretending they can't! MEN are RESPONSIBLE for keeping the zippers SHUT! Women are not the SOLE responsiblle parties for the stop sign. Any man who forces himself on a woman in ANY state, is NOT a man at all, but a poor excuse of a human being. Go hump a frigging tree or a magazine if you're that desperate. Degrading another human being solely for your 3 minute jackoff is NOT acceptable. EVER. and yes, there are female perpetrators and yes, there are male victims. RAPE is RAPE. Stop saying some people deserve it, or ask for it. by this theory, anyone who lives in a house or apartment DESERVES to be robbed., they have belongings.. they're just ASKING for it. Anyone who eats food DESERVES to be poisoned, they shouldn't eat food, ESPECIALLY exotic food, that's just beyond the line. These EXCUSES for RAPE are beyond pathetic. And until you FRIGGING LEARN it, YOU are the ENTIRE reason rape happens, you perpetuate the continued LIES.
I partied at that age Jen and guess what? I have a Masters too, I also have a BA and an AA in different fields, I graduated High School early and at the top of my class. Your little scenario doesn't fit everyone.
What a way to mess up your life. These "boys" are brainless. This will follow them the rest of their lives.
This will follow the girl the rest of her life,too. The boys chose their path,the girl didn't.
Boys and men seem to think this is funny. What about this following this young girl the rest of her life?
It continues to be a joke to a lot of men that having sex with someone who is not a willing participant is
just natural as they are just being guys. When are we going to teach them it is not a joke and can be brutal for a woman to live with for the rest of her life. She is just a young girl starting out in life and these boys took something very special away from her and her family. Not only did they destroy her life but their own.
So now what happens if she were to become pregnant? Bet they didn't for one second think about that. But she will have to and the situation could become even more tramatic for her. And just like Sanduski what the hell is anyone doing not reporting this immediately to the authorities?
See my post #5.1 above. I think that's funny.
cnouse"see my post...it is not funny you are telling people to assault people just because of their gender you idiot.
@Maxine; I think rapists should be executed. It's well known that sexual deviants can never be cured, and rape is as deviant as you can get. I am the type of guy who would stay with her and protect her.
But that having been said, I find your comments to be way over the top. "She is just a young girl starting out in life and these boys took something very special away from her and her family. Not only did they destroy her life but their own." Don't you think she deserves at least part of the blame here? She's 16, went to an illegal underaged drinking party, surrounded by high school jocks, drank illegally, got so blind drunk she didn't even know it happened until she heard about it later. We're talking about how disgusting the boys' morals are, what about hers? What kind of self-respecting girl does what she did? I don't think it was just the boys who ruined her life!!
I think half the blame is hers. After all, if she hadn't made the stupid choices she made, this rape would have likely never happened.
cnouse, I think most people are missing the sarcastic humor in your posts. You are quite a character. Not many would admit to being a scum bag. LOL
She did not purposely get blind drunk. A female student pretended to be her friend, for days or weeks. The rape was planned out ahead of time as retribution for snubbing one of the defendants, who was a member of "The Rape Crew" and got the other girl to help him lur the victim to the party.. This fake friend lured her to the party and slipped her a roofie, a date rape drug. She was drugged, not drunk, though they kept force feeding her booze on top of the drug. She was set up, I don't know why the little bitch who slipped her the drug is not being charged as an accomplice at least.
Den, if what you wrote is correct, then it is a henious rape. If she and the football players ALL just got sh!t faced drunk and were screwin, then that's what happens when your at parties full of drugs and dope.
If the two football players were sober and took advantaged of the girl if she was passed out, then I'll say it was rape, especially if she was date raped drugged.
If ya go to a party and just drink/drug till ya pass out, man or women, there are consequences. In the Army ya can't even git sh!t faced drunk in the day room anymore with out the chance of gitting raped. Also in college, Reggie Love passed out and got Tea Bagged and the picture put on the internet.
@Den Thank you. Everyone has been assuming she got drunk with the good ole boys and not realizing she might have been given a drug.
I hadn't read all of what you are saying, but if that scenario is real, everyone needs to go to prison for a long time. What little psychopaths!!!!! Wonder if they've done it before?
No.
Why do you think a girl should be held liable when a criminal act is perpetrated upon her?
Why do you think a girl should be held liable if some other kids decide to film the commission of said criminal act & slap it up on the internet for everyone to see?
I think your answers to those questions would be far more interesting.
So, what's your viability range on who's OK to @!$%# when incapacitated & passed out cold? 15? 14? 13? 12? How low do I have to go b4 you object to the age?
Don't you think you should be objecting to the criminal act instead of focusing on the age?
Supposedly hosted by football coaches.
*Responsible* adults, possibly teachers, even, who either cheerfully supplied booze to minors, or winked at the boys as they set up kegs.
Why aren't the coaches being charged w/ anything? Sounds like they supplied illegal substances to the whole HS. Or at least were irresponsible in the discharge of their duties as an event chaperone if they didn't raise an eyebrow at lots of drinking & puking going on.
So, would it be better or worse had she been surrounded by the HS geek squad?
Are 16 yo girls supposed to magically *know* they have a much higher chance of being raped if they hang w/ jocks?
Nope, what happened was a little vengeance plot orchestrated by her ex-BF, from soup to nuts.
They slipped the girl what we used to call a *mickey* & once she was out of it from it, they kept pressing booze on her, & were so bold, so arrogant, so cocky that they sexually abused the girl in what seems to have been 3 different venues (2 parties & a car). They snapped pix & made video w/ the express purpose of slapping it up online for maximum humiliation factor.
Obvs whichever of these guys is the ex is a sociopath who didn't take rejection well. And might enjoy being akin to a necrophiliac when it comes to sex.
And all he'll get is a slap on the wrist for it, in the end.
*Saw* it would be more apt, since the ex BF made sure it all got put online.
Would it not have happened at all if she hadn't found out about it?
They still did it. They're still guilty.
They're just sorry now b/c, oops, they were stupid for broadcasting a premeditated crime, & got caught, is all.
Makes you wonder if she said NO to the ex-BF one too many times in the past.
How is it remotely *her fault* that someone put rohypnol in her drink?
Anything that followed that deliberate action is in no way her fault b/c she did not have the capacity to consent to any of it.
She was passed out cold, unconscious, for part of it. She vomited twice. These guys had to carry her around b/c she couldn't even walk.
How is that *bad morals*? How is that *lack of self-respect*?
That sounds a whole lot like some boys thought it would be *fun* to drug her up & use her as a sex slave & then brag about it online.
That doesn't make the victim responsible for their actions.
So now it's a *stupid choice* for a 16 yo to attend a HS party amongst alleged friends?
Did she *choose* to get slipped a roofie, transported away from her friends to another party, get molested along the way & at the other party, have it all filmed & photographed, have it put up online?
None of those were her choices. She went to a party that should've been OK to attend as it was hosted by a HS coach.
RAPE IS NOT THE VICTIM'S FAULT! NOT HALF OF IT AS YOU SUGGEST, NOT ANY OF IT! IT IS THE FAULT OF THE VILE PREDATOR(S) WHO ATTACKED HER!
JFC, get that thru your head!
Don't even tell me that in the last 50 yrs there has not been any law passed to prosecute ppl suffering from Kitty Genovese Syndrome?
There ought to be consequences for ppl who witness a crime in progress & ignore it. Kitty Genovese was murdered b/c her cries for help were ignored & ppl just shut their windows & doors until it was over. This girl could have died as well, had she not started to throw up. She could have died throwing up if she was in such bad shape they referred to her a being like a *dead body*.
These boys ought to be tried as adults. Little pyschopaths in the making.
bad decisions NEVER metit a crime being perpetrated upon another. Boot, you've never made a mistake? iF you have, line up and bend over while a whole bunch of big men SCREW your behind for it, and we'll make sure you're puking your guts out the whole time too. NO CRIME is JUSTIFIED! EVER. For GOD'S SAKE, how do you LIVE with those kinds of morals. If they hadn't done anything? NOTHING, she'd have gone home to face the wrath of her parents for drinking. THEY WERE GOOD PARENTS, they IMMEIDATELY went to the police when they found out what happened. THAT is good parenting! Instead of hushing it all up, for the sake of the GOOD OL football team and the coach, they sought to prevent this from happening to OTHER girls! AND to prevent this from ever happening to their daughter again. What a crock, trying to say that a bad decision deserves a HEINOUS crime committed upon you. Boot, you'd better get ready for YOUR crimes upon you then. Not a person out there has never made a bad decision and trusted someone they never should have trusted. An ADULT was serving liquor to minors, an ADULT was in charge of the party for HIS "rape crew" and the ADULT is also a MANDATORY REPORTER! He's also in the role of PROTECTOR and GUIDE for young children. Even the original prosecutor would NOT prosecute because HER SON was on the football "rape crew" although he didn't participate in THIS crime, he may have in others. At what point EVER does one say, "yup, he deserved it" when a BABY is harmed, because he had crappy diapers or cried all the time. If only he'd have shut up.. then no one would have committed a crime on him. Baby should have known. How the HELL was this girl supposed to know what was happening to her if she was drunk (whether of her own accord or NOT =which was the ACTUAL case!) YOU pepetuate the problem, even as you say you'd have protected her, you JUST threw her under the bus. You didn't protect her at all. that makes you a liar.
And those bad decisions can have bad consequences (or good). Law or no law, she has some level of culpibility for what happened (unless she was drugged BEFORE she started drinking), ... and so do her parents.
Sargeantfloyd, you don't know that she was drinking alcohol. We all believe she had something to drink, soda, milk, alcohol possibly. A date rape drug was given to her, almost assuredly.
You belong to a group that wants to blame the wanton women, I mean geez, if she wasn't a woman this wouldn't have happened to her. Stupid woman.
But on the bright side, there are Echoe and Scar Tissue. I thank you for your words.
This is an outrage. Why do prosecutors "need" the girl's testimony---they have WITNESSES and PHOTOS and VIDEO, for crying out loud!
without the victim to testify , that she did not consent; they would have no case.
Even if she "did consent" She is under age. Cut there B^%$s off!
It is a Constitutional right. The Sixth Amendment says that if someone is being accused of committing a crime, that person has the right to face their accuser.
Photos and video are not as clear cut as you think, and may well not have shown exactly what was done clearly enough to establish beyond a reasonable doubt what they did. It's entirely plausible that the observers didn't know, just from looking, this was nonconsensual. Unfortunately, the prosecutors need the idiots who were taking the film to establish the foundation of the photos and video so they can get it all into evidence, and their testimony might be critical to establishing details the photos/video doesn't.
@Jack Dulouz
You're right... and they will have the chance to face their accuser THE STATE! They are accused of Statutory Rape which does not require the victim. It is a charge the state can prosecute independently against the perps if the evidence shows cause.
The prosecutors stated they needed the testimony of the witnesses who stood by and took photos. For that reason they are not charging these eye witnesses because they need their testimony to convict the rapists. Otherwise, I hope they would have charged those who stood around, gawked, and took photos. But it is most important to convict the rapists.
I'm not sold on that SouthernPatriot. For the kid that stood there and didn't take a video of it, then I can see amnesty in exchange for his testimony. For the 2 that thought it was entertaining enough to video it, they should have been offered the choice of being charged with rape as well or reducing that to not reporting a crime with maximum sentencing and testifying. When someone robs a bank, the getaway driver who never set foot in the facility is charged equally; this would be no different.
I think you may be incorrect on that Bellagio. Each state varies a bit and I'm not an expert on law in Ohio.
MonkeyMo,
Excellent point. These are teenagers. The prosecuters should have started to come down hard on them. They would have broke and taken the deal. If they didn't the prosecuters then could offer them the deal to go free. I didn't think that part all the way through in an earlier comment. I was only thinking the prosecuters needs their testomonies so that's why they are going free. You have swayed my opinion about that.
Thank you.
The age of consent in Ohio is 16.
The issue to establish for successful prosecution is whether the girl was capable of giving her consent to the boys' actions.
They're not charged w/ statuatory rape. One of the boys is the same age as she is, the other a yr older, neither over 18.
Both boys are under 18, hence the juvenile court BS. They'll be out by the time they're 21 & w/ a sealed record to boot.
No registration as sex offenders, either, which is ridiculous when you consider the cases I've seen where irate parents have an over-18 BF charged w/ statuatory rape, he gets the lifetime sex offender tag, & then ends up as their daughter's husband & father of their grandchildren when he gets out of prison.
That type of case shouldn't be on the registry, but these punks are going to walk away fresh as a daisy w/ no lifetime penalty for what they did.
They should be tried as adults. You're old enough to rape a girl, man up, sonny.
I'm wondering why the hell the coach who held the party isn't being charged and jaiiled? Nothing about his firing either. You can't convince me the coach had no idea that there was a "rape crew" formed on the team.
Echoe, I was wondering the same. When you are referring to yourself as the Rape Crew, that gets around in high school. Who knew that and thought it didn't matter? When that was known (and it would be), why weren't these "boys" called in and given a lecture, sent to some sort of counselling or something? There are more people culpable on different levels than meets the eye. How could the town all this to go on? I don't come from a country where football and their gods rule. This is unbelievably puzzling and disgusting to me.
Everyone that stood around watching, laughing and taking pictures need to be prosecuted too.
As a father I would be exacting some of my own justice.
WSU Coug, I agree with you 100%.
First thing I would do is ask my daughter why she was drinking? I think it's against the law for minors to drink alcohol...As blown up as she was, there might have been mary jane mixed in as well...That's a bad mix...
This has no relevance to whether or not all parties should be charged...yes, a bad mix, mitigating NO
In the Philippines the cut ther heads off and stick it on the fence outside their house!
I will have to agree with you. There wouldn't be any court hearing taking place. It is this kind of mentality that is why some parts of this country may never fully develop intellectually.
So some will point their finger at me, and say something to the effect, "what, a vigilante justice? you think that is fair, and conducting yourself under the laws of this land?". You know what, if the system that is intact, (this local so-called law enforcement), willfully and deliberately is going to do something like this because of whatever lame-ass excuse they want to use, then I will take the law into my own hands.
All of you that are apart of this should be extremely thankful that that wasn't my daughter.
Typical, "football stars" in highschool getting protected for bullsh*&t they do because it is almost certain that their parents are the big wigs or have names in the town. I imagine they have been getting away with a-lot of crap all their lives, judging by the videos and facebook logs, they are real pricks. Most of these assh**es will go into the family business after a couple years in college...this is the glory years of their lives...the families can't have something like rape, bullying or whatever else causing a sh*t stain on their "bright futures". This type of crap is seen at some point in most small towns all over throughout the years most of it is covered up because of who they or their families are.
As a father I can still see my kids as babies, especially my daughters as they were being born, even 19 and 20 years later the memories are still fresh in my mind. I am pretty progressive in a-lot of things in my life but this is one area where these "football stars" and the others standing around laughing, joking and covering it up would be begging for a quick release. They would still have their lives, but regretting every remaining minute of it...years later if their was a way for them to have grandchildren, they would have to explain to them why they have scars on their forehead and use a colostomy bag and walk with a bad limp.
You Go.... JMarine0811!!! I bet you are diffidently right about these boys, and because of who they are and or who their parents are, will probably keep them out of jail. Boys that Rape girls are at this young age, will most certainly keep doing even worse crimes like, Raping and KILLING these defenseless victims! So "ALL PARENTS" remember this when you get you son off because of some mistake made, or because of who you are? That your unleashing a? SERIAL KILLER? a SCHOOL SHOOTER? a RAPIST? or even maybe a COP KILLER? So think twice about it! granted you love them, but if your a real parent you would want them to do the right thing!! You got caught boys!! Now it's time to do your time!! Welcome to the REAL WORLD!
Years ago, a friend and I would occasionally drive down to visit his relatives, who, of course, lived in Ohio. It was later Friday afternoon in October when we arrived, and they were getting ready to go to the local high school football game. They were in their 60's at the time and retired. They knew we were coming & told us we could stay home until they came back. About an hour after they left, we decided to go too--the game was to start in about a 1/2 hour. Big surprise!! The outdoor "stadium" was packed, bleachers jammed to the sky perhaps 25 high, people standing around the open sections perhaps 20-deep or more, some holding others on their shoulders. The parking lot was hopeless; and there was no parking on the street on both sides for more than a mile and a half in both directions. I've never seen anything like it since. And it wasn't a playoff either!!! We went back to the house, and when they returned, neither of them could talk---both hoarse as hell. Since I was a non-Ohioan, they explained Ohio is very big on high school football and each player is a local "hero." I guess so!!!!
That's just sad Tess, just sad. Never knew football was held so sacred.
The prosecutor stated that he will announce after trial whether or not others will be prosecuted. The girl was not the only one drinking, the boys were too, and a coach of the boys' team held the party at HIS HOUSE, and let the boys carry her out to their car, where they took her to another party, and from there a MOTHER (who should have been charged as well) kicked them out, and the boys were AGAIN allowed to carry her out (one boy had her legs, the other her upper body) where they took her to one of the boys' HOMES, where the parents were NOT home. This was not her house, she had no idea where she was being carried to, and NO ONE bothered to call an ambulance for a girl who was CLEARLY passed out, NOR did they stop the boys from taking her with them, and every parent who had the parties SHOULD be charged with allowing people to leave their house DRUNK DRIVING, not to mention for failure to protect a minor from possible health issues. If she had died of alcohol poisoning, this would have been FAR worse.
What a whole lot of crap. So far, there's only rape charges. No one is being charged for supplying minors, no one is being charged with failure (ADULTS, not kids) to report a crime, but.. in fairness.. the prosecutor has stated there may be more charges forthcoming. The boys were arrested in the middleof the night, literally from their beds after being awakened by the police. THESE parents should be ashamed they didn't teach the boys well. One of the defending lawyers however, is trying a "pity" case. He said that Malik had an uncle murdered, another uncle jailed for murder, his father jailed for murder and his mother had a nervous breakdown. We should give this kid a break because he really deserves a college scholarship since he's really good at football. Rape should be something allowable for anyone who has suffered a hard life according to the defending attorney. WHY is this kind of testimony allowed in court!?
Tess42- I live in Copperas Cove, TX it's the same way here too, it's even worse now that the Washington redskins QB went to our local high school (RG III) Our high school football stadium is beyond huge, when there's home games anyone who isn't there (which is very few) stay home because it's not possible to get anywhere.
I SO despise the way so many...far TOOOO many worship sports figures...had they not been connected with the Religion of Sports -- ALL of these boys will be proscecuted... I hope that the boys who neglected to help comes back to them trifold especially suffer no one coming to THEIR aide if and when they need it. And the b___— boys that raped her, I hope they at least spend 5 full years in prison... and lets hope some 'big daddys' get ahold of them while they are in there.
So true, and all those who watched n laughed. This city should be ashamed.
Treat them like adults, they acted like adults, send them to prison and let them get fu@#ed in the a@s.
The shame of this city and covering for all the guilty is totally disgusting. I agree with Terelyn, the little oligarchy of Stuebenville should prosecute those who stood watching n laughing. They r all co-conspirators!
WTH do they mean by "They are charged with digitally penetrating the girl, first in the back seat of a moving car after a mostly underage, alcohol-fueled party Aug. 11, and then in the basement of a house." Oh I just figured it out. Good thing they didn't have something big like a banana. Those kids ought to be anally penetrated by some 6' 8" convict named Bubba. Maybe a ball bat up the anal canal would be good. I hope they are open to civil charges. Maybe thrir parents should lose everything. That would teach them to control their kids better.
I bet there were other chicks at the party as well, nobody's demanding they should have done something. Equal rights but not responsibility?
Looks like you have a little difficulty understanding the difference between someone being at the party, and actually being an eye witness to the attack to the degree that you videotaped it. Pfft.
But its not reporting a crime that NOW wants them charged with, not the video taping. Which means anyone at the party should be charged as well.
How many other people are on the video tape? i.e cheering, watching. They have firsthand knowledge as well.
Anyone at the party should have intervened. Male or female. They all need to be charged. If only with, oh lord I don't know what. But charged they should be.
From my understanding they left the party and took her somewhere else?
Sad and sorry situation - from the Ohio Attorney General's office on down the line.
What is being done to help the victim??? Nothing is ever said about that in these articles.
What victim...just because shes under the arbitrary age of 18 means nothing...she's drunk under 21...whats her crime?
...would you mind clarifying your post please...
While I would love to see those who stood by laughing while the rape occurred punished, I have to agree with the Ohio AG... they need the witness testimony to make sure the two who committed the rape go to jail. The best that can be done is do the trial, make sure the rapists go to jail, and then various organizations can publish public details about the witnesses who failed to act responsiblly. Public humiliation is likely the worst form of punishment, which will haunt them for years to come. No college will want them meaning they'll be stuck in dead end jobs. People in the city in and around them will avoid them like they carry the plague. Yep, a little internet justice after the trials is over will insure they are quite severly punished .. even if they are living "free".
What the two witnesses did is deplorable, however, there is no crime for not stopping a crime. They should be held for distributing porn especially since the girl was under age.
You can be charged for not reporting a crime in some states. Failure to report a felony is illegal in Ohio.
SAVEMYSOUL said: "...however, there is no crime for not stopping a crime"
WRONG! If you are present and observe a crime being committed and take no steps to either intervene or call authorities, you are an accessory after the fact...and therefore just as guilty as the actual perpetrators of the crime...the truly heinous aspects of this is that they not only took any steps to assist the young woman, they took video coverage, published it and joked about it all...
@ savemysoul...it is called aiding & abetting after the fact & mob action
True, however there is an exception to that which is if you feel your life will be in immediate danger at the time, you are not required to report it - but must still report the crime as soon as you are out of harms way. I seriously doubt that caveat was the case here.
Yes, you can be charged for not reporting a crime and these people should be.
Anyone who participated in (or witnessed, or videotaped this assault without notifying police) needs to be charged. If you videotaped and did NOT report the event to the police, I can only assume that you were so mesmerized by the whole thing that you could not take yourself away from what you were doing to get that poor girl some much needed help. That makes you as guilty as the perps.
Everyone at that party should be charged with underaged drinking and do comunity service all summer for punishment...Alcohol has opened a lot of legs...Teach your kids...
One more time REDRUMisDUMB...those legs were not opened, they were forceably pulled open...again your chauvinistic remarks are so patently biased against women that it is criminal in itself
Lets clear and segregate a few those statements.
1) Violent actions against another person are wrong period. If you're not smart enough to resolve a situation without resorting to force it's nearly always a good idea to back off unless there are immidiate and severe consequences for not acting (someone is in critical danger etc.).
Your libedo (obviously) doesn't count as an immidiate or severe concern.
2) Some environments increase the odds of stupid violence occuring. If you choose to be in one of those environments make darn sure you have friends and an exit strategy. Better still, don't go there to begin with.
While the young punks who ganged up on and took advantage of another person absolutely should be punished and if it were my daughter my first focus would be on seeing to her well being followed by helping in anyway I could to see justice done and set an example for anyone else thinking some how that physically abusing another person is somehow justified or OK.
The third focus would be talking with my daughter about trying not to get into scenarios where I could be in danger in the first place. How many rapes are not even reported because everyone was drunk out of their minds / passed out / etc.? My wife was considering a sorority at college and they were supposed to have "buddies" that looked out for each other at parties. Great plan, except that most of the buddies got hammered and lost track of the people they were supposed to be looking out for. 1 of those girls got raped, but didn't report it even after my wife encouraged her to do so.
All I can hope is that my daughter grows up smart enough to not put herself in situations where things like that are likely. Ditto for my son, don't got into dark alleys at night, don't go parties with alcohol and drugs without friends you trust to have your back. Doesn't mean the person who mugs you doesn't deserve to be prosecuted, but not putting yourself in a situation where you're likely to be mugged goes a long way.
Solymnar, you can talk, and talk, and talk, and warn your child every day for years. All it takes is one or two "good friends" to say, "Oh, c'mon, you poop. We're gonna have a blast. Everybody is gonna be there. Nothin' is gonna happen. Mom and Dad will never find out." Peer pressure. Wanting to please your friends. Not wanting to be known as a goody-two-shoes or a wet blanket. And for all the same reasons, taking dares you certainly wouldn't do in front of your folks. Happens all the time even to kids you know simply "wouldn't."
Also you are assuming she was there of her own free will. Everyone is assuming she just got drunk. More likely given a drug. Then the good ol boys took her from party to party. That would be kidnapping on top of everything else. How proud their parents must be.
How sad is that Tess?
Though I'm pretty confident my daughter won't be one of those people, for example just this last friday night she went to a party the people there were sh*tfaced and some of them were puking all over, she called me to come get her (she wasn't drinking but the people she went with were) even if she HAD been drinking I still think she would've called me, it's the one thing I've instilled in her over the years, that yes if I have to pick her up and she's drunk there will be consequences the next day, but it's better to be grounded, then raped or dead. Obviously there were no consequences on Friday, but I let her know how extremely proud of her I was that she called and didn't take any chances.
I am glad your daughter called you, glad she's safe, because you don't have to be drunk to get raped.
A good friend's daughter was at a party and was drinking. The party was getting out of hand and she called her dad. He came and got her. Huge party of loud, drunk teens. He's ex-military. Sweetest, kindest soul but to look at him, you don't mess with him. He went to the party, got his daughter and took other young girls with him, got them all home safe.
But again, there is a feeling of blaming the young woman in the Ohio case. She was probably drugged. The boys are the ones who need to face the charges and if guilty be convicted and sent to prison. She wasn't responsible for their actions, they are.
while we're on the subject, who provided all the alcohol ?
good question...
Bingo...Underaged drinking is the problem here because it appears to have caused her not to resist...I would be looking for the alcohol supplier too, not just the illeagal drinkers...
REDRUMisDUMB underaged drinking may have been a complicating factor but this young woman was raped...if the young men in question had any integrity or ethics she would not have had to "resist" because they would not have done such a heinous crime...shame on you for trying to put the onus of the crime on alcohol and the fault of the young woman...you have a great moniker...it fits your archaic thinking.
Many of you have never been to that neck of the woods and know this small rual community you could just sneez and miss the whole town. This place has the old mom and pop beer and wine drive thru garages where the ma and pa live in the house attached. This place has nothing to due but play sports, go hunting and drink for excitement. Youy can walk to the garage and they will sell you beer as long as nobody is watching, then the kids go out in the woods camping and drink themselves to sleep. This part of Ohio is at least 10 years slower then outher parts of the country. The word change is a swear word they refuse to change, you can go into a bar the same time of day and see the same old farts sitting in the same chair everyday of the week. This is mainly a farm community but they do have things in the auto industry but get laid off for about 3 mos. of the year they are just stuck in their ways and do not put their nose into other peoples business.
Better question, who slipped the Rohypnol into the alcohol? This girl did not drink herself into the state she was in, she was set up, drugged and then raped!
john, I've only followed this case here - no other news sources - and was totally unaware that the victim had also been drugged.
So I presume they have 3 months of free time to teach their Teens whats legal & not legal or some good morals? Stuck in their ways? Parents better get their heads out of their A**es & quit letting their teens run, drink & drug! Look, I did it as a single mom of a HS Football Player right smack dab in the middle of uprising Gangs! I took him to work with me in the summers, he worked McDonalds through HS, he did not run the streets. The Military picked him up the day after Graduation. Parents are not parents anymore! They're too lazy and have too many excuses! Shame on all those kids & all those parents "who didn't think trouble could happen" with not knowing where or what their Teens were doing! No excuses, please!
She was lured to a supposedly "safe" party by a female accomplice of a member of "The Rape Crew" who wanted revenge because the victim had refused to go out with him. After the accomplice drugged her, she was taken to another party to be raped. On the way to the second party , she was fingered and force fed alcohol in the back of the car. Then raped at the second party, she was raped vaginally and anally and forced to perform oral sex. Then, when everyone interested had had her she was taken to third party to be raped some more where she was violated with objects as well as being used for oral, vaginal and anal sex. Then they dumped her unconscious body on the front lawn, and one of the perps peed all over her and tweeted, that that is what sluts deserve. Then she was left laying on the front lawn all night while the partying continued.
There should be a lot more than just two people being tried for a lot worse charges than are being filed in this case. Kidnapping for one.
One of the parties was held at a coaches house and there was alcohol a plenty there. The coach and his wife were both giving it out.
Den, do you have links to everything that you've written here???
If this is an accurate account, everyone involved needs to be tried as adults with maximum sentences imposed. This is insane.
Den, Once again, if what you wrote is the sequence of events, WHY CAN'Tthe media report it as such? The Media really sucks and is aidin and abettin if this is the alleged chronological order. It would be not just a rape but a vast conspiracy and people, a lot, need to BURN!
Thank you for your information. I don't want to believe that people can do that to another person. It makes me sick and quite frankly, I want them dead because they have no value. None what so ever.
It doesn't matter what punishment they receive, there isn't a lesson here for them to learn. Those boys and their families will probably always think of themselves as victims. This is disgusting.
okay I keep seeing a lot of (drugged and set up) comments could someone please point me in the direction of those articles? I can't seem to find them anywhere.
Just wondering why the kids who filmed it werent charged with possessing child pornography? They charge kids who film themselves having sex and sexting now?
Exactly sending pictures of underaged individuals is trafficking in child pornogragphy
Another article I found said that the girl found out what happened by the comments and pictures posted at various online sites. I too wondered about child pornography - wouldn't that be distribution?
It didn't say clearly when they took the pictures, but later, referenced when she was being carried out, so the pictures might not have been sexual in nature. IF they did film the actual rape, there is no question that they manufactured child pornography, and then, possessed it too.
If they did do this, they don't need all three to turn state's evidence. Give a deal to one, preferably the one, who did not participate or film it, and nail the other 5.
I can't believe they didn't try to stop it. The lack of moral compass is astounding.
No, b/c the age of consent in Ohio is 16. Therefore, no one involved would be considered a child. Uploading it would be porn, period, no labels attached.
@scar_tissue, You re confusing two different issues: Sex with a minor, and taking photographs or video of a minor. Taking photos or video of anyone under the age of 18, possessing it, or distributing it, is illegal EVERYWHERE in the United States. That the age of consent is 16 is irrelevant except with regards to a (statutory) rape charge.
There are many Stupidvilles in America...what a shame we don't have the money and resources as the great nation our politicians tell us we are, to fund education and potential rather than football and violence...
Have to agree - if others witnessed this and did not take action to stop it they should also be held accountable. Those on the sidelines are responsible, as fellow human beings, to protect someone being violated, even if that results only in a 911 call.
If That was My Daughter I would Be up on Charges!
You and Me Both! Sometimes a little old west justice is needed.
I hear ya Eric but what good would it do your daughter who really would need you? You would be in jail and she wouldn't have her daddy to help her try to adjust with what happened to her. You would be better off just leaving that person alone and help out your daughter. But I do understand because I have a daughter too and I would seriously think of doing the same.
Good point Rose, it would still be hard not to throw them a good beating. To bad this didn't happen in Texas.
eric, if that was my daughter i'd be on death row!
Where I am from, back in the late 70's we had a girl in the community raped and murdered. Her rapist/killer was put in prison. Believe me, he is much better off there because her father would be in wait the minute he left the prison (he's been up for parole 3-4 times and not received it)...and all of us would swear her father was with us at the time! Sometimes it's just right.....I don't care what anyone says...killing a killer or cutting off the penis of a rapist is RIGHT!
# This a link to the change.org petition created by NOW if all of you want to help make a difference in this case goes to trial.
damnit Rose, being the mother of a 16 year old daughter I was all about Eric's comment, then you went and made all that sense and blew it all out of the water! Though in all fairness her daddy would've beaten me to the punch.
disgusting behavior on all 5 of the boys, especially the ones who raped her. I say that the other 3 should be prosecuted too but I understand where the prosecutor is coming from. Without those 3 boys testifying they don't have anything. I just hope that in the future if this happens again they will man up and do the right thing by stopping the rape.