ABC15 has uncovered new information in an investigation into sexual assault allegations surrounding two former Mountain Ridge High School students.
ABC15 was first to report the story on Tuesday.
A police report from Glendale police filed on December 16th, 2016 details interviews between officers and the victim in this case. The teen claims he was sexually assaulted by teammates on the wrestling team on a trip to Holbrook in December.
In the report, the victim details the attack and alleges he was pinned down one night in a wrestling move by a teammate inside their hotel room. A second boy allegedly used a toothbrush to penetrate the victim. The attack was recorded with a cell phone.
The victim then tells the officer at least four other students told him about similar attacks by wrestling teammates but he couldn’t remember their names.
Deer Valley Unified School District released a statement in response to the Glendale police report.
It reads:
“In December, school administration took immediate action at the time this incident was reported to the school administration. School administrators thoroughly investigated this incident and spoke with parents of all members of the wrestling team in December. In addition, several actions are being taken by school administration, including providing increased education to student-athletes on the many systems for reporting any actions that compromise the safety of themselves or others. Students are always encouraged to report incidents to administration. No other incidents have been reported.
In the Glendale police report released Wednesday, the victim stated that other students told him that they had been a victim of the same type of incident. The victim then told police that he couldn’t recall who had told him that. This information was not previously reported to the school. Based on this new information, the school administrators met with students and have found no other incidents that occurred recently or in the past. Administrators will continue to take all necessary actions to ensure the safety of all students.
The school continues providing support for the victim, as well as ongoing character education and review of guidelines for expected behavior for student-athletes. Two students have faced disciplinary action which followed school district policy. Those two students no longer attend the school.”
Glendale’s report also describes interviews with the two suspects. Both apparently filed “student statement pages.” In those statements both teens allegedly admit to taking part in the attack.
We asked to speak with someone from the school or the district Wednesday on camera but DVUSD told us nobody would be available. Our repeated calls and emails to the school’s wrestling coach have gone unanswered.
The Navajo County Attorney’s Office is reviewing the case. Charges have not been filed as of Wednesday. A source inside Holbrook police says the case submitted to the Navajo County Attorney’s Office does include video of the attack.
