Official: Gainesville Teen Sexually Assaults Girl In Class
POSTED: Wednesday, January 7, 2009
UPDATED: 12:40 am EST January 8,
2009
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Two boys sexually assaulted a 13-year-old girl last month as other students in the special-needs classroom watched, according to Alachua County school officials.
One 14-year-old student was arrested on Monday and a second on Tuesday. Both were charged in connection with the Dec. 15 assault at Kanapaha Middle School, according to the Alachua County Sheriff's Office. Officials said the assault occurred while the teacher was out of the room for about 10 minutes.
Deputies said they weren't notified of the assault until the next day.
"What happened was in late afternoon," said Jackie Johnson with Alachua County schools. "Towards the end of the school day, a student reported an incident in the classroom, then came in the next morning and gave a report that was significantly different, which raised it to another level and made it a law enforcement issue."
Parents were not notified of the incident, but deputies said they had nothing to fear.
"Parents should not be alarmed that the sheriff's office is out looking for some dangerous individual," said Alachua County Lt. Steve Maynard. "We have all the individuals identified in this particular case."
One teen was charged with sexual battery and false imprisonment. The second boy is accused of helping hold down the victim.
That teacher has been disciplined for leaving the classroom unattended, according to a spokeswoman for Alachua County Public Schools.
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