St. Joseph County Takes Sexual Assault By Student Athletes Seriously

Carmel High School and the Hamilton Co. Prosecutor's office may turn a blind eye to student athletes who assault teammates in perverse hazing rituals, but it's a different matter altogether with the Mishawaka High School and the St. Joseph County Prosecutor. A St. Joseph Co. judge has found the first of six Mishawaka High School wrestlers accused of sexually assaulting a teammate guilty of felony deviate sexual conduct. The South Bend Tribune reports:

The order said the 19-year-old forcibly held down the victim and sexually assaulted him in 2010. It also said the victim — who testified in the trial — is credible.

The victim told the judge he yelled "stop" two or three times while the assault was happening. He also said the teammates who were assaulting him were laughing while it happened, but he was crying.

The then-15-year-old victim reported to police Dec. 15 that he was sexually assaulted by five juveniles at Mishawaka High School between Jan. 1, 2010, and May 31, 2010.

According to a Mishawaka Police Department report filed in December, the boy said he was assaulted by six teammates.

"We are glad to see that decisions are finally coming forth and we want to see how the judicial process unfolds over the next few weeks," said Terry Barker, School City of Mishawaka superintendent. We will be monitoring the decisions." . . .