Three players, two coaches, and an athletic director face criminal charges in Ooltewah High School's basketball varsity team rape case in December. A study before the incident revealed that bullying is a major concern of students in Tennessee.
Authorities have charged three varsity players, two coaches, and an athletic director concerning a rape incident in Ooltewah High School. Gatlinburg Police filed an aggravated rape and assault complaint against three senior male varsity players in OHS. ABC News stated that the team's coaches and the school's athletic director were also penalized for child neglect and failure to report the incident.
Hamilton County District Attorney Neal Pinkston filed a complaint against Head Coach Andre Montgomery, Assistant Coach Karl Williams, and Athletic Director Jesse Nayadley. They are currently suspended without pay and will be stand trial on January 21.
The rape incident occurred during the varsity team's stay in a cabin in Gatlinburg on December 19-23, 2015. Mickey Rountree, a detective for the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office, filed an affidavit (retrieved from Chattanoogan) saying that four freshmen players were assaulted and sexually abused by senior team members while staying at the cabin. He said that not a single OHS staff reported the incident to police or the Department of Children's Services.
Investigations reveal that a freshman player was brutally raped after telling his coach of the abuse. Two big and muscular bullies pinned the student down and violated him while another one was recording the horror with his phone. The freshman victim suffered serious injuries to his prostate and bladder after the tip of the pool cue broke inside him and needed to be removed with surgery.
The Daily Beast reported that the rape incident caused Hamilton County prosecutors to investigate the history of assaults in Ooltewah. "In fact, a bullying study conducted by Unifi-Ed revealed that bullying was a major concern of students in Tennessee.
Hamilton County Schools Superintendent Rick Smith was both surprised and disappointed of the school personnel involved in the case. He said that he will forfeit Ooltewah's games for the 2015-2016 season.
