Four former Oklahoma high school students accused of raping a teammate with a pool cue have agreed to lesser charges, according to Tulsa World.
The Bixby High School (Okla.) athletes were accused of sticking a pool cue through the clothes and into the anus of a 16-year-old teammate in September 2017 while a fifth teammate recorded on a cell phone, the outlet reported.
This occurred at the home of a superintendent, who resigned about a month later, according to Tulsa World.
Three of the accused athletes were 17 at the time and the fourth was 16, according to the Associated Press.
On Jan. 18, the four athletes accepted a charge of assault with a dangerous weapon, according to court records obtained by Tulsa World. They were ordered to pay $300 in restitution and additional fines and court costs.
Those extra costs will be $112.50, though they could choose to instead perform 11 hours of community service.
The group of accused athletes initially faced charges of second-degree rape by instrumentation.
“The final resolution of the juvenile case proves what we have said and known from the beginning: this was not a sex crime. There was no rape,” defense attorney Paul DeMuro, who represents one of the families, said in a statement to Tulsa World.
DeMuro added that, among other things, the decision “speaks to the lack of any sexual intent or act.”
If they had been found guilty of second-degree rape, they would have been required to register for the juvenile sex offender registry.
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