| January 28, 2009: Charges dropped - teens return to school |
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Posted: Thursday, December 3, 2009 2:50 pm
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ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED JAN. 28, 2009
By GERRY L. DICKERT
The Bee
A Hardin County Grand Jury has decided that there is not enough evidence to pursue a sexual assault case against three Silsbee High School football players who were accused of forcing an SHS cheerleader to have sex at a party in Silsbee.
According to Hardin County District Attorney David Sheffield, charges against Chris Rountree, Rakheem Bolton and a 16-year-old minor male student have been dropped after the grand jury no-billed the young men on Tuesday.
“They looked at the evidence and decided there was no reason to pursue the case any further,” said Sheffield. “I certainly knew the (no-bill decision) was a possibility. I’m not surprised by the decision after seeing the evidence I’ve been privy to.”
The accusation of sexual assault of a cheerleader by three football players sent shudders through the Silsbee community, leaving residents wondering how something like this might happen in their small town.
The incident was alleged to have taken place at a party in October 2008 and all three young men were arrested within days of the incident.
Since that time, the three students have been attending classes in the Silsbee ISD alternative campus. They likely will return to classes this week.
“After visiting with our attorney, since the charges have been dropped, there is no reason to continue any disciplinary action,” said Silsbee ISD Superintendent Richard Bain Jr. “They will be returning to school.”
Though the case is all but a moot point now, Sheffield explained that any harassment toward the young woman involved in the investigation constitutes a felony retaliation charge since she was a witness in a felony case.
“The best thing is for everyone to leave each other alone,” he said.
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