COBB COUNTY, Ga. — Charges in a Cobb County warrants allege a violent rape occurred inside a school bathroom earlier this month. Lawyers for the accused teen contend the case was not investigated thoroughly.
The rape is alleged to have happened May 3 at Harrison High School outside Kennesaw. A 16-year-old faces three charges, according to warrants, that include rape, sexual battery and child molestation for an attack on a 15-year-old girl.
It is unclear if the teen is being charged as an adult. The Cobb County School District said it was "aware of a warrant issued for one of our students, alleging a heinous crime."
The district said it is "cooperating fully" with the Cobb County Police Department and would not be able to provide further information "due to the ongoing investigation and laws regarding student privacy," adding that "the safety of our students continues to be our primary focus."
The warrant alleges that during the attack, the girl "was telling him 'no' and 'stop' multiple times." It describes the victim being followed to the bathroom, "trapped" in a stall and then sexually assaulted.
Lawyers in the case for the 16-year-old said in a statement text message records would show the two had a consensual sexual relationship and that in the days after the alleged attack "they were texting each other, not about an alleged rape but about the boy's girlfriend finding out that they had sex and confronting her."
"It is unfortunate that the school and law enforcement did not conduct a thorough investigation before seeking an arrest warrant for this young man," a statement by attorneys Tunde Akinyele and Tawanna Morgan said. "After everything comes to light, we expect this young man to be fully exonerated of this heinous allegation."
According to court records, the 16-year-old is due in court for a probable cause hearing next Thursday, with a bond hearing scheduled for May 30.
