Students at a Southern California high school watched as two assistant vice presidents were hauled from the campus in handcuffs for allegedly failing to notify authorities after three students claimed they had been sexually assaulted on school grounds.
In a Wednesday press release, the Rialto Police Department says on February 16, it was notified that a sexual battery had occurred at Carter High School.
“The initial report to police was that a 15-year-old female student had been sexually assaulted by a 17-year-old male student several times over the past three months,” the statement reads. “When detectives investigated the allegations they learned there were two additional female students, ages 15 and 16, who were sexually assaulted by the same suspect.”
“Although one of the victims first reported the assaults to school officials in September 2021, no notification was made to the Rialto Police Department until February 16th,” according to officials.
All three of the alleged victims reported their assaults to assistant vice principles David Yang and Natasha Harris, with the student mentioned in the initial report coming forward in November 2021, and a third victim stepping forward this month.
Under California law, Yang and Harris were required to immediately report allegations of child abuse or neglect to law enforcement, yet, no report was made prior to Feb. 16.
In an interview with NBC News Los Angeles, the mother of one of the victims said that her daughter’s allegations were brushed off.
According to the accuser’s father, his daughter was told, “Maybe it was the way you were dressed or you might be seeking attention.”
“For that reason, she kept quiet because she was afraid she was going to get expelled from school,” said the mother, adding that the accused assailant had begun stalking her daughter.
The parents only learned of the assault allegation last week, after her daughter complained to a school official that she was being harassed by the suspect. It was only then that they discovered their daughter’s initial complaint, from November.
“They failed to notify us,” said the father. “They failed to notify police.”
It was, in the end, the mother who notified the police.
“The Assistant Principals’ failure to report sexual assault on their campus erodes the trust that students and parents alike should have regarding the safety and protection of all the children in their care,” said District Attorney Jason Anderson in a statement. “Their failure as mandated reporters to notify law enforcement led to further victimization of the two students, and the sexual assault of a third victim which was preventable.”
According to police, the suspect in all three cases was issued a citation and released back into the custody of his parents, pending the filing of criminal charges.
Yang and Harris were taken into custody without incident and held on $150,000 bail.
DONATE TO AMERICAN WIRE
If you are fed up with letting radical big tech execs, phony fact-checkers, tyrannical liberals and a lying mainstream media have unprecedented power over your news please consider making a donation to American Wire News to help us fight them.
Writers and editors can be contacted at [email protected] with feedback, tips, or corrections.
Melissa Fine is the former executive editor of Casino Player, Strictly Slots, and Poker
Digest magazines. She is a UCLA graduate, news junkie, and dedicated Stargate SG-
1 fan. Melissa currently lives with her dog and two cats in a tiny town in the Sierra
Nevada foothills.
- Reaction and predictions roll in after media ‘titan’ Rupert Murdoch steps down as chair of Fox - September 21, 2023
- ‘Enough!’ Minnesota residents blast local officials after mom and teen son attacked in driveway - September 21, 2023
- West Point hit with lawsuit over racial composition ‘goals’ following SCOTUS ruling against affirmative action - September 21, 2023
Comment
We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.