Awful thing happened in Immokalee against 15 year old girl by football players
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IMMOKALEE — Four Immokalee varsity football players, including the starting quarterback and running back, have been arrested on charges they gang-raped a 15-year-old girl on school grounds, Collier County arrest reports say.
Kovan McSwain, Joshua Edison, Deonte Clifton and Demandrea Fuller, who are all 17, were charged Friday with lewd or lascivious battery on someone between the ages of 12 and 15.
If convicted of the second-degree felony, each faces up to 15 years in a state prison. They were taken to the Collier Juvenile Justice Facility and had a first appearance before a judge during the weekend.
McSwain, who played both quarterback and running back, led the Indians to an upset of Naples High earlier this year. Clifton and Fuller are running backs who have had significant playing time this year.
All four didn’t play in Immokalee’s 48-26 loss to Palmetto Ridge High on Friday night, a day after the girl told deputies she was raped.
The girl told deputies the situation occurred last Thursday at Immokalee High School just after 9 p.m., during or just after the junior varsity game.
She said five boys took her from the football field, walked her through the parking lot, then grabbed her and carried her through the practice field to some portable classrooms on the east side of the school, just south of the weight room.
The boys lifted her over a wooden rail and forced her to sit on a recycling bin between a portable classroom and the weight room, according to the report, which says they then forced her to take her clothes off and perform oral sex on them before they had intercourse with her.
The report says they then fled toward the ROTC building.
A girl who told deputies she witnessed the incident said the 15-year-old girl went willingly with the team members and the victim admitted to sheriff’s investigator Frank Pilarski that the sex was consensual, the report said.
However, under Florida law, someone under the age of 17 cannot consent and the charge the teens face is similar to statutory rape.
The arrest report says deputies reviewed video surveillance tapes of the area and could see McSwain leaving, but were unable to get access to another video because the system appeared to be overloaded.
Deputies reported that there were no visible marks on the girl’s arms, face or neck and she refused medical treatment.
But Special Victims Unit detectives took her to a medical clinic for an examination with a rape kit to gather DNA evidence.
District Spokesman Joe Landon said all four students are currently being held at the Department of Juvenile Justice and are currently not in school. He said the four boys will face disciplinary action from the district upon release.
Landon said Immokalee High School typically has two security guards, Collier County Sheriff's Office personnel and three administrators on campus during after school activities. He said Principal Linda Salazar said staff will be even more vigilant based on this incident.
Kovan McSwain, Joshua Edison, Deonte Clifton and Demandrea Fuller, who are all 17, were charged Friday with lewd or lascivious battery on someone between the ages of 12 and 15.
If convicted of the second-degree felony, each faces up to 15 years in a state prison. They were taken to the Collier Juvenile Justice Facility and had a first appearance before a judge during the weekend.
McSwain, who played both quarterback and running back, led the Indians to an upset of Naples High earlier this year. Clifton and Fuller are running backs who have had significant playing time this year.
All four didn’t play in Immokalee’s 48-26 loss to Palmetto Ridge High on Friday night, a day after the girl told deputies she was raped.
The girl told deputies the situation occurred last Thursday at Immokalee High School just after 9 p.m., during or just after the junior varsity game.
She said five boys took her from the football field, walked her through the parking lot, then grabbed her and carried her through the practice field to some portable classrooms on the east side of the school, just south of the weight room.
The boys lifted her over a wooden rail and forced her to sit on a recycling bin between a portable classroom and the weight room, according to the report, which says they then forced her to take her clothes off and perform oral sex on them before they had intercourse with her.
The report says they then fled toward the ROTC building.
A girl who told deputies she witnessed the incident said the 15-year-old girl went willingly with the team members and the victim admitted to sheriff’s investigator Frank Pilarski that the sex was consensual, the report said.
However, under Florida law, someone under the age of 17 cannot consent and the charge the teens face is similar to statutory rape.
The arrest report says deputies reviewed video surveillance tapes of the area and could see McSwain leaving, but were unable to get access to another video because the system appeared to be overloaded.
Deputies reported that there were no visible marks on the girl’s arms, face or neck and she refused medical treatment.
But Special Victims Unit detectives took her to a medical clinic for an examination with a rape kit to gather DNA evidence.
District Spokesman Joe Landon said all four students are currently being held at the Department of Juvenile Justice and are currently not in school. He said the four boys will face disciplinary action from the district upon release.
Landon said Immokalee High School typically has two security guards, Collier County Sheriff's Office personnel and three administrators on campus during after school activities. He said Principal Linda Salazar said staff will be even more vigilant based on this incident.
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