Cooper City High School Student-Athletes Could Face Charges In Hazing Incident
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COOPER CITY (CBSMiami) – Several student-athletes involved in a hazing scandal at a South Florida high school could soon be in legal trouble.
Eight months after Altamonte Springs police began investigating eight players on the Cooper City High School baseball team on allegations of hazing, the department says they have filed information with the state attorney's office.
CBS4's Joan Murray learned the charges being considered are simple assault, false imprisonment and sexual battery.
In a report filed by the student who was hazed, it states that "…5 teammates came into his room, held him down and pulled his pants down. They were able to get his underwear down to his thighs but then he fought them off."
The student also said "another night he witnessed the same group of boys hold down (a teammate), pull his pants down" and sodomize him with their fingers."
A baseball player Murray spoke with on Monday said he had never heard of any hazing until last march.
"It was all new. It was all shocking. It doesn't really happen. I don't know why it happened," he said.
Other students say if it happened then the 8 should be held accountable.
"I think that charge is very deserved," one student said. "That student shouldn't have been a victim of such hazing."
"How can that happen in school? How can that happen under adult supervision?" another student said. How does that go unnoticed."
The Broward County School District issued a statement saying, "This situation is being taken very seriously. The district's special investigative unit continues to cooperate with the Altamonte Springs police Department."
The coach at the time is no longer with the school district.
The student who made the allegations said that when the coach of the team learned of the allegations the coach said, "…it's just baseball, keep it to yourself."
Murray asked police if he would face any charges, but they said at this time no pending charges are being filed on the coach.