Sex-offender status upheld in Steubenville teen rape case

COLUMBUS, Ohio - An appeals court has upheld the sex offender classification given to an Ohio high school football player convicted of raping a 16-year-old girl.

Ma'Lik Richmond was given the second-toughest sex offender classification - Tier II - last August. That means the former Steubenville High School student will have to register as a sex offender every six months for the next 20 years.

The Seventh Ohio District Court of Appeals this week rejected arguments by Richmond's attorneys that the juvenile classification violated constitutional due process protections and amounted to double jeopardy.

A message was left with the Ohio Public Defender's office, which represented Richmond.

A judge last year found the now 18-year-old Richmond and co-defendant Trent Mays guilty of raping the West Virginia girl after an alcohol-fueled party in August 2012.