Rangers Prospects Accused In Dominican Sex Assault Case
EZEQUIEL ABIU LOPEZ, Associated Press
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) — Authorities in the Dominican Republic said Tuesday that they are investigating a group of Texas Rangers prospects accused of sexually assaulting six underage teammates.
The suspects were identified as Panamanian Guillermo Villarreal, 18, and Venezuelans Yohel Pozo, 19, Adrian Pernalete, 18, and Rougned Jose Odor, 19, who is the younger brother of the MLB Rangers player with the same name.
A judge told authorities to seize their passports and ordered the four players to be available for questioning, Tessie Sanchez, a spokeswoman for the Dominican prosecutor's office, told The Associated Press.
Officials said the incident allegedly occurred in October at a Texas Rangers complex in the southern coastal town of Boca Chica east of the capital. The suspects reportedly posted an image on social media showing the alleged sexual assault.
Authorities declined to identify the alleged victims, who are all 16 years old. They also declined to provide details about the alleged sexual assault.
The Rangers issued a statement saying they are aware of the incident and "acted promptly to open an investigation," adding that the team is cooperating with authorities and with Major League Baseball.
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