Shakopee Student Charged With Raping Girl In Locker Room
SHAKOPEE, Minn. (WCCO) -- Our schools are generally thought of as places we educate our kids in a safe and secure setting.
But an alleged rape inside Shakopee High School on Tuesday has many wondering how such a disturbing crime could happen inside a building filled with students and staff.
On Thursday, 18-year-old Angel Pablo Torres, Jr. appeared in Scott County Court on charges he brutally raped a former friend and fellow classmate.
It's alleged that Torres lured the girl out of class and into a hallway to get a drink of water.
Torres and his 17-year-old female victim were classmates and former friends. But when they left class on Tuesday to visit a drinking fountain, friendship turned into a violent felony.
According to the charges, Torres "grabbed her by the wrist and took her into the boys' locker room."
Scott County Attorney Ron Hocevar says the location of this particular crime sets it apart from most other sexual assaults he prosecutes.
"In this situation you have it happening in a public school, in a restroom in a public school, during the school day with students around, with teachers around, with school resource officers in the building," Hocevar said.
The victim told Shakopee police that Torres pulled her into a handicapped stall, locked the door and pulled down both their pants.
She said she repeatedly told him "to stop but he was too strong."
Hocevar says it appears the locker room was vacant at the time, raising the question of an attack planned ahead of time.
"It was unattended by people during an actual classroom setting so people weren't wandering around," Hocevar said. "You can speculate to whether he planned it ahead, how much he planned it out or not."
High school surveillance cameras reveal the rape went on for about 20 minutes when it shows the victim coming out of the locker room.
The school isn't entertaining reporters' questions, specifically, how such an attack could take place for that long and in that location?
But in a written statement Shakopee schools said they are "still conducting an internal investigation to review the circumstances surrounding the alleged incident."
We checked Torres' past court record and discovered little more than a few minor offenses.
Torres is still being held in the Scott County Jail on $200,000 bond. His next appearance is scheduled for Nov. 14.
