Crime & Safety
Not Enough Evidence to Charge 14 Venice Students with Sex Assaults, Prosecutor Says
After a series of arrests that shook up Venice High, prosecutors are declining to file charges against 14 boys accused of assaulting girls.
Los Angeles County prosecutors declined to file charges against more than a dozen Venice High School students who were suspected of being members of a ring that allegedly sexually assaulted a pair of girls both on and off campus, it was announced today.
Greg Risling of the District Attorney’s Office said there was “insufficient evidence” to pursue the case.
A total of 15 students were implicated in the alleged sex ring. Most were arrested over the course of several days in mid-March. The suspects ranged in age from 14 to 17. The ages of the victims were not released, but police said they were in their mid-teens.
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An LAUSD source said a group of male students allegedly conspired to pressure girls into having sex, threatening to ruin their reputations. The investigation began when police received information from school administrators about “a possible victim of a possible sexual assault,” according to Los Angeles Police Department Cmdr. Andy Smith said.
Prosecutors initially declined to file charges against one of the students, then opted May 8 against filing cases against the other 14 teens, Risling said.
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