Damascus Rape Cases Conclude For 2 Teens Charged In Hazing

GERMANTOWN, MD — Two of the remaining four court cases stemming from an alleged locker room rape at Damascus High School have concluded behind closed doors this week. The disposition of those cases is unclear since it was handled in closed juvenile court.

The two teens, ages 15 and 16, appeared in court separately on Wednesday, Aug. 14 and Thursday, Aug. 15, according to The Washington Post. Due to age and the nature of their cases, Montgomery County Circuit Court Judge Mary Beth McCormick ordered the proceedings closed.

"I understand that people want to know what happens in this case," she said Thursday, according to The Post. "At the end of the day," she added, "my charge is to help the rehabilitation of these children."

On Oct. 31, 2018, four junior varsity football players — all 15 years old at the time — were accused of turning off the lights, pushing or pinning down four of their teammates, and sexually assaulting them with a broom handle in a hazing ritual called "brooming." The incident initially brought adult rape charges against the four boys. But their cases were later transferred back to the juvenile court system.

Montgomery County Circuit Court Judge Steven Salant, who presided over the boys' cases early this year, said it was "incredibly painful" to hear about the offense and "even more painful" to read the victims' impact statements.

"No adult listening to that can just sit and ignore the terrible things that happened," Salant said.

When considering whether a child charged as an adult should — once again — be tried in juvenile court, the Department of Juvenile Services must take into account the following five factors: the defendant's age, mental/physical condition, amenability to treatment, risk to public safety, and the nature of the offense. The department is responsible for analyzing a defendant's case and recommending whether it should remain in the adult court system.

Ultimately, Salant decided to transfer all four cases back to juvenile court.

The Post reports that both boys left their hearing through the main courtroom entrance with family members and their attorneys last week — meaning they may have been sentenced to probation and electronic monitoring, not to a juvenile detention facility.