Student charged with kidnapping, attempted sex offense being held on $250,000 bond
By Kimberly King, WLOS STAFF
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BUNCOMBE COUNTY, North Carolina (WLOS) — A North Buncombe High School student facing several charges had an initial court appearance Wednesday morning.
Buncombe County deputies say Bryson Josiah Peters, 18, faces charges of first-degree kidnapping and attempted first-degree sex offense in connection with an incident that took place at North Buncombe High School. Two juveniles have also been charged in the case. Information related to juvenile suspects is highly restricted in accordance with North Carolina public records laws.
Warrants obtained by News 13 regarding the incident state an alleged victim was sexually assaulted, restrained and terrorized. Another warrant states the alleged attacks happened between Sept. 1-30 of 2021. The warrants didn’t state if the alleged victim was a boy or girl, only that the individual was under the age of 16.
Peters is a running back and defensive back for North Buncombe’s football team.
“We are fully cooperating with law enforcement at this time,” Buncombe County Schools Superintendent Dr. Tony Baldwin said in a press release. “We appreciate this partnership and collaboration as we focus on the safety of our school community. We want to reiterate that there is no active threat to our staff or students.”
A press release from the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office didn’t state if the juveniles charged along with Peters were North Buncombe students or student-athletes.
A spokeswoman for Buncombe County Schools said the district would not release any additional information because it’s an open investigation by the sheriff’s office.
“First, I would like to assure our community members that this matter does not present an active threat to our students or educators,” Buncombe County Sheriff Quentin Miller said in a press release. “The Sheriff’s Office will conduct a full and thorough investigation into this incident.”
Peters has a bond hearing Feb, 18 and a court date of March 9.
He is currently being held at the Buncombe Detention Center on a $250,000 bond.
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