Police send Marshall rape investigation findings to courts
MARSHALL, Mo. (KMIZ)
The Marshall Police Department has referred two of the alleged attackers to court officials in connection with an alleged rape that took place at a party after prom in May.
The two alleged attackers were referred to prosecutors and juvenile officers on Friday, according to the Marshall Police Department. Police said they sent a probable cause statement to the Saline County prosecutor's office for review for one of the suspects because he is an adult. The office will decide whether to charge the adult with a crime.
MPD said the other person is still a juvenile, and a referral has been sent to the Saline County juvenile officer for review. The officer and a judge will decide whether to punish that person in the juvenile justice system or if they will face charges in adult court.
Marshall High School students left school in the middle of class to take to the streets to protest for what many in the town saw as the school's lack of response to the incident.
Prom was held on April 30. However, the Marshall Police Department told ABC 17 News that police didn't start investigating the incident until May 12.
The alleged assault caused students and their parents to raise questions about students' safety at the school. The district released a statement in May saying that because the incident took place off of school grounds, it had "no jurisdiction in these types of incidents, but does take seriously the disruption of the educational process within and outside the building."
The new Marshall superintendent said he will release a statement in the next few weeks. The Marshall Police Department and the Saline County prosecutor's office did not respond to requests for comment Friday.
