SEVIER COUNTY, Tenn. – Parents of victims wiped tears from their faces Tuesday afternoon as a Sevier County judge announced that the former Ooltewah High School senior who allegedly assaulted their sons would be tried as a juvenile.
Just hours before the announcement, three former Ooltewah freshmen took the stand and testified about being assaulted by their former basketball teammate, who sat before them in an orange jumpsuit. One 15-year-old told the packed courtroom he was held down by two teammates while the defendant penetrated him with a pool cue, rupturing his bladder, despite his screams to stop.
The now-18-year-old defendant faces charges of aggravated rape and aggravated assault in the incident. He will not be transferred to adult court, where he would have faced much steeper penalties.
The defendant was 17 on Dec. 22 when he allegedly committed the crime. Sevier County Juvenile Court Judge Dwight Stokes ruled Tuesday that the juvenile system has adequate time and resources to reform him before he turns 19, in about 10 months.
“Outcomes are poor for young people in adult court,” Stokes told the courtroom. “The likelihood of adult court being anything but negative to this defendant is a done deal.”