Charges Possible In High School Football Sex Assault Investigation
RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA, CA — The Diocese of Orange Thursday said the investigation into allegations of sexual assaults involving football players on a Catholic high school campus is completed with no evidence of sexual assault. However, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department said the investigation is ongoing and criminal charges could be pending.
The contradicting accounts come after a lawsuit and school emails made public this week accused members of the Santa Margarita Catholic High School football team of violent and coordinated attacks at the school against at least eight teammates on Sept. 24.
Now, the family of 15-year-old player is suing. The lawsuit sent shockwaves throughout the Orange County community and raised questions about the school’s handling of the explosive allegations.
Find out what's happening in Rancho Santa Margaritawith free, real-time updates from Patch.
In addition, the alleged assaults triggered a police investigation and left the sophomore football player with post-traumatic stress disorder, severe depression and anxiety, according to the suit. At least eight victims were named in different instances of assault carried out by the school’s football players, according to emails recovered by The Orange County Register.
“The Diocese of Orange and Santa Margarita Catholic High School take these allegations seriously and are committed to addressing them thoroughly and transparently,” the Diocese of Orange said in a statement to Patch. “Upon the conclusion of the Orange County Sheriff’s Department’s investigation, in which no evidence of sexual assault was found, the school initiated an internal review led by the principal to examine the situation further.”
Find out what's happening in Rancho Santa Margaritawith free, real-time updates from Patch.
However, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department contradicted this statement during a phone interview with Patch.
According to OCSD Sgt. Frank Gonzalez, the investigation into the alleged assault was ongoing as of Thursday, and investigators had yet to determine whether sexual assault or battery took place.
Gonzalez continued to say that the department was waiting on victims’ parents to determine whether they wished to press charges. If victims’ parents do want to press charges, Gonzalez said the investigation findings would be submitted to the Orange County District Attorney’s office.
The diocese plans to continue its own investigation into the allegations.
The law firm Simmons Wagner was enlisted by Santa Margarita High School to conduct an “additional, impartial review,” the diocese announced.
Santa Margarita Catholic High administrators were aware of the alleged assault as early as September, according to emails recovered by The Orange County Register. But school officials haven’t said if the players accused of assault face disciplinary action.
Additionally, the Santa Margarita Catholic Eagles have been able to field a team all season long, raising questions about whether Santa Margarita followed its own disciplinary code outlined in the parent-student handbook.
According to the handbook, sexual violence is grounds for expulsion. The Eagles are scheduled to play Servite Friday in one of the biggest games of the season.
Santa Margarita Catholic High did not respond to emails and calls for comment.
The school placed Head Coach Anthony Rouzier on administrative leave in an announcement made in early October. The diocese obliquely alluded to it in its statement.
“From the outset, Santa Margarita Catholic High School has cooperated fully with the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, which conducted a comprehensive investigation,” the diocese added. “Moreover, the school swiftly took certain personnel actions as a precautionary measure.”
The bombshell lawsuit was originally reported by The Orange County Register Wednesday after it was filed in the county Superior Court Tuesday.
The lawsuit alleges that on Sept. 24 a 15-year-old student walked into the boy’s locker room at Santa Margarita Catholic High School after hearing loud cheering and banging sounds coming from inside.
After walking inside, a player shouted “Get him!” before the locker room lights were turned off and team members pinned the student to the ground before taking turns “touching, yanking, grabbing, pulling and twisting his genitals,” the lawsuit contends, according to the Register.
Santa Margarita High School principal Cheri Wood, in a series of emails obtained by the newspaper, admitted that at least eight Eagles players were allegedly assaulted by their teammates in September.
Santa Margarita Catholic High School, located in Rancho Santa Margarita, is a coed Roman Catholic high school that is owned and operated by the Diocese of Orange. The high school’s football team, the Santa Margarita Eagles, is one of the top-ranked in the state.
The school’s football program is rigorous and highly competitive in the world of high school sports. It draws top players from around the region. The program has produced more than two dozen players who have gone on to the NFL since its inception in 1987.
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