Randy Cassingham's Blog

Posted by Mike, Ohio on December 3, 2010:

I've got experience working with victims of sexual assault, and this kind of behavior is inexcusable. Of course she "changed her story"; a traumatic event will scramble your brain and one of the first things to go is the ability to have a linear memory of the events that happened in the trauma. At that point, she needed medical and emotional support, let the experts deal with determining what really happened.

Everybody involved in that process should be fired at a minimum, and I don't know that a lawsuit wouldn't be justified in this case.

Posted by Kent, South Carolina on December 3, 2010:

More than ample evidence that "common sense" is an oxymoron; and the school administrator is just a regular moron.

Posted by Bonwell, Oregon on December 3, 2010:

That split second when the school made this girl think it might have been her fault is all it takes to make this unforgivable.

Posted by Alan, VA on December 3, 2010:

Thanks for getting this out there. I'm reposting it everywhere I can think of. Maybe twice in some places.

I really hope you're able to get further updates on whether or not the school "officials" are going to be charged with something like obstruction of justice. Or maybe accessories after the fact. Anything....

Posted by patti,madera,ca on December 3, 2010:

Why am I not shocked or appalled!?!

It's amazing how people almost don't see rape as a crime anymore, or try to make out the female victim as the aggressor or say that "she wanted it"!!

Rape is a crime of violence, not sex! It's about power, & those that allowed the "boy" to go home should be just as guilty as he.

It's not a wonder that so many rapes go unreported.

Sad that this is the way of the world now.

Working in law enforcement communications (aka: dispatcher), you would never even begin to understand how hard it is to get someone to report the crime & this girl wanted to!

Most want the guy punished, but are too afraid to make a stand.

Posted by Mike, Florida on December 3, 2010:

I have friends who are battling bullying in schools (one lost her son to bullycide). What is becoming pretty obvious to me is that a child in school is not given the same protection for the same crime as an adult in the workplace is given. Whether the victim is 6, 16 or 36, assault is assault. Rape is rape. Harassment is harassment. And I'm talking about COMPARABLE crimes, not the stupidity of zero tolerance where a young child is treated the same for a toy cannon or even a cap gun (do they still make those?) as for carrying a loaded revolver under the inane illogic of "a gun is a gun is a gun".

AFAIAC, the school officials should be charged with the same kind of criminal offenses (obstruction of justice, tampering with evidence, etc.) as supervisors in a workplace would be.

Posted by Don - Kanata, ON on December 3, 2010:

Should not the school officials be charged as "Accessories after the Fact".

Almost the same as aiding and abetting.

Posted by SG, Washington State on December 3, 2010:

This happened to my youngest (and Down Syndrome) daughter. It was an oral rape, which is rape all the same. When I INSISTED on a police report being made, the teachers said "you do what you have to do". The police took it so lightly that they did not see to it that she had a rape kit done, and I am sad to say I did not think of it until it was too late. Withing two weeks the school was asking "When are you going to get over this?" Answer: Never! Not happening!

Not the best time of our lives, and yes, the issue was eventually resolved and the young man received appropriate intervention. My daughter spent the next three years in therapy (courtesy of the state's crime victims fund; they DID take it seriously). Also, of course, I had to bring a lawsuit before anything was done, which I would have never done if they had just acted like real humans in the first place.

Posted by Elizabeth - Ohio on December 3, 2010:

This may be a stupid question, but is there any way the school (as a whole or just individuals involved) could be charged as an accessory after the fact for the rape, especially if the boy somehow gets away with the crime (like if the evidence is compromised to much to use thanks to the school's stupidity)?

Thank you for posting this, any updates are greatly appreciated, I've reposted this everywhere. All of the officials involved should be sanctioned and fired at the least and sent to retraining for further traumatizing the poor girl.

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I'm unclear whether criminal charges would stick or not, but certainly a lawsuit would have an excellent chance of succeeding. -rc

Posted by Janene, Sydney Australia on December 3, 2010:

Why weren't the girl's parents called? If someone called me and said my daughter was saying someone had raped her, my second question would be "When did the police say they'd be there?" and, if they had not been called, I'd call them myself.

Wouldn't letting the boy go home and other people use the restroom count as "tampering with evidence" or something similar?