Parents Of 5-Year-Old Sexual Assault Victim Speak Out

Boys Suspected In Sexual Assault Of 5-Year-Old Girl

Arraignment for the second boy has been scheduled for 2 p.m. on July 6th. The other boy's arraignment was earlier set for 8 a.m. on July 12th.

The parents of the girl spoke exclusively with Channel 6 News last Friday.

The playground at North 110th Street and Blair High Road is a place of innocence, but that's been lost after the girl was lured into a nearby ditch and sexually assaulted. Her 7-year-old brother was forced to go along.

The alleged assault occurred around 4 p.m. while the victim’s mother, who lives within sight of the park, went inside for a few minutes with her newborn. “They may be juvenile, but they did a very adult thing to my children,” says the girl’s mother.

Hearings were held last Wednesday for the boys, during which it was revealed that they used a cell phone to video record the girl's private area and coerced her into performing an oral sex act. They later erased the recording. Authorities were working to see if the images could be restored.

“She said they took pictures of me mommy with my panties down,” says the mother. “They put it on their phones that they were so proud of what they did.”

The parents are upset that the boys, who are not related, were released from the Douglas County Youth Center. The suspects were sent home with their parents without any monitoring devices.

The county attorney requested that they remain at the youth center, but Judge Christopher Kelly allowed placement at home with conditions like staying away from younger children and refraining from using a cell phone or camera.

“We understand they're young, but somebody who commits a crime like this should be in jail,” says the girl’s father. “They shouldn't be out in two days.”

After the girl's brother told their mother about the incident, deputies located the boys. “It's not something you want to hear your 5-year-old child tell you what those boys did to her and threatening to beat my children up if they didn't do what they were told from these boys,” says the mom.

Though juveniles, they face felony first-degree sexual assault. “One of the things we need to determine is how premeditated this was,” says Douglas County Sheriff’s Department Chief Deputy Marty Bilek. “Did they go to the park that day to assault a 5-year-old or was this a crime of opportunity?"

Experts with Project Harmony interviewed the victims. “When they describe something of a sexual nature, kids don't have that kind of information unless they've experienced it,” said Project Harmony’s Colleen Roth.

“You never think anything like that is going to happen here,” said Karen, who lives across the street from the park where her granddaughter often plays alongside the victims. “Yes, we'll be watching them a lot closer.”

Karen says parents should feel like the park is safe, though she's seen older kids hanging out there. “Maybe 11 or 12 on up to 18 and 19-year-olds.”

The young suspects live in the neighborhood, not far from the park. “My family will bear these scars for the rest of our lives,” says the victim's mother.

Channel 6 News' calls to the suspects' homes have not been returned.