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A Virginia teenage boy convicted of raping a classmate in a school bathroom pleaded no contest on Monday related to a second in-school attack at a different location, reports said.
The 15-year-old boy was accused of touching a girl on her chest and private parts after he pulled her into an empty classroom in Broad Run High School in Loudoun County on Oct. 6, according to ABC 7.
The no contest plea was part of a deal with prosecutors, with the teen accepting the conviction on abduction and sexual battery charges but not admitting guilt, the station reported.
“They were involved, and we worked with them very closely through this whole process and every step of it and they are on board and also contributed to the thought process of what should occur,” County Commonwealth Attorney Buta Biberaj told the station.
The boy had previously been found guilty on charges that he attacked a girl in the bathroom at Stone Bridge High School in May. He relocated to the other school in the same district after that May assault.
That attack sparked a heated confrontation between the victim’s father and school board members. The girl’s father, Scott Smith, was arrested at the June 22 Loudoun school board meeting when he discussed the incident and confronted officials. A video of his arrest during the meeting went viral and made national headlines.
Critics have called for resignations from schools Superintendent Scott Ziegler and board members over their response to the sex assaults on campus, with Ziegler initially denying there had been any reports of attacks in any school bathrooms. Ziegler later apologized.
Jessica Smith, Scott Smith’s wife, released a statement on Monday, according to the station.
“Today is not just another day for our family,” the statement said. “It is a day that further vindicates my daughter against her attacker, holds him accountable for what he did, and helps advance the healing of both our daughter and our family from the suffering we have endured over these past months.”
“What we have been going through should be a lesson for parents across the Commonwealth,” the statement went on. “And, it should also serve as a call to action for all parents like us to stand up against local school boards that don’t put parents and their children first.”
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