L.A. County prosecutors have decided against filing charges against 15 students at Venice High School accused of sexual assaults, two months after police launched a high profile investigation into the case.
Prosecutors cited “insufficient evidence” in not pursuing charges, and declined to elaborate given the case involved minors and sexual attack allegations. The LAPD opened its investigation in mid-March, after Venice High School officials reported to law enforcement about an ongoing series of sex crimes involving a group of students at the school that might have taken place since 2013. Police acted swiftly and took eight students at Venice High into custody. The case would broaden to include a total of 15 teenage boys.
The case received a lot of local and national attention. With charges now dropped, critics have raised questions about whether the LAPD had moved too aggressively on the case.
Guests:
Laurie Levenson, Professor of Law, Loyola Law School; former federal prosecutor.
Dmitry Gorin, a defense attorney at the law firm Eisner Gorin LLP in Van Nuys, who has defended juveniles in sexual assault cases. He is a former Senior Deputy District Attorney in L.A. and specialized in sex crimes and narcotic cases.