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MANTI — A judge on Tuesday told three high schoolers accused in a string of alleged sexual assaults not to speak with those who have come forward as victims.
In brief, back-to-back court hearings, 6th District Juvenile Judge Brody Keisel acknowledged that honoring his order may be difficult at times. Each of the defendants and alleged victims attend Gunnison Valley High School.
"You may be down the hall and you may see that person come your direction," Keisel said. In that case, the best thing to do is to turn the other direction, he said in one hearing, giving a similar message in the other two. His directive includes no contact over social media, and prohibits the boys from communicating with victims through friends.
"Don't leave messages under rocks," Keisel ordered.
One of the boys, a 16-year-old Gunnison Valley sophomore, is accused of sexually assaulting nine of his schoolmates. He faces six counts of object rape, a first-degree felony, and five counts of forcible sexual abuse, a second-degree felony.
The two other teens, ages 14 and 15, were each charged with a single count of forcible sexual abuse, a second-degree felony. The defendants indicated separately that they understood the charges against them.
KSL has chosen not to name them at this time.
"These are difficult cases," the judge said — for the defendants, and for those who say they were assaulted, plus the families of each.
The alleged assaults happened both on and off the high school campus, said Wesley Mangum, deputy Sanpete County attorney, after the hearings Tuesday. He said police are still investigating and declined to give details.
Related:
More come forward accusing Gunnison teen of abuse
More potential victims have stepped forward claiming they were hazed or abused by a 16-year-old Gunnison Valley High School sophomore.Since the 16-year-old Gunnison sophomore was first charged on Sept. 28, more students have come forward saying the same teen hazed or assaulted them.
According to prosecutors, Gunnison police took notice of a possible hazing incident that could be considered horseplay but crossed the line into assault. They have said the 16-year-old is involved in sports at the school, and so are some of those he's accused of assaulting on at least eight dates spanning from Oct. 2, 2017, to just last month.
Mangum said those who have come forward more recently have raised the total number of alleged victims from 12 to 15, but additional charges have not yet been filed. At first, investigators believed only boys were assaulted. But the new group that has come forward includes girls, he said.
Police in Hurricane, Washington County, were also looking into a related report there, but it has since come to light the alleged incident happened in Kane County, where investigators have been made aware of the allegation but have not yet begun investigating, said Kane County Sheriff's Office spokesman Alan Alldredge.
Prosecutors have not yet decided whether they will seek for the teens to be tried as adults.
"That possibility is definitely still on the table," Mangum said.
The 16-year-old is set to appear before the judge again on Nov. 20. The other two are due back in court Nov. 6.
