6 charged with assaults

Authorities on Wednesday charged six former Robertson High School football players in connection with alleged assaults during a team camp in August.

The three 17-year-olds and three 16-year-olds have already been barred from attending Robertson. Five of them are on one-year suspensions, while the other is expelled.

They are accused of sodomizing at least six underclassmen with broomsticks.

All face multiple counts of criminal sexual penetration, kidnapping and conspiracy. The six face anywhere from 11 to 19 counts. The charges were filed in state District Court in Las Vegas, which serves as the area’s children’s court.

The court documents list the names of the six suspects, but the Optic’s policy calls for withholding the juveniles’ names at this point in the process. Other media may have different policies.

One of the defense attorneys listed on the documents contacted Wednesday said he didn’t know that he had been assigned to represent one of the suspects as a public defender. He said he would have to check with District Court.

Henry Valdez, Santa Fe’s district attorney, is handling the prosecution.

Valdez said he had 10 days to file a request for adult sanctions for the suspects. He said he hadn’t decided whether he would do so.

In September, state police issued a 102-page report on the hazing, which involved the allegations of sodomy with a broomstick. The police report said younger players were told to “take it like a man” and that their attackers ignored their pleas to stop.

The camp took place Aug. 11-14 in the Gallinas Canyon near Las Vegas. Managers and coaching staff stayed in cabins separate from the boys, traveled separately and ate during the players’ breaks, which is when most of the “alleged acts of misconduct” occurred, according to a report from the school district.

Coach Ray Woods and his coaching staff were placed on leave and later resigned because of the alleged assaults. Athletic Director Mike Yara was placed on leave, then reinstated.

According to a report from Las Vegas City Schools officials, coaches at Robertson High School failed to adequately supervise the boys at the camp or look into allegations of sexual assault, allowing more boys to fall victim.

One of the suspect’s parents have already sued the district, claiming that he didn’t get due process before he received the one-year suspension.