Roy Exum: Ooltewah Copycats?

  • Wednesday, February 3, 2016
  • Roy Exum
Roy Exum
Roy Exum

Four high school wrestlers were charged in Oklahoma City on Monday and, when I read why, I felt like I might vomit. The four wrestlers from Norman North High School were arrested after they raped two male teammates, ages 16 and 12, with a foreign object while on a wrestling trip. The sexual assaults took place on a bus approximately two weeks after the Ooltewah High School basketball team had a similar assault and I hope and pray this isn’t a “copycat” crime.

Do you think that after the Ooltewah debacle was pounced on by the nation’s news outlets, some perverted freak in far-away Norman, Okla., might have seen reports and devised a similar crime that will leave two other kids scarred for life? Sadly, there is suddenly compelling evidence to believe that may well be true.

To me the whole travesty that took place in a Gatlinburg cabin on Dec. 22 is unthinkable. What kind of person thinks about something so horribly obscene? That is why I so openly wonder if the thugs that sexually attacked four Ooltewah freshmen might have caught the eye of some sick wrestlers on the Norman North team who attacked their teammates on Jan. 9.

Was it a “copy-cat” crime? Consider this: Ten days after the four Norman North wrestlers allegedly committed the deplorable acts and word of the investigation reached the media, two schools in nearby Moore, Okla., had similar sexual assaults by wrestlers on the very same day.

News reports claim the two Norman North wrestlers were raped on a team bus at a Garvin County tournament and that when the bus returned to Norman, the 12-year-old was raped a second time in between two parked cars in the parking lot. An adjunct coach was fired immediately when the Norman attack became known and another coach has since resigned.

The police report said the Norman rapes were by “objectification,” and described the penetrations as a finger inside a condom. Witnesses who came forward said one wrestler was sodomized for “about six minutes” by his older teammate and one attacker yelled, “I can feel his pelvic bone!”

The four wrestlers who were charged on Monday were suspended immediately and were arraigned yesterday. All pleaded not guilty in an Oklahoma City courtroom where one will be tried as an adult and the other three as juveniles, but now it is suddenly worse. Police in Moore, Okla., which is about 15 miles away from Oklahoma City, just announced officers are investigating two similar sexual assaults by wrestlers that occurred 10 days after the Norman High attacks.

Do you see a very ugly pattern beginning to emerge?

According to a police department spokesman, sexual assaults allegedly took place in the wrestling practice areas at South Moore High School and also at Central Junior High on January 19. "The alleged incidents are similar to what happened at Norman North High School. The incidents are currently under investigation and once the investigation is complete it will be sent to the Cleveland County District Attorney who will decide if any charges will be filed," police spokesman Jeremy Lewis told the Oklahoma City newspaper.

When the four Norman wrestlers were charged on Monday, District Attorney Greg Mashburn told the court, “Invading another person’s body, it’s more than just like a pink belling or razzing somebody,” he said. “There’s no other word to describe it than a sexual assault that occurred.”

Officials in the two cases that are being investigated in Moore would make no further comment, citing ongoing procedures.

The Norman Public Schools superintendent, Joseph Siano, said in a prepared statement,  “Student safety is a top priority and we followed procedures we have in place that allow us to effectively investigate and take swift action in these situations.”

“We are well-prepared to handle situations like this and have programs in place to support students who experience trauma,” the superintendent said, thanking individuals who have come forward and the Norman police.

“While we believe the district's policies regarding student supervision are strong, we continuously evaluate our procedures to ensure they are followed. As we address the inappropriate behavior displayed by several students, we remain committed to supporting the vast majority of our student athletes, who are quality individuals that demonstrate positive behavior and strong character traits.” 

But in Chattanooga we weep. Is a terrifying incident that none of us would have ever dreamed being copied by other sports teams?

The three Ooltewah basketball players who were charged the day after the Dec. 22 incident will appear at a hearing in Sevier County on March 15.

Three coaches who were charged with “failure to report the sexual abuse of a minor” will appear in Hamilton County Juvenile Court of Feb. 15, along with four members of the Hamilton County Department of Education who have been subpoenaed by District Attorney General Neal Pinkston.

royexum@aol.com

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