FORNEY, Texas — An ongoing investigation of allegations of sexual assault and hazing among members of the Forney High School soccer teams continues with the arrest of a sixth student.
FORNEY, Texas — An ongoing investigation of allegations of sexual assault and hazing among members of the Forney High School soccer teams continues with the arrest of a sixth student.
In January, five Forney High School athletes - four juveniles and 19-year old Jacob Fischer - were charged and arrested on charges of sexual assault.
This week, 19-year old former soccer team member Tyler Teer has been arrested on charges of hazing and was booked and released from the Kaufman County Sheriff's Office (KCSO).
In February KCSO deputies surprised Forney ISD with a search warrant and seized evidence. Investigators obtained a search warrant for the office, computers and phones of Steven Whiffen, Forney High Princicpal, Tim Cook, Forney High Assistant Principal, Kevin Rush, Forney High Athletic Director and Forney High boy’s soccer coach Kristopher Duplissy. Forney ISD Superintendent Suzanne McWilliams was also named in the warrant and probable cause affidavit
According to the affidavit a parent initially reached out to school officials in December of 2017 via email to the soccer coach with allegations of sexual assault and rape. The allegations were not reported to the KCSO till January of 2018.
By law, school officials are required to report allegations of sexual assault to law enforcement. Not doing so can be a criminal act.
The following month, the district announced Whiffen & Rush were transferred, Cook retired and Duplissey resigned. McWilliams had previously announced her retirement as superintendent in early January.
In August, the four juveniles had a hearing together before outgoing County Court at Law Judge Dennis Jones. The hearing was held just prior to one of the juvenile's eighteenth birthday. inForney.com attended the hearing where it was announced that the initial charges of sexual assault had been reduced to hazing. The juvenile's pled true, or guilty, to hazing.
The Kaufman County District Attorney's Office provided no evidence during that hearing and the judge found no rehabilitation or further supervision was needed and adjudicated the cases. The juveniles have no more responsibilities before the courts for the charges.
Several sources have confirmed that each of the defendants provided a written affidavit in exchange for their disposition to be used in the ongoing investigation.
Authorities tell inForney.com that the investigation revealed that many of the perpetrators had also been victims themselves, indicating that the sexual assault hazing ritual had been ongoing at Forney High School for many years.
The district attorney's office is prohibited by law from discussing juvenile cases or releasing documents pertaining to the case.
The sexual assault case against Jacob Fisher, the only other adult named in the case, still remains pending in Kaufman County's Justice of the Peace Precinct 1 court, according to online court records.
WFAA News 8 reports that a source with knowledge of the investigation into the actions of Forney High School employees is ongoing and additional arrests are expected.
Kaufman County Sheriff's Office spokesperson Jolie Stewart says the investigation remains ongoing.