A Garvin County judge dismissed the felony charge against each of the three wrestlers -- all juveniles, ages 16 and 17 -- and gave prosecutors five days to file new cases in juvenile court, based on a psychological evaluation of each of the juveniles which stated "the acts were willful but appear to be impulsive rather than premeditated and planned."
The psychologist who evaluated the three accused juvenile wrestlers stated in his report to the judge that he was told "the activity in question was part of a tradition in wrestling," The Oklahoman -- the daily newspaper for Oklahoma City -- reported.
The Pauls Valley Democrat used the phrase "hazing event" in its reporting.
The fourth wrestler, 18, was charged as an adult, and is charged with three felony counts of rape by instrumentation. He has pleaded not guilty. His case is scheduled to go to trial Sept. 2.
The alleged sexual attacks occurred Jan. 9 as the Norman North High School junior varsity wrestling team returned from a tournament that took place in Pauls Valley, Okla. south of Norman. Prosecutors alleged the offenses began in Garvin County, where Pauls Valley is located. The four defendants are accused of using fingers to rape the two teammates -- 16 and 12 years old -- over their clothing, hence the "rape by instrumentation" charges.
As InterMat reported back in February, the 16-year-old victim was reportedly attacked at the back of the bus by three of the suspects. The accused perpetrators allegedly tried to lure the 12-year-old victim to the rear of the bus; when he failed to cooperate, they dragged him to the back of the bus and allegedly raped him there. When the bus returned to Norman North, the 12-year-old was again sexually assaulted two more times -- once in a secluded area next to the building, and in between two parked cars in the school parking lot. The final attack ended when the younger victim's parents arrived to pick him up.
Norman Public Schools launched their own investigation, and contacted Norman City Police. A few days later, the school system suspended the accused attackers, and issued the following statement: "An adjunct coach who was responsible for supervising students on the bus was immediately dismissed. A second coach has been suspended pending further investigation."
Norman North High School, established in 1997, has an enrollment of approximately 2,300 students. It's one of two public high schools in Norman, Okla., a city of approximately 110,000 located about 20 miles south of downtown Oklahoma City. The third-largest city in the state, Norman is the home to the University of Oklahoma.
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