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Friday, October 25, 2002

By Cindi Lash and Michael A. Fuoco, Post-Gazette Staff Writers

Two Central Catholic High School football players were charged last night with sexually assaulting a former teammate in the school's locker room during what police believe was a hazing incident.

The suspects -- a 15-year-old sophomore from Lincoln-Lemington and a 16-year-old junior from the North Side -- were accompanied by their parents last evening to the Police Bureau's Investigations Branch in East Liberty, where they were arrested. Their names were not released.

After being charged with indecent assault, unlawful restraint, involuntary servitude and conspiracy they were taken to the Allegheny County Jail, where they were fingerprinted and photographed. They then were released to their parents pending a juvenile court hearing.

The Rev. Kris Stubna, education secretary for the Pittsburgh Catholic Diocese, said last night the students were immediately suspended from the school because of the criminal charges and, therefore, are off the football team.

Police said the incident occurred at about 2 p.m. Aug. 15 following football practice. The suspects are accused of restraining the 15-year-old victim and slapping him in the face with their genitals. The Post-Gazette does not identify victims of sexual assault.

Lt. Michael Sippey of the investigations branch said that while the incident may have been a hazing, it nevertheless met the criminal elements of sexual assault and the other charges.

Other players were in the locker room at the time but no other arrests are expected, Sippey said.

The father of the 15-year-old victim said he took the matter to police only after getting no satisfaction from school officials, who he felt dragged their feet.

Stubna strongly denied that, saying the school vigorously investigated the accusation but could find no one else to substantiate it. Moreover, he said, the school cooperated fully with police.

"Obviously, the police investigation was able to turn up information that the school investigation wasn't able to turn up. Obviously we're very concerned about the events that have transpired," he said.

The victim's father -- who likewise is not being named to protect his son's identity -- said that when he went to pick up his son from practice the day of the incident he found his son's head had been shaved. The victim then told his father he had been "tea bagged" and described what had occurred.

"It made me sick," the father said. "Kids putting penises on other kids' heads? What does that do for a child's manhood?"

The father said he accompanied his son to football practice to confront Coach Art Walker Jr. about what had happened but was unable to speak with him that day.

The father said his son did speak to Walker the following week, but was too embarrassed to tell him more than that he'd been harassed and that he was quitting the team. The son also decided that he was leaving Central and his family enrolled him in another school.

When the father finally talked to Walker, 10 days after the incident, he said Walker was "appalled, aghast" and would investigate, the father said. The matter was turned over to Vice Principal George Paul, who questioned the son on the telephone and obtained the names of the players that the son said were involved in the incident. A few days later, officials told the father the matter was still being looked into.

"Up to then, I was just looking for internal justice," the father said. "I felt they should be dismissed from the team, that's all. My son isn't playing for Central and they shouldn't, either."

A week went by and the son's parents went to the school and confronted its principal, Brother Richard. The father said Brother Richard told them that the players and their parents had been contacted and "they said it never happened."

"I said, 'Do you think these good Christian boys never lie?'" the father said. "Why are you taking their word over my son's [word]?"

"To me, that said they've chosen to look the other way," the father said.

Later that week, the father said, Paul telephoned them and told them that school officials had questioned other "trusted students" about the incident and that those students said it hadn't happened. At that point, the father said, he contacted a relative who is a city police officer, who questioned the son and then put the family in touch with city sex assault detectives.

"Central Catholic had the opportunity to take care of this without it going so far, but they wanted to just sweep it all away," the father said. "We brought to light a sexual assault charge and they let these guys play all season.

"I'm a Catholic and my children have all gone to Catholic schools. It's broken my heart."

Stubna said there was nothing else school officials could have done.

"There was no attempt to push it away. ... We investigated all the people who would have been there and not a single student would substantiate the accusation," he said.

"We were all appalled. ... The school would never claim that it did not take place. What Brother Richard tried to explain to the parents was that all the students who were there denied that it took place."

Walker could not be reached for comment yesterday.