NEWBURY PARK : Complaints of Battery to Be Investigated
The Ventura County Sheriff’s Department plans to investigate complaints of sexual battery filed by female students at Newbury Park High School against three male students, a detective said Wednesday.
The investigation will center on allegations of misdemeanor sexual battery, which is generally described as the grabbing or touching of private body parts, Detective Debbie DeMattia said.
A 20-page report has been compiled from complaints by an undisclosed number of girls, DeMattia said. No details will be revealed until after the investigation is concluded, she said. She will begin interviews next week.
The students under investigation have not been identified, but DeMattia said she believes they are the same students facing disciplinary action for allegedly sexually harassing other students at school.
Three male students at Newbury Park have been recommended for expulsion by the Conejo Valley Unified School District. The school board is scheduled to decide tonight whether to expel the students but allow them to enroll in the district’s independent study program.
A report to the board recommending expulsion alleges that the boys engaged in “inappropriate physical and verbal behavior toward other students.” Administrators have declined to elaborate, citing confidentiality rules in actions involving minors.
Supt. Bill Seaver said the district was not aware of the sheriff’s investigation.
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