4 teen boys arrested in alleged rape
Redlands police on Monday announced the arrest of four teenage boys on suspicion of sexually assaulting two high school girls. The girls said they had been repeatedly attacked after being invited into a home for a drink.
One of the girls told police she thought she had been drugged before the incident, which occurred Friday in the 1400 block of East Brockton Avenue.
Police spokesman Carl Baker said the girls, ages 14 and 15, were walking home about 5 p.m. when they encountered a group of teenage boys.
“They invited the girls to come in and party, which they did,” he said. The girls “were drinking and began to feel dizzy, and the next thing you know, one of the boys was taking off their pants and sexually assaulting them.”
An argument broke out among the boys, and two of them offered to walk the girls home. But when they reached the house of one of the girls, they sexually assaulted both girls again, Baker said. The boys fled when the girl’s father returned home.
The girls reported the incident Sunday to police, who then made the arrests. Redlands Police Capt. Tom Fitzmaurice said he didn’t know why they waited to file the complaint.
Two boys, 15 and 17, were arrested on suspicion of unlawful sexual intercourse, and a third boy, 16, was arrested on suspicion of digital penetration and oral copulation. They were being held at Juvenile Hall. Another boy, 17, was released pending further investigation.
Alex John Hughes, 21, was arrested on suspicion of contributing to the delinquency of a minor by providing alcohol to the teens.
Baker said more charges could be filed as the investigation continued.
Fitzmaurice said it appeared that the boys and girls involved were strangers. Their names were not released.
“We don’t believe they knew each other. It was a chance meeting on the street,” he said. “They exchanged words, each side was looking for something to do, and the boys said, ‘Do you want to join us?’ It started out as consensual. Then the illegal behavior began.
“To the best of our knowledge, there’s no indication the girls were drugged.”
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