ROCKVILLE, Md. -- Four students charged as adults in the alleged rape at Damascus High School were released on bond on Monday.
The 15-year-old students were ordered to stay away from each other and the victims as part of their release, officials said.
The four juveniles were arrested Wednesday and were charged with varying degrees of attempted first-degree rape, and counts of conspiracy to commit first-degree rape, Montgomery County police said. First-degree rape carries a sentence of up to life in prison, officials said.
A fifth teenager was charged as a juvenile, police said.
Police said the sexual assaults happened after school dismissed Oct. 31 inside the boy's locker room and involved suspects and victims who are all Damascus High School students.
The incident was connected to hazing with players on the junior varsity football team, according to Damascus High School superintendent. The team forfeited its game the day after.
Prosecutors said the suspects may have targeted at least one of their victims for bullying for the entire school year. Then on the last day of football practice, the sophomores allegedly invaded the freshman locker room, turned out the lights, tackled one young man after the other and either raped or attempted to rape each of them in the rectum with a broomstick.
"I'm offended by the term hazing. This is not hazing. These are criminal acts," Montgomery County State’s attorney John McCarthy said.
McCarthy said there is a possibility that the juveniles who have been charged may be given a waiver to have their cases heard before a juvenile court. For this reason, WUSA has decided not to name those who have been charged.
The four Damascus High School students are charged as adult and they've been held separately at adult detention facilities since their arrest last Wednesday.
The question for the judge was if he released them, were they likely to flee and were they a threat to the community.
The judge decided they weren't flight risks and thought that staying in their parents’ home with supervision, they would not threaten the community. He ordered them not to contact each other or the victims and to stay away from the school.
Just before the court hearing, someone hung broomsticks up around Damascus High School. In a note home to parents, the principal called it a threat to harm the community.
Once these teens were charged with first-degree rape and the possibility of life in prison, the case is automatically moved up to adult court.
The lawyer for one of the suspects has already filed a motion asking a judge to send the case back down to juvenile court.
Prosecutor John McCarthy says he has yet to decide whether to fight that.
WUSA9 has decided against publishing the names of the suspects until a judge has a chance to rule on whether they should be tried as adults.
Court records list them all as African American. The prosecutor said he's aware of concerns that they might have been singled out for harsher treatment because of their race.
He said the victims are of multiple different races.
