Teen charged in Proctor football investigation pleads guilty
Credit: WDIO
A teenager who is charged in connection to a months-long investigation into the Proctor High School football team has pleaded guilty.
Hubbard Broadcasting affiliate WDIO-TV reports that the now-18-year-old pleaded guilty to third-degree criminal sexual conduct on Tuesday, and the case will stay in juvenile court.
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The sexual assault happened after a football practice on Sept. 7, 2021, according to a juvenile petition, and police were first notified on Sept. 16. The team canceled its season later that month and the coach resigned.
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The St. Louis County Attorney’s Office charged the teen in January.
In court on Tuesday, the teen admitted to being part of a group that chased the victim down after practice, saying, “It was a joke that went too far,” according to WDIO.
The judge won’t accept the plea until a pre-disposition investigation is finished. That disposition hearing is set for June 20.
“We’ve consulted with the victim, and his family, and we believe this is in the community’s best interest,” prosecutor Korey Horn told WDIO.
Proctor Public Schools says the teen is no longer enrolled in the district.