Many New Jersey residents will remember the shocking allegations of misconduct within the Sayerville High School's football program. The incident took place in Oct. 2014 and made headlines across the nation. Several teenage boys were accused of sex crimes after a hazing ritual apparently went too far. Two of those young men were recently found not guilty in some of those charges, which is a relief to their families.
A total of four teenage boys were allegedly harmed during the incident, which took place in the locker room of the school. Seven other boys were accused of criminal acts related to the matter. Among those charges were aggravated sexual contact, conspiracy to commit aggravated sexual contact and aggravated assault. Lesser charges include hazing, riot and criminal restraint.
An attorney for one of the accused made a public statement asserting that the prosecutor in the case was overzealous in bringing such serious charges. Each of the young men charged in the case will have their own court cases to defend. However, two of the football players were recently found not guilty of the more serious sex charges they faced.
Finding oneself the subject of sex charges is a very serious event. A conviction on such charges can change the course of a young person's life and can create serious obstacles for attaining a college education or gainful employment. Fortunately, for these young men, their legal team was able to convince the court that the actions taken within a New Jersey high school locker room were not sex crimes.
Source: nj.com, "2 Sayreville football hazing defendants found not guilty on sex charges", Brian Amaral, Aug. 10, 2015