Teens assault special needs student

CHESAPEAKE, Va. (WAVY) - Three Chesapeake teens face a total of 42 sexual battery charges. The teens are accused of assaulting a 21-year-old student on a school bus in May. All have special needs.

According to an affidavit obtained by 10 On Your Side, police seized surveillance video recorded on a Chesapeake school bus for the dates of May 23, 24 and 25. The document states the various sex offenses against the female student lasted 19 minutes and at one point, the students forcibly moved the victim to another seat on the bus to continue assaulting her.

The suspects are two 15-year-olds and one 16-year-old. All of the students involved were Southeastern Cooperative Educational Program students. SECEP serves students with learning and emotional disabilities

The affidavit said the three teens touched the female student inappropriately and attempted to force her to perform sexual acts. The affidavit also says two of the teens' body parts were exposed.

"That's disgusting," parent Colleen Holmes said. "I think I can't believe that would happen on a school bus. It just seems really obscene and disgusting that something like that would happen on the school bus and the parents wouldn't know what is going on and would hear it from the media instead of the school district."

Chesapeake school officials would not comment on the matter including whether or not there was an aide on the bus.

"I'm not interested in speaking. I don't want to bring anymore attention to the matter and this is a pupil personnel matter," SECEP Executive Director Donald Fairheart said.

"Our kids may witness it or it may affect them or they may come home with questions for us with things on the subject that we may not be ready to talk about," Holmes said.

Officials are not saying what school the students attended or how, if at all, the school will discipline them.