MISHWAKA – One of the former Mishawaka wrestlers accused of sexually assaulting his fellow teammate admitted his role in juvenile court Thursday.
Inside the Juvenile Justice Center during a fact-finding hearing the teen's attorney, Jeffery Haupt, said his client was ready to "accept responsibility."
This is the second teen to face these allegations. On March 13 a judge decided another former wrestler, a 19-year-old, was found guilty for his role.
Prosecutors say this all happened at Mishawaka High School in early 2010. Six wrestlers, all juveniles, reportedly assaulted their teammate.
In court documents the victim told the judge his teammates "laughed at him" while another "held him down."
With his guilty plea, the teen was ordered to complete a psychosexual evaluation and polygraph for sentencing in late June.
Peter Morgan, executive director of the Juvenile Justice Center, said when someone is convicted of sex charges, a psycho-sexual evaluation is a very standard order. It helps during the sentencing phase to know what issues, if any, need to be addressed and what kind of treatment is appropriate.
Haupt said he knew it was something the court would ask for to cover their bases, and the former wrestler found guilty last week was ordered to complete one of the evaluations as well.
"We are pleased the hearing process is moving forward and it brings us closer to making internal decisions," said Dr. Terry Barker, superintendent of Mishawaka schools.
A dispositional hearing, or sentencing, for the teen is set for June 26.
