Eighteen people arrested in assault on 11 year old girl

In Texas, there’s a cell phone video circulating among students in a small town, that has led to the arrests of 18 people, including high school athletes and adults, accused of sexually assaulting an 11 year-old girl during a series of attacks last year. The investigation began last December, after a friend of the girl told a teacher he had seen the video of one of the alleged attacks, said Stacey Gatlin, a spokeswoman for the school district in Cleveland, about 45 miles northeast of Houston.

The girl and her mother were questioned by the police chief, who also found the video had been shot off school property over the Thanksgiving Day holiday break. School district authorities were not able to recover any cell phones that had video of the alleged attack and the investigation was turned over to police. Olympian

Upon investigating, it was determined the video was taken at an abandoned mobile home on the northern outskirts of the city, according to a search warrant affidavit obtained by several Houston media outlets. The girl told investigators she was raped at the home on Nov. 28. On that day, the girl was assaulted at a home hear the mobile home. If she didn’t submit, she was told she’d be beaten up, and when the aunt of one of the alledged attackers returned home, the girl fled.

The group then moved to the mobile home, where the sexual assault continued, according to the affidavit.

The mobile home sits next to a white building that serves as a Baptist church, is surrounded by overgrown weeds, junk and other trash. Inside, debris covers the floor and a stove sits in the middle of the living room. Neighbors said it has been abandoned since being damaged by Hurricane Ike in September 2008. Olympian

Court records also say the girl was raped three times, last year. Besides the Nov. 28 attack, indictments in the case say there also were attacks on Sept. 15 and Oct. 25. Each time, at least two individuals were involved in the attacks. And on Nov 28 the girl was attacked by at least three suspects. Besides the Nov. 28 attack, indictments in the case say there also were attacks on Sept. 15 and Oct. 25. Each time, at least two individuals were involved in the attacks.

In total, thirteen adults and five juveniles have been arrested in the case so far. The juveniles are students in the Cleveland school district. The others range in ages from 17 to 27. All the arrests have taken place within the last month.