WASHINGTON COUNTY, Tenn. (WJHL) – A teenager has been charged with aggravated assault and other charges after an alleged incident among the Daniel Boone High School football team.
Washington County Schools Superintendent Jerry Boyd told News Channel 11 this afternoon more students are likely to face disciplinary action at the school level.
“There definitely could have been some others involved in that didn’t rise to the level of legal charges, but certainly under school discipline, it can and most likely will rise to the level that we take action,” Boyd said.
A release from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) states that agents began looking into the allegations in November 2022 at the request of First Judicial District Attorney General Steve Finney.
Over the course of the investigation, the TBI reports agents “learned that one member of the team inappropriately touched and assaulted two of his teammates.”
The release states that the teen accused of the assault was charged in January. The TBI reports he was charged with the following:
- 2 counts of Assault-Offensive Touching
- 3 counts of Aggravated Assault
The teen, who was not identified further by the TBI, was served with court summons in February for Washington County, TN Juvenile Court.
According to emails obtained by News Channel 11, the school became aware of harassment on the football team when a parent emailed school sports officials with a list of allegations. The email cited incidents of alleged assault including but not limited to “upperclassmen pinning boys to the floor and dry humping them while another player videos,” forcing their naked genitals into the mouths of other students and hitting other students with broom sticks.
The TBI informed News Channel 11 in January that its investigation was complete and decisions regarding charges would be determined by Finney’s office. The TBI had previously conducted interviews at Daniel Boone in December as part of its investigation.
Washington County, Tennessee Schools reported in 2022 that a member of the team who had assaulted another teammate had been removed from the team and disciplined accordingly. The school district also denied some rumors surrounding the nature of the assault in a letter to parents based on its own investigation separate from the TBI’s.
Boyd said the school district had paused it’s internal investigation in order to avoid interfering with the efforts of law enforcement; however, with the criminal investigation completed, the district’s investigation is in it’s final stages.
The district has reached out to the families of both the victims and accused in recent weeks with it’s findings.
“We are in the process of responding to, to questions and additional expectations from the families,” Boyd said.
Boyd said anyone involved–students or staff–are potentially subject to disciplinary action for their involvement, but he did not specify whether any staff are likely to face disciplinary action as the school concludes its investigation.
He said the district will provide “focused training” to students and staff on how to prevent future incidents.
