High School Football Players Accused Of Sexual Assault Make 1st Court Appearance
MURRIETA (CBSLA.com) — Two high school football players accused of sexually assaulting six underage victims made their first court appearances Tuesday for a detention hearing.
Byron Holt Jr. and Kishawn Tre Holmes, both 17-year-old students at Vista Murrieta High School, were arrested Sept. 12 for sexual misconduct and booked at Southwest Juvenile, the Riverside District Attorney's Office said.
Holmes faces three counts of false imprisonment, two counts each of rape by force or fear and lewd acts on a child under 14, and one count of witness intimidation, the DA said.
Holt faces three felony charges of consensual sex with a minor under 14. All three counts involve the same victim, according to his attorney.
A judge ruled Tuesday that Holmes must remain in juvenile detention until his next court appearance on Oct. 30. Holt will be released to his parents' custody and must be under 24-hour supervision until he returns to court on Oct. 24.
Holmes was a star running back on the school's football team and was listed by the LA Times as a top senior collegiate prospect in the area. Holt, a junior, played defensive lineman for the school.
An investigation into the conduct of the two suspects was launched Aug. 29 by a school police officer before it was turned over to local police several days later.
According to the District Attorney, six female students, who all attend Vista Murrieta High, have come forward, accusing the boys of sexual misconduct.
"I will say to have your child attending a school that's in fear and harassed by others is simply not fair, and we will just wait to see the outcome," the father of one of the alleged victims said in a statement.
"I just want his name cleared, because Byron is a good kid," his mother, Tasha Penniman, said.
The alleged crimes date back to 2012 with the most recent incident occurring in August, the DA said.
"The acts did not take place on the school campus and they did not take place in conjunction with any school activity," Karen Perris of the Murrieta School District said.
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