State police: Alleged student sexual assault at Minisink homecoming dance determined to be ‘unfounded’
The underage teenage female who says she is the victim reached out to News 12 upset about how the incident is being handled by police and the school and says it’s being covered up.
State police say an alleged sexual assault during Minisink’s Valley High School’s homecoming dance Saturday evening has been determined to be unfounded.
Principal Kenneth Hauck said in a letter to the community that a female high school student reported the allegations against a male student at the dance and that parents and police were immediately called.
“We are very aware of these concerns and are taking {it} seriously. Our first priority is always student safety and security,” said Hauck.
The underage teenage female who says she is the victim reached out to News 12 upset about how the incident is being handled by police and the school and says it’s being covered up.
“They are always having speeches about sexual harassment and how it’s bad and not allowed, but they allowed me to be sexually assaulted and then kicked me out. There’s multiple people and witnesses who saw him,” she says. “I had to walk to the pizza place down the road barefoot because they wouldn’t let me back in to get my stuff just so I could call my mom.”
District spokesperson Nancy Kriz says signs were posted at the dance that students cannot reenter if they choose to leave, but that staff would let a student back in if they were made aware of a problem. Kriz says the district can’t comment on the specific details or allegations in the case, and that administration is investigating to determine if any violations to their student code of conduct occurred.
The Orange County District Attorney’s Office told News 12 on Friday that it is looking into the allegations and will get back to us with information.
