Steubenville Cover-Up: Four Adults Arrested

[Content Note: Sexual violence; rape culture.]

A grand jury has been investigating the cover-up surrounding the Steubenville rape case, in which a teenage girl who was exploited and sexually assaulted by members of a high school football team, who dragged her unconscious body to multiple parties where multiple people saw her being assaulted, took pictures of her, and failed to intervene in any way, crimes for which two young men were found guilty.

Tara Culp-Ressler notes at Think Progress that Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine announced today the grand jury "has charged four adults in the community for allegedly helping to cover up the crime that made national headlines last spring."

That includes the school district's superintendent, who is the only one to face felony charges.

The aftermath of the Steubenville rape case, which involved several high school football players assaulting an unconscious victim, has stretched on for months. After two teens were found guilty of rape in March, a grand jury was convened to investigate whether any adults knew about the assault and attempted to keep it quiet. The grand jury made its first arrest last month, jailing a Steubenville school official who was accused of tampering with evidence and obstructing justice.

In a news conference on Monday morning, DeWine explained that four additional adults are now facing similar charges. In addition to the superintendent, an elementary school principal, a wrestling coach, and a volunteer football coach were also charged — the first two for failing to report child abuse, and the last for facilitating the underage drinking and delinquency of a minor. The high school's beloved head coach, who was accused of telling football players that he would protect the two rapists from any repercussions, is not facing any consequences from the grand jury.

An indictment does not mean, of course, that there will be a prosecution or a plea deal. In fact, there's a real possibility the indictment will be regarded as some sort of symbolic "compromise" between those demanding meaningful justice and the reprehensible rape apologists who just want "closure" for the long-suffering community, members of whom tried to cover up the crime and fiercely defended the rapists while blaming the victim.

DeWine...did indicate that he hopes the four new arrests will allow the community to feel a sense of closure.

"This community has suffered a great deal. I know they desperately need to be able to put this matter behind them. All of us, no matter where we live, owe it to each other to be better neighbors, classmates, friends, citizens. We must treat rape and sexual assault as the serious crime of violence that is," DeWine noted. "When it's investigated, everyone has an obligation to help find the truth — not hide the truth, not tamper with the truth, not obstruct the trust, and not destroy the truth."

"It's time to let Steubenville move on," the attorney general concluded.

Not a word about the survivor. Of course. It's closure for the town.