CALDWELL, Texas — The community of Caldwell is speaking out after four student athletes were arrested and charged with felony indecency with a child. It is confirmed the four athletes are members of Caldwell ISD's volleyball team and the alleged act happened on a school bus while the team was returning from Milam County after a game.
The alleged victim is 14-years-old, according to court documents. On October 15, the student reported to the Milam County Sheriff's Office that she had been assaulted on September 21 while on a school bus ride back to Caldwell.
The victim told authorities the girls held her down while they pulled down her pants and underwear and tried to undress her.
The victim told authorities she told the four girls several times to stop what they were doing, but they did not. According to witnesses, there were adults on the bus, however, one of teens who was involved in the alleged attack said there were "lookouts" so the adults would not know what was happening.
As a result of the report, the four teens were arrested and each charged with indecency to a child.
Caldwell ISD has not released a formal comment on the matter. Many members of the community said they are upset because they do not believe the school district is handling the situation and addressing the alleged hazing. Many said they want the teens to be disciplined and the school to stop the acts of bullying.
During Wednesday's school board meeting, the mother of one of the teens who is accused in the alleged assault said her daughter took a lie detector test and "passed." She said her daughter has been telling the truth and that she (daughter) did not engage in any acts of nudity or assault. The girl's mother said she is outraged that people are jumping to conclusions about the case without knowing all the facts. She said she cannot go into many details on the advice of her family's lawyer but said many members of the the community and the Caldwell ISD student body continue to harass and bully her daughter, who she said is innocent.
As for discipline, the mother of the teen said the school has issued discipline but did not give many details into what that discipline had been. She said the alleged incident wasn't an assault, but was over playing time on the volleyball team.
Other members of the community and at least one Caldwell ISD student also stood up and addressed the large crowd. The student said they were speaking on behalf of the "victim and students at Caldwell ISD." The student called for the four accused student athletes to be expelled for their actions and that the bullying at the school needs to stop. One community member said they believed the school board was "ignoring" the issues at the school and that no one should ever "get over" an assault like what the alleged victim went through.
Caldwell ISD read a brief statement at the meeting. They said they were not allowed to comment on the ongoing investigation. They said they want the community to know they have listened to the comments and have heard their voices.
This is a developing story. We will continue to update you as more information is released.