Embattled Principal Resigns Amid Hazing Sex Assault Scandal

GERMANTOWN, MD — The principal of a Damascus high school has resigned following allegations of rape involving multiple junior varsity football players.

Damascus High School Principal Casey Crouse announced the decision in a letter sent to the community. In the letter, Crouse said she intends to transition to another position within the school system. Kevin Yates, the principal intern at Julius West Middle School in Rockville, will serve as acting principal beginning May 13 and for the rest of the academic year.

"The horrific incident of October 31 has demanded significant attention from school and system leadership and has drawn ongoing negative media attention," Crouse wrote. "Despite this attention, the focus inside the school during the school day has never wavered. However, it has become clear that in order for Damascus High School to move forward, it will require new school leadership."

Four 15-year-old boys are accused of raping several of their teammates with a broom handle in a hazing ritual called "brooming" on Oct. 31, 2018. The teens, who were initially charged as adults with rape and attempted rape, have had their cases transferred back to the juvenile court system. However, news of the alleged locker room attack last Halloween continues to rock the Damascus High School community.

In March, The Washington Post reported that Damascus High School officials waited more than 12 hours to tell authorities about the rape allegations. Before reaching out to Montgomery County Police, the school officials discussed the incident in a group text message and launched their own investigation.

On Nov. 1, a day after the alleged locker room attack, staff pulled students out of class for interviews and were able to glean more details about the incident — including the identities of several victims and suspects.

According to the newspaper, none of the victims were sent to receive medical care following the alleged locker room attack. Their parents weren't notified of what happened either.

"It's absolutely absurd what the school did," James Humphries, a retired commander of the Montgomery County police special victims unit, told The Post. "They're not trained to do these types of investigations and these types of interviews."

When police were notified of the incident, the 15-year-old boys were arrested and faced multiple adult charges of rape and attempted rape. A fifth student involved in the alleged attack was only charged as a juvenile.

The four boys appeared in court earlier this year, hoping that they wouldn't be charged as adults.

Montgomery County Circuit Court Judge Steven Salant ultimately decided to transfer their cases back to the juvenile court system, but said it was "incredibly painful" to hear about the offense and "even more painful" to read the victims' impact statements.

"No adult listening to that can just sit and ignore the terrible things that happened," Salant said.

SEE ALSO:

• Locker Room Rape, Abusive Behavior To Be Investigated By Firm
• Broomstick Rape Case: Damascus Teen To Be Tried As Juvenile
• Broomstick Rape Case: 2nd Damascus Teen To Be Tried As Juvenile
• Locker Room Rape Case: Third Teen To Be Tried As Juvenile
• Locker Room Rape Case: ADHD Defense Called 'Offensive'