No STD Tests in Gang Rape of Teen, 15

Pinckney, MI — A southeast Michigan prosecutor on Thursday blasted a Circuit Court judge for his refusal to order that two high school boys serving time in the gang rape of a 15-year-old get tested for sexually transmitted diseases, and accused the judge of being too generous in his sentencing.

Livingston County Prosecutor William Vailliencourt said the two Pinckney High School students got an “extraordinary benefit” when Judge Michael P. Hatty sentenced them under the Holmes Youthful Trainee Act, but said Hatty’s failure Thursday to require the STD tests “makes no sense and is contrary to law.”

Vailliencourt had opposed the deal, which means that if they don’t reoffend, the records of Jacob Glenn Houck, 17, and Nicklaus Haggerty Lefebvre, 18 will be wiped clean when they’re off probation. Under regular sentencing guidelines, they could have gone to prison for 15 years.

NEWSLETTER & REAL-TIME NEWS ALERTS: Get the Top Michigan Headlines from Patch Editor Beth Dalbey

The victim deserves to know if she was placed at risk for sexually transmitted diseases, Vailliencourt told The Livingston Daily. “We will be pursuing this matter further to try to protect the victim,” he said.

A spokesperson for the victim’s family told The Livingston Daily said the offenders hadn’t used condoms during the assaults. Family members had been assured the tests would be completed, the spokesperson said.

Also from spokesperson:

“I am in shock that this was not done and in complete disbelief that a judge would not order it now. I don't know who dropped the ball here, but I do know that a young girl's life could potentially be at risk here. Who are they protecting? Not the victim and not the community. … This is completely absurd and irresponsible. This judge has a real soft spot for criminals it would appear.”

In denying the tests, Hatty said he lacked “the authority to do what the prosecution wants,” and said that time limits for testing had expired. The tests should have been done within 48 hours of the defendants’ indictment, he said.

Houck admitted in court that he gave the teen alcohol on school grounds. He and his co-defendants are accused of picking up the drunken girl after track practice and sexually assaulting her at Houck’s home.

In March, Lefebvre pleaded guilty to three counts of third-degree criminal sexual conduct with a victim between 13-15, and Houck pleaded guilty to one count of sexually assaulting the 15-year-old. Lefebvre had been accused of photographing the assault, but charges were dismissed when authorities were unable break the phone’s password encryption.

The case of a 16-year-old who had been charged with third-degree criminal sexual assault was resolved in juvenile court, and a fourth Pinckney student was released from custody pending an additional investigation.
During their sentencing in April, the victim’s grandmother said Lefebvre and Houck were “self-proclaimed rapists” who groomed her granddaughter, and accused them of using Pinckney High School “as their playground to prey on girls.”