WEST MEMPHIS, AR - The West Memphis Police Department has arrested three boys who attend West Memphis High School on rape and battery in the alleged of another boy in a campus bathroom last month.
The incident is alleged to have happened on February 13th.
The suspects, who are all charged as adults, are identified as:
Bedford and Jones were both arrested on February 22nd, while Hamilton was arrested March 1st.
According to the police report, the victim said he was held down by Bedford and Jones while one of them raped him. He said he had hit Jones in the mouth and busted his lip.
While admitting to punching and kicking the victim, Bedford, Jones and Hamilton each gave conflicting reports about who raped the fellow student.
Jones told police he and the other two suspects were skipping class and had gone into the bathroom when the victim walked in a short time later. Police say Jones told them the suspects then began to punch, kick, make fun of and throw the victim around the room. Jones said while he and Bedford punched the victim, Hamilton raped him. When the victim pleaded with Hamilton to stop, Jones said Hamilton told him to shut up. Jones said the attack stopped when the three thought they heard someone coming into the bathroom. He said they all waited outside for the victim to leave the bathroom and continued to laugh at him and make fun of him in the hallway.
Hamilton told police Jones raped the victim, police said. Bedford, meanwhile, told police no sexual acts took place but admitted the suspects had picked on the victim while he was trying to use the bathroom.
According to the incident report, the victim's aunt said her nephew told the principal what happened and he was told to return to class. Police say the day the attack was reported, the victim had a sexual assault examination at the Memphis Sexual Assault Resource Center.
Police say the victim is a special needs student.
