20 TX Males (Ages middle school to 27 yo) Charged in Rape of 11 YO Girl

[MuffyBee]

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/7433945.html
4 Cleveland men charged in 11-year-old's rape
More arrests are expected
February 19, 2011

Four young men — including a school board member's son — are accused of the sexual assault of an 11-year-old Cleveland Middle School girl that was recorded on cell phones and circulated around the school district.

"We have been conducting a massive investigation. It is still continuing," said Cleveland Police Chief Mark Bradshaw after the felony indictments of the four men were announced on Friday. "More arrests are expected in the near future, but we cannot discuss that now."

 ::snipping2::

Bradshaw would neither confirm nor deny reports that the assault had been captured in photographs and video. However, a sworn affidavit cited graphic video and photographs as a reason for granting a search warrant.
 ::snipping2::

Gatlin said a friend of the victim was the first to come forward Dec. 1 and alert school authorities after viewing some of the video.

Invite to 'ride around'
 ::snipping2::

The victim told forensic interviewer Rachel Caudhill at Bridge Haven Child Advocacy Center that the assault started after a 19-year-old called her and asked if she wanted to "ride around."

She then left with the 19-year-old and two other young males who took her to the house on Travis Street where one of the other men charged, Timothy Daray Ellis, 19, lived, the affidavit said.

The victim says Ellis ordered her to disrobe or he would have some girls "beat her up" and she would never be taken home, the affidavit said.

The victim said she was sexually assaulted by multiple individuals in the bedroom and bathroom on Travis Street and that one of her attackers had even called and invited four more to participate, the affidavit said.

However, when Ellis' aunt arrived, the girl said she dressed hurriedly and fled with her attackers out a back window. The affidavit said she left her bra and panties behind.

The group then moved to the abandoned mobile home where the sexual assaults continued, the affidavit said.

Again, the victim said onlookers continued taking photos and video. How much video, if any, has been recovered is not known.
 ::snipping2::
Those arrested so far include:

Isaiah Rashad Ross, 21, the son of Cleveland trustee Billy Ross, who works as the city's dog catcher. Isaiah Ross was released from the Liberty County Jail on $25,000 bond Friday.

Jared Len Cruse, 18, who is being held in the San Jacinto County Jail, because he was arrested Jan. 11 for an aggravated robbery of a grocery store. He is also accused with participating in a home invasion Jan. 21 in which a homeowner was shot in the arm.

Rayford Tyrone Ellis Jr., 19, who was charged in June with manslaughter in connection with the fatal shooting of 17-year-old Tevin Morgan in 2008.

Timothy Daray Ellis, 19, who is the only one of the four defendants still attending school before his arrest. He is enrolled in Cleveland's drop-out recovery program. It is unclear if Timothy Ellis is related to Rayford Ellis.

Bradshaw said each defendant is facing a felony indictment for continuous sexual abuse of a young child which carries a maximum penalty of up to life in prison.

However, James D. Evans III, who represents Ross, said this case goes "a lot deeper than the four charged so far."

"I've heard the number could go as high as 28 people," he said.

Evans said he believes the girl was seeking attention.

Edit to change number of men charged with rape. MB
Authorities said the 11-year-old victim was under age and whether she consented or not will not matter.

[Sister]

Muffy 
 I can't imagine anyone would ok such numbers of multiple partners, especially an 11-year old.  Did not one of these "males" have any decency?  This is horrifying.  I can see this coming, they will say she asked for it NOT.
 

[MuffyBee]

http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=news/local&id=7976010
video
More arrests made in sex assault of 11-year-old
February 23, 2011

CLEVELAND, TX (KTRK) -- Cleveland police have arrested six more suspects in the sexual assault investigation involving an underage child.
 ::snipping2::
There have been 10 suspects arrested thus far in the investigation.

All suspects have been indicted for the offense of aggravated sexual assault of a child under 14. If convicted of the first degree felony, the defendants could face any where from 25 years to life in prison.
 ::snipping2::
Cleveland police are searching for three other suspects in connection with the investigation.
 ::snipping2::
According to police, there are more arrests expected in the near future

[Sister]

Good grieg, all these men need to . . . I can't even say the vile thing I was thinking.
I hope they spend the rest of their lives in general population.

[MuffyBee]

http://www.khou.com/news/4-more-Cleveland-ISD-students-arrested-in-alleged-gang-rape-of-girl-117435633.html
4 more Cleveland ISD students arrested in alleged gang rape of 11-year-old girl
March 4, 2011

CLEVELAND, Texas – Four more Cleveland ISD students were arrested Friday in connection with the alleged gang rape of an 11-year-old middle school student, district officials said.

The four new suspects bring the total number of arrests in the case to 15.

A district spokesperson said the students will face charges of aggravated sexual assault of a child, a first-degree felony.

Their names have not been released, because Cleveland police said the suspects are minors.
 ::snipping2::

[MuffyBee]

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/7473786.html
Judge clamps lid on anyone tied to Cleveland rape case
Media told he reserves right to amend gag order
March 15, 2011

LIBERTY — A Liberty County judge granted a gag order Tuesday that prohibits anyone remotely connected to the coming trial of suspects charged in the gang rape of an 11-year-old Cleveland girl from discussing or disseminating any information on the case to the news media.

However, State District Judge Mark Morefield invited Houston Chronicle attorney Joe Larsen and KPRC attorney Andrew Schumacher to submit briefs on the issue and reserved the right to amend his order.

Morefield told Larsen that his constitutional objections "had not fallen on deaf ears."
 ::snipping2::
Larsen said the only recourse a judge has to enforce the gag order is to hold violators in contempt of court, but questioned how that could be done to someone who does not know they've been made a party to the case.

Morefield said he issued the order to protect the rights of the 11-year-old girl and 18 defendants to an impartial jury and a fair trial.

The two-page order specifically bars all 18 defendants, attorneys and staff, and investigators from disseminating any information about the upcoming trial or the identity or location of the alleged victim or her relatives.

It also included all "witnesses," which it said included experts used for consulting or testimony, persons who have previously testified in pre-trial proceedings or will testify in any proceeding about this case, and "all parties, caseworkers, parents, siblings, relatives, and foster parents involved in the case."

[MuffyBee]

http://www.khou.com/news/20th-person-charged-in-alleged-gang-rape-of-11-year-old-Cleveland-girl-128332208.html
20th person charged in alleged gang rape of 11-year-old Cleveland girl
August 24, 2011

CLEVELAND, Texas – A 20th person has been charged in the alleged gang rape of an 11-year-old Cleveland girl, The Cleveland Advocate reports.

According to The Advocate, the most recent charges are against a person who is now considered an adult, but was a minor at the time of the alleged assaults.

All 20 of the suspects – who range in age from a middle-school student to a 27-year-old—have pleaded not guilty.
 ::snipping2::
Authorities say the girl was assaulted on at least five occasions, sometimes by as many as seven or eight young men or boys at a time, from mid-September to early December.

Most of the adult suspects face charges of aggravated sexual assault of a child, while four face a charge of continuous sexual abuse of a child.
 ::snipping2::
A Texas judge issued a sweeping gag order barring anyone who could be called to testify at the trial from talking to the news media.

The order also bars the defendants, attorneys and investigators from disseminating information about the upcoming trial.

[cookie]

unbelievable! that poor little girl!

[MuffyBee]

http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/Three-boys-plead-guilty-in-Cleveland-gang-rape-of-2272301.php
Three boys plead guilty in Cleveland gang rape of 11-year-old
November 16, 2011

Three boys have become the first of 20 suspects accused in the gang rape of an 11-year-old Cleveland girl to admit guilt in a plea deal heard by Liberty County Court-At-Law Judge Tommy Chambers.

Two of the three juveniles, who were ages 14 to 16 when the sixth-grade girl was assaulted on four occasions last year, had plea deals approved by the court this week. A third boy is still waiting for the judge to review the proposal, authorities said.

The other suspects are still awaiting trial, including three more juveniles and 14 adults, ages 18 to 27.

Because the three making plea agreements are juveniles, their court files and names are kept confidential, said Liberty County Attorney Wes Hinch.

He is checking with state officials to see if he can release the stipulations and punishment outlined in the plea agreement.

"But certainly, it is the goal of the state that any condition of any plea would require complete cooperation with the prosecution for the state on the remaining cases," he said.

He stressed that he has no intention of "hiding" what has transpired but does not want to jeopardize the remaining cases to be tried, such as subject those accepting the deal to any outside intimidation or witness tampering.
 ::snipping2::

He said he met with the 11-year-old victim, who is now living in foster care, and advised her of the offer that was accepted.
 ::snipping2::

[MuffyBee]

http://www.kwtx.com/home/headlines/Third_Juvenile_Accepts_Plea_Deal_In_Texas_Gang_Rape_Case_134941143.html
Third Juvenile Accepts Plea Deal In Texas Gang Rape Case
A third juvenile has accepted a plea deal in the gang rape of an 11-year-old Texas girl.
December 2, 2011

LIBERTY (December 2, 2011)—Liberty County Court-at-Law Judge Tommy Chambers has accepted a plea deal from a third juvenile who’s among the 20 men and juveniles accused of sexually assaulting an 11-year-old Cleveland girl.

Liberty County Attorney Wesley Hinch said Friday the plea deal was approved earlier this week.

Chambers approved plea agreements for two other juvenile boys last month.

Details of the agreements were not disclosed because the boys are minors.

Fourteen adults and three more juveniles face assault and abuse charges in the alleged 2010 incidents in an abandoned trailer and a home in Cleveland, about 45 miles northeast of Houston.
 ::snipping2::

[MuffyBee]

http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/Another-suspect-in-Cleveland-gang-rape-case-2392667.php
Another suspect in Cleveland gang rape case admits guilt
By CINDY HORSWELL, HOUSTON CHRONICLE
December 9, 2011

Another suspect has admitted his role in the gang rape of an 11-year-old Cleveland girl, a crime that divided this small town last year.

On Friday in front of Liberty County court-at-law Judge Tommy Chambers, a juvenile suspect admitted his guilt in the sexual assault of the sixth-grade girl.

The 16-year-old boy awaits sentencing on a single charge of felony aggravated sexual assault of a child. He originally faced two charges of aggravated sexual assault.

The boy, who is not being identified, joins three other juveniles - ages 14 to 16 - who last month admitted their part in the scandal in plea agreements. A total of six juveniles - among 20 overall - were charged in the rape.

Last week, Isaiah Ross, 21, pleaded guilty to a lesser charge and agreed to join three others in testifying against other defendants.

Ross was one of four adult defendants singled out as ringleaders for allegedly being present when the girl was assaulted on multiple occasions during a four-month span beginning in September of last year, while the remaining defendants are accused of a single incident.

Ross initially was charged with "continuous sexual abuse of a child," which carries a possible life sentence. The other accused ringleaders face the same charge - 19-year-old Timothy Daray Ellis, 19-year-old Rayford Tyrone Ellis Jr. and 18-year-old Jared Len Cruse.

Ross, the son of the former vice president of the Cleveland school board, entered a guilty plea to the lesser offense - aggravated sexual assault of a child - that the majority of the defendants face, the district clerk's office said.
More...

[cookie]

this is sickening!
How did all of these guys have so much access to this child over a 4 month period???
out of all 20 of them, not one of them had a conscience and try to help this child instead of raping her?? A shame that this little girl had no one to tell...

[cartfly]

Trials in sex assaults on Cleveland girl may begin in March

(video/pics of perps at link)

 ::snipping2::
posted on January 5, 2012 at 12:16 PM

Updated today at 10:28 PM

LIBERTY, Texas -- The first trials for more than a dozen men accused in a series of sexual assaults on an 11-year-old Southeast Texas girl may happen in March.

Eleven of the men appeared Thursday in state court in Liberty for status updates in a case that has divided and horrified the town of Cleveland. Their cases were reset for Feb. 6, but prosecutor Joe Warren says the first trials could be in March.
 ::snipping2::
http://www.khou.com/news/local/Trials-in-sex-assaults-on-Cleveland-girl-may-begin-in-March--136749123.html

[cartfly]

Mom of Cleveland gang-rape victim: 'I can't really provide for my kids'

(video at link)

Updated today at 2:03 PM
January 4, 2012
http://www.khou.com/home/Mom-of-Cleveland-gang-rape-victim-I-cant-really-provide-for-my-kids-136699888.html

 ::snipping2::
HOUSTON—Her daughter says she was gang-raped by more than a dozen men in Cleveland, Texas. Now, one day before those suspects appear in court, that mother is facing a new nightmare.

"I can’t really provide for my kids," she said. "You could look at my refrigerator and there is no food either. I just want to give up."

Maria has no income. A brain tumor, blackouts and pain keep her out of work. Then last month, Maria lost Medicaid coverage and, with it, her ability to pay for surgery. She was evicted from her home and forced to move her three young children into a relative’s apartment.　

For several months, the League of United Latin American Citizens had donated clothes and paid rent. But that funding ran out.

All of that happened while Maria prepared for an important, emotional event on Thursday.

"I wanted to go," Maria said. "I wanted to be there, but I can’t."

On Thursday, her daughter’s alleged attackers will be in court. Last month, a judge gave them until January 5 to accept an offer to confess in exchange for a specific amount of jail time. ::snipping2::

[MuffyBee]

http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/Jury-selection-starts-in-alleged-gang-rape-of-3819020.php
Jury selection starts in alleged gang rape of Cleveland girl
August 27, 2012

LIBERTY — The first trial stemming from the alleged repeated sexual assault of an 11-year-old Southeast Texas girl by a group of 20 males was set to begin after a jury was chosen Monday.

Eric McGowen, among 14 adults arrested in the case, is charged with aggravated sexual assault of a child. The 20-year-old faces a minimum sentence of 25 years and a maximum of up to life in prison if convicted. The jury is expected to hear opening statements on Wednesday.

Prosecutors and McGowen's defense attorney declined to comment because of a gag order in the case.

The case horrified and divided the small town of Cleveland, where authorities say the alleged sexual assaults took place for months in 2010. The trial is being held in the nearby county seat of Liberty.

During Monday's jury selection, prosecutor Joe Warren addressed the publicity that the case has received since arrests were first made in February 2011. He asked the jury pool of more than 80 people how many had heard of what he had earlier described as the "infamous Cleveland rape case." Most indicated they had.
 ::snipping2::
Authorities say the girl was assaulted at least five times between mid-September and early December 2010 by males ranging in age from a middle school student to a 28-year-old. The investigation began that December, after one of the girl's friends told a teacher he had seen a lurid cellphone video that showed the girl being raped in an abandoned trailer.

Those charged include two star athletes at the local high school and adults with criminal records.

The case brought unflattering attention to Cleveland, a town of 9,000 residents about 45 miles northeast of Houston, after some residents suggested the girl was in part responsible for what happened, saying she wore makeup, looked older and wasn't properly supervised by her parents. Other community residents, as well as groups from outside of town, sharply criticized those suggestions.

The case also was complicated by a belief among many in the predominantly black neighborhood where several of the suspects live that the arrests were racially motivated. All of the suspects are black, while the girl is Hispanic.
 ::snipping2::

[KittyMom]

Will these defendents (even the underage boys) be required to register as sex offenders?

[flutter1]

Will these defendents (even the underage boys) be required to register as sex offenders?

Generally, yes.  There are some exceptions, though.  I actually think this is a federal mandate.  http://www.statutes.legis.state.tx.us/Docs/CR/htm/CR.62.htm  Scroll down to Subchapter G.  I had a kid in one of  my classes  who was a RSO.   

[MuffyBee]

http://www.khou.com/news/local/1st-trial-to-begin-in-alleged-rapes-of-Cleveland-girl-167836335.html
Cleveland gang rape suspect vanishes on first day of his trial
August 29, 2012

LIBERTY, Texas  -- An arrest warrant has been issued for Eric McGowen who failed to return to a Liberty County courtroom following a break during the first day of his rape trial.

He didn’t come back after an afternoon break that followed the testimony of two co-defendants who pleaded guilty in the case. One said he didn’t see McGowen have sex with the girl but did see him sexually assault her. The other said he never saw McGowen sexually assault the girl.

Testimony continued Wednesday despite McGowen's absence.
More...

[texasmom]

Our local news reported on this case tonight, sickening...really sickening. 

 

[texasmom]

this is sickening!
How did all of these guys have so much access to this child over a 4 month period???
out of all 20 of them, not one of them had a conscience and try to help this child instead of raping her?? A shame that this little girl had no one to tell...

I was thinking the same thing, Cookie!