TAMAQUA, Pa. — A lawsuit filed this week in U.S. District Court alleges two freshmen football players were attacked and sexually assaulted by teammates inside the Tamaqua Area High School football house back in November.
Three players were reportedly expelled by the school district following the incident; several are also in trouble with the law.
The lawsuit filed by the victims' families claims the two boys were sexually assaulted with an object in the lower level of the football house while the players were unsupervised.
The Tamaqua community is still reeling.
"Poor guy has to go through it the rest of his life, you know? That's the hard part," said Gary Steigerwalt, Tamaqua.
While the school district held meetings to determine the alleged attackers' educational fate, Tamaqua Police continued its criminal investigation with help from the Schuylkill County District Attorney's office.
"When juveniles are involved, when the elderly are involved, those are cases we pay particular attention to, to make sure that we are charging the right people with the right crimes," said Michael O'Pake, Schuylkill County District Attorney.
Officers spent months talking with witnesses and others involved.
"That thorough and complete investigation included interviewing over twenty people. They were consulting with our office," said O'Pake.
According to police, 18-year-old Zachary McGlinchey punched a victim inside the football house and pushed an object against the victim's clothed rear end.
McGlinchey was charged with two counts of simple assault and two counts of harassment in late March. Three other players were charged as minors.
"There were two other juveniles that were referred to the juvenile justice department in Schuylkill County and there was one juvenile that was charged with a summary harassment charge," said O'Pake.
Residents tell Newswatch 16 they're pleased justice is being served but feel the incident will follow the school district for years to come.
"You don't want to sweep it underneath the rug. It's going to be a bad name for the school though; it's going to be a bad name," said Bernie Heller-Mary (D).
Investigators cannot release the full details of the charges against the minors in this case.
O'Pake does not expect any charges to be filed against additional players at this time.
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