Hearing date set for rape suspects
Published 11:53 pm Saturday, September 29, 2012
Dallas County District Attorney Michael Jackson said a preliminary hearing for three Southside High School students charged with first degree rape and first degree sodomy, has been set for Tuesday, Oct. 30.
The hearing date was set by District Judge Bob Armstrong during an initial court appearance Thursday. Each was also appointed an attorney by the court during the hearing as well.
The three suspects are charged with the rape of another Southside student on Tuesday, Sept. 18 on campus during school hours. A fourth suspect is being charged as a juvenile.
Jackson, in an earlier interview with the Times-Journal, said the rape reportedly took place during fourth block in what is called the school’s old gymnasium.
“I honestly don’t want to provide too many details about what happened,” Jackson said in that earlier interview. “We are continuing to investigate what happened, working with school officials and the sheriff’s department.”
Jackson said following the alleged rape, which took place between 11:40 a.m. and 1:38 p.m. — the time of fourth block at Southside — the victim reportedly told some other students, who then reported the incident to Southside principal Clarence Jackson. He then called the authorities.
District Attorney Jackson said deputies were able to arrest three of the four suspects the day after the alleged rape, while the fourth turned himself in two days later.
All four suspects are under the age of 18, but three of them are being charged as adults, Jackson said, since the charges of first degree rape and first degree sodomy are considered Class A felonies.
Joe Jackson, Jahkeim Oliver and Quindarious Green, all 16, are currently being held in the Dallas County Jail under $200,000 bond each.
The fourth suspect, a 14-year-old male, is being charged as a juvenile and authorities are not releasing his name because he is a juvenile.