5 Juanita High students charged with attempted rape in bullying incident against special-ed student

SEATTLE -- Five Juanita High School students were charged Friday with attempted rape for an alleged bullying incident against an older special needs education student that occurred in a school locker room last October.

"Although the incident does not appear to have been sexually motivated, the charges reflect that the attack involved an attempted or threatened penetration with a broom handle while one student was restrained by several others," the King County Prosecutor's Office said.

The teenagers -- four are 15 years old and one is 14 -- face possible sanctions ranging from a commitment to the Department of Juvenile Rehabilitation to a sentence in a local detention facility and other court-ordered probation, the prosecutor's office said.

Four of the boys were "emergency expelled" from school shortly after an 18-year-old male student in the special needs education program reported he was sexually assaulted in a locker room on Oct. 22, Kirkland police said.

The victim was a volunteer football team manager, and the boys were football players.

"The male student and his family told officers that he was assaulted while in the school locker room by several younger male students. Four Juvenile male students have been identified and were arrested yesterday (10/23/14) afternoon by Kirkland PD Detectives," the police release said at the time.

"The students were interviewed and released to their parents yesterday evening. The Lake Washington School District has also 'Emergency Expelled' each of these students," the release said.