Grand jury to determine fate of arrested MHS students
1 Comments Published by Pioneer Staff on Thursday, May 3, 2007 at 3:11 PM.
By Abby Sewell
Molalla Pioneer
Two more Molalla High School students were arrested from the high school campus on Wednesday on charges relating to a sexual assault allegedly committed during a boys varsity basketball team road trip in December.
Previously, a 17-year-old MHS student, also a basketball player, was arrested by OSP on April 26 on similar charges. According to the OSP Lt. Gregg Hastings, that case is being handled by Clackamas County. He said police do not expect to make any further arrests stemming from the four-month investigation.
John William Berokoff, 18, and Joshua Haqq, 16, were arrested by the Oregon State Police on Wednesday afternoon and transported to Clatsop County.The students, who are both being charged as adults, appeared in the Clatsop County Circuit Court in Astoria on Thursday to hear the allegations against them.
Haqq and Berokoff were each arraigned on one count of unlawful sexual penetration in the first degree and one count of sexual abuse in the first degree, according to Clatsop County court documents.
The victim cited in the case, whose name will not be published by this newspaper, is a male MHS freshman.
Clatsop County district attorney Joshua Marquis told the court that Haqq allegedly held the victim down while Berokoff took “a much more active role” in the assault. The Clatsop County incident allegedly took place on a school bus. Marquis noted that similar allegations are being investigated in at least one other jurisdiction.
Because Haqq and Berokoff are facing felony charges, a grand jury must meet to determine whether there is sufficient evidence to go forward with the case.
Marquis said that after grand juries are assembled “the charges could be less, or they could be considerably more.”The current charges against the students are Measure 11 crimes, carrying mandatory minimum sentences. The minimum sentence for unlawful sexual penetration in the first degree is 100 months incarceration; for sexual abuse in the first degree, the minimum sentence is 75 months. In cases where a defendant is convicted on two or more Measure 11 charges, the judge decides whether the sentences are served consecutively or concurrently.
Marquis said that although Haqq is being tried as an adult, if convicted, he would be held in a juvenile facility at least until his eighteenth birthday and possibly up to the age of 25.As of press time, Berokoff had been released on bail from the Clatsop County Jail, while Haqq remained in custody at a county juvenile facility. Berokoff’s bail was set at $250,000 and Haqq’s was set at $200,000.
The state police investigation began after a basketball tournament in Sisters, when a police report was filed in Deschutes County. The investigation was handed over to OSP after police discovered that multiple counties were involved in the case.
The Deschutes County District Attorney’s office was still considering whether to press charges in the case as of press time and could not release any further information.
Molalla High School junior Korbyn Stewart said students at the school have had mixed reactions.
“People say it’s gross and a lot of people are kind of upset,” she said.
She added, however, that she thought the possible consequences were out of proportion for the crime.
“I think what they (allegedly) did was wrong,” she said. “But if they get seven years in prison, that’s too much.”
Molalla Pioneer
Two more Molalla High School students were arrested from the high school campus on Wednesday on charges relating to a sexual assault allegedly committed during a boys varsity basketball team road trip in December.
Previously, a 17-year-old MHS student, also a basketball player, was arrested by OSP on April 26 on similar charges. According to the OSP Lt. Gregg Hastings, that case is being handled by Clackamas County. He said police do not expect to make any further arrests stemming from the four-month investigation.
John William Berokoff, 18, and Joshua Haqq, 16, were arrested by the Oregon State Police on Wednesday afternoon and transported to Clatsop County.The students, who are both being charged as adults, appeared in the Clatsop County Circuit Court in Astoria on Thursday to hear the allegations against them.
Haqq and Berokoff were each arraigned on one count of unlawful sexual penetration in the first degree and one count of sexual abuse in the first degree, according to Clatsop County court documents.
The victim cited in the case, whose name will not be published by this newspaper, is a male MHS freshman.
Clatsop County district attorney Joshua Marquis told the court that Haqq allegedly held the victim down while Berokoff took “a much more active role” in the assault. The Clatsop County incident allegedly took place on a school bus. Marquis noted that similar allegations are being investigated in at least one other jurisdiction.
Because Haqq and Berokoff are facing felony charges, a grand jury must meet to determine whether there is sufficient evidence to go forward with the case.
Marquis said that after grand juries are assembled “the charges could be less, or they could be considerably more.”The current charges against the students are Measure 11 crimes, carrying mandatory minimum sentences. The minimum sentence for unlawful sexual penetration in the first degree is 100 months incarceration; for sexual abuse in the first degree, the minimum sentence is 75 months. In cases where a defendant is convicted on two or more Measure 11 charges, the judge decides whether the sentences are served consecutively or concurrently.
Marquis said that although Haqq is being tried as an adult, if convicted, he would be held in a juvenile facility at least until his eighteenth birthday and possibly up to the age of 25.As of press time, Berokoff had been released on bail from the Clatsop County Jail, while Haqq remained in custody at a county juvenile facility. Berokoff’s bail was set at $250,000 and Haqq’s was set at $200,000.
The state police investigation began after a basketball tournament in Sisters, when a police report was filed in Deschutes County. The investigation was handed over to OSP after police discovered that multiple counties were involved in the case.
The Deschutes County District Attorney’s office was still considering whether to press charges in the case as of press time and could not release any further information.
Molalla High School junior Korbyn Stewart said students at the school have had mixed reactions.
“People say it’s gross and a lot of people are kind of upset,” she said.
She added, however, that she thought the possible consequences were out of proportion for the crime.
“I think what they (allegedly) did was wrong,” she said. “But if they get seven years in prison, that’s too much.”
I also heard of an incident this week at the middle school involving boys pulling a girl into the bathroom and inappropiatly touching her. My daughter (who is in middle school) had a boy harrassing her at school. The school did a great job in both cases of addressing the problem. But, this is an issue that should be addressed by the whole community. Everyone has spent a great deal of effort focusing on the sexual preferences of consenting individuals. How about we have a discussion on the same level involving sexual assult. We need to eductate our children as a community. There are many children who have no one at home to guide them.