A 15-year-old boy charged with sexual assault against two Shawnee Mission East students pleaded guilty to two counts of aggravated battery in Johnson County Juvenile Court Thursday.
The Leawood teenager was charged in September for three counts of indecent liberties with a minor after he was reported to have sexually assaulted two students, one in a bathroom at the high school. Though another student was said to have held the door shut during the incident, no one else was charged with any crimes in relation to the case.
The Kansas City Star reports that the teen in question is not a first time offender.
Thursday's plea deal calls for 10 days in juvenile detention, starting immediately, and a two-year probation period, during which time the teen is required to receive intensive inpatient therapy. He agreed to the Judge's finding that the offense was sexually motivated, and will be registered as a sex offender for five years.
As a result of the September incidents, Shawnee Mission East senior Katie Kuhlman started a movement on social media designating a day for students to wear black to show their support for victims of sexual assault.
"At least 1,000 students were in black," Kuhlman said. "You walked down the hall and it was unusual to see someone in another color. It was just this dark, cloaked mass of a student body moving through the hall."
The movement quickly swept across the Kansas City metropolitan area and beyond. MOCSA prevention coordinator Haleigh Harrold has worked for many years educating minors in outreach programs designed for high school. She was pleased by the turnout around this movement.
"We're always working to shift the culture," Harrold said. "One positive sign of culture shift is support for survivors. That is something we're proud to see in Kansas City."
Andrea Tudhope is a freelance reporter and producer at KCUR 89.3. You can reach her at andreat@kcur.org.
