Steubenville rape case: 3 placed on administrative leave

STEUBENVILLE, Ohio

A special grand jury indicted Superintendent Michael McVey, elementary school Principal Lynnett Gorman and Seth Fluharty, a special education teacher.

The charges against McVey include felony counts of obstructing justice. Gorman and Fluharty are charged with failing to report possible child abuse. A volunteer football coach, Matthew Belardine, faces several misdemeanor charges, including making false statements and contributing to underage alcohol consumption.

The West Virginia girl had been raped after an alcohol-fueled party in August 2012 following a team scrimmage, and there were allegations of a cover-up in the eastern Ohio mining community.

Following news of the indictments, the board met in a special emergency session and appointed Richard Ranallo as acting superintendent, effective immediately.

"The Board has no information about the evidence leading to these charges, and any questions about the charges or the criminal investigation should be directed to the office of the Ohio Attorney General," the school board said in a statement.

In March, 17-year-old Ma'Lik Richmond was convicted of rape and sentenced to a year in the juvenile prison system. Trent Mays, also 17, was convicted of rape and of using his phone to take a picture of the girl naked and sentenced to two years in juvenile detention.

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