Teens Charged as Adults in Hollywood Rape and Kidnapping Case
Three South Broward High School students allegedly involved with the rape and kidnapping of a fellow high school student have been charged as adults in the case. The students now face charges that could carry a maximum sentence of life in prison.
Patricia Montes, 15; Erica Avery, 16; and Dwight Henry, 17; have each been charged with two counts of sexual battery with use of force likely to cause serious personal injury and two counts of kidnapping. Two other defendants, Jayvon Woolfork, 19, and Lenel Singleton, 18, also face charges of sexual battery and kidnapping and also face the same charges. Montes, Avery, and Henry will likely not spend the rest of their lives behind bars given the fact that they are minors, but Woolfork and Singleton can.
The 16-year-old victim told police that she was allegedly invited to Woolfork's home and was attacked and ordered to have sex with Woolfork. She refused and was beaten for trying to resist. The victim reportedly tried to run away, but the group overpowered her and held her down while Woolfork had sex with her. Afterwards, she was allowed to leave and went to the police the next morning and was later taken to Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital for treatment of her wounds.
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The teens confiscated one of the teen's cell phones and found a video on it that showed the victim being punched, kicked, and threatened. Singleton allegedly told police that he took the video, which also showed the victim being stripped of her clothes; she could be heard telling the group that she would do whatever it took to stop the attack.
"It just makes it all the more disturbing when you have this many people working in concert and aggression," Maria Schneider, state prosecutor in charge of the juvenile unit, told the Huffington Post. "I can't imagine how overwhelmed and under siege someone would feel under these circumstances. It's very traumatic."
