LISBON — Police have passed details from their investigation into an alleged rape in the Lisbon High School parking lot to the Androscoggin County District Attorney, and are waiting to hear whether there will be any charges, Lisbon Police Chief Marc Hagan said Tuesday.
Lisbon High School students stand along Route 196 outside the school May 7 as they protest the way the school had handled a rape that reportedly occurred in the school parking lot a few weeks ago. The Times Record photo by Darcie Moore
The District Attorney’s Office didn’t immediately return a phone call seeking comment Tuesday.
An 18-year-old student said a male classmate raped her in her car after school on April 25. The Times Record does not identify victims of alleged crimes without their consent.
The victim’s mother said Tuesday she spoke to an assistant district attorney earlier that day.
“They’re still looking into it,” she said. “There hasn’t been anything done. … I’m hearing it’s being looked at.”
“We haven’t been really contacting the school very much,” the mother added.
Meanwhile, the alleged victim does her schoolwork from home and online while the accused classmate is still attending school, according to the victim’s mother.
The mother said they are considering whether to attend an upcoming scholarship night event and the June 2 graduation ceremony, because they’re unsure whether the accused student will attend.
The victim and several fellow students held a protest outside the school earlier this month in response to the alleged rape and the fact that the school had allowed the alleged perpetrator to return to school. They also called on the school district to take additional safety measures to protect students.
“After all that stuff happened, I guess I would have thought at the very least I would have gotten a call from the superintendent,” she said. “I feel very disappointed in them.”
Superintendent Richard Green said Tuesday he still hadn’t received any police report stemming from the investigation.
“We addressed (the incident) based on the information we have. Once we get the investigation results, we’ll address it again if needed,” Green said, adding that the district attorney’s office told him it may have information later this week.
Green said both students have a right to a public education and that school officials have reached out to both students and their families to make sure the alleged victim can get that education while feeling safe. He declined to detail those conversations.
The alleged victim said the incident happened in her car shortly after school let out, at around 2:10 p.m. in an area out of view of the school’s security cameras.
“I kept screaming, but nobody was there to listen to me,” she told The Times Record in an interview.
Green said last week that the school department just installed new security cameras.
“We found that one of the new cameras could be re-angled,” Green said Tuesday, which should remove the blind spot in the parking lot. That work was planned to take place Tuesday, depending on the weather.
The alleged incident happened at a time when many people were at the school.
“We know there were people going in and out and they have to park,” Green said. “There were people picking up, the music department was doing a fundraiser. There were a lot of adults going into the building picking up the fundraiser stuff. … There were quite a few people in the area.”
Green has asked anyone who may have witnessed anything that afternoon that could help in the investigation to step forward, but no one had come to him as of Tuesday, he said.
Lisbon High School Principal Susan Magee sent a letter to Lisbon High School parents two days after the protest. She wrote that several inaccuracies, allegations and rumors have been posted online creating a significant level of concern throughout the school and community.
“As a parent and your child’s principal, I wanted you to know how seriously we take these occurrences (and school safety in general) and we are hoping this update will help to alleviate some anxieties that are a direct result of the information that is being shared,” Magee said.
The principal said guidance and social work staff is available to meet with students who are upset or struggling to deal with the emotional issue.
If you or someone you know is a victim of sexual assault, call the 24-hour statewide sexual assault crisis and support line at 1-800-871-7741. For more information, visit mecasa.org.
dmoore@timesrecord.com
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