The trial of two Brandon Township teens accused of sexually abusing younger boys is set to begin at 9 a.m., April 29, in front of Sixth Judicial Circuit Court Judge Mary Ellen Brennan.
The suspects, ages 13 and 14 at the time of the alleged crimes, are each charged with four counts of criminal sexual conduct, first degree, and suspect #1 (13-years-old), faces an additional charge of assault with intent to commit sexual penetration. Some charges were dropped last fall due to the inability of one of the victims to testify due to emotional trauma; however, other charges were added or enhanced.
According to police reports, on Aug. 21, 2010, two fathers filed a report at the Brandon substation regarding the sexual assault of three of their children, ages 7, 9, and 10-years-old, by the suspects, who were neighbors of the victims in the Sashabaw Meadows Mobile Home Park. The assaults began in September 2009.
Suspect #1 was a student at Brandon Middle School. Suspect #2 was an Oxford Middle School student.
During CARE House interviews with the victims, the 9-year-old disclosed repeated assaults by suspect #1, who is also his half-brother. The assaults occurred at their mother’s residence where the boys shared a room. The victim said that on multiple occasions, both suspect #1 and suspect #2 assaulted him.
The Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office has designated the case, meaning that upon adjudication of guilt, both suspects may be sentenced as adults, facing life in prison. The judge could also choose to sentence one or both suspects as juveniles, or blend the sentences, using a combination of punishment both as juveniles and adults.