Gwinnett DA says more work needed on school sex assault investigation

Gwinnett County District Attorney Danny Porter. AJC FILE PHOTO

Gwinnett County District Attorney Danny Porter. AJC FILE PHOTO

Gwinnett County District Attorney Danny Porter said Friday he hopes to have a decision within two weeks concerning whether his office will file any charges in a case involving a former Peachtree Ridge High School student who said a male classmate sexually assaulted her last year on campus.

Porter’s staff met with Friday with the accuser’s legal representatives and said his office needs to interview some of her relatives and get some additional records from them.

“We’ve got a little bit of work to do,” Porter said.

The boy has insisted the incident was consensual. School district officials said the preponderance of evidence found there was no assault and suspended both students from school for 10 days for engaging in sexual conduct on school grounds. Porter, whose office assisted in the school's investigation, decided to review the case in response to recent media inquiries.

A few former classmates spoke at Thursday’s Gwinnett school board meeting to criticize how the school handled its investigation. Their complaints included that the girl was suspended and claims that a school officer no experience investigating sexual assault.