Police believe four teenagers sexually assaulted a 16-year-old girl last month near a Gwinnett County school.
Video of the incident was later "transmitted around the school," Snellville police Chief Roy Whitehead said.
Three of the teens — two 15-year-olds and one 16-year-old — were arrested and charged with single counts of rape. The fourth, 17-year-old Cameron Richard, has been charged with rape and possession of child pornography.
Whitehead said the incident happened around May 4 near that city's South Gwinnett High School. The alleged victim told police she left school with the four males and went to a nearby "bus lot" off Skyland Drive, where "some or all of the five people in this case [went] for the purposes of doing drugs."
"While under the influence of drugs, the victim was sexually assaulted," Whitehead said in an email.
The chief said investigators later recovered the video, which had been circulated around the school. The extent of that circulation was unclear Monday.
"The investigation is ongoing," Whitehead said, "but nothing further can be released."
Gwinnett school officials referred questions about the case to police. School officials said Monday they will take appropriate action after police complete its investigation.
Gwinnett County jail records show Richard was arrested June 5 and is being held without bond on the rape and child pornography charges, as well as one count of theft by receiving and a hold for the Rockdale County Sheriff's Office. The nature of the latter two charges was not immediately clear Monday.
Jail records show Richard was also arrested and charged with obstruction the day after the alleged assault. It was not clear if that arrest was related to alleged assault or its investigation.
In Georgia, 17-year-olds are typically charged as adults. Police did not release the names of the other three suspects in the case because they are juveniles.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution does not name alleged victims of sexual assault.
— Staff writer Eric Stirgus contributed to this article.
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