All four high school wrestlers charged in the sexual assault of a juvenile during a north Georgia summer camp have been freed on bond, the Floyd County Jail confirmed Friday.
Twin brothers Robert Darshawn Sharp and Jamel Marshawn Sharp of Valdosta were freed Thursday night on $15,000 bonds each.
A day earlier, Dallas Kendrick Brown of Lawrenceville and Kenny Thomson Mason of Valdosta were freed on $20,000 bonds.
The four 17-year-olds, prominent in state high school wrestling competitions, had been in jail since July 8 charged with aggravated sexual battery against the juvenile at Shorter University in Rome. The charges carry sentences of at least 25 years and up to life in prison.
Three of the teens are accused of holding the juvenile down while one assaulted him. The AJC does not identify victims of alleged sexual assaults.
Brown is a student at Mountain View High School in Lawrenceville. The Sharp brothers attend Valdosta High School, and Mason attends Lowndes High School in South Georgia. At one time Brown also attended Lowndes.
The wrestling camp where the alleged assault occurred was hosted by Team Georgia, the state affiliate of USA Wrestling. It was a four-day event and the second year Team Georgia held the camp at Shorter, which rented rented dormitory space to the group.
Rome police Detective Jeff Richerson said the suspects and the victim were acquainted and may have been horse playing at one time before the alleged crime.
“At some point it got out of hand and crossed the line into a criminal act,” Richerson said.
A police report said a coach at the wrestling camp overheard some of the youths talking about what had happened, and he went to the victim and alleged offenders to ask about the incident, which occurred between 10:10 and 10:24 p.m. Friday on the Shorter campus.
The juvenile stated that the youths were playing around at first when Mason held him down while others hit him. "Another group came in and two boys held his feet and pulled down his pants" while someone tried to assault him with a toothbrush, the report said.
The detective said the wrestling coach alerted campus police. Rome police were then notified. Richerson said the juvenile was taken to a local hospital for examination.
Dallas Brown is a member of the Mountain View High School wrestling team. He finished third in Class AAA state wrestling tournament, and he advanced to the 119-pound state finals. He competed for Lowndes during 2008-09 year.
Jamel Marshawn Sharp, who attends Valdosta High School, won the 112-pound Class AAAAA state championship in May, finishing his senior year 52-1 and undefeated in the state. Robert Darshawn Sharp, also a Valdosta High School student, finished third in the 103-pound class. Their school team finished third overall.
Kenny Mason has a 5-4 record at Lowndes High School, according to the school's website. He and the Sharp brothers are members of the SGAC Devil Dogs, a nonprofit USA Wrestling affiliated club in Valdosta.
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