Update:
On Monday, Lafayette Police arrested a second juvenile suspect stemming from the incident which occurred at Comeaux High School on Thursday March 30, 2023.
The juvenile suspect, also a student at Comeaux High School, was arrested on a charge of sexual battery, according to a spokesperson for the Lafayette Police Department.
This investigation is ongoing.
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Original Story:
Posted at 9:30 AM, Mar 31, 2023 and last updated 5:42 PM, Mar 31, 2023
Lafayette Parish School System officials are denying that student was raped at Comeaux High School Thursday.
But Lafayette Police say they've arrested a student and accused him of the sexual battery of another student. They did say they're aware of social media reports that a student was raped, but confirm that the crime was a sexual battery, not a rape.
Both students attend Comeaux High.
An incident was reported to the school's resource officer, and that officer began an investigation. The officer determined that a juvenile student was victimized by another student, who also is a juvenile, during the school day at school, a release from Lafayette Police says.
One student was arrested and booked with sexual battery.
"Due to the sensitivity of this investigation as it relates to juveniles, the Lafayette Police Department cannot comment further on this incident. This investigation is currently ongoing," the release states.
Earlier in the day, after KATC was contacted by several viewers who said a student at the school was sexually assaulted in a restroom Thursday. Several social media posts alleged a student was raped. We reached out to Lafayette Police to see if a report was made.
We also reached out to LPSS, who sent a statement describing this as a "false rumor circulating on social media."
"LPSS is aware of a rumor circulating on social media stating that a student was raped on the Comeaux High School campus. This rumor is false.
While we can confirm that an incident took place on campus yesterday between students, we are still investigating the details surrounding the incident. Because this is an active investigation involving students, no further information will be provided.
We want to assure our community that reports of sexual assault on our campuses are thoroughly investigated and reported to law enforcement as required by law. Individuals are held accountable for their actions in accordance with state law and board policy."
We did ask LPSS how they can deny a rape occurred if they're still investigating what happened; they responded to our inquiry and LPSS says their still investigating the situation, but LPD is handling the criminal portion of the investigation.
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