6 teenage baseball players charged as adults in South Dakota rape case take plea deals

All six teenage players from a South Dakota American Legion shot squad who were charged arsenic adults successful a rape lawsuit past summertime person present reached plea deals

RAPID CITY, S.D. -- Six teenage players from a South Dakota American Legion shot squad who were charged arsenic adults successful a rape case past summertime person reached plea deals.

Three players from the Mitchell-based squad pleaded blameworthy past period to being an accessory to a felony, and 3 others entered the aforesaid plea Monday, KELO-TV reported. All six players could look up to 5 years successful situation astatine sentencing adjacent month.

Attorneys from some sides declined to sermon the case.

The players, who were 17 to 19 years aged erstwhile a expansive assemblage indicted them, were primitively charged with second-degree rape and aiding and abetting second-degree rape.

South Dakota instrumentality requires minors ages 16 and older who are charged with specified felonies to beryllium tried arsenic adults, though the minors tin effort to person their cases moved to juvenile court, prosecutors said.

According to prosecutors, the victims were 16 erstwhile they were sexually assaulted during a tourney successful Rapid City past June.

Another 3 players were charged successful juvenile court, but details of their cases are not made public.