Hudson Sr. Accused of Raping 9-Year-Old, Continues to Attend Classes and Sporting Events – Community Seeks Answers

(Editor’s note: The story has been updated to clarify that the accused student did not attend the prom based on new information from Hudson City Schools. )

HUDSON, Ohio (WJW) – An 18-year-old Hudson High School graduate has been charged with several serious crimes involving a 9-year-old child.

Students and parents in the district are just learning about the investigation, but according to court records, the alleged crimes occurred on or about December 2, 2023.

The teen was arraigned in Summit County Common Pleas Court on Feb. 7, 2024, on charges of rape, kidnapping and gross sexual assault.

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He was in court Tuesday for his second pretrial, but most of his classmates and their parents told FOX 8 News they had no idea.

“When I first got the text from my mom, I was at school and I was like, oh my God, I was sick,” said a senior and classmate who asked not to be named.

They are upset because they say the young man attended classes the entire time without anyone knowing about the alleged and serious crimes.

He has also participated in sporting events and could graduate on May 23.

“I don’t think that’s appropriate,” said the classmate. “Because I’ve known people who did smaller things and got in a lot more trouble and weren’t allowed to play sports, but he, at least supposedly, did this terrible thing to a 9-year-old and allowed him to play sports and do all this other stuff. “

School officials told FOX 8 that while a judge said the student could have attended the prom and recast, he did not.

The school district released the following statement to FOX 8:

“Hudson City Schools is aware that one of our high school students is part of a police investigation involving an alleged sexual assault. While we are not at liberty to discuss details of the case, we would like to make it clear that this alleged incident did not occur on school property and did not involve any other Hudson City School District student. This is a legal matter with the Summit County Prosecutor’s Office and the Summit County Court System. To ensure the safety of all students, supportive and protective measures have been in place since the district was first made aware of the issue.

“We understand that there are questions; However, due to the law and student privacy policies, the district is extremely limited in disclosing information. Please know that the well-being and safety of all of our students remains our top priority.”

Several students and parents told FOX 8 off the record that they were upset and had serious concerns about it and how it was handled.

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In addition, an online petition was launched demanding that the student be suspended until the end of the criminal proceedings and not attend the graduation ceremony.

“They don’t think it’s fair that all the attention at graduation is on him when they’re supposed to be enjoying and celebrating graduation,” one mother said.

“It’s just a disgusting thing, and even if it’s alleged and maybe he didn’t actually do it, I don’t know if I could be anywhere near it,” said her daughter, who is graduating with him.

The student has another pretrial scheduled for July and the case will be heard on August 7.

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