Posted on Wed, Mar. 12, 2008


N.J. teen arraigned in sex assault of special education student
JEFFREY GOLD

The Associated Press

NEWARK, N.J. - One of three New Jersey teenagers charged with gang raping a special education student pleaded not guilty Wednesday as investigators began evaluating the mental capacity of the alleged victim.

Romal Roberts, 18, appeared by video conference for his arraignment and public defender Regina Lynch entered a not guilty plea for him. He was in jail on $300,000 bail.

Roberts and two 16-year-olds are accused of assaulting a 16-year-old female schoolmate from Montclair High School on March 6 at Roberts' home in Montclair, an affluent New Jersey suburb 15 miles west of Manhattan.

Roberts, in orange jail garb, answered some questions about his name and address as he stood handcuffed.

Outside court, Lynch said Roberts he came to the United States at age 5, but she declined to say where he was born.

In court, state Superior Court Judge Amilkar Velez-Lopez directed that federal immigration authorities be notified to determine if Roberts is in the country legally. Immigration authorities had no immediate information regarding Roberts.

It appeared that no family or friends of Roberts were in court for the nine-minute hearing.

He faces 18 charges in a criminal complaint that indicates some of the attacks included the use of a broomstick, weapon or stick. In some instances, the assaults involved more than one attacker, court records show.

Nine of the charges are for aggravated sexual assault, which each carry up to 20 years in prison; nine are for attempted aggravated sexual assault, which each carry up to 10 years in prison. Several of the charges are based on the girl's diminished mental capacity.

The juveniles face similar charges, prosecutors said. The names of those teens would not be released unless they are tried as adults.

The case has drawn parallels to a notorious crime in a neighboring town in 1989. Several Glen Ridge High School athletes served prison terms after being convicted in the sexual attack of a mentally retarded 17-year-old girl who also attended their school. Those attacks also used a broom handle and other objects, and were witnessed by about a dozen boys. The case was dramatized in an ABC television movie in 1999.

In the Montclair matter, the Essex County Prosecutor's Office said it has subpoenaed records of the 16-year-old girl to better understand her capabilities.

"We don't know the actual mental status of the girl," office spokesman Paul Loriquet said.

Lynch, the public defender, said there was little she could say on behalf of Roberts since she was only handling the arraignment and another defender would be handling the case. She said Roberts had no prior criminal record.

The school district would have no immediate comment because of the continuing criminal investigation, spokeswoman Laura Federico said.

Authorities said they learned of the attack after the girl told a friend on Friday. The girl was then examined and treated at a hospital, revealing evidence of sexual trauma, Essex County Prosecutor Paula T. Dow said.

Authorities said the assaults happened after a number of teens came to the 18-year-old's unsupervised home between 11:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. March 6. Classes at the high school were staggered to accommodate testing, so it was not clear if the teens were cutting classes, police said.

It was not yet known if others witnessed the attacks or if anyone recorded it, Loriquet said.

The younger teens charged in the case were being held at the county youth house, authorities said.
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