The South Dakota 6: Teenage baseball team players, aged 17 to 19, are charged in connection with the rapes of two minors - including one male - and face upwards of 50 years in prison

Daily Mail UK ^ | October 5, 2023 | Mackenzie Tatananni

[Morgana]

Six South Dakota baseball players aged 17 to 19 have been charged in connection with the rape of two minors - with one of their victims identified as a male.

Lincoln Bates, 18, Hudson Haley, 18, Carter Miller, 18, Landon Waddell, 19, Peyton Mandel, 17, and Karter Sibson, 17 are all accused of the sex assaults while participating in a tournament between June 1 and 4.

All six are charged with second-degree rape and aiding and abetting second-degree rape.

Haley faces an extra rape charge for a second victim, while Waddell was charged with two counts of aiding and abetting for a second victim.

Both victims were 16 at the time. The gender of the second victim is unknown.

The circumstances of the assault were initially framed as a 'team hazing ritual', but Pennington County State's Attorney Lara Roetzel rejected the notion, instead calling it a 'forcible assault.'

The former Mitchell Legion teammates pleaded 'not guilty' during their first court hearing on Tuesday.

Bates and Waddell have since graduated from Mitchell High School, where they played on the Legions baseball team. The four other defendants are still students.

The charges are Class 1 Felonies punishable by up to 50 years in prison.

This means Haley and Waddell could face up to 150 years each.

Although Mandel and Sibson - the 17-year-olds - are minors, they are being tried as adults due to South Dakota law and the severity of the crime.

Back in June, the Mitchell Baseball Association suspended team activities amid allegations of player misconduct.

[sit-rep]

I would agree... It’s not too often you get 6 white boys raping/helping... Something is missing.

[Scrambler Bob]

a consequence of being forced to study sex practices in school.
= = =

Yep, the defense is, “We were just doing our homework.”

[Tired of Taxes]

This article says both victims were male:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/six-high-school-baseball-players-charged-in-rapes-of-2-male-teens-in-south-dakota-reports/ar-AA1hOilO?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=e7d145b698f5459f8b6434b8d7be679b&ei=7