Attorney for 14-year-old accused of rape speaks out

VICKSBURG, Miss. (VDN) — Vicksburg Attorney Jerry Campbell reached out to the Vicksburg Daily News saying he is representing the 14-year-old accused of rape during school hours at Warren Central High School.

“We got some text messages that may shed a different light on the situation,” said Campbell. The attorney also expressed concern about how the public attacked the school. “Warren Central is a great school. It’s a safe school,” said Campbell.

Several online comments about the incident attacked the school for security concerns and that an unoccupied classroom was left unlocked. One said, “Why was an unoccupied room not locked and why are these kids not supervised better. Something like this should not have happened!”

According to Sheriff Pace, there is a video related to the incident that helped investigators identify the 14-year-old suspect accused of rape.

The incident

On Wednesday, the Warren County Sheriff’s Office was contacted by school resource Chief LaToria Kerr about the incident.

“Wednesday afternoon, WCSO investigators were contacted by Chief LaToria Kerr, who reported that a sexual assault occurred on the campus of Warren Central High School,” Warren County Sheriff Martin Pace said. “This occurred in an unoccupied classroom.”

Investigators from the Warren County Sheriff’s Office, the District Attorney’s Office, and campus police reviewed security footage from the building and identified the suspect. The 14-year-old has now been charged with rape as an adult.

Pace said that under Mississippi law, a 14-year-old is automatically tried in adult County Court for a charge of rape.

The suspect appeared before Circuit Judge Marcie Southerland on Thursday. She denied bond, and he remains in the Warren County Jail.