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16-Year-Old High School Student Arrested For 'Violent Rapes' Of Teen Classmates
He faces two dozen charges related to attacking at least four classmates.
A Las Vegas teen faces several charges for allegedly sexually assaulting his classmates. According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, 16-year-old Maysen Melton faces two dozen felony counts, including sexual assault, first-degree kidnapping and battery with intent to commit sexual assault. He is alleged to have attacked at least four classmates while at Shadow Ridge High School.
Chief Deputy District Attorney Kristina Rhoades said in court on Wednesday that Melton grabbed his victims and then violently attacked them.
“This defendant, honestly, is a predator. It’s the same thing over and over. He gets these girls in these intimate situations. He pushes them on the ground, throws them on the ground, trips them onto the ground, pulls their pants down. He does not heed to any of their noes, does not heed to any of their resistance," she told Chief District Judge Elizabeth Gonzalez.
Rhoades said the victims knew Melton, and their ages ranged from 15 to 18. The alleged attacks took place over the course of a year and ended last March. The prosecutor described the attacks as "violent rapes." He is also accused of taking nude photos of the victims as a form of blackmail.
Melton's defense attorney argued that the prosecution is treating his client like he's already guilty.
“The district attorney is taking the position that punishment should occur prior to conviction, that Maysen’s guilty and should be placed in jail and punished before a jury ever hears his case,” he said.
He also criticized the $200,000 bail set as excessive.
“The only reason the state would ask for a $200,000 bail from a 16-year-old kid would be to punish him before conviction and to hinder his ability to present a defense to a jury,” he said.
Melton was reportedly expelled from Shadow Ridge and then enrolled as a junior at Palo Verde High School in October. The principal there assures that no incidents have occurred on that campus, but the prosecution shared concern for the students at the school.
“I have some serious concerns for the girls who go to that school," said the prosecutor.
Melton is slated to be back in court on January 25, according to Fox5Vegas. It is unclear if he has released additional statements at this time.
[Photo: Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, Facebook]
