A 17-year-old Piedmont High School student will face a trial as a juvenile in a first-degree rape case against him, a judge ruled in Canadian County Friday.
The trial date was set for July 22.
During the week of March 22, Piedmont police began investigating a rape complaint from a party, Police Chief Scott Singer said.
A Youthful Offender charge, alleging first-degree rape, was originally filed at the Canadian County Court Clerk’s office, District Attorney Mike Fields said. The alleged rape happened at a Piedmont home March 20, court documents show.
A preliminary hearing was set to determine whether the defendant will be prosecuted as a youthful offender, a juvenile or as an adult. The case had been assigned to Special Judge Khristan Strubhar. A decision to certify him as a juvenile was made in court Friday, court records show.
Police said the alleged rape happened at a party in Piedmont while the parents of a youth who lives there were not home.
Parents of the 17-year-old Piedmont student accused of the crime appeared at a school board meeting and asked that he could continue to participate during the adjudication process. However, the school board voted against allowing him to participate in sports.
The 17-year-old’s trial will be at 1:30 p.m. July 22 before Judge Jack McCurdy, Oklahoma Supreme Court Network records show.
