A 17-year-old was arrested arrested on rape charges in Indiana this week after he allegedly groped and penetrated a fellow student with his hands during an active shooter drill.
According to police information and court documents cited by the La Crosse Tribune, Keith A. Miller of Hammond was arrested Wednesday morning and has been charged with criminal confinement and sexual battery in addition to rape.
Reports said the incident occurred Nov. 12, 2021, when Hammond High School held an active shooter drill between 8:15 and 8:30 a.m. A band class teacher instructed students to go inside a room and turn the lights off.
In the wake of highly publicized school shootings such as the Columbine High School massacre in 1999, the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre in 2012 and the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School massacre in 2018, active shooter drills have become more common in the U.S. According to the National Education Association (NEA), around 95% of the nation’s public schools drilled students on lockdown procedures by the 2015-16 school year and during the 2017-18 school year, more than 4.1 million students experienced at least one lockdown.
Active shooter drills are required at schools in Indiana and Illinois.
However, the NEA said it is unclear if the drills – which call for students and teachers to hide – are effective.
“According to a new report by Everytown for Gun Safety, the [NEA] and the American Federation of Teachers, unannounced active shooter drills are a detrimental and unproven school safety tactic,” said the association. Students have reported anxiety and stress related to the drills.
During the drill last November in Hammond, Miller was allegedly in a “pitch black” instrument storage room that a 16-year-old female victim entered. She told authorities that Miller bumped into her and asked “who is this,” after which she told him her name. Then, he began to touch her, according to court records.
An Associated Press report said Miller touched the younger teen’s her breasts and genitals as she tried unsuccessfully to move away from him. At one point, he allegedly stuck his hands down her pants and then grabbed the victim’s hands and stuck them in his own pants.
Miller also allegedly penetrated her with his finger and continued to touch her against her will while the lights were off, even after she told him to “chill,” legal documents state.
“The girl felt she had to stay quiet because of the drill,” said the AP. Miller stopped when the lights were turned back turned back on.
Once she returned to her desk, she began crying. She also told her friends and her mother and went to the school’s guidance office. The victim said she recognized Miller’s voice from a class, though the two students were not close.
By 9:43 a.m. that day, a Hammond High School administrator and Hammond police officer met with the victim, who police said was visibly upset and crying. A witness who was standing near Miller and the victim corroborated the victim’s account via text. Other witnesses also said the victim told them about the assault.
The victim’s parents were contacted and she received a sexual assault examination at a hospital.
Miller’s bail is set at $50,000. Further court hearing dates are still to be determined.
Related
Related
