LAFAYETTE, La. (KPEL News) - Lafayette police have arrested a second student in their investigation into an incident at Comeaux High School last week. The arrest comes days after the Lafayette Parish School System denied that a rape had occurred on the campus.

According to the Lafayette Police Department, the Monday morning arrest is of a second juvenile wanted in connection with a sexual battery that occurred on the school's campus.

On the morning of Monday, April 3, 2023, at approximately 7:30 a.m., Lafayette Police arrested a second juvenile suspect stemming from the incident which occurred at Comeaux High School on Thursday March 30, 2023. The juvenile suspect, also a student at Comeaux High School, was charged with Sexual Battery. This investigation is ongoing.

On Friday, LPSS sent out a statement saying that, despite rumors on social media, a rape did not take place on the campus, but that they "can confirm that an incident took place on campus yesterday between students," and that the school system was investigating it.

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Then, later that day, Lafayette police confirmed an arrest was made for sexual battery, but also shot down the rumors that were spreading on social media.


ORIGINAL STORY

A student at Comeaux High School has been arrested for sexual battery, according to reports, following an investigation into an incident at the school.

Following a social media thread that claimed a "cover-up" over what was described in the comments as a rape on campus, the Lafayette Parish School System did confirm an investigation was taking place but that rumors of the rape were false. The school system sent out a statement Friday morning.

False Rumor Circulating on Social Media

LPSS is aware of a rumor circulating on social media stating that a student was raped on the Comeaux High School campus. This rumor is false. While we can confirm that an incident took place on campus yesterday between students, we are still investigating the details surrounding the incident. Because this is an active investigation involving students, no further information will be provided. We want to assure our community that reports of sexual assault on our campuses are thoroughly investigated and reported to law enforcement as required by law. Individuals are held accountable for their actions in accordance with state law and board policy.

The investigation at the Comeaux campus, however, revealed that a sexual battery did occur on the campus, which was confirmed in a statement from the Lafayette Police Department Friday afternoon.

On Thursday March 30, 2023, a Lafayette Police School Resource Officer was made aware of an incident which had occurred during the school day at Comeaux High School. The school resource officer, along with Comeaux High School Adminstrators, promptly began investigating the allegation to confirm the information and to determine what had occurred. Through the investigation, it was determined that a juvenile student was victimized by another student, also a juvenile, while at the school. Lafayette Police have arrested 1 juvenile suspect and charged him with Sexual Battery. Due to the sensitivity of this investigation as it relates to juveniles, the Lafayette Police Department cannot comment further on this incident. This investigation is currently ongoing.

Social Media Rumors?

The rumors seem to stem from a social media post that went viral on Facebook. The poster alleged that a school was covering something up, but did not specify what in the main post.

However, in the comments, the allegations became clear. The claim was that a male student was sexually abused on campus by other students. However, despite what is claimed in the comments of the post, there is little official detail.

The investigation into the sexual battery is still ongoing but it does involve juveniles, meaning certain details will not be available. However, both LPSS and LPD are taking the allegations and investigation seriously.

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