6 teenage baseball players who took plea deals in South Dakota rape case sentenced

MITCHELL, S.D. (AP) — Six teenage players from a South Dakota American Legion baseball team who were charged as adults in a rape case last summer have been sentenced to fines and community service after accepting plea deals.

A judge on Thursday sentenced the former Mitchell Legion players, Sioux Falls’ KELO-TV reported. They each pleaded guilty to accessory to a felony as part of a plea deal earlier this year.

Prosecutors said the teenage defendants, born between the years of 2004 and 2006, raped a teammate during a baseball trip last year in Rapid City.

“What happened to the victim in this case was unacceptable,” said Roxanne Hammond of the Pennington County State’s Attorney’s Office. “It was not just a hazing incident: It was rape.”

The Pennington County State’s Attorney’s Office had asked for 10-day jail sentences for the former players. But Presiding Circuit Judge Robert Gusinsky suspended the imposition of that sentence, instead putting the defendants on probation.

Gusinsky said the victim asked that the defendants not face jail time or be listed as sex offenders.

The defendants apologized in court, KELO-TV reported. Two cried as they said they were ashamed of the harm they caused, according to the station.

Lawyers for each of the defendants did not immediately respond to Associated Press phone calls and voice messages requesting comment Friday.

The judge during sentencing also called out parents who he said laughed when they learned of the incident and others who smirked when video of the assault was played in court.