TULSA – Police made an arrest after a reported sexual assault at a Tulsa high school.
Officers were called to Nathan Hale High School Thursday to assist in the investigation of an alleged sexual assault.
Police were notified that a 17-year-old special needs student reported that she was raped off campus by a fellow student. The investigation revealed the suspect to be 18-year-old Sean Adams.
The victim told police Adams grabbed her by the arm and made her leave campus with him around 1 p.m. They walked to a dumpster at a nearby restaurant where the victim was forced into several sexual acts.
The booking report states the victim did not want to have sex with Adams. She told police Adams kept telling her to “quit tripping” as he assaulted her.
Medical professionals performed a rape kit on the victim, and her injuries matched her story.
Adams turned himself in to police Thursday evening and was questioned by detectives in the Sex Crimes Division.
Adams was booked into jail for first degree rape and forcible sodomy.
Friday, students say news of what happened quickly spread around the school.
“It feels pretty crazy because kids aren't supposed to be doing that. Like raping other kids...I know he wasn't thinking, he was just doing, he shouldn't have done it,” said Isaiah Kuhlenschmidt, student.
The day after the arrest, Nathan Hale High School Principal Caleb Starr sent a message out to parents.
"I want to inform you of an incident that occurred this week. Yesterday, a report of an alleged sexual assault was made by one of our students. As soon as I became aware of this report, I immediately notified the Tulsa Police Department as well as the Education Service Center. To preserve the integrity of the investigation and privacy of all students, communication to parents and the larger community has been limited. Please know our priority is to always act in the best interest of our students. We are working closely with the Tulsa Police Department during the ongoing investigation. I want to assure you that we take student and staff safety very seriously at Hale High School, and throughout our district. We have policies in place to protect all students and staff in our schools. The leadership team at Hale High School is committed to communicating clearly and accurately with our community. At this time, however, it is also important that school and district communications do not jeopardize this investigation. I am confident in the measures and policies that we have in place at the school to keep our students safe. There are security cameras located throughout our campus and TPS Campus Police officers are on site each day to ensure that our students have a safe learning environment. All TPS Campus Police officers are certified with the Council on Law Enforcement Education and Training and have had specialized training in working with students.Our district has a strong relationship with the Tulsa Police Department, and site and district staff will continue to work closely with TPD on this matter. In addition, I am working closely with my administrative team and campus security to review all of our safety practices and will update them as needed to ensure all students are safe at all times. Again, please be assured that Hale High School takes the safety of our students and staff very seriously. If you have questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me at 918-925-1200 or by e-mail at starrca@tulsaschools.org."
Tulsa Public Schools also issued this statement.
"Tulsa Public Schools continues to cooperate with the Tulsa Police Department in this ongoing investigation. We will follow the lead of TPD to ensure that school and district communications do not jeopardize this investigation. Our priority is to act in the best interest of all students and that includes being respectful of the privacy of those involved in the alleged incident. Due to student confidentiality laws, we are prohibited from commenting on the SPED/non-SPED status of either student. We do have policies in place to protect all students and staff in our schools, as safety is our priority. The leadership team at Hale High School is committed to providing their parent community with updated and fully accurate information. To that end, we are sending a letter home to parents this afternoon."
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