An Ohio school official was jailed Monday for allegedly tampering with evidence regarding the rape of a 16-year-old girl.
William Rhinaman, 53, the director of technology at Steubenville High School, was arrested without bail Monday on counts of tampering with evidence, obstructing justice, obstructing official business and perjury in connection with the case, Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine said.
If convicted, Rhinaman could spend four years behind bars. That is two more years than the perpetrators of the crime.
"This is the first indictment in an ongoing grand jury investigation," DeWine said in a prepared statement. "Our goal remains to uncover the truth, and our investigation continues."
Steubenville High School football players Ma'lik Richmond and Trenton Mays, who were respectively 16 and 17 at the time, were arrested in March for raping an allegedly drunk girl during a series of parties in August 2012.
The incident received national attention after multiple videos of the victim that were sent out with explicit text messages hit social media. The teens were sentenced to a minimum of one year in jail.
"I think it's important that this shows some fruits from the investigative grand jury and also considers the importance of those responsible for reporting and/or preserving evidence after a crime is committed involving a child, in this case a girl 16 years of age," said Bob Fitzsimmons, the family attorney representing the victim.
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