Unioto School District Determines Discipline In Premeditated Attack On 15-Year-Old Gay Male Requires Review Based On New Evidence; Criminal Charges Pending

In Ohio, while a potential criminal charge remains pending in a Unioto High School fight, the school has reviewed the discipline it handed down after cell phone video revealed new information. Principal Jim Osborne said the discipline would have been reviewed sooner, but the mother of the student seen throwing punches in the video had taken the boy out of town because of the media attention. The story went viral Thursday because the victim’s mother, Rebecca Collins, thinks her son was targeted because he is gay. “The discipline has been revisited based on the ongoing investigation and in light of the new evidence,” Osborne said. How the discipline was altered was not released by the district, citing student privacy concerns. “I really can’t go into specifics,” Osborne said. Osborne did confirm the student who filmed the fight with her cell phone also was disciplined, but has yet to return to school at the decision of her mother. Ross County Prosecutor Matt Schmidt said he has asked the sheriff’s office to investigate further and get medical records for the victim if they exist. “Because of all the stuff that has come to light, I’ve asked for more information,” Schmidt said. Sheriff George Lavender said his deputy went to Unioto to conduct additional interviews Friday and was checking to see if the victim had been sent for medical attention. The initial report indicated there had been some visible injuries, but they appeared to be minor. Collins told The Chillicothe Gazette on Thursday her son sustained a knot behind his ear, a black eye, a chipped tooth and a possible concussion. The extent of the injury and the medical records are needed for Schmidt to help determine if the assault meets the criteria to be considered a felony. His office is waiting on charging the juvenile until the additional investigation is completed. If a lesser charge is filed and the teen is adjudicated on it and additional evidence later shows the higher-degree charge could have been pursued, Schmidt said they could not go back and change it. As such, Schmidt said they will wait for the additional information in order to file the appropriate charge.