A Seminole County judge on Friday granted bond for one of the five suspects in the reported gang rape of a 16-year-old girl in November 2014 near Winter Springs High School.
At a bond hearing, a judge issued $35,000 bond to 17-year-old Deoante Stewart. He was recently charged as an adult in the case, according to the State Attorney's Office.
No bond was posted as of 3:35 p.m.
Earlier this week, charges were dropped against 18-year-old Torreano Batton, the lone adult among six Winter Springs High School students charged in the incident.
Batton was cleared at a Jan. 20 arraignment.
Five other Winter Springs High School students, all under 18, face charges in the November attack.
Two of the five suspects were charged as adults:
- Marquis Pierre, 17, of Winter Springs
- Deoante Stewart, 17, of Sanford
According to Winter Springs police, the victim told investigators a group of males, including Pierre and Stewart, forced sex acts on her against her will in the woods near Winter Springs High School.
Three of the suspects, two 17-year-olds and one 16-year-old, are being charged as juveniles. We are not identifying those individuals, in accordance with our Crime Guidelines.
Six students, including Batton, were arrested on the school's campus after what police called an "exhaustive, comprehensive and thorough investigation."
Some of the suspects were members of the school's football team, police said.