Conn. football players accused of sexual assault

This combo made from undated booking photos released by the Torrington, Conn., Police Department shows Torrington High School football players Edgar Gonzalez, left, and Joan Toribio, charged Monday, March 18, 2013, with felony second-degree sexual assault and other crimes in February in cases involving different 13-year-old girls. / Conn. Police Department,AP Photo/Torrington

HARTFORD, Conn. Two Connecticut high school football players have been charged in sexual assault cases that, like a recent high-profile Ohio rape case, have led to online taunts directed at an accuser.

The two 18-year-old Torrington High School players, Edgar Gonzalez and Joan Toribio, were charged with felony second-degree sexual assault and other crimes last month in cases involving different 13-year-old girls. Toribio also was charged two weeks ago in another second-degree sexual assault case.

A state judge sealed details of the allegations from public view. Both teens have pleaded not guilty to all charges. The arrests were first reported by The Register Citizen newspaper.

On Wednesday evening, Torrington police Lt. Michael Emanuel said a third student, a 17-year-old boy, was charged this month with second-degree sexual assault on one of the two 13-year-olds linked to the football players' cases.

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Emanuel said the assault occurred last fall. He had no information about the 17-year-old's arraignment or any bail.

At least one more arrest involving the same accusers is likely in the case, he said.

The accusers and suspects knew one another, according to Emanuel, who described what happened as "voluntary encounters" at private residences. But he said sexual encounters between a 13-year-old and anyone more than three years older are illegal under state law.

At least one of the accusers in Torrington, nearly 30 miles west of the capital, Hartford, has been taunted on social media by dozens of upset classmates, the newspaper reported. Students have called the girl a "whore" and bashed her for "snitching" and "ruining" the players' lives.

State prosecutor Terri Sonnemann declined to comment on the sexual assault cases and on whether authorities are investigating the online taunts.

Gonzalez's lawyer, J. Patten Brown III, said he hasn't seen the state's evidence yet, but has been told the charges allege consensual, but statutorily illegal, sex. He said Gonzalez is not making any admissions about having relations with the girl and intends to fight the charges.

"Oftentimes people are arrested, and when all the facts come out, they're different than what people assumed," Brown said.

A message was left Wednesday for Toribio's attorney, Charles Brower.

In the Ohio case, Steubenville High School football players Trent Mays and Ma'Lik Richmond were sentenced Sunday to at least a year in juvenile jail after being found guilty of using their hands to rape a drunken 16-year-old girl. The case bitterly divided the city and led to accusations of a cover-up to protect the athletes.

On Tuesday, Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine said the teen girl is being victimized by threats on Twitter and he demanded an end to such postings.

In Torrington, Gonzalez and Toribio have been suspended from school, said Ken Traub, chairman of the local Board of Education.

At a news conference Wednesday afternoon, school Superintendent Cheryl Kloczko read a brief statement pledging to abide by laws protecting student confidentiality. She declined to comment further.

Torrington police said little about the accusations in news releases, except that Gonzalez and Toribio were arrested in connection with alleged sexual encounters with 13-year-old girls.

Toribio has posted $100,000 bail for the two sexual assault cases.

Gonzalez is being detained on $65,000 bail at the New Haven Correctional Center. He also has pleaded not guilty in a robbery case from last year that remains pending.

[enoughsaidu]

These boys need to be punshished good and hard. I don't think their lives should be over, but registered sex offenders and prison time yes. The biggest problem with most of what is going on with all the kid crime starts at home. Yes I am pointing at many of the parents out there. I get told all the time that's what girls are wearing or you know how boys are. I am not that old, my kids are in their teens. It's not ok for them to wear see through shirts, dasiey dukes, holes in their pants that are at "just the right" place. It's not ok to call each other bit... and players. We as a nation have strayed to far away from raising our children to respect others and their elders. We can not blam it on sports or TV. It all falls on the parents and that includes me.

[raccman1]

Send both to a Youth reformatory until they are 21, then have the Court decide as to a sentence in adult prison.

[robert1129]

To a large degree, I blame the coaches. Nationwide, they have to somehow develop and implement a program whereby respected experts sit down with these boys and counsel them as to what is expected of them plus what they stand to lose if they do this sort of thing. One big item would be scholarships to college.

[AttyFAM]

Scholarships? Are you saying that is a bigger loss than going to prison and being a registered sex offender for the rest of one's life?

[TeamClinton]

Dear Robert,

Oh but if it was only as easy as blame the coaches. We all have to accept some responsibility for the bad situation. Some communities are led by leaders who do not care about anything else other than seeing their favorite teams be winners. The mentality of do anything for the jocks who bring home the trophy is rampant in every state but it is the gospel of many southern states. A coach in west Texas was often accused of letting the best FB jocks have total access to his lovely wife. The big money backers of SMU gave Eric Dickerson total access to his daughter and her Mercedes roadster for Eric's fully 4 years at SMU or so it was reliably stated in Dallas while I lived there.

I submit to you that it will take a national anti-crime campaign and only the US Attorney General has the authority and power to begin to address it at that level and he will, sadly, do nothing until there is a fire placed under him by public furor. Our politicians are such hypocrites that it will take a Sasha or Malia Obama(God knows that I pray this never happen to either of these girls/ladies or any others) getting attacked for the US Govt. to take the lead that it should. That said, I do believe that the coaches are failing so many jocks and victims but the coaches know that the boosters do not care about anything except winning and, if the coach wants his job, he has to do whatever it takes.

Team Clinton - 2016

[KrissyTina9]

I am so sick of these GD rapist bastage. The laws are not sufficient, the states have failed us for much too long. These two degenerates have MULTIPLE counts against them and have prior bad acts, and they still get bail? No. Its time the federal government stepped in because the states are useless.

[pettyofficerkeller]

Bail is a constitutional right the states have to abide by. The Feds can't, won't, and shouldn't step in. Nothing you just listed goes in to determine bail, it's strictly flight risk and imminent danger to society. To be completely denied bail the Prosecution would have to go above and beyond and basically try their case at the bail hearing. The price of Freedom.

[AttyFAM]

Krissytina-

Where do you get information about priors? It is not in the article and in Connecticut juvenile records (those pertaining to persons under a full 18 years of age) are sealed and remain sealed.

Second, please read the Constitution and the history that led up to a central (federal) government with multiple states. The Feds have nothing to do with local crime.

Third, the right of a person to bail pending trial was an important right fought for in England, embodied in the English Bill of Rights of 1689, and bequeathed to the American colonies from English law. An imprisoned person is not in any position to prepare to defend himself at trial. And as P-O-K says, there are safeguards in the system. A judge has to examine the probability that the accused will commit further crimes while out on bail.

[Aussie_convict]

But he said sexual encounters between a 13-year-old and anyone more than three years older are illegal under state law.

So its OK for a 13 year old and 16 year old to be fuc$ing. But not a 17 year old and 13 year old. I think some changes are im desperate need here in regards to raisning the age of consent in Conneticut. Its not 1900 people, its not cool for 13 year olds to be having sex, and the consensual thing dont cut it, 13 years old is not old enough to process consent and its context.

[BludApfel]

Age of consent didn't exist until the feminazi movement came along.

The problem with age of consent is it is a blanket assumption that all people of the same age are unable to understand the consequences of their actions.

[KPeters_from_UK]

I'm not going to address this to BLUDAPFEL directly but rather to the readers:

BLUDAPFEL has written numerous posts where he defends the actions of rapists to abuse and humilate girls and women he deems to be immoral.

Now in this comment he believes that having sex with children was legitimate until finally the Women's movement helped to stop pedophiles.

After reading his numerous and I mean numerous posts covering rape and girls, it is apparent that in BLUDAPFEL's sick mind a 13 year old girl is a sexual manipulative predator and deserved to be sexually assaulted or raped.

I have come to the conclusion he is a closet rapist or fantasizes about rape.

[TeamClinton]

Would someone kindly forward this note to Attorney General Eric Holder as we try to save these kids from themselves-

Dear Mr. Attorney General,

Sir, with all due respect, might not your office offer some nationwide PSA's to be dispensed to every high school participating in sports stating graphically to all that sex with underage kids is a crime and your life will be ruined if you do it. You can be runied 5 years after the act and there goes all your future down the tube! The bottom line : "DON'T DO IT, IT AIN'T WORTH IT!"

You can embellish upon this message however you want but please do stress that the old slap on the wrist and saying "Boys will be boys" has changed to that other one, "DO THE CRIME, DO THE TIME!"

Please, Mr. Holder, address this nationwide. Thank you.

Team Clinton - 2015

[KPeters_from_UK]

Excellent.

[KPeters_from_UK]

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