“IT WAS JUST HAZING AND HORSING AROUND”!!! BELIEVE IT OR NOT, PROSECUTORS SAY TWO 15-YEAR-OLD GEORGIA TEENAGERS ASSAULTED ANOTHER BOY WITH A BB GUN AND A BROOMSTICK-LIKE OBJECT, AND A JUDGE HAS NOW GRANTED THEM $75,000 BOND.
Two 15-year-old Georgia boys charged as adults in a violent sexual assault case have been granted bond.
The defendants have been identified as Landon Gillis and John David Lane.
Both teens are accused of participating in a March 21 incident at a house party in Perry.
Prosecutors say another boy was assaulted with a BB gun during the incident.
According to prosecutors, the victim was also sexually abused with a broomstick-like object.
Gillis and Lane face prosecution alongside a third defendant, Trey Sumner.
All three teenagers face eight charges in the case.
Those counts include aggravated sexual battery and aggravated assault.
The charges also include first-degree cruelty to children and sexual battery.
Though the boys are 15 years old, prosecutors say the allegations are serious enough to try them as adults.
But defense attorneys presented a different account during the bond hearing.
Defense attorneys argued that the incident began as “horsing around” and hazing that escalated.
Prosecutors opposed release for the defendants.
During the hearing, prosecutors raised concerns regarding the victim’s injuries.
Prosecutors also raised concerns about possible witness intimidation.
Yet Judge Ken Smith ultimately granted bond to Gillis and Lane.
The judge set bond at $75,000 for each of the two teenagers.
The release was granted under strict conditions.
Judge Smith ordered house arrest with ankle monitors for both boys.
The conditions require them to have no contact with the victim, co-defendants, or witnesses.
The teens are also barred from accessing social media.
Furthermore, the court prohibited them from having access to firearms, alcohol, or drugs.
And the third teenager charged in the case did not receive bond.
Sumner was not granted bond at his initial appearance.
An adult was also indicted in connection with the case.
Sharon Jean Gillis, the 53-year-old mother of Landon Gillis, faces multiple charges.
Her charges include first-degree cruelty to children and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
She is also charged with furnishing alcohol to minors.
Prosecutors allege she provided alcohol and cigarettes to teenagers on the night of the assault.
The charges are allegations and have not been proven in court.
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