Florida football star arrested after viral sex video of girl and 25 boys
A Florida high school student was charged Saturday after a video went viral of a young girl allegedly having sex with more than 20 boys in a school bathroom.
William Scott, 16, pleaded not guilty to cruelty toward a child, allowing a child to engage in a sexual act and possession of obscene material. A judge ordered him on 21 days of home detention and he is barred from entering school grounds during the time and is not allowed to have any contact with anyone under 15.
Scott is the first person arrested in the alleged incident, which reportedly involved a 15-year-old girl and up to 25 boys. At least several of the boys are said to be members of the football team in South Myers, and Scott is considered one of the best high school running backs in southwestern Florida, according to NBC affiliate WBBH.
The school district and the Lee County Sheriff’s Office has said they are investigating.
But, according to the News-Press, Lee County School Superintendent Greg Adkins issued a letter expressing his desire to “move forward from this incident without further harsh judgment of those involved.”
“They are adolescents who have made a serious mistake,” Adkins wrote. “They have been disciplined. They must now have the opportunity to learn from their mistakes.”
The girl’s mother said on Thursday that her daughter had been a victim of sex trafficking when she was 13 years old, and that they had moved to South Myers after she was bullied. According to WBBH, the girl has been taken to a local organization that offers help for sex trafficking victims.
The story made national headlines after video of the incident was posted on Snapchat and Twitter. The video went viral, with many slut-shaming the girl as having “a train run on her.” Early headlines of the story described it as a “sex scandal” that the girl decided to “go crazy.”