AG drops adult charges against locker room rape case suspect

A 17-year-old high school student who prosecutors say sexually assaulted a black teammate in an Idaho locker room will no longer be charged as an adult.

KTVB-TV reports that the Attorney General’s office moved to drop the felony charges against Tanner Ward during Tuesday’s pretrial hearing. Ward will still face criminal charges in juvenile court, but officials cannot cite which ones because of privacy laws regarding underage offenders.

According to prosecutors, a teen was sexually assaulted with a clothes hanger in the Oct. 22 attack at Dietrich High School in southern Idaho.

Three football players have since been charged in connection with the attack. This includes 18-year-old John R.K. Howard, who has been charged in adult court and a third player also charged as a juvenile. All records in the third juvenile’s case have been sealed.