Teen sentenced in 2007 sexual assault at high school

P-I STAFF

One of two teens accused of sexually assaulting a female classmate in a Rainier Beach High School bathroom last year pleaded guilty to reduced charges and was sentenced Friday to eight months in jail and a year of probation.

Diojanique Davis, 19, pleaded guilty to one count of fourth-degree assault and one count of harassment but denied he had sexually assaulted the classmate.

Because he has been on electronic home detention since his arraignment, Davis will get credit for time served and won't spend time in jail, said Ian Goodhew, deputy chief of staff for the King County Prosecutor's Office. Davis has also been ordered not to have any contact with the female classmate.

The girl told her teacher in June 2007 that two male classmates had forced her into a men's bathroom at the school and that one guarded the door while the other sexually assaulted her. School officials had questioned the boys, who denied the allegations. The boys were suspended for three days, but police weren't notified until the girl's grandmother reported the incident nearly three weeks later. School staff members are considered "mandatory reporters" who must notify authorities of suspected child abuse or sexual abuse.

The school district didn't discipline any staff members after the incident but did issue "letters of direction" to them, outlining the mandatory reporting law and advising them how to handle such matters in the future, district spokesman David Tucker said Friday.