School Rapist Enters Guilty Plea

Teen Charged As Adult In School Rape
Re-printed from a story at WISH-TV Channel 8 on November 11th 2010
16-year-old Stephen MooreMUNCIE, Ind. (WISH) - A 16-year-old accused of raping a fellow student at Muncie Central High School learned in court Monday morning that he is being charged as an adult.

Police say a 16-year-old girl told officers Steven Moore pulled her in the boy's restroom and attacked her two weeks ago.

Moore appeared before a Delaware County judge for his initial hearing Monday morning. The judge entered a not guilty plea on Moore’s behalf for the B felony rape charge.

The Muncie Police Department is also looking into how administrators at Muncie Central High School handled the accusation.

Instead of calling authorities, Muncie police say the school held the girl in an office for two hours and then sent Moore home.

Police say the school did not call authorities until four hours after the girl reported the incident. Muncie Central is currently at the heart of a state investigation which recently released a report (available from WISH-TV Channel 8) characterizing the school with "suspensions ... almost three times the state average" and "not meeting student needs".

Muncie Central School
School administrators investigation into the alleged Rape concluded with the victim being sent home.

24-Hour News 8 tried to contact the Muncie Community Schools Superintendent Dr. Eric King Monday morning to learn if there are any procedural changes at the High School or if there will be disciplinary action against any administrators. However, we learned Dr. King is out of town.

Moore remains in the Delaware County Jail on $20,000 bond. His trial is scheduled for March 2011.

UPDATE 08/02/2011
Teen Pleads Guilty In Attack, Sentence Delayed
The 16-year-old accused in the rape of a fellow student at a Muncie high school has pleaded guilty to charges of criminal confinement and sexual battery, according to Muncie court officials.

Police said a 16-year-old girl told officers that Steven B. Moore, 16, pulled her into the boys’ restroom and attacked her on November 9th. A week later, Muncie police said they were investigating the alleged rape, along with why the school failed to promptly contact authorities.

Investigators say school waited for 4 hours before calling Child Protective Services and never called Muncie police to report the crime. Instead, police said, the school interviewed the suspect and allowed him to leave school the day the Rape occurred.

Moore was later charged as an adult in connection with the alleged rape and had faced a Class B felony charge of rape before the amended charges were filed by the Delaware County prosecutor’s office in a hearing Monday afternoon. The court indicated Moore entered a guilty plea on both of the amended charges, criminal confinement, a Class C felony, and sexual battery, a Class D felony.

If the judge accepts the guilty plea, sentencing will be set for 1:30 p.m. August 23th according to court officials said Monday.

The sentencing for convicted rapist Stephen B. Moore has been delayed, without a new date being set as the school administrator that allegedly acted to cover up the rape at Muncie Central heads to trial in October according to the Muncie Star Press.

References:
WISH-TV Channel 8, Teen Charged As Adult In School Rape
WXIN Fox 59, 16-year-old Muncie rape suspect to face adult charges
WLFI Channel 18,Teen charged as adult in school rape

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