Two Liberian Boys Charged in Girl’s Rape Remain Detained
The two youngest boys charged in the rape last month of an eight-year-old Liberian girl were ordered Wednesday to remain in juvenile detention with restricted visitors, as Liberia’s deputy ambassador to the U.S. arrived in town hoping to speak to them, The Sydney Morning Herald reports. At separate hearings during which one of the young defendants openly wept, judges ordered that no one be allowed to interview the nine-year-old boys without the permission of their lawyers, court-appointed advocates and Child Protective Services. Both lawyers indicated they would advise the boys not to speak to the deputy ambassador, Edwin Sele, who arrived in Phoenix on Wednesday afternoon for a weeklong fact-finding mission and to help dispel notions that rape is condoned in the West African country. He said during a news conference that he still hopes to interview the four boys despite the hurdles ahead of him. “I’m sure we can speak to CPS and find ways to do this legally,” said Sele, who was asked to visit Phoenix by Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. Sele said he wants the boys to know that being innocent until proven guilty is a hallmark of the U.S. justice system and that he also wants to meet with the eight-year-old girl to tell her that all Liberians extend their love to her. The rape case drew international attention last month after police reported the alleged victim’s parents said they were ashamed of the girl and didn’t want her back — a contention later disputed by the family’s pastor. The girl remains in custody of Child Protective Services. During the alleged July 16 attack, police say the nine-year-old boys and two teenagers lured the girl to an empty storage shed with the promise of chewing gum, restrained her and took turns raping her. A 14-year-old has been charged as an adult, and prosecutors are seeking to charge a 13-year-old as an adult, as well. One of the nine-year-old boys, whose ankles and wrists were shackled during Wednesday’s hearing, slouched in his oversized chair and was expressionless until Judge Aimee Anderson spoke directly to him. “I will tell you I’m very proud of you for being back there and working so hard,” she said as she held up a certificate that his juvenile facility had given him for good behavior. “I know it’s not easy and pretty hard to make friends in there … Hang in there, okay?”

Child Shoplifter Held In Dallas Jail for Two Weeks As Adult
A 13-year-old girl arrested for shoplifting was held in the Dallas County Jail for nearly two weeks before it was determined that she is underage, a police sergeant said Thursday. An internal affairs investigation has been launched to review the matter, police Sgt. Warren Mitchell told The Associated Press on Thursday night. The girl, who had run away from home, was arrested July 10 at a Target department store for shoplifting. She held no identification and gave a false name and age, Mitchell said. The sergeant said the arresting officer attempted to contact the police youth division to confirm the information but found no record of her. The arresting officer assumed she was 17 and took her to jail, Mitchell said, but did not say how he made that assumption. The girl was released from custody July 23 after appearing before a judge and is again listed as a runaway. Meanwhile, an inmate, an acquaintance of the girl’s family who had recognized her, phoned her father, who came to police with a birth certificate and other records verifying her real identity and age. Mitchell declined to discuss the case further, pending the investigation.

TAGS: 8-year-old girl, Child Protective Services, Dallas County, Liberian boys, rape, Sgt. Warren Mitchell, shoplifter

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