Alleged High School Victim Says He Was Abused by Older Basketball Players in Locker Room and School Bus

May 25, 2010 — -- The family of a 14-year-old boy allegedly abused by fellow student-athletes in a locker room and on a school bus is planning to sue an Indiana school district for $2.2 million.

The boy, who is not identified in court records because of his age, was the alleged victim of several instances of sexual abuse and harassment by varsity basketball players at Carmel High School in Carmel, Indiana. The alleged victim also played basketball, but it was unclear whether he was on the same team or one of the two teams for younger students.

Robert Turner, the attorney for the alleged victim, said in a tort claim filed in April, "there exists a lengthy history of sexual abuse and bullying by students" in the school district.

"There is no protection provided for younger student-players from older student-players," Turner wrote. "There is simply no supervision whatsoever."

Robert Kitzinger, 19, Brandon Hoge, 18, Oscar Falodun, 18, and Scott Laskowski, 19, all face either battery or criminal recklessness charges in connection with alleged assaults in a Carmel High School locker room Jan. 8. Kitzinger and Hoge also face battery charges stemming from alleged abuse on a school bus Jan. 22, according to the indictments filed in Hamilton County Circuit Court earlier this month.

All four have been arrested and released on bond. They have yet to enter pleas and are expected to appear Friday at an initial hearing.

James Crum, an attorney for Hoge, said his client was "absolutely remorseful" and that he and his family are "taking it all pretty hard."

"[Hoge] is looking forward to getting this chapter of his life behind him," Crum said.

Crum declined to go into more specifics because, he said, he has not seen the prosecution's evidence.

Michael Casati, the lawyer representing Lazkowski, said that his client is "devastated because of the fallout from the coverage of this."

"The three misdemeanor charges against John Scott Lazkowski do not allege any inappropriate conduct on the team bus at anytime nor any of the conduct described by the attorney or parents of one of the alleged victim at the recent press conference," said Casati. "The charges against Mr. Lazkowski stem only from allegations of engaging in 'tangle ups' or 'pile ons' with other kids as part of horseplay with fellow students, none of which involved any hazing or any type of ill intent."

The lawyers representing the two other defendants did not immediately respond to messages left by ABCNews.com.

All four defendants have been suspended from school, according to ABC News' Indianapolis affiliate WRTV.

The indictments against the four defendants allege that they "intentionally touched [the victim] in a rude insolent or angry manner" that resulted in "bodily injury."

They were also accused of "grabbing and/or holding [the victim] in the locker room," according to the indictments.

School Drafts a Report

The alleged victim told authorities that there were "ongoing issues" occurring in the high school locker rooms, according to a heavily redacted Carmel Police report on the locker room incident.

The alleged victim told police that he was "held down" and that the four alleged abusers "pulled down his shorts."

In another redacted police report regarding the incident that allegedly took place on a school bus on a ride home from an away game, the victim told authorities that two of the defendants assaulted him twice, each time for approximately 10 minutes.

The victim said that "the players grabbed him" but the rest of the details in the report are redacted.

David Day, the attorney representing the school district, said in a statement to ABCNews.com, "The Carmel Clay School District will follow its policy of refraining from public comment on the substance of allegations made in connection with threatened or actual litigation. We will respond to the claimant within the time allowed under Indiana law."

Day also released about 80 pages of documents late last week detailing the school's response to the reports of abuse.

In a "Report to the Community" drafted by the school and dated May 17, 2010, which suggested the possibility of other victims, the school summarized the sequence of events, noting that school officials only learned about the alleged abuse in the school locker rooms after they had begun investigating the alleged school bus incident, which was reported by a student's mother.

Within the documents released by Day was a statement released by the school Feb. 18 regarding the alleged school bus incident, saying that the school notified the parents of the students involved and the police.

"Carmel Clay Schools will continue to provide a safe environment for students and take appropriate measures to ensure student safety," the statement said.

Also included in the documents are several angry e-mails from parents and community members. One parent, Debi Ware, wrote that she was "disgusted and outraged that something like this would happen."

"The parents of the two young students who were abused counted on the coaches and the school officials to ensure that their sons were safe," the parents wrote. "The school let them down -- big time."