Student Assault Charges Dropped

Courtsey of Hattiesburg American/April 25, 2007
By Royce Armstrong
Assault charges against Wendell Fairley, 19, and Derek Davis, 18, both students at George County High School and players on the baseball team, were dismissed Tuesday.
The charges, filed on March 30 by the parents of a 16-year-old student, stemmed from an incident that allegedly took place on a school bus the evening of March 22. Fairley and Davis were among seven team members charged in the incident.
Team members were returning home from a game when seven members of the team, including Fairley and Davis, reportedly pulled the 16-year-old student down between two seats, pulled down his pants and photographed his genital area with cell phone cameras.
The 16-year-old student has not been back to school since the incident and has been under a psychologist's care.
George County Youth Court also met on Tuesday morning. Information on whether or not the charges against the other five students, who are minors, were dropped was not available. Legal action involving minors is not open to the public.
"We are very apologetic for all that this family has gone through," Superintendent Donnie Howell said. "We are currently working out an academic arrangement so he does not lose his school year. We are doing everything we can to meet his educational needs."
Howell said that as far as he knew the school district was not compensating the student's family in any way.
The Justice Court case against Fairley and Davis was pending the appointment of a special prosecutor and judge. Both Justice Court judges M. L. Goff and Connie Wilkerson had recused themselves from the case, as had county attorney Mark Maples.
Maples also serves as the attorney for the school board.