She had been sexually assaulted by three teenage boys, Bronson Barna, Saha Ghafouri and Vince Rositano[1] at a party eight days earlier and pictures of the assault were The Pott family believes the damaged and missing devices delayed the investigation for up to seven months while the police tried to recover enough evidence to charge the teens with sexual battery and possession of child pornography. Sheila Pott poses with a portrait of her daughter Audrie in Los Altos, Calif., ON May 23, 2013. This was not Steubenville. Every two minutes, a sexual assault happens in the U.S., and nearly 50 percent of the victims are under the age of 18, according to Katherine Hull, a spokeswoman for the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network: The demographic of high school- and college-age women is at highest risk for sexual assault. More than half of the incidents go unreported, advocates say. When she woke up the next morning, Audrie didnt know how shed gotten into the bedroom or where her clothes were. Audrie Pott was founded hanged photos of an alleged assault circulated (Facebook) Three Californian teenagers have been arrested on suspicion of sexual assaulting a 15-year . People falling over, walking around. To cope with the shock of Audries death, Saratoga students arranged a memorial day on which everyone was supposed to wear teal, Audries favorite color. "We are hopeful that everyone understands that these boys, none of whom have ever been in trouble with the law, are to be regarded as innocent. Names You Should Know More Than a Decade After the Tragedy Began In 2012, Audrie Taylor Pott and Catherine Daisy Coleman were just 15 and 14 years old, respectively, with their During the night, Audrie became drunk, and was dragged upstairs to a bedroom where 2-3 teenage boys started to rip her clothes and sexually assault her. One of the boys Audrie made out with was so drunk he started crying and screaming. Audrie Pott, a student at Saratoga High School in Silicon Valley, hanged herself in her bathroom on Sept. 10, 2012, only a week after passing out drunk at a party where she said boys she had known for years took off her clothes, sexually assaulted her and took images of the attack on their phones. Divorced parents is not something unique. Do you know how people view me now? Sheila sprinted down the hall, back into the kitchen, grabbed a knife and cut her daughter down, trying to remember how to perform CPR while dialing 911. Its not funny. And a week later, this happened. Audrie Taylor Pott (May 27, 1997 - September 12, 2012) was American girl. Whats that? she asked. Rape stats may be no higher than in years past, but the numbers are as shocking as ever. One of Audries friends from middle school was overheard telling another student, Shut down your Facebooks, cops are looking. Another friend had even acknowledged in a Facebook message to Audrie before she died that he didnt want to discuss it further on Facebook presumably because there would be a record. Audrie Potts. SAN JOSE -- An attorney for the family of a 15-year-old who killed herself after an alleged sexual assault by classmates said Monday that Audrie Pott had "some markings . This photo is . Audrie was invited to a party on September 3, 2012, which included many other teenagers, along with having alcoholic beverages available. Years later, talking about the incident . They eventually guzzled a bottle of tequila that Saras parents kept in their own cabinet. ', Hayes decided some of her fellow students misunderstand rape. I heard you cut yourself, the girl said loudly. Pictures of the assault were posted online, accompanying bullying. The popular cheerleader hanged herself after a topless selfie circulated. Located in the heart of Silicon Valley, the school is home to high-achieving children of parents working at Apple, eBay, Netflix and other tech corporations headquartered within 50 miles. Larry Pott said in an emotional press conference last April that the boys' actions were nothing short of "disgusting. As Audries mother hunted for clues, a female sheriffs deputy assigned to patrol Saratoga High School began hearing whispers that at least one graphic and humiliating photo of Audrie was racing through social media. (Supplied)Triple j's Veronica & Lewis spoke with the co-director of Audrie and Daisy, San Francisco-based filmmaker Bonni Cohen.She explained that Daisy, like Audrie, had attempted . [2][3][4][5], On September 3, 2012, Pott went to a party with about ten other teenagers where she became drunk. An adult monitor handed her a dress-code violation her skirt was too short even though all the girls in her class dressed that way and monitors rarely objected. . As part of the terms of settlement, two of the boys were required to verbally apologize in open court, admit again to the sexual assault, admit to their role in the death of Audrie Pott, agree to being filmed in a documentary, pay a combined $950,000, support the petition for an honorary diploma for Audrie Pott, and give ten presentations on sexual assault and sexting. The flip side of this ugly trend is that when gang-rape participants and bystanders record and disseminate pictures of an assault, public outrage is inflamed and cops and prosecutors have evidence they can take to court. April 15, 2013 -- The parents of Audrie Pott, the California teen who hanged herself days after an alleged sexual assault, implored any students who might have seen a photo of the incident . We want to hear it. . A sign at Saratoga High School in support of Audrie Pott. She was a good kid and she had a long life ahead., Ed Vasquez, who is a spokesman for Allards law firm, Corsiglia, McMahon & Allard, said it was clear from Audries Facebook page that she was devastated and humiliated by what had taken place. Three area attorneys representing the boys issued a statement in April saying in part that it was "disturbing" to link Pott's suicide to the three boys. AUDRIE: he said no but I think its BS SAM: ur fine. The 15-year-old had . One Saratoga mother of a teen boy and girl, Selena Kellinger, says shes talking to both her kids about the issue. Prosecutors all over the nation are facing the same social and legal quandary: How do you protect young women from not just sexual assault but the magnification of those assaults via the Internet? She had been sexually assaulted at a party eight days earlier by three 16-year-old boys she knew, and pictures of her were posted online with . JOSH: lol that shit gets around haha everyone knows mostly everything hahaah AUDRIE: oh my god. These arent easy cases. SFGate.com reported that Allard described the document as 'a revolting attempt to deflect responsibility away from his clients. She messaged one boy, vowing to kill him if he still had the images. If something does happen, the girls feel you have to deal with it on your own. Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act effectively means that no Internet provider can be forced to take down content for invading a persons privacy or even defaming them. Audrie Pott reasonably believed images of her nearly naked body being fondled and abused without her consent were embedded in phones all over school, and that it was only a matter of time before everyone she knew either saw them or knew what had happened to her body. Looking back on it, her friends think that these problems developed in middle school, during several years of sexually tinged bullying. Palm Springs residents sue to remove 25-foot Marilyn Monroe statue depicting her iconic My Daily Horoscope: What does 2nd March hold for MY star sign? On September 12, 2012, she killed herself by hanging. Throughout the evening, she became more and more desperate, her agitation and the callousness of her friends evident in Facebook transcripts. On April 15th, the Pott family held a press conference announcing they were filing a civil suit against the boys and their families (the parents who own the party house settled in August), and filed an administrative claim against the Los Gatos-Saratoga Union High School District, alleging that administrators were lax in responding to bullying against Audrie bullying that the school claims was never discussed. We are extremely saddened about what happened to Audrie, he says. After seven months of detailed investigation, including the confiscation of numerous cellphones and computers of students, sheriffs deputies arrested three 16-year-old boys on Thursday, pulling two out of Saratoga High School classes where they were still enrolled and one who had transferred to Christopher High School in Gilroy. Teen sexting is all a way of magnifying girls fantasies of being a star of their own movies, and boys locked in a room bragging about sexual conquest., But as of yet the law provides little protection to the rights of those violated. But on September 13th, Kathy went to talk to school administrators and describe what she knew about the party at Saras house and how kids at school had pictures of Audrie. In addition to the criminal charges, the Potts have filed a civil lawsuit against the teens they say are responsible for their daughter's suicide. 3 of 15 4 of 15 Photo of Audrie Pott provided by the Pott family. Associated Press. She had problems like any other high-schooler. Audrie Pott, 15, hanged herself on Sept. 10, 2012, eight days after a party in which she says she was sexually assaulted and was drawn on using markers. A counselor came in, a young woman, and actually said to Audrie, Get a different group of friends. It was Sheila who took her daughter home from school on Sept. 10 after Audrie pleaded to be taken home. ", Larry Pott and his wife, Lisa, pose for a portrait holding a picture of Larry's daughter Audrie in Saratoga, Calif. Larry Pott and his first wife, Sheila, had divorced years earlier. 'This case is and will always be about the tragic consequences associated with sexual assault and cyber bullying.'. Mary appears to have left the room when the boys started pulling off Audries clothes and drawing on her with Sharpies. And those cases, if you have sex, you can go to jail. Audrie's story swept across the country Friday, echoing recent cases in Nova Scotia, Canada, and Steubenville, Ohio, involving drinking, sexual assault and online photos. Audrie had a lot of other problems in her life, and everybody in Saratoga knows that., Its a sentiment shared by many parents around town. And the jaws drop, because right away, they think of the sex they had at a party last weekend, where everybody was wasted., Alone in the house she once shared with her only child, Sheila Pott pours herself another glass of chardonnay and wipes away tears that still well up regularly, eight months after Audries death. Audrie started to cry. Three days after her last online cry of despair, she was dead. SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) Waking in a friend's bedroom after drinking too much at a sleepover, 15-year-old Audrie Pott looked down . In Louisville, Kentucky, in 2011, Savannah Dietrich, 16, got drunk, passed out and woke up to later learn two male acquaintances had stripped and sexually abused her, capturing the action on their phones and then sharing the pictures with pals. ", Pott went to Saratoga High School, pictured. . A friend told Rolling Stone that for the years leading up to her death, Pott had body issues, perhaps stemming from her early development of 34DD breasts at age 13. The bravado to think what were they thinking? Santa Clara County Sheriff Laurie Smith said in an interview Friday. . The images did indeed spread through the Bay Area high school, though it is unclear who initially sent them out. She was a good kid and she had a long life ahead. Wife is shocked after husband of 15 years asks for permission to have an affair: 'I don't know what to do'. Help this epidemic of sexual assault, distributing photos and cyber-bullying to stop.' Audrie Pott's step-mother, Lisa, read private Facebook messages Audrie sent after the alleged attack, found . How much punishment can they mete out to boys, who in many cases are only a year or two removed from childhood, who seem to think they are committing pranks with phones and passed-out girls, and for whom the ultimate charge rape means the end of their lives before they start? Lisa says she was a disciplinarian who put a tracking app on Audries phone and wouldnt let her miss school, whereas her mother was more lenient. Industry chief demands planned corporation tax hike from 19 to 25% in this Ukrainian soldier takes out five Russian tanks and three armoured vehicles in ONE DAY using US-supplied Sources: 3 teens admit to sexually assaulting Audrie Pott, Do not sell or share my personal information. She missed only one day of school that week and put on a brave face. In the wake of Audries death, Saratoga police agreed with school administrators to wait until the following week, September 17th, to initiate an investigation to allow students, friends and staff to mourn and grieve.. ill make sure nothing goes around AUDRIE: its gonna get out. On the Facebook page for the Audrie Pott Foundation, it explains, "Audrie touched the lives of everyone she met, with her gorgeous smile and her vivacious, infectious laugh. None of boys are named because they are juveniles involved in an open legal investigation. They were not strangers, he said. Counseling & Support Services for Youth (CASSY): 408-493-5289 (general number), 855-278-4204 (crisis) LGSUHSD anonymous hotline: submit online or 800-782-7463. News reports around the nation cited Allard, claiming that the photos went "viral.". i fucking hate people. . One of my best friends hates me. Attorneys representing the boys have claimed that their clients had nothing to do with Audries suicide and work to portray Audrie as a desperate, troubled young woman. (Audrie Pott Foundation via Facebook). But Sara had already texted around a dozen friends to drop in for her kickback. Pott went to Saratoga High School, pictured. Find Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and TikTok profiles, images and more on IDCrawl - free people search website. Sheila was used to her 15-year-old daughters moods and stopped pressing her. They all belonged to their classs popular clique, the girls dressed as provocatively as possible, even by the loose standards of California high schools. She said it was the boys she had known who assaulted her and, in addition to this, took images of the assault using their phones and share them vie text, emails and, finally, social networking websites, namely, Facebook. By the time police arrived to interview students, word had already started to spread through campus and students were sharing rumors about who was getting hauled into an administrative office and why. Teachers know. JOE: Fucking Henry AUDRIE: i dont remeber anything about that. When she kneed him, she was disciplined. Whats very clear to me from this Pott case, and other cases around the country, is that for raped or sexually assaulted young girls, its one thing that people are gossiping about you in school, but when you add images that they can keep forwarding, it really can seem like the whole world knows.. They wanted the attention so much that they would do anything for it and they didnt think what the consequences would be. Audrie, another friend said, might have sent one once. When they arrested the boys, police seized new phones and other electronic gadgetry their parents had bought to replace what authorities took in the fall. The filing also mentions an 'altercation' between Audrie and two of her friends shortly before her death. They restarted Audries heart, but it was too late. . Receive small business resources and advice about entrepreneurial info, home based business, business franchises and startup opportunities for entrepreneurs. Audrie Pott was 15 when she was sexually assaulted at a party, also in 2012, and had crude words drawn on her body with marker pen. Three teenage boys have admitted to sexually assaulting a 15-year-old . A wrongful-death lawsuit they brought against two Saratoga, Calif., high school boys who . They did unimaginable things to her while she was unconscious, Allard said. Grieving: Audrie's mother, Sheila Pott, found her daughter hanging in the bathroom in September 2012. "She wouldn't eat anything for breakfast," her friend Amanda said. The local DA said that penalty was the most severe available in Kentucky juvenile court. They dont respect personal-space boundaries.. 'It's gonna get out. They photographed themselves sexually assaulting her and, by the time she started her sophomore year at Saratoga High School two days later, scores of students had seen the images. Many were eager to protect Saratogas otherwise sterling reputation. 'My life is overI ruined my life and I don't even remember how,' Audrie said to a classmate in the days following the incident. In the pale-peach bathroom, with its shell-shaped sink, gold fixtures and narrow bathtub, her only child was dangling from a belt attached to the shower head, mascara streaking her face. Sheila Pott rushed to check her daughters cellphone, emails, texts and Facebook page. Courtesy of . The boys confessed and were initially granted a plea deal that involved the felony charge being expunged from their records before they turned 20. Audrie Pott Foundation. Sheriff's officials arrested three 16-year-old boys Thursday on suspicion of sexual battery against Audrie Pott, who committed suicide in September, eight days after the party. Send us a tip using our anonymous form. The messages show her pleading with Joe to delete the pictures. Trending Pott Was Bullied and Devastated. She was humiliated that everybody at the school would find out and she wanted answers from people at the party about what happened.. Details of the now-infamous party and the days that followed have been uncovered by Burleigh in the Sept. 26 issue ofRolling Stone magazine. Looking for Audrey Potts online? Apr 16, 2013, 8:17 AM. A boy from the team unzipped her sweater in the middle of the quad, exposing her bra. Pott and a friend both told their parents that they were spending the night at the other friend's house, and then went the house of Michael and Sheila Penuen, who were out of town for the weekend. That night, Audrie again confronted Joe on Facebook, accusing him of sharing the photos. Audrie Pott, a 15 year-old student attending Saratoga High School in California, attempted suicide by hanging herself after being sexually assaulted by three teenage boys at a party eight days earlier. World; Girl 'encouraged' gang rape of Audrie Pott who committed suicide. ", As a rebuttal, the Potts' family lawyer, Robert Allard, responded in a statement: "Nothing remotely would cause her to do this. By the time she was 13, shed sprouted 34DD breasts. Audrie Pott, 15, hanged herself on Sept. 10, 2012, eight days after a party in which she says she was sexually assaulted and was drawn on using markers. He released a statement reading: 'The sole issue in this case is the callous behavior of the suspects which directly led to Audrie's unnecessary death. Audrie brushed her off. Only one parent of the accused boys returned a call to Rolling Stone. They hear about it.. Most, she says, dont make the local news or even reach school administrators because the girls are too embarrassed to do anything. This can mean rape victims get more justice than in years past. This is costing their families thousands and thousands of dollars, and we are not all rich.. There were some girls that sent pictures to any guys that asked. Now one of the accused boys claims they are partly to blame. Audrie didnt answer. The three teens, aged 16 to 17, pleaded guilty to the attack and taking photos in . See-through shorts and thongs pulled up, shorts pulled down, recalls an older girl. ", Friends said that Pott struggled with body issues, and was self-conscious of her body, only eating when no one else was around. Photo via Facebook. 12 talking about this. Bill wrote anal above her ass with an arrow pointing down. One of three teenagers who admitted that they sexually assaulted a 15-year-old Northern California girl who later committed suicide has . She had problems like any other high-schooler. And I was so upset that she had changed. Audries story swept across the country Friday, echoing recent cases in Nova Scotia, Canada, and Steubenville, Ohio, involving drinking, sexual assault and online photos. It was hard for her to hear that from a close friend.'. It would have been so hard for Audrie to go back to school. She found it among the flowers at the memorial. Delete it. Joe and Ron remained at Saratoga. Audrie Pott: took her own life after allegedly being abused at a party. Flinging the door open, she confronted a sight now permanently etched in her memory. [11], A civil case filed by Pott's parents, to decide if the boys were responsible for her death, was originally set to go to forward to trial in April 2015,[12] but reached settlement before then. She cut chemistry to avoid talking to Kathy. Audrie, who had gone to a house party in Saratoga on Labor Day weekend, had too much to drink and fell asleep in a bedroom and woke up to the worst nightmare imaginable, according to her familys lawyer, Robert Allard. A curvaceous sophomore at Saratoga . . Photo taken of the alleged sexual assault of a 15-year-old California girl and then shared online, will be used as evidence against the three teens charged i. [13], A documentary film titled Audrie & Daisy, about the sexual assaults and social media bullying of Audrie Pott and Daisy Coleman, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2016. While Audries parents were arranging for her funeral, her organs already transplanted, a sheriffs deputy met with a school official who provided a letter summarizing Kathys statements. At around 5 p.m., Audrie and one of the boys had the following exchange: AUDRIE: joe i need to talk to u. JOE: What AUDRIE: one word AUDRIE: marker JOE: What about marker AUDRIE: u know what im talking about. Since her iPhone was drowned in vomit in the kitchen sink, she had to borrow a friends phone to call her mother. Audrie started her sophomore year at Saratoga High two days after the assault, with the knowledge that photos of her naked and luridly decorated body were circulating around school. Find Audrie Pott stock photos and editorial news pictures from Getty Images. The boys are in custody in juvenile hall. Her friend, identified only as Jane C., also helped her into the room, but could have left after. She told her mother she was spending the night with a friend. Among her last words were, You have no idea what its like to be a girl.. Pott was forced to endure taunts on Facebook, with classmates sending her messages saying things like, "u were one horny mofo," according to Rolling Stone. She had started to drink a little and had dated a slightly older guy. According to accounts told to the police, three classmates that Pott had known since middle school helped carry the intoxicated teen upstairs. 'As much as we strongly disagree with and are actively attempting to change the lenient privacy laws afforded to juveniles, even when they commit as here heinous acts on an unconscious minor, we cannot publicly comment on any aspect of any criminal proceedings involving these young men,' Robert Allard, an attorney for Lawrence and Sheila Pott - Audrie's parents - said in a statement to SFGate. On the other side, there are people who think the boys are guilty of a stupid but basically innocent prank and that Audries suicide had other causes. Audrie Pott was a 15-year-old student at Saratoga High School in Saratoga, California who committed suicide on September 12, 2012. The Audrie Pott Foundation was also created by Pott's father, mother and stepmother, giving scholarships to students in the Bay Area hoping to pursue art and music. She was engaged in a frantic attempt to discover what had happened to her body. Audrie wrote that the whole school knows. At left, Larry Pott holds a photograph of his daughter Audrie Pott, with his wife Lisa Pott, in Audrie's bedroom, at the Pott's home in Saratoga, Calif., on Friday, Dec. 13, 2013. The mixer of choice was Gatorade, or downed straight. A year before the Labor Day assault, Audrie went to school officials saying she had been bullied by boys, Vasquez said, although he would not say whether the incidents involved the same group of teens. Loss: Audrie Pott, 15, killed herself last year after she was allegedly sexually assaulted at a party. [7] Three 16-year-old boys whom she knew eventually pleaded guilty to and served time in juvenile hall for the sexual assault. They think its funny writing on a girls vagina. . Three California teen boys have been arrested and charged with the alleged sexual assault of their classmate while she was intoxicated and passed out at a . With no assault, with no cyberbullying, Audrie is in art class right now, Larry Pott said at the April news conference, choking back tears. Whats really changed is that before the Internet you could do something really stupid and maybe someone would take a picture of it, so theres the picture and the film, and you could physically capture that, says Rosen. ', Another male classmate responded: 'lol that s*** gets around haha everyone knows mostly everything hahaah.'. 'ur fine,' he responded. Sexting Shame & Suicide Illustration by Jesse Lenz. Audrie Pott, a 15-year-old high school student from Saratoga, California, went to a classmate's house party where she was raped and sexually abused after she passed out drunk. [9], In April 2013, three sixteen-year-old boys were arrested in northern California on suspicion of sexual battery to Pott. A boy identified as "Sam" assures her, "ur fine ill make sure nothing goes around (sic). It was a prank by a few kids, and its blown out of proportion. Updated: 12:08 PM PDT Mar 23, 2015. Audrie belonged to the dominant group, but that offered little protection. With Saratoga High in communication-lockdown mode because of the threat of a lawsuit, and administrators refusing to speak even to the community, parents are on their own as far as what they are supposed to do or say to their kids. 189 Followers, 23 Following, 5 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from Audrie Pott (@audriepot) A shocking tale of sexual assault in the Digital Age, Behind the Scenes: On the Hunt for the Real Ghislaine Maxwell, With Jeffrey Epstein Dead, the Search Is on for Alleged Recruiter Ghislaine Maxwell, Alex MurdaughCalled 'Family Annihilator' by Prosecution in Murder Trial, Fresh Controversy for Ja Morant as NBA Star Is Accused of Assaulting Teen, Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe Review: A Candy-Coated Balm for the Soul, NYPD's Violent Tactics During 2020 Protests Will Cost New York City, Tax Payers Millions, People Are Getting Pregnant on TikToks Trendy 'On-Demand' Birth Control, A Year After Brain Injury, Amy Grant Sets First Solo Musical Return in a Decade, Jena Malone Says She Was Sexually Assaulted by 'Hunger Games' Coworker. The family of Audrie Pott, a California teenager who allegedly was raped and then committed suicide in September, intends to file a wrongful death lawsuit, the family's lawyer told reporters . Sometimes, she loosened up a lot. A sexual assault on an unconscious victim is not considered forcible. Photo: Courtesy Audrie Pott Foundation. According to her mother, the teen got drunk at a party in 2011 and was gang-raped by four boys, who snapped a picture of the scene and posted it online. (Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP). She cut what classes she could, blowing off chemistry for two days in a row, hoping to avoid confrontations with disapproving girlfriends. April 15, 2013 12 AM PT. What really strikes me is that, when it comes to recording sexual assaults and wanting to show it off, the young men committing them are not seeing them as crimes, they see them as pranks. . If she felt hungry, when no one was looking she would eat. Evidence of this disturbing new technology was made apparent in the recent rape case in Steubenville, Ohio, where images of a passed-out young women being digitally penetrated were passed out to classmates of the Ohio town, famous for its football team. She gives a tour of Audries bedroom, where she hasnt moved a thing. And theres no point in pulling a prank unless you share it. Anderson said parents and educators need to talk to younger boys about informed consent. With Audrie still sprawled out on the bed and unresponsive, the boys allegedly fingered her and took pictures on their phones. In the following days, Pott was bullied by some who saw the photographs. Teenagers using technology to sexually harass and bully others is a phenomenon that has been made shockingly effortless by the advent of new technology.