Life in an American Town

Posted on: April 14, 2017 at 15:57:36 CT

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2017/04/14/alleged-sadistic-hazing-rituals-lead-to-13-arrests-of-male-student-athletes-in-small-texas-town/?hpid=hp_hp-more-top-stories_mm-texas-220pm%3Ahomepage%2Fstory&utm_term=.012892b395cb

The small town of La Vernia has a population of 1,200 people, a police force of six full-time officers and, like most of Texas, a religious-like investment in its high school football team.

Which is why the expanding investigation into disturbing allegations of sexually violent hazing within the school’s male athletic teams, including football, baseball and basketball, has rattled the tightknit community located 30 miles east of San Antonio.

Since the end of March, 13 students — seven juveniles and six adults — have been arrested in connection with the hazing scandal, a lawsuit has been filed against La Vernia High School and at least 10 victims have come forward with stories of athletic team “initiations” that included sodomy and sexual abuse with Coke and Gatorade bottles, flashlights and the threaded end of a carbon dioxide tank.