Possible grand jury investigation into Damascus HS locker room rape allegations, officials say

DAMASCUS, Md. - Officials say there could be a possible grand jury investigation into the Damascus High School locker room rape allegations that surfaced over the weekend.

Montgomery County Schools Superintendent Jack Smith and Montgomery County Police Chief Tom Manger spoke with FOX 5 on Monday.

Smith called the allegations "disturbing" and "horrifying" while Manger said interviews are still being conducted leaving open the possibility of more victims being identified and more arrests being made.

Police say the alleged sexual assault occurred on Halloween in the boy's locker room of the school after classes were dismissed. Sources tell FOX 5 that the alleged incident involved a broom and was similar to a scene from the Netflix drama "Thirteen Reasons Why."

"Our work is to really go back and look at all of our practices and the way we operate our teams," Smith said. He said that allegations that the incident began as a hazing ritual will be investigated.

"We have absolutely no knowledge, at least I have none, that this involves anything other than a group of the junior varsity players," Smith continued while saying officials will investigate all teams across the system.

"There certainly has been no indication so far that this incident extends beyond members of the junior varsity team," Manger added. "But one of the things that I've spoken with the State's Attorney about is the possibility of doing a grand jury investigation, bringing all of the witnesses and folks who have been involved with this in, talk to them, to make sure we have a full picture of what's going on, what happened, and if there is any history of this, we'll be able to look at that as well."

Smith said that going forward there will be a heavier emphasis placed on educating students regarding movies and social media. Smith added that the victims are being provided with all resources that are available from the school system and from the community.