Ohio rape case prompts W.Va. social media program

Prosecutor to unveil social media program for prep athletes in W.Va.

8/8/2013

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A West Virginia prosecutor is using the alcohol-fueled rape of a girl by high school football players in Ohio that was brought to light by social media to warn student-athletes of the dangers of using both.

U.S. Attorney William J. Ihlenfeld (EE’-len-feld) introduced the program Thursday in Wheeling.

It’s inspired in part by the case of two high school football players who were convicted in March of raping a 16-year-old West Virginia girl at a party in Steubenville, Ohio, last summer. The crime was revealed through a 12-minute video posted online in which one student joked about the attack while others chimed in.

The social media program will be rolled out at 11 West Virginia high schools.

Ihlenfeld calls the combination of alcohol, smartphones and social media “extremely volatile.”