The Bay Village Police Department
The five youths named in the complaint – which is the equivalent of an indictment in juvenile court – range in age from 14 to 16 and attend Bay Village High School near Cleveland, the The Plain Dealer reports.
The special needs student thought he was taking the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge on Aug. 18 but "quickly realized what had really happened and felt humiliated," according to the Cuyahoga County prosecutor's office. The group of teens also recorded the incident and posted it on Instagram.
After the incident garnered national attention, the Cleveland-born Drew Carey offered a $10,000 award via Twitter to find the responsible parties.
"The victim and the five charged juveniles were and are friends and classmates. They regularly associate with one another and, at times, engage in distasteful and sophomoric pranks," said First Assistant County Prosecutor Duane Deskins, who heads the office's juvenile division, in a news release.
"However, this incident is clearly different. It crossed a moral and legal line, and even the five alleged perpetrators understand that and have expressed regret," Deskins said. "The charges recommended in this case strike a balance between punishment and rehabilitation. As the second oldest Juvenile Court in the country, the Cuyahoga County Juvenile Court has a mission to administer justice, rehabilitate juveniles, support and strengthen families, and promote public safety."
Three of the teens were charged with two counts of delinquency, assault and disorderly conduct, while the other two face a single count of disorderly conduct.
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