FISHERS, Ind. — REAL News Michiana has discovered Hamilton Southeastern High School administrators and staff appeared to dismiss sexual abuse allegations brought by the parents of a child with special needs earlier this year. Now, police have arrested the suspected abuser for an alleged rape of a different girl that occurred just a couple of months later.
According to court documents, 18-year-old 2023 HSE graduate Cooper King is accused of raping a girl at a party in Noblesville on July 4th. Documents claim the girl had been drinking and went to sleep when King forced himself on her. Detectives say King denied ever having sex with the girl. However, after obtaining DNA evidence, police arrested King on rape charges last week.
King was picked up by officers in Kentucky where he is currently attending college at Western Kentucky University where sources tell us he is studying to become a Special Education teacher. But, it is the parents of a special needs child who reported King to Hamilton Southeastern School administrators and staff in May for allegedly sexually assaulting their daughter with special needs. According to those parents, their concerns were almost immediately dismissed by the HSE High School’s principal, teachers and support staff.
“You couldn’t find anyone who was more disinterested in this,” the parents of the child with disabilities said of HSE High School Principal Reggie Simmons. “He said he didn’t believe this was a priority. He said ‘What do you want us to do?'”
REAL News Michiana does not name the victims of sex crimes. And, to protect the alleged victim’s identity, will not be naming her parents either.
BACKGROUND ON THE HSE CASE
According to the special needs victim’s parents, they first became concerned about their child being sexually abused by King when she claimed he “touched her pee pee.” While their daughter is in her teens, she has the mental maturity of a 5 or 6-year-old. As the parents questioned their daughter further, they became convinced that what she was saying was true and accurate.
“She has the innocence of a young child. She would not be able to describe these things to us like she did,” the parents told RNM.
On May 12th, the parents went to the school to report the alleged sexual abuse. Their initial meeting was with assistant principal Paige Vinson. Following their report, they never spoke to Vinson again. On May 15th, the parents filed a report with the Fisher’s Police Department.
RELATIONSHIP TO KING
According to the family, Cooper King was heavily involved in volunteering and working with students with special needs. They tell RNM that King received school credit by working as an aide in the special needs program as a “peer tutor,” something he did for 3-4 years while attending HSE High School. They say King was also involved in the Best Buddies program and on the Unified Track team with their daughter in which typically developing children and children with developmental disabilities are able to compete against each other. King was involved in other Unified sports activities as well.
The parents became acquainted with King approximately 3-4 years ago when he began to show interest in their daughter.
“We trusted him,” the parents said. “All of the teachers vouched for the kid.”
According to the parents, King appeared to simply want to make sure children like their daughter felt welcomed and involved. He would go out of his way to include her in things. He started to come over to spend time with their daughter outside of the classroom.
“He would come over with his girlfriend and hang out,” they tell RNM. “He was nice and polite. He would talk to her just like a teacher. They would talk everyday on the phone too.”
According to the parents, King and his girlfriend would offer to take their daughter out to dinner as well. However, on two occasions, King took the girl out by himself.
“That’s when we believe one of the incidents occurred,” the parents said. “We couldn’t believe it at first. He is very well liked by the teachers and administration.”
STONEWALLING BY HSE ADMINISTRATORS AND STAFF
As soon as the parents reported their concerns to the school, the parents described HSE immediately beginning to circle the wagons to protect King and dismiss the allegations.
“They kept blaming (our child). They wouldn’t sit down and have a meeting with us until two weeks after it was reported, which was the last day of school,” the parents said. “(We believe) they were waiting for (King) to graduate and then they could just wash their hands of it.”
Even after their report, the parents claim King was still allowed around children with special needs on the Unified Track team. They also claim he was not removed from working in classes with children with disabilities.
“Isn’t there some sort of protocol?” the parents said.
The parents claim the school then turned their ire against them, reporting to investigators with the Fisher’s Police Department that the mother was “accusatory, disrespectful and used foul language.”
FISHER’S POLICE INVESTIGATION
RNM has reviewed the entire 26 page investigatory report put together by investigators at the Fishers Police Department.
In the report, nearly all of the administrators and staff appear to cast doubt on the allegations by claiming the girl tends to lie about things, while at the same time defending King’s character. HSE staff and administrators also appear to make an effort to boast about safety protocols at the school that would prevent any abuse from occurring on campus.
One claim made in the report is that there is no way students can disappear and be alone together during Unified Track events or practice, despite the team consisting of nearly 70 athletes.
Detectives did request security footage from the school as well. However, the district does not maintain footage for long periods of time. The dates of concern were no longer available at the time of the investigation.
RNM has discovered staff at the school also gave King what’s called the “Heart of a Lion Award” for his service and dedication revolving around students with special needs. Special Needs Teacher Risa Petty even posted a picture of her and King with a caption congratulating him. She only removed it after King’s arrest last week.
“So proud of this young man!” Petty captioned on the post. “He has a heart of gold and is always thinking about others. Congrats on receiving The Heart of the Lion award Coop. Can’t wait for you to teach with me.”
Petty was also thoroughly questioned by investigators who were looking into the case.
It’s important to note, when questioned about the allegations by investigators, King refused to speak and suggested he obtain the services of an attorney.
The police investigation was open from May 17th until August 24th of this year when prosecutors declined to bring charges..
“Charges are being declined in this case because there is no reasonable likelihood of conviction,” an email from Hamilton County Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Rachel Jefferson reads. “The issues range from limitations on (the victim’s) ability to testify in her own right (it does not appear that she functions at a level sufficient to allow her to take and understand the impact of the oath, and there is some concern that she lacks the ability to distinguish truth from fiction.)”
King is currently being held in the Warren County Kentucky Jail pending extradition back to Hamilton County on his latest charge.
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