Note: This story contains descriptions of sexual abuse. If you or someone you know may be a victim of sexual abuse, confidential support, information and advice are available at the National Sexual Assault Hotline by calling 800-656-4673. Text chat is also available online.
Two Longview teens facing a range of allegations that they sexually assaulted some of their high school basketball teammates pleaded not guilty to criminal charges Tuesday morning.
The pair, ages 16 and 17, sat quietly at a cramped courtroom at Cowlitz County Youth Services during a brief arraignment before Superior Court Judge Gary Bashor.
The Cowlitz County Youth Services Center in Longview, Wash., on March 3, 2026.
Saskia Hatvany / OPB
At the request of prosecutors, each teen agreed to refrain from contacting the other until the criminal cases conclude. Bashor also asked prosecutors and defense attorneys to work together on language that would allow the teens to use the internet to attend school remotely while also keeping them from social media, where gossip about the case has reportedly been rife.
Longview School District parents have been incensed by the scandal and raised questions about how school officials handled it at a Feb. 27 district meeting. Some parents called for firings and accused officials of downplaying the allegations.
Court records say that the Longview School District had become aware of the incidents in January and launched an internal investigation. It wasn’t immediately clear to what extent they communicated with local law enforcement during that time period.
Representatives for the school district did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
OPB is not naming the teens because they and their alleged victims are all minors. The Longview Police Department has already identified that they were basketball players at Mark Morris High School when the alleged assaults occurred.
A school bus leaves Mark Morris High School in Longview, Wash., on March 3, 2026.
Saskia Hatvany / OPB
Both of their defense attorneys declined to comment on the case.
The teens face identical criminal charges related to alleged incidents that occurred between November and February. Those charges include second-degree rape, unlawful imprisonment and indecent exposure.
Investigators with Longview police outlined the allegations in court documents obtained by OPB. The incidents allegedly occurred in a windowless room with a lockable door in the boys’ locker room. Investigators called the room the “varsity team room” in court records.
Younger members of the basketball team, including two 14-year-olds, described to investigators being pulled into the room during practices. The younger teammates told investigators that they said “stop” and “no” multiple times prior to and during the incidents.
One unnamed student-athlete who talked with investigators in February said one of the first incidents occurred around Thanksgiving. It continued for much of the basketball season, he said, saying there had been “five or six” incidents and numerous additional attempts to pull him into the room.
Those incidents include shutting off the lights, pinning them down and pulling their clothes off. Investigators mention four different “John Doe” victims. They described being pinned in the dark while feeling slaps on their buttocks or face, possibly with another player’s genitalia.
Investigators also suggest that there were four other student-athletes who participated with the two teens who face criminal charges. No other charges have been filed.
An unidentified teammate alleged to investigators that a varsity team member sprayed a topical pain-relief spray “inside of his rectum.” Another teammate described a similar incident happening to them.
