Parents File Suit In Yakima Rape Case

YAKIMA - The parents of a 16-year-old wrestler who says he was raped with a mop handle at Sunnyside High School have sued the school district, the principal and the wrestling coach.

The civil lawsuit filed yesterday in Yakima County Superior Court asks for an unspecified amount of damages.

Four teammates of the wrestler, Bryan Brownlee, have been charged in Juvenile Court with second-degree rape in the Jan. 17 incident. The four have been expelled from school.

The lawsuit alleges there were a number of incidents in which wrestlers at the school were "pantsed, poked and probed" with a mop handle.

The lawsuit contends that the school district, Principal William Gant and wrestling coach George Paulus knew or should have known about the activities and stopped them.

Superintendent Larry Wise declined comment.

Gant has called the incident a case of hazing that went too far.