HollyMatkinStrasburg, VA – Five volunteer firefighters in Virginia are under investigation for allegedly gang raping a 17-year-old girl and posting videos of the assaults on social media.
Recently unsealed court documents said that in the spring of 2017, the girl was sexually assaulted at the Strasburg Fire Department Company 51 station, at the home of one of the firefighters, and at a Strasburg hotel, WTVR said.
The assault came to light in April, when concerned citizens contacted Strasburg Mayor Rich Orndorff Jr., and told him there was a video that showed members of the fire department raping a teenage girl.
The Strasburg Police Department reported the allegations to Virginia State Police on April 5, 2017, after Orndorff decided it was best for an outside agency to handle the investigation, WTVR said.
The State Police obtained a search warrant, which referenced possession and distribution of child pornography.
According to court documents, the suspects told the victim that a video was recorded, posted on Snapchat, and shared with other people, WTVR reported.
The victim’s mother and stepfather gave authorities screenshots from the videos taken during the assaults.
Court documents noted that the girl was “highly intoxicated,” and was “intimidated by all the suspects.”
The screenshots also indicated that sex with at least one of the men was not consensual, WTVR reported.
The identities of the accused firefighters have not been released, and all remained on duty as of Wednesday, WTTG said.
Orndorff said they will take “appropriate action” if charges are filed.
“It’s very disheartening,” Orndorff told WTTG.
“It does not reflect the town of Strasburg. It does not reflect volunteer agencies, and as I say, it doesn’t reflect the entire Strasburg Fire Department,” he said.
The Strasburg Fire Department chief told WTTG that the department would issue a statement regarding the allegations in the near future.