Madison police find no evidence of alleged assault involving Whitehorse Middle School staff, student

MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) - Madison Police Department determined Friday there is no evidence to prove sexual assault allegations involving two staff members and a student at Whitehorse Middle School.

The police department stated it has dedicated significant investigative resources to reviewing allegations brought up around 10:50 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 25, and it is nearly done with its investigation.

A social media post made on Facebook claimed a student was sexually assaulted by staff members and taken off of school grounds without permission.

MPD said Friday that these social media allegations were not factual and were potentially harmful to the investigation, as well as to people not involved.

“There is no evidence to corroborate the allegation of a physical or sexual assault to this child,” the police department stated. “There is a significant amount of evidence that directly contradicts the allegations that were made.”

Detectives spoke to employees at Whitehorse Middle School and checked video surveillance footage at the school, MPD explained.

The assault was alleged to have happened between 11:26 a.m. and 12:43 a.m. on Oct. 23, on Margaret Street, in Madison.

MPD said the timeframe was determined based on a GPS tracker the student was wearing. Officers say while it does not know why the tracker showed the Margaret Street location, it explained “GPS drift” can cause a tracker to show the wrong location because of a weak or obstructed signal.

MPD determined through school surveillance footage that the student and staff members allegedly involved were at school during that timeframe.

MPD said police interviews with teachers and staff also corroborated that the student and staff members were in the building, and nothing inappropriate happened.

Madison Police Dept. Special Victims Unit detectives spoke with the child, who police said did not verify the allegations.

MPD also spoke with people who live on Margaret Street. Those residents told police they had not heard or seen anything concerning that day, and MPD said no one showed any indication of being involved in the alleged assault.

MPD said the allegations made over social media prompted some to threaten staff members at the school. The department again stated that there is no evidence to suggest school employees, who were not named by MPD and have not been named by WMTV, were involved in any assault.

“These threats must stop and the MPD will investigate and hold accountable anyone that is participating in or making threats to the safety of people in our community,” MPD said.

Facebook previously took down the post mentioned by WMTV. Screenshots were still being shared.

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