September 18th, 2012
Posted in FLORIDA – A federal grand jury has indicted a 31-year-old man who allegedly participated in the gang rape of a 15-year-old girl aboard a cruise ship last month.
Casey Dickerson was indicted on two counts of sexual crime Wednesday after being accused of forcing sex on a minor aboard the Carnival Cruise Line ship, the Sensation.
According to court records, Dickerson and his wife were on the cruise ship, which departed from Port Canaveral on Aug. 16. The couple had requested an alternative cabin because their area was noisy, but even after being transferred to another stateroom, they kept both cabins.
Allegedly, Dickerson and four other young boys went with the female victim to the other room, where they all took turns holding her down and forcing sex with her, according to the victim. However, Dickerson claims he was intoxicated at the time and didn’t know what was going on. He contends he did not have sex with the young victim.
The other boys that were said to be involved in the rape incident have yet to be charged. Because they are minors, prosecutors must first obtain permission from the Attorney General to formally file sexual harassment and rape charges against them.
Sexual harassment is a serious crime, but when it happens to a minor, there are several more complications that ensue. Children are not able to protect themselves the way an adult might and have a tendency of keeping sexual crimes to themselves out of fear. Luckily, this young victim was courageous enough to tell authorities about the incident and hopefully she and her loved ones will obtain justice for the atrocious incident.
Tags: Carnival, Carnival Cruise Line, Carnival Cruise Line Ship, Carnival Sensation, Court Records, Cruise Ship, Federal Grand Jury, Female Victim, Gang Rape, Old Girl, Port Canaveral, Prosecutors, Rape Charges, Rape Incident, Rapist, Sexual Crime, Sexual Crimes, Sexual Harassment, Stateroom, Young Boys
