TRAVERSE CITY -- A local high school student was charged after police said he sexually assaulted a fellow student at school.
Authorities on Wednesday charged Alexander Eugene Buchanan, 17, of Grawn, with two counts of fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct, a high-court misdemeanor. The charge is punishable by up to two years in prison and/or $500.
Grand Traverse sheriff's deputies arrested Buchanan on Tuesday afternoon at Traverse City West Senior High School after he made "forced sexual advances" toward a 15-year-old female student, Capt. Tom Emerson said.
Emerson said the alleged assault occurred around 11:30 a.m. Tuesday in a stairwell at the high school.
Buchanan and the girl sat in the stairwell when he allegedly shoved her to the ground and sexually assaulted her, court records show. He and the girl knew each other but were not in a relationship, Emerson said.
The girl told friends about the assault and returned to class. Her friends then told a school principal, which resulted in Buchanan's arrest hours later. He remains in the Grand Traverse County Jail.
Officials with Traverse City Area Public Schools suspended Buchanan, a junior, indefinitely.
"When we have an incident like this, any allegations that we receive, we immediately begin an investigation," said Christine Davis, TCAPS executive director of human resources. "We remove the threat from the premises, and the threat has been removed. Our first concern is for the safety of all students."
More than half of the sexual assault victims who seek help from the Women's Resource Center in Traverse City are young adults, said Aimee Sandula, lead advocate at the center.
"I certainly have seen an increase in cases of that age," she said. "I've had more teens coming in."
But many sexual assaults continue to go unreported because the victims often are scared to speak out.
"It's difficult for people of every age to report," Sandula said. "They could be kind of frightened to talk about it and are unsure of the impact."
