5 members of the Molalla Boys' Basketball team have been charged in Deschutes County as a result of the events that occurred while the team was in Sisters in December for a basketball tournament.

John Berokoff, 18, Joshua Haqq, 17, Cody Anderson, 17, Onisefor Kutsev, 17, and Vlasy Kutsev, 16, were charged with 3 counts each of first degree unlawful sexual penetration, third degree assault, and first degree sexual abuse, as well as two counts each of third degree sexual abuse and harassment, and one count each of attempted unlawful sexual penetration, attempted sexual abuse; and third degree attempted assault.

All are being tried as adults under Oregon Measure 11.

The charges arise from a series of events, which included events on the team bus during a road trip to Seaside before Christmas. That trip led to charges against these 5 players in May in Clatsop County. (See related coverage.) All 5 have been released on bail from Clatsop county, and are awaiting trial dates there.

Between Christmas and New Years, the Molalla team participated in the Sisters Holiday tournament, and allegedly, additional incidents occurred in the Motel the team was staying in, in a room, as well as in a hot tub.

All of the incidents involved a single freshman member of the team, apparently episodes of hazing. The freshman subsequently filed a complaint with the Deschutes County Sheriff's Office about being subjected to unwanted sexual contact by the older team members. The resulting investigation uncovered the prior events in Seaside.

Under Oregon law, adult crimes are brought in the jurisdiction they occurred in, hence the charges in both Clatsop and Deschutes county.

Deschutes County district attorney Michael Dugan explained that while the charges were for separate, though related incidents, if convicted in both counties, it would be up to the judges to decide whether the defendants would serve sentences for both convictions at the same time or consecutively. Dugan also stressed that "All of them are presumed innocent, and the fact of a charging document does not convict them."

In response to this matter, the Molalla River School District, and Molalla High School, has revised their coaches' manual to reflect policy revisions. The revision, which was approved at Thursday's school board meeting, stipulates that at least one coach must ride in the back of the bus during team trips.

In the lengthy section on hazing and harassment, the manual states, "Students making unwanted comments, or who engage in unwanted touching that is sexual in nature, are subject to discipline including suspension, expulsion and/or referral to police ... Consequences for hazing will result in removal from the team and contact of law enforcement." Molalla High School athletic director Steve Boynton said that in August, all district coaches will be required to participate in a training session dealing with hazing.

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