Charges Dropped In West Philadelphia Rec Center Rape

Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams has dropped charges against five teens accused of raping a 12-year-old girl last month at the Francis Myers Recreation Center in Southwest Philadelphia. The girl had reported that four boys cornered her in a stairwell, then assaulted her—but news reports at the time indicated the incident occurred before security cameras had been placed in that stairwell. This week, prosecutors said they didn’t have enough evidence to take the suspects—ages 14 and 15—to trial. “In these cases, we could not prove the charges beyond a reasonable doubt,” Assistant DA Cheryl Yankolonis said. Prosecutors said they don’t expect to re-file charges. [Philadelphia Inquirer]