Video in alleged Carmel bullying case may be missing

CARMEL, Ind. (WISH) - Tuesday, Carmel city attorneys stepped in on an alleged bullying incident that occurred on a school bus on the way back from a January Carmel basketball game .

I-Team 8 was first last week to request the video from the school bus. Tuesday night, word came down that the video may not even exist. In fact, the earliest recording on the hard drive is February 10, 20 days after the incident.

Ron Farrand, head of transportation for Carmel, said the hard drive could be on another bus, but they don’t know because Carmel schools doesn’t keep track of when they have incidents on buses and when they pull the hard drives.

But what they turned over to the school administration only goes to the 10th.

I-Team 8 did check on the exact system Carmel uses and the engineer for that company says, "All video is cleared or erased when the hard drive is put into a different DVR."

I-Team 8 sent a freedom of information request to Carmel last week and, late Tuesday afternoon, the Carmel city attorney sent a message to all media denying information, saying, "It is the city’s policy to protect the identity of minors who may be the victim of a crime unless the family wishes to disclose that information."

More answers may come Wednesday as Carmel Clay Schools and the Carmel Police Department will hold a joint news conference at Carmel High School at 10 a.m.

As I-Team 8 reported Monday night, charges being considered against the three seniors include battery, criminal confinement and criminal deviate conduct. This after the seniors allegedly called the freshman manager of the basketball team and another manager to the back of the bus and allegedly physically assaulted them.

Just last week, both Carmel High School Principal John Williams and Carmel Police said the case would not rise to criminal charges.

"I'm still pretty confident with what happened on that bus and our knowledge of what took place on the bus. If things changed, it may involve other things than just that incident on that bus," Williams said Monday.

Williams denies claims that parents had called the school complaining earlier in the year about the ongoing bullying.

Williams acknowledged there were coaches on the bus at the time of the alleged incident.

"(The coaches) heard a noise and talked to the students about being quiet and they were quiet the rest of the way home," said Williams.

Monday night, at the Carmel school board meeting, there was no public comment on the now criminal investigation. But board members spoke along with the superintendant.

Carmel Superintendent Jeff Swensson said, "We follow the evidence. Whatever the evidence reveals that’s what we want to deal with."

"It's a policy that needs to be enforced. Zero tolerance...that's as simple as it is," said Paul Calabrese of the Carmel School Board.

The three players did not play in last Friday's basketball game.

I-Team 8 has requested the video from the bus that night. There has been no firm answer regarding the tape but I-Team 8 was told it may not exist, since the incident happened three weeks before it came to light.

One school board member said Monday night he believes the players have been suspended from playing basketball for the rest of the year. However, I-Team 8 could not confirm it.

Also, a parent of one of the senior boys accused says there is another side to the story but the parent couldn't go into detail yet.