CALDWELL, Texas — Three of the Caldwell ISD students who were indicted for an alleged hazing incident on a school bus back in September have taken plea deals for a lesser charge.
Katherine Hart, 18, and two other minor students from Caldwell each pleaded guilty Tuesday to a charge of unlawful restraint. This is a misdemeanor charge, a significant drop from the felony organized criminal activity-unlawful restraint and indecency with a child charges they were facing.
A fourth teen who is also facing charges in the case has not yet appeared in court.
Hart and the other two students have been fined $4,000 and sentenced to one year probation. As long as they stay out of trouble, the court has agreed to no jail time for the teens.
The four girls were accused in the fall of 2021 of what has been described as a hazing incident while on a school bus coming back from a volleyball game in Milam County.
The alleged victim is 14-years-old, according to court documents. On October 15, the student reported to the Milam County Sheriff's Office that she had been assaulted on September 21 while on a school bus ride back to Caldwell.