Republished March 31, 2017 - 8:39 AM
Original Publication Date March 31, 2017 - 2:35 AM
ROCKVILLE, Md. - A preliminary hearing has been delayed for a 17-year-old charged with raping a fellow student in a Maryland high school bathroom.
Jose Montano and another student, 18-year-old Henry Sanchez, are charged with assaulting the 14-year-old girl at Rockville High School.
A hearing scheduled Friday in Montgomery County was delayed a week at prosecutors' request.
On Thursday, a judge rejected a defence request to release Montano on bail. His lawyers say the sex was consensual, and text messages show the girl agreed to sex.
The case received national attention after the White House called it an example of why President Donald Trump wants to crack down on illegal immigration. Montano's lawyers say he came from El Salvador to live with relatives who are U.S. citizens after his adoptive grandmother died.
News from © The Associated Press, 2017