Siblings arrested

in sexual assault case

Two Boone teens have been arrested and charged with sexual offenses.

Boone Police launched an investigation into an assault that occurred on Oct. 3 at the Fairfield Inn and Suites after a gathering involving underage, alcohol-related.

Mariah Kennedy, 17, and Robert Franklin Kennedy Jr., 19, brother and sister, were charged with second-degree sexual offenses.

Detective Glen Kornhauser of the Boone Police Department described the event as a hazing ritual. The victim was incapacitated due to alcohol impairment.

The N.C. General Statute describes a second-degree sexual offense — a Class C felony — as a sexual act other than intercourse, the insertion of an object into a body cavity of another, either with force or against a person who is physically helpless.

The victim was transported to Watauga Medical Center for treatment. The identity and condition of the victim have not been released.

Both teens are scheduled to appear in district court on Nov. 17 in lieu of $20,000 bonds.

—  By Melanie Davis, staff writer