Claremont High School football star charged with felony, misdemeanor for alleged rapes
POMONA -- A Claremont High School football star has been charged with two counts of statutory rape for allegedly having sex with two underage girls.
Tyler Singleton, 18, appeared this morning in Pomona Superior Court for an arraignment, but he did not enter a plea and the hearing was postponed to March 30.
The criminal complaint filed by prosecutors Tuesday alleges Singleton had unlawful sex in January with two girls -- one 14 years old, and the other 15 years old.
If convicted of both counts -- of which one is a felony and one is a misdemeanor -- Singleton could face up to three and and half years in prison.
Singleton was arrested last month after a 14-year-old girl told police he forced her to have sex in a bathroom at Cahuilla Park in Claremont.
In an interview with police, Singleton admitted he had sex with the girl, but said the sex was consensual, Claremont police Lt. Shelly Vander Veen said.
Singleton, a senior, has been the football team's starting running back since his sophomore year. He was the team's leading rusher those three seasons, and the last two seasons was named to the All-Baseline League.
Singleton came to court today wearing a black suit, red dress shirt and a black-and-white striped tie.
He said only, "Yes, sir," to Commissioner Wade D. Olson during the brief hearing -- once when asked to confirm his identity and again when ordered to return to court.
Olson ordered Singleton not to contact the alleged victims in the case.
Singleton's attorney told Olson the arraignment should be rescheduled to allow time for attorneys to review the case.
"Both sides need to do some work on this case before setting (a preliminary hearing date) or resolving it," said Vincent Malone, a Los Angeles County deputy public defender.
Though one of Singleton's alleged victims told police he forced her to have sex, the charges filed by prosecutors this week to not contain allegations of forceful rape.
A spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office declined today to discuss the case in detail.
"I really can't discuss the facts of the case and neither can (the lead prosecutor) at this point," Sandi Gibbons said. "However, based on the evidence that was presented and our evaluation of it we believed these were the appropriate charges."
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