UPDATED: 2 Vista Murrieta Football Players Charged in Rape Investigation

This article was originally published at 11 a.m. Sept. 16 and updated at 5 p.m. Sept. 16.

Sex-related criminal charges have been filed by the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office against two Vista Murrieta High School football players in an investigation involving six underage female victims.

Kishawn Tre Holmes, 17, has been charged with eight felony counts involving a total of six victims in incidents dating back to 2012, with the most recent being in August, said John Hall, spokesman for the DA’s office.

The charges filed against Kishawn include: two counts of rape by force or fear; two counts of a lewd and lascivious act on a victim under the age of 14; three counts of false imprisonment; and one count of dissuading a witness, Hall said.

Kishawn is scheduled to appear Tuesday for a detention hearing at Southwest Justice Center, according to Hall, who noted that because of the charges of rape by force or fear the law allows the proceedings to be public.

A Maxpreps.com player profile listed Kishawn, a senior, as a 5-foot-8-inch, 170-pound running back for the 2012-2013 Vista Murrieta varsity football team. He was not listed on the team’s current roster.

A second suspect in the investigation, Byron Keith Holt, 17, has been charged with sex-related crimes, according to Hall.

Byron, a junior, was also not listed as a 2013-2014 member of the Vista Murrieta team. During the 2012-2013 season, his Maxpreps.com profile described him as a 5-foot-10 inch, 220-pound varsity defensive linebacker for VMHS.

While the nature of the allegations permit Byron to be identified as a suspect in the case, the charges against him do not qualify under the law as those that would permit public knowledge of the court proceedings or case outcome, Hall said.

The arrests of two students on suspicion of rape were confirmed Monday morning by Murrieta police and officials with the Murrieta Valley Unified School District.

Both suspects had been booked Thursday at Southwest Juvenile Hall near Murrieta, police Lt. Tony Conrad said, following the investigation that began Aug. 29.

The school resource officer assigned to the campus had turned over his findings to the Murrieta police investigative unit on Sept. 3. The implicated students were contacted and interviewed by detectives, which ultimately led to their arrests, Conrad said.

The alleged rapes did not occur on school grounds, the lieutenant said.

“Vista Murrieta is a safe campus…,” Conrad said.

“...The school district and the police department make campus safety a high priority.”

Pending the outcome of the charges, the suspects were not on campus, according to Murrieta Valley Unified School District Spokeswoman Karen Parris, who said privacy laws do not allow the district to comment further on the charges or disciplinary actions taken.

“We were shocked and disappointed to learn of the arrests,” Parris said in an emailed statement.

She also said the alleged incidents did not occur on the Vista Murrieta campus or during school-related activities.

The district is “fully cooperating” with Murrieta police in their ongoing investigation, Parris said, and encourages anyone who has information about the case to contact Lt. Conrad at 951-461-6309.

Parris added that counselors are available for any students whom have concerns or whom wish to talk to someone regarding the situation.

Editor’s Note: The outcome of these allegations, as well as the facts, may change as the case progresses through the legal system. Not all details of each investigation are made public. All items are alleged to have occurred. There should be no assumption of guilt.