Pinckney teens sentenced for raping 15-year-old girl

LIVINGSTON, COUNTY, Mich. (WJBK) -
Two local high school students who sexually assaulted a teenage girl were sentenced Monday.

Emotions were running high as the victim's family speaks out about the assault and the pain left behind.

"She said 'I'll never trust anyone ever again,'" said the victim's relative.

While the physical injuries have long healed, the lasting effects of what happened to a 15-year-old girl in December, 2015, were made clear in court on Monday.

She now has flashbacks, nightmares, bouts with depression and deals with constant bullying.

Relatives of the freshman spoke on her behalf during the sexual assault sentencing of 18-year old Nicklaus Lefebvre and 17-year old Jacob Houck - the two Pinckney high school students who admitted they raped the girl.

"We expected school would be a safe zone we had no idea she would be in a danger or would be in any kind of risk there," said a relative.

In a written statement read out loud in the Livingston County courtroom, the girl talked about repeated compliments from the teens leading up to the crime. She said that on December 15, they lured her away from her track practice; they gave her alcohol, then drove her to another boy's home, raped her and even took pictures of the assault.

Before the judge sentenced both Lefebvre and Houck to a year in jail and three years on probation - a punishment that will not go on public record if they stay out of trouble.

The teens apologized for their actions and said they take full responsibility.

"I know I made a mistake," said Lefebvre. "I'm ready to move on with my life, I want to put this in the past."

"I am deeply sorry for what took place that day," said Houck. "If I could, I would change it in a heartbeat. Not only did I mess up my life, I also affected the victim's and her family's."

The judge said that when determining his sentence, he wanted to make sure he sent a clear message that this type of behavior would not be tolerated, but he also wanted the teens a chance to better themselves and learn from this.

Another 16-year-old was also charged but because of his age, his punishment was not made public.