Story according to the Daily Herald
Mt. Pleasant High School’s star quarterback received probation after pleading guilty Tuesday to facilitation of child rape, a charge stemming from a sexual encounter with a 12-year-old girl.
Princeton Harlan’s suspended 10-year prison sentence requires him to remain under court supervision for the same period. Under the terms of the agreement, Harlan’s name will be added to the state’s sex offender registry, and he is forbidden from having contact with the victim for the full 10-year probation period.
Harlan had been out of jail on $100,000 bond after being arrested at Mt. Pleasant High School on Oct. 10. He was initially charged with one Class A felony count of rape of a child. The facilitation charge to which he pleaded guilty is a Class D felony carrying an 8-12 year sentence.
Two of his teammates, ages 16 and 17, were initially charged as juveniles with raping the girl, but were later moved to Circuit Court to be tried as adults. Court action there is pending.
Investigators said the sex was not forcible; rather the trio was charged because of the girl’s age. She is now 13. The incident was reported after the victim’s family learned she was pregnant. The pregnancy was later terminated.
The FBI was processing DNA evidence to determine paternity; those results have not been made public.
Harlan’s indictment alleged he had sexual intercourse with the girl in July. Had the case gone to trial, Harlan faced a potential prison sentence of 25-40 years and a fine of up to $50,000.
A senior and captain of the high school football team at the time of the offense, Harlan was a three-year starting quarterback. Several Division I schools showed interest in recruiting him, including Auburn University, the University of Tennessee and Vanderbilt University. Latta said Harlan intends to go to college, but that the terms of his probation may limit his choices.
