HS Wrestler Charged with Sexual Battery for Move in Practice

Ever heard of a butt drag? How about "checking the oil?"

After reading three different articles about a wrestling incident in Fresco, California, I finally learned what a butt drag is. It made me very glad that I never tried wrestling in high school. 17-year-old Preston Hill is accused of doing a butt drag to a 14 year old boy during wrestling practice. The police are calling the maneuver sexual battery and bullying. Preston said it was just a part of wrestling and that he had been taught the move by his coaches. However, Preston has been suspended pending an expulsion hearing.

According to the Fresno Bee, there isn't a technical definition of a "butt drag," but it involves grabbing the butt cheek of a rival, sometimes with anal penetration occurring, though "it should never be intentional."

Sexual assault or battery is generally the crime of subjecting someone to sexual touching that is unwanted and offensive.

"Preston took it beyond a simple wrestling move," Ross Rice, the injured boy's father said. "He crossed the line." After reviewing the case, the Fresno County District Attorney's Office charged Preston with sexual battery with his trial set to begin this week.

Related Resources:

• Prosecutors Charge High School Athlete with Sexual Assault for Wrestling Move (ABA Journal)
• NY Mets Pitcher Santana Faces Battery Allegations, No Charges (FindLaw's Tarnished Twenty)
• Assault/Battery (FindLaw)