EDITOR’S NOTE: The following story contains graphic content about an alleged sexual assault involving teenagers. To contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline, call 1-800-656-4673.
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — A group of eighth-graders at a Las Vegas private school are accused of sexually assaulting another student in an alleged videotaped attack. It happened during an Alexander Dawson school trip to Costa Rica last April, according to a Las Vegas Metro Police arrest report obtained by 8 News Now Investigators.
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The teenager who police said recorded the video, Vaughn Griffith, is facing charges in adult court. He is 15 years old. A grand jury indicted Griffith, a champion golfer who was elected class president, for possession of a visual depicting the sexual behavior of a child, according to court records.
Vaughn Griffith, 15, appears in adult court on January 29, 2026, on charges of sexual assault. (KLAS)
Police identified four teenagers and said Griffith appeared to be recording the video of the sexual assault.
Among other objects, the sexual assault included the use of a flute, as the victim is heard crying and screaming in pain, according to the report.
In a six-second video, the victim is seen lying on a bed with his head up and his face showing tension/stress, while a boy said, “Hey, hold him,” police wrote.
A boy reached over the victim’s body to turn him over, according to police.
“The camera angle then reverses to show Vaughn Griffith and the boys start laughing,” the report states.
Then another video, described as more than two minutes long, “depicts violent sexual assault,” police wrote.
The victim screamed as he was punched, several boys are heard laughing throughout the video, and the victim is heard trying to stop the battery that is taking place, police explained.
As one boy urged the victim to fight back, Griffith told him that if he did, they would cut off his penis, police wrote.
The victim was finally able to free himself.
The boys continued to laugh and say, “Ew,” police wrote.
“Some of the last words heard are one boy saying, ‘It’s clearly sexual,’ and another boy saying, ‘Assault,'” according to the report. “Camera pans to the person recording, revealing Vaughn Griffith’s face.”
During grand jury proceedings, a detective testified that the children were on an all-expense paid trip to Costa Rica that students at Alexander Dawson Middle School could take, and that they went on several trips between April 3rd and April 11th. In addition to the victim and Griffith, the detective identified three other boys.
Andrew Dawson School is a private independent school in Las Vegas for preschool through 8th grade. (KLAS)
The students would now be high school freshmen. The Clark County School District has not confirmed or denied whether Griffith and one of the other suspects are enrolled in the district and said the other two suspects are not.
8 News Now Investigators reached out to the Clark County District Attorney’s office to find out if the other boys are charged and have not heard back.
“We are concerned about what is clearly disparate treatment between how Vaughn is being treated compared to other individuals in similar situations,” Joshua Judd, Griffith’s attorney, told the 8 News Now Investigators in an email. “However, we look forward to defending Vaughn in this case.”
Griffith was taken to the Clark County Detention Center on July 29, according to court records.
Clark County District Court Judge Linda Marquis issued an order Oct. 7 that Griffith’s case should be handled in the adult system. She pointed out that Griffith filmed the sexual assault, created the video and kept the video on Snapchat.
“Griffith’s possession of a video depicting a horrific gang sexual assault of his classmate was heinous and egregious,” Marquis wrote.
Marquis ruled that Griffith’s record did not outweigh the seriousness of the crime charged.
Griffith “definitely comes from a supportive family, attended private school, maintained a great GPA, was elected class president and is an award-winning elite golfer,” Marquis said.
Marquis wrote that a short stint in a juvenile detention center for reformative educational discipline and other treatment is not appropriate in this case.
“Community safety requires transfer to the adult system,” she wrote.
Greg Harder, a licensed psychologist, evaluated Griffith about a month into his arrest, according to his report. Harder recommended that Griffith’s case be handled in the juvenile court system, rehabilitation should be emphasized instead of punishment, and there was no evidence that Griffith was a sexual predator.
On May 17, Las Vegas Metro Police began investigating the incident, which occurred on April 8 or 9 in Costa Rica. School principal Alexander Dawson told officers that several students were brought in for questioning on May 16 after he reported a video of several students beating each other on a trip to Costa Rica in April 2025. The alleged victim’s mother then contacted the principal that night to report that he had been sexually assaulted. This prompted the principal to contact the police.
The alleged victim didn’t initially report what happened because she didn’t want other students to get in trouble, according to court records.
The alleged victim later reported that on April 5, a group of students entered his room, began undressing him, and threw his clothes onto the balcony. He hid in the bathroom and later retrieved his clothes, according to the report.
Two days later, at the Hotel Manuel Antonio, when a group of students were all staying in one of the hotel rooms, the alleged victim said “all the young men grabbed him and pulled his pants and underwear” and began sexually assaulting him.
The victim also said that the students had previously assaulted him.
Attorneys David Chesnoff, Richard Schonfeld and J. Randall Jones sent the 8 News Now Investigators a statement Thursday on behalf of the victim:
“We represent the victim in this matter and appreciate the work done by law enforcement, including the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department and the Clark County District Attorney’s office. We are confident that the justice system will bring justice to our client.”
8 News Now investigators reached out to the Alexander Dawson School, and Denver attorney Ellen Herzog sent the following statement:
“Alexander Dawson School in Rainbow Mountain has been made aware of serious allegations involving male middle school students while they were in their hotel rooms during a class field trip. We take any such allegations incredibly seriously and promptly reported them to law enforcement once they were brought to our attention. Because the alleged misconduct occurred among middle school students, we are unable to comment further at this time.”
On the school’s website, it is described as “a nurturing learning community for students in preschool through eighth grade that challenges students to achieve excellence in mind, body and character.”
Tuition for kindergarten through eighth grade is $32,500, according to the website.
Griffith appeared in court Thursday morning and pleaded not guilty. A hearing is scheduled for June 23.
A family member posted $20,000 bail for Griffith on Oct. 10, records show. Conditions include high level electronic monitoring, no internet except for school purposes, stay away from minors other than a sibling, stay away from victim, surrender passport and stay out of trouble.
The video, considered evidence in the case, is sealed by a court decision.
To contact investigative reporter Vanessa Murphy, send an email vmurphy@8newsnow.com.
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