Girl, 15, Reported Rape At McEachern HS; 16-Year-Old Charged With Rape, Aggravated Sodomy

COBB COUNTY, GA — The suspect accused of raping a 15-year-old girl in a McEachern High School bathroom was a 16-year-old male student, according to the Cobb County Sheriff's Office.

According to an arrest warrant filed Dec. 7 and obtained by the Marietta Daily Journal, the suspect — identified as Malachi Mpata, according to multiple news reports — approached the 15-year-old girl after hours at McEachern High School on Nov. 17, pushed her against a wall, called her a derogatory name and grabbed her throat.

Police said Mpata then took her to a boy's restroom away from school cameras, and told her to go with him, the warrant said, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The girl told police she was scared Mpata would hurt her if she didn't listen, so she went in the restroom.

In the warrant, Mpata is accused of slapping the victim, holding her throat and forcing her into sex acts. He faces felony rape and felony aggravated sodomy charges, and was arrested Dec. 7.

A Cobb County School District spokesperson told Patch the suspect is no longer enrolled at McEachern High School.

“As soon as school administration was alerted, the school immediately reported the incident to crimes against children and local authorities to continue the investigation. Due to federal privacy laws, including FERPA, we are unable to provide more details except the student is no longer enrolled at the school. The safety of our students is always our top priority. We encourage parents, students, or staff members to report any concerns to our safety alert tip line,” the spokesperson said in a statement.

Mpata was taken into custody but does not show up in Cobb County jail records, since he's a minor.