New details in a rape investigation revealed that a 12-year-old girl posed as an adult on a dating app, leading to the arrest of four Fort Riley Soldiers.
According to the Manhattan Mercury, the girl, who is now 13, revealed during a court hearing Friday that she met one of the four men charged, through the app BLK, a dating service app for black men and women, where she posed as a 19-year-old. She claims she met 19-year-old Jamichael Strahan on three different occasions in August. He was arrested Aug. 25.
Strahan, a Fort Riley soldier, had initially been charged with two counts of rape, aggravated criminal sodomy, aggravated indecent liberties with a child and two counts of contributing to a child’s misconduct. Judge Meryl Wilson, who is presiding over the case, dropped one count of rape at the request of the prosecution because the alleged incident took place in Geary County.
Others facing similar charges in the investigation include 19-year-old Zelond Benymon, 23-year-old Tavian Garrett and 20-year-old Brian Griffith. Prosecutors allege all of the incidents occurred between May and October 2020. All three were arrested in late 2020.
