Gwinnett Daily Post

LAWRENCEVILLE - Nearly three months since his March arrest, a Brookwood High School student and athlete was indicted this week on charges he molested a 14-year-old female acquaintance.

A Gwinnett grand jury handed up charges Wednesday of aggravated child molestation and false

statements against John Luke Walker, 17.

Prosecutors say Walker, a Brookwood football player, molested the teen after a party in February. The incident allegedly took place at a home on Fawnbrook Court in Lilburn, where police later found the girl unconscious. Walker was reportedly house-sitting for the home's owners, who were out of town.

The indictment alleges Walker had illegal sex with the girl, causing her physical injury, on Feb. 17. The document also states Walker lied to police during interviews by claiming he left the scene "after a dispute with a friend named Christian," which police say is not the truth.

Georgia law states aggravated child molestation can apply to a victim under 16 years old who is injured in the act of intercourse.

Investigators said in March that Walker fled the scene when police arrived.

Walker was initially charged with an additional count of rape, which the grand jury did not uphold, according to the indictment. Assistant District Attorney David Fife, who is prosecuting the case, did not return a call Thursday seeking comment.

Walker's attorney, B.J. Bernstein - who also represented Georgia teen Genarlow Wilson in his infamous child molestation case - has repeatedly downplayed the charges, calling the incident typical teen behavior overblown by the alleged victim.

Bernstein did not return a call seeking comment Thursday.

Walker has remained without bond in the Gwinnett County Jail - save for a short, court-approved reprieve to attend a family wedding - since he was pulled from the school cafeteria and arrested March 5.

Walker's arraignment, where he could enter a plea, is expected within a month.