CAMERON, Texas (KBTX) – Milam County District Attorney Bill Torrey believes justice was served Tuesday when three Caldwell High School students pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge related to an incident on a Caldwell ISD bus in September.

Marina Brinkman, Kadie Hartman and Katherine Hart took a plea deal from Torrey and pleaded guilty to misdemeanor unlawful restraint. In November, the three 17-year-olds and one 18-year-old were indicted by a Milam County grand jury, accused of stripping another student on a school bus in September. Warrants filed for their arrest said the girls forcibly restrained a 14-year-old student on the bus and undressed her as they were returning to Caldwell following a sporting event. They were arrested in October by Milam County authorities on a charge of indecency with a child by exposure.

The fourth Caldwell student arrested was Sophie Goodman. Her case remains unresolved.

Torrey said in a written statement that he offered the deal and that “these are young women, with no prior criminal records, and impressive academic and extracurricular achievements.” He said the 14-year-old and her mother were present in the courtroom on Tuesday, agreed to the plea deals and declined to speak during the proceedings.

Torrey said the indictments returned by the Milam County Grand Jury were never sexual in nature, despite the charge being indecency with a child by exposure.

Written by Michael Oder