Indicted 15-year-old is free on $20,000 bond while prosecutors weigh whether others in the footage could face charges.
LAS VEGAS — A Clark County grand jury indicted 15-year-old Vaughn Griffith on Jan. 15 on a felony count tied to a cell phone video that authorities say captured a classmate’s sexual assault during an April 2025 school trip to Costa Rica. The former Alexander Dawson School class president is charged as an adult with possession of a visual presentation depicting sexual conduct of a child.
The case hinges on a recording investigators say lasts two minutes, sixteen seconds and shows both the filmer and the attack. Police say they found the clip in Snapchat “Memories” after the group returned to Nevada. Prosecutors contend the video documents several boys restraining a 14-year-old while taunting him. Defense attorneys argue the teen is being treated more harshly than others seen in the footage. Lawyers for the victim’s family have publicly backed the investigation and said they trust the court process.
Details in arrest and certification records outline what officials describe as graphic conduct. A judge reviewing the file called the behavior “heinous” and “outrageous” and ruled that juvenile sanctions would not suffice, transferring the matter to adult court. In July 2025, roughly eight days after a youth golf group recognized Griffith publicly, he was taken into custody. He later posted a $20,000 bond and was released. Authorities say the video begins with the front-facing camera pointed at Griffith before switching to the rear camera, which shows other boys pinning the victim as the assault unfolds.
Records further state that the victim told boys to stop and tried to stand up but could not, and that the group used objects and household items as they mocked him. One voice heard near the end of the clip says, “It’s clearly sexual,” according to documents; another answers, “assault.” Investigators have noted threats to share video from the trip and prior bullying toward the same student. Police say the Nevada charge focuses on the recorded image recovered on a device in Las Vegas, while any sexual assault conduct during the trip occurred in Costa Rica. Officials have said at least two students connected to the incident are no longer enrolled in the district.
The victim’s attorneys — David Chesnoff, Richard Schonfeld and J. Randall Jones — issued a brief statement thanking the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department and the Clark County District Attorney’s Office. The accused teen’s lawyer, Joshua Judd, said he is concerned about disparate treatment and plans to contest the state’s case. The school reported the allegations to police after receiving information from a parent and questioning students who initially described their behavior as joking or “horseplay,” an arrest report says.
The legal posture now includes the single felony count in adult court supported by the recovered recording. Further action could depend on digital forensics and coordination with authorities abroad. Court schedules did not list the next hearing as of Tuesday. Prosecutors said decisions about charging additional students remain under review. Any potential civil action related to the trip — involving chaperones or the school — has not been filed in public court records.
Parents near the Summerlin campus described a community bracing for extended proceedings. Some declined to speak on the record because minors are involved. Others said they want answers about supervision during the trip and about how reports were handled once students returned. Officials from the district and the school either declined to comment or did not immediately respond to messages citing the ongoing criminal case.
As of Feb. 3, the teen remains out of custody, the felony count stands, and questions about additional charges and any timeline in adult court are open. A further update is expected once a hearing date is posted.
Author note: Last updated February 3, 2026.