Five Arrested on Rape Related Charges

Five people are arrested on charges relating to the rape of a teenage girl. Chickamauga Police arrested the suspects on Friday after being tipped off by suspicious neighbors.

Wendy Higgins along with her neighbors are watching out for a family they didn't hesitate to turn in to police.

Neighbors believed some of the family members were involved in the molesting and raping of a 14 year old girl.

"The trailerpark came together as a family and got them out, we got the police we told the police everything and stuck together and waited it out together," says Wendy Higgins.

However, they didn't have to wait long within 48 hours Chickamauga Police arrested 5 people, who are accused of participating in, or protecting those who allegedly committed some unspeakable crimes.

Police say 54 year old David Hardin is being accused of molesting the teenage girl and then inviting other people to rape her while he watched. Two of those people are 21 year old Kevin Hicks and 19-year-old Preston Dennel both charged with statutory rape.

Police say they had sex with the girl at the same time while Hardin looked on. Also, 43 year old Linda Hardin and 58 year old John Lovell are charged with interfering with the police arrest.

Today we learned that isn't the first time David and Linda Hardin have been reported. Chickamauga Police Chief Mike Haney who says during the investigation they found nearly a dozen reports against this family in parts of Georgia and Tennessee. They weren't arrested because every time they were accused they moved to another place.

"I wish we could do it old style and hang them from a tree because if they get out they will do it again," says Daniel Spann.

Chief Haney says the reports date back four years but says these crimes could have been going on much longer and there could be more people involved as well.

However, Haney is glad this time, there were people who got involved for the right reasons; the neighbors.

"I hope we had enough people stand up in the trailer park and speak against them that way they will actually get put away this time and stop," says Higgins.