CLEVELAND, Ohio – Ohio’s juvenile justice system is facing a test that it wasn’t built to handle: A 9-year-old boy and a 10-year-old girl are accused of the attempted murder and rape of an autistic girl — a case that forces the courts to adjust to defendants in elementary school.

“These types of cases don’t happen very often, but when they do, the legal system isn’t prepared for them,” said Michael Benza, a law professor at Case Western Reserve University. “We’re not equipped for defendants of this age in the criminal justice system.”

Prosecutors charged the children Wednesday in connection with the Sept. 13 attack behind the Collinwood Athletic Complex near East 148th Street.

Police said the youths lured the 5-year-old to a field, assaulted her and left her naked and unconscious.

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