Steubenville , Ohio

Prosecutors in eastern Ohio have filed formal charges against two girls accused of posting online threats against a 16-year-old rape victim.

The two teenage girls were being held without bond in the Jefferson County detention center in Steubenville, as is customary for juveniles.

The girls were charged Tuesday with intimidation of a victim, telecommunications harassment and aggravated menacing.

The 15- and 16-year-old girls would face up to seven years in prison if convicted as adults, but it's likely they would be treated as juveniles. That means they could only be detained up until their 21st birthdays, if convicted.

The girls are accused of sending threatening tweets about the victim Sunday, the same day her attackers were convicted in juvenile court.

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The guilty verdict against two high school football players in Steubenville, Ohio, has sparked social media backlash.

Two teenage girls were arrested and expected in court Tuesday for allegedly tweeting serious threats against the rape victim.

The two girls were being held in juvenile detention.

They were scheduled to appear before a judge Tuesday.

The two football players will spend at least a year in juvenile jail after being convicted of raping the girl who was passed out drunk.

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The top official in an eastern Ohio city facing a broad criminal investigation following a girl's rape says the community will support the inquiry.

Steubenville City Manager Cathy Davison said the community wants to see justice done and will stand behind a grand jury announced by the Ohio attorney general, whose targets include numerous high school football coaches.

Davison told The Associated Press the community's heritage and moral fiber are more important than the football program, which has won multiple state championships and is big source of pride in Steubenville.

A judge on Sunday pronounced two high school football players guilty of raping the 16-year-old girl and sentenced them to a minimum of one year in juvenile prison.

Davison, in her first comments since the verdict, says the decision has helped the community.

Copyright 2013 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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It was a case that first drew national attention months ago, and now it's over.

Two teenagers, Trent Mays and Ma'lik Richmond, are paying the price for raping a drunken 16-year-old girl.

After the sentencing, Richmond apologized to the victim.

"I would like to apologize to you," Richmond said. "I had no intentions of doing anything like that. I'm sorry to put you guys through this."

Richmond, 16, began sobbing after the apology, and his attorney comforted him.

Mays and Richmond were sentenced to at least one year in juvenile jail for the rape that happened in August 2012. after an alcohol-fueled party.

Charleston resident Jana Dunlap said the penalty is not hard enough.

"I've also been a victim myself, and I really don't think a year is a stiff enough penalty," Dunlap said. "My heart goes out to the victim, very much so."

Another Charleston resident, James Simms, shared his thoughts.

"They deserve what they get," Simms said. "Morally, it's not right, whether or not she was under the influence, or whatever the case may be. It still doesn't give anybody the right to videotape anything like that."

Trent Mays, 17, was sentenced to an additional year in jail on a charge of illegal use of a minor in nudity-oriented material. He'll serve that extra year after his rape sentence is completed. Both teens can be held until they're 21 years old.

Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine said he is considering charging others in the incident and hopes Sunday's ruling sends a strong message.

"Rape is not a recreational activity," DeWine said. "We as a society have an obligation to do more to educate our young people about rape. They need to know it is a horrible crime of violence and it's simply not OK"

Both Mays and Richmond have been ordered to avoid contact with the victim until they're 21 years old.

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Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine said he'll convene a grand jury to investigate whether other people should be charged in a rape of a teenage girl beyond two boys who were found guilty.

Steubenville High School students Trent Mays and Ma'Lik Richmond were sentenced Sunday to at least a year in juvenile jail. The case roiled the community amid allegations that more students should have been charged and led to questions about the influence of the football team, a source of local pride.

Activist groups have questioned why people who knew about the rape weren't charged under state law requiring people to report crimes.

"This community desperately needs to have this behind them but this community also desperately needs to know justice was done and that no stone was left unturned," DeWine said.

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Two Ohio high school football players have been found guilty of raping a drunken 16-year-old West Virginia girl in a case that roiled a small city and stirred reaction from activists online.

Judge Thomas Lipps ruled Sunday in juvenile court that Steubenville High School students Trent Mays and Ma'Lik Richmond are guilty of attacking the girl after an alcohol-fueled party last August.

Mays, 17, and Richmond, 16, were charged with digitally penetrating the girl, first in a car and then in a house. They could be held in juvenile jail until they are 21 years old.

The case divided the community and allegations that more students should have been charged and led to questions about the influence of the football team, a local source of pride.

“Copyright 2013 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.”

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Copyright 2013 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or distributed.