A quartet of Tahoma Junior High students will find out when they will go to trial in a harassment case during the next two weeks, according to King County Prosecutor’s Office spokesman Dan Donohoe.

All four boys are accused of harassing a classmate with the situation coming to a head in late January.

Case setting hearings are scheduled for a pair of the boys this week and the other pair will be in court next Thursday. During these hearings trial dates will be set and any pre-trial motions will be handled, Donohoe explained in an e-mail.

All four pleaded not guilty when they were arraigned in April.

Principal Rob Morrow and Dean of Students Craig Johnson contacted the police Jan. 29 after learning of the incident where four white boys taunted a black boy while riding home from school on a district school bus.

District officials told The Reporter in March that after Johnson interviewed all of the boys he “determined that this was more than a typical dispute and that it had been going on for months.”

The victim claimed the boys called him names on the bus as well as used racial slurs. On Jan. 28 the boys planned to fight with the victim, first on the bus, then later getting sticks and a cane to confront him at his bus stop.

Problems continued the next morning on the ride to school when the four suspects tried to get the victim and his friend to fight. While on the way to the junior high the bus driver called ahead and requested the school’s resource officer, Deputy Mike Sutherland, meet the bus when it arrived.

After the bus arrived, the boys were interviewed by Sutherland, who then read them their Miranda rights and had them sign a suspect rights form.

One of the suspects admitted on Jan. 28 after they were unable to confront the victim and his friend that all four boys began planning what they wanted to do on the bus the next day while walking back to their neighborhood.