Boys, 9 and 11, charged in sex assault

Two boys, ages 9 and 11, have been charged with forcing a 7-year-old boy to perform oral sex on them on a school bus.

The boys, charged in juvenile court, could be placed on Michigan's sex offender registry for life if they are convicted, The Ann Arbor News reported Tuesday.

The incident reportedly took place in May. The boys _ accused of first- and second-degree criminal sexual conduct and gross indecency between males _ are students at Howell Elementary School, about 45 miles northwest of Detroit.

Authorities will request an evaluation to determine whether the sexual contact was predatory or experimentation, Livingston County Prosecutor David L. Morse said.

The 11-year-old was released Friday on a $25,000 personal bond. He is required to be monitored by an adult at all times and is not allowed to spend the night at his mother's house if his two younger siblings are present.

The 9-year-old was charged in August, but the status of his case wasn't available Tuesday.

The 11-year-old's court-appointed lawyer said his client pleaded not guilty, and he called the court conditions excessive.

"In the blink of an eye, he went from being a boy to being a man before the court," attorney Carolyn Henry said.

The father of the 7-year-old reported the incident to police after catching his son performing oral sex on his younger brother at home, WHMI-FM reported. The 7-year-old later told police that the 9-year-old boy forced him to perform sex acts on him several times on the bus, the Livingston County Daily Press & Argus reported.