A 24-year man and two unidentified teenagers have been arrested by Baltimore County police and charged in rape of a 12-year old girl last weekend at Skateworks roller rink in Woodlawn.

Police said that Davon Perry and the two unidentified teenagers dragged the girl into a storage room, where the rape took place. The victim reported the incident to off-duty police officers who were working as security guards at the rink. Perry, who worked as a volunteer at the rink, was charged with first-degree rape.

Skateworks was nearly closed by the county in April because police had complained about rowdy crowds and disturbances at the rink, which was opened by a high school principal and three business partners in December 2008.

Less than two hours before an imposed deadline that would have shut the rink, Barney Wilson and his partners agreed to hire uniform police officers to work as security guards on the weekends. The skating rink is located in an industrial park near Security Boulevard.

"Above all, Skateworks wants to be a safe haven for kids who don't always have safe places to go," said Paul Gardner, an attorney for Skateworks, said after county officials agreed to keep the rink open. "Our overriding concern is to create a safe environment."

The rink's future had also been clouded by bankruptcy proceedings. The owners listed nearly $600,000 in liabilities when they filed for protection from creditors last November.

don.markus@baltsun.com