Posted on 01/01/2004 5:29:22 PM PST by governsleastgovernsbest
Roberson Named In Sexual Assault Complaint By Steve Helwagen Managing Editor Date: Jan 1, 2004
Kansas State quarterback Ell Roberson was named as a suspect in a sexual assault investigation by police in Paradise Valley, Ariz. The alleged assault occurred at 3:30 a.m. this morning at the team hotel. Police say Roberson was in custody for 10 hours, but has not been charged. His status for Friday's Fiesta Bowl was unclear. Click here for more details.
Kansas State quarterback Ell Roberson was in police custody for 10 hours earlier today as they investigated a sexual assault complaint against him.
Roberson, 23, is named in a complaint filed with the Paradise Valley, Ariz., police department. His accuser, a female alumnus of Kansas State and a resident of Kansas, claims he attacked her at about 3:30 a.m. this morning at the team's hotel, the Scottsdale Plaza Resort.
However, Lt. Ron Warner of the Paradise Valley Police Department said Roberson has not been formally charged.
"No physical arrest is expected at this point," Warner told Bucknuts.com. "No physical evidence was found in the room. There were no evident physical injuries to the victim. She was examined medically and we await the results of that exam next week."
According to Warner, his department would then turn over its files to county attorney Rick Romley's office for a determination as to whether criminal charges will be filed.
"That would be determined by our county attorney if there is sufficient evidence to support a charge," Warner said.
Warner said Roberson told police that he has consensual sex with the alleged victim. The room involved was neither that of Roberson nor the woman.
Warner says police decided to issue a news release on the situation after a media inquiry.
As of 7 p.m. Eastern time, there had been no announcement from Kansas State officials or K-State head coach Bill Snyder regarding Roberson's status for Friday's Fiesta Bowl game against Ohio State.
According to one media report, KSU athletic director Ken Weiser said Snyder would decide Roberson's status for the game.
Lt. Warner told Bucknuts.com he met with Kansas State's chief of police at about 4:30 a.m. this morning to discuss the investigation. It is reasonable to assume that Snyder knew of the ongoing investigation when he met with the media this morning at 8:30 a.m. Roberson's status was not discussed at the media session.
"They were certainly aware of it," Lt. Warner said.
According to Lt. Warner, he was summoned to the hotel by Gordon Richards, head of security at the Scottsdale Plaza Resort.
"The victim reported it to the security officer at the hotel," Lt. Warner said. "There is evidence to support that they (Roberson and his accuser) knew each other previous to this incident. But there is no indication there was a sexual relationship."
Both Roberson and his accuser were interviewed at the Paradise Valley police headquarters. Roberson remained in police custody from about 4 a.m. until he was released at 2 p.m. The Kansas State team held its final practice at Sun Devil Stadium at 4 p.m. It is unclear whether Roberson attended that practice session.
A collection of media members covering both teams ventured to the K-State team hotel early this evening seeking an update on Roberson's status, but were turned away and escorted from the grounds by hotel security.
Roberson was the driving force behind Kansas State's 11-3 Big 12 championship team this year. The three-year starter earned third-team All-Big 12 honors after rushing for 943 yards and 13 touchdowns and throwing for 2,251 yards and 24 scores.
If Roberson is ruled ineligible for the Fiesta Bowl, Kansas State would likely turn to senior Jeff Schwinn. Schwinn started two early season games while Roberson was injured, including the loss to Marshall. For the year, the 6-2, 205-pound Schwinn completed 37 of 68 passes for 563 yards with one touchdown and three interceptions.
When and if Kansas State issues a statement regarding Roberson, we will update this report.
Sounds like K-State needs to fire its PR director, if that is how they handle a crisis.
Gives a whole new meaning to "booster."
Ewwwww, who's room was it?
Anyway, this situation is a shame for all concerned.
I've been on several sports message boards since this story broke. The consensus seems to be that this young woman is "making this story up". For the life of me, I don't know why a woman would do this knowing she's going to be slammed by the fans and the media (ala Kobots).
Good point. We (Ohio State) took our hits this season with Clarett's antics. I will say that Andy Geiger (our AD) handled the situation in an upfront manner, and held several press conferences to keep the media informed. We all know how the media is, and if they can't have their nose stuck in every little detail, they'll hang you out to dry.
Unless the story is about Democratic corruption, abuse of power or perfidy. Then the media's noses are vigorously sniffing elsewhere.
Prairie
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