Georgia nightclub hires its own lawyer
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Capital City nightclub is located in the left side of this building in Milledgeville, Ga.
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Capital City, the nightclub that was the site of a sexual assault allegedly carried out by Ben Roethlisberger, has hired a lawyer to handle requests and prepare for the possibility of being sued over the incident.
So far the club's manager, Rocky Duncan, has been formally interviewed by authorities in Milledgeville, Ga., and Carl Cansino, a criminal defense lawyer there, said the club will cooperate with requests by police to speak with other employees.
"He was managing the bar. He accommodated the parties by making the VIP room available, and he did not witness any of the offenses that have been alleged," Mr. Cansino said Thursday.
Police are investigating allegations that the Steelers quarterback sexually assaulted a 20-year-old woman at the night club, near the college campus, last Friday. Police have not filed any charges.
Investigators have obtained video from the club, but none of the cameras was trained on the VIP room where Mr. Roethlisberger was socializing with friends, Mr. Cansino said.
Cameras were instead trained on the front entrance and the main bar area.
Agents with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, which is assisting Milledgeville police, were supposed to photograph the interior of the club Thursday in order to make a sketch of the premises, Mr. Cansino said.
Tom Davis, special agent in charge of the bureau's Milledgeville office, has not returned requests for comment.
Milledgeville police Deputy Chief Richard Malone, who conducted the first news conference on the situation last week, deferred to his boss, Chief Woodrow W. Blue Jr., who was not available.
A focus of the investigation has been a rest room near the VIP lounge where evidence has been collected. The rest room is for use by VIP patrons and musicians playing live gigs. Mr. Cansino described the space as a small, plain unisex bathroom.
"It's just a toilet," Mr. Cansino said. "It's not fancy."
Mr. Roethlisberger, who turned 28 on March 2, spent the night of March 4 visiting several bars, restaurants and clubs in downtown Milledgeville.
He was accompanied by Steelers tackle Willie Colon, off-duty Coraopolis police Officer Anthony J. Barravecchio, off-duty Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Ed Joyner and several other men who have not been identified.
Before the group got to Capital City, a Milledgeville police officer was already in contact with the club to let management there know that Mr. Roethlisberger was on his way, Mr. Cansino said. He did not know the name of the officer or how the officer came into contact with the quarterback.
First Published March 12, 2010 12:00 am
