Roethlisberger charges to be decided Monday
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MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. -- Ocmulgee Judicial Circuit District Attorney Fredric D. Bright has scheduled a Monday afternoon news conference to announce whether he will pursue sexual assault charges against Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.
The district attorney's options, according to a spokesman with the Georgia attorney general's office in Atlanta, range from dropping the case to taking it before a grand jury in pursuit of felony charges of sexual assault or reducing the charge to a misdemeanor of sexual battery.
The Milledgeville Police Department and agents with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation conducted a monthlong probe into a 20-year-old woman's accusation that Mr. Roethlisberger assaulted her in a nightclub in the early hours of March 5. The investigators' findings were turned over to Mr. Bright late Tuesday.
"The investigation, interviews and report in the Roethlisberger matter have been completed and reviewed," Mr. Bright said in a statement Friday. "We will be announcing the decision in this case in a news conference to be held on Monday."
Mr. Bright declined further comment.
Asked Friday night outside the Baldwin County Courthouse about ESPN reports that Mr. Roethlisberger will not be charged, Mr. Bright said, "I don't know where they're getting that information. I haven't announced anything yet. I'll make my announcement at 2 p.m. Monday."
Approached by a reporter outside a Wexford restaurant Friday night, Mr. Roethlisberger politely refused to answer questions about the case or the ESPN report.
Mr. Roethlisberger has denied the accusation through his Atlanta-based attorney, Edward Garland, who Friday reiterated his client's innocence.
"From the very beginning, Ben has maintained that he is not guilty of any criminal conduct, and we believe the district attorney should reach the same determination," Mr. Garland said.
"Ultimately, it's his [Mr. Bright's] decision to prosecute or not," said Page Pate, an Atlanta defense attorney who specializes in sexual offense cases. "If he believes there is insufficient evidence to prove that a crime was committed, he'll have to [drop the matter].
"But, under Georgia law, if he believes that a sexual assault occurred, that's a felony punishable by a mandatory minimum of 25 years in prison, and he has to go before a grand jury [for an indictment]."
First Published April 10, 2010 12:00 am
