It's still too early to say this for sure. But at this point in time, it appears as though Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston will not get into any legal trouble as a result of the sexual assault charges that were reportedly brought up against him in late 2012 and then later dropped. But the situation is still going to turn into a huge headache for both him and the Tallahassee police force.
According to a lawyer representing the woman who claimed that she was raped by Winston back on December 7, 2012, Tallahassee police urged the woman to think "long and hard" before pressing charges against Winston after the alleged crime. The woman's family released a statement through their lawyer earlier today and accused the police of telling the woman not to get Winston involved in the case because Tallahassee is a "big football town."
"When the attorney contacted [Tallahassee] Detective [Scott] Angulo immediately after Winston was identified, Detective Angulo told the attorney that Tallahassee was a big football town and the victim needs to think long and hard before proceeding against him because she will be raked over the coals and her life will be made miserable," the family said in the statement, obtained by the Tampa Bay Times.
The statement also said that the family was shocked that police did not obtain any DNA from Winston when the woman first accused him of rape, and the Times pointed out that no search warrants were executed at Winston's residence after the woman filed a complaint against him. So the family is left to assume that Tallahassee police did not take the woman's allegations seriously and did not investigate Winston fully for his alleged role in a crime.
At this time, the woman is no longer pursuing legal action against Winston. So there's a good chance his future is no longer in doubt (the state of Florida may still pursue the matter, though). But this latest news will hang over his head and tarnish what he's doing on the football field right now. Stay tuned for more info on the situation.
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[via Tampa Bay Times]
