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D.A. won't file rape charges against Tyson
SAN BERNARDINO, California (CNN) -- Rape charges will not be filed against heavyweight boxer Mike Tyson, the San Bernardino District Attorney's office announced Friday. The office said that after careful review, the allegation of rape could not be substantiated. It said the investigation by the San Bernardino Sheriff's Department, detailed in a report delivered to the district attorney August 6, not only did not incriminate the boxer but also served to clear him. "We really wanted to prosecute Mr. Tyson because of his reputation for violence, but we had to follow the law and didn't have enough evidence to prove this case beyond a reasonable doubt," said David Whitney, San Bernardino County's lead deputy district attorney for the Major Crimes Unit.
The alleged incident occurred July 16, when a 50-year-old acquaintance of Tyson's reported he raped her at his rental home in Big Bear City, Calif., the mountain resort town where Tyson had been in training for his upcoming match in Denmark, said San Bernardino County Sheriff's Det. Mike Folette. Tyson faces unranked Danish heavyweight Brian Nielsen in Copenhagen September 8. No world title is at stake in the fight. Tyson, who served more than three years in an Indiana prison for a 1992 rape conviction, had said he believed he would be proven innocent of the latest allegations. "Everything in the long run will prove that I'm innocent, and I'm just looking forward to that, but I'm not sweating it at all," Tyson said in a recent interview with Phoenix television station KTVK. Tyson's attorney, Darrow Soll, met with the sheriff's department and the district attorney on behalf of his client. Sgt. Frank Gonzales of the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department said the meeting was positive. Soll -- based in Phoenix -- provided a statement to CNN from a Tyson representative saying the allegation was "without merit." "We are hopeful that authorities will conduct a thorough and complete investigation, which we expect will clear Mr. Tyson of any wrongdoing. Mr. Tyson will continue to train as scheduled and looks forward to competing in September," the statement said. Los Angeles attorney Gloria Allred represents the alleged rape victim, and took issue with the fact that investigators did not directly interview Tyson. "While Tyson declares his innocence on television, my client has cooperated with law enforcement and has been interviewed by them," Allred said in a written statement. "I call on Mr. Tyson to do the same. Apparently he chose to send his attorneys to talk to investigators rather than appearing himself ... Does this convicted rapist have something to hide?" Tyson was never arrested and no warrant for his arrest was ever issued, officials said. "In a case like this you depend on your victim, physical evidence and witness statements -- but this case lacked enough probable cause to arrest him initially based on the allegations alone," said Gonzales. The alleged victim sought medical attention at the Bear Valley Community Hospital July 17. As is standard in many hospitals, medical staff notified the sheriff's department that they had treated an assault victim. Folette then made contact with the woman, who at first did not want to pursue the matter. Folette said that on July 24, the alleged victim changed her mind and contacted him to file a report identifying Tyson as the suspect. |
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