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Thread ID: 8266 | Posts: 7 | Started: 2003-07-19
2003-07-19 20:25 | User Profile
**Kobe Bryant charged with sexual assault By MIKE WISE and ALEX MARKELS New York Times Last Updated: July 18, 2003
Eagle, Colo. - Kobe Bryant, the basketball superstar celebrated for his athletic skills and his wholesome, off-court persona, was charged on Friday with sexually assaulting a 19-year-old woman on June 30 at the resort hotel where she worked in Edwards, Colo.
28060Bucks/NBA Photo/AP Lakers star Kobe Bryant speaks during a news conference at the Staples Center in Los Angeles Friday. Bryant was charged with sexually assaulting a 19-year-old woman in a case bound to tarnish the career of one of the NBA's brightest young superstars. Bryant denied the charge, saying he was guilty only of adultery. Quotable
I didn't force her to do anything against her will. I'm innocent. I sit here in front of you guys furious at myself, disgusted at myself for making a mistake of adultery. - Kobe Bryant Quotable I know that my husband has made a mistake - the mistake of adultery. He and I will have to deal with that within our marriage, and we will do so. - Vanessa Bryant
Kobe Bryant, with his wife, Vanessa, denies an assault charge on Friday. "I will fight against these allegations with all my strength," Bryant said.
Bryant, a 24-year-old guard for the Los Angeles Lakers, was charged with one count of sexual assault, a Class 3 felony that is the equivalent of rape.
Bryant, appearing at a news conference Friday night in Los Angeles, said: "I'm innocent. I didn't force her to do anything against her will. I'm innocent."
Pamela Robillard Mackey, one of his lawyers, said he would plead not guilty when he appears in court Aug. 6 for a preliminary hearing. She said what happened was "a sexual encounter between two consenting adults."
Mark D. Hurlbert, the district attorney for the 5th Judicial District, which includes Eagle County, said the formal charge accused Bryant of "sexual intrusion or sexual penetration" and "submission of the victim through the actual application of physical force or physical violence."
If convicted on the single felony count, Bryant faces four years to life in prison or probation and supervision in a sex-offender treatment program that could last 20 years to life.
Bryant is a five-time all-star in the National Basketball Association. Last year, he became the youngest player to win three consecutive league championships. He was in Colorado to have arthroscopic surgery on his right knee.
Bryant's wife, Vanessa, who in January gave birth to the couple's first child, Natalia Diamante Bryant, released a statement that said, in part: "I know that my husband has made a mistake - the mistake of adultery. He and I will have to deal with that within our marriage, and we will do so. He is not a criminal."
She appeared with Bryant at the news conference Friday night, holding hands with her husband. Bryant took several minutes to compose himself before speaking, and his voice broke as he said he was disgusted and furious with his behavior that led to the charge.
Rob Wheeler, the woman's lawyer, declined to comment Friday. Wheeler is a former prosecutor in Hurlbert's office, and he has prosecuted sexual assault cases in the past. Calls to the home of the woman's parents went unanswered. Neither she nor her immediate family has spoken publicly about the incident, which the authorities said took place during Bryant's stay two weeks ago at a Vail-area resort.
Documents in the case, including the arrest warrant, have been sealed.
Beyond immeasurable damage to Bryant's once-flawless endorsement reputation - he recently signed a $45 million deal with Nike - the charges deepened the image problems of the NBA. For the past two summers, some of the league's marquee players, including Allen Iverson of the Philadelphia 76ers, have been in trouble with the law.
"As with all allegations of a criminal nature, the NBA's policy is to await the outcome of a judicial proceeding before taking any action," David Stern, the NBA commissioner, said in a prepared statement.
The announcement by Hurlbert came on the front steps of the Eagle County Justice Center, with more than 100 reporters and residents in attendance. The center is about 30 miles west from where, on June 30, Bryant is accused of forcing himself on an employee of the Lodge and Spa at Cordillera in his room.
The complaint against Bryant alleges a "Class 3 felony," the second most serious sexual assault statute in Colorado, which involves sexual intrusion or penetration and threat sufficient enough to cause the victim to submit against the person's will.
Sexual assault statutes in Colorado were toughened several years ago to include indeterminate sentences that can extend to lifetime incarceration or supervision.
In Colorado, the legal definition of sexual assault is a "liberal standard," said Mary T. Keenan, district attorney for Colorado's Boulder County who heads its sexual assault team.
"It doesn't require force or violence," she said.
Hurlbert declined to discuss the facts of the case, as did Wheeler, who was quoted on Thursday in the Vail Daily newspaper as saying that signs of forced sex are not always obvious: "Usually when consenting adults have sexual relations, they're pretty happy about it. In sexual assault, sometimes there are emotional signs, sometimes not. The victim can be traumatized beyond anything you can determine."
Hurlbert, who took two weeks to decide whether to file the charge, defended his decision Friday afternoon.
"This did not come easily," he said. "This decision came only after reviewing all the evidence - testimonial evidence and physical evidence - after reviewing the relevant statutes, after reviewing the relevant case laws."
Hurlbert added that "I have an ethical burden not to prosecute a case unless I can prove it without a reasonable doubt."
Bryant will have to return to Eagle County on Aug. 6 for a preliminary hearing on the charge, Hurlbert said. He is required to appear because it is a bond appearance case. If the presiding judge finds sufficient evidence to proceed to a trial, Bryant will be arraigned and asked to enter a plea.
In his statement, Bryant said: "I will fight against these allegations with all my strength."
From the July 19, 2003 editions of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
[url=http://www.jsonline.com/sports/buck/jul03/156173.asp]http://www.jsonline.com/sports/buck/jul03/156173.asp[/url]**
2003-07-19 21:23 | User Profile
**In Colorado, the legal definition of sexual assault is a "liberal standard," said Mary T. Keenan, district attorney for Colorado's Boulder County who heads its sexual assault team.
"It doesn't require force or violence," she said. **
I am always somewhat skeptical of the phrase ââ¬Åsexual assaultââ¬Â. Rape is a term I can understand. ââ¬ÅSexual Assaultââ¬Â seems to mean anything from a violent rape to an off-color comment that may offend the sensibilities of a fair maiden.
Feminists have done a disservice to women by trivializing real rape by creating such a broad category as ââ¬Åsexual assaultââ¬Â. There is a big difference between forcibly raping a woman versus a woman feeling ââ¬Åpressuredââ¬Â to have sex and later regretting it after the act. The former is a horrible crime. The latter is just poor judgment on part of the woman.
2003-07-20 22:11 | User Profile
Here's a link to a photo of Pres.Bush with Bryant. [url=http://www.rebelarmy.com/news/072003.htm]http://www.rebelarmy.com/news/072003.htm[/url]
2003-07-20 22:20 | User Profile
Feminists have done a disservice to women by trivializing real rape by creating such a broad category as ââ¬Åsexual assaultââ¬Â. There is a big difference between forcibly raping a woman versus a woman feeling ââ¬Åpressuredââ¬Â to have sex and later regretting it after the act. The former is a horrible crime. The latter is just poor judgment on part of the woman.
Yup, one more thing on the list of B.S. that feminists have done in the name of "Womyn's Rights".
2003-07-20 23:01 | User Profile
This young gal goes to my school. It should be interesting to hear the evidence they have.
2003-07-20 23:23 | User Profile
What I find most laughable is the fact that the media is treating this, a routine case of black-on-white sexual violence as some kind of anomaly.
"An African-American attacking a white woman???!!! My God, it's not possible!" :lol:
2003-07-21 00:33 | User Profile
I laughed heartily when reading posts on Kobe-related thread at LF. All the dissapointed people who held Kobe in high regard. People live in ZOG-created fantasy :dung: