do all members of the Tallahassee city police department receive comp season tickets to FSU games?
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — The family and attorney of the alleged victim in a sexual assault investigation involving Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston on Wednesday sharply criticized Tallahassee police in their first public comments about the case.
The lengthy family statement, which was first provided to the Tampa Bay Times, said that police warned their attorney, Patricia Carroll, 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 statement also said the woman “cannot fathom” why local prosecutors were not told about the investigation involving Winston until last week.
A spokesman for Tallahassee police did not respond to repeated requests for comment.
Winston was a top freshman recruit and backup quarterback at the time of the alleged December 2012 assault, but is now a Heisman Trophy candidate for the second-ranked Seminoles.
Carroll, in an interview with The Associated Press, also disputed the assertion by City Manager Anita Favors Thompson that the investigation into the alleged assault was put on hold because the woman no longer wanted to prosecute.
Favors Thompson, saying that she anticipated national media interest because of Winston’s current celebrity, emailed that information to the Tallahassee mayor and city commissioners on Nov. 12.
Carroll, however, said that the woman never told police she did not want to press charges.
Carroll said that the accuser — who is from the Tampa Bay area — was going ahead with her life and attending classes at FSU when it became apparent that the police had no plans to seriously investigate the case. She left school last week when she learned that the case was about to become public.
“I had no faith whatsoever in the Tallahassee police department,” said Carroll.
Carroll said the woman and the family are cooperating with prosecutors “as they proceed with whatever actions they are taking in this matter.”
Tallahassee police handed over information to prosecutors about the 11-month old case after two media organizations began requesting records associated with the incident. State Attorney Willie Meggs has said his office may make a decision regarding the case within the next few weeks.
Timothy Jansen, Winston’s attorney, has said his client has done nothing wrong and maintains he will be exonerated. Jansen has said that he was told in February by police that the case was closed.
The family, in its statement, said the woman was “devastated” when they heard that because they said it allowed Winston to create his defense and prepare witnesses.
Jansen said Wednesday he would not respond to any “specific aspects” of the investigation mentioned in the family statement.
“We are waiting, like everyone else, for the decision from the state attorney’s office,” Jansen said.