The Winston Story Goes On

[billybud]

It is looking more and more like a college date rape case.

DNA came back as Winston's. It is a he said-she said case re consensual sex. It appears that a football player who was there and the woman's roommate have supplied affidavits that support Winston's side while the victim and family have another story.

The sub plot involves the totally inept Tallahasse Police Department. The PD has been under so much fire for ineptness this last year that the Police Chief and Assistant Police Chief were retired.

The PD has had to pay out millions for screw ups...slamming a handcuffed woman's head down onto the hood of a car (caught on tape) that caused facial damage and broken facial bones, forcing (by dire threats) a coed who was caught buying marujuana to go back and make a buy from the dealer. The cops lost her location when the dealer forced her into his car...she was shot and killed and dumped.

Now, the family says that the PD warned the victim off the case saying she would get dragged through the mud. The PD says that the victim didn't want to go forward, did not want her name known and that they were merely warning her that this would be a very visible case because of its nature.

On top of that..there is internal political warring going down between the PD and the State's Attorney. The Sherriff's Office and the State Attorney would like to consolidate law enforcement so that you would not have a Tallahassee PD and a County Sherriff (and the SA's son works for the Sherriff who will be retiring after this term).

The State Attorney has called out the PD for their handling of the case and for dropping it into his lap almost a year later when the media get wind of it.

And the young man and the young woman are caught in the middle of the whirlwind. I can't imagine the pressures of being a 19 year old kid with this kind of daily pressure and I can not imagine being a 21 year old woman, who did not want to go public, being worried about her reputation.

It is a story that has become all too common in a college town.

[Spence]

It seems to me that the police detective need to be fired. If he does his job, this is over a long time ago. No matter who is telling the truth.

[billybud]

The PD is adamantly stating that the victim did not want to proceed and was unreponsive to the police department requests so the PD made the case "inactive".

[billybud]

The Tall. PD statement last night...

“Thank you for coming here tonight on such short notice. There are few things about this case we can tell you there are many things we cannot tell you. Here are a few of the things we can tell you: On Dec. 7 2012 the Tallahassee Police Department responded to a call from the Florida State University police department about an alleged sexual battery. We began an active investigation which involved collecting evidence and interviewing the victim. In February 2013 the case was classified as open but inactive when the victim in the case broke off contact with TDP and her attorney indicated that she did not want to move forward at this time.

“This month, when we received a media inquiry, we informed the state attorney’s office. And at that time the case was reactivated. Let me reiterate please: The case was never closed. It was classified as open but inactive. We are meeting with you today because there are many statements and comments being made daily, some of which are factual, some of which are not factual. Obviously we can’t go into detail about that tonight but there will be a time when we can comment on those issues.

[donovan]

I never really get all of this. Florida, like most states, has a rape shield law, which seems to me to be very reasonable. So the incident happens and for whatever reason the young lady does not wish to proceed, be contacted, just left alone. This is her right and needs to be respected. The fact that Winston and the woman do not tell exactly the same story, is what happens in most situations, does not mean lying on either's part, we all see things differently and remember them even more differently. So why does the media have the right to violate the privacy afford this young woman? The public has no vested interest in this case. As inept as the police may have been, they did what the woman requested, her right. Then they get bullied by the media and turn it over to the State Attorney who now grandstands it in the press. How about a recognition of the facts and keep them private? No one is suggesting that rape should go unpunished, but as Mr. Billybud stated, this may have been bad judgment on both parties part and regrets for a mutual decision does not constitute a crime. Talk about unringing the bell.

[Spence]

Doesn't battery mean their was bruising or damage to the victim. Rape can be with or without physical damage. But if their is physical damage and DNA evidence, that is a tough position to defend. I don't pretend to know the facts of this case and from other local stories I have found that what the national press prints is often so far from the actual truth it isn't funny. I do hope if Winston is innocent that he is cleared without being pulled from the team. Something clearly happened to the victim in this case. I also hope the police get to the bottom of that as well.

[RazorHawk]

May be a little cynical, but what if Winston were a third string QB and has not played a down? Would we be hearing about it? (Probably not to the same degree) Would the girl have proceeded or not?

[billybud]

May be a little cynical, but what if Winston were a third string QB and has not played a down? Would we be hearing about it? (Probably not to the same degree) Would the girl have proceeded or not?

Well...when it occurred, Winston was a third string QB who had not played a down....and we hear about it a year later when he assumes a Heisman lead....

Yes...it is big news...TMZ does not care about nationally unknown figures...but the Heisman leading QB of a team being touted for the national championship game is a very big story....

[Spence]

Thought this was good. The football fan's guide to judging an athletes guilt. It seems to work for every situation.

[Derek]

Absolutely correct Spence.

[donovan]

First the verdict, then the trial.

[Cane from the Bend]

Thought this was good. The football fan's guide to judging an athletes guilt. It seems to work for every situation.

And if you're a Crimson Tide fan, you'd say that is what happened here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSpfyIaS6wE

Musta recognized the players scent from a local crime scene.

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[Spence]

That is what I was thinking. Maybe he picked up a scent on his hands that he was trained to attack.

[Eric]

From a football perspective, the timing of this is abysmal considering that it sounds like Florida State will get into the championship game prior to the legal system deciding whether or not they want to press charges. This could pit a hamstrung Florida State against Alabama while shutting out Ohio State. But on the same token, leaving Florida State out for Ohio State would also be unfair because we have no idea if FSU would have gone undefeated in a similar fashion with their backup QB because the supporting cast around Winston is obviously fantastic. But on that same token, if Alabama won and FSU wasn't nearly as good as they have been all year, Bama gets a cheap 3-peat and the SEC gets to brag about 8 straight. Ohio State gets shafted. And then if Winston is exonerated, FSU could only wonder what could have been and Winston will have had his reputation tarnished.

[Derek]

From a football perspective, the timing of this is abysmal considering that it sounds like Florida State will get into the championship game prior to the legal system deciding whether or not they want to press charges. This could pit a hamstrung Florida State against Alabama while shutting out Ohio State. But on the same token, leaving Florida State out for Ohio State would also be unfair because we have no idea if FSU would have gone undefeated in a similar fashion with their backup QB because the supporting cast around Winston is obviously fantastic. But on that same token, if Alabama won and FSU wasn't nearly as good as they have been all year, Bama gets a cheap 3-peat and the SEC gets to brag about 8 straight. Ohio State gets shafted. And then if Winston is exonerated, FSU could only wonder what could have been and Winston will have had his reputation tarnished.

I read somewhere that her attorney is her Aunt’s girlfriend who is a Big Florida Gators booster, as is the writer that broke the story.

I'm not making that up...that's what I read.

I'll try and dig for it.