Jameis Winston’s legal problems may be in the past, but the sordid details of his alleged sexual assault aren’t going away.
A bombshell New York Times report investigates the Tallahassee Police Department’s handling of the case involving the Heisman Trophy winner, and finds there were several fundamental flaws. The paper also reports a second woman, while not accusing Winston of rape, had a troubling sexual encounter with the star quarterback.
The report, which included interviews with the police department, the school, prosecutor Willie Meggs and attorneys for both Winston and the accuser, among others, posits the police failed to follow obvious leads that would have more rapidly identified Winston as well as witnesses, one of whom videotaped part of the sexual encounter. Even after Winston was identified by the accuser, cops didn’t attempt to interview him for close to two weeks and failed to obtain his DNA.
Police were first informed Dec. 7, 2012, of the alleged sexual assault early that morning off campus following a night out at the bar Potbelly’s. Winston was identified as a suspect Jan. 10, 2013, after the accuser heard his name called in a class, according to the report. Investigators didn’t seek him out until Jan. 23, 13 days later, and then via a phone call. In the story, Meggs expresses concerns over the delay and the form of communication.
“He says, ‘I have baseball practice, I’ll get with you later,’ ” Meggs said. In the interim, Winston hired a lawyer who advised him not to talk.
The case became national news on Nov. 13, 2013. On Dec. 5, in a press conference marred by frequent laughter, Meggs announced there wasn’t sufficient evidence to prosecute.
A major part of the Times report revolves around lead detective Scott Angulo and the department’s decision to close the case on Feb. 11, 2013. It finds police demonstrated limited follow-up on leads, such as acquiring security video from Potbelly’s or identifying the taxi driver who drove Winston and the accuser (and two other football players) on the night of the incident.
Cops also failed to obtain taxi records promptly following the rape accusation. The accuser has recalled someone in the car swiping a Florida State student ID card to obtain a discount.
David Cornwell, one of Winston’s lawyers, said: “We don’t need an investigation, thorough or otherwise, to know that Jameis did not sexually assault this young lady.”
Then there is the issue of the second woman.
A month before the sexual assault accusation went public, Florida State learned a second woman had sought counseling following a sexual encounter with Winston, according to Meggs’ office. She didn’t classify it as rape; she did not say “no.”
Yet, it “was of such a nature that she felt violated or felt that she needed to seek some type of counseling for her emotions about the experience,” according to Georgia Cappleman, the chief assistant state attorney, who said she had spoken with an advocate who had counseled the woman but not with the woman directly.
Cappleman said the incident “sheds some light on the way Mr. Winston operates” and on what may be “a recurring problem rather than some type of misunderstanding that occurred in an isolated situation.”
Cornwell called those comments “out of bounds.”